Rising Star is the third scenario of the Rajendra campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India. It depicts Rajendra's conquests and his policy of consolidation, as well as the beginning of the commercial partnership with Suryavarman I.
Intro[]
When news spread of my subjugation of Sri Lanka, our enemies grew quiet. Only the Pandyas of Madurai still flail their arms at us, being too proud to accept that their ancient line is now but a cub next to the Chola tiger.
With stability secured and the Chalukyas weakened, I have been given a rare opportunity to build upon the foundation that my father laid.
I am not averse to war, and Sri Lanka taught me that even some atrocities can be justified for the greater good; but my empire will not be one of violence alone.
War is but one tool in the arsenal of an empire. We will employ every weapon that we have to expand our influence across both land and sea, and our first act will be one of diplomacy.
There is a rumor out of the far east: Suryavarman, emperor of the Khmer, is said to seek an alliance with us. Such a pact would be a great step towards domination of this region.
Indeed, the star of the Chola Empire has only begun to rise!
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Starting resources: 150 gold
- Population limit: 150
- Starting technologies:
- On all difficulties: Long Swordsman, Pikeman, War Galley, Careening
- On standard/moderate difficulty: Elite Skirmisher
- On standard difficulty only: Crossbowman
- On all difficulties:
- Starting units:
- Envoy
- Grand Chariot
- 2 Ballista Elephants
- 2 Long Swordsmen
- 2 Cavalry Archers
- 2 Villagers
- 3 War Galleys
- 2 Fire Ships
- 1 Transport Ship
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Wait for instructions.
- Bring the Envoy and the Grand Chariot safely to Rajendra Chola, either by following the shallow coast in the north, or by venturing across the sea towards the Andaman Islands.
- The Envoy and Grand Chariot must both survive.
- Improve the Chola Empire's prestige by completing side quests until you have 10 Prestige points. As you complete objectives or progress through the scenario, new objectives will gradually unlock. You can pick whatever quests you like, and each successful quest will give you 1 Prestige.
Secondary objectives[]
- Establish an alliance with Suryavarman of the Khmer Empire.
- Vassalize Sri Lanka by capturing its Castle. To capture the Castle, you must damage it to less than 1,000 HP.
- Vassalize Vengi by capturing its Castle. To capture the Castle, you must damage it to less than 1,000 HP.
- Retake Vengi by capturing its Castle. To capture the Castle, you must damage it to less than 1,000 HP.
- Vassalize Madurai by capturing its Castle. To capture the Castle, you must damage it to less than 1,000 HP.
- Destroy the western Chalukyan Docks to deprive them of their fishing waters.
- Steal the Chalukyan Relic and place it in one of your Monasteries.
- Build a Castle in the flagged area on the Andaman Islands.
- Maintain a fleet of at least 40.
- Build a Castle in the flagged area by the Tungabhadra River.
- Complete 100 trade journeys to the Srivijayan Dock with your Trade Cogs.
- Defeat the Bengali Pirates.
- Maintain a trade fleet of 40 or more Trade Cogs.
- Defeat the Chalukyan Empire.
- Defeat Madurai.
- Maintain an alliance with Srivijaya.
- Accumulate 10,000 gold.
- Defeat Srivijaya.
Hints[]
- Your ships take damage when traversing the deep ocean, but there may be a way of improving your ship-building technology...
- Rajendra Is initially restricted to the Castle Age and can support a population of 150.
- There are many routes to victory in this mission of empire-building. You can warmonger or exercise soft power in he form of trade and diplomatic deals — but some foes can only be subjugated with a good thrashing.
- Strength breeds strength. Building up your empire by gaining more Prestige will unlock new technologies. This includes the Imperial Age, which is unlocked when you have 5 Prestige points.
- Vengi is your puppet from the start. You can command its forces to attack using flares.
- When vassalized, Sri Lanka will send you resources and provide modest military support, but requires protection from pirate attacks.
- Living in a time before the invention of gunpowder, Rajendra cannot train any gunpowder units except for Cannon Galleons.
Scouts[]
- Rajendra's Chola Empire (8, Grey) controls much of the Indian south and will be able to strike out in all directions once the emperor gives the word. For now, however, Rajendra (1 Red) is waiting an envoy to arrive from across the ocean with a gift from Suryavarman of the Khmer Empire.
- To the north lies the Chalukyan Empire (2, Cyan), which remains your most formidable enemy. Their armies of Chakram Throwers, elephants. Shrivamsha Riders, and archers are biding their time... for now.
- Two Chola allies exist in Vengi (3. Purple) to the northeast and Sri Lanka (4, Orange) to the south. Both, however, have their weaknesses: the Chalukyas have long eyed Vengi and may seek to take it over. and the Sri Lankans are too weakened by war to be a powerful ally.
- The Pandya dynasty of Madurai (5, Yellow) is causing trouble and may need to be dealt with swiftly; but even if subdued, this prideful dynasty may not prove a trustworthy ally. They will primarily send Crossbowmen, Elephant Archers, and warships your way.
- To the far southeast lies the empire of Srivijaya (7, Blue). A wealthy middleman in the trade between India and China, they could become either a strategic ally or a powerful foe.
- Lastly, Bengali Pirates (6, Green) plague the waters of the empire. Like a nasty mold, they may prove difficult to root out entirely, but you may need to deal with them to protect your maritime trade.
Players[]
Player[]
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- Player ( Dravidians): The player starts in the east of the map in a friendly base with an Envoy, a Grand Chariot (technically a renamed Emperor in a Barrel), and some troops and ships.
Allies[]
- The Chola Empire ( Dravidians): The Chola Empire's units and buildings are passed on to the player's controls when the Envoy successfully reaches Rajendra in the southern tip of mainland India. Rajendra himself and nearby buildings and units remain beyond the player's control for the duration of the scenario.
- Suryavarman ( Khmer) (not really a player): Controls the port in the eastern corner, from which the Envoy starts out his journey west. (Removed since an update[When?], with its ownership now under The Chola Empire)
Allies → Enemies → Allies[]
- Vengi ( Dravidians): They have a fortified base to the north of the Chola base and train land troops to attack the player's enemies. During the span of the scenario they are captured by the Chalukyans, and can be captured by the player again by bringing their base's Castle's Hit points below 1,000.
- Sri Lanka ( Dravidians): They remain loyal vassals and lead naval and amphibious attacks with landing parties against various enemies of the player. However, they can betray the player if the Castle is sufficiently damaged. Like Vengi, they can be recaptured by the player.
Enemies → Allies → Enemies[]
- Madurai ( Dravidians): They have a fortified base to the west of the Chola base in South India, and can be forced to submit by ravaging their castle, following which they ally and aid the player militarily on both land and sea. They eventually revolt again, allying themselves with the Chalukyan Empire, and must be defeated completely.
Neutral → Potential Ally / Enemy[]
- Srivijaya ( Malay): Their territory is a small landmass on the southeast edge of the map that is highly fortified with a large and diverse armada and are able to train fully upgraded troops. They can be traded with peacefully as long as the player keeps their military away from Srivijaya's and avoids killing too many of their units or sinking their ships. They will also extend the offer of an alliance after the player has conducted at least 100 trading journeys with them, although that comes with some cost.
Enemies[]
- Bengali Pirates ( Bengalis): They have a large presence in the Bay of Bengal (sea east of India) with the strongest base in Andaman (island above Srivijaya base) as well as a minor base in the river delta in Bengal (northeast of the map). They turn out to be a nuisance on the journey of the Khmer Envoy and later on also lead naval attacks and landing parties to the player's territory and Sri Lanka.
- The Chalukyan Empire ( Gurjaras): They have a powerful and expansive presence in the lands north of Chola influence as well as in the Arabian Sea (the sea to the west of India) and will lead regular attacks through land and water.
Strategy[]
Prestige-unlockable technologies[]
The player begins with 3 Prestige, as the secondary objectives of establishing alliance with Suryavarman and vassalizing Vengi and Sri Lanka are automatically marked complete by the time the Envoy and the Grand Chariot reach Rajendra Chola.
Earning 4 Prestige unlocks a custom unique technology in the Dock named Marakkalam Vessels. It costs 500 food, 400 gold to research and prevents the player's ships from taking further damage when sailing through deep waters. This is essential for attacking the Bengali priates and trading with Srivijaaya. Earning 5 Prestige unlocks the Imperial Age research. Earning 10 prestige will win the game. Destroying all enemies will also win the scenario, but is much more time-consuming.
Sailing to Rajendra Chola[]
The conventional approach sees the player load up every single land unit into the Transport Ship, travel to the waypoint in the middle of the map (the central Andaman Island), obtain some wood, repair the ships, and continue the journey. However, stopping for repairs triggers a pirate ambush that can be survived only with careful maneuvering of the available ships.
Another route will see the player sailing around the shallows (i.e. hugging the northernmost edge of the map in order to avoid the damage-over-time effect on the ships). The shallows are filled with hostile pirate ships, but there's a small islet with a Gaia Fortified Tower and a Siege Onager that will help take out the enemies as long as they are lured towards this small outpost. The player will eventually reach a mangrove river delta, where the fleet should turn westward while hugging the coast. There's a small beach where the fleet can stop for repairs before taking the final part of the journey. There's a pirate ambush near Rajendra Chola's port.
Building a base on Rajendra Chola[]
Upon sending the Envoy to Rajendra Chola, the player assumes control of a large base (Red) with two Town Centers, about 20 Villagers, and some military buildings. The player will almost immediately begin facing attacks from both sea and land, so do not worry if the small westernmost base with a Mill and few military buildings is lost, as it is very hard to defend with the player's starting forces.
It is important to destroy Madurai and reach the Imperial Age as soon as possible. Otherwise, the player may quickly be overwhelmed and be unable to compete with a technology disadvantage. The player should quickly build two additional Town Centers and boom to 70 Villagers quickly, while producing 4-6 Siege Elephants and Skirmishers to attack Madurai's Castle. Madurai (Yellow) will mount an attack soon after the player lands (they use mostly Elephant Archers, Crossbowmen, and Siege Elephants, which are countered by the Siege elephant and Skirmisher combo. Their siege elephants can be cleaned up using the player's initial units). The player can also build a Castle near the entrance to Madurai's base and lure out their army to make things easier. Once Madurai's Castle hits 10% hit points, Madurai will change its stance to ally. This will increase the player's prestige to 4 and make "Marakkalam Vessels" available at the Dock, removing the damage-over-time effect from ships.
Since the goal is to reach the Imperial Age as soon as possible, and the player should have a sizable army left after taking over Madurai, it is advisable to move in the flagged area by the Tungabhadra River and build a Castle there. Another option is to make a small navy and Transport Ship, and push towards the Andaman Islands (the island near the Pirates' Castle with the lumber stockpile) to build a Castle there. Either of these will make the Imperial Age available for research. The player can then consider their options:
- The Chalukyan Empire (Cyan) is by far the most formidable enemy. They will pressure Vengi (Purple) with sizable armies and will also attack the player's Castle at Sri Lanka, even with Cannon Galleons at the later stages. They will also utilize Chakram Throwers, Shrivamsha Riders, Camels, and Trebuchets on land. Building a Castle in the north will draw their attention away from the player's economy.
- The Pirates (Green) will focus on the player's Castle on Sri Lanka (or the Andaman islands) and will also attempt to destroy the player's Docks and navy, but will not fight on land. They sometimes make landings on Sri Lanka. Building a Castle on the Andaman islands greatly reduces the rate at which they produce a navy.
- If the player loses any of the Castles in vassal lands (Vengi, Sri Lanka and Madurai), those factions will renegade and break alliance. Losing Sri Lanka has the least impact, as they do not have the economy to support any meaningful army, but losing control over Vengi and/or Madurai will leave the player's flanks vulnerable.
Once the Imperial Age is researched, Madurai will rebel and Vengi will automatically fall under the Chalukyan Empire. Taking down Madurai's Castle for a second time will force them to resign for good. Taking down Vengi's Castle will return them under the player's control. It is possible to garrison 10 Petards inside each of these two allies' Castles and set them to aggressive; when they turn into enemies, the Petards will ungarrison and destroy the Castle, instantly returning them back to an ally. Otherwise, to best prepare for their betrayal, station Armored Elephants and Trebuchets (if the Imperial Age is reached) and some army near their Castles so that they surrender quickly with few casualties.
At this point, the player can go for either a naval or a land strategy to quell the rebellions (but likely not both, as the 150 population limit makes a hybrid strategy very difficult). In either strategy, it is important to keep the player's economy safe and secure sources of gold, as gold is scarce on this map.
Land strategy[]
This strategy involves quelling the rebellions, then destroying the Chalukyan's base in the northwest, across the Tungabhadra River. This should be much easier now that Trebuchets are available. The disadvantage of this strategy is the immense pressure from naval forces.
After destroying Madurai and securing Vengi's loyalty once more, the player might decide to push eastward, across the river toward the Eastern Chalukyan's base. It is heavily fortified with three Castles and a sizable force of Monks, Hussars, Heavy Camels, Crossbowmen, Two-Handed Swordsmen, and Trebuchets. Strongly consider researching Wootz steel, which will make the player's cavalry and infantry attacks ignore armor. This will make Pikemen and Light Cavalry very cost-effective attackers. Once the Castle and Town Center in the east and the three Castles and Town Center in the west are down, the Chalukyan Empire will resign (The western Chalukyan base can be destroyed by Cannon Galleons. The player can build a Dock at the river, and a few Cannon Galleons will level most of the western base). The player will have full control on land and can proceed to take the Relic with ease (+1 Prestige). Also, if the Chalukyan Empire's Marketplace was not destroyed, the player can start to trade on land.
If the Castle was not made on the Andaman islands, is very likely that the sea will be lost at this point. Since the land is taken for good, the player can delete land units to free up space for a navy. Create a force of Fast Fire Ships, maybe some Thirisidai, and a few Cannon Galleons to retake the waters and help complete the remaining objectives (the enemy will not make Demolition Ships). It is recommended to create 40 ships to attain another prestige objective. Be careful not to sail military ships near Srivijaya, or they will change their stance to enemies (it is much preferable to simply trade with them).
[]
If possible, build a quick Castle in the flagged area by the Tungabhadra River using the 2-3 Villagers located nearby. Move all the land units to the Castle, to ensure that the Castle does not fall before the Imperial Age is researched. This will help defend against land attacks from the North. If not done already, research Marakkalam Vessels, and then Chemistry. Build a navy of at least 40 Fast Fire Ships and a few Cannon Galleons, and quell the Vengi and Madurai rebellions by destroying their Castles.
When the player has accumulated another 650 stone, move 10 Villagers and a ship escort to the middle of the map, and build a Castle in the flagged area next to the pirate base (if not done already). Doing this will allow the player to accumulate the 5 prestige points needed to research the Imperial Age and greatly reduce the pirate raids. The player may also move much of the economy to Sri Lanka, where it will be well protected by the player's navy. Replace farmers with Fishing Ships and gold miners with Trade Cogs. Trade Cogs will help the player achieve two more prestige objectives. Be very careful not to move the player's navy near Srivijaya, or they will turn into enemies.
Clear out the remaining pirates, then the Docks to the west of Chalukyan's base. Clear out as much of Chalukyan's base as possible using Cannon Galleons while making an invasion on land.
Srivijaya and the Chalukyan Empire[]
Upon reaching Rajendra, the player is given a secondary quest: conducting 100 trade journeys with Srivijaya. If the player completes this task, they will be offered an opportunity to form an alliance with Srivijaya. Doing so is initially cost-free. However, after a period of time, Srivijaya will demand a tax on the trade income (it appears that this refers to the income from trading with them, not overall trade income, but this needs to be verified) for the alliance to be maintained.
The player's traders will be outraged, and demand that the player take action on them. However, it is probably more beneficial to to continue the alliance with Srivijaya, because they do send out their formidable fleet to attack the player's enemies at sea, even to the extent of helping the player defeat the western Docks of the Chalukyan Empire (one of the key objectives), which are protected by Sea Towers (named Fortified Outpost). Also, despite the nemesis the Chalukyan Empire is portrayed to be in this scenario, it is not necessary to defeat them to clear this scenario: the objective is to earn 10 prestige points, not to defeat the Chalukyan Empire. This will, however, deprive the player of the chance to get the "Eye of the Tiger" achievement, which requires the player to destroy all enemy factions in the map.
It is also important to note that once Srivijaya starts imposing the trade tax, Srivijaya will also make war on the player if they redirect their Trade Cogs to Suryavarman or the defeated Pirates' Docks and avoid their Harbors. They will also end the alliance if they do not have enough gold to pay Srivijaya (although this is unlikely).
Outro[]
My enemies lie shattered before me and the Chola Empire stands victorious once more.
Why, then, does it feel as if something inside of me is breaking?
For years I have sought greatness not only for myself, but for my subjects. I have treated even our rivals with the dignity befitting ancient dynasties, but my softness has only led to setbacks.
Only when I unleash devastation upon my enemies — soldiers and civilians alike — do I seem to conjure up any lasting victory.
Perhaps my father was right after all. I cannot be both great and benevolent. One virtue must be sacrificed for the other, and the price for greatness is inevitably corruption: the slow death of everything that I believe in.
For a long time, this quandary has sent me into tortuous dreams. It is as if a black seed has been planted in some murky crevasse of my soul. I have ignored it, hid from it... all for naught.
Could it be that my fear of corruption was but a sign of my inexperience as a ruler? Something that my father learned to overcome in the harshness of his later years?
For if one cannot reach greatness without being corrupted, without giving in to that deep desire to increase one's power by any means available...
...then is corruption truly a bad thing?
Trivia[]
- The start of the scenario follows the story (and features nearly the same units) of the third scenario A Dangerous Mission of the Suryavarman I campaign, where the Envoy must make his way with the Grand Chariot from Khmer lands to the Andaman port.
- A Sea Serpent can be seen in the eastern bay, similar to the Sea of Worms seen in Vinlandsaga.
- At first glance, one might think that there are 9 players in this scenario, with the Suryavarman player being unlisted, unnumbered, and sharing the cyan coloring with The Chalukyan Empire. Their units appear in the eastern corner of the map, from where the Envoy starts out his journey. Before starting the game, the buildings belong to Srivijaya and then are immediately under the control of The Chola Empire (which explains the architecture of the buildings), while modifying the color of the player's objects and also the player's name on the objects, which was done by triggers. This can be proven by changing the stance towards the Chola Empire to enemy, which also changes the stance towards Suryavarman's units. It is possible to notice this by pausing the game at the first second of the game and entering the cheat codes "MARCO" and "POLO".
- For unknown reasons, this was changed in an update to no longer hint at any Suryavarman player.
Gallery[]
