Legionaries on the Horizon! is the second scenario of the Alaric campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The Forgotten.
Intro[]
I awoke from another nightmare. Even the sun felt cold. Children played in the creek, grasshoppers sang in the meadow, but I could not smile like I used to.
Years had passed since Alaric's return, since he brought us the riches of Rome. We retreated at Honorius' bidding and patiently awaited the grants of land for which we so longed. We stayed in Tuscia, always on watch for that messenger, the Roman who would tell us that the time to settle had come. Alaric made sure we could be ready at any moment. We seemed the wealthiest people on earth, bedecked in finery, parading about a camp as though it were a villa. But the months wore on, and the shine of gold faded. My nightmares began anew.
Blood and bodies, thousands of them. Goths and Romans lie across the field like fallen trees after the fire. Ravens and vultures descend in clouds upon the faces and limbs, feasting. And in the center stands my Alaric, hideous and vengeful, rage on his brow. And in his eyes... nothing. Emptiness. I feared then that the gods were speaking to me, but I dismissed it. There could be no such horror. Not from my husband. Never from Alaric.
Until that day.
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Alaric and Athaulf must survive.
PART 1: The investigation[]
- Investigate the village to the north-west.
- (subsequently) Investigate the village to the south-west.
- (subsequently) Report back to Alaric.
PART 2: Honorius's legions[]
- Destroy the rally camp by razing the main tent.
- (subsequently) Prepare your army for the incoming legion.
- (subsequently) Kill the Roman General to break the morale of the incoming legion.
- (subsequently) Destroy the Roman Fortress.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring Athaulf to his camp in the east.
Hints[]
- Your scout has very little HP. Try and avoid all conflicts to keep him alive.
- The northern bridge forms a bottleneck. Here, a small force could hold back an entire army.
- Athaulf has brought many capable soldiers. Make use of them.
- Alaric may not reach the Imperial Age.
Scouts[]
- Alaric has set up his camp in the center of the map. He's waiting for the emperor's permission for his people to move to their new gained land.
- Two friendly villages (Grey) are located west of Alaric's camp. They lack military strenght, but can provide valuable intelligence.
- The right hand of Alaric, Athaulf (green), has set up his camp in the east. He can provide additional troops when needed.
- Your enemy, Roman legions (red and yellow), are scattered across the map.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player ( Goths)
Allies[]
- Athaulf's Forces ( Goths) An encampment in the east. As the player is given the task to destroy the Roman Fortress in the north, the player may bring Athaulf to meet his soldiers here and all of them would be given to the player.
- Civilians ( Italians): Possesses three villages - one in the north, just south of the Roman base; another in the northwest beside the river; one more in the west, just north of General Mageius' camp. They are not part of the conflict. In the beginning, the player is to send the scout to investigate the northwestern and western villages.
- Goths ( Goths): A village in the middle of the map, which will be given to the player after the scout has done his investigations and report to Alaric.
Enemies[]
- General Mageius' Camp ( Italians): A camp in the southwest, where the player is to destroy their main tent (a pavilion).
- Legionaries ( Italians): Consists of a fort in the north, where the player must destroy the fortress to win the game. They also have a small military base in the northeast. After General Mageius' camp is destroyed, there would be a band of Legionary troops invading from the northwest, across the river.
Bugged players since patch 5.7[]
- Yakub ( Persians) and Belisarius ( Byzantines): Two players that each begin with a Dark Age Town Center, 3 Villagers, and a Scout Cavalry at a random location on the map. They are enemies to everyone and will usually be quickly defeated. This is likely a bug, and only appears in more recent versions of the game.
Strategy[]
The player first witnesses the Gothic troops being defeated by the much more powerful Roman Legionaries, and at the Gothic village Alaric sends a Scout Cavalry to investigate the matter at two Civilian villages. The scout must be kept alive until he has visited both villages and reported back to Alaric. As the scout has few hit points, it should try to avoid combat, and there are three Legionary Archers ambushing along the way.
The scout must first investigate on the northwestern village, where there is a bridge guarded by a Spearman. The guard will stop the scout and inform that there is an army behind. Then the scout must visit the western village, just south of the first village. The informant (a spearman) at the Market will inform that he saw Roman troops at a camp (General Mageuis' Camp) in the south of his village. Then the player must bring the scout back to Alaric.
Alaric is angry to learn that the Roman Emperor Honorius has stabbed on his back and send reinforcements behind him, therefore decided to fight the Romans to teach Honorius a lesson. The player should start preparing troops to destroy the main tent (a big Pavilion) of General Mageius' Camp. The player does not need to kill the soldiers at the camp.
After the raid at General Mageius' Camp, the player must prepare to face a large troops of Legionaries which will arrive in 10 minutes time. The enemy troops are behind the northwestern bridge. Once they crossed the bridge, the player is asked to kill the general Belisarius, a Cataphract hero.
After this, the player is given the task to destroy the Legionaries' fortress in the north, in order to win the scenario. At the same time, the player is given the optional task to send Athaulf to meet his troops in the east, and the player will take over all of them.
Outro[]
The sun had set and shadows danced against the tents before Alaric came home. I cried out. He was soaked in blood! He walked like the God of Death sent to claim the slain. And those eyes... as empty as in my dreams. With all the courage I had, I touched him. The sword fell to the floor, and he collapsed onto a stool.
"Six thousand." He uttered in disbelief. "Six thousand Romans. All dead." His face contorted into a snarl. "Honorius." He whispered. Our dreams were shattered that day by the treachery of the Emperor. Our hope of a new home washed away by a red flood. Yet Alaric did not lose faith. He could not lose faith.
Trivia[]
- The "Goths" have a horse as a placeholder unit in the east behind the forest in the HD edition, while not in the original mod. Therefore, in the original game, this player is 'defeated' at the moment they handed the entire village to the player.
- The northwestern bridge in different in the original mod and the later HD edition.
- In the game, the player is asked to kill General Belisarius. In real life, Alaric died in 410, but Belisarius was born around 505.