Altars and rites
In Otenos, ancient altars scattered across the map reward whoever holds them during a rite with Tender. An altar isn't a fortress but a rendezvous: the hour of each rite is announced to everyone in advance, and whoever stands at the altar when it comes takes the reward. This chapter covers holding altars, rites, Tender income and fortification.
Altars
- A world has one altar for every 4 holdings: 50 altars in a world of 200 holdings.
- About a third of the altars stand on small islets off the coast; you reach them by boat.
- Ten named altars repeat across the map, each with its own legend.
| Altar | Epithet |
|---|---|
| Anhet | Threshold of Breath |
| Tauron | Bed of the Bronze Bull |
| Dryal | Grove of the First Bough |
| Naiara | Spring of Tears |
| Ouros | The Endless Road |
| Udjara | The Sleepless Eye |
| Labyra | The Deep Spiral |
| Ophira | Spine of the Serpent |
| Anzura | Feather of the Storm |
| Kleidon | Key Without a Door |
Each altar's legend is in its Codex entry.
Holding an altar
- Empty altar: when your army arrives, the altar is yours.
- Held altar: your army fights the altar's garrison; the winner holds the altar with its survivors. If both sides are wiped out, the altar is left empty.
- Your own altar: the soldiers you send join the garrison.
- There's no limit to how many soldiers can wait at an altar. Your main holding pays the garrison's upkeep.
- You can hold altars during the Founding phase too; the ban on raiding holdings doesn't apply to altars.
Altar charges
A march on an empty altar or someone else's altar costs 1 altar charge:
- Altar charges per day: 6. They stack up to 4.
- The Relay Post raises your daily altar charges by 1; Marching Orders add 2 on the spot.
- Reinforcing your own altar and scouting an altar cost no charge. If your altar changed hands while your reinforcements were on the road, they turn back without a fight.
Rites
An altar only produces Tender during a rite.
- A rite is announced 36 hours in advance and lasts 60 minutes.
- A world holds 24 rites a day; the altars take turns, and the start times shift every day.
- There are no rites during Founding. Rites begin on the first day of Contest and continue to the end of the Age.
- An altar's next rite time shows on the map and in the altar's entry.
Tender income
- An altar in a rite yields 600 Tender per hour; holding it for the whole rite earns about 600 Tender.
- A newly taken altar starts counting after 10 minutes. Reinforcements don't reset that wait.
- House Sardan raises altar income by 20%.
If you hold several altars in a rite at the same time, each extra altar brings in less than the one before:
| Held at once | Yield | Tender per hour |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100% | 600 |
| 2 | 80% | 480 |
| 3 | 65% | 390 |
| 4 | 45% | 270 |
| 5 | 25% | 150 |
| 6 | 10% | 60 |
| 7+ | 0% | 0 |
Rite victory
When the rite ends, the commander who holds the altar (and is past the waiting time) wins the rite victory. The victory report tells you how much Tender you earned, and the win is added to the rite victories in your Charter.
Rite hours
Every hour you hold an altar during a rite counts toward your score in the rankings. House Velon builds this score 40% faster.
Fortification
You can fortify an altar you hold. Each fortification level raises the altar garrison's defense by 8%, up to level 5.
| Level | Cost (timber / stone / iron) | Defense | Build time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10,000 / 8,000 / 2,000 | +8% | 15 min |
| 2 | 15,000 / 12,000 / 3,000 | +16% | 30 min |
| 3 | 22,500 / 18,000 / 4,500 | +24% | 45 min |
| 4 | 32,500 / 26,000 / 6,500 | +32% | 1 h |
| 5 | 45,000 / 36,000 / 9,000 | +40% | 1 h 15 min |
- The materials leave your holding on a fortification convoy at 10 km per hour; no merchants needed.
- Once the convoy arrives, the fortification is built over a time that grows with its level.
- If a fortification convoy is intercepted, the interceptor takes part of its cargo and the rest burns.
- If the altar changes hands or is left empty, the fortification is destroyed.
If you have a Watchtower placed, every altar you hold gets 25% more defense.
The altar's watch
Soldiers stationed at an altar keep watch over the area around it:
- With soldiers alone, the altar sees armies approaching within 6 km.
- With a scout at the altar, sight extends to 12 km and grows with the scout's strength.
- For every approaching enemy, you get a report saying who is coming and when they will arrive. With a scout at the altar, this warning also arrives as a phone notification.
Sea altars
You can't march on an altar on an islet without enough boats for every soldier you send. An army that arrives by boat pays no landing penalty (The sea).