The ecletic general interests of Auspice Darer Publisher, Darius Pearce. Based in Saint Clement, Jersey and Wembley, Brent, United Kingdom
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When people think about powerful starts in Europa Universalis IV, Yemen is rarely the first nation mentioned.
It lacks the immediate strength of the Ottomans, the wealth of Venice, or the obvious colonial pathways of Portugal and Castile. At first glance, Yemen appears trapped: squeezed into the southern Arabian Peninsula, surrounded by stronger powers, and overshadowed by the looming giants of the Islamic world.
Yet in many ways Yemen possesses something far more valuable than raw development or manpower.
It sits astride one of the great maritime crossroads of history.
The Gulf of Aden links the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Whoever dominates it controls the movement of wealth between East Africa, Arabia, Persia, India, and eventually Southeast Asia. The early campaign therefore revolved around one central idea:
The sea would not be a border.
It would become the empire.
This one didn’t.
It began in collapse and ended in control.
And then, without warning, it was gone.
What follows is not just a record of progress, but a reconstruction of a campaign that had already crossed the threshold from success to inevitability.
From the outset, Burgundy rejected passivity. Rivals were chosen early—France and England—while alliances with Austria and Castile provided the diplomatic backbone.
The opening war against Provence accelerated everything. Burgundy seized key territory across Lorraine and the Empire, but more importantly, it established a pattern: expand quickly, but never carelessly.
Even in these first years, the campaign was not about land—it was about positioning.
Europe descended into chaos sooner than expected. Sweden’s independence war against Denmark drew in major powers, including England.
And then something unusual happened.
Distracted by the northern war, England surrendered Maine without a fight to France.
The expected Anglo-French war never came. France consolidated quietly, growing stronger without resistance. Burgundy was forced to adapt—not to a weakened France, but to a stabilised one.
That adaptation defined the campaign.
Rather than attempting to overpower France directly, Burgundy dismantled it structurally.
Later wars removed France’s coastline entirely—first the Atlantic, then the Mediterranean. What remained was not a rival, but a fragmented shell.
By 1562, France was reduced to three provinces: Paris, Nemours, and Valois. It was no longer a threat. It was an asset waiting to be vassalised.
While France was being dismantled, Burgundy turned south.
A precisely timed war against Savoy secured the Alpine corridor just as it left the Empire. This single move opened Italy, secured defensive terrain, and created a second theatre of expansion.
Italian politics were manipulated rather than confronted:
Italy was not rushed. It was prepared.
Where many campaigns stall, this one waited.
Eventually, Burgundy turned on Great Britain. Through a series of measured wars:
The English Channel was no longer contested. It was Burgundian.
The campaign’s true turning point was not territorial—it was economic.
By annexing Holland and Genoa, Burgundy connected the two most valuable trade nodes in Western Europe.
Wealth now flowed:
And it stayed there.
The capital was moved to Amsterdam, not only ending the Dutch Revolt, but relocating the centre of power to the richest region in the game.
From that moment on, Burgundy was no longer funding wars.
Wars were being funded automatically.
In 1550, a succession crisis transformed the campaign.
Bohemia fell heirless, and Russia moved to claim the throne. Burgundy intervened.
Supported by Austria, Milan, and Poland-Lithuania, Burgundy won decisively.
Bohemia became a personal union.
This was not a victory of territory. It was a victory of position. Burgundy now controlled the centre of Europe.
The Reformation came and went.
Burgundy remained Catholic. The League War ended in Catholic victory, stabilising the Empire and removing one of the game’s most disruptive variables.
Religious chaos never took hold.
With Europe secured, Burgundy turned outward.
The system was clear:
Burgundy was no longer a European power. It was a global one.
By the time the campaign ended unexpectedly, Burgundy had achieved:
There were no remaining equals.
Only directions.
This campaign was never about map painting.
It was about building a system:
Every part fed into the next.
By the end, Burgundy did not need to win.
It had already made losing impossible.
The save is gone.
But the structure remains.
And once you understand the structure, you don’t need the save file.
You can build it again.
Emerging from the wide plains of The Steppes, we still felt the thrill of adventure as our songs and spells echoed across the winds. The transition from sun-baked plains to forested, rocky valleys of Sunderock Springs felt like stepping into a different world. Moss-covered cliffs loomed overhead, and the air was thick with the scent of wet stone and growing things. The bard’s songs kept our mercs moving with uncanny precision, while I, cloaked in mana and ready with Gelidin Comet and Thundaka, let loose devastating spells that left foes scattered before they could mount any serious challenge.
Combat in Sunderock Springs demanded more than raw power. Smaller packs of wild beasts—spotted wolves, rock gnolls, and the occasional territorial drake—tested our reflexes, while the terrain itself made positioning critical. Each pull required careful timing: I would weave Gelidin Comet for maximum impact, following up with Thundaka and occasionally experimenting with Solist’s Frozen Sword to see if its icy strike could tip the scales in tight situations. Greater Fetter was never far from my fingers, holding back reinforcements just long enough for our mercenary tank to absorb the brunt of the assault. Mana Weave and Harvest allowed me to keep firing continuously, even as the bard’s songs surged through the valley, carrying not just melody, but the lifeblood of our endurance.
From Sunderock Springs, we ventured deeper into the twisting caverns of Vergalid Mines, a place where shadowed stone tunnels seemed to stretch endlessly and the air hummed with latent magic. Here, the challenge intensified. Gangs of goblins and wandering elemental spirits forced me to think on my feet, deciding which spells to unleash and when to conserve mana. Gelidin Comet remained my mainstay, delivering punishing cold damage with precision, while Thundaka provided versatile lightning strikes against groups or resistant foes. Solist’s Frozen Sword continued to be a delightful experiment, its swift strikes sometimes tipping a skirmish in our favor when timing mattered. The bard’s songs were a constant backbone—boosting mana, hastening the tank’s strikes, and turning every corridor into a controlled battlefield. Phase Walk and Evacuate were ready, of course, though rarely needed; with proper positioning and our mercs’ steadfast loyalty, few encounters ever became truly dangerous.
Exploring Vergalid Mines revealed the joy of a well-tuned duo. The combination of calculated spell choice, mercenary support, and the bard’s rhythmic influence allowed us to move quickly from one skirmish to the next, maintaining a pace that was both exhilarating and efficient. Even as the mines twisted into shadowed corridors and the ambient magic stirred unease, our team pressed onward, a perfect blend of raw power, strategy, and synergy. Every enemy felled, every corridor cleared, felt like a testament to the careful balancing act of spell selection, mana management, and tactical coordination that made a wizard-bard duo not just viable, but unstoppable.
Interestingly, while the wizard continued to level, the bard gained an additional 50 Alternate Advancement points instead of leveling. This boost further enhances his songs, combat utility, and survivability, making the duo even more efficient in handling challenging zones and dense pulls.
As we continue adventuring deeper into Vergalid Mines, the world of EverQuest unfolds with all its beauty and danger. From the sunlit expanse of The Steppes to the damp, echoing tunnels of these mines, each zone presents new challenges, new experiments, and new victories. And through it all, our duo marches on, a harmonious blend of song and spell, ready for whatever the next chamber—and the next quest—will throw at us.
🌱 Mana Weave → ❄️ Gelidin Comet → ⚡ Thundaka → ❄️⚔️ Solist’s Frozen Sword → 🌿 Harvest → ⛓️ Greater Fetter → 🌀 Phase Walk
Slot 8: 🚪 Evacuate (reserved for emergency / transport)
Rotation Notes:
This rotation emphasizes mana efficiency, sustained damage, and battlefield control, allowing the wizard-bard duo to chain-pull and navigate zones like The Steppes, Sunderock Springs, and Vergalid Mines with maximum effectiveness.
Every Enchanter begins with the same illusion: that power lies in control. That a summoned pet, a neatly memorised spell bar, and a careful pull are enough to bend the world to your will. Carallas of Felwithe began no differently.
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Carallas of Agnarr |
At level 3, Carallas entered the tutorial, captured by kobolds, and emerged at level 10 ready to begin his true journey.
At level 10, Carallas moved into Crushbone. Here, he learned the rhythm of combat: careful pulling, managing aggro, and letting the pet engage. In these early stages, the animation pet is reliable, consistent, and often stronger than expected. The Enchanter does not truly control the battlefield—he influences it.
At level 18, Carallas entered Paludal Caverns, where leveling accelerates dramatically. High mob density, fast respawns, and excellent experience allowed him to thrive in groups. The Enchanter’s role became clearer: crowd control, mana regeneration, and support. This was the first real taste of grouping as a core part of progression, later repeated at levels 27–30 and 32–35.
At level 25, Carallas moved to Lake of Ill Omen, specifically the undead tower. The animation pet still functioned, but cracks were forming. Enemies hit harder, fights lasted longer, and the margin for error narrowed. This is where charm first became necessary, though mastery was still distant.
At level 28, Carallas entered Dawnshroud Peaks. Here, the Enchanter faced a critical truth: The summoned pet is no longer enough.
The progression of animation spells revealed the problem clearly. Sagar’s Animation (22) produced a level 22 pet, Uleen’s Animation (29) produced a level 25 pet, and Boltran’s Animation (31) produced a level 28 pet. The pet was falling behind. From this point onward, control must be taken from the enemy itself. Charm became not optional, but inevitable.
Carallas did not embrace charm immediately. It was unfamiliar, dangerous, and punishing. Learning charm came at a cost: deaths, lost experience, and no resurrection to recover losses. This hesitation revealed an important truth: Charm is not a spell. It is a discipline. It requires timing, awareness, and acceptance of risk. The ideal charm scenario emerged only through experience: two enemies fighting, both reduced below 20%, charm broken at the right moment, and both killed efficiently. Anything less was chaos.
By level 30, Carallas’ spell bar reflected a transitional phase. It included Suffocate, Tepid Deeds, Chaos Flux, Soothe, Entrance, Listless Power, Feedback, and Gate. This was not yet a charm-focused setup, but it laid the groundwork for crowd control, debuffing, and survival.
Before mastering charm, combat followed a simple principle: The Enchanter must be struck first.
This ensured the pet would engage, defensive skills like dodge and defence would improve, and offensive skills remained relevant. It was inefficient but necessary. Downtime was frequent—long periods meditating to recover mana. The solution, always just out of reach, was a mount to improve regeneration.
At level 31, Carallas alternated between The Overthere and Dawnshroud Peaks. Charm began to take hold. Blue mobs were safer, yellow mobs risky. Charm worked best when the Enchanter could control the variables. The Overthere provided strong charm targets, while Dawnshroud offered safer, more controlled environments.
At level 36, progress slowed. Charm spell cap limitations prevented control of key targets, and animation pets were too weak to compensate. The solution was practical: group. From 36 onward, Carallas spent significant time grouping, particularly in Dulak’s Harbor.
Dulak’s Harbor became the engine of progression. Carallas refined his group role using single-target mesmerisation (Entrance), slows (Tepid Deeds), debuffs (Listless Power), Tashani, and supplemental DPS (Suffocating Sphere and Anarchy). Charm was used sparingly; control, not risk, defined this phase. Through careful grouping, Carallas advanced steadily to level 43.
Seeking faster progression, Carallas attempted to enter The Hole via Paineel. This ended in failure. Hostile guards, lack of access, death, and loss of level were stark reminders: Knowledge of zones is as important as mastery of spells.
Rather than persist, Carallas adapted. He moved to Grimling Forest and Acrylia Caverns, forming a duo with a Monk. The Monk pulled and provided sustained DPS, while Carallas controlled, slowed, and supported with mana. The result was stable, efficient experience, and Carallas returned to level 44.
At level 44, the Enchanter stands at the threshold of power. Animation pets decline over time. Charm is essential but dangerous. Grouping bridges difficult levels. Zone knowledge is critical. Control is more valuable than damage. The path forward is clear: solo charm becomes viable again, high-value zones open such as City of Mist and Sebilis, and the Enchanter transitions from support to dominance.
The journey from 1 to 44 is not about power gained, but illusions lost. The illusion that control is simple. The illusion that safety leads to progress. The illusion that the Enchanter commands the battlefield without consequence. Carallas has learned otherwise. True control is not given. It is taken—briefly, dangerously, and always at risk of collapse. From level 44 onward, that risk becomes power.
An augmentation is an item that you insert into a gear slot. Each slot is restricted by type, which determines where the augment can fit rather than how strong it is. The most common slot types today include Type 7, which fits most armor and jewelry and provides general bonuses such as HP, mana, and stats, and Type 8, which is typically reserved for raid gear and high-end content. Weapon-only augments are generally Type 4, and these often provide procs or combat-related effects. Older expansion augments, including Type 5 and Type 6, still appear on legacy gear and provide stat or armor boosts, while Type 3 augments modify specific spells or enhance spellcasting. Later expansions introduced special categories, including Type 9 augments from Dragons of Norrath, evolving augments, ornamentation, and even charm-based luck augments.
Adding augments is straightforward. You pick up the augment and insert it into a compatible slot on your gear through the item window. Removing them, however, requires careful attention. In the past, when LDoN was first released, players had to use special augmentation sealers, colloquially called “birdbaths,” to safely remove augments. This was cumbersome and location-restricted. Modern EverQuest has replaced birdbaths with Augmentation Distillers, which allow you to remove augments safely as long as you use the correct tier of distiller. Every augment specifies the minimum distiller level required, and attempting to remove an augment without the correct distiller will destroy it permanently, leaving the item intact but the augment lost.
Distillers can be purchased in several locations, but one of the easiest and most accessible is Yenny Werlikanin within the standard Guild Hall. She provides a simple way for players to obtain the distillation necessary to safely remove augments, making it convenient to swap or upgrade augments without having to travel to the Plane of Knowledge or Wayfarers Camps. Plane of Knowledge vendors and various expansion hub merchants also sell distillers, and for players engaged with LDoN content, the distributed Wayfarers Camps offer another convenient option. Keeping a supply of distillers on hand is essential for duo play or for any character frequently upgrading gear, as it ensures you can preserve your investment in augments and swap them as needed.
Augments themselves are obtained from dungeons, LDoN reward points, hot zone quests, and some quest or drop rewards. They can be used to boost survivability, damage, or utility depending on the slot type and your character’s role. For a wizard in a duo, prioritizing hit points, mana, and intelligence or spell-specific effects makes sense, while a bard benefits from HP, armor class, and weapon procs if the gear has Type 4 slots available. Because augments travel with you from gear to gear, they represent long-term character progression that compounds over time, even as you replace older equipment with better pieces.
Some augments belong to lore groups, which prevent owning more than one from the same group. Others, such as charm slot augments, may provide unique scaling effects or luck bonuses. Hidden augments can occasionally interfere with selling or upgrading gear, but equipping and unequipping the item can usually resolve these conflicts. Over time, more specialized augments, including evolving, rare, or high-end raid types, become available, but the core principles remain the same: slot compatibility, correct distiller usage, and strategic selection based on your character’s priorities.
Mastering augments transforms what could be a tedious grind into meaningful, permanent progression. By understanding slot types, using distillers responsibly, and targeting the right augment effects for your character, you ensure that each upgrade is a lasting investment in survivability, utility, or damage output. With Yenny Werlikanin as the easily accessible distiller vendor, along with additional sources at the Plane of Knowledge and Wayfarers Camps, managing augments has never been more convenient. EverQuest players who embrace this system early will find their duo or group adventures significantly more efficient, rewarding, and powerful.
That illusion did not last. Not far from the safety of Crescent Reach, Kibrosa’s journey was interrupted by a sudden and overwhelming force. Kobolds, organized and relentless, struck without warning and dragged him into the depths. There was no moment of triumph, no chance to resist in any meaningful way. When he awoke, it was not beneath the familiar stone of the city, but deep within the oppressive tunnels of the Mines of Gloomingdeep. There, stripped of safety and certainty, survival became his only concern. In the dim light of the mine, surrounded by enemies and fellow captives, Kibrosa began to understand the path he had chosen. The discipline of the monk was no longer an abstract ideal but a necessity measured in every movement and every decision. Each encounter demanded control, each recovery required patience, and each small victory carried him closer to escape.
When he finally emerged from the mines, Kibrosa was no longer the same novice who had been taken. Experience had replaced hesitation, and survival had sharpened his instincts. Returning to Crescent Reach at level 10, he did not look outward toward distant lands, but inward, choosing to descend into the Hollow beneath the city. This network of tunnels, filled with vermin and restless undead, became his proving ground. Where the mines had forced him to survive, the Hollow demanded that he refine his craft. Here, progress was not measured in dramatic victories but in consistency, in the quiet mastery of repetition and control.
Within those confined spaces, Kibrosa honed his discipline. The tight corridors and constant threats left little room for error, forcing him to approach each fight with intention. Over time, his movements became more deliberate, his reactions more measured, and his endurance more reliable. The Hollow offered no glory, only the steady accumulation of skill and understanding, and Kibrosa embraced it fully. Task by task, chamber by chamber, he completed every challenge set before him, committing himself to the path with a focus that left no room for distraction.
By the time he had finished the final trials within the Hollow, Kibrosa had changed in a way that could not be measured by strength alone. At level 20, he stood not as a survivor of circumstance but as a practitioner of discipline, shaped by every moment spent beneath Crescent Reach. The lessons learned in darkness had become part of him, forming a foundation that would carry forward into whatever lay ahead.
Beyond the city waits Blightfire Moors, a land far less controlled and far more demanding than the tunnels he now leaves behind. It is there that Kibrosa’s training will be tested in earnest, not in isolation, but in a world that does not yield so easily to discipline alone.
Next: Part 2 – Into the Moors