EA Berytos, The Phoenix Empire

The people of Berytos are the descendants of a civilization created by the Telkhines, titanic storm demons defeated by a previous Pantokrator. The Telkhines taught shipbuilding, sailing and metalcrafting to the human ancestors of Berytos. When the Telkhines were defeated, the humans fled across the sea, led by the Storm Callers, disciples of the Telkhines. With the knowledge of ironcrafting and the magical might of the Storm Callers, new colonies were founded on distant shores. Like a phoenix, the dying empire was reborn. But the Telkhine gods were dead and the humans sought divine leadership. They found the Melqarts of Hinnom. One of the colonies was situated near Ashdod and the bloody cult of the Melqarts soon spread through the Phoenix Empire. In the capital colony of Berytos, a great temple to the Melqarts was built. But soon another power found its way into the cult. Refugee Colossi, great men of the Machakan royal family, arrived in Berytos and established themselves as rulers of the bloody cult. Their sorceresses claimed divinity and called themselves Brides-in-Waiting. Now Berytos is a seafaring people led by sorcerer-queens from the great temple in Berytos.

"Berytos exists only in the early era. It is the Phoenix Empire that was destroyed and reemerged in numerous coastal city states. It is a cultural melting pot influenced by several other nations. The nation is heavily inspired by Mediterranean seafaring peoples and the Phoenicians in particular. The sea peoples of Canaan and Egypt, combined with Greek migrational hypotheses, Phoenicians and their Carthaginian/Punic extension have been important sources. The Canaanite/Phoenician cities of Byblos, Tyros, Sidon and Carthage inspired the ideas of a seafaring nation and led to the Berytian dependency on coastal forts.

The legendary founding of Carthage by Dido/Elissa and her marriage with the high priest of Melqart combined with the biblical concept of Canaanite Ba'al worship laid the ground for the concept of Berytian Melqart worship. This enabled some intertwining of Hinnomite and Berytian backstories. I also wanted a deeper mythical backstory and found that the Telchines, Dactyls and other Greek mythological island-peoples combined with the Greek migration hypothesis fit the role. I liked that the nation had an arcane legacy free from influences from Hinnom.

When I remembered the slightly bizarre Ars Magica supplement "South of the Sun" by Atlas Games, where there are Carthaginian descendants dabbling in dark magic I figured the great men and queens of of Machaka would fit a niche as exile queens and leaders of the cult of the Melqarts. Berytos has been one of the most fun nations to develop, probably because it involves and expands the backstories of several other nations and concepts. It also has several unique mechanics designed primarily for them." - Illwinter

If you are considering picking this nation to play, what should you know?

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
3 (rare 4) 3 (rare 4) 3 3 (rare 4) 2 (rare 3) 1 2	Hero 31332 3233 344422 Summons 332200% (req. 32) 244321100% (req. 52)	Archers Light and Medium Infantry Lancers Elephants	Sailing Grand Communicant	Advanced Forts Coastal Fort Income Bonus Trace Income Across Oceans

Capitol Gems: 232

Heat limit + 1

Prefers Heat Scale + 1

Blood Sacrifice: Priests can sacrifice a blood slave at a temple to help extend the dominion.

See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.

Elements 

• 3 on roughly every fourth Bride-in-Waiting (capital only), expensive 1 off-capital
• 3 on the big mages (capital and coastal forts), 1 elsewhere
• 3 on roughly every fourth Storm Caller (coastal forts only), 1 off-capital
• 2 on roughly every fourth Bride-in-Waiting (capital only), 1 off-capital

• 1 on roughly every fourth Storm Caller (coastal forts only)
• No death magic (aside from one hero)
• No nature magic (aside from one hero)
• No glamour magic

• 3 on roughly every fourth Bride-in-Waiting (capital only), 2 off-capital
• 2 on every Bride-in-Waiting (capital only), 1 off-capital

Summon Telkhine gives a Telkhine who has many useful paths and Master Smith when in human shape. It is fortunately easy to reach 52 with a 23 Storm Caller (1 in 4), though its effects on whatever province it's in are nothing short of ruinous.

Makelo - Queen of the City can craft both versions of the Staff of Elemental Mastery. This is a very valuable booster item for Berytos, since its mages have wide elemental talents.

Fire is easier for Berytos to climb through Blood; a 23 Bride-in-Waiting with a Blood Thorn can simply cast Bind Arch Devil for one of five Fire mages, four of whom have 4 for crafting the Flame Helmet. Alternatively, 1-in-5 Telkhines have 3, which is 4 for the purpose of crafting items while they're in titan shape.

The other common Fire booster, the Skull of Fire, can be crafted by Berytos's 33 hero, giving Berytos another level of Fire access. If you wait for her, you can get the Flame Helmet before going for summons.

While any of Berytos's big mage recruits can have 3, getting to 4 for the ladder-climb of path boosters requires either a Telkhine or a single empowerment. The Empowerment is cheaper, if you don't mind the risk of easily losing your investment.

One-in-five Telkhines will have 5 in their beast shape. If you wish not to have a Reaper in your borders, you can hope for the appearance of Makelo - Queen of the City instead; she will have 4, still enough for you to summon a 5 Air Queen with a single booster.

If Berytos starts on a coast, then it will have ample access to 3 mages who can easily forge most of Water's boosters. The only ones out of the Storm Callers' reach are artifacts.

What applies to Air with the Telkhines also applies to Water.

Berytos has access to both the Earth Boots and the Blood Stone, given its Earth/Blood mages. If you have a 13 Bride-in-Waiting and a 22 Bride-in-Waiting, you can craft both of those boosters, and you can climb the rest of the ladder.

Or you can wait for just the 3 Bride-in-Waiting, and for Makelo (who has 4).

Astral is not an easy path for Berytos to climb, since the nation has only 1. One of the Arch Devils has 3, however.

With a single Air booster, Makelo can create The Magic Lamp to summon Al Khazim - Jinn, who has 3. This is an artifact that requires 54, which only Ubar or a specially designed Pretender as a good shot at getting before Makelo.

No recruitable access. Dis Mater - Bride of the Gods, a one-off hero, has 3 and a lot of other paths; she can create the Skull Staff and (later on) the unique The Black Book of Secrets, and she can summon fellow 33 mages with Curse of Blood.

1-in-5 Telkhines have 3, which is enough to forge the Skullface in titan shape (with the aforementioned Skull Staff). Each Telkhine costs 69, however, so the costs should be evaluated before committing.

Lastly, a 5 mage (a 3 mage empowered once and given a Blood Thorn) can summon Heliophagi; of the four, one has 3, and another has 4.

No recruitable access. Makelo - Queen of the City has 2, and can make the unique The Tome of Gaia later in the game. Without that, though, she can still reach 3 through the Thistle Mace. If width is desired over depth, minor Nature, Death, and Glamour mages can be summoned with Forest Troll Tribe; if you just want 1 mages, however, you have a good chance of finding some in independent provinces.

8 can Bind Demon Lord for a 1 in 6 chance of 4.

No national access. The cheapest option for scrounging up Glamour is to summon a Forest Troll Tribe as Makelo, and pray for a 1-in-4 11; that costs 47 at least, including the Thistle Mace. Alternatively, Makelo or another 4 (a 2 Bride-in-Waiting with both Earth boosters) can summon a Troll King's Court for a guaranteed 31. Both are durable forms that can take a 30 empowerment and put it to use; the former gets elite Fay Footmen, and the latter gets to summon 21 Bluecaps.

Alternatively, empowering a 3 mage in Glamour (50) and giving them a Blood Thorn lets them summon a Succubus, a 2 mage.

As Berytos doesn't have 4 except on a very small amount of Brides-in-Waiting, it is unlikely to see 5 for crafting the extra Blood boosters… without empowering. The Blood Thorn is a given, however.

If you were to empower as Berytos, the Melqart will probably keep your investment around for longer.

Having a 32 Bride-in-Waiting fill up on Air and Blood boosters, after a blood empowerment on someone else, lets you craft the extremely-rare Robe of the Magi. This boosts all paths (except Holiness) by 1.

How to win as the nation. Feel free to use the following sections, or delete them, or change them.

Different expansion options.

Early game options.

Mid game options.

Late game options.

What are the nation's weaknesses?

Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.

Nations
Early Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Ulm • Pyrène, • Marverni • Sauromatia • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Mictlan • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Agartha • Tir na n'Og • Fomoria • Vanheim • Helheim • Niefelheim • Muspelheim • Rus • Kailasa • Lanka • Yomi • Hinnom • Ur • Berytos • Xibalba • Mekone • Ubar • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Therodos
Middle Ages	Arcoscephale • Ermor • Sceleria • Pythium • Man • Eriu • Ulm • Pyrène • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Machaka • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Asphodel • Vanheim • Jotunheim • Nidavangr • Vanarus • Bandar Log • Shinuyama • Ashdod • Uruk • Nazca • Xibalba • Phlegra • Phaeacia • Ind • Na'ba • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Pelagia • Oceania • Ys
Late Ages	Arcoscephale • Pythium • Lemuria • Man • Ulm • Marignon • Mictlan • T'ien Ch'i • Jomon • Agartha • Abysia • Caelum • C'tis • Pangaea • Midgård • Utgård • Bogarus • Patala • Gath • Ragha • Xibalba • Phlegra • Vaettiheim • Feminie • Piconye • Andramania • Pyrène • Zemaitia • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia