A Son's Blood

A Son's Blood
Scenario information
Game	The African Kingdoms
Campaign	Francisco de Almeida
Civilization	Portuguese
Color	Blue
Scenario no.	5
Previous	Estado da India
Next	N/A

A Son's Blood is the fifth and final scenario of the Francisco de Almeida campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms.

After the Zamorin's defeat, he ventures further north to the Gujarat state of India, where he gathers allies like the Ottomans, Egyptians and even a Russian renegade called Malik Ayyaz. Furthermore, back in Portugal, Francisco's rivals fill the king's ears with lies that he had betrayed Portugal, so the king sends an Armada to Francisco to relieve him from Viceroyship of India and bring him back to Portugal.

But after Francisco receives the news of his son Lourenço's death, by the hands of the admiral of the Mamluk fleet of Egypt, he vows to take revenge, even if it means defying the king's orders.

Intro

We had taken the other side of the world by storm but our old enemies followed.

As the Zamorin beat his war drums, Ottomans and Egyptians rallied to him. Their ships were carried over the desert and rebuilt by treacherous Venetians. In India, an unlikely Russian renegade called Malik Ayyaz raised the Muslim armies of Gujarat in defense of the Hindu Zamorin. Gold had truly become more powerful than God.

As this coalition of Hindus, Muslims, and Christians descended on us, liars and jackals flocked to the court of King Manuel. They filled his ears with lies that Dom Francisco had betrayed Portugal and convinced the young king to dispatch an Armada led by Afonso de Albuquerque to relieve my captain of the Viceroyship.

Dom Francisco, however, was in no mood for politics.

Tragedy struck off the coast of Chaul. In a heroic naval battle, my captain's beloved son Lourenco was slain by Amir Husain, admiral of the Mamluk fleet of Egypt. Though he deeply loved his son, Dom Francisco did not shed tears for his death. In repayment, my captain vowed to shed blood.

Scenario instructions

Starting conditions

• Starting Age: Castle Age
• Starting resources: 300 food, 300 wood, 300 gold
• Population limit: 150 (200 in the Definitive Edition)
• Starting technologies and upgrades:  Chemistry,  Careening,  Crossbowman,  Elite Skirmisher,  Pikeman,  Light Cavalry,  Galleon
• Starting units:
  • 9  Villagers
  • 3  Halberdiers
  • 3  Arbalesters
  • 1  Capped Ram
  • 1  Light Cavalry
  • 1  Missionary
  • 2  Monks
• Gaia units (Dynasties of India):
  • 8  Heavy Camel Riders
  • 13 Shrivamsha Riders

Differences between difficulties

• The higher the difficulty level, the fewer of Albuquerque's men are allowed to be killed.
• On Standard, the player begins with Arbalester, Long Swordsman, Sanctity, Bodkin Arrow, Leather Archer Armor, and Dry Dock researched.
• On Hard, the Mamluks' Bombard Towers have 4 extra range.

Objectives

Main

• Convert 10 of Albuquerque's men.
• Kill fewer than 15/10/6 of Albuquerque's men. (on standard/moderate/hard difficulty, respectively)

Then:

• Convert Afonso de Albuquerque.

Then:

• Destroy the Wonder in Diu.

Then, choose one of the following:

• Defeat the Mamluks, Ottomans, and Diu.
• Build and defend a Wonder.

Secondary

• Find and kill Malik Ayyaz, Amir Hussain al-Kurdi, and the Turkish Pasha.

Hints

• Definitive Edition
• Original

1. You are restricted to a population limit of 200.
2. While converting Portuguese, do not neglect training new units. You will need to be ready for the battle for Diu as soon as the Portuguese are all converted.
3. Destroying the Mamluk Feitorias should be a priority. They are the primary source of resources for the Mamluks.
4. The arid Kathiawar peninsula to the west has rich gold deposits.

You have a population limit of 150.

While converting Portuguese, do not neglect training new units. You will need to be ready for the battle for Diu as soon as the Portuguese are all converted.

Destroying the Mamluk feitorias should be a priority. They are the primary source of resources for the Mamluks.

The arid Kathiawar peninsula to the west has rich gold deposits.

Scouts

Your scouts report:

• Francisco de Almeida has camped in northwest India. The death of his son Lourenço must be personally avenged so he cannot surrender the Viceroyship until those responsible for his son's death are destroyed.
• Afonso de Albuquerque (2, Red) has landed with a letter from King Manuel appointing him as Viceroy. He is an overbearing taskmaster which makes his men easily swayed by promises of gold and divine intercession. Care should be taken not to inflict heavy losses on fellow Portuguese; they will be needed for the battle against Diu.
• Diu (3, Purple) an island off the southern coast of the western peninsula, will be the focus of the coming battle. Governed by Malik Ayyaz, a Russian converted to Islam, Diu fields Elephant Archers, Siege Elephants, camelry, Monks, Chakram Throwers, Shrivamsha Riders, and warships into battle. Malik Ayyaz is aided by Venetian engineers who have constructed Bombard Towers in his city.
• Diu is also supported by the army of the Ottomans (6, Green). These Janissaries, cannons, and cavalry have camped at Surat across the Konkan River from the Portuguese position.
• Amir Husain al-Kurdi commands the Egyptian Mamluks (5, Cyan). His fleet is based on the Gulf of Khambhat's northern shore. The Mamluk army has Mamelukes, Cavalry Archers, and siege supported by a detachment of Venetian Condottieri. The Venetians provide resources for the Mamluks through their trade embassies. Destroying these Feitorias will cripple the Mamluks.
• Finally, Gujarati traders (4, Yellow) have market posts in the gold-rich western peninsula. Picking sides is unprofitable for these savvy merchants who are eager to trade with the Portuguese.

Players

Player

• Player (Portuguese): Starts at a base in the east end of the map.

Allies

• Gujarati Traders (Gurjaras, Persians before Dynasties of India): They have two Markets surrounded by other buildings, one near the western edge of the map and another along the coast of the Gulf of Khambhat, where they have a Dock as well. The player can make their own Markets to trade with them, or make Trade Cogs to trade with them by sea. They also have an Imam near their western Market, who will heal the player's injured soldiers when brought to him but other than this, they serve no other major role in this scenario.

Ally → Neutral → Enemy

• Afonso's Armada (Portuguese): They have a small base very close to the player's base, along with a few patrols outside their base. Their forces mainly consist of Halberdiers, Conquistadors, and Arbalesters. They are led by Afonso de Albuquerque, who has been sent to bring Francisco back to Portugal. Initially, they will be allied to the player, but after Afonso has finished talking to Francisco, they will change their stance to neutral. If the player kills any unit of Afonso's Armada, they will turn their stance towards the player to enemy.

Ally → Enemy

• Enemy Leaders (Enemy Leaders before the Definitive Edition) (Gurjaras, Persians before Dynasties of India): They have just three special units who are protected by each of the three major cities - the Ottomans have Turkish Pasha (Cavalry Archer), the Mamluks have Amir Husain al-Kurdi (Mameluke), and Diu has Malik Ayyaz (Boyar). They are initially allied to the player but will turn their stance toward the player to enemy after the player converts Afonso.
• Ottomans (Turks): They have a strong and well-fortified city to the northwest of the player's base. They possess special units called Sipahi and Royal Janissary who are stronger versions of the Cataphract and Janissary. They will also turn their stance toward the player to enemy after the player converts Afonso.
• Mamluks (Saracens): Their base is just north of the Ottomans' city and has no walls but is well-defended with Castles. They train Condottieri, Mamelukes, and Heavy Cavalry Archers. They have no Villagers but they do have four Feitorias which provide them with resources at a rapid rate. They also have a strong navy, with Fast Fire Ships and Cannon Galleons. Similar to Ottomans and Enemy Leaders, they will turn their stance towards the player to enemy after the player converts Afonso.
• Diu (Gurjaras, Persians before Dynasties of India): They have their city on the mainland at the southwestern edge of the map, along with a small part on a promontory connected to their main city by a bridge. They mainly train Elephant Archers, Siege Elephants, camelry, Monks, Chakram Throwers, Shrivamsha Riders, and warships. They, like others, will turn their stance toward the player to enemy after Afonso has been converted, but they will also start constructing a Wonder at the promontory soon after, which the player will have to destroy.

Strategy

The player starts with a small base with a few soldiers on the eastern edge of the map. Immediately, Afonso de Albuquerque along with two Conquistadors will approach the player. After their dialogue is finished, they will return to their base and Afonso's Armada will turn their stance toward the player to neutral. The new objective will be to convert ten units of Afonso's Armada. However, the player must not kill more than fifteen units of Afonso's Armada or else the player will immediately lose.

The player will have three Villagers each gathering food, wood and gold, but the player does not have any stone initially. The first thing to do is to select all three Villagers gathering gold and make them gather stone from the nearby Stone Mines instead, because the player will have to construct Walls and Gates soon. Once the player has collected around 100 stone, they can put the Villagers back on gold. Use one Villager to explore a little further, where there is an Afonso's Armada's tent, along with a Halberdier and a Hand Cannoneer. Since Afonso's Armada is neutral right now, they will not attack the player's Villager unless provoked, so the player can explore freely with Villagers. Now construct a Wall, along with a Gate just a little further, blocking the path between the thick forest and cliff. This will place the tent and soldiers completely inside the player's base.

Now go north from here, where the player will see another camp with two Halberdiers. Build another Wall and Gate here but do not enclose the camp this time but build the wall so that it just touches the camp. If done correctly, the player will have another stone mine completely inside their base.

Now the player should train a lot of Monks, since we are going to do a lot of conversion. Do not kill any of Afonso's units; strictly speaking, the player will not lose, Afonso just changes stance to enemy. But Afonso has a Market, so it is a shame to pass up all that Gold. Just keep spamming Monks, and if they die, send new Monks. Converted soldiers should be kept on no attack stance. Upgrade all Monk technologies, especially atonement (to convert Afonso's missionaries).

The player cannot immediately access Afonso's Market since it is protected by towers and the Gate is locked. So keep mining at this point.

After converting ten units, the new objective will be to convert Afonso himself, who is protected inside his base. The player still cannot kill more than ten of his soldiers, which has become eight since the player already killed two of his units before. However, now the player should forget about Afonso for a little while and start building their own base and economy, since the player needs a large army soon after Afonso's conversion. Once enough stone has been collected, build a Town Center and start making Villagers to collect all four resource types.

Also use one Villager to build a second layer of walls with a Gate near the bridge which connects the players base to the mainland, behind the Palisade Walls of Gujarati Traders. This is because after Afonso's conversion, the Palisade Walls will automatically be destroyed. It is a good idea to build a Castle here as well for additional protection.

Now build a Dock near the Bridge. After this, the player should focus on reaching the Imperial Age as soon as possible (in the Definitive Edition, Imperial Age is disabled until after the player converts Afonso). After reaching Imperial Age the player should build a University and research Ballistics and Murder Holes. It is also advised that the player build one Feitoria since resources are limited near the base. Research Sappers.

At some point the player will run out of gold to mine, so it is time to start trading. Afonso's diplomatic stance with the player is set to Neutral - which means, subtly, that his Towers will not shoot the player's villagers (they will shoot military units). So the player will attack Afonso's Gate with Villagers, get inside, and then wall up all his units. They will not bat an eye.

Now the player can keep trading with Afonso, his towers will not shoot the player's Trade Carts either, since they are not classified as military units. Just do not approach Afonso's base with any kind of military, and the player will have enough resources to research everything and build a navy of, approximately, thirty Elite Caravels and twenty Elite Cannon Galleons.

When the player is ready, convert Afonso. Immediately, the Ottomans, the Mamluks, and Diu will switch to enemy, and Diu will also immediately obtain a Wonder. But nothing that fifty ships cannot deal with.

After the Wonder is destroyed, the player's new objective is a choice - either to construct and defend a Wonder or to defeat the Ottomans, the Mamluks, and Diu. It is unbelievably easier to go for the Wonder instead of defeating the three enemies so the player should always go for the Wonder under normal circumstances. The Wonder should be constructed at the previous base at the extreme eastern corner with as many Villagers as possible. The player should use the Caravels and Cannon Galleons to counter the Fire Ships of Diu and Mamluk while the enemy soldiers of Ottomans should be countered by the player's land units. Since Diu will send War Elephants at the player, the player can use Monks to counter. This should go on until the player's Wonder is completed, after which protecting it should not be a problem at all. The player can construct many Castles around the Wonder. After the Wonder has been defended for 200 years, the player will be victorious.

Alternative strategy

Taking out all three enemies (and their leaders) is much harder but more satisfying. The Ottomans will use Janissaries, Sipahi (Cataphracts), Hussars, and Bombard Cannons. The Mamluks will use Mamelukes, Mangonels, Trebuchets, and Cavalry Archers. Diu will use Paladins, War Elephants, Heavy Camel Riders, and Rams. In short, all three are formidable opponents.

This strategy will require simultaneous fighting on both land and water. A large shallow separates the player's kingdom form the Ottomans. The player should build defensive Castles on their own side of the river, but not too close as to allow enemy siege to shoot from their side of the river. Building the Castles further back forces enemy Trebuchets or Bombard Cannons to deploy in the shallow water. Where the player drowns them with a huge naval fleet.

Having destroyed Diu's Wonder, the player should continue targeting their Cannon Galleons on enemy towers, Docks, and production buildings, in that order. This will severely cripple Diu, if not remove them from the fight altogether. Their War Elephants and Paladins do absolutely nothing to ships. Diu will be the easiest opponent of the three. The player can also convert War Elephants if they wish for better siege options.

Next up, the Ottomans with their powerful land based gunpowder army. The player will need a strong land-based army; therefore the player will train Arbalesters (countering Janissaries), and Bombard Cannons. Also, the Ottomans will be reinforced by Diu and the Mamluks, so bring Halberdiers to protect the frontline.

To take control of the river, block the river's only access point with a fleet of Elite Caravels. The player will need a few caravels for this; about twenty should be enough. This will keep the large Saracen fleet at bay while the Cannon Galleons can sail up and down the river, destroying every building in range, especially the towers and Castles. Only once the Turks are sufficiently weakened, will the player move in with the land army. Arbalesters are more accurate than their Janissaries. The player's bombard cannons also, so the player will have the advantage.

The fighting will be fierce; the player should keep reinforcing from five Archery Ranges and five Barracks. The player will probably run out of gold also, so research Guilds then start selling from the Market. Eventually the Ottomans will break, and then the player can kill their King. Do not destroy their Market, switch Ottomans to "Neutral" and start trading. Build a Castle next to their Market and along the trade route to protect traders from raiding.

To beat the Mamluks, push from the water. Use heavy demos to break up their unending stream of Fire Ships, then start destroying all their towers and Docks. The Mamluks will start inexplicably building a lot of transport ships once they lose the fight. Then destroy most of the Mamluk base with Cannon Galleons.

After won the water, the player should push the land army forward, pinning the Saracens to their own base. Their Mamelukes and Mangonels are not upgraded; the player's Arbalesters and Halberdiers will win. Patrol Bombard Cannons onto their inland Castle, then snipe their leader with Arbalesters.

With both the Ottomans and the Mamluks defeated, add a few Monks and then bring the entire army to destroy whatever is left of Diu, and make sure to snipe their leader first (next to the Castle) before winning.

Another strategy

1. Convert necessary units to proceed with the objective. After that, build a Dock and start training Trade Cogs to make more gold.
2. Kill all the player's military unit except the Monk; they will not be needed in this strategy.
3. Build a Siege Workshop and train a siege tower. Use that to put Villagers on the other side of the palisade.
4. Build a lot of Villagers and consume every resource on the map.
5. Build a lot of Castles and towers in the three "allied" cities. ideally, the player will build Bombard Towers, but on high difficulty this is locked until the player converts Afonso.
6. When the player has covered "allied" city with fortification, convert Afonso.

Another alternative strategy

1. Convert all of Afonso's Armada's units except for Alberquerque. to have room to expand.
2. Construct two Siege Workshops and train Siege Towers.
3. Garrison Villagers into the Siege Towers and go over the Gujarati Traders' Palisade Walls.
4. Boom throughout the rest of the map, walling off enemy production buildings where possible.
5. Bonus: Bring 10-15 Pikemen to each hero so they immediately die when the player converts Afonso's Armada's last unit.
6. Age up as soon as possible and spam Organ Guns, Skirmishers, and Pikemen to beat back the initial attacks.
7. Train a navy to take down Diu's wonder and to destroy enemy bases from the water.

Another alternative strategy (Definitive Edition)

1. Convert all of Afonso's Armada's units except for Alberquerque.
2. Constuct War Galleys and Trade Cogs.
3. Use a War Galley to shoot a Transport Ship off of Alberquerque's shore towards the northern part of the shore.
4. Line up Trade Cogs (or other ships set to no-attack stance) around the Transport Ship so that it cannot move.
5. Use a Monk to convert the Transport Ship.
6. Use the Transport Ship to drop off the enemy units and either convert them or kill them one by one.
7. Use the Transport Ship to bring Villagers around the map and build up armies and defenses around the enemies.

Dynasties of India

The scenario now has a 30 minute truce instead of waiting until conversion, meaning the player must finish the conversion in time. However, the Wonder will be built by Diu only after the truce, making it easier to prepare to destroy it. For the achievement, the player can sacrifice the converted units to keep the Monks safe, but researching Atonement is necessary because the enemy can convert the player's Monks.

Outro

With his son's death avenged, Dom Francisco surrendered the viceroyship of India and wrote his final chapter. He would not return to this beloved Portugal. Landing in southern Africa to collect water, his party was ambushed by the Khoikhoi natives. We found his body on that forsaken white beach.

In the five years since we departed Lisbon, we followed Dom Francisco to the edge of the earth. We fought ebony-skinned warriors in the jungles and savannahs of Africa, battled Mamluk sailors on the decks of galleys heaving in the monsoon waves, and struggled against armies of elephants and camels in the sprawling cities of India.

Our caravels had taken us to the distant shores unknown to our ancestors and awoken Europe to a world beyond our dreams.

Trivia

• The objective requires the player to kill all three enemy leaders (including Malik Ayyaz). In reality however, Malik Ayyaz survived the battle and was only captured, living in his estate until he died of old age.
• Afonso de Albuquerque makes his second appearance in this campaign. He also appeared in the Lion of Africa scenario.
• Ironically, Afonso de Albuquerque would meet a similar fate to Francisco de Almeida. He, too, would be relieved of the viceroyship by King Manuel of Portugal and die en route home.
• Historically, Albuquerque quickly yielded to Almeida when he made it clear he would not give up the viceroyalty before defeating the Mamluks. Ironically, this was because he wanted to avoid causing infighting among the Portuguese, which is what occurs in this scenario anyway.
• Despite what it says in the intro, Malik Ayyaz was not Russian, but in fact a Mameluke of Dalmatian origin.
• In the Definitive Edition, the "Friends, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears" achievement can be earned by converting Afonso de Albuquerque without killing a single Portuguese unit.