Author: Dan MacKellar (DMackellar@lonet.ca) Map Name:.........................Dragon's Fyre (Drgnfyre.MX2) Size:.............................Small Difficulty:.......................Tough Description Type:.............................1H/C Knight, 1 H/C Barbarian, 1 C Warlock .............................Single or 2 player map Special Conditions:...............Win - Capture the town 'Hylieah' ...............Loss - Run out of time - 2 Months *NOTE* Because you only have one town and it does not contain a castle, you cannot lose your starting hero either. REQUIRES EXPANSION PACK! All Human Sides Playtested:.......Yes +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ STORY +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ There had been peace for three centuries between the two kingdoms of Cagnay and Drakkus. The capitol of Cagnay, Hylieah, lay almost on the border between the two kingdoms as a gateway to the South. All manner of travellers passed through the gates and all was well until one day. A Warlock who spoke in the Northern tongue and accompanied by a large black Dragon arrived in Cagnay and spoke of an uprising of the Northern Dragon clans. Five and twenty centuries before this day, the tribes of the land that was to become Cagnay rose against the Dragon Gods after ten straight years of poor harvests and banished their kind to the Northern Wastes of the kingdom. The Dragons, of course were bitter over this, but their numbers were so few that they couldn't stand against nearly one million armed tribesmen. Vowing revenge, the Dragons flew off to the North. Cagnay was not without Dragons in its southern regions though. The Dragon city of Redfang in the mountains near Hylieah always was inhabited by the Lords of the Skies, but few dared to tread into their realm. The Dragons of Redfang held resentment for their Northern brothers for reasons long since lost in the mists of time. It was this city and the Dragons within that guarded Hylieah, and indeed Cagnay for many centuries. The Warlock of the North, who called himself the Dragonlord went to Redfang and persuaded some of the resident Dragons to attack Hylieah in the form of a first wave. Three months after his arrival in the dead of night, a horde of Dragons descended onto the capitol and laid waste. The King of Cagnay, some of his advisors and a few serfs managed to escape into the mountains near Hylieah and make their way to the town of Midgaard. King Gork II of Drakkus has seized this opportunity to do something his predecessors had failed to do for three centuries, abolish the peace treaty between the two kingdoms and to take the Northern lands by force in the name of Drakkus. If Hylieah falls to the forces of King Gork, Cagnay will be at a definite disadvantage due to the strategic location of the capitol. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Here is where you must make a decision, do you play as Sir Owen, a gallant knight and true to his Kingdom of Cagnay? Or do you take on the role of Darrus, King Gork's greatest warrior? The victory condition is the same but the means to reach it are not. As a knight you have only Rangers, Pikemen, Master Swordsmen Champions and Crusaders for your first assaults on the Dragons. As a Barbarian, you have the use of Orc Chiefs, Ogre Lords, Trolls Wolves and Cyclops. There is a possibility of recruiting Red Dragons at the town of Redfang after defeating the Dragonlord but you must do it before your opponent does. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Notes on "Dragon's Fyre" - This is my first 'polished' HOMM2 map. I've tried to make the story flow as well as possible. - There are two sets of events, one each for Sir Owen and Darrus. - I had originally intended this as a serious map, but my warped sense of humour let itself show in a few places. - There is a barrow mound on the map but it is inaccessable and only serves to carry part of the story. - To recruit a large amount of low level shooters (Archers and Orcs), there is a small sub quest for each of the two main heroes. - Due to the lack of castles, there is an event every three weeks which gives both heroes 12,000 Gold. There are also two gold mines for each plus a crystal mine for the Barbarian. - There are stacks of Red Dragons guarding the passes into the region around Hylieah, so you will need three weeks of troops minumum to get by them, but there is also another small subquest for each hero, that while giving an artifact that increases attack skill, also will take out alot of your lower level troops so you must decide whether to these on or not. - This map is rated tough due to the short time limit and the large battles the players have near the end (Redfang, the Guardian Dragons and Hylieah itself) with rather low level troops (except the Red Dragons from Redfang) I hope you enjoy playing this map as much as I enjoyed creating it! Regards, Dan MacKellar (Redflame of Trielador) e-mail DMackellar@lonet.ca SPOILERS: WARNING!!! SPOILER INFORMATION FOLLOWS PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! SPOILERS: WARNING!!! SPOILER INFORMATION FOLLOWS PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! SPOILERS: WARNING!!! SPOILER INFORMATION FOLLOWS PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! SPOILERS: WARNING!!! SPOILER INFORMATION FOLLOWS PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! The Ultimate Artifact is the Ultimate Sword and its location is only given away by the barkeep. Players sdhould be able to figure out its 'resting place' <