Road to Royalty is the second scenario of the Ismail campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals. It's about the conquest of Tabriz by Ismail and his Qizilbash allies in 1501.
Intro[]
I have fixated on Ismail’s leftover kebab this whole time, which he seems to have picked up on. I am skeptical of his generosity, but with all of my lingering questions, I will be needing all of the energy that I can get.
Despite the fall of Shirvan, the Aq Qoyunlu were only battered, not broken. Panicked by Ismail’s swift rise, they assembled their forces near the village of Sharur, a place of strategic importance between his camps in the southern Caucasus and their capital of Tabriz.
Although Ismail was horrifyingly outnumbered, the promise of battle lit a fire in him which spread to his men. They laid their lives at his disposal, for they knew that their leader was also ready to confront whatever fears they had.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Castle Age - Ending Age: Castle Age
- Starting resources: 800 food, 800 wood, 600 gold, 300 stone
- Population limit: 125
- Starting units:
- Ismail
- 4 Knights
- 3 Camel Riders
- 10 Villagers
- 2 Fishing Ships
Main objectives[]
- Defeat the Aq Qoyunlu.
- Capture Tabriz by bringing at least 20 military units to the flagged area in the city.
Secondary objectives[]
- Destroy Armenian Markets, Blacksmiths, and their Trade Workshop to loot extra resources.
- Garrison a Relic in the Georgians' Fortified Church.
- Weaken Tabriz's defenses by capturing local Nobles.
- Use taunts to dictate the Qizilbash's strategy.
- Type 210 to make them employ an aggressive strategy.
- Type 220 to make them employ a defensive strategy.
Hints[]
- Ismail is restricted to the Castle Age and a population limit of 125.
- Coordinate with your Qizilbash allies. Good timing can bring you a decisive advantage against the Aq Qoyunlu's large army.
- The Aq Qoyunlu will take a while to train their army. Use this time to build up your forces and defenses.
- Gold is scarce, so you must collect Relics, pillage Armenian estates, or trade with the Qizilbash to compensate. Your Caravanserais will increase the speed of nearby Trade Carts.
Scouts[]
- Ismail (Yellow) and his Qizilbash forces (Red) have set up a camp at the foot of the Zangezur Mountains, poised to face the oncoming invasion.
- The Aq Qoyunlu (Green) have assembled in Nakhichevan and Sharur in the west. They will dispatch Keshiks, Cavalry Archer, swordsmen, Camel Rider, and Battering Rams against the Safavid forces.
- The city of Tabriz (Purple) is located in the southern reaches of the map. Though formidable, Ismail can weaken it by capturing enemy Nobles (Cyan) scattered about the countryside.
- To the north, the Georgians (Grey) have arrived in retaliation for Safavid raids. They will attack Ismail with packs of Monaspas, Long Swordsmen, and Skirmishers.
- The Armenian region of Syunik (Orange) separates Ismail from the Aq Qoyunlu and is defended by archery units, infantry, and Monks. Some of its buildings can be looted for extra stone and gold.
Players[]
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Player[]
- Player ( Persians): The Safavid forces under Ismail are attempting to take over the city of Tabriz and parry an Aq Qoyunlu invasion from the west. The player's base is located in the east near the Qizilbash, and the player also possesses several Caravanserais between the two players.
Allies[]
- Qizilbash ( Tatars): The player's Qizilbash allies will support Ismail's forces and can be commanded by certain chat messages. They uniquely train Qizilbash Warriors from their Castle, alongside Cavalry Archers, Steppe Lancers, and Light Cavalry.
Enemies → potential Ally → Enemy[]
- Georgians ( Georgians): The Georgians have a large but weak settlement to the north with several Watch Towers interspersed in their holdings, and are initially hostile to Ismail. They will offer an alliance in exchange for a Relic. They will also provide Monaspa if their territory is explored. Eventually, they will suspect Ismail of treachery and attempt to attack the Safavids.
Enemies[]
- Aq Qoyunlu ( Tatars): The Aq Qoyunlu will prepare an invasion of the Safavid lands from the west. Their initial two attacks will be massive with many mounted units, and should be met with the player's forces bolstered by elevated Castles.
- Tabriz ( Persians): The city of Tabriz in the south will be mostly defensive, trying to parry Safavid attacks. Its garrison can be weakened by capturing the nobles scattered across the countryside, who are also protected by Tabrizian troops. On higher difficulties, they will also launch frequent attacks towards the player and the Qizilbash, with troops consisting of War Elephants, Knights, Crossbowmen, and Long Swordsmen.
- Nobles ( Persians): Three local nobles are scattered in the north, west, and south. If approached, they will be threatened into giving their support to Ismail, weakening Tabriz' defenses.
- Armenians ( Armenians): The Armenians lands are mostly in ruins and are located in the center of the map. They can be raided for resources and offer little resistance in the form of some Spearmen, Monks, and Composite Bowmen.
Strategy[]
The most immediate concern is to build up a strong defense, because the player will be attacked before the timer ends, and so will Qizilbash.
Get 8 or so Villagers on stone before building up other resources, and trade all other resources for stone where possible. The player's main gold income should be trading with Qizilbash, so get Trade Carts going immediately, with the Caravan technology when possible.
For the time being, keep Qizilbash defensive. If they attack, their units trickle in to Aq Qoyunlu's base and achieve nothing until the player can back them up. If they are defensive, they build up a force, and over time, many Guard Towers, which helps protect them.
A side objective to capture Tabriz noblemen will be given soon. They say to capture them before the battle, but this can be done at any time, its just advised to do so before specifically trying to capture Tabriz, as it helps limit their unit production.
The first Castle should be just north of the player's base. There are three Houses next to a forest, with just enough room for a Castle between them. Building one here covers the player's base from the occasional, and thankfully weak, attacks from the Georgians.
The next one the player build needs to protect the Qizilbash, as Tabriz will be hitting them hard with War Elephants supported by Crossbowmen, Knights, Long Swordsmen, and Scorpions. The first attack occurs around the 11 minute mark, so get this Castle up before then. A good spot for it is south of the two Caravanserai. Two roads go through the mountains and meet on the other side. At this intersection, the Castle can cover both ways to the player's ally. When possible, garrison this Castle with archers, and perhaps a few War Elephants of the player's own.
The next two will be placed right at the edge of Armenian territory. The Armenians pose little threat, aside from their Monks, and will not take an active role in this scenario. On the player's side of the Armenians, there is a lake, and two paths into their base. Build Castles at this lake to cover both ways, close enough to cover each other. the player should get them up just as the timer runs out.
Aq Qoyunlu will attack with Cavalry Archers, Light Cavalry, Men-At-Arms, Camel Riders, and rams, upgrading them throughout the scenario. They come in numbers and pose a significant threat even without the rams. Fully garrison at least one Castle and keep a Villager on standby to repair between attacks. As long as the player carefully monitors the defenses, they should hold fine, and now the player focuses on food and gold.
Upgrade the cavalry to benefit the War Elephants, and focus on producing plenty of them. They are very effective against the enemies, and will be making up the bulk of the force.
After some time, the Georgians will offer a truce in exchange for a Relic. There are four Relics on the map. One is along the south of the map, at the edge near the player's second Castle. One is on the far side, near one of the noblemen. Another is in the Armenian Fortified Church, and the last is over the mountains behind this church, guarded by three Lions, and only accessible through either the Georgian or Aq Qoyunlu bases. During this truce, the Georgians are allies and will not attack, so the Lion Relic is recommended to retrieve, as it is the closest to them. Collect the others for the player when possible.
Giving the Relic to the Georgians will result in them giving the player 15 (20 on Standard difficulty) Monaspas, but they will not help fight. Should the player begin to attack Tabriz, the Georgians will turn on the player, though they still pose little threat. If concerned, as few as ten War Elephants can significantly, if not totally, weaken or defeat them.
Getting 20 units to the flags in Tabriz turns the city over to the player, but by this point, resources will likely have been used up, so its only for production. Focus on using War Elephants to tank their army, breaking down a Gate, and moving towards the flags. Doing so will bring the player to a Castle. Behind this Castle is a Palisade Gate, and then the flags. Focus on the gate, and rush 20 units to the flags. the player can use the Monaspas to back up the War Elephants for this part if the player has too few Elephants left.
After this, change the Qizilbash stance to offense, and flood the Aq Qoyunlu base with as many War Elephants as the player has. It might take a while for Qizilbash troops to organize properly. Focus the Elephants on military buildings, Castles, and Town Centers. Qizilbash should manage most of the Aq Qoyunlu units with some of the player's War Elephant support, so the player's focus is stopping their production. Though Qizilbash may get distracted attacking Houses and such, so be careful pushing farther into the base. As long as the player reinforces the player's War Elephants when needed, the player can defeat Aq Qoyunlu in one or two good pushes.
Outro[]
As karnays announced Ismail’s arrival in Tabriz, the charismatic boy emerged Shah of Persia. The Safavid Order was now the Safavid Empire.
As Ismail’s army entered the grand palace, neys and tombaks sounded in revelry of their victory as they beheld the wonders of their new capital.
Yet as I watched the procession, I worriedly noticed my brother’s absence. I knew he would never have missed the chance to celebrate such a victorious, joyful moment. Fearing the worst, I left and scoured the battlefield.
After hours of frantic searching, I found my brother lying among a host of slain Aq Qoyunlu, the moonlight illuminating his lifeless face. My heart shattered as my pained cry pierced the air.
I thought that I had calloused myself to these wounds, but the truth resurfaces like a knife as I unearth these suppressed memories.
How I long to drive that knife into Ismail.
