Nisroch – Assyrian Eagle Headed Deity who was sought for protection against evil spirits.
It was a winged genie with eagle’s head and man’s body with exaggerated muscles.
He is holding a water vessel in his left hand for sprinkling water. The fir cone (sponge) was used for sprinkling and purification.
There were many similar sculptures lining the walls of Ashurnarsipal’s palace, some dating even 1000 BC.
The Sacred Tree on the left was extremely common in magical sculptures of Ashurnasirpal’s reign, and probably represented the fertility of the land which the magical figure was protecting.
Currently at the British Museum in London.
Tribe of KOAKA – Primitive Year 975
Some people coming out of the Tyrano were displeased with the reason that their leader thought too much of only dinosaurs and underestimated men. So they came to live with flying dinosaurs trained by themselves and formed a new village. These people named themselves the “Koaka”.
The Koaka, the second tribe. They left the Tyrano in 975 following a disagreement with their elders focusing on dinosaurs and underestimating men. The young warriors took their flying dinosaurs and travelled south, to settle on the opposite bank of Dream Lake.
Their conflict of generations is unfortunately forgotten, as years pass quickly and more tribes enter the stage.
The Koaka can train a unique flying unit, the fast and fragile Rhamphorhynchus. Raptor-like Carnotauros and Warriors in their barracks make them a more versatile clan than the stiff (fossilised even) Tyrano, but they lack the hardiness and firepower.
This is a very hard tribe to get used to. I imagine their advantage in the multiplayer maps, where swift scouring the map for artifacts would tip the scales in Koaka’s favor, but the single player campaign is a chore.
This, and the constant Cliff Racer Rhamphorhynchus screeching is enough to drive a man insane.
Their legendary weapon is the Moonlight Sword. It is a curved blade, lacking in raw power compared to the Celestial Sword, but making up for it with a huge damage bonus against spellcasters.
Against other tribes
Their first opponent are the Radumba, who are not to be trifled with! The only way to beat them is to lure them one by one, steal their weapons and hope that the AI won’t wake up and launch an all-out attack. Their bows are deadly.
Combined, Koaka provides scouting for the Radumba bowmen; while Wild Ginsengs from Radumba’s armories improve Koaka’s dinos survivability, which is a nice synergy.
Two other tribes live in the west: the Muspel and the Kumba. Dinosaurs backed up by a Warrior with the Moonlight Sword are decent against their spellcasters, but must be massed or trained to mitigate their below average health pool. Rhamphorhynchuses are immune to Poison Cloud, but take increased damage from Boomerang attacks.
The Kumba are dangerous against both clans, as their Water Shields block Fire Arrows and the Radumba’s Volcano Spear. The Radumba’s Wood Shield works great against Kumba’s weaponry though. Mass Poison Arrow can stun spellcasters, but Warlocks can erase entire armies with a single spell.
Koaka allied with Radumba stand a chance against them, but alone must rely on hit-and-run tactics and stealing.
Against the Tyrano, the Koaka are in trouble. They are swift, but unreliable. The Tyrano dinos are hardier, and attack as fast as Koaka’s. Koaka’s Warriors hardly provide any edge, with no edges or blunts whatsoever to use with their hands. The Legendary Weapon of the Tyrano seems tailored to harass Koaka, as it inflicts tremendous damage to Cavemen and Dinosaurs (especially Rhamphorhynchuses), while Koaka’s Moonlight Sword is better suited against spellcasters.
Against the Canus, the Koaka are in trouble like the Tyrano were. The ranged Elves’ attack combined with healing spells is a chore to overcome, and Koaka must hit-and-run them to drain their mana. Flying dinosaurs help, but a ranged attack would be better. The Moonlight Sword is the main damage dealer here. A quick Capturer raid would be best here to get some Elves on your team.
Against the Masai, the Koaka are in trouble. Masai bows and spears are deadly against dinosaurs, and they have an array of weapons suitable for dealing with Warriors too. The Koaka’s sight and mobility is the only advantage, as they must try to hunt the Masai one by one. Spears, Arrows and Boomerangs decimate Rhamphorhynchuses, but Swords are somehow not effective against them. Use this knowledge to your advantage.
Against the Romek, the Koaka are again in trouble. Rangers inflict bonus damage against dinosaurs, and an even greater bonus against flying dinos. Warriors are the only unit resistant to this bonus damage and should be used, along with the Moonlight Sword.
Overall
Overall it is the weakest tribe in my opinion.
They start off great, with earliest scouting, better than nothing dino stats and attack speed, but if they don’t push hard midgame, they are gone. Their troops are expensive and weak. Scarce OP and HP makes hunting a slow and dangerous process. Their end-game is nonexistent without stealing from other tribes. Single-player missions are very hard for both Dinosaur-based tribes, as there is no way of rushing the enemy. Opponents are already strong, and to beat them, Dino tribes must outsmart, outgun and outmicro everyone while constantly being at a disadvantage. No healing for the dino clans, not even faster regeneration.
Ganking enemy units one by one, capturing hostile structures to train a few actually useful units, and using pillaged weapons against hostile tribes might appeal to some, but to me it feels like cheating and abusing the AI.
Perhaps in a multiplayer match Koaka would shine, with a headstart in exploration and rushing potential.
The Koaka are a great addition to any army, but on their own lack pretty much everything. They have Warriors but no Armory. They have Dinosaurs which are expensive and weak. They provide a challenge, if you are into it.
Other stuff
Their building style is a mix of almost steampunk pipes and lanterns (or fires?), and delicate stone sculptures which speak of craftiness. Their structures are rather short and flat, which is weird, considering their flying theme. The few spikes that adorn their buildings are short, like young, baby teeth.
Their color, yellow, is a primary color. The color mostly used by heroes as an addition, an aura or gilding. It is often the color affiliated with godly power, but also betrayal. It speaks of energy, electricity even, speed and daylight.
Their alignment is good. They care about Dinosaurs, but also about Cavemen. Their theme is youth, which is strange considering yellow is the color of old greenery.
Their Moonlight Sword hints that Ether, the Jurassic God of light, shines upon them.
The Rhamphorhynchuses become ranged fighters for the Tyrano faction in the sequel.
