Sacred Waters is the fourth scenario of the Rajendra campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Dynasties of India. It depicts the Chola expedition to North India.
Intro[]
I was reminded the other day of a story that I had nearly forgotten: the tale of the god Indra and his battle against the mighty serpent Vritra.
The Vritra had taken all of the rivers of the world hostage, causing a global drought. Only by destroying the ninety-nine fortresses of the Vritra and slaying the beast itself was Indra able to liberate the waters.
The priests would call me sacrilegious, but to me this tale has a hidden meaning. I am facing a Vritra of my own, and that monster is the great lie that I have lived until this day.
The ninety-nine fortresses are the little lies that are still burrowed into my soul: my irrational fear of corruption, my distaste for violence, and that misplaced care for the so-called innocent.
Only when I destroy these inner fortresses can I unleash the greatness within me and become a ruler whose name will live on for millennia. To do so, I must look beyond our traditional enemies.
Far to the northeast lies the land of Bengal. It is here, where the sacred Ganges meets the ocean, that I will achieve my greatest triumph yet.
I have announced a march on the Pala Empire that rules Bengal. General Araiyan has already left at the head of a large vanguard. Together, we will bring holy water from the Ganges back to Chola lands, so that the gods may bless our realm...
...and if I can defeat one of the greatest empires in the known world in the process, then all the better.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age: Imperial Age
- Starting resources: 2,500 food, 1,500 wood, 2,000 gold
- Population limit: 200
- Starting technologies:
- On all difficulties: Two-Handed Swordsman, Onager, Heavy Scorpion, Plate Mail Armor, Fast Fire Ship, Galleon, Wootz Steel, Conscription
- On standard/moderate difficulty: Arbalester
- On standard difficulty only: Halberdier, Elite Urumi Swordsman
- Starting units:
Differences between difficulty levels[]
On Standard difficulty, there is no Fortified Tower and fewer Keeps near Mahipala's Docks, and no Sea Towers in the sea.
Objectives[]
Main objectives[]
- Rendezvous with General Araiyan near the Bengali army's camp.
- Defeat Mahipala by destroying his three Castles.
- Seize Kalinga by killing its defenders.
- Seize Utkala by killing its defenders.
Secondary objectives[]
- Bring Rajendra to conquered (or allied) cities to gain control of their production buildings.
- As long as you have food stockpiled, your soldiers will regenerate HP when you taunt '110' for a cost of up to 500 food.
- Kill King Indraratha to end the Kalingan resistance.
- Bring Supply Ships (Trade Cogs) to any Dock under your control.
- Bring the lost Relic Cart to the Monks in Utkala.
- Raid local villages for food by destroying their Markets.
- Improve army morale by using your heroes in combat. This takes the form of extra attack points for all of your soldiers, which is lost if your heroes are unhorsed (killed).
Hints[]
- Rajendra begins in the Imperial Age with a population limit of 200 that does not require houses to maintain, but cannot construct any slow-moving siege weapons except for Armored Elephants before reaching General Araiyan.
- You have no economy of your own in this mission and cannot train economic units such as Villagers or Fishing Ships, nor any Trade Cogs or Transport Ships. Instead, you will receive resources from your allies in Vengi, as well as the towns that you conquer on your way to Bengal.
- To win, you must strike a balance between restraint and expediency. Rushing ahead to defeat Mahipala before his army reaches its full strength and his Wonder is completed could stretch out your supply lines, but advancing slowly will allow the Bengalis to fully build up, making the final battle harder to win.
- Raiding the countryside and completing side quests will slow down your march, but the resources and otherwise inaccessible technologies that they provide could prove indispensable later on.
- Mahipala's economic buildings lie on the banks of the Ganges, making them vulnerable to naval raids.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Rajendra's army (1, Red) has arrived in the allied town of Vengi (2, Purple). You will be able to augment your starting forces here, but you cannot linger for too long before resuming your march towards Bengal.
- Kalinga (4, Cyan) is close to Vengi, and its defences are comparatively weak. It will defend itself mostly with Elephant Archers and infantry.
- Beyond Kalinga lies the heavily fortified city of Utkala (5, Green), whose walls could prove too great a challenge for a head-on assault. It will defend itself primarily with infantry, Arbalesters, and siege weapons.
- At the end of the road lies the Pala Empire, ruled by the great Bengali emperor Mahipala (6, Yellow). He has made camp by the banks of the Ganges and will train a vast and diverse army, which includes the fearsome Ratha, the Bengali chariot of war.
- General Araiyan (3, Orange), a veteran from the campaign against the Chalukyan Empire, has established a forward camp near the Bengali position, where he awaits your arrival.
- Scattered throughout the countryside are local villages (8, Grey) that are prime targets for raiding. You may also run into packs of bandits (7, Blue), but these should prove no match for your imperial army.
Players[]
Player[]
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- Player ( Dravidians): The player starts in the south in the territory of the Chola vassal Vengi with a large army and navy, but no economic units or ability to obtain any, and thus is unable to construct new buildings or collect resources other than tributes.
Allies[]
- General Araiyan ( Dravidians): is himself present in his camp set up outside Mahipala's base, with a large army of Urumi Swordsmen, Pikemen, Elephants, and Skirmishers, awaiting the player's arrival. He also takes over control of Kalinga when it is conquered by the player.
- Vengi ( Dravidians): has a city in the south of the map and grants player access to many of its buildings when Rajendra is in the city (same as Kalinga and Utkala when they are conquered), they are unable to provide any other economic or military assistance.
Neutral[]
- Local Villages ( Bengalis): 4 villages are scattered around. They are passive and can be treaded upon easily as most villages have only a few spearmen, one of them also has two Monks. Their Markets can be demolished to loot their resources.
Enemies โ Allies[]
- Kalinga ( Bengalis): is the first enemy on the Chola army's march north. It has a walled city but a relatively small army and weak defenses. When conquered, its King Indraratha escapes beyond the jungle in the west to his mountain fortress and starts fielding a new force from it and two nearby military encampments to retake Kalinga and then attack the rearguard of the Chola army.
- Utkala ( Bengalis): is the second enemy on the Chola army's march north. It is a well fortified city with a decent garrison. It can be assaulted in more than one way.
Enemies[]
- Mahipala ( Bengalis): is the third and primary target of the Chola expedition. He has a highly fortified city with a large army pitched outside his city readied for battle, and fields Rathas, Elite Elephant Archers, Champions, Arbalesters, Battle Elephants, Armored Elephants, and Trebuchets to staunchly defend his base. His navy of Galleons and Fast Fire Ships patrol the Bay of Bengal to sink the Chola navy and its supply ships, and has erected Sea Towers and Keeps on small islets in the bay as well as on the Bengal coastline and in the eastern jungles. He also attempts a Wonder victory.
- Bandits ( Bengalis): have an encampment in the central forest, west of Utkala, which can be accessed only when the Utkala priesthood requests Rajendra to find and return the Relic Cart stolen from them by the bandits. They have a small force of infantry, archers, and some scorpions.
Strategy[]
First and foremost, Rajendra must be inside the walls of an allied city to transfer the control over production buildings to the player. If Rajendra leaves the city, the control over the buildings is lost and all units and technologies queued at this time will be lost. In practice, Rajendra's moves around the map should be carefully timed.
Secondly, Mahipala (Yellow) will start constructing a Wonder, which will put the player on a timer.
The player starts in Vengi. The army should be organized in control groups and sent northwest to capture Kalinga, while Rajendra stays in Vengi to research Siege Elephant, Elite Elephant Archer, Halberdier, and Dry Dock (and Arbalester on Hard difficulty). The navy should also move northwest towards the Kalinga Dock, clearing all Sea Towers (but not Guard Towers) and ships on its way.
Siege Elephants should attack Kalinga first, luring enemy units to come out and get slaughtered. Once all enemy units are dead, Kalinga will be captured. Once the queued technologies are researched, Rajendra can move to Kalinga to assume control. It is a good time to queue some Elephant Archers and Siege Elephants in Kalinga. The first Trade Cog bearing supplies should spawn by now. Bring it to Kalinga Docks and heal the army by typing "110" in chat.
Without delay, the army should exit Kalinga from the far gate and then head northwest towards the flagged Castle, where King Indraratha hides. There will be a small resistance force of Kalinga units and two Local Villages Markets that should be razed for extra resources along the path (but the player should not raze any other building, as it will slow them down). Meanwhile, Rajendra and the newly trained units should garrison the Castle, as Kalinga will send a small force to retake the city - and die to Castle fire. Once the main army reaches King Indraratha's hideout, Siege Elephants should once again be used as bait to force Kalinga to open its gates - and then the infantry should focus-fire on the King himself. All other units can be ignored. Once the king is dead, Kalinga resigns. Now Rajendra and two Siege Elephants should be send to the far southeast to destroy the the third Local Villages Market. Rajendra can single-handedly kill all its defenders, and hopefully this will increase the army's morale (+1 attack).
The main army should use the path in the woods to assault Utkala's backgate. There's a small army of bandits on the way and 3 damaged Trebuchets. Use the Trebuchets and Siege Elephants to break the gate and then kill the defenders. It is recommended to ignore the Castle near the Gate, as it will switch to the player's control once the city is liberated. Next, Rajendra should enter Utkala to assume control and receive a quest from the Monks. The main army should backtrack to the Bandit's camp to obtain the Relic Cart needed for the quest, while Rajendra should stay in Utkala to train Elephant Archers and Siege Elephants (as the most population-effective solution) to replenish the troops. Upon returning the Relic Cart, the player gains access to Cannon Galleons and should train some in order to clear the naval route from the bottom to Utkala, so they can unload Transport Cogs in their Dock.
Once the Wonder timer is close to 120 years, the player should prepare for an assault. The remaining military force should be brought forth to meet with General Araiyan. All troops under General Araiyan will switch to the player's control and Mahipala's attack will be set on a timer. The player should take all available Siege Elephants, 20+ Elephant Archers, and all infantry and quickly head north towards the fourth Local Villages Market, then towards the northernmost Mahipala Castle, and finally towards the Wonder. It is imperative to take down the Wonder at all costs. Meanwhile, the westernmost Castle in Utkala should be garrisoned with archer units. All remaining troops should be used to distract Mahipala's main army while retreating towards Utkala's walls and Castle. The two hero units should stay in the back of Utkala, as their deaths decrease the attack of all units. Mahipala's force is massive, but consists mostly of ranged units that will eventually succumb to Castle fire and the player's own archer units. It is recommended to lock the gate once all the "baiting" troops are evacuated behind the walls for extra protection.
With the Wonder down and Mahipala's initial attack survived, the player has plenty of time to rebuild, as long as the Trade Cogs keep coming (the navy should patrol the waters). Utkala's Castles can train Trebuchets, and given the enemy's focus on archer units, a sizable force of Elephant Archers and Skirmishers protected by Siege Elephants can push the enemy and buy enough time for a a group of Trebuchets to destroy the remaining two Castles. Alternatively, the player can train an army of Thirisadai and Elite Cannon Galleons to destroy the easternmost Castle from the sea while also depriving the enemy of its gold deposits.
Short tips[]
- Rajendra must be kept alive at all cost. Without him, it is impossible to control a Dock (until the rendezvous with Araiyan's forces after conquering the first two cities), and without any Dock, it is impossible to receive additional resources.
- Make sure that the first (Vengi) Castle is not too heavily damaged. They provide a good place to garrison Rajendra to keep him alive, and control the Vengi Dock, which is closest to where the resupply Trade Cogs spawn. Even though the player will have access to a second Dock after rendezvousing with Araiyan, it is located deep in enemy territory, and hence the resupplying Trade Cogs are vulnerable to being destroyed while travelling toward it.
- Land units should be primarily Elephant Archers, while the wood should be invested in Thirisadai.
- Killing Indraratha of Kalinga will grant the otherwise inaccessible technologies Bracer and Ring Archer Armor, which will benefit the player's ships as well as Archery Range units greatly.
- If the rebellion is not put down by killing King Indraratha, the section of Kalinga that the player conquers in the initial stages of the scenario will betray the player shortly after the player leaves the area: Consider destroying all possible military buildings when controlling the city.
- Send your army through the forest path between the two local villages west of Utkala to gain access to four damaged Trebuchets (that start losing health when kept unpacked) with access to the city from the northwest from a higher ground.
- Distract the enemy before sending all the Armored Elephants forward to destroy the Wonder, the enemy Castles can be dealt with later. One of Mahipala's Castles is within range of the Cannon Galleons, if the player manages to bring the Relic Cart to the Utkala Monks.
- If the player struggles to keep the enemy troops at bay, garrisoning a few soldiers at Utkala's Castle may distract the enemy until the military is rebuilt.
- Whenever a Trade Cog spawns, so does Mahipala's Galleons. They spawn from the southeastern side of the map and attempt to sink the Trade Cogs.
- Bringing the Relic Cart to the Utkala Monks gives the player access to valuable rewards: Chemistry and Elite Cannon Galleons.
- If any of of Utkala's Castles are still standing when taking control of its buildings with Rajendra, the player can train new undamaged Trebuchets from them.
Achievement[]
The Achievement "No Wonder You Won" can be unlocked when the player destroys all of Mahipala's Castles before the Wonder is complete, which in this case, the player has absolutely no time to waste. The player should start by stationing Rajendra in the starting base and research Elite Elephant Archer and Siege Elephant, and train a few Elephant Archers.
When it is time to go on the offensive, the player should split their army: one to capture Kalinga, and the other to capture Utkala. For Utkala, the player should take the forest path, capture the fragile Trebuchets, and attack Utkala's garrison. By then, the player should have captured Kalinga and Utkala simultaneously. However, with Indraratha still alive, he will most likely retake Kalinga first, but the player can retake the town later on. The player then has to make sure they have at least 10-12 Siege Elephants (+3 more from General Araiyan, which makes 18) before meeting up with Araiyan. Make sure Rajendra is garrisoned in one of Utkala's Castles. When the attack timer starts, the player should move the Siege Elephants away from the battlefield and send a unit to Mahipala's territory to trigger the attack. While Mahipala's units are fighting the player's units, the player should quickly send the Siege Elephants to level the Wonder immediately, and the Wonder will be destroyed before it's completed.
The achievement will only be rewarded when the player wins. With the Wonder destroyed, the player can build up and bring the fight to Mahipala whenever they like. What the player should do next is to bring Rajendra out of Utkala and garrison some units in the Utkala-controlled Castles, so that Mahipala's units will gather around the Castle, waiting to kill the units inside (thus one can consider Utkala fallen under Mahipala's army). The player can now march to Indraratha's hideout and kill him, and Kalinga will fall under the player again. As for the sea, a fleet of mainly Thirisadai works well against Mahipala's Galleons, so they should be used to patrol and clear out any yellow Galleons they encounter to secure resources from the Trade Cogs.
The player can send a small group of Elephant Archers to capture the Relic Cart from the bandits. It is important to note that while the Relic Cart can make it to the Monastery on its own, never send the cart to enter the city through the gate near the Castle with the player's units inside, as it can fall under Mahipala's control. His army may still be camping outside one of the Castles. After the cart is delivered, the player can build a small number of Cannon Galleons and level the Castle nearest to the shore.
With Kalinga under the player's control, the player should amass a large army of Elephant Archers, accompanied by Urumi Swordsmen, Halberdiers, some Siege Elephants, and Trebuchets before clearing out Mahipala's forces in Utkala. After the player's population limit is maxed out, the player can then go attack Mahipala's base. The Elephant Archers and Halberdiers should finish Mahipala's troops, while the Siege Elephants and Trebuchets destroys the remaining two Castles. The player is victorious with the achievement awarded as soon as all Castles are down.
Outro[]
Despite suffering humiliation at my hands, Mahipala refuses to bend the knee. He retreats and leaves eastern Bengal open for raids, and in doing so he saves his dynasty from annihilation.
A part of me admires his staunch resistance; but that is a part of me which must die. There can be no admiration for one's enemies, no respect for those who refuse to accept their place in the world that I am creating.
For now, I will leave Mahipala to pick up the pieces of his broken pride. Another even greater predator has drawn my eye...
Trivia[]
- Sacred Waters deals with the Chola military expedition to North India between 1019 and 1024.