The Vanguard

The Rise of Wesnoth scenario
The Vanguard
Location: Halstead[a], Great Continent Result: Jevyan's vanguard defeated
Belligerents
Stormvale refugees Bowmen Horsemen Magi Spearmen Wesfolk Footpads Poachers Thieves Thugs Clearwater refugees Peasants Typhon's mermen[b] Merman Fighters Merman Hunters	Jevyan's orcs Orcish Archers Orcish Assassins Orcish Grunts Wolf Riders Orcish Crossbowmen Goblin Pillagers Goblin Knights Goblin Spearmen Orcish Slayers[c] Orcish Warriors[c] Goblin Imaplers[d] Troll mercenaries Troll Whelps Trolls[c] Troll Rocklobbers[c] Troll Warriors[d] Jevyan's undead Chocobones
Leaders
Prince Haldric Lady Jessene	Tan-Erirt † Tan-Gagar † Thruf † Norte ? Rabbin ? General Kafka ?
← A Spy in the Woods
Return of the Fleet →

The Vanguard is the seventeenth scenario in The Rise of Wesnoth campaign.

Background

The arrival of the orcs on the Green Isle forced many humans to flee their homes and travel to Southbay, from which they were evacuated across the Great Ocean to the Great Continent. Their leader, Prince Haldric, inadvertently attracted the attention of the orcs' leader, the Lich-Lord Jevyan, by wielding the Ruby of Fire. As he left, Haldric promised to send back ships to search for survivors. Jevyan's familiar followed the humans across the Great Ocean, spying upon the refugees.

Upon arriving at the Great Continent, Haldric sent a third of his ships back to the Green Isle. One of the men saved thereby was Commander Aethyr. Haldric formed a Pact of Mutual Aid with the Ka'lian, such that they agreed to come to each other's aid in the event of trouble. Before Haldric departed the elves, however, Aethyr found him and covertly informed him that they had been followed by the orcs. Though they hastened west to meet the orcs, Lady Jessene remained behind to spy on the elves, and discovered that they had found out about the orcs and agreed to break the Pact of Mutual Aid if the humans continued to attract orcs to the Great Continent. Jessene swiftly caught up with Haldric, who was preparing to battle the approaching threat.

Scenario

Victory:	Defeat all enemy leaders
Defeat:	Death of Prince Haldric Death of Commander Aethyr Turns run out
Gold carryover:	Early finish bonus. 40% of gold carried over to the next scenario.

Jessene reached Haldric's men on the eve of battle and told Haldric of the elves' betrayal. She explained that the elves would not help the humans if orcs' continued to invade the Great Continent, and would then turn on the survivors after the fighting concluded. She reasoned that the Ruby of Fire had served to lure Jevyan. Haldric swiftly came up with an idea, merely giving her the Ruby of Fire and telling her to hide it in the cave in the Brown Hills where they had fought the trolls. Despite not knowing Haldric's plan, she complied with his instructions.

Haldric asked Aethyr whether the orcs had comandeered the ships Haldric had sent back, but Aethyr assured him that the orcs must have seized whatever ships were remaining on the Green Isle when they left, and thus that the remaining refugee ships were due to arrive soon. Haldric realized that they needed to clear the shoreline of orcs for the refugees to land, lest the orcs seize those ships and use them for transport between the Green Isle and the Great Continent.

Shortly after Jessene departed with the Ruby of Fire, they discovered that the orcs had paid for orcish mercenaries to help fight the humans. Though Jevyan's vanguard surrounded Haldric's men from three angles, Haldric managed to break through their lines. Despite the orcs receiving undead reinforcements led by Norte, Rabbin, and General Kafka, Haldric's men defeated the orcish warlords, Tan-Erirt and Tan-Gagar, as well as the trolls' leader, Thruf. With the immediate threat eliminated, Haldric pressed his soldiers on towards the beach.

Notes

1. ^{^} The Vanguard took place within the approximate vicinity of Halstead, which had yet to be established.
2. ^{^} Typhon's merfolk were recruitable only on easy difficulty. On other difficulties, only merfolk veterans could be recalled.
3. ^{^ a b c d} These units did not appear on easy difficulty.
4. ^{^ a b} These units only appeared on hard difficulty.