Lugaru History

The place to discuss all things Lugaru.
Post Reply
User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Wed Jun 29, 2011 3:21 am

Just thought I'd try this out, see if anyone's interested, but I reckon it'd be great to have a coherent history for Lugaru. It would have to incorporate as many of the mods as possible, but shouldn't create stuff that's not in a campaign, such as epic battles no player's ever fought. Also, I'd like this to still be in line with Overgrowth, so could those who know the plot please correct the history if it contradicts Overgrowth (such as something set post-Turner might do).

So far, I figure these Mods out, and how they fit in compared with Turner:

The Seven Tasks is Pre-Turner, as The Last Castle has crumbled into the one wall April sits on. the Mendicants are the "normal" people, and the Seneschals are the elite fighters. I guess there would also be a ruling class called something else. Set in Lugaru's golden age, but earlier than Empire.

Empire Is also Pre-Turner (will have to check this, as currently only played half the campaign) during the end of Lugaru's golden age, where a tyrannical emperor has come to rule and is (presumably) toppled, setting up for the King Turner deposes.

Temples Is Post-Turner. The country has been thrown into disorder with the murder of the king. An invasion from a neighbouring isle has brought the Four temples to war. they eventually drive off the invasion, and hopefully, Overgrowth fits in after this.

Also, as the Sky Palace in Empire and the Temples in... well... Temples, are so close (both in the south-west), I thought that would be Lugaru's Cultural centre during the Golden age. After the fall of the Empire, The temples carry on.

Ancestral Tales would fit in at the same time as Turner, as it says, but for that one and the Reluctant Assassin, I would have to play them, which I haven't yet.

The final end of this project would be to post the History to the Lugaru Wiki, or other suitable site and update it to include any new mods people make, and eventually Overgrowth. If anyone has Ideas, or knows of other Mods around that should be included in the (un)official history, or disagrees with my ideas please post.

Or of course someone may have done this already, and I've never seen it :D

User avatar
Count Roland
Posts: 2937
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:15 pm
Location: Galapagos Islands, rodeoin some turtles.
Contact:

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Count Roland » Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:16 am

Glad you added that un official history bit there at the end.

User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:27 am

Yea, it could only be called official if Wolfire said it was official. But I think Lugaru could do with a coherent history. Are you interested in creating the history at all?

User avatar
Count Roland
Posts: 2937
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:15 pm
Location: Galapagos Islands, rodeoin some turtles.
Contact:

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Count Roland » Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:12 am

I would be but I'm awfully busy, though not too busy it seems to nitpick at posts of people interested in doing interesting things.

Nekros22
Posts: 69
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 9:14 pm

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Nekros22 » Fri Jul 01, 2011 6:21 pm

Lugaru's story was sparse at best; I doubt anyone could piece an in-game mythos together from what little information the game offered.

With the information the devs have released about Overgrowth, we know that the world of Lugaru has become much larger. We now have different races (and factions therein) vying for a place in a complex background.

We also know that Turner's path has been split into many conflicting directions due to the appearance of these new influences.

Let's look at what we do know from Lugaru:

The Rabbits: In Lugaru, the rabbits did not appear to be a unified nation despite the existence of a supposed monarch (King Hickory). Hickory's flippant attitude towards his subjects and his fear of the Rabbit raiders of the deserts suggest that rulership and titles mean very little in Rabbit culture; Hickory lost power literally within seconds of Turner's challenge to his authority. Regardless, Aubrey's recent reveal of a new faction of Rabbits further reinforces the point that Rabbits do not share a common culture.

The Wolves: According to the information provided about Overgrowth, the Wolves have changed very little from their roles in Lugaru: savage, barbaric invaders driven onwards to slake their uncontrollable hunger. In Lugaru the Wolves were led by the merciless Alpha Wolf, Ash. Turner's knowledge of Wolf society (killing the Alpha Wolf would destabilize the Wolf advance) also suggests that incursions by Wolves have happened before. In Overgrowth, it can be surmised that the Wolves have succumbed to infighting; the power gap left by Ash's death spurring Alpha Aspirants to claim as much power within what is left of the Wolf forces.

These are only theories and wild guesses; if you'd like help compiling a comprehensive non-canon history of Lugaru for fanfiction or RPG purposes, I'd be more than happy to help.

User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:43 pm

Yes, I would like some help putting it together. I'm not sure just yet what "putting it together" will involve though :D. And yes, Fan Fiction and RPG. What do you mean by non-canon? As in not official?

I agree with your opinion of the wolves an Rabbits. The wolves appear to have different factions as well, as in Ancestral Tales, it mention the Death Tribe, which is distinguished form normal wolves as being older and stronger. The Idea of in-fighting after Turner Kills Ash, fits well with the Temple campaign, as Sven kill an alpha wolf there.

the Island of Lugaru seems very ancient as there are many ruins around the place. I think, with the wolves around, it is quite unstable, and yea, too big and diverse for one ruler. Perhaps King Hickory only ruled the east part of the island. The raiders occupy the desert, and the temples are located down in the south-east, and control that area, while the wolves in the north. Maybe the other new races are in a different part again, and are now on the move, same with the other rabbit faction. Also, no-one knows about the coast, as Lugaru has no water texture. Maybe some have come from there. This view would possibly fit with how Overgrowth expands the island and inhabitants.

I do want to put this in the wiki, but it would be great if the fans here in the forum agreed with what I'm going to write.

QwertyTSecond
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat May 21, 2011 9:43 am

Re: Lugaru History

Post by QwertyTSecond » Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:37 pm

I'm glad someone decided to make a start on this, a history of Lugaru interests me greatly.
I had previously thought that all the mods were set before the main game, however after reading your posts and replaying the mods I've realised your conclusions are more accurate.

As Reluctant assassin hasn't been discussed yet I'd like to offer my two cents on it.
You play as Vincent Hirem, an ex-assassin turned freedom fighter who takes up his old role to kill the general who murdered his friends.
As both Vincent and Ash (Empire) are assassins, I'm led to believe that Reluctant and Empire are within a similar time-frame. Vincent succeeds in killing the general (some Asian-sounding name I can't remember) and states that without his leadership the Empire will soon fall.
Reluctant's general is in a fortress in the snowy north, and Empire's rebel faction is based in the north, leading me to believe the rebels moved in after the general's death. We also hear Lucius' boss in Empire say "We cannot allow the Empire a foothold in the north".
However, there is one problem with my theory. In Empire, Lucius is surprised to see the wolves, stating "I thought the empire had driven the wolves off the island", whereas in Reluctant Vincent isn't surprised to see them.
Since Ash and Lucius know what a wolf is on sight, they haven't been gone long, perhaps a few years at most.
It could be that Reluctant is maybe a few decades prior to Empire, before the campaign to eradicate the wolves.

Which leads on to my next point: Turner states that the wolves have never been challenged before. As they're gone in Empire, I think Empire/Reluctant could be far into the future, post-Turner.
Or it's possible they're so many generations before Lugaru that those events have been forgotten.
Right, that's enough info/conjecture for one evening.

User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:22 am

That is interesting about the wolves being there then not being there. Unfortunately I can't comment much further on it because I haven't played Empire (I've tried, but after I quit then try to reopen the game it just stays black). I have played Reluctant Assassin though and agree with your analysis of it being near empire judging by the little I know. I do not like setting these two Post-Turner, as we don't know how far forward or anything Overgrowth extends.

My opinion of the wolves in the two campaigns is that possibly in Reluctant the wolves are in the process of being driven off the island by the empire (or are they working with the empire?), which Vincent helps with. In Empire, set later, The wolves have begun to return thanks to the collapse of the northern part of the empire the rebels live in. This is still at odds with what Turner says, but details can easily be lost, especially in a place as tumultuous as Lugaru.

On another note, just tried accessing the Wiki to edit it, and it said I had to be part of a phpBB group to login. When I clicked the link, I was taken here. I tried my login for the forum, but it said I wasn't part of the phpBB group. Does anyone know how I can get in to edit the wiki?

User avatar
Conner36
Posts: 140
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2009 1:57 pm
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Conner36 » Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:35 am

you may have to be a SPF member. Id head over to the IRC or aim one of the wolfire guys to confirm my suspicion.

jeff is the guy in charge of wiki stuff i think.

User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Sat Jul 30, 2011 4:22 am

Thanks for that about the Wiki. I haven't got aim messaging, so haven't managed to contact anyone yet. But here is what I have created so far. Feel free to download, read, edit and and re-upload to here :)

Any comments/criticisms are welcome here as well
Attachments
Lugaru History.txt
(5.7 KiB) Downloaded 967 times

QwertyTSecond
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat May 21, 2011 9:43 am

Re: Lugaru History

Post by QwertyTSecond » Sun Jul 31, 2011 6:12 pm

Oh hey, you only posted two days ago. I'm not that far behind the times after all.
I've had a read through your history; it's well written, but as I'm sure you've guessed, criticism ahoy! (This is going to be a long post, apologies in advance).

The race of the death-tribe is never stated. I personally don't think it was the wolves, for a number of reasons:
In the opening sequence of Ancestral Tales (AT) Mother Hare and Grandfather Fox are stood looking over desolation. They state that the trees cannot rot, and lie as they fall.
The existence of magic in Lugaru is never clearly stated, although it is hinted at, with Clover's and Claire's dreams, and again in AT with the floating rocks, or it may be an extremely advanced technology, the knowledge of which has long since vanished (which could also account for all the ruins, as neither the rabbits nor wolves seem to posses any technology with which to construct them).
The Death tribe could have used some form of biological warfare which wiped out all life, down to the microbial level, or some form of magic to the same effect.
The alpha wolf states to Turner "look, you've even brought a sword!", suggesting that perhaps the wolves look down on technology. They're also (I think) never armed (unless in the employ of rabbits).
I'm also of the opinion the death tribe weren't rabbits. Claire's grandma states that "rabbits were smaller, and could not speak". Whether they were mute, had no alphabet or a language barrier is open to debate, but it looks like they didn't have a greatly advanced civilisation.
Finally, the death tribe is also known as the conqueror tribe. This word implies, to me, an air of grandeur progress, which doesn't fit with the wolves.

I think the death tribe came from overseas, and either consisted of foxes or another race not yet seen. One of the foxes in AT states "There's more of us on the mainland". ALternatively, the foxes could have been a slave-race used by the invaders and introduced to Lugaru. In either case, they would have rebelled, set up clan Raven, and remained on the island.

Another point worth mentioning is the Sky Palace. This is evidently a very ancient construct, and in a state of disrepair come Empire. In AT, Claire compares the floating rocks in the caverns to the Sky Palace. I reckon the sky palace may have been a creation of the death tribe. It would certianly make a good symbol from which to base an Empire.

I had thought that the order of the seneschals was just a free lance organisation, however, having them as an arm of the Empire make a good deal more sense. They seem to be well equipped, provisioned and informed, and their jobs tie in well with the idea of peace-keeping.

When you mention the emperor who becomse corrupt, it may be worth mentioning that he probably declared a state of emergency and began dissolving temple powers. That's normally the case with regime take overs.

Tying in Vincent with destabilising the north and instigating the civil war works very nicely.

I don't think Turner retired soon after his temple training. Fiver, Hickory's guard, knew him by reputation (Turner didn't know his name) and decided not to kill him. I imagine he led a distinguished career, and eventually settled down after getting sick of endless killing.

One final minor point; the earth temple is never seen in Temple. It was known that war was on the horizon, adn I wonder if they were wiped out in the early stages. Of course, I have nothing with which to back this up.

Okay, if I haven't sent you into a coma with all that, nice work on the histories!

User avatar
Wordsmith
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:40 am
Location: NZ

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Wordsmith » Mon Aug 01, 2011 2:51 am

Thanks heaps for your comments. I really appreciate it :D

After reading your post, I see I did accidentally assume the Death Tribe were wolves. It does make more sense if they are another race, with the capacity to form the island into what it is (full of ruins and legends).
Foxes seem different from both wolves and rabbits: they have the only ever healer mentioned, and an ancient history. I think they have some history with the Death tribe, but I'm not sure what nature that relationship is, whether they were the Death Tribe themselves, or slaves to them, or merely living nearby. Perhaps they came with the Death Tribe when they came to Lugaru.

I agree with wolves looking down on technology. I think ones with huge natural prowess would, which would be why the Rabbits rule the island, while the wolves merely inhabit it.

Turner's retirement couldn't be too soon after his training at the temple (as he has a reputation), but not too late, as he's still appears to be in his prime. I think my history made him sound as if he retired quickly, so will adjust that. His wife may have been a fighter too, as she offers to go with him after Turner kills the raider scout to look for more (default campaign)

The Earth, Fire and Water temples aren't seen in Temples either (Sven and the Fire Master meet elsewhere as far as I know). The Water Temple is of course treacherous, and the Air temple is destroyed, but I wouldn't assume the Fire and Earth temples have been similarly damaged. Unless, just to contradict myself, all temples have been destroyed and that's why they resort to guerilla warfare.

By the way, please edit the history - especially the Places, Names, and People. Mark your changes some way if you want and upload it again. This is a community effort, not just me.

Perhaps a new topic is needed for the recording of changes and posting of the history, keeping this one free for discussions.

Draegony55
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:42 am

Re: Lugaru History

Post by Draegony55 » Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:46 am

I think the death tribe may have been humans their ultimate weapon were guns and the death tribe killed the sky, grass, and earth or pollution they built their cities and roads all over the earth tell me one place where humans don't live and before our tribes had words well look at real life right now lugaru is our earth post apocalypse

User avatar
WolfireSven79
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:05 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Lugaru History

Post by WolfireSven79 » Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:38 pm

i played a lost mod before its called Tannim's campaign

Post Reply