Born of Fire is the first scenario of the reworked Prithviraj campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Intro
Long ago, a great and wise sage climbed the holy peak of Mount Abu. He sought the favor of the gods to protect the people of the earth, but he was descended upon by Rakshasas, man-eating demons with flame-red eyes and fangs like steel.
But though the demons neared, the sage was as immovable as the mountain itself. Though he felt the heat of the demons' breath on his bare shoulder, the sage was resolute - making the offering of fire to the gods and asking for their protection.
From the flames of his offering spawned the Rajput clans, born of fire and smoke. Their heroes fought the Rakshasas, but though much blood was shed, the demon menace continued to darken Mount Abu.
The sage dug a new fire pit, deeper into the mountain earth, and again made the offering. From this pit came Chauhan, weapons in his four arms. He slew the Rakshasas and from his loins came the mightiest of the Rajput clans. From this clan came my king.
I am Chand Bardai, poet of the raja's court. I will tell you the story of a great king, but this story, much like life itself, must start from the beginning. My king, Prithviraj, was not always a great raja. Once, he was a young king of Ajmer challenged by his own cousin for the rule of the Chauhan clan.
Scenario Instructions
Starting conditions
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 600 food, 600 wood, 600 gold, 350 stone
- Population limit: 200
Objectives
- (initially) Save one of the two Chauhan Town Centers.
- (subsequently) Kill the rebellious cousin, Nagarjuna.
- (secondary) Save both Chauhan Town Centers.
- (secondary) Capture 3 Relics to unite the clan.
Hints
- Prithviraj lived before the age of gunpowder. You will not be able to train gunpowder units or research the unique technology Shatagni in any scenario of this campaign.
- You are restricted to a population limit of 200.
- Choose carefully which Town Center you save. They each have different advantages.
- The Luni River is teeming with fish, but you will need to weaken the Bhadanakas to control the river.
- If you seek Relics, know that one will appear at random in an enemy town. Scouting is key to finding it.
- Rajasthan is filled with eager Rajput warriors. If you find them, they will serve Prithviraj.
Scouts
- Prithviraj's tiger hunt has been interrupted by rebellion. His cousin, Nagarjuna (2, Red), seeks to rule the Chauhan clan. He raids from the west with cavalry, camels, and archers.
- The Rajput clans rival Prithviraj's Chauhan and each other. The Bhadanakas (3, Green) and Chandelas (4, Yellow) war over the floodplain. Prithviraj can take advantage of their rivalry to defeat or bypass them.
- The Paramaras (6, Purple) command Abu, a Rajput holy site. They will not stray far from their mountain temple, which they defend with Monks and Elephant Archers.
- Finally, the Ghaznavids (5, Cyan), horsemen of the west, have set their tents in the Thar Desert across the river in the north.
Players
- Player (Indians): The player starts with a small army and needs to save Chauhan's Town Center by killing the Nagarjuna army attacking it.
Ally
- Chauhan (Indians): The Chauhan have two Town Centers to the west and east of the player's starting position. The western Town Center area contains military building and access to the river. The eastern Town Center area has a lot of resources and more easily defended position.
Enemies
- Nagarjuna (Indians): They are the most dangerous enemy and the only one that attacks unprovoked, occasionally sending groups of Camel Riders and Light Cavalry. Killing their namesake hero results in victory.
- Bhadanakas (Indians): They control the river and occasionally fight Chandelas.
- Chandelas (Indians): They have their base south of the eastern Chauhan's Town Center and they occasionally fight Bhadanakas. While they never attack the player unprovoked, they will send Villagers to steal the player's resources on the eastern base.
- Ghaznavids (Persians): The weakest opponent, staying in the Feudal Age and only having a few Genitours and Steppe Lancers. They can be reached by crossing the river from the western Chauhan base, or taking a detour near Nagarjuna's base. There is a Relic and some Gold Mines located in their base.
- Paramaras (Indians): The Paramaras train Monks and Elephant Archers. Their base is located to the southwest, right after crossing the shallows.
Strategy
Micromanaging troops allows the player to save both Town Centers, giving the player a little head start. Save the Town Center to the right first, as gold and valuable stone is nearby. Additionally, there is a gaia Monk just outside of the village to the right. With the Monk, the player can heal troops while rescuing the second Town Center. If the player finds saving both Town Centers overwhelming, they should focus on saving only the one to the right, since losing the other Town Center will not increase the scenario's difficulty (and wood is abundant in the right base, so the player can easily build any buildings that they did not take control of).
After the initial part is done, the player should focus on getting an economy and walling any holes, both for protection from Nagarjuna's (Red) attacks and Chandelas' (Yellow) attempts of sending Villagers to steal resources from the player (on the eastern base, this means the player should wall between the Mills and right below the Gold Mine). Since Nagarjuna never creates siege weapons, building a Castle to the left of the Mills is enough to defend from their attacks.
There are two ways to beat this scenario:
1: Collecting the three Relics
A Relic will spawn immediately in the Monastery of one of the players. Another is found at the camp of the Ghaznavids (Cyan) between two tents. The third Relic can spawn in one of two locations: either down the river at the very south corner of the map, and surrounded by alligators; or in the middle of the northwestern desert, near Nagarjuna's base (Red), in a little cave and guarded by two lions. This last Relic will generally be found and taken early on by one of the enemy players, generally the Paramaras (Purple), but still, both spots should be scouted to be sure.
After the player owns the three Relics, the clans will be united by tradition and Nagarjuna's base will submit to the control of the player (including the Nagarjuna hero unit) and unite the two clans. This is the suggested way if a "pacifist" run is preferred.
2: Killing Nagarjuna
To get to Nagarjuna, either go south between Bhadanakas (Green) and Chandelas (Yellow), then cross the river and sneek around Paramaras (Purple) and attack him directly.
Alternatively, the player can build Transport Ships in the northern village and push through the Ghaznavids (Cyan) forces. They start with a small army and are easily dealt with, as they won't train units. This allows the player to establish a base across the river, train forces and kill Nagarjuna. Remember to wall of and protect the other bases as enemy troops will harass them occasionally. Trebuchets combined with Cavalry Archers can be used to defeat the enemy towns, with Camel Riders being optional to raze towns more quickly and deal with enemy Light Cavalry and/or ranged units (or train Light Cavalry/Hussars).
Outro
In those days, the Rajput clans raided and warred with one another. They were Kshatriya - warriors from birth. A young Rajput like Prithviraj was headstrong and brave - but to be a wise king would take more than courage.
From his minister Kaimbasa, Prithviraj learned wisdom and how to rule. But the spirit of the Kshatriya would never leave him; my raja longed for new victories and lands to conquer.
