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The Gathering Sturm is a large modpack including far-reaching balance changes as well as entirely new nations for both the Middle and Late Age as well as an overhaul of almost all Vanilla sprites. Few aspects of the game remain unaltered, with small quality of life additions to different ages, adjusted magic sites, items, weapons, new spells and new as well overhauled nations in every age. Casting preferences have also been updated based on Lucid's casting AI, but with a higher likelihood to choose AoE buff spells.
The list of balance changes can be found here.
An up to date version of the mod can be found on the Dominionsmods Forum.
Niblungheim is a land of shadows, windswept moors and silent mountains. Here lies Gnipahellir, the cave where the dead pass on the way to the underworld. Its inhabitants are called Niblung, each and every one a renowned craftsman of dwarven stature. Their sinister nature and insatiable greed have transformed the oldest dwarves into great serpentine abominations, and even the weakest of them can take the shapes of great wyrms, should their lives or hoards be threatened. The mightiest of them are the Kuningaz, sorcerer-kings who have accumulated vast treasures in their halls below Gnipahellir. They yet refuse to serve the awakening god and a truly enormous bribe may be required to seduce them into servitude. Stories of their riches have spread far, and adventurers from faraway Jotunheim and Vanheim often arrive to steal their treasures, assisted by lesser Niblungs who have grown envious of their betters' riches.
Loringia is a realm of perilous mountains and dense forests at the crossroads of the two great empires of Marignon and Ulm. Though both have influenced Loringia, neither has ever managed to conquer it, and over the years it has become a hotbed of resentment against them. Influences from both Ulms Iron Cult and Marignon's witch hunters are permeating society under a dual church made up of members from both cults. The memory of the young empire's founder is still alive in the minds of many and Loringia's army is made up mostly of noble knights and their men at arms. Yet outside of their fortresses, the old traditions still cling on, and witches and warlocks dwell where the influence of the dual church does not reach.
The people of Abdera are descendants of the Phoenix Empire, an ancient civilization founded by the Telkhines and later influenced by the Melqarts of Hinnom. On their trade ventures, they founded colonies in the distant lands of the setting sun, and Abdera was but one of many at that time. But as Berytos was destroyed by the armies of Arcoscephale, contact with one after another was lost, until the young city had to fend for itself, forgotten by the rest of the world and doomed to never be found by its Melqart. Through alliances and trading with the tribes of half-men that dwell around the city and the founding of its own colonies, Abdera has managed to survive and even prosper in isolation. Now Abdera is a realm of seafaring people, relying on allies and mercenaries to fight its wars.
Hagia is a successor state of the once-great Empire of Ermor. When Death was let loose in the civil war heralding its fall, whole provinces turned to ashen wastes. The liturgical city of Hagia was one such place, previously a center of the Cult of the Shroud and the burial place of emperors now turned into a lifeless desert. In the centuries since, new people have moved into the recovering lands, marveling at the perfectly preserved cities and attempting to revive the culture of their long-gone forebears. Now, however, an ancient and hungry God is awakening in the ruins of the old Empire and Death yet again stalks the lands. Yet not all is lost. Under Hagia's great Alabaster Mausoleum lies the Lapis Manalis, a gateway to the abode of the dead. Ancient Spirits emerge at the command of the awakening God to aid the inheritors of the Empire and prevent a repeat of old follies. Hagia organizes armies in a similar manner to the old legionary system, though they remain a pale shadow of Ermor's armies. Hagian legionaries prefer kite shields over tower shields and javelins have mostly fallen out of fashion.
The Vanilla Sprite Overhaul can also be downloaded separately here.