Simoeis - Spirit of Building and Construction[]
Many ancient legends tell that shortly after the dawn of Humanity, we had nearly become extinct. We spent our nights cowering in caves and under ledges, praying that the angry mobs gathering outside would not find us. Even when the mobs were nowhere to be found, we were still at the mercy of the weather; caves offered little protection against floods or the extreme cold of a blizzard. As our numbers dwindled, all seemed lost. Then, one cold night, a group of humans huddled together for warmth under a cliff ledge saw a strange figure emerge from the center of the unforgiving snowstorm draining the warmth from their bodies. At first, they thought it to be a hallucination brought on by the cold; but as the figure drew nearer the humans saw that it was no illusion. The ghostly figure, vaguely feminine in appearance, drew closer to them. The spirit spoke, telling them its name: Simoeis. Simoeis told the humans that she had been watching their suffering, and decided to intervene on their behalf to keep them from dying off. She taught the humans construction (the idea of building something being foreign to them), starting with basic dirt huts. Once they had learned what they needed to survive, Simoeis left the humans, floating away toward the sky. The humans thanked her by worshipping her as a goddess in appreciation. However, as time went on, and the humans built larger and more impressive structures, they gradually forgot about their mysterious savior, and few today even remember she exists, let alone worship her.
(Warning: this path is extremely time-consuming and will take a hell of a lot of effort to complete legitimately)
Level 1 - Apprentice Architect[]
1. Flight Before Fight: Simoeis disdains combat, as she feels it takes time away that one could be using to build something instead. Her followers are allowed to carry a weapon, but are only allowed to use it in self-defense, and even then only if they don't have the option to run away, or they are defending their constructions. As she believes iron, gold and diamond would be better spent as decoration or as components for building tools, her followers are only allowed to use wooden or stone weapons. [If you are using a mod that adds new weapons to the game, you are allowed to use them, but only if, as stated above, they are wood or stone].
2. Feels Like Home...: Find a cave filled with resources, then build a house nearby. The house must be at least two stories, and have a lower basement level as well. Attached to or close by should be a renewable source of food (e.g. an animal farm or melon/wheat farm), as this will be your main base of operations throughout the path. Inside the house should be a bed, crafting table, furnaces, storage chests, an endless water spring and a 2x2x2 lava pit garbage disposal. Once the house is constructed, build a shrine to Simoeis on the roof to get her attention. Other additions, such as a swimming pool or garden are not required, but are encouraged. If you think of something cool to add to your house, do it! The same applies to any other structure you build on this path; Simoeis smiles on creativity in architecture, and frowns on those who just follow the instructions in a boring manner.
3. Power supply: Collect at least two stacks of redstone dust, an invaluable resource to have in architectural pursuits.
4. All the time in the world: Craft a clock. Put it in your hot bar, equip it, take note of the time...and promptly toss it into your lave pit. Construction is something that cannot be rushed, and you should put in as much time and effort as is needed for quality structures. Rushing is a foreign concept to followers of Simoeis. Once you have completed this ritual, you are officially a follower of Simoeis. Upon completion of this ritual, you are no longer allowed to craft, use or possess a clock for the remainder of the path.
Level 2 - Skilled Architect[]
1. High on Life: Build a floating fortress, the foundation of which floating no lower than y = 90. The fortress has no size requirement and can be made from any material(s), but should be entirely self-sufficient should the surface ever prove too dangerous to live on. This means it must include: bed, chests, furnaces, water/lava springs, animal AND wheat/melon farms, a tree farm and a cobblestone generator (in case you need to make repairs to the fortress without having to go back down to the surface. Once the construction on the fortress is complete, it is not to be connected to the surface or other landforms in any way (including ladders). Instead, have a waterfall flowing off the edge of it (as the game engine allows you to "swim" up waterfalls).
2. Land Down Under: Build a fortress underground, the highest ceiling of which being no higher than y = 25. As with the flying fortress, it can be made of any material and can be as large or small as you wish, but must be entirely self-sufficient. The list of requirements necessary for this fortress is the same as the one above, with the exception of the cobblestone generator. In its place you must have a mineshaft built connected to your fortress to get building materials from. The entrance to your underground fortress must be sealed off from the surface to conceal it.
3. Humility: At this point, you're probably full of yourself. You've made some amazing structures, inspiring awe from onlookers and curses from your rivals. However, in the grand scheme of things, you really aren't that special. Many have walked this path before you, only to fail due to their overconfidence. To teach yourself some humility, store all of your possessions, save for one sword, two torches and one food item of your choice (excluding cake), and travel out into the wilderness (but make sure you know how to get back!). For two in-game days, you must survive using nothing but these bare essentials. You may not collect any other items during these two days, and once you put either of the torches down, you may not take them down and reuse them. At dawn of the third day, return home remembering how hard life was when you first started the path. Humbled, you are now a skilled architect of Simoeis.
Level 3 - Expert Architect[]
1. Honor Thy Mother: By now, others have noticed your marvelous designs, and questioned what inspired you to create them. When you explained your faith to them, some showed interest in the worship of Simoeis. Problem is, they have nowhere to gather in fellowship and worship her. Create a temple in honor of Simoeis. The style of the temple is up to you; Greco-Roman, Gothic cathedral, it doesn't matter. The only requirements are that the foundation must be at least 30 x 20 blocks wide/long, and you must place a second shrine somewhere inside. Pews, sculptures, columns etc. are optional, but preferred. Again, be creative!
2. Nth Wonder of the World: Create ONE of the following 3 super-structures:
- Build a massive sandcastle. It does not necessarily have to be a medieval style castle, but must resemble a palace or fortress of some sort. The foundation must be at least 35 x 35, and the only materials you are allowed to use to build it are sand and sandstone. If you do not build it next to a lake or ocean, build a moat filled with water around it.
- Dig a chamber made entirely out of glass out of the bottom of a deep lake or ocean. By "deep", I mean at least 5 blocks of water deep. The room must be made entirely from glass, and be at least 10 blocks high, tall and wide. The only section not made of glass should be the entrance, with a trapdoor to keep the water from flooding in.
Example Pyramid
- Build an upside down pyramid entirely out of different colored wool blocks. The pyramid must be at least 6 levels high, and you must use every color of wool in about equal proportion (and white wool blocks are not allowed!). Because this structure is a bit hard to picture, I took a screenshot of an example (and note that this one is only 4 levels high; it's gonna take a hell of a lot of wool for 6):
Level 4 - Master Architect[]
1. Babel Rises: The time has come to complete your masterwork. The structure that everyone will remember you by; the building that will outlive the language it was originally described in; the Tower of Simoeis. The tower must stretch all the way from bedrock to the highest block you are able to build at. At minimum, the foundation of this tower must be 60 x 60 blocks wide. At the top of the tower you must place an upgraded version of Simoeis' shrine. Instead of a gold block surrounded on all sides by a block of iron, this shrine is to be a block of gold surrounded on all sides by two blocks of iron.
Upgraded Shrine of Simoeis
Aside from these guidelines, the design of the tower is entirely up to you. Make it straight up, have different towers branch off the main spire, build it from bedrock up through the surface of the ocean, whatever you think works. Now more than ever should you be as creative as possible; after all, this is what future generations will remember you by.
2. Impregnable: Now that the tower is complete, it needs to be defended from enemies. First, create a wall around the entirety of the foundation, leaving only space for a pair of iron double doors for you to get in and out of. This wall must be at least 15 blocks high, and can be made from smooth stone, brick, nether brick, obsidian or any combination of the four. Next, create a moat on the outside of the wall and fill it with lava Finally, create a redstone drawbridge to allow yourself to get over the lava moat. If you can think of any other ideas for traps, such as sand/gravel avalanches or arrow-filled dispensers, include them; Simoeis would not be pleased with you if harm were to come to her tower.
Level 5 - Architect of Legend[]
You have successfully created the Tower of Simoeis; a reminder to man and god alike to never forget the impact that construction and architecture has on our world. Simoeis is very pleased with you, and has bestowed upon you her blessing. [install toomanyitems] Whenever you require any amount of any material to complete a project, you now possess the power to materialize it in front of you with little more than a thought. What better gift could an architect ask for? Now you have little more to do than continue your work, creating awe-inspiring structures and spreading the word of Simoeis.