C'tis is a river valley surrounded by sandy deserts. Once the valley was fertile and great swamps surrounded the great river. Now the deserts spread and the swamps grow fewer and smaller each passing year. The valley is the home of an ancient sacral kingdom of lizard-like humanoids. In ancient times, the High Priests of C'tis mastered the craft of embalming to preserve the remains of their kings. Since the dawn of the kingdom, tombs have been constructed in the desert to contain the mummified kings and priests. With the Awakening of the God, the Sauromancers, great mages of death and rebirth, have re-emerged and taken the place of the Marshmasters. Through studies of ancient lore they have perfected dark rituals that awaken the kings of old to lead the stirring dead as the Lizard Kings lead the kingdom of the living. At the top of the C'tissian society is the Lizard King. The King is the highest priest of C'tis. Under the King are the High Priests and the enigmatic Sauromancers. After a great rebellion most of the carnivorous lizardmen were slain or fled to distant lands. There is a widespread fear that the predators and their Sobek masters will return as foreseen in their Seventh Book. The C'tissians are somewhat slow in movement, but have thick hides that protect them from cuts and bruises. The lizardmen are cold-blooded and become exhausted very quickly when fighting in cold provinces. They have partial resistance to poison. The inhabitants of C'tis prefer to live in warm provinces. The Tomb Kings and Tomb Priests are able to reanimate the dead.
"C’tis is a swampy river valley surrounded by sandy deserts. In the fertile valley, a sacral kingdom of lizard-like humanoids has formed. The kingdom is ancient by human standards and its wisdom and magical knowledge is great. At the top of the society is the Lizard King and his Royal Heirs. The king is the highest priest of C’tis. Under the king are the High Priests with their sacred serpents, and the enigmatic Sauromancers, great mages of death and rebirth. The lizards are herbivores, but have enslaved a race of carnivorous lizardmen who serve as soldiers and workers. The C’tissians are somewhat slow in movement, but have thick hides that protect them from cuts and bruises. Both lizard races have partial resistance to poison, but they are also cold-blooded and become exhausted very quickly when fighting in cold provinces. The inhabitants of C’tis prefer to live in warm provinces….
C'tis is a nation of lizardmen under Egyptian and to some extent Mesopotamian influence. Sacred priest kings, pyramids, swamps, and flooding rivers surrounded by deserts are all elements of these cultures. Sacred priest kings celebrating hieros-gamos with hierodules atop temple ziggurats, with high priests chanting and swaying in procession under the glare of sacred serpents depicted on murals on the great walls have to me a more Mesopotamian feel than Egyptian. On the other hand, the Desert Tombs of the late age is influenced by Egyptian concepts of the dead and modern fiction on Egypt, and the lizard king might as well be a Pharaoh as a Lugal. The connection between C'tis and Ermor suggests that C'tis is more Egyptian than Mesopotamian. The sauromancers' initiation rituals are inspired by Oriental cults of the late Roman Empire, such as that of Isis and Sarapis/Osiris.
In Dominions 4 another influence was added to C'tis: the Sobeks of Trade & Taint. They were initially a T&T version of C'tis and Pythium, with theurgs, legionnaires and necromancers as possible career options." -Illwinter
C'tis is one of the original fourteen nations in Dominions: Priests, Prophets, and Pretenders.
C'tis is a slow-to-adapt faction, which was largely propped up in previous eras by having ferocious beasts to fall back on; as of the Late Ages, however, the crutch is gone. In previous games, Late C'tis had the problem of being only barely more advanced than its Early-Age counterpart, but without the beasts; upper-level players compared it unfavorably with almost every other faction in the era. Now, Late C'tis is at least in technological parity with Marignon, or perhaps Middle Marignon if one were to be uncharitable.
Late C'tis is a Heat nation centered around infantry, with an interesting variety of ranged weapons. The lizardfolk benefit from innate Poison Resistance, higher Strength, and very thick skin, but they're cold-blooded and a bit slow to move around. Its two Sacred Troops are Tomb Guards, very heavy infantrymen, and the Decay-sharing Tomb Flame Wielders. The nation can also summon unholy reanimator priests; most of the Longdead of C'tis won't do much against thick armor, but the odd Tomb Chariot can disrupt enemy formations, and the odd Tomb Wyrm can take whatever bless you have.
Magic-wise, Late C'tis is offensively geared. It no longer has 100%-reliable Communion pieces, having lost the beastly Shamans, and its elite mages no longer last very long due to being old. On the other hand, each individual Sauromancer is a terrifyingly effective battlemage in the midgame, able to annihilate elites with Bane Fire and bigger groups of regulars with Shadow Blast. Even the smaller mages, the Reborn, have decent offensive capabilities. There are no direct counters to most of C'tis's available battle spells; aside from trying to kill the mages first, of course.
Magic Access | Alt. Access | Unit Summary | Core Abilities | Buildings |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 (Rare 5) 2 (Rare 3) 1 (Rare 2) 1 (Rare 2) 1 3 | Heroes 34 Summons 332 (req. 11) | Lizard Infantry Undead | Poison Resistance Cold Blooded Swamp Survival Swimming Reanimator Priest | Standard Forts Temples inside dominion spawn longdead, (more in strong dominion). |
Capitol Gems: 13
Heat Limit + 1
Death Limit + 1
Prefers Heat Scale + 2
: Poison Resistance (5 to 15), Cold Blooded, Swamp Survival, Swimming
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Lizard Lord 95 21 1 | Commentary here. | ||
Hierodule 40 1 1 | 1 | Commentary here. | |
High Priest of C'tis 115 1 2 | 2 Prophet Shape (Lizard King) | Commentary here. | |
Lizard King 340 5 4 | 3 Prophet Shape (Lizard King) | Commentary here. | |
Reborn 175 1 2 | 11100%9 | Commentary here. | |
Sauromancer 400 1 4 | 1311100% 10%15 Wasteland Survival | Commentary here. | |
Empoisoner 125 6 2 Capital Only | 119 Stealthy (55) Supply Bonus (+10) Assassin (2) | Commentary here. | |
Keeper of the Tombs 155 1 2 Capital Only | 1129 Wasteland Survival Reanimator Priest | The Reanimator Priest trait was added to him in Dominions 6. If you're really struggling, you can take a huge bless, and just print Tomb Wyrms. |
: Poison Resistance (5 to 10), Cold Blooded, Swamp Survival, Swimming
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Militia 7 2 5 | Commentary here. | ||
C'tissian Heavy Infantry 10 15 11 | Commentary here. | ||
City Guard 10 10 11 | Castle Defense (+1) | Commentary here. | |
C'tissian Light Infantry 10 5 11 | Commentary here. | ||
C'tissian Heavy Infantry 10 18 11 | Commentary here. | ||
Crossbowman 10 12 11 | Commentary here. | ||
Falchioneer 13 26 18 | Ambidextrous (2) | Commentary here. | |
Halberdier 14 22 20 | Commentary here. | ||
Poison Slinger 24 6 32 Capital Only | Commentary here. | ||
Tomb Guard 23 29 28 Capital Only | Wasteland Survival | Commentary here. | |
Tomb Flame Wielder 24 17 36 Capital Only | Old Age (81/75) Wasteland Survival | Commentary here. | |
Desert Ranger 13 16 18 Wasteland Only | Patrol Bonus (2) Wasteland Survival | Commentary here. |
Sprite | Unit Name | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Uru'gallu - Lizard Hero | Poison Resistance (5) Cold Blooded Swamp Survival Swimming | Commentary here. | |
Ekishnugal - First King | 3411 Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Inspirational (2) Pierce Resistant Undead Inanimate Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest | Commentary here. | |
Udum'ukinna - Reassembled Prince | 2 Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Inspirational (1) Unsurroundable (1) Immortal Pierce Resistant Undead Inanimate Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest | Commentary here. | |
Royal Tomb Chariot | Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Pierce Resistant Undead Inanimate Trample Need Not Eat Mindless Does Not Heal Naturally Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
Spawn Source | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
High Priest of C'tis Can summon in any Temple | Sacred Serpent | Sacred Poison Resistance (5) Standard (1) Animal Cold Blooded Swamp Survival Swimming | Commentary here. |
Summon Spell | Unit | Special Attributes | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Pride of Lions (Conjuration 3) 2 and 9 | Great Lion x 15+ | Darkvision (50%) Undisciplined Animal | Commentary here. |
Sacred Crocodile (Conjuration 4) 22 and 1 | Sacred Crocodile | Sacred Undisciplined Animal Cold Blooded Swamp Survival Swimming | Commentary here. |
Contact Couatl (Conjuration 7) 11 and 40 | Couatl | 33217 Sacred Poison Resistance (20) Inspirational (1) Supply Bonus (+30) Magic Being Flying Cold Blooded Swamp Survival Forest Survival Swimming | Commentary here. |
Contact Scorpion Man (Conjuration 8) 11 and 12 | Scorpion Man | Sacred Fire Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (15) Fear (+5) Ambidextrous (2) Magic Being Wasteland Survival Spirit Sight | Commentary here. |
Revive Grave Consort (Enchantment 0) 1 and 10 | Grave Consort | 1 Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Undead Inanimate Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest Female | Commentary here. |
Revive Tomb Priest (Enchantment 0) 2 and 16 | Tomb Priest | 2 Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Undead Inanimate Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest | Commentary here. |
Revive Tomb King (Enchantment 0) 3 and 23 | Tomb King | 3 Sacred Cold Resistance (15) Poison Resistance (25) Undead Inanimate Dungeon Monster Need Not Eat Spirit Sight Reanimator Priest | Commentary here. |
See Magic Access. These guides supplement the summaries at the top.
Contact Couatl summons a 33, but no recruitable mage or national hero has the right paths to summon. It requires a pretender or a very lucky indie find.
No reasonable access.
Highest Starting: 2 Sauromancer (1 in 4)
Skull of Fire
11 Keeper of the Tombs, Reborn (1 in 3), Sauromancer
No national access.
Ether Gate
11 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has a 1 in 4 chance of 1
No national access.
Summon Spectre
3 Sauromancer
Spectral Mage has a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1.
Highest Starting: 1 Sauromancer (1 in 4)
Highest Starting: 1 Reborn (1 in 3) or Sauromancer (1 in 4)
Ether Gate
13 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 3, 1 in 4 of 3
Hidden in Sand in Wasteland
13 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Dust Priest has a 1 in 3 chance of 2.
Hidden Underneath Underneath
13 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Dust Priest has a 3 in 4 chance of at least 1.
Ether Gate
11 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 3 and a 1 in 4 chance of 4
Highest Starting: 4 Sauromancer (1 in 4)
Ether Gate
13 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has 2, 1 in 4 of 3
Highest Starting: 1 Empoisoner
No national access.
Troll King's Court
1 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Troll King has 1
Summon Spectre
3 Sauromancer
Spectral Mage has a 7 in 16 chance of at least 1.
No national access.
Ether Gate
11 Sauromancer (1 in 4) +
Ether Lord has a 1 in 4 chance of 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.
Chassis: Awake Titan of Crossroads
Paths: 457
Bless: MW/Arcane Finesse, Invuln 10, Regen.
Scales: 6203123
What are the nation's weaknesses?
Add links to guides or other overviews for this nation here.