Heroes in Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends
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The heroes in Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends by Big Huge Games include a variey of different characters and abilities from the 2006 real-time strategy computer game Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends. Each of the heroes have different roles in the game, and have different affilations to different civilizations in it as well.
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[edit] Characters
[edit] General Battaglion
General Battaglion is a fictional character who only appears in the single-player campaign.
Before meeting up with Giacomo, Battaglion led a band of Condottieri soldiers who weren't afraid of getting their hands dirty doing siege work. As a result, he was detained by one of the Doge lieutenants - Sclario, Don of Felignio and was landed straight in prison along with the men loyal to him. After being freed from a cell in the region of Feligno, he pledges his services to Giacomo in the fight against the Doge's army.
An expert siege engineer, Battaglion has attacks and abilities that are extremely powerful against buildings. He can fire a demolition shot that damages buildings and cities, reducing the number of troops required to storm the latter. Other than that, he is also equipped with shrapnel shells which deals damage out to units in the radius of the shot. His Timonium Shot allows for a temporary boost in speed, attack and hitpoints. Passively, he may choose to upgrade his mortar attacks. On the battlefield, Battaglion increases the attack power of all friendly siege units, and reduces construction time for buildings.
[edit] Distruzio
Distruzio is a brilliant Vinci inventor by heart, Distruzio is nevertheless a dangerous individual whenever it comes down to machinery. Clearly well-known as the game's stereotypical "mad" scientist, Distruzio has been heading a rebellion against one of the Doge's lieutenants - Rocco, Lord of the Wasteland. Seeking allies for his own fight against the Doge, Giacomo enlisted his help. After Lord Rocco's defeat by the hands of the Mianan army, Distruzio now swears his loyalty to Giacomo and lends his services to the young Lord of Miana.
Distruzio is commonly seen stiding into the battlefield in his personalized battle-tank. His abilities, though potent, have random elements. Among these include healing and damage grenades (Distruzio may grab the WRONG grenade at times) and summoning random clockwork units (switches between Clockwork Men, Clockwork Spiders and Clockwork Miners). He may also choose to randomly improve one of his traits each time he goes into battle.
Zeke is Distruzio's robot sidekick, and comes free when he is summoned. It has three forms: battle drone, scout and siege weapon. It gains levels with Distruzio. In skirmish/multiplayer games, Zeke is available as a Prototype Factory unit for the Vinci.
Zeke is also the unofficial mascot of the game within the Rise of Legends fandom due to its quirky looks and uses. Big Huge Games' official website even has entire section devoted to Zeke fanart created by several of Rise of Legends' many developers.
[edit] Carlini
Carlini is the famed General of Miana has loyally served in the army for over 43 years and in two separate wars. As living proof of this ordeal, his right leg has been blown off and thus has been using a prosthetic one ever since. As Giacomo's military advisor (see below), Carlini's advice has been an immense help to the new lord of Miana after the recent death of his elder sibling - Petruzzo. Also, being older than Giacomo, Carlini is somewhat of a kindly father/older brother figure to his lord, especially after Petruzzo's death. He's also noted for his courage and dry wit.
Near the beginning of the last campaign, Carlini is killed by the Cuotl "God" of Death, Czin. His death, along with the destruction of Miana by the Doge (seen by Giacomo to be an agent of the Cuotl gods) led Giacomo to seek vengeance against the mysterious aliens. After his death, a memorial depicting him, Giacomo, and Petruzzo standing alongside each other was erected, seen briefly during the cutscene where Lenora and Arri part ways after Giacomo's heroic sacrifice to destroy the Cuotl relay transmitter.
In battle, Carlini is usually seen riding on horseback, and using his customized rifle to pick off enemy soldiers. His Snipe abilities hark back to the Commando, Special Forces and Elite Special Forces units from the original Rise of Nations. Aside from that, Carlini can also summon a gun emplacement and become temporarily invincible for a short period. Passively, his Scope increases his overall health and speed, and he increases the health of all friendly Imperial units and heroes present in battle.
[edit] Giacomo Giamba
Perhaps no hero of the modern Vinci era is as revered as Giacomo Giamba . The son of a Mianan noble, Giacomo immersed himself in his studies from an early age, glad that his older brother Petruzzo had to take the reins of leadership. But when Petruzzo was killed by the Doge, Giacomo was thrust into the role of Mianan lord; this led to an adventure that spanned half the globe and drove him to create some of his most mighty inventions, from clockwork men armed with powerful explosives to sonic energy projectors.
At the beginning of the game, Giacomo is a simple man who would rather spend time coming up with new gadgets. His title is "Inventor of Miana". His brother, Petruzzo, is set to be the next Lord of Miana. However, with Petruzzo's murder by the Doge of Venucci, Giacomo finds himself thrust into the hot seat as he sets out to hunt down the Doge. Along the way, he begins to realise that perhaps the powers behind the Doge's mysterious technology, and the Dark Alin which is menancing the Alin, may somehow be related.
After the first mission of the Cuotl campaign, Giacomo's walker is destroyed and he is caught in an explosion from a Cuotl device. The alien technology changes Giacomo. Half of his face becomes covered with glass, and he can change anything he touches into glass. He constructs a new walker, using parts from both his old walker and the destroyed Cuotl moon god, Ix.
In-game, this change to Giacomo has several implications:
- Giacomo's hero level is reset to 2.
- His hero abilities have all changed, most of them becoming moon-themed.
- His "bonus" Clockwork Men are now Hybrid Clockwork Men, armed with Cuotl-style beam weapons.
- His ability to give bonus research points remains unchanged.
Throughout the campaign, one will encounter many different forms of Giacomo. Some are purely aesthethic, while others affect his stats. Early in the Vinci campaign, he rides a horse and carries a pistol. Soon, he gets his 'walker,' which once was the Doge's. In the Alin campaign, he has a shelter covering his 'walker' as shade from the hot desert sun; this form is totally aesthetic (Note: Players do not get Giacomo in this form when summoning him in a desert map in skirmish/multiplayer). Lastly, there is the Cuotl form, obtained in the Cuotl campaign (see above). In skirmish/multiplayer mode, Giacomo comes in his original walker form.
[edit] Lenora
Lenora is the leader of the Pirata. She was first seen transporting an artifact the Doge had found in Vinci city-state of Vernazza. She later joined Giacomo when the Doge decided to invade her homeland by constructing a giant anti-air platform - The Sky Crusher. With the young Lord's help, the Pirata were able to rid themselves of the Doge's attacks, and Lenora henceforth pledges her assistance to Giacomo.
As she spent more and more time with Giacomo, Lenora eventually became a close friend of the Lord of Miana, even to the point where she secretly harbors a romantic relationship with him. Although she did not express any other feelings for the man, the "pirate captain" (according to her title) was shown to be jealous when she saw Giacomo together with Arri for the first time in Azar Harif. In fact, for the rest of the Alin campaign, you will not get to use Lenora after the first mission (substituted by Arri), as she claimed that she needed to return to the Pirata Aerodrome for "parts for my flyer". However, in the final mission, she suddenly reappears, together with a significant Pirata air force and Condotierri soldiers, to aid Giacomo against the Doge's assault force in Mezekesh.
She later travelled to the lands of the Cuotl to aid Giacomo in defeating the False Gods. After Giacomo destroyed the relay transmitter to the Cuotl homeworld (possibly killed in the explosion), Lenora returns home and founds the nation of New Miana in Giacomo's memory, seeking to peacefully re-unify the Vinci lands from desruction in the civil war that followed after the destruction of the Gods. Her lieutenants, however, are somewhat skeptical of her wishes of a new Mianan nation, claiming it is not the Pirata way of doing things.
Like her lieutenant Venza, Lenora also possesses a customized Pirata Flyer, though hers seems to be more heavily oriented on the basic Flyer design. The craft itself is powered by two jet propulsion engines and supported by a (possible) ballast underneath. As shown in the picture, the Flyer has no cockpit - instead, Lenora flies the vehicle as if she was riding a motorcycle. The Flyer's main weapon is a minigun mounted underneath the nose, but hidden inside the craft are two tri-barreled rocket launchers, a couple of autocannons, jet boosters, cluster bombs and explosive devices meant for destroying enemy aircraft.
Being Pirata, she is able to convince enemy soldiers to join her in service via her Piracy ability. Passively, she grants an increase in Wealth (Energy if the player decides to take the Vinci heroes).
In skirmish/multiplayer mode, Lenora is the flying hero of the Vinci; in the single player campaign, she's not the only flier (Venza's the other flier hero.). Also, in the Cuotl campaign (if you choose to take the Vinci heroes), she gives Energy instead of Wealth.
[edit] Pulitore
Pulitore is a chemical expert working for Alessadri, the Doge of Venucci, Pulitore was sent into the Alin desert by his master to search for the keys to the legendary city of Mezekesh. He later deserted the Doge and took refuge with the forces under his control at an ancient oasis. Constantly under attack by Sawu's minions, Pulitore's men managed to survive thanks to the healing powers of the oasis itself. Later on, he met Giacomo - who was also searching for the keys - and after helping to defend his camp against another group of marauding Dark Alin, he agreed to aid the young Lord of Miana in his quest.
Pulitore's extensive knowledge in chemical warfare works to his advantage, but such a knowledge comes at hefty price - his lungs have become scarred after years of inhaling corrosive substances. In battle, he rides a personalized battle-tank similar to that of Distruzio's, with the exception that there are two large gas canisters bolted to it. Being a chemical expert, most of Pulitore's abilities are centered on chemical-based attacks.
[edit] The Doge of Venucci
Alessadri, The Doge of Venucci is the leader of a city state.
Since time immemorial, a bitter rivalry was formed between the Vinci city states of Miana - led by Lord Petruzzo - and the Doge's own state of Venucci. Both were vaguely different from the other - Petruzzo was widely-revered and looks after his people's wellbeing, while the Doge rules Venucci with an iron fist such as the citzens are forced to labour on the construction of war machines to fuel his ambition of conquering all of the Vinci states while searching for bits and pieces of Cuotl technology to aid him in this ordeal.
In the beginning of the game itself, The Doge and his troops arrive in the mines of Vernazza to uncover a relic (a Cuotl laser, later discovered to be a relay transmitter) that is making the local miners sick. By chance, Petruzzo, his brother Giacomo and his advisor Carlini were also trying to uncover the said object. In an attempt to end the feud between both houses (as well to test out his newfound "weapon"), he causes a landslide that killed Petruzzo, leaving Giacomo to mourn for his fallen brother and swear his vengeance against The Doge. The Pirata - led by Lenora - then quickly transport the object away.
As the Pirata refuse to further assist the Doge in this undertaking, he constructs a massive anti-air platform nicknamed "The Sky Crusher" to keep them under siege, thus cutting off all supply routes to the Aerodrome. Giacomo and his men managed to capture the Sky Crusher, and Pirata vowed to join forces with the Mianans' fight against the Doge. At the city of Venucci the Doge is found to have constructed "The Doge's Hammer", a giant powerful cannon capable of levelling an entire city. As Giacomo takes the city, the Doge leaves with the real Hammer, leaving the decoy that Giacomo captured in Venucci while proceeding to attack the city of Miana, levelling it to the ground. He then flees with his army to the Alin lands, to Azar Harif to "lend assistance" to go to Mezekesh and defeat the Dark Alin. However, he goes to Mezekesh with the intention of obtaining the Talisman cotrolling Sawu. He waits and deploys the Hammer there, knowing Giacomo is hot on his trail to defeat Sawu and then get the Talisman. In the tremendous fighting that ensued, he and Giacomo fought to the death in melee combat between their respective Walkers: "Ha! Killing you... even easier... than killing your brother..." Using his brother's watch (a homing beacon of sorts for the Mianan Clockwork Men, who rise and attack the Doge) as a distraction, Giacomo managed to kill the Doge in an explosion after ripping out the circuits holding the Cuotl laser in place, thus avenging Petruzzo's death.
As a means to flaunt on the battlefield as well as intimidate his enemies, the Doge rides upon a quadrupedal Walker on which he mounts his Cuotl laser on. His abilities are purely offensive in nautre - sending out a cloud of toxic gas to poison an area, a Pain Ray which deals a lot of damage unto a single target,a Siege Laser which does the same to buildings, and The Doge's Hammer - a long ranged, slow firing cannon which does a tremendous amount of damage in a large area and comes with three different variety of ammunition: shrapnel, demolition and poison (the shells can be easily avoided before the Hammer hits the targeted area). Having the Doge on the battlefield also means that units built at the Steam Fortress (Juggernaut tanks and Steam Cannons) and the Glorious Statue (Doge's Elite Guards and Doge Walkers) all receive improvements on their stats.
[edit] Commander Venza
Commander Venza is a Pirata commander in service to Lenora, who was first encountered in Padonia, where she was taken hostage by the Dark Alin. After Giacomo rescues her, she agrees to show him the way to the Pirata Aerodrome as so the young Lord could meet up with Lenora. She would later play vital roles throughout Giacomo's campaign against the Doge - aiding him in the siege of Venucci, Sawu's subjugation and the downfall of the Cuotl False Gods. Little is known of her fate after the Gods' defeat, but it is speculated that she would continue to serve under Lenora in rebuilding the Vinci nation under the banner of New Miana.
Venza's Flyer has a unique design unlike conventional Pirata Flyers - it is best described as a hybrid between a boat and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with two guns at the bow of the Flyer. Being Pirata, she has the ability to take loot from fallen enemies, and summon gun drones (disc-shaped machines with three guns and supported by da Vinci-styled parachutes) and even a war zeppelin to support her in combat. Perhaps the most useful feature that Venza provides is that of her Flyer abilities - she costs less to summon, has more speed and hitpoints each time her Flyer receives a new upgrade. Also, she provides a 10 Wealth bonus per level gained, and a 5% reduction on neutral site costs on each level.
[edit] Andromelek
Andromelek was once the greatest swordsman in the Alin kingdom, but was exiled by the King of Azar Harif to the lands of Sanbar Flats after attempting to study dark magic to combat the impending Dark Alin threat encroaching upon the country. He then began to serve the Dark Alin themselves without question... until Giacomo arrived. Arri managed to cure him of his madness through use of her magic, and Andromelek now pledges his loyalty to the young Lord in his quest to stop the Dark Alin.
The Vizier of al-Rukh is a master of Dark Glass magic, and rides a Dark Glass Spider into battle. Though a swordsmaster in essence, he prefers to take out enemies from afar using his wrist-mounted crossbow. His magical abilities include being able to ensnare enemies in a glass prison, summoning Glass Cannons, burning enemies with a single glass bolt and others. Apart from that, he provides free a Dark Walkers unit per level above 1 (maximum 4 units), and allows for the construction of Glass Spires (which are originally neutral buildings).
[edit] Arri
Arri is the daughter of the King of the Alin, and a childhood friend of Giacomo. Based on their friendship, he joins forces with her to pursue the Doge across the deserts of the Alin Kingdom, where she acts as a guide.
When Lenora saw Giacomo together with Arri for the first time, there were hints that she might be jealous of how close the two were. During the Alin campaign, the player can no longer use Lenora after the first mission, as she claims that she needs to return to Pirata for repairs.
After the death of Czin and the sundering of the Cuotl False Gods, Arri is forced into exile after defying orders from her father to not follow Giacomo in defeating Sawu. Lenora, on the other hand, firmly believes that she should be the one leading the Alin people, and not the King.
Arri resembles an archetypal Arabian woman, with dark skin and delicate features. She rides a giant albino scorpion (considered rare since most Alin scorpions have brown carapaces) in battle. Most of her combat magic are wholly offensive and fire-based (given her position as Mistress of Fire Magic). They include:
- Creating a protective ring of fire around herself that burns adjacent enemies in melee combat.
- Teleporting and damaging an enemy (can be fatal)
- Summoning Rukhs into combat
- A powerful fire blast that incinerates all enemies in the targeted area.
[edit] Sawu
Sawu is a hero and user of dark magic.
Accounts differ on Sawu's as to his ancestry and even species, but according to Big Huge Game's article on the topic - Rise of the Dark Alin, Sawu was originally an Alin Mystic of Sand, Mekarrah in service to the "Brat King" Narsadi, 1000 years ago before the current game timeline. The young King wanted Mekarrah to retrieve what is called the Talisman (in reality a part - possibly a generator - from the Cuotl mothership) which fell on the night of the death of the former King, Fassari the Wise for the acension ceremony seven days before the full moon rises.
Unfortunately, Mekarrah dabbled with the powers of the Talisman. Using its power, he attempted to fuse fire and sand using spells and powers that are now lost in antiquity. Although he succeeded, there was an unforeseen side-effect of corruption that forever changed him into a being of Dark Glass — a tough, dangerous substance that gave him great abilities but drove him, apparently, quite mad. In a series of wars that nearly destroyed the Alin as a people, Mekarrah (now calling himself Sawu) and his glass forces were finally defeated by the greatest mystics of that time. Sawu himself was imprisoned in his home city of Mezekesh, and the city itself was buried deep beneath the sand, never to rise again. However, over the recent years, Dark Alin have been constantly sighted, and now growing into a potent threat against the Alin Kingdom.
Fast-forward to the present, Giacomo's Walker was stolen after a group of Dark Walkers ambushed the convoy in Padonia. The prepetrator turned out to be Marwan, a genie under the service of Sawu himself. After defeating Marwan, the Dark Alin were not seen again until Giacomo arrived in the lands of the Alin in pursuit of The Doge. Marwan took the guise of a mystic named Ascerbus, tricking Giacomo into believing he can guide the Vinci soldiers to the city of Azar Harif. Just as hope seemed bleak, Arri arrived and saved them. Shortly thereafter, Giacomo was told by the King of Azar Harif that the Dark Alin threat has been growing in recent times. He has now made it his priority to seek out the lost city of Mezekesh and put an end to the Dark Alin once and for all. To do so, he sought out the two Keys - Dahkla and Damanhur - and opened Mezekesh's doors. Once there, he confronted Sawu, and released him from his madness. Shortly thereafter, he joined Giacomo in his fight against the Doge, and later assisting him against the Cuotl False Gods.
His fate thereafter is not known.
Sawu's quadruple limbs allow him to throw four swords at once. Being a master of Dark Glass magic, Sawu is able to create an aura of swirling swords around him, entrapping enemies in a glass prison, and summoning Marids to do his bidding. He is also able to summon a giant Glass Spider (a Master Unit in its own right) to do battle against his foes, though in the single-player campaign this was modified to summon a Glass Dragon instead. Passively, Sawu increases Timonium income by 10 (per level up) and provides a free Dark Glass Spider each time he levels up.
Sawu is seen in the game's opening cinematic, where he is assaulting a Vinci city with an army of Scorpion Riders, Rukhs and Glass Golems. This might've been non-canonical in nature, or might be an event happening after the fall of the Cuotl False Gods. In the second mission of the Cuotl campaign, when Giacomo determines which band of heroes he must take to face the Cuotl Gods, Sawu will still remain on either side even though he is considered an Alin hero.
[edit] Ix
Not much is known about Ix, except that he holds the post of the Cuotl "God" of the Moon and makes the city-state of Hana Sanctuary his domain. Appearance-wise, he resembles a large humanoid jackal. He attempted to kill Giacomo in a one-on-one fight, but was subsequently destroyed when Carlini tossed a grenade into the opening where his left arm was before Giacomo blew it off his body. Giacomo later used parts taken from Ix's body and from his own Walker to construct a new one to bring into battle.
The fact that the grenade was able to enter Ix's body via the opening might suggest that the Cuotl "Gods" might be alien constructs governed by artificial intelligence, or aliens riding mecha (the ending cutscene of RoL did show that the Cuotl aliens possess an ethereal-like form). But whether or not this is true remains disputed.
Ix is named after Ix Chel, the Mayan moon goddess.
[edit] Xil
Xil holds the post of the Cuotl god of the sun and rules the city-state of Techutli, where he has built an enormous beam cannon - dubbed the "Eye of the Gods". His appearance is that of a humanoid panther with a solar disk on its head that he uses to release energy attacks. He was killed when Giacamo captured Techutli. He can only be summoned in Multiplayer. Once summoned, he increases the stats of Sun Cannons and Sun Idols with each level gained.
[edit] Czin
Czin is the Cuotl god of death (or in other words: the Grim Reaper) and holds dominion over the city-state of Kahal, where he constructed what the Fallen called a "mouth that can speak to the stars" (in reality a relay-transmitter to the Cuotl homeworld) at the centre of a large dish. He appears as a large, amorphous mass with quadruple legs and a hood; in the final cinematic, it is revealed that there is a skull-shaped face under the hood. He was (presumably) killed when he fell down a deep pit in the transmitter's centre, taking Giacamo's walker with him. He can only be summoned in Multiplayer, like the other Cuotl gods (with the exception of Ix). Once summoned, he increases the stats of Death Snakes and Death Spheres with each level gained. His ultimate power, the Death Gate, creates a Black hole that sucks in enemies.
[edit] Shok
Shok is the Cuotl storm goddess and rules the city-state of Teomqui. Her appearance is that of a large semi-humanoid bird. She has access to the Soul Reaper, a Cuotl weapon that can control the minds of her enemies. She was killed when Giacamo's forces captured Teomqui. She can only be summoned in Multiplayer. Once summoned, she increases the strength of building shields with each level gained.
[edit] Kakoolha
Only available in the single-player campaign.
Formerly the King of the Cuotl people, Kakoolha now leads the Fallen rebellion after being ousted from his birthright by the False Gods. Now determined to win back his throne, he joins forces with Giacomo in the hopes that the young Lord of Miana might be able to help him regain what was rightfully his and bring an end to the Gods' existence on Aio.
After the war, Kakoolha now returns to lead his people, but finds it hard to unite them under one banner now that the Cuotl are fragmented into separate two groups - one trying to embrace and utilize the technology left behind by the False Gods to rebuild their homeland, the other shunning it completely in their wake.
Kakhoola typically wields an elephant-mounted Cuotl laser, and has to power to construct Fallen Refuges on the battlefield. Other abilities include a war stomp that damages surrounding units, a devastating laser beam and a shockwave that lessens the health of all adjacent troops. He can also improve on his Trample ability, increasing the damage dealt out when trampling enemy troops.
[edit] External links
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Rise of Nations series
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Rise of Nations • Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots |
