Dál Riata (Áedán mac Gabráin)

Kingdom of Dál Riata
Map by COF
Leader	Áedán mac Gabráin
Start Bias	Coast
Religion	Catholicism
Geography & Social Data
Empire Name	Dál Riatan Empire
Demonym	Dál Riatan
Capital	Dunadd
Mod Support
Government	Monarchy
Culture	Northern
Mercenaries	6
Religious Intolerance	5
Slavery	1
Civilopedia
Civilopedia	Here

Dál Riata led by Áedán mac Gabráin is a custom civilization mod by DuskJockey and PorkBean, with contributions from COF, Viregel, and TranquilSilence.

This mod requires Gods and Kings and Brave New World.

Overview

Dál Riata

Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic, with a population of 360,390 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe.

Áedán mac Gabráin

Áedán mac Gabráin was king of Dál Riata and a contemporary of Saint Columba, and much that is recorded of his life and career comes from hagiography such as Adomnán of Iona's "Life of Saint Columba". Áedán appears as a character in Old Irish and Middle Irish language works of prose and verse, some now lost. The kingdom of Dál Riata enjoyed a golden age during his reign, at least until his decisive defeat by the Bernicians in Degsastan.

Dawn of Man

Art by DuskJockey

"Hail, Áedán the Wily, King of Dál Riata! Your subjects bow to greet you. A people intimately connected with the sea, the origins of Dál Riata are shrouded in myth and legend. But you, o son of Gabrann, would take this people bound by the oceans and propel them to greatness. You would muster armies as far afield as Orkney and the lands of the Maetae, but you would also oversee the construction of great abbeys, beacons of the faith that would spread God's word to your lands and beyond. Ultimately, your reign would be the greatest flowering of the Dál Riata, its last moment of glory before fading into the mists of history.

But not all is lost, O great king. The seas grow restless once more, and the clamor of your peoples echo through the ruins of their great monasteries. Can you navigate the uncharted waters of this new world? Can your armies spread the light of God to the four corners of the earth? Can you create a civilization to stand the test of time?"

Introduction: "Well, well! A new challenger arrives at the world stage. I am Áedán, son of Gabrán and king of the Dál Riata. And you are?"

Defeat: "And so my glorious kingdom sinks into the waves. God willing, may the seas take yours next."

Unique Attributes

Dál Riata (Áedán mac Gabráin)
Art by DarthKyofu Book of Kells Great Artists on foreign landmasses may settle Cities that exert +20% religious pressure. Internal sea Trade Routes yield Faith upon adopting a religion in the Capital.
Art by DuskJockey Currach (Work Boat) Adjacent embarked units begin with +1 Movement. May build Fishing Boats and Offshore Platforms without being expended, and yields Great Artist points when doing so.
Art by PorkBean Abbaigh Unlocked at Theology. Must be built on coastal land tiles, and cannot be removed. Yields +2 Faith and +1 Gold. Cities with at least three Abbaighs nearby gain a slot for an Artifact or Great Work of Art.

City List Dunadd Buncrana Lismore Raasay Portree Limavady Larne Ballymena Strabane Tarbert Lochgilphead Iona Oban Inverary Glencoe Dunvegan Ballycastle Tiree Coll Tobermory Bunnessan Colonsay Lunga Eig Jura Islay Carradale Inishtrahull Sanda Ailsa Craig Luinga Sanday Canna Soay Muck

Spy List Brandub Malcolm Caiside Feidlimid Judoc Morcant Aoife Beitidh Gormlaith Marsail

Strategy

Dál Riata is a religious, maritime civilization well-suited to a cultural victory type. Their Unique Ability, Book of Kells, grants their Great Artists the ability to found cities with extra religious pressure on foreign landmasses. It also provides Faith from internal sea trade routes once a religion has been adopted in the Capital. Securing a religion should be a top priority for Dál Riata to maximize the potential from their Unique Ability - although both abilities will activate upon adopting a foreign religion, it is far better for Dál Riata to take advantage of founder bonuses as well as follower. God of the Sea is an excellent pantheon to tie in with the Dál Riatan Unique Unit, and cultural beliefs such as World Church, Choral Music and Monasteries synergize well with Dál Riata's cultural focus.
The Dál Riatan Unique Unit is the Currach, which replaces the Work Boat. Even a single Currach will prove an extremely useful tool early in the game, as unlike the regular Work Boat it is not expended upon completing a naval tile improvement - instead it will provide a small amount of Great Artist points, and continue in service to be used again. Finally, the Currach also grants extra movement to any stacked or adjacent embarked units. Use Currachs to generate Great Artists by completing tile improvements, then ferry the embarked artists across the sea to islands or other landmasses where they can found Cities.
Dál Riata's Unique Improvement is the Abbaigh. Once it becomes available after researching Theology, it will yield +2 Gold and +1 Faith when constructed on a required coastal tile. In addition, a city with three Abbaighs within working distance will gain an Artifact or Great Work of Art slot; keep this in mind when settling smaller island chains with limited land available for development. If within working distance of two cities, a single Abbaigh will count towards the total of both, so it is possible to take advantage of the reduced city distance limit when settling across straits between landmasses. Use your Great Artists to settle cities across the sea, jump-start them with internal trade routes that grant Food and Faith, then once you are satisfied with your expansion build Abbaighs and fill your overseas cities with Great Works of Art.

Music

Peace Theme	War Theme
[[1]]	[[2]]
"Callirus" by Adrian von Ziegler	"Wolf Blood" by Adrian von Ziegler

Mod Support

Mod Support
Additional Achievements	Unknown
Civ IV Traits	No
Cultural Diversity	Yes
Enlightenment Era	No
Ethnic Units/R.E.D.	No
Events and Decisions	No
Historical Religions	No
Map Labels	No
Rise to Power	Yes
Unique Cultural Influence	No
YnAEMP	Yes

Additional Achievements

Carriers of the Faith	Win the game on any difficulty setting as Áedán mac Gabráin's Dál Riata.
Downtown Abbaigh	As Áedán mac Gabráin's Dál Riata, build at least 7 Abbaighs within the borders of a single city.

Full Credits List

Steam Workshop Downloader
Steam Workshop
Latest Version:	v 1
Last Updated:	21 February 2021

• DuskJockey: Code, art, design
• PorkBean: Code, design, unit model retexture
• COF: Art
• Viregel: Original mod, city list
• TranquilSilence: Design
• whoward69: PlotIterators