Hand of a Princess is the third scenario of the reworked Prithviraj campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.
Intro[]
My king was in love with Sanyogita. The two would sneak away from their courts to meet in border towns and wooded groves, where they would embrace under the bright light of the moon.
But for all their secrecy, their romance could not be hidden from the powerful Jayachandra and his army of spies.
The mighty king would never approve of his daughter marrying his own rival. Instead, he ordered a swayamvara - a ceremony where Sanyogita would choose her husband from the men invited by her father. Jayachandra invited all the princes and kings of India to the ceremony, except for one.
Almost one. In mockery of Prithviraj, Jayachandra had a clay statue made in the young king's image to serve as the doorman to his court.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Feudal Age - Starting resources: 300 food, 150 wood, 50 gold, 0 stone
- Population limit: 50
- Starting technologies and upgrades Light Cavalry, Long Swordsman, Crossbowman, Elite Skirmisher, Dry Dock
Objectives[]
- Sanyogita and Prithviraj must survive.
- Bring Sanyogita to the Wonder in Lal Kot.
- (secondary) Win with at least 12 minutes remaining on the timer.
Hints[]
- A large army would be noticed by Jayachandra's spies. You are therefore restricted to a population limit of 50 and cannot construct new buildings.
- More units can be raised at friendly camps. The Chaulukyas will also provide help if you reach their two towns.
- Monks and siege weapons will make even a small force much more effective. Protect these vulnerable but helpful units.
- A king makes his own path. Do not forget that certain siege weapons can help clear forests and open up new routes of travel.
- According to legends, Prithviraj fought his way into Kannauj, but there may be a way to slip quietly into the city.
Scouts[]
- Prithviraj intends to rescue Sanyogita before she is forced to wed. He must reach Kannuaj (3, Purple) and then bring the princess safely to Lal Kot (2, Green) before the season ends.
- Jayachandra (5, Red) guards Kannauj and the paths to the city with a diverse army, but has no cavalry. Take advantage of the speed of Prithviraj's horsemen when fighting Jayachandra.
- The Chaulukyas (6, Yellow) have two nearby towns and will aid Prithviraj in his quest with siege weapons and Elephant Archers.
- The Yadavas (4, Orange), taking advantage of Rajput infighting, have invaded from the Deccan. Their elephants and fleet-footed infantry dominate the south.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): The player starts with Prithviraj and a small force, and will need to reach Kannauj to save Sanyogita.
Allies[]
- Lal Kot (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): The town of Lal Kot is the place where Prithviraj and Sanyogita must reach. Once Prithviraj enters, the town itself will turn over to the player.
- Kannauj (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): Kannauj located in the east, where Sanyogita is about to married. The Player must sneak into Kannauj and rescue Sanyogita.
- Chalukyas (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): The Chalukyans have two towns, which will provide help to Prithiviraj.
- Sanyogita (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): Sanyogita is waiting for Prithviraj. She is a must-survive unit.
Enemies[]
- Yadavas (Gurjaras, Malay before Dynasties of India): The Yadavas have a small town, but will constantly launch attacks on Lal Kot. They also have some units along the road to Kannauj.
- Jayachandra (Gurjaras, Indians before Dynasties of India): The most dangerous enemy. Jayachandra will do anything to stop Prithviraj and Sanyogita. His diverse but strong army is located in the city of Kannauj and the player will encounter his camp on the way to the city.
Strategy[]
The scenario must be won in less than 30 minutes (60 on standard difficulty, 45 on moderate).
Research Forging and Scale Barding Armor at the Blacksmith immediately. Send units along path to capture two melee units and defeat small enemy group. Send the nearby Monks south to capture the two elephants. North of there, the player will find a Siege Onager. Kill enemy units near the Siege Onager while ignoring buildings. Use units to distract the enemy defending Siege Onager on the cliff face while the player's own Siege Onager rolls past. It can then cut down trees to go all the way to the bottom of the map, then east towards Sanyogita. As the hints imply, cutting through the forest makes the scenario easier.
Note: There is a Gaia base to the northwest containing a Barracks, a Stable, and an Archery Range, as well as a Monk and four Shrivamsha Riders. If the player reaches that base, they will advance to the Castle Age. However, the path there has several obstacles so it is probably not worth the time.
Send units to the south corner, then northeast across a bridge to the Transport Ship. Send the entire army slightly north on the Transport Ship, then send them near the enemy Gate to the northeast of map. Send Prithviraj along the edge of map, and into the secret entrance to steal his bride. Whilst doing this, send one unit slightly northwest to discover a Dock and build a Transport Ship. When the player finds the Dock, they will advance to the Castle Age, but this does not really matter to the scenario. Before the enemy attacks Prithviraj, send in a unit to "pull" their attacks out of the gate. Sneak Prithviraj and his wife back out through the secret entrance, and to the new Dock. As soon as the Transport Ship is complete, send the newlyweds up the river. After discovering another set of Docks, drop them off on the northern bank at next clearing. Send Sanyogita to the Wonder to complete the scenario.
Achievement[]
The achievement "Hopeless Romantic" can be obtained by finishing the scenario with at least 12 minutes remaining on the timer. To get this achievement, note that Prithviraj does not need to leave the starting area at all. Instead, send only the Shrivamsha Riders ahead, as they are the fastest units, while ignoring enemy units on the way. After passing through the first group of enemy units, the player will find Chand Bardai and a Gaia Monk. Move the Monk to the east and use him to convert the Heavy Camel Rider. Move the converted Heavy Camel Rider all the way to the east (while ignoring any enemy troops) and then north, where the player will find a Gaia Transport Ship. Load the Heavy Camel Rider in it and then land in the closest shore.
Before entering Kannauj, move west to find a Gaia Dock and train a Transport Ship. Then sneak the Heavy Camel Rider around the other corner of the city to rescue Sanyogita. After taking control of Sanyogita, use the Heavy Camel Rider to bait enemy troops away from Sanyogita, while Sanyogita leaves the city by sneaking around the corner. Then bring Sanyogita to the Transport Ship.
Note: if the player only finds the Dock after rescuing Sanyogita, Jayachandra's Elephant Archers will appear and kill Sanyogita before the Transport Ship is created, so finding the Dock first is essential.
Now sail through the river while ignoring enemy towers. After finding another Gaia Dock, unload Sanyogita and then simply right click her to the destination.
Following this strategy, the player can finish the scenario within the first 10 minutes.
Outro[]
Sanyogita was as headstrong as she was beautiful. With the infinite courage of a Rajput princess, she walked through the royal court carrying the ceremonial garland and ignoring the expectant gazes of her suitors. Coming to the door, she defiantly laid the garland around the neck of the clay statue of Prithviraj, declaring him her husband.
To her surprise, the young raja had braved the dangers of his rival's kingdom to slip into the ceremony. Emerging from behind the statue, Prithviraj embraced Sanyogita. The two rode to Ajmer as the furious Jayachandra vowed that his revenge would be felt to the ends of the earth.
Trivia[]
- This scenario is very similar to The White Elephant, the fourth Bayinnaung scenario.
- Changes in update 61321: The time limit is now changed to 60 (standard), 45 (moderate) and 30 (hard) minutes (instead of 700 years), with the secondary objectives requiring the player to win with 12 minutes remaining on the timer. This makes getting the "Hopeless Romantic" achievement substantially easier on lower difficulty levels.
