The Lost Relic

The Lost Relic is the eleventh scenario of the Fall of the Trident campaign in Age of Mythology. The main objective is to hold against a three-pronged attack long enough to unearth the Guardian's sword from an Excavation.

It is also the introductory scenario to the Egyptian part of the Campaign; once the mission is completed, it gives the player the option to view the Egyptian tutorial.

Summary
Arkantos, Chiron and Ajax, along with a small band of Hoplites and Toxotes exit the Underworld, only to end up in a desert oasis in Egypt rather than in Greece.

Amanra discovers them, demands what they are doing in this place, and later, persuades them to fight for her, as they are lost in the oasis, while followers of Set, under Kemsyt, intend to attack from 3 canyons, in order to stop the unearthing of the Guardian's sword.

Players

 * Arkantos (Isis): The player starts at the Classical Age, without a Town Center, with 12 Laborers, 2 Priests, the heroes of this scenario and some starting forces, consisting of Hoplites, Toxotes and Slingers. They also start with a Market, whose role is very important.

Enemies

 * Kemsyt (Set): The enemy of this scenario starts at the Heroic Age. He doesn't have a base, but has walled the end of the three passages (guarded by Towers). Beyond these, he constantly sends Heavy Spearmen and/or Slingers, later joined by Catapults and Siege Towers. In later stages, Scarabs join the fight, as well as a Son of Osiris, who may complicate a bit this scenario.

Strategy (Hard Difficulty)
The player starts to the north of a desert oasis full of animals, surrounded by cliffs, with only three narrow canyons guiding beyond it.

The goal is simple; in order for the player to win, they must order Laborers (they have 12 for this scenario) to "build" the Excavation up to 2500 HP, in order to unearth the Guardian's sword. The enemy will constantly send forces from beyond the canyons, to penetrate the defences and kill the Laborers. If all Laborers are lost, the mission is unwinnable.

Three Laborers focus on restoring the Excavation, but the other nine are evenly splited in gathering Gold, Food (from Zebras) and Wood. It is highly recommended to ignore Wood production, and focus Villagers on Gold; apart from having access to Prosperity, Gold can be traded for the other two resources, to cover shortages. This can save time and Laborers, who can be tasked to build Walls (to close the central pass), an Armory or a Barracks, or to assist in the Excavation.

Two out of three passages are already walled, but the central is not. Send the main part of your forces there, in order to stave off early Spearman and Slinger assaults. Place archers close to the walled passages, from where Spearmen cannot kill them, and create Obelisks to monitor movement into the passages. Watch Towers are ill-advised, as Catapults (always appearing in trios) will easily destroy them, sending 200 Gold down the drain.

As mentioned before, there are two Priests in this scenario; they are the only healers available, and as such, they must be guarded well; build a Watch Tower close to the Excavation, in order to garrison them if needed, while also providing additional defense, in case enemies reach the Excavation and try to kill the Laborers.

Build a Barracks close to the central pass, and prioritize Axemen over anything; they can beat most units that appear in this scenario, and are affordable. Slingers should also be considered, but their Wood cost can cause problems in resources, so they are advised to be used behind Walls, if possible.

This scenario is easy, but be careful of Scarabs appearing in the central canyon; when they die, they cause damage to units nearby, so use Heroes to beat them. Later, a Son of Osiris also appears, but can be beaten eventually by swarms of Axemen.

When the Excavation reaches 2500HP, the scenario is won, and the player can proceed with the Egyptian part of the campaign.

Objective

 * Defend against attacks from the 3 canyons long enough for your Villagers to dig out the artifact. (Excavation work site must reach 2500 HP)

Trivia

 * A Son of Osiris appears in the cental passage eventually; this is ironic, given that Osiris was killed by Set, whose followers are the main enemies in the Egyptian part of Fall of the Trident.