Raising the Banners

Raising the Banners is the first scenario of the Kotyan campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Intro
Like a swarm of locusts, the Mongol horde emerged from the east, driven by a madman named Genghis Khan.

''When we first heard the rumors of their approach, we thought the Mongols were but mere bands of raiders, not unusual on the steppes. But when spies from east told us that the Mongols had utterly destroyed the Persian Empire, putting its civilians to the sword and burning its cities to ash in three short years, we realized that we had severely underestimated them.''

''Not much later, our own people faced this new scourge. Our Kipchak brethren to the east fought bravely but were easily defeated and several of their khans were captured.''

''The Mongols buried the Kipchak khans alive underneath a podium on which the Mongol commander, Subotai Ba'atur, sat to celebrate his victory. The Mongols called it an honorable death, only reserved for nobility and royalty. I believe that these Mongols are evil demons, sent to torture us.''

''Only the western part of our once mighty confederation remains, and with it the great Cumania has become a mere shadow of its former self. However, one of the khans, Kotyan, recognizes our peril and is rallying all of the tribes to unite against the invaders.''

''Putting aside his pride, he has turned to our sworn enemies, the Rus, and is asking them to join the fight. They may be hostile towards us, but we have no other choice. The Mongols will scourge this earth and enslave everyone on it. Let us hope that the Rus princes come to realize that too, before it is too late.''