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TheSouthGuard

2013-12-25T01:00:53Z

DoctorJ: (Suggested two front technique)

The walkthrough is based (mostly) on medium difficulty.

== Born To The Banner ==
* Objectives: Defeat Bandit leader
* Lose if: Deoran dies or turns run out
* Turns: 40/32/24 (easy/medium/hard)
* Starting Gold: 120/100/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Moreth

The recommended course in the beginning here is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Bowmen and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Bowmen and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find a pleasant surprise there. Actually, if you are making a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the some Spearmen, but the bulk of your forces for now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5[or earlier on Hard difficulty] you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [lawful] forces will be weaker and the bandits [chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going east. Moreth [the Pikeman/Spearman/Peasant(depending on difficulty level) who joined you at the start] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe south of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your Bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15, 12 you will receive a surprise. On ''easy'', you'll be rewarded with Aleron, a Longbowman who is loyal to you. On ''medium'', Aleron will be a Peasant, and on ''hard'' you'll find an enemy Footpad instead.

In game terms, a loyal unit will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. If you have Aleron as a Peasant, you might think to yourself: he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Royal Guard or Master Bowman [units which normally cost you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be loyal and still cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road south. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due north. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] I usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 I would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Bowmen against Thugs, Spearmen against Poachers, or either against Footpads], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optimally he should finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== Proven By The Sword ==
* Objectives: Capture the Citadel of Westin and defeat Bandit leader
* Lose if: Deoran or Sir Gerrick die or turns run out
* Turns: 40/32/28 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 130/100/85
* Starting Units: Deoran, Sir Gerrick

Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one Bowman who has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here I'll give a few words about a few of the criminals: Footpads and Thieves are "elusive" units, which means that they are extremely agile and quite fast. If they are on halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a pathetic 30% chance to hit them. However, they are weak to blades and piercing weapons, so if you do hit them, you do more damage. The other thing to watch out for is the 'backstab' ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. e also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario I had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals all the tricks up his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The Undead Skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops, except Minister Hylas, possess].

If you're curious, select a Skeleton and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to fire and impact weapons, and particularly weak against arcane attacks. You don't have any fire attacks yet, and the only impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' very weak melee staff. His arcane 'Lightbeam' spell, though, is extremely powerful against these foul creatures, however:

* The Skeletons' -50% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 51 points of damage every turn.

* Three strikes make it quite reliable, and two hits will bring down a Skeleton from full health at daytime.

* The Lightbeam is a magical attack. This means that it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

With the exception of Minister Hylas, your only other option for an effective anti-Skeleton unit would be a Merman Netcaster, which you could get if you manage to level up your loyal Hunter from the previous mission. This can be done by feeding him 1 or 2 kills in the previous mission and allowing him to take down a second level bandit unit once you've arrived in Westin. He has impact weaponry in both melee and ranged, and his ranged attack's 'Slow' ability can paralyze a Skeleton in the river. Having a Netcaster would significantly ease your river-crossing effort.

Anyway, by turn 8 you can have cleared the west bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the south is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the east bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them if he's dead...

== A Desperate Errand ==
* Objectives: Move Deoran to the elvish city
* Lose if: Deoran, Sir Gerrick or Minister Hylas die or turns run out
* Turns: 30/24/20 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 120/105/75
* Starting Units: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas

There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth at most. On the first turn I would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two Jarek[a Cavalier, Dragoon, or Cavalryman depending on difficulty level] will arrive and you will gain the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, and then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a Merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] Merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the scenario objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then good for you.

Note that on Easy difficulty, you'll only be facing a few bandits, while on the harder difficulties, first level Skeletons will also join them. So remember to keep Minister Hylas and perhaps a Netcaster around to help your main force combat them. As for the bandits, your regular troops[ideally, Cavalrymen, Swordsmen and Longbowmen by now] can easily handle 'em.
Note that Cavalrymen are impressively tough against the blade and impact weapons used by Thugs, Footpads and Thieves, and their own blades can slice these units to pieces. Try to level them up and they'll be useful later, and also try not to allow Poachers and Skeleton Archers to shoot them, as they are weak to arrows.

== Vale of Tears ==
* Objectives: Defeat all enemies and move Ethiliel to Mebrin's village
* Lose if: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas or Ethiliel die or turns run out
* Turns: 40/32/28 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 150/125/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas, Ethiliel, and Jarek

I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'Ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses impact damage and, like the Merman Netcaster, has the beneficial effect of Slowing down the target. If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

If you have chosen Hard difficulty, though, this part of the mission becomes significantly harder as the enemy can recruit second level Revenants and Bone Shooters instead of the normal first level skellies you've been facing so far. The basic tactics remain the same, but the Bone Shooters can be problematic as you cannot us Minister Hylas on them because of their strong retaliation fire, and because their powerful arrows are extremely effective against your Cavalry and Deoran. However, you should have leveled up Gerrick by now, and his Slowing impact shield-bash attack combined with leadership-boosted melee Swordsmen ought to be able to contain the Shooters. If you keep your important units(loyals, leveled-up troops, etc.) alive, this could be an opportunity to gain large amounts of experience as each second level unit gives you double the XP as a first level unit would.

When your first unit dies, Ethiliel summons her bodyguard, composed of loyal Elvish Rangers. The size of the bodyguard will be of 4, 3 or 2 units for the easy/medium/hard difficulty levels respectively. These rangers are fast and powerful in the forest, and they possess the ''ambush'' ability, which helps you set up traps for the enemy. You might want to recruit a Peasant to go on a suicide rush just to trigger this early.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey. Just regular first level bandit scum. Slice them to pieces, and you win.

----

Updates: having just replayed this on on 1.10.7, the single-keep technique definitely doesn't work now. If your troops are lined up, they can only go five hexes per turn. At this rate, fast footpads will come up behind them about the time you are attacking skellies in earnest. Instead, have the first keep be Bows and Spears and they can head towards the village at [16, 21]. Note that if you send Ethiliel with them, it gives you two benefits:
# One, your foot soldiers will have some healing as they slog through the hills.
# Two, Mal A'kai will actually send most of his forces towards Ethiliel and will leave himself relatively unguarded this way.
Just make sure not to leave Ethiliel too exposed, as most of the attacks will gravitate towards her.

== Choice In The Fog ==
* Objectives: Defeat all enemies
* Lose if: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas or Ethiliel die or turns run out
* Turns: 50/40/35 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 150/125/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas, Ethiliel, and Jarek
* Other: You must side with either the Elves or the Bandits when you first sight the bandit keep

The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalrymen with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice I mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamans. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Ethiliel and Minister Hylas in the whole campaign, and also has a Slowing attack which can come in handy against strong opponents. If you choose to ally with the Bandits, you will then be allowed to recruit units that are strong against Undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as you will not be keeping them long.

So recruit a keep's worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to ford the river, but only one bridge. I usually send freshly-recruited Elves and loyal Mermen along the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans, including fast-moving Dragoons, should march south along the road and across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters and a Shaman or two as well. Your northern Elves will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading south and will eventually run into hordes of Soulless zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique plague attack of the Walking Corpses and Soulless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Walking Corpses don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the Skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Walking Corpses is a level one Soulless called Gruth.

A faster alternate strategy for the western front would involve sending Etheliel's bodyguard Rangers straight south across the bridge and through the forest at maximum speed. Using their 'Ambush' stealth ability to get past the Soulless hordes unnoticed, they can quickly reach and assassinate Gruth and cut off the supply of zombie reinforcements. After that, the Rangers would join up with the rest of the southern force and help clear out the remaining enemies.

On the eastern front, you will face bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls with their impact weapons. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamans and fast Fighters to console you as you fight your way through the bandits, and plus, you also get to keep Ethiliel and her bodyguards. By the time you are through with them, the Skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but I won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk] of ranged magical cold damage, while its melee attack does 24 points of arcane. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

If you are going to side with the elves, delay meeting the bandits for a while. That way they and the undead will weaken one another. Conversely, if you are going to side with the bandits, get there ASAP; once Urza Afalas joins you, his recruits are yours. Along those lines, don't kill too many bandits before allying with them.

== Diverging campaign path - Elf branch ==
=== Tidings, Good and Ill ===
* Objectives: Move Sir Gerrick to the north of the woods and defeat the Naga Queen
* Lose if: Sir Gerrick dies or turns run out
* Turns: 18 (all difficulties)
* Starting Gold: 100
* Starting Units: Sir Gerrick and an Elvish Ranger

Recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. If you had leveled any Heroes or Druids on the previous mission, bring them along too. Note, however, that any units with the ''quick'' trait would probably be more useful in the next scenario, fighting along with Deoran, so you may want to avoid recalling them here.

None of your opponents will be any match for you. Make sure you have a healer, i.e, a Shaman or a Druid. If you don't already have a Druid, though, try to level up your Shaman. Also try to use Gerrick's leadership whenever you can.

Try and fight the enemies one at a time; deal with the first batch of Saurians, then stay a little to the left and take out the Ogre. Then move right and kill the Nagas, luring them on to land and, preferably, Slowing the Myrmidon with a Shaman/Druid or with Gerrick's shield bash. After that, take out the Dark Adepts in the north. Remember to encounter the enemies on your terms, as and when you are best prepared.

=== Into the Depths ===
* Objectives: Root out the source of the undead
* Lose if: Deoran, Minister Hylas or Ethiliel die or turns run out
* Turns: 50/45/40 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 125/100/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Minister Hylas, and Ethiliel

One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign, mainly because you're fighting underground with Loyalist humans and Elves. The Loyalists are lawful and get -25% damage penalties, and the Elves get very poor evasion and are heavily slowed down. Recall your blade-armed units, like Royal Guards, at the start, along with any other loyal troops, and then maybe some Elvish Fighters for fodder and a Shaman or two for healing/slowing support. Avoid Cavalry - they completely suck in caves. Also, try for units with 6 moves(ones with the 'quick' trait), as they'll be able to cover and extra hex every turn through the caves compared to 5-move units. If you've leveled Minister Hylas into a Mage of Light, he'll be very useful here, supporting your lawful human troops with his Illumination ability and blasting Undead with his boosted Lightbeams.

At the start, you face an "Eyestalk" creature with a powerful draining ranged attack, and a regular Revenant nearby. The Eyestalk is difficult and dangerous to take down using ranged attackers, but it is easily dispatched by blade-armed units as it is weak against them. The reason I advised bringing blades down here is simple: they're the most useful damage type you have in this dungeon. Although far inferior to impact when facing Skeletons and Ghouls, it is nevertheless a good deal better than piercing damage, which is your only other option. Your archers are still relatively useful against Ghost-type Undead, though.

You will encounter a fork soon, one heading south and the other continuing east, with skeletons and ghouls pressing from both sides. Heading south will bring you into contact with the Trolls, and you may try to form an alliance with them. You also gain access to a bridge that gives you a shorter route to Mal M'Brin's castle than the fork going east.

If you choose to offer gold to the Trolls (you're required to pay 100/150/200 gold on easy/medium/hard, respectively), they ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the Trolls. Once you've payed, simply move your army towards the bomb and let the Trolls duke it out against the pursuing Undead. Take their villages if you want. Then, once you reach the bomb, detonate it and storm into Mal M'Brin's chamber. He'll have some Undead and Dark Adepts in the region, but you ought to be able to fight them off without much trouble. When that's done, take out M'Brin, and you win.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They don't want that. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. However, fighting against the Trolls is not advisable - even if you don't have enough gold to buy their help, offer them gold anyway and you can pay later once you collect that amount. Or even if you don't pay them at all, you still keep them neutrally aligned and none of your business, instead of turning them against yourself.

=== Return to Kerlath ===
* Objectives: Move Deoran into Kerlath Province
* Lose if: Deoran, Minister Hylas or Ethiliel die or turns run out
* Turns: 22/20/18 (easy/medium/hard)
* Base Starting Gold: 125/100/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Minister Hylas, and Ethiliel

This is a straightforward level, a walk in the park to put it simply. Recall your high-level units, and then slaughter the bandits. They are relatively strung out and have only first level units interspersed with a few level twos. They should be easy pickings for your army by this point.

Just keep moving Deoran north, and level any units that still need a bit more experience. When you cross the bridge and meet the Wesnoth lieutenant, you win.

=== Vengeance ===
* Objectives: Keep the elves from sacking Westin, then move Ethiliel to the Great Tree
* Lose if: Deoran or Ethiliel die or turns run out
* Turns: No limit
* Base Starting Gold: 125/100/80
* Starting Units: Deoran, Minister Hylas, Sir Gerrick and Ethiliel and several defenders

Another simple mission, once you know how to play it. Spam fodder units to screen Ethiliel. It's even easier to do this if she's a Shyde by now, since she can flank north through the hills at full speed. Do not kill the enemy Elves - it will just cause more, stronger Elves to appear near the Great Tree, exactly where you do not want them.

You may also use a distraction tactic. Move your units south, while Ethiliel goes north, staying out of the enemy move zones. Remember to protect Dorean with weaker units. Once Ethiliel reaches the tree, you win the mission and the campaign.

== Diverging campaign path - Bandit branch ==
=== Long March ===
* Objectives: Move Deoran across the river
* Lose if: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas or Urza Afalas die or turns run out
* Turns: 30/25/20 (easy/medium/hard)
* Starting units: Deoran, Sir Gerrick, Minister Hylas, Afalas and Jarek

Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that only a Naga awaits you on the South bank of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once you've dealt with it. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you. Also, you may want to avoid the valley with the three villages in it - setting foot in there summons a large Elven ambush. Actually, the northmost of the three villages is safe to rest in.

There are some elves that will come out even if you keep to the path. The ambushes happen when you stray. You can use this to your advantage by recruiting a Peasant or two. Have them hang back behind the party. When you start to see undead, have the peasants sprint south into the forest/off the path. They will trigger an ambush. Since the undead are south and the triggered ambush is south, hopefully the elves and undead will attack one another (or at least ZOC each other). Besides that, stay to the path. The elves you encounter on the path are weaker than the elves who ambush you.

=== Pebbles in the Flood ===
* Objectives: Hold out as long as possible
* Lose if: n/a
* Turns: n/a
* Starting units: Sir Gerrick, Urza Afalas and several defenders

Deoran leaves Sir Gerrick behind to hold the undead at a border fort while he and Minister Hylas prepare at Westin. Urza Afalas stays with Gerrick to atone for his prior transgressions. The objective is to keep Sir Gerrick alive as long as possible.

The longer you hold out, the better the set up is in the next scenario. The milestones are lasting 6, 22, or 24 turns. The following table describes these benefits; the column on the right explains your reward for holding the undead for at least the number of turns in the left column.

{|
!Turns
!Benefits
|-
|6
|An ''Encampment (Castle)'' location on the northern bank of the river.
|-
|7
|A Heavy Infantryman occupies the above encampment.
|-
|8
|A new Encampment (Castle) location.
|-
|9
|A Heavy Infantryman occupies the above encampment.
|-
|10
|Two additional villages.
|-
|11
|Two additional villages.
|-
|12
|Two additional ''Castle'' locations.
|-
|13
|A new Encampment (Castle) location, occupied by a Lieutenant.
|-
|14
|A new Encampment (Castle) location, occupied by a Spearman.
|-
|15
|A new Encampment (Castle) location, occupied by a Bowman.
|-
|16
|A new Encampment (Castle) location, occupied by a Heavy Infantryman.
|-
|17
|An ''illuminating campfire''. This is a special terrain modifier that irradiates light for a large radius around it, providing all those locations with the same effect as the ''illuminates'' ability of certain units (like Mages of Light).
|-
|18
|A new illuminating campfire.
|-
|19
|A new illuminating campfire.
|-
|20
|A new illuminating campfire.
|-
|21
|A new Encampment (Castle), south of the river.
|-
|22
|A new Encampment (Castle).
|-
|> 22
|20 additional gold per turn, above 22.
|}

In addition to this, one of the key elements for the next scenario is the help you receive from the ''Council of Westin'', composed by an Arch Mage, a Red Mage, a Silver Mage and two White Mages. If you happen to maintain Sir Gerrick alive for 24 turns here, the full Council will be with you from the start. Otherwise, you will start with just the Silver Mage, and the rest of the Council will arrive in turn number (25 - number_of_turns_lasted).

Unlocking all the benefits can be quite a challenge (at least on ''Normal'' and ''Hard'' difficulties), but with some effort it shouldn't be too hard to hold out for at least 12 turns, which gives you those two extra Castle locations. They are quite useful to start recruiting in larger numbers from the beginning.

When Gerrick dies, the scenario is over (you 'win'). You cannot kill all the units as Mal M'Brin cannot be hit (in this scenario only).

You will be fighting all undead, so recruit Footpads and Thugs. You can't recall any units (they are all with Deoran, not Gerrick).

=== The Tides of War ===
* Objectives: Defeat Mal M'Brin
* Lose if: Deoran dies or turns run out
* Turns: 60/60/60 (easy/medium/hard)
* Starting units: Deoran, Minister Hylas, Jarek and some defenders

With Gerrick and his band of defenders defeated, the undead arrive at Westin. Deoran has fortified the city and recruited some defenders (how much of both depends on the previous scenario). Minister Hylas has summoned the Council of Westin. The Council consists of a Silver Mage, a Red Mage, two White Mages and an Arch Mage. The Silver Mage, Minister Mefel arrives at the beginning. Depending on how well you did in the last level, the rest of the Council may or may not be with him.

This level is not that difficult and is easy once the Council arrives. Recruit fodder Footpad after fodder Footpad. Secure the two crossings. Note that Draugs are Level 3, so killing a single one can almost level up an intelligent Footpad on its own. When the Council arrives, push towards Mal M'Brin. All the heroes except Deoran can die.

Try and keep your Silver Mage alive. Also when the Red Mage levels up, turn it into a Silver Mage. They will be very helpful when the time comes to kill Mal M'Brin who, as an Ancient Lich, is quite robust.

[[Category:Campaigns - The South Guard]]
[[Category:Campaigns - Walkthroughs]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-02-05T19:14:45Z

DoctorJ: update to 1.4.7

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="8A: Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "9A: Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "6B: Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that only a Naga awaits you on the South bank of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once you've dealt with it. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you. Also, you may want to avoid the valley with the three villages in it - setting foot in there summons a large Elven ambush. Actually, the North-most of the three villages is safe to rest in.

== "7B: Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:25:29Z

DoctorJ: /* "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="8A: Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "9A: Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "6B: Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "7B: Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:25:11Z

DoctorJ: /* "Long March" (bandit branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="8A: Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "9A: Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "6B: Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:24:48Z

DoctorJ: /* "Vengeance" (elf branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="8A: Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "9A: Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:24:29Z

DoctorJ: /* "Return to Kerlath" (elf branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="8A: Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:23:58Z

DoctorJ: /* "Into the Depths" (elf branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "7A: Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:23:36Z

DoctorJ: /* "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "6A: Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:23:12Z

DoctorJ: /* "Choice In The Fog" */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "5: Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:22:55Z

DoctorJ: /* "Vale of Tears" */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "4: Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:22:40Z

DoctorJ: /* "A Desperate Errand" */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "3: A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:22:21Z

DoctorJ: /* "Proven By The Sword" */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "2: Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...

== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:21:59Z

DoctorJ: /* "Born To The Banner" */

== "1: Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2009-01-01T04:08:47Z

DoctorJ: added differences from prior versions

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. In earlier versions, following the suggestion of the Urza would allow you to sneak around the edges of the map with relatively few contacts with the enemy. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2008-12-24T18:32:49Z

DoctorJ: flesh out scenario details

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

=="Return to Kerlath" (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

Actually, the above is a matter of opinion. As of version 1.3.14 and above, many users find that this scenario is so hard that they end up going back to "Choice in the Fog" and choosing to side with the elves. In the newer versions, the amount and level of enemies that come hunting you down will provide plenty of challenge even if all your important characters are fully leveled up. For starters, this scenario resembles "Crossroads" from the Heir to the Throne campaign in that every time you step off the path you are likely to create several new elves to harass you. Staying on the path makes you an easy target for the hordes of undead and elves that each want your blood. The only reprieve you'll have is that the elves and undead are equally willing to destroy each other, though in my experience this rarely worked in my favor.

The good thing is that the victory condition is fairly simple: Deoran is the only unit that needs to cross the river. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to let you know that no enemies await you on the other side of the river, so it's perfectly okay to send him out alone once the river bank is in sight. At this point, it would be better if the rest of your team hunker down together in a classic hedgehog defense. The less you move, the fewer elves attack you.

== "Pebbles in the Flood" (bandit branch) ==

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2008-12-24T17:19:23Z

DoctorJ:

TheSouthGuard

2008-12-24T06:27:01Z

DoctorJ: grammar & remove spoiler

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you chose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you chose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

==Return to Kerlath (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2008-12-24T06:15:12Z

DoctorJ: grammar check

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This campaign was written as a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This is now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin, who, in terms of number of units, is actually quite weak and easy to defeat. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack. It turns out that this is merely an apparition of the real Mal M'Brin, and the actual one is hiding in tunnels beneath his keep.

After this scenario, there will be a branch: If you choose to stay with the elves, you'll lead Sir Gerrick back to Wesnoth to deliver news of the undead in a scenario that's almost a pushover, and then you'll try to hunt out Mal inside his caves. If you choose to go with the bandits, then you'll try to return to Wesnoth, but the remaining undead, under the real Mal M'Brin, will follow you. You'll then be forced to play a last-as-long-as-you-can scenario where Gerrick and Urza Afalas are forced to die so that Deoran can return to Westin and prepare a defense against the final undead attack. The first fork is much less difficult.

== "Tidings, Good and Ill" (elf branch) ==
This scenario, as mentioned above, is a pushover, Just recruit some Elvish Fighters, and push northwards. None of your opponents will be any match for you.

== "Into the Depths" (elf branch) ==
One of the few genuinely tough scenarios in this campaign. When you encounter the trolls you may choose to give them gold, which makes them ally with you and also grant you a shortcut to Mal M'Brin's castle.

If you want to try to fight the trolls, offer them freedom. They'll turn it down, and you can barrage them with Elvish Fighters. The scenario is extremely easy if you fight alongside the trolls.

Either way, recall experienced range-attack units on the first turn, then recruit a keep of Elvish Fighters as fodder.

==Return to Kerlath (elf branch)==
This is a straightforward level. Recall a lot of high-level units and the some fodder, then slaughter the bandits.

== "Vengeance" (elf branch) ==
Just recruit a lot of fodder to keep the elves busy and send Ethiliel to the tree quickly. As mentioned above, a dissatisfying ending.

== "Long March" (bandit branch) ==
Just follow Urza Afalas for a standard scenario unless you want a challenge, in which case head north and fight. The end result is the same.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

TheSouthGuard

2008-01-06T06:17:13Z

DoctorJ: corrected locations of villages

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This is more or less a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This in now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4, 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12, 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. Ethiliel is some sort of spiritual kin of George W. Bush in that if you do not totally agree with her, then she will declare you as an enemy. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack.

TheSouthGuard

2008-01-01T11:45:08Z

DoctorJ: /* "Choice In The Fog" */

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This is more or less a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This in now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4. 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12. 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.
== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.
== "Choice In The Fog" ==
The title is a precise summation of this scenario, but more about that later. Right now, you're surrounded by fog that only lets you see as far as you can move in the next turn. One possible [though expensive] means of dealing with this is to make sure that every squad of yours has a fast moving unit like Cavalryman with them. However, cavalry fight at a disadvantage in the woods, which is mostly what you'll be dealing with here. Elves are much better in the forest, and therein lies the choice i mentioned earlier. Ethiliel is some sort of spiritual kin of George W. Bush in that if you do not totally agree with her, then she will declare you as an enemy. You won't be forced to chose yet, but you may as well think about it: your decision will affect the type of recruits you are about to gather. As of now, Ethiliel will allow you to recruit Elvish Fighters and Elvish Shamen. The Shaman is the only healing unit you'll get other than Minister Hylas in the whole campaign. If you choose against the elves, you will then be allowed to recruit a powerful unit to fight undead. If you're going to go that way, then don't bother recruiting any elves, as they will all leave you.

So recruit a keeps worth of mixed troops. You might need more, depending upon how you choose. Your objective now is simply to explore. I don't think it will be too much of a spoiler to tell you that there are a handful of sites to fjord the river, but only one bridge. I usually send the horsed and elven types along the northern bank of the river, since it's a long way across the map. Minister Hylas and the rest of the humans should march South across the bridge. Of course, if you're going with the elves, you may as well reinforce them with some Elvish Fighters, too. Your faster troops will eventually encounter some resistance about three quarters of the way across. After you've cleared the northern bank, prepare to cross the river and meet them on their own turf.

Meanwhile, the others should keep heading South and will eventually run into bunches of Zombies. While they are quite weak individually, wave after wave of them can eventually wear down even the strongest hero. The unique attack [plague] of the Zombie and Souless means that any living creature they kill will be brought back as one of their own. Keep your fighters close to Minister Hylas, and rotate them as necessary. As level zero creatures, Zombies don't exert a Zone of Control. In practical terms, it means that they can't slow your movement. Just remember you are in no hurry, and eventually you will beat them at their own game. Even if they hurry it is unlikely that they could meet up with their brethren for the battle against the skeletons on the east side. The leader of the Zombies is a level one Souless called Gruth.

On the eastern front, you will face Bandits and such again. Eventually sordid secrets will be revealed, and you will be forced to choose between them and the Elves. If you chose Bandits, your elven allies will IMMEDIATELY disappear. This may leave some of your units exposed to counterattack from the undead, so beware. After so choosing, Urza Afalas and all his surviving bandits will become yours to command, and you will be able to use his keep to recruit more Thugs and Footpads. Both are well suited to cracking skeletal skulls. If you choose to stay with the Elves, of course you'll have the Shamen to console you as you fight your way through the Bandits. By the time you are through with them, the skeletons will probably be making their way up from their keep on the southeast corner of the map.

Just keep bashing away, and eventually you will win through to the big baddie: Mal M'Brin. This name might sound vaguely familiar, but i won't go into that now. Just keep in mind that it is tougher than the other two leaders put together. Its magic attack can hit you for a basic 36 points [Dawn/Dusk], while its melee attack does 15. It's worse than that, however, as the melee attack can drain hit points from the target to regain Mal's hit points. Just keep hammering away at it with your Thugs and Bandits, and hold Deoran back so he can get the final whack.

TheSouthGuard

2007-12-20T06:33:38Z

DoctorJ: spacing

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This is more or less a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This in now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4. 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12. 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.
== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

TheSouthGuard

2007-12-20T06:32:30Z

DoctorJ: /* "Vale of Tears" */

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This is more or less a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This in now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4. 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12. 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.
== "Vale of Tears" ==
I might initially recall a single keep worth of troops, as another five bodies might be overkill on top the now large retinue around Deoran. On the other hand, you'll have to fight Skeletons again, so expect to lose a few. As always, Minister Hylas can take down one every turn. Ethiliel can put her 'ensnare' attack to good use as well. It uses Impact damage and has the beneficial effect of slowing down the target [If she hits, the target will only deliver half damage for the remaining of this round and the beginning of next]. It's best to use her to attack an axe-wielding Skeleton, then quickly finish it off with your melee fighters. You'll have to rein in the temptation to have Deoran or any of the mounted fighters charge in ahead of the others, that could be a form of suicide. If you keep your troops shoulder-to-shoulder [in a line] that'll reduce the ability of the enemy to gang up on any one character. Of course, you can afford to take more risks after there are only a few skeletons left. There will also be times when you choose to expose some of your troops in order to surround and defeat an enemy.

After you have finished off Mal A'kai you can use his keep to replenish your forces for the next battle. A useful shortcut at this point might be to send Ethiliel due South after she's done bashing Skeletons. Hopefully won't really need her help to deal with the villains in the woods, Also, the sooner you send her off to Mebrin's Village, the sooner you can complete the second objective for this scenario. If she circles around the eastern side of the lake she can make the village [31, 32] in about a half dozen turns.

Meanwhile the villains should mostly be so spread out as to be easy prey.

TheSouthGuard

2007-12-12T06:32:58Z

DoctorJ: /* "A Desperate Errand" */

== "Born To The Banner" ==
This is more or less a continuation of the Tutorial. If you completed that you will have no problems here. The recommended course is to head to the River Fort, which is just out of range. Before leaving, however, note that you can recruit here. You can only recruit Peasants for now, and will be able to get better units soon. In general you should save your money for the Archers and Spearmen to come, but it might be nice to bring in a single Peasant now for a special mission. After that, everybody should head towards a village. You might as well park Deoran at 16, 8 and move Moreth towards 24, 8. Turn 2 you reach the River Fort and are rewarded by an Infantry Lieutenant joining your forces. Sir Gerrick will be able to supply your troops with weapons and armor to make Archers and Spearmen. Now you can send Deoran back to the keep to recruit in earnest. If you recruited the Peasant last turn, send him towards the 'village' in the river at 6, 10. This might be considered a little bit of spoiler, but you will find something good there. Actually, if you make a concerted effort to flag all villages [You ARE, aren't you?] you will eventually find this, but you might not be aware that this is a village. Besides, if you get there too late it won't help this scenario...

On turn three Deoran should be back in the keep recruiting Bowmen. Bring in the occasional Spearman, but the bulk of your forces now should be Bowmen. This is because the Urza mostly recruits Thugs, which have no ranged attack. Once you've discovered your enemy's weakness, you're halfway to defeating them. Even with your Spearmen, you'll want to stick to thrown spears at night against the Thugs unless your target is wounded enough that you are likely to finish it off. Your other forces are too skimpy to accomplish anything now, so have them continue to capture unallied villages. One keep worth of troops [four units] is likely not enough to last all the way to the Urza, so go ahead and stay for another round of recruiting. By turn 5 you will be nearly out of money, but will have a decent size force along the Northern bank of the river. It's okay to run out of money this early in a scenario, as you'll be earning more income from your villages every turn. This in now night-time, during which your [Lawful] forces will be weaker and the Bandits [Chaotic] will be stronger. Short of suicide, the reasonable thing to do is to assume a defensive stance until the sun rises.

By now your troops will be somewhat scattered. You might want to get used to tapping the "n" key several times before ending your turn. "n" brings the focus to next unit that has any movement points left. This way it will be easy to find those units you might have forgotten. Most of your units should be arranged in a line [more of a crescent, really] from the River Fort going East. Moreth [the original Spearman] might have gotten all the way to the village at 22, 12. If so, he could be safe there, unless you see several enemy units moving his way. Another gamble would be moving the Peasant down to 5, 16 and send the Mermen, if any, into the middle of the swamp. This could be enough of a distraction to split up the Bandit army marching towards the river fort. These are the only of your troops that will be somewhat safe South of the river.

Normal advice is to put leaders and healers in the 'second line' behind the front line. You don't have any healers yet, but Sir Gerrick can help lead. Depending upon what difficulty level you selected upon starting the campaign, Deoran is probably only first level. Note that leadership only applies to units that are lower in level than the leader. A first level leader can only lead Peasants and other zero level troops. Sir Gerrick will be able to direct the fire of your bowmen to better effect and will also be able to exert his influence on Deoran. It will be a priority for you to get Deoran enough experience to advance to the next level without getting him killed. Ideally you'd also like to minimize the number of times he becomes wounded bad enough to have to pull away from the battle and retreat to a village for healing. Usually this is accomplished by having your other troops soften up a target such that your leader can get the kill. You don't have to attack every character every turn, particularly if it looks like you'll take more damage than you'll dish out.

On turn 7 the daylight comes: your counterattacks will have more effect, and you should be crossing the river in force on turn 8. When you capture the village at 15,12 you will be rewarded with Aleron, a Peasant who is Loyal to you. In game terms, he will work for you for free [has no upkeep]. Since he is only a level 0, there's no upkeep cost anyway. Big deal, right? Well, it is. You should make every effort to keep those Loyal troops alive, and those should be the ones that reach the highest levels. If Aleron becomes a Halberdier [which normally costs you 3 gold per turn to supply], he will still be Loyal and cost you nothing. Moreth and the Mermen are loyal as well, so keep them alive. That means don't throw Mermen away on land attacks. Keep them in the river or swamps where they are better adapted. After you have crossed the river, leave them behind as a rear guard.

As you press towards the Urza, the majority of your troops will be funneled along the road South. A few should come along the edge of the hills in order to attack the enemy keep from due North. The idea here is to get the enemy to split up his forces, or you'll have an unguarded area to attack. By turn 9 you should be in more defensible terrain [forest, hills or mountains] as night will be falling again. Hopefully you will have dispatched the majority of the baddies in the battle by the river, but a lucky strike by some bandits could still cripple you. By the way [this is a matter of playing style] i usually pull a unit back for healing once its health bar turns yellow or red. There are times when you have to sacrifice a unit to achieve some bigger goal, but you'll never get your units to level up if they get killed before they get enough experience...

By turn 11 or so, you should have captured all the villages on the map. On turn 12 i would expect to see some of your units in the enemy keep. The keep is the best defensive terrain; also, the more of its area you fill up, the fewer fresh troops the enemy can recruit. By turn 13 your troops could be attacking the Urza himself, and daylight is coming. With luck you can finish him off on turn 14. Since the enemy keep is mostly surrounded by forest it gets kind of fussy juggling all your troops around so as to rest the wounded, bring your attackers where they will do the most good [Archers against Thugs and Bandits, Spearmen against Poachers], and get the most from your leaders. If it not obvious, you can have Sir Gerrick direct several attacks, move him, direct more attacks, etc. Optionally he can finish his turn by attacking. Ideally you'd like the killing blow against the Urza to be delivered by Sir Gerrick or [better] Deoran. That way he can accumulate enough experience to eventually advance.

== "Proven By The Sword" ==
Similar to the last go round, this scenario comes in two parts: first is seizing control of the Westin Keep, second is actually defeating the enemy. I would initially recall Moreth and Aleron [the loyal ground troops] and one of the Bowmen that has accumulated good experience. You are sitting in a temporary keep right now, fill it up and go capture a village. You don't want to hang around, but it would be risky to send Deoran into the city alone. Turn 2 send Deoran back to the keep to recall/recruit more troops. Again you'll want a mix of types, but Bowmen should still predominate. Meanwhile send the first batch of troops south to handle the Footpads that are coming your way. Sir Gerrick could either head down with them or accompany the other bunch into the city.

Here i'll give a few words about the criminals: Footpads, Thieves, etc. are extremely agile. If they are in halfway defensible terrain, you'll have a stated 30% chance to hit them. I think this is exaggerated, as i have had to swing many, many times to get a single hit on these guys. It's kind of like trying to hit an Agent in the movie "The Matrix". The other thing to watch out for is the Backstab ability that the Thieves possess: they can stab for double damage if an allied unit is on the other side of their target. You have to keep you units close enough together that they can't break through and surround you.

By turn 4 Deoran and his retinue should cross the bridge and face down the criminals in the city. If it takes you longer than that, the Urza's forces will have reinforced the city and you'll have a *much* harder time crossing the river. After Deoran has captured the city [i.e., is at the hex 22, 16; labeled 'Westin'], the citizens of the city will give him 5 more loyal troops: 4 more peasants and a White Mage. Minister Hylas is an extremely important figure in this campaign, and is currently the only of your troops who will be very effective against the undead that you will soon face. He also bears the blue badge that all significant characters wear. Deoran should recruit/recall again here, possibly including bringing back the loyal Mermen, then go on the attack. The Peasants will be kind of difficult to keep alive against the criminals they face, so perhaps send a few of them around to capture the blue villages. However, in this scenario i had a Peasant upgrade to Bowman and again to Longbowman.

Now the Urza begins playing hardball: he won't capture any of your villages. If one of his troops comes upon a village held by you, they will destroy it. It is up to you if you need the money bad enough to keep troops behind and defend the villages. The important thing is to take all villages away from him to reduce how many recruits he can send against you. Of course, we should also think of the happiness of our citizens, as well... Once you have Minister Hylas on your side, the Urza reveals the trick in his sleeve: he can recruit Undead. The skeletons are a real nuisance, as they are highly resistant to attacks by piercing and bladed weapons [exactly the kind that all of your troops except Minister Hylas possess].

If you're curious, select one and look at the description. Depending upon how the version of Wesnoth you are using was compiled, usually this is accomplished by pressing the 'd' key or right-clicking and selecting 'Unit Description'. You will see that the Skeletons are vulnerable to Fire, Impact weapons, and particularly weak against Holy attacks. You don't have any Fire attacks yet, and the only Impact attack you have is Minister Hylas' Staff. His Lightbeam is much better against these foul creatures, however:

* -100% resistance to this attack means you will deliver much better damage to them. During broad daylight this totals up to a maximum 80 points of damage every turn.

* Four attacks is almost always better than one.

* The Lightbeam is a 'Magical' attack rather than a physical. In practical terms, it does not matter if they're hiding in mountains, a village or whatever; you still have a 70% chance to hit them.

* The majority of the Skeletons have no ranged attack. There is no better attack for you than an attack with no risk of counterattack...

By turn 8 you can have cleared the West bank of the river and will be lined up ready to wade across. As before, wait for dawn to start the attack and you should be able to beat you way through during the day. Since the water is such an impediment to travel, you might risk putting units into the river along row 24. Even though they are exposed there [typically 20% defense means they would be hit 80% of the time], enemies would themselves have to step into the water to attack you there. Since it typically takes 3 to 4 movement points to pass through water, a unit standing [for example] on 18, 23 would run out of points before getting to dry land. It's much better to end your turn on the shore.

If it takes longer to clear out the city, or if the resistance in the South is particularly stiff, then better wait on your side of the river and let them attack you from the water. By turn 14 you should have reduced their numbers enough to make it across. Some of the bad guys will try to ford the eastern stream [hexes 26, 22 to 29, 23]. I would send a handful of troops [assisted by the Mermen] down the East bank of the river to prevent those from getting behind you.

After you've crossed the river again, the rest is quite straightforward: get through the forest to the enemy keep, and beat them down. I should mention that while Minister Hylas is healing all of your troops that are near him, nobody is healing Minister Hylas. Since he is so critical, you'll have to retreat him if he gets banged up too bad. It takes some juggling since he is your only effective undead fighter. However, he can't fight them when he's dead...
== "A Desperate Errand" ==
There is a marker at 17,7 indicating where Deoran should head, though it is partly obscured by the large tree in front of it. You don't need lots of troops for this scenario, maybe just two or three keeps worth. On the first turn i would just bring back the loyals, perhaps one of them a Merman. Don't head to the target yet, as on turn two you will receive a Dragoon and the ability to recruit Cavalrymen. Buy one or two to screen Deoran, then perhaps bring back another Merman. Deoran and the other mounted troops can immediately cross the river heading North, while the others head West. When there are no enemies in the immediate area, the cavalry can capture villages while still remaining somewhat close to Deoran. He should just make a beeline towards the elven keep. As enemies get closer he should be a little more conservative in his movement; not ending his turn in a forest, for example.

By about turn six or seven the walking and swimming types should be in the neighborhood of the village at 12, 24 while the Vampire Bats will be catching up with the horsey set having just crossed the river again. You should be able to hold 12, 24 though expect to see some fierce attempts to wrest the village from you. It would be possible to send a merman to the village at 4. 23, though i wouldn't recommend you send anybody you really like there, as they're likely to get slaughtered. Still, it might be worthwhile to send a throwaway [read: non-loyal] merman there to take the heat off the main force around 12. 24. Note that the Scenario Objectives say nothing about defeating the Urza. Your foot troops need only engage him to keep him out of Deoran's hair, and you're home free. Of course if you are able to finish him off, then bully for you.

TheSouthGuard

2007-12-12T05:11:26Z

DoctorJ: grammar check

TheSouthGuard

2007-12-12T05:07:28Z

DoctorJ: grammar check

TheSouthGuard

2007-11-30T08:14:30Z

DoctorJ: /* "Proven By The Sword" */

TheSouthGuard

2007-11-28T19:50:30Z

DoctorJ: grammar

TheSouthGuard

2007-11-25T02:28:22Z

DoctorJ: "Born To The Banner"

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-28T23:20:31Z

DoctorJ: /* "The Final Confrontation" */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

=="Out Of The Frying Pan"==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.

=="Blood is Thicker than Water"==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the apparition, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst thing that can happen to the ships is they get recaptured. The merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

=="Speaking With The Fishes"==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

=="The Battle for Zocthanol Isle"==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water from your keep North, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

As soon as you have the keep, victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while the faster troops you recall head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water North. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. We're really not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.
=="The Final Confrontation"==
Earlier i alluded to the fact that during this battle you won't be able to recruit. You come into a hexagonal cave/chamber that is partially paved and partly rock floor. It somewhat reminded me of "The Duel" scenario ending the Eastern Invasion campaign. It's just the people i mentioned in the last paragraph of the Zocthanol scenario: Kaleh, Nym, Zhul and possibly a Troll or Dwarf. The Apparition of Eloh will be in the front of you, and she will have charmed some of your young troops to use against you. The objective is to defeat the apparition, quite possibly the easiest objective ever. By all means have the ally go first, since he will move faster and defend better on the cavern floor. When i did it, Grog the Troll Warrior took her out in a single move: both swings connected and she was done.

While this may not be as emotionally satisfying as having Kaleh or Zhul finish her off, it has the beneficial effect of leaving more characters able to move to fulfill the second objective. The two recruits are freed from their charm, if you are able to keep them alive in this pit of despair. After the apparition is gone you get to see "the man behind the curtain" so to speak. The evil creature doing all this isn't a standard brand demon, but some relation to Cthulu. Yechnagoth is composed of a brain [Central Body], energy source [Pulsing Spires], and multiple fists [Crawling Horrors]. Don't even waste your time attacking the Central Body yet. Note that the Spires are a different team than the others.

As long as the Pulsing Spires are alive, the Central Body has 100% resistance to any attack AND it fully heals every turn. Every turn it can attack any adjacent unit, spray slime [hurts 10-12 points and slows] on any unit in the cavern, AND summon one or more new Crawlers. There is no turn limit, but you want to hurry before you get overwhelmed by Crawling Horrors. Due to my lucky start, i was able to finish before turn 5. The Spires have no melee attack, so hammer them as you reach them [Well, even their ranged attack is nothing to write home about.]. Even though the paved parts of the floor all lead to the Central Body, try not to have any character end their turn next to it until the Pulsing Spires are gone. You might find yourself using the hedgehog again, with characters not actively attacking surrounding Zhul to heal up from the constant depredations of the Crawlers.

After you have taken out the third Spire, the Central Body becomes a Weakened Central Body, which is a much more reasonable opponent. The healing stops, and the hit points, resistances and attack damages drop. Again, two mighty hammer blows could finish it off. Congratulations! You've just won yourself a tropical paradise island!!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T17:13:41Z

DoctorJ: Quotations

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

=="Out Of The Frying Pan"==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.

=="Blood is Thicker than Water"==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the apparition, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst thing that can happen to the ships is they get recaptured. The merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

=="Speaking With The Fishes"==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

=="The Battle for Zocthanol Isle"==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water from your keep North, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

As soon as you have the keep, victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while your faster troops head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water North. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. We're really not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T17:06:41Z

DoctorJ: Quotations

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

=="Out Of The Frying Pan"==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.

=="Blood is Thicker than Water"==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the apparition, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst thing that can happen to the ships is they get recaptured. The merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

=="Speaking With The Fishes"==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

==The Battle for Zocthanol Isle==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water North from your keep, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

The victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while your faster troops head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water with them. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. Again we're not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T17:05:55Z

DoctorJ: Quotations

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

=="Out Of The Frying Pan"==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.

=="Blood is Thicker than Water"==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the apparition, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst thing that can happen to the ships is they get recaptured. The merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!
==The Battle for Zocthanol Isle==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water North from your keep, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

The victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while your faster troops head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water with them. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. Again we're not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T17:00:00Z

DoctorJ: Quotations

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

=="Out Of The Frying Pan"==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.

==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!
==The Battle for Zocthanol Isle==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water North from your keep, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

The victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while your faster troops head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water with them. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. Again we're not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T16:58:50Z

DoctorJ: /* The Battle for Zocthanol Isle */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!
==The Battle for Zocthanol Isle==
Wow! This time around you'll have to battle six [well, maybe five and a half] tribes. You immediately have to head West along the southern shore of the island, searching for a keep. You'll soon find a Saurian Oracle who looks like he doesn't really need the keep he's sitting in. It's not a particularly tough fight, but you're under time pressure to immediately begin churning out units. As soon as Kaleh takes his seat in the center of the keep, your loyal merfolk return bringing the remaining ships and a group of merfolk you can recruit. They also capture the villages South of you, so you can immediately begin sending the troops North. Zhul makes a comment about not needing gold if you lose. I will simplify: this is the last scenario in which you do any recruiting, so you may as well bust the budget. You still have to face down four and a half tribes [i'll cover these from left to right]:

* If you follow the Shallow Water North from your keep, it'll lead to a small keep with a Naga Myrmidon. His tribe is not heavily populated, but you'll see them first due to closeness. Send half your loyal merfolk up there to deal with them, and recruit some new merfolk to assist.
*Not too far North of your keep will be a Draug recruiting a fairly strong assortment of undead: Blood Bats, Ghosts/Wraiths, various second level skeletal types, Soul Shooters, and Necrophages. On higher levels of difficulty, there will be Spectres and Draugs as well.
*On the North-East corner of the island will be a peninsula. There you'll find a Orcish Sovereign recruiting a stiff mix of Orcs and Goblins, nothing under second level.
*On the East side of the island is more Shallow Water leading to another Naga Myrmidon. He is a twin to the western Naga, but he'll have more time to recruit before you get to him. Packs of Naga Hunters shooting poison can be deadly day or night. Send all your merfolk their way, and recruit a half dozen more to assist. If you're not used to recruiting merfolk, please note that the Mermaid Initiate is not capable of any healing or curing until she's levelled up.
*Not a tribe per se, but the other threat you'll face are the bats that show up every dusk and harry you until morning. Easy difficulty gives you five Vampire Bats every night. Higher levels of difficulty take away two of those, but add Blood Bats. Like the Ghosts in the second scenario, these are not worth chasing after. They will, however, pick off the weakest of your troops. Anybody who is below 20 hit points is vulnerable at night. If the bats don't see any likely targets, they will uncapture any of your unguarded villages. You don't need the money, however, so who cares?

The victory conditions change to reaching the black citadel. However, that'll take some work, as hordes of undead will soon begin pouring down your way. If you dally in recruiting/recalling, you might get flanked by Direwolf Riders and packs of Naga on your eastern side. Send the Dwarf/Troll [You DO still have him, don't you?] along with Nym, Zhul and what's left of your initial landing to deal with the undead while your faster troops head East along the beach. By all means also send whomever has the holy water with them. Your merfolk will most likely parallel just South of the eastern troops. You'll also need some sturdy elves to block the gap between the lagoons. You'll need another healer for the eastern front, and ideally a third to support the middle. If you don't have the Mermaid Priestess/Diviner in the eastern group, better send along a Shyde/Star. By the time the eastern healer heads off towards the eastern Naga, the elves in the middle group should be ready to unite with the eastern group. The slower ones will make better time by heading up the eastern coast or through the clearing in the center of the island.

Melusand told you that the black citadel was in the center of the island. It is, if by "center" you mean "north side". However, it is surrounded by mountains, so it accomplishes nothing to send merfolk around to the North. If any undead come to the coast, then merfolk spellcasters could be helpful. However, by the time you are done with the Naga, there shouldn't be any more undead wandering. There's a secret area off the North-West shore of the island that the merfolk could explore if they have nothing better to do. A wrecked ship is guarded by a Sea Serpent. Just South of the ship is a sunken treasure worth 150 gold. Again we're not worried about gold anymore, but it still feels good. North-West of the wreck is a sandbar containing another merman in a cage. There are no defenders here, though you will have to deal 10 points of damage to the cage to be able to open it. I'm not convinced it's worth doing this, however. Inside is a Merman Triton who is so badly wounded that it will take many turns of healing before he'll account for much. By that time, the battle will likely all be on land.

You will probably reach the black citadel before finishing off the Orc. If so, victory conditions change: you will need to kill both the undead and orcish leaders before being able to open the door. After finishing them off, victory conditions change again: now get any unit to the door of the black citadel. Since you probably won't need *everybody* to take on the Orc, you may as well leave somebody near the citadel. When the door is open, there's some drama that ends up in having Kaleh, Nym, and Zhul go into the citadel to again face the apparition of Eloh. If your ally is still alive, he comes along as well.

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T09:49:40Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. A curiosity is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-23T09:48:13Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess.

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. Of note is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-22T08:54:50Z

DoctorJ: Change 'merpeople' to 'merfolk'

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. Of note is that the queen of the Merfolk - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-22T08:52:58Z

DoctorJ: change 'merpeople' to 'merfolk'

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merfolk. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Probably about three keeps worth should be good, you'll need to reserve some gold. If you wipe out all the bad guys before the sacrifice, but don't free all five merfolk your troops will just wander idly until the time of the sacrifice. Freeing the fifth mermaid starts the rebellion, thus potentially saving a few turns for the end of scenario bonus.

It's easy to miss the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all the elves where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island. Dwarves, Trolls, and Golems move slowly enough that they probably won't make it to the rebels before the rebellion is over. May as well leave them on the North-West island [the village at 20,23 is a good location] in readiness for the third objective, possibly accompanied by any of your elves with a move of 5.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merfolk will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merfolk provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merfolk could perhaps approach the island from the North side. There is a river that goes right to where Eloh is standing. Four successful hits from Merman Warrior can do it... If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Besides, they screen Tanstafaal so well that most of them will have to be done in to get to him. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. Plan C is the Necromancers raising the seabed to provide Shallow Water paths from the island - they actually think they're attacking YOU. Well, pride goeth before a fall. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

The troops of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will also be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. Of course, if the enemy captures the island at 20,23, you'll have to fight them through the water twice. It's probably better to continue to press them at night to prevent that. It'll be a little easier to take on the Necromancers if you can level up the Enchantress and the Priestess

The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. However, the merfolk can't cross or occupy ship terrain - not even after they've been captured. I suppose they would have a hard time climbing ladders. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do the ships is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario immediately ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.

==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. Of note is that the queen of the Merpeople - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-18T05:00:22Z

DoctorJ: /* Speaking With The Fishes */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice. Too bad there's no bonus for that.

However, i had missed the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merpeople will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merpeople provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merpeople could perhaps approach the island from the North side. If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. The merpeople again show you some formerly hidden Shallow Water paths to the island. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

Other defenders of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.
==Speaking With The Fishes==
Just dialog. Of note is that the queen of the Merpeople - Melusand - is giving all your people a seashell brooch, but doesn't say what they're good for other than they enable her to track your progress!

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-17T18:19:43Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice. Too bad there's no bonus for that.

However, i had missed the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith in the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merpeople will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merpeople provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merpeople could perhaps approach the island from the North side. If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.

===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. The merpeople again show you some formerly hidden Shallow Water paths to the island. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

Other defenders of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.
===Speaking With The Fishes===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-17T18:17:50Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into hot water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice. Too bad there's no bonus for that.

However, i had missed the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith to the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merpeople will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merpeople provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merpeople could perhaps approach the island from the North side. If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.
===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. The merpeople again show you some formerly hidden Shallow Water paths to the island. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

Other defenders of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.
===Speaking With The Fishes===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-17T18:06:02Z

DoctorJ: /* Blood is Thicker than Water #3 */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into the water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice. Too bad there's no bonus for that.

However, i had missed the the fifth Mermaid [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith to the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her admiration of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before making the long trek East. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merpeople will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island. If you're feeling short-handed, you can wait offshore [backed up by a healer, of course] and hammer the defenders in the water. They seem quite eager to rush out to you. It might take a little longer this way, though.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merpeople provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merpeople could perhaps approach the island from the North side. If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from its last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. It changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast it before it gets a chance to attack. If you manage to strike down Eloh before she complete's Kromph's subversion, her final command to it causes it to collapse into a heap of confusion. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh and Tanstafaal are. Whenever you destroy the apparition and capture Tanstafaal, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario. Oh, and Zhul comes around after the apparition is gone.
===Capture Ships===
The next fight will take place on the formerly closed North-West island. This is the home of the Iron Council - a trio of Necromancers. Hekuba is their leader and stays on his keep. The other two are free to move and not even shy about stepping into the water. Nevertheless, they can hold their own out there at night. The merpeople again show you some formerly hidden Shallow Water paths to the island. With the settling of the rebellion, you are able to recruit again. If you find yourself needing to do that, you have to chose whether it is better to use Tanstafaal's keep and march them all the way back West, or detour Kaleh down to one of the humans' keeps just south of the action.

Other defenders of the Iron Council include a mixed bag of skeletal types and if plan B is place the human leaders will be here. Hekuba can recruit the same troops as the humans did, plus more Necromancers, Skeletons/Revenants and Skeletal Archers/Bone Shooters. You'll have quite a fight on your hands to make landfall. After you do get on solid ground things aren't so bad. The bad guys won't be able to destroy the ships. For game purposes, the ships are actually villages. Thus, the worst the bad guys can do is recapture them. When you have all four, the scenario ends. You might wish to finish off any of your opponents that are close before capturing the last ship.
===Speaking With The Fishes===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-17T05:36:15Z

DoctorJ: /* Blood is Thicker than Water #2 */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
Out of the frying pan, into the water! I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Part 1, Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice.

However, i had missed the the fifth [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Chef? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===Part 2, The Rebellion===
After the Dark Lady is newly invigorated by the sacrifice, the apparition of Eloh appears to [and appeals to] one of your elves. He expresses his faith to the appartion, and challenges you for leadership of the elves. You'll have to fight him for supremacy, and you won't be able to recruit new troops until this is over. Zhul will be torn between her love of Kaleh and Eloh. She will go to Eloh and sell Kaleh's goodness. The apparition rebuffs Zhul and petrifies her. If you don't have any other healers you might wish to recall some before beginning the trek. The rebel base is the North-East island. This was inaccessible to non-swimmers, but the merpeople will show you some Shallow Water paths to the island.

As you approach the island, some Crab Men will appear and attempt to eat you. They're not terribly tough, but they're in their natural element and you're not. As insurance, have the ranged attack merpeople provide a screen in the Deep Water around you. The melee attack merpeople could perhaps approach the island from the North side. If you have Kromph, the Flesh Golem, it will soon fall under the sway of the Dark Lady. Luckily for me it was still wounded from his last battle. It talks to itself for a few turns as a warning. When that happens, best surround it with ranged attacks. He changes sides on the beginning of your turn, so [if you're paying attention] you can blast him before he gets a chance to attack. Oh, but we barely knew ye...

If your costs to recruit are high as a result of the battle between the Spectres, it might interest you to know that the rebel elves are not your target - Eloh is. Whenever you destroy the apparition, the remaining elves will automatically switch over to your side. If you're low on gold, though, you might not want the extra overhead for the rest of this scenario.
===Part 3, Capture Ships===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T17:23:28Z

DoctorJ: Title

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Part 1, Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice.

However, i had missed the the fifth [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Pan? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===Part 2, The Rebellion===

===Part 3, Capture Ships===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T17:20:00Z

DoctorJ: Title

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Part 1, Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice.

However, i had missed the the fifth [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Pan? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===Part 2, The Rebellion===

===Part 3===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T17:18:36Z

DoctorJ: /* Blood is Thicker than Water #1 */

Strategy Guide for Under The Burning Suns:

This campaign takes place eons after the others. At the height of Wesnoth's power, an additional sun was created and magically raised into the sky. Millenia later, entropy has its due. The fertile plains of Wesnoth have turned to desert. There are few survivors from the age of the empire, though it is whispered that humans and dwarves left the planet in some sort of spacecraft. The focus of these scenarios are the Quenoth elves, who are particularly well adapted to living on the sands.

In terms of gameplay, UtBS scenarios tend to be somewhat long. They are not boring, though, as victory conditions typically change several times before the scenario is 'won'.

== Strategic Tips ==

UtBS changes several of the rules you may be used to from other scenarios. Here is a list of the most crucial changes:
# The day-night cycle is longer
# Elves have 60% defense in the sand
# Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter can backstab
# Arch/Great Mage have 6 movement instead of 5

This scenario is all about building up for some big underground battles. There are two main variables to consider for underground battles:
# Can each unit move at least 3 cave hexes per turn?
# How can I maximize damage (trolls regenerate, must kill-em fast)?

Because of these two priorities, deciding which units to level in early campaigns is very important. For instance, the following units are not as effective:
* Elvish Ranger/Avenger
* Elvish Hero/Champion
* Elvish Scout/Rider/Outrider

There are more effective units:
* Elvish Marksman/Sharpshooter have range attack (anti-troll) and backstab (+damage)
* Elvish Captain/Marshal have leadership (+damage)

The Silver Mage vs. Arch/Great Mage is a tossup. Normally (in other scenarios), Arch/Great Mages have only 5 movement which severely limits their range underground (2 movements per cave terrain) compared to the teleporting, 6-movement Silver Mages. However, the added movement available in UtBS makes the extra firepower of the Great Mage desirable.

== "The Morning After" ==
Some strange meteors have destroyed the homes of our heroes. Kaleh & Nym must search for survivors by capturing all villages. Landing on an empty village will sometimes flush out a few elves. In the beginning, they will be battling Mudcrawlers. Since you have no keep in which to recruit, put the Mudcrawlers to the sword and save all the new units. Note that, unlike other campaigns, Giant Mudcrawlers here will not spawn smaller Mudcrawlers upon their death. Also note that the grey brown trail around the lake is not as good defensively for you as the sand.

The villages will lead you counter-clockwise around the lake. At the southmost portion of the lake you'll find a shattered bridge leading to a shrine in the center of the lake. You don't have to go there right away, but the scenario won't complete until you rescue the Druid and both Shamans there. Be aware that stepping off the island will trigger the obligatory Cuttlefish. If you don't yet have Garak, i'd wait on the island until dawn - this thing will be a bit tough for any of the other characters you currently possess.

Garak the Captain will be found with a few recruits on the Training Ground, which is just to the East of the bridge. It's possible that your people headed for the bridge will trigger this encounter - you'll find a bigger mob of Mudcrawlers than you've seen so far, and likely get some bruises cleaning them out. However, don't go out of your way to level Garak up. He's going to be fighting against you soon enough.

After dealing with the Mudcrawlers and Cuttlefish, keep heading around the lake. The villages on the West side represent the remains of the stables - capturing them will give you Scouts. If the Scouts explore the outer edges of the map, they will find more a few more villages and units, though no more Mudcrawlers. You're now ready for bigger game!

Completing the circuit around the lake reveals the destroyed keep on the North side. The King is pronounced dead, Kaleh now leads the tribe. On turn 11, Xanthos will show up to lead the Undead against the elves. Head north to take the battle to his keep. On turn 16 the Quenoth hunting party returns on the North edge of the map, somewhat westward of Xanthos.

== "Across the Harsh Sands" ==
There are some special rules in effect for this scenario which makes it play quite a bit different than usual. In particular, your refugees don't have enough food or water to sustain them on their journey. Don't stay in the keep too long - you should be able to handle everything you'll run across with a single castle's worth of troops if you're careful. If you're not careful, it doesn't matter how many troops you get. During every round that isn't night-time, each of your units will sweat off four hit points [on easy, five for medium and six for hard]. Night isn't safe either, as Ghosts randomly appear to try to pick off your weakest units. I recommend a hedgehog formation of six combat units surrounding Zhul. Even better, bring in another Shaman to stand back to back with Zhul. You can put eight troops around them. That's ten in all. Since you start out with four, six more puts you right where you want to be. Out of those six, one would be the healer i mentioned earlier. Another would be a Scout, the other four could be a mix of Fighters, Archers and Hunters.

Now your hedgehog will begin following the remains of the old road East-North-East. You won't be able to keep the hedgehog together if the group travels faster than 5 hexes per turn, so the Scout won't be very effective right now. That's okey, we'll be able to free him soon. You should arrive at the second oasis about dusk, and promptly be attacked by Ghosts and Scorpions. Ignore the Ghosts unless you get a chance to deal a killing blow. As of now, your units [other than Garak] are almost useless against them. Besides, they go away on their own. Sometimes the Ghosts will help you by attacking the Scorpions. After you take out the Scorpions, you'll find Traveler's Ring. This artifact will make the designated unit invulnerable from hunger and thirst. Give it to the Scout, now he can take off on his own.

Depending on how much of a beating you took, you might wish to rest in the oasis. For purposes of this scenario, your units heal eight points each turn in the water. It's like a village, only the defense is bad. Units on grass won't don't lose any hit points due to daylight. After you've rested up, reform the hedgehog. The third oasis is West-North-West from here. If you're looking for extra experience, there is supposed to be a group of Ogres north of the oasis, but i haven't seen them.

The third oasis is guarded by a mixed bag of Bandits,Thugs, Poachers and Trappers. By now you should have levelled up some Heroes and Captains, so it won't be anything you can't handle. The main issue here being the hills that impede your formation. Depending on how effective you are in keeping everybody together, you might have some units go into battle wounded.

When you are done here tack East-North-East to the fourth oasis. Before you get there, you'll meet Elyssa the Fire Mage being attacked by a skeletal army. By all means save her, as she's the only unit you'll have access to this early that's really effective on undead. She can burn out one of these things every turn, just protect her from the counterattacks.

When you arrive at the fourth oasis, you'll find it infested with Ogres. Don't let your units get too tired beating up on them. After the Ogre Chieftain is dead, a Wraith and some Ghosts will take his place unless it is during broad daylight. You will find yourself periodically dogged by these things as you make your way through the campaign. Elyssa really earns her due now.

West-North-West of the castle is a mirage - it only looks like an oasis. If you get anywhere close to the hills roughly centered on the top of the map, you'll trigger a signpost announcing the home of Black Hand bandits. If you see this sign, it means the bad guys have started recruiting. Head due North, then, before his army gets too large. The leader of bandits is called Thorn. When you take him out, he bargains for his life with a vial of Holy Water. This lasts the whole campaign, but is only good for melee, not ranged, weapons. Now you can have TWO units that are useful against undead. I gave it to Nym, though in hindsight Zhul might have been a better choice.

== "A Stirring In The Night" ==
Your goal here is pretty simple: you have to protect the twelve villages of your people from attack on all sides. You can lose up to six villages without being 'defeated', but it's not recommended: the loss of more than three villages will increase your cost to recruit new troops for the rest of the campaign. The first turn you can reasonably expect the Wraith to seize a village, depending on the actions of the AI. Therefore, make sure to have somebody sitting on every village after that. The focus of the two Spectres will initially be on each other, so that might save the villages until your troops get deployed.

Your Lawful forces will be fighting the forces of the undead in a scenario that entirely takes place in the night. You will find that the damage differentials combined with their high resistance to bladed and piercing weapons will keep your elves on the defensive. To counteract this, you'll need to have good luck, plus judicious use of leadership and the slowing effect of your healers and the Hunters' bolas. If any of your Archers have levelled up to be Desert Rangers, their Backstab ability comes in handy here.

Since Elyssa moves so slowly in the sand, send her to take out the closer southern Spectre. Garak can accompany her. Zhul and whoever has the Holy Water should head toward the northenmost bonfire, but not rest next to any villages. Your first keep of recruits should include two Scouts. The Wraith will attack Nym or more likely Zhul. Thereafter use the scouts to keep the Wraith pinned down in the light while Nym finishes it off. Zhul will probably need to go to a village to heal after this.

You're unlikely to be able to finish off both the Spectres, but you can have destroyed the southern army and reduced the northern one by turn seven. That's when the Orcish contingent shows up in the mountains. These are certainly easier to deal with - you can properly stab them. Just stay out of the mountains - you lose your defensive advantage the moment you step off the sand. Their leader, Ganthos, has an income, but no keep. If you let him, he will sneak down the western edge of the map and take over yours while his minions ravage your villages. If you are still facing significant numbers of Undead, the Orcs might just decide to attack some of those for you.

Note that Garak is fated to die during this scenario. One of the Spectres will possess Garak in an attempt to continue their duel, this happens even if you have destroyed a Spectre. The surviving Spectre uses some deep magic to block out the dawn, and the victory conditions change to force you to destroy either Garak or the surviving Spectre. If you do take out both Spectres, then dawn happens, but the two still kill Garak to take their revenge on you. If by chance you had given Thorn's Holy Water to Garak, it won't be helping you after this...

== "Descending Into Darkness" ==
Starting now, you lose the comfort and protection of the sand. The terrain here is primarily hills and mountains, interlaced with river and swamp. When you initially step into the mountains, Goblins will appear. The mountain road forks West or North. The western fork leads you to a bridge over the river that has a village on either side. Stepping anywhere close to here triggers the appearance of more Goblins and some Naga led by an Orcish Slayer [or Assassin on Easy difficulty]. It's probably more fight than the two villages are worth. However, if you're playing on Medium or Hard, you have to fight these sooner or later - may as well face them now before you get too busy. Plus, you can choose to face them during daylight.

The northern fork takes you over another bridge to the keep of Panok the Direwolf Rider. He moves ridiculously fast, so you might have a hard time pinning him down. His troops are mostly Goblins, so consider him to be a warmup for the tougher foes you'll face in the caverns. Upon his death, he drops a ring and possibly triggers the Naga and the Slayer.

From here, there are two roads: the North, and the West. Both lead to tunnels into the mountains, and each ends in the keep of an Orcish Warlord [Orcish Warrior on Easy]. The exit tunnel could randomly be behind either keep. Though the two keeps are linked by paths inside the mountain, it might be quicker overall to leave Kaleh outside until you determine whether he needs to go East or West. You could either split your troops and tackle the entrances separately, or send the whole bunch down the closest hole. In that case, expect a pitched battle as the furthest Orc reinforces the nearest.

The turn after Kaleh first enters either cavern, he will be pursued by a Cloaked Figure/Dark Assassin. It doesn't matter if Kaleh is surrounded, the Assassin will temporarily displace any Elf or Orc that is in his way when he appears. Other findings:
*If you follow the river where it enters the mountain, it will lead you to a Goblin Impaler guarding a treasure chest. Not exceptionally tough, but he will fight from solid ground while you stand in the water. The chest contains 40 to 80 gold.
*Continuing around the river, there is a passageway [coordinates 18,10] that ends in a pool. If you step into the pool, you will find a glowing blade. You may choose to either take it or leave it. If you take it, that character's melee attack will now deal cold damage, but a monster will appear to block your escape. It's only level one [and cute at that!], but again it will be on dry land while you will be starting in water. It's kind of a long trip, so you'd be unlikely to finish it before the end of the scenario unless you send a Scout or other fast unit. Alternately, if Nym didn't get the Holy Water, have her get it.

== "A Subterranean Struggle" ==
You're in a tunnel headed East. Soon you will see a squad of Giant Ants in front of you, while a Cave Spider tries to sneak up behind you. You can ignore the Ants for now, as the Spider is more dangerous: it poisons with its melee attack and slows with its ranged attack. Eventually you find yourself in a great chamber where Dwarves and Trolls are doing battle. You are forced to choose which side to ally with, and then you will be required to eliminate the other side. Your choice will stay with you for a few more scenarios, as the campaign forks after this. Fortunately, there is a keep right in front of you, though the battle is currently raging in it.

Soon after choosing sides [probably about the time you get your keep clear], your opponent will pull a sneak attack that nearly wipes out your allies. Most of the rest retreat. The ball is now in your hands. Three turns later, they make it up to you by giving some of their troops for you to command. Finally, some loyal troops. If you are allied with the Dwarves, the two tribes of Trolls are SouthEast and SouthWest from your keep. If you are allied with the Trolls, the two tribes of Dwarves are NorthEast and NorthWest from your keep.

Guard Kaleh well: some time after receiving your reinforcements, the Cloaked Assassin will reappear. This time s/he will Slow Kaleh and take up to half his hit points. There's some more crazy talk, and the Slow effect lasts until the Assassin has been removed again. Note that even if your troops now succeed in destroying the enemy tribes, this scenario won't end until the Assassin has been dealt with.

==Diverging Campaign Path==
==="In the Tunnels of the Trolls"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading West is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the East-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Dwarven demolitions will make this wall an entrance to the Troll kingdom. You will immediately see a Troll leader and his minions in a keep. Don't get too excited; he's not your target, merely an outpost. However, the clock is ticking, so finish them off quickly. Afterward you might wish to use his keep to recruit an additional healer to support Zhul, and if you have a unit with the cold blade bring them as well.. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Dwarves that you've been given by your allies.

This cavern has exits leading North, East, and South. North only goes to the edge of the map. East leads to some Trolls interrogating some Dwarves. Play your cards right and you'll be able to rescue a Dwarvish Stalwart, who joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. South is the exit going toward the objective. This leads into a large lava cavern. Similar to the second scenario, you'll need to keep as many troops as possible gathered around a healer. However, the lava hexes are not safe for your units to end their turns on, other than the flying units. This is going to slow down your progress, as most units will not be able to use all their movement points.

The Troll Shamen blow up the bridge going directly to them, so you'll have to take an alternate route clockwise around the rim of the lava pit. They will conjure up a fire elemental to slow your progress; after you kill it, it will periodically regenerate. Additionally, as you reach certain checkpoints the Shamen will create more Fire Guardians, though these don't regenerate. When you reach the southern part of the rim, you'll be rewarded by a small pool of water that will heal whomever is standing in it by ten points per turn. The rim is interrupted here by a rock projection sticking out to bar your way. After this, you have to proceed by "island hopping".

By the way, there are two passages on the western side of the lava pit that aren't strictly necessary to get to, but might be worth exploring [flying units only]. The lower is blocked by the ghost of a Dwarf who died in the upper. Burying the remains of the Dwarf allows you to proceed further down the lower passageway to a Troll crypt guarded by a Zombie Troll Whelp. Flying over the Chasm allows you to loot the crypt for the poison wand it contains. Whomever picks it up will add poison damage to their melee attacks.

When you reach the spit of land that the Shamen are standing on, one will run to the boss. I got lucky in that the other chose to stand in the lava to get around me. He was a lot easier to finish off then. ;^) After that, follow South and East. The tunnel quickly narrows down to a single lane, and your progress will be impeded by some Whelps. The lair has a pair of alcoves containing Troll dead, who will eventually be turned into Zombies to further slow you down. By the time you deal with these and the army of Trolls the boss is recruiting, you might not have much time left. Finally take out the other Shaman and the Chieftain. Good luck!
===="Dealing With Dwarves"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Dwarves. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Dwarf will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the Stalwart, it'll be him.

==="In the Domain of the Dwarves"===
You start in a small keep with few places to go. The tunnel leading East is where you just came from. To kick things off, move a unit to the West-most dirt hex. At the end of the turn, Troll fire magic will make this wall an entrance to the Dwarven kingdom. You will immediately see a small contingent of Dwarves in a fortress. Since it costs no upkeep, you may as well recall all the Trolls that you've been given by your allies. If you're going the send Zhul after the hidden bonus, you might also want to bring in another healer.

The area around the fortress has several tunnels. Going clockwise from your current position, the South-East avenue only goes to the edge of the map. South-West leads to a humorous scene of a Dwarven drill instructor berating his troops. Bring two mid-level Trolls, preferrably a mix of melee and ranged types to deal with these. Past this will be a Troll being tortured by a Dwarf. He pretty much rescues himself, but joins your party out of gratitude [though he's not grateful enough to be Loyal...]. North-West is the exit going toward the objective. North is a Dwarf guarding what turns out to be a dead end.

The main path crosses two single hex wide bridges over a chasm. After you push the Dwarves back to the bridges you can fly Zhul over the chasm to support your front line. The leader of this Dwarven contingent challenges you to get up close and personal. After you do, however, he blows up the main entrance to the Dwarven Keep. Now you'll have to make a right turn detour through the Black Lake.

By the time you get your feet wet, you'll see a Dread Bat and some Giant Tentacles. If Zhul hasn't been upgraded to Desert Star yet, the Bat might be a tough match for her. Maybe have her hang back until the bat has been fireballed or rocklobbed. After the rest of your troops finish wading through the lake, they'll take the left. If you're going after the goody, have Zhul perhaps assisted by a Troll companion occupy the island in the northern part of the lake. There is a Dwarven Hermit speaking some Gollum-like speech. When he dies all your troops will have access to his amulet, which is basically a key. Send somebody to the South-East portion of the lake, where the amulet will get you past the concealed door to reveal a Dwarven crypt. Avoid the Dread Bat in his keep on the East side of the lake.

Anybody can do it, but wading through the water will take prohibitively long for characters who can't fly. If it were appropriate to the topic, i'd question why somebody who can easily fly over a Chasm can't fly over Deep Water, but it's not. Anyway, looting the crypt gets you a belt of strength that is supposedly good for 12 additional hit points. I say supposed because i've repeatedly seen Zhul end up with 52 hits, not 53. Zhul could really use this, as she gets no additional hit points when levelling up to Desert Star. You won't be able to see the crypt, but it's in the center of the chamber at the end of the tunnel. Even with flying here, i had a hard time getting there before the Dwarf Chieftain was dead. I had to replay the end of the turn several times, as he repeatedly kept suiciding himself on my Druid. Anyway, upon putting on the belt your exit will be blocked by a ghost. It'll be kind of tough, but hopefully the chieftain will be dead before you're on the ropes.

Back to the mainland, the Chieftain and his troops will be almost directly west of where your people get back on land. There's a wall in the way, though, with entrances on both the North and South portions of it. The southern route is slightly closer, but is also a chokepoint. Send some faster troops the northern way to attack the Dwarves' rear.
===="Talking With Trolls"====
This is mostly just dialog, though if you have kept Elyssa alive she will decide to stay and study the Trolls. As a parting gift, she presents you with a flaming sword, and you can recruit/recall any unit to take it and deal out fire damage. Too bad she'll be drowning soon. The other bad news is that all of your loyal troops will also be staying down here when you go up into the outer world. Only one Troll will volunteer to guide you. If you saved the victim of Vengeful Dwarf, it'll be him.

==Out Of The Frying Pan==
Thankfully, this is the last of the underground fighting. It's too bad you can't recruit more of the Dwarves/Trolls you've allied with, as they could really help here. Your opponents have dammed the river and the whole tunnel system is being flooded. This is bad: every turn you will lose several hexes of floor. Recruit/recall no more than a single castle's worth of troops, as you'll lose more to drowning than to fighting. It is best to play this similar to "The Elves Beseiged". Don't fight any more than you absolutely have to, prefer to instead move past the enemies and let them drown behind you. Recall whatever Sentinels and Prowlers you have at your disposal. If you have the Cold Blade, also recall its owner.

The first cavern will have your exit blocked by three of your opponents, be they Dwarf or Troll. Next is a scattering of Giant Ants. They don't put up much of a fight. The exit is the North West tunnel. The following cavern is populated by three humans who decide to attack you. The tunnel behind them is also flooding, so you need to make haste to the western tunnel. The next cavern is marked by a magical warding [looks like clouds] that blocks passage except through the red rune 'gate'. It won't hurt to step onto the rune, but upon leaving it the lead character will be burned for 25%-35% of their total hit points while both gates disappear. Also, a variety mix of undead will suddenly appear in the chamber. Some of them will gather around around the entrance chokehold, so you'll need skirmish ability to effectively assist the now lonely lead character. If you have the Troll, best to send him in first, as he can heal up the damage by the time the battle is over. Also, his impact weapon is best used against the skeletons in the back of the room. The same goes for the Dwarf, naturally, but he'll need healing afterward.

There is a secret door at 24,49 that will lead you around the red rune room. It has more water there, though [not to mention the Soulless], so it's another opportunity to have good troops drowned. The cavern where this tunnel connects back behind the red runed room has two blue runes that will heal whomever steps upon them to 100%, but not cure poison. They are also only good for a few uses, so probably just use it to heal Zhul and your badly bruised ally.

The exits out of the blue runed room are thus: South is back to the red runed room. South-West is the water-logged Soulless. North-West is the 'Training Room'. A ghostly teacher in back of the room runs his ghostly students through weapons drills with you as targets. Destroying the students is not helpful, as the master keeps reanimating them. You need to take him out, but the Zone of Control of the students keeps you from getting to him. Yet another call for the Skirmish ability. I don't bother going in there, as there's no real gain for the amount of time you'll have to spend here. What i like to think of as the 'main exit' from the blue runed room is due north. This leads to a sleeping area where you will be assaulted by the skeletal remains of its former inhabitants. Your ally should have half of them cleaned up by the time the last of your troops gets in. This route is slightly longer in terms of hexes than going through the Training Room, but i still get through in fewer turns.

Besides, there is a goody to be had this way: North of the skeletons is the lab area. You'll find the secret door at 17,36. Inside, you'll find a red rune blocking the way, then two more further up. Stepping upon the first rune causes the character to suffer the usual 25%-35% damage PLUS poison. Then the other two runes are covered by angry monsters [failed experiments]. Both are first level. Behind them is a Frankenstein-style monster trapped in a ring of fire. If you Skirmish past the two, you can break the ring to release the second level Flesh Golem. It will fight for you. You have to be careful, as its Berserk fighting style can be a double edged weapon. Nonetheless, it can be useful to have another Chaotic fighter on your side.

The next room beyond either the Training Room or sleeping area is the sacrificial altar. Setting foot in here conjures two second-level fire demons the next turn. Bring out your Cold Blade and whatever ranged weapons you have handy. Note that every time you step on the tiled floor around the altar you are given the chance to pull a lever. Do not pull the lever until all your people are in this room and ready to leave. Pulling the lever opens two secret passages behind the Altar. The eastern is your exit; the western is flooded. Six turns after you pull the lever, the entire temple area will be Deep Water.

The exit goes through a Crypt area that is guarded by a Spider Lich. It is tough, but vulnerable to Fire and impact damage; you should still have both. After you leave the Crypt, you will again be stopped by: the ever mysterious Cloaked Assassin. This time you are able to capture him and get his whole sad story. I think it was about turn 30 or so that i got my people past the dangers of the raging waters. Woo-hoo!: you've made it out into the sand again, and are ready for some real fighting!! Fortunately there's a rather haughty group of humans who seem to think your people are meant to be sacrificed to their 'Dark Lady'.

By all means, start recalling troops to teach them a lesson. I brought back *everybody*, but probably overdid it. Figure the opposition is 20-something in Sergeant Durstrag's tribe plus five messengers and periodic visits by vengeful undead. These will mostly just bother your troops who are near the South end of the valley. Don't bother looking for the messengers, they aren't on the map yet. When they are ready, they will materialize just East of the oasis. After taking them out, you only have a half dozen or so turns to finish off Sergeant Durstrag or another group of messengers will be created. Don't forget the chest of gold just South of your Keep. If the battle goes on long enough, the flood waters will eventually come out of the side of mountain on the West end of the valley and make a new river.
==Blood is Thicker than Water==
I am going to break this down into parts for each objective:
===Part 1, Free the Mermen===
If you click too rapidly through the introductory text you will miss some crucial details: Namely that your enemies lie to the North-West, and that you're looking for FIVE merpeople. It's worthwhile to get them all, as each will become a loyal troop once freed from the cage. The humans are Loyalist factioned in three tribes. They are not the mysterious 'Iron Council', just followers. The leader is a third level commander while the other two are second level lieutenants. Depending on the level of difficulty, you could be seeing things like Shock Troopers, Swordsmen and Cavaliers. Again, i recalled everybody, and busted my budget over it. On the plus side, i had wiped out all the bad guys [on easy] before the time of the sacrifice.

However, i had missed the the fifth [hidden in the small cave just north of the eastmost humans' keep]. This is in Deep Water, so the land lubbers won't be able to help. Have the Mermaid Priestess and another Merman approach the island from the East side. The cage holding a Mermaid Enchantress is guarded by a few Walking Corpses/Souless. The other large island in the North-West is closed off, you won't be able to get there yet. If it isn't obvious, use your freed merpeople very sparingly on land. Unless the humans are standing on the shore, or otherwise making themselves easy targets, just park your finny allies in the water. Sometimes they can jump on a village to prevent a wounded bad guy from getting a rest. If you have dealt with all the humans before turn 16, don't just stand around. Start shifting all your troops where they will next be needed next: the East side of the mainland and the east-most island.

On turn 16, any merpeople still caught will be pan-fried in a little butter as an offering to the Dark Lady. This is performed by a briefly seen Necromancer named Hekuba. He is a member of the Iron Council. Or is that an Iron Pan? Should any leaders of the Loyalists still remain, they will depart to prepare 'Plan B'. Sigh. It was so much easier to get to them on the mainland. If they are all dead, the Iron Council will then begin 'Plan C'.
===Part 2===
===Part 3===

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T01:26:21Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T01:24:55Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T01:21:30Z

DoctorJ: Spelling

UnderTheBurningSuns

2007-06-16T01:08:27Z

DoctorJ: Minor addition