"Marignon is a feudal theocracy. The Inquisition controls all aspects of the country, including warfare. The feudal lords pay tithes and tax the peasants, but all political decisions are made solely by the Church. Marignon rose out of the ashes of Ermor and has succeeded in holding the shadow of the fallen empire at bay through religious zeal and austerity. The widespread fanaticism in Marignon has done wonders for its survival thus far. The heavy infantry of Marignon is armed with large weapons such as great swords and halberds. All units carry the bright red-and-orange livery of Marignon. The Inquisitors of Marignon are trained in the House of Fiery Justice together with Witch Hunters. The Witch Hunters are mage-priests who use Astral magic." -Official Description

"Marignon is a late medieval nation of inquisitors and religious fanatics. Prudent – or perhaps paranoid – priests search for vice and heresy throughout the land, putting men and women to the pyre with fiery justice. Imagine the soldiers wearing fancy and colorful Renaissance clothing, while religious and arcane officials wear red or black robes and severe miens." -Illwinter

Marignon rose out of the ashes of Ermor, just like Ulm, but under a different banner. All that it had for repelling the shadows of Death was faith & austerity. The peasants labored under feudal lords, who payed their tithes and diligently served the Inquisition, all in the name of survival. The Inquisition was assembled by the House of Fiery Justice, a powerful Priesthood that dedicated itself to purging heresy & eliminating witches that used their magic for selfish means. The start of the Middle Age rebuffed the faith & fanaticism of Marignon with the undeath of Ermor, and (if you so decide) rewarded it with the arrival of an awakening God.

Marignon is a nation of fire and faith with a sacred knightly order. Like other medieval human-only nations (pretty much just Ulm & Man), its magic diversity is not very good; unlike the other two, however, Marignon's two paths it focuses on are almost-purely offensive. One does not simply pick Marignon and avoid gunning for attack spells & elementals in their research. For what can't be dealt with by your old and frail mages, you have Knights of the Chalice, Sacred heavy cavalry that can be recruited anywhere with a fort, a temple, and an ample pool of resources.

Magic Access	Alt. Access	Unit Summary	Core Abilities	Buildings
4 (rare 5) 3 (rare 4) 1 (rare 2) 1 (rare 2) 3	Heroes 114 223 Summons 32 (req. 4) 43 (req. 5) 4444 (req. 72)	Medium-Heavy Infantry Two-Handed Weapons Crossbowmen Heavy Cavalrymen Falconeers Any-fort Sacreds * Flagellants * Paladins	Sacred Inquisitor	Standard Forts Masons

Capitol Gems: 41

The Inquisition: Marignon is held together (more or less) by its Inquisition, the militant fist of the House of Fiery Justice's militant arm, the House of Just Fires. These guys repel hostile Dominion even if you haven't hired them, in provinces and forts that belong to you, having a 30% chance to remove an enemy candle from each of these places each turn (and a 60% chance if there's a Temple). They're less effective at spreading your own Dominion, able to do so only to a maximum of 1 candle (2 where there's a Temple).

The House of Fiery Justice: In the Capitol, half of the Undead and Demons receive 10 Armor Negating Magical Damage each turn, (Magic Resistance negates).

You will love each and every Knight of the Chalice that you can produce. Most Independents won't have troops that can match them, and most nations don't have something to compare that's as easy to buff. Consider taking Productivity and Order scales to have more of these guys, or maybe just put off building forts around your capital for a while.

Your Paladins are pretty good, too (being Commander Knights), though pretty-much all of your Commanders are at least decent at leading armies.

: Magic Being, Flying, Need Not Eat, Spirit Sight

• Holy Pyre: (Evocation 4) 2
  A situational side-grade to Falling Fires that lets your weaker mages (anyone you aren't recruiting in the capital) deal a lot of damage to undead and Demons. It's also a decent alternative to Fireball in that it isn't a missile spell and thus has a much higher likelihood of hitting the enemy.

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

MA Marignon's magic diversity is rather limited. It is renowned for its mastery in Fire magic, has some skill in Astral, and its most powerful mages dabble in Air and Earth magic. That's it! Off-capital, Marignon has only 212; only a little better than what Bandar Log has, and only debatably so.

In terms of rituals/forging, MA Marignon has access to the following paths:

Elements

• 4 on Grand Masters, 6 via a Flame Helmet and King of Elemental Fire
• 1 on Grand Masters
• No Water magic
• 1 on Grand Masters

Sorceries

• 3 on Grand Masters, 4 via a Starshine Skullcap
• No Death magic
• No Nature magic
• No Glamour magic

Others

• No Blood magic
• 3 on High Inquisitors, allowing for 4 Prophets

If you include Heroes, Marignon's 4 hero can be made a 5 Prophet, while its 223 hero can expand the nation's booster access to get 5 and at least 2.

Your standard priest's main methods of attack are raining fire, Astral and holy prayers.

Fire kills chaff and stops Air Elementals with Fire Elementals. Standard evocations like Fireball and eventually Pillar of Flame are decent gem-free options. Incinerate is a good anti-thug spell. Heat from Hell can fatigue out non-fire resistant enemies.

Astral magic has buffs and single model kill spells. Mind Burn, Soul Slay, Enslave Mind and Magic Dual. Luck manipulation of Battle Fortune and Doom. get MR Antimagic. Stellar Cascades is alterative to Falling Fires to bypass resistance.

In Witch Hunter communions, Phoenix Power, Power of the Spheres and Light of the Northern Star boost the slave's fire and astral paths to reduce fatigue.

Returning is available if you need a Grand Master to pop in cast some spell then leave.

If you take a Darkvision bless then Solar Eclipse is a castable Darkness that is half as effective.

Flaming Arrows makes crossbows more effective and Wind Guide improve precision for both mundane and magic ranged combat.

Earth magic is unreliable but communionable, providing some small access to the excellent roster of earth buffs.

Air also a big thing for Marignon. Sulfer Haze is unexpected poison damage. and Angles Thunder Strike

Harbingers can respond to attacks in the magic-phase using Cloud Trapeze, and Grand Masters can teleport armies with Gateway.

Breath of the Desert lets you spread heat scale to boost fire magic and diminish cold-related strategies before a battle start.

Eternal Pyre is something of a natural global for Marignon to cast due to its pathing and capital gem income, if it gets to Enchantment 6.

Mind Hunt pick people off.

Terracotta Army later game replaces your line troops with those heavily resistant to Fire and Poison attacks.

Fire in a Jar is a powerful economy option due to the ability of Marignon's workhorse mages to spam Fire Elementals.

It can be helpful to make a number of thug items for angels and morale-boosting items such as Helmet of Heroes and Herald Lance.

Also, get some casting improvers with Eye of Aiming so that Gift from Heavens hits its mark. Eye of the Void and Spell Focus help penetrate enemy MR.

• Mercybrand (Construction 2) 10 and 2
  An inquisitor's weapon that inflicts additional heat damage, along with giving the user fear, a patrol bonus, and inquisitor. Generally, a good tool to help your priest suppress encroaching enemy influences. can be viable on a durable thug chassis to rout enemies way by stacking more fear checks.
• Cockerel Scepter (Construction 4) 10 and 2
  A strange staff that inflicts blindness and a lot of damage to demons and undead, common late-game thugs chassis. It also allows for the casting of Holy Pyre.

• Holy Scourge (Construction 3) 2 and 8
  Flail that gives a lot of attack skill and deals devastating damage to the unholy.
• Just Man's Cross (Construction 3) 1 and 4
  Unholy-killing crossbow. The cheapest way to keep an off-script communion master occupied if you're worried about your communion slaves.
• Flambeau (Construction 5) 1 and 4
  Another anti-unholy weapon, this time it's a great sword with extra fire damage that provides the wielder with some fire resistance. Its holder can cast Holy Pyre for free, so you might consider giving it to army leaders.
• Golden Barding (Construction 5) 11 and 55
  Commentary here.

List some example expansion strategies here. If a strong bless or pretender is required then leave the specifics for the pretender section.

YouTube videos:

Attica

General Confusion

Lucid Tactics

Forum Discussions:

Steam Bless strategy

Reddit starter nation & pretender

Steam Strategies for multiplayer

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 • Atlantis • R'lyeh • Erytheia