Quintessence

Four doctrines with four skills each, but only a hundred essences per castle: with the Quintessence you give every castle its own profile.

How to assign essences

Every finished revolution in the Athanor yields one essence. In the “Quintessence” tab you bind it to skills in four doctrines. Within a doctrine there is a fixed order: the next skill only opens once the previous one is fully developed. Together the sixteen skills have room for 245 points – but you get at most 100. So you can never have everything; every castle needs a focus. The bonuses only work in the castle where you assign the essences; only Signal Fires and Ward Circle reach beyond it to your alliance members.

The four doctrines

Doctrine of War (50 points): more damage to wall and buildings, faster attacks, more carrying capacity – and at the end the Amber Knight.
Doctrine of the Ward (70 points): more defence, sturdier buildings and walls, sight of attacks on alliance members and a field surgeon for your losses.
Doctrine of the Workshop (75 points): more base production, faster construction, faster recruiting with longer queues, more storage and merchants that carry more.
Energy of Nature (50 points): protection from wild animal raids, more damage to dragons, a ward circle for your alliance members and faster bandit hunts with fewer losses.

Example builds

Attack castle: the whole Doctrine of War including Amber Knights, plus Plate Armour from the Ward, and Mining Craft and ten points of Masons’ Guild from the Workshop – exactly 100 points in total.
Bulwark: the whole Doctrine of the Ward, plus Mining Craft and ten points of Masons’ Guild. The castle holds out, recovers part of its losses on its own and keeps its economy running on the side.
Economy castle: the whole Doctrine of the Workshop, plus Beast Control from Nature and 15 points of Plate Armour.
Dragon and hunting castle: the whole Energy of Nature and the whole Doctrine of War. Amber Knights hit every dragon hard, Dragon Hunter and Pathfinder add a little more, and your Ward Circle helps the alliance.

With “Release essences” you take back all assigned points of this castle and distribute them anew. This is free once every 180 days, otherwise it costs 50 gold; your revolutions are kept. If you release the points in Amber Knight, existing knights remain, there simply are no new ones.

Doctrine of War

What breaks walls and brings plunder home.

Wallbreaker20 points

Your rams and catapults are built for the cracks, not the stones. Each essence raises damage to wall and buildings by 10%. Its counterpart is Foundation Lore in the Doctrine of the Ward — fully developed against each other, they cancel out.

10 % per point, up to 200 %

Stormrunner10 points

Lighter armour, shorter rests, different roads. Each essence shortens the approach of your attacks from this castle by 2.5%. It does not affect support or returning marches.

2.5 % per point, up to 25 %

Raiding Party10 points

Extra carts, woven baskets, doubled straps. Each essence raises the carrying capacity of troops from this castle by 10%. At full development it doubles what a raid brings home.

10 % per point, up to 100 %

Amber Knight10 points

An order that cannot be paid in gold, only in amber. The knights are raised in this castle’s barracks and cost ten amber of all four kinds each — no resources. In battle one counts for ten paladins. Bring them along on a successful attack and each knight carries one amber home, at most a hundred per attack and at most five attacks a day against the same opponent. They can neither be relocated nor sent as support: this order serves its castle alone. Release the essence again and the knights already raised remain — there is simply no more coming.

Doctrine of the Ward

What stands when others fall.

Plate Armour20 points

Forged plates instead of riveted rings — everyone gets refitted, from spearman to catapult crew. Each essence raises the defence value of all units in this castle by 5%, whatever their kind.

5 % per point, up to 100 %

Foundation Lore20 points

Those who know how a house falls also know how it stands. Each essence gives 10% more resistance against rams and catapults, plus 5% on the wall. Its counterpart is the Wallbreaker in the Doctrine of War.

10 % per point, up to 200 % · 5 % per point, up to 100 %

Signal Fires10 points

A chain of fire pits along the ridges. Each essence widens the radius in which you see attacks on alliance members by ten fields. Fully developed you watch over a hundred fields — an entire continent.

10 F per point, up to 100 F

Field Surgeon20 points

Surgeons who follow the army instead of awaiting it. Each essence heals 1% more of your fallen — but only from battles fought in this castle. In addition, after every battle in this castle 1% of your fallen home troops per essence returns entirely on its own, without gems, even after a total defeat. Supporters from other castles are not treated. It does not affect general healing at the medic. Across all sources never more than 100% of the fallen can be recovered.

1 % per point, up to 20 % · 1 % per point, up to 20 %

Doctrine of the Workshop

What grows while you sleep.

Mining Craft20 points

Deeper shafts, better supports, shorter hauls. Each essence raises the base production of your mines in this castle by 5%. It applies to the plain building output — field bonuses, alliance benefits and events are not doubled again.

5 % per point, up to 100 %

Masons’ Guild15 points

A practised crew does not work harder, it works without idle time. Each essence shortens building time in this castle by 2%.

2 % per point, up to 30 %

Tavern20 points

Where the pouring is good, some volunteer. Each essence speeds recruitment by 1% and lengthens build queues by 2%. Both add to your alliance benefits.

1 % per point, up to 20 % · 2 % per point, up to 40 %

Warehouse Master20 points

Better stacking, drier cellars, less spoilage. Each essence raises this castle’s storage capacity by 1% — and its merchants’ carrying capacity by 5%, so at full development they carry double per trip. Together with storage fillers the workshop’s strongest benefit.

1 % per point, up to 20 % · 5 % per point, up to 100 %

Energy of Nature

What is wild listens to those who understand it.

Beast Control10 points

Wind direction, smoke and a few carcasses in the right places. Each essence gives a 10% chance that a wild animal raid skips this castle — and looks for one of your enemies nearby instead. Fully developed, no beast troubles you again.

10 % per point, up to 100 %

Dragon Hunter10 points

Those who know where the scales are thin need fewer spears. Each essence raises the damage your troops from this castle deal to dragons by 2.5%.

2.5 % per point, up to 25 %

Ward Circle20 points

A ring of signs, fire pits and old agreements. Each essence lowers by 5% the chance that alliance members within the radius are attacked by wild animals, gives them 1% more damage against dragons and takes 0.5% off the damage dragons deal them. Important: ward circles do not stack — where several overlap, only the strongest counts. And they work on alliance members only: your own castles gain nothing from them.

5 % per point, up to 100 % · 1 % per point, up to 20 % · 0.5 % per point, up to 10 %

Pathfinder10 points

Shortcuts that appear on no map. Each essence shortens the march to bandit camps and dragons by 2% and cuts losses on bandit hunts from this castle by 10% — traps included. At full development everyone comes home.

2 % per point, up to 20 % · 10 % per point, up to 100 %