The Queen in the Panther's Skin is the fifth scenario of the Tamar campaign in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - The Mountain Royals. It is about the Georgian military campaigns in Persia between 1207 and 1213.
Intro[]
I was too distant from my father to be moved by his passing – but now, as I stare at the ghostly remains of my capital, I finally understand what my mother felt on that dreadful night.
Even before the word spread, it was obvious that something had changed in the queen. Only seldom would she show her face in public, and when she did, her manner was terse and indifferent.
Misfortune followed swiftly. The resurgent Turkomans devastated Zakare's capital of Ani, while Ivane was briefly imprisoned during one of his campaigns.
Without David to soothe her, the widowed queen took to eating to cope with the stress. Doubt gnawed at her – had she truly been this weak all along?
Up until then, my mother had prevailed over sultans, emirs, and her own husband. Desperate to convince herself of something greater, she set her sights on a foe like none she had ever crossed.
The Khwarazm Shah, I assume, needs little introduction – your armies have become quite familiar with his former domains by now. By challenging her most dangerous neighbor, Tamar put all of Georgia at risk.
As her health took a turn for the worse, she knew that the next day was no guarantee. Before her time came, she would embark on one final test of her abilities.
Only I remain now – what few words I have left to say may be my very last. No matter what follows, you shall know the whole truth.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
- Starting Age:
Imperial Age - Starting resources: 800 food, 800 wood, 800 gold, 200 stone
- Population limit: 60
- Starting units:
- Tamar
- 9 Cavalry Archers
- 6 Monaspas
- 6 Knights
Main objectives[]
- Complete as many secondary objectives as possible before the final battle begins.
Secondary objectives[]
- Liberate Persian cities by defeating the Khwarazmian garrisons there.
- Destroy enemy Supply Depots (Trade Workshops) to loot extra resources.
- Destroy the Turkomans' Town Center to acquire Relics during the final battle.
- Destroy the Ghorids' fortress to weaken them during the final battle.
- Capture the Ghorid trading post by destroying the towers guarding it.
Hints[]
- Tamar can support a population of 60 and initially cannot train new Villagers. Capturing Persian cities will allow her to house more soldiers.
- Focus strictly on completing secondary objectives during the first part of the mission. Doing so will improve your situation later when you inherit a new base with replenished forces.
- Each city that you hold will generate resources for you. Once the final battle begins, you will need to rely on Villagers to gather more.
- Persian War Elephants are difficult for heavy cavalry to overcome, but Monks can easily convert them.
- Your starting army will not follow you to the final battle, so be prepared to train a new one.
Scouts[]
- Tamar (Red) leads an army into Persia.
- The Khwarazm Shah (Yellow) controls several garrisons across Persia. Tamar must liberate the Persian cities from his grasp to strengthen her position later on. The Shah will deploy Elite War Elephants, Savars, Pikemen, Heavy Cavalry Archers, and Trebuchets.
- The conquest of Khorasan has earned the Khwarazmians command of a Ghorid auxiliary force (Green). Ghorid Imperial Camel Riders are deadly to cavalry units and are accompanied by Hussars, Elite Ghulams, and Siege Elephants.
- The Turkomans (Blue) inhabit the northern portion of the map near the Caspian Sea. They will guard their capital of Ardabil with Steppe Lancers, Keshiks, and Heavy Cavalry Archers. They hold several pillaged Relics as well.
- Ivane and Zakare's Armenian forces (Orange) will help Tamar fight the Shah during the final battle.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player ( Georgians): The player begins the first part in a decently-sized mountain military base, with several Knights, Monaspas, Cavalry Archers and Tamar herself comprising the starting force. There are no economic buildings or units in the first part of the scenario, except obtaining a Market from one of the Persian cities. The player must complete as many secondary objectives as possible in preparation for the final battle. Upon starting of the second part, the player assumes control of a moderately-sized town with a Castle, Town Center, military and economic structures, some Villagers, and a force of Elite Monaspas and Halberdiers. After the initial clash is over, the player must destroy five enemy Castles to win the scenario.
Allies[]
- Armenians ( Armenians): The Armenians' help can be chosen in the final battle in lieu of extra resources. If chosen, they send Champions, Warrior Priests, Arbalesters, Elite Composite Bowmen, and siege engines into the fray. Their town is located southeast of the player's base in the second part.
- Persian Cities ( Persians): These represent the cities and towns which the player can liberate by killing all of Khwarazm Shah's soldiers in them.
- Tamar's Army ( Georgians): This player temporarily controls the player's army during cutscenes, etc., and otherwise plays no role.
Enemies[]
- Khwarazm Shah ( Persians): The Shah's troops garrison many Persian cities across the region. In both parts, they deploy Hussars, Heavy Cavalry Archers, Halberdiers, Savars, and War Elephants, adding Trebuchets in the second part. In the final battle, they are one of the main enemies, and resign after their three Castles are destroyed in their sprawling base in the northeast.
- Ghorid Auxiliaries ( Hindustanis): These troops from the Tajik-Afghan region train Ghulams, Imperial Camel Riders, and Siege Elephants. They have a fortress in the first part, and also take part in the final battle with their holdings in the far eastern corner of the map. Destroying both of their Castles leads to their resignation.
- Turkomans ( Tatars): These raided Armenia and carried off treasures, which can be recovered by destroying their Town Center in the far north in the first part. They train Elite Keshiks, Steppe Lancers, and Heavy Cavalry Archers. They are not part of the final battle with the Persianate dynasties.
Strategy[]
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This scenario consists of two parts. In the first part, the player has 25 in-game minutes to complete a variety of objectives in order to gather resources, earn population space, and weaken the enemy for part two. In the second part, the player commands a new army, and has to destroy five Castles. Keep in mind that - as stated at the start of the game - the player will lose their entire army at the end of part 1, but researched technologies and accumulated resources are transferred. Therefore, it is advised to not make more army than needed in part one.
Completing secondary objectives makes the battle in the second part of this scenario a lot easier. Completing them all grants the "Alexandra the Great" Steam Achievement.
Part 1: completing objectives[]
Liberate Persian cities by defeating the Khwarazmian garrisons there. Every liberated city grants 20 population space, and a trickle of 8 food, 5 wood, 5 gold, and 1 stone every 5 in-game seconds. In addition, every liberated city gives the player a fixed amount of direct resources:
- The city to the north gives 750 food, 750 wood, 750 gold, 200 stone.
- The city to the east gives 250 food, 250 wood, 250 gold, 50 stone.
- The city to the south gives 500 food, 500 wood, 500 gold, 100 stone.
- The city to the west gives 1,000 food, 1,000 wood, 1,000 gold, 300 stone.
Destroy enemy Supply Depots (Trade Workshops) to loot extra resources. This grants 1,000 wood, food, and gold per destroyed Supply Depot.
Destroy the Turkomans' Town Center to acquire Relics during the final battle. This immediately gives 2,500 wood, food, and gold, and grants the player six Relics at a Fortified Church in the final battle.
Destroy the Ghorids' fortress (their two Castles) to weaken them during the final battle.
Capture the Ghorid trading post by destroying the towers guarding it. This gives the Grand Trunk Road technology to the player, which increases the speed of gold income by 10% and gives better trading fees at the market.
Since the player needs resources and an army to complete the objectives from the first part, it is strongly advised to focus first on the objectives that help with this. Furthermore, liberating towns grants a passive income trickle. Since destroying the Ghorids' fortress and trading post in the south only makes the second part of this scenario easier and gives no effect whatsoever for the first part, the player should save these two objectives for last.
Part 2: Destroying 5 enemy Castles[]
After 25 minutes have passed, or when the player manages to complete all objectives, the scenario will shift to a new part of the map, where the player has to destroy three Castles from the Khwarazm Shah, and two from the Ghorid Auxiliaries. The player will lose their entire army from the first part, but researched technologies and accumulated resources are transferred.
Before the battle commences, the player will have three minutes to build up forces, and decide if they want the Armenian AI as an ally, or if they want their base and resources.
Selecting one of the Zakarian Brothers activates the Armenian AI as an ally. They start with a small army, and train more units during the scenario. Selecting one of the Trade Carts gives the resources they accumulated this far (which is thus less if the player finished the first part fast). The Armenians hand the player their base, but their starting army disappears.
Turkoman/Ghorid Focus[]
In this approach, the player's key focus should be defeating the Turkomans and destroying the Ghorid fortresses. Destroying the Ghorid fortresses will make the Ghorids train fewer units, and destroying the Turkoman Town Center will grant the player extra Relics to keep their gold income steady.
If the player is in need of resources or population room, they can defeat all of the Persian forces guarding the cities, and raze depots for resources. Some of the cities are guarded by War Elephants, so Monks come in handy. If all of the depots and cities are liberated, as well as the aforementioned two side objectives completed, the player will receive an "Alexandra the Great" achievement, but this will require heavy micromanagement, as the player will have to split their armies and take care of the two side objectives at once, and the Ghorid fortress quest is harder than the Turkoman quest.
When the time is up, the player will lose control of their starting armies and infrastructure, and move on to the final battle. Since the Persians make use of War Elephants, the player needs a lot of Monks to counter them. Researching Theocracy is useful, since this technology lets only one Monk rest after a successful conversion.
The battle will be a intense one, since the Persians and Ghorids will attack relentlessly. The Armenians will assist the player, and all of the Persian and Ghorid Castles must be destroyed in order to win. The player must ensure that their economic production never cease, and stone is the most needed resource here. The push will be slow, and the player should erect multiple Castles up front. While the player's heavy cavalry and Castles mops up any incoming Cavalry Archers and Savars, the Monks convert the elephants. When the player amasses a large enough army and has converted enough elephants, take a push into the enemy cities and turn each Castle into rubble. Beware of Persian Castles, because they can fire bullets, thanks to the Citadels technology.
After the Persians Castles are down, the player should not have to worry about any more War Elephants and Trebuchets. The fight against the Ghorids is relatively easier, assuming that they destroyed their fortress earlier. Their Castles will go down in no time, and victory is granted once it's done.
Town/Depot Focus[]
An alternate strategy is to completely ignore the Turkomans and Ghorids during the first section and instead focus on Persian towns and depots. The benefit of this approach is maximising resources and population space going into the second part of the scenario.
Avoid spending resources on additional units (as they don't transfer to the second part of the scenario) and instead prioritise upgrades to maximise the effectiveness of the initial Cavalry Archer/Monaspa army. Use this army to clear one of the nearby depots, the resources from which can then further upgrade the army. Some additional Monaspas can be justified to keep the bonus attack high, but beware training more than 10 or so additional units. Move quickly and attack with full force at each location, using the Cavalry Archers to take out Halberdiers/heavy counter units. Finish with the largest Persian town in the western corner once the units are near-fully upgraded. In this way, the player can clear all towns, destroy all depots, and even clear the silk road if the player keeps the army moving. They will then enter the second part of the scenario with maximum population space available, fully-upgraded Imperial Age units, and ample resources.
Final battle[]
Once hitting the second part of the scenario, build several Castles with the stockpile of stone to hold off the initial onslaught while re-training the Cavalry Archer/Monaspa army, plus a couple of Monks. They can then steamroll through either enemy, using Trebuchets to destroy Castles and military production buildings. Additional Castles can be built to lock down key positions. Both the Ghorids and Turkomans will continue to train large amounts of units (including elephants), but a Monk/Monaspa mass can overpower these units. It's the player's choice on whether to recruit the Armenians as allies or not, but in most cases, the player will have ample resources, such that extra troop numbers in the field will be more beneficial.
Alternate short strategy for first part[]
Train Monks, move west, convert the War Elephants in the Supply Depot on the way and in the western Persian city, destroy the Supply Depot and kill the other troops to liberate the city, then move northeast. There's another Supply Depot in this path as well on the northwest. Repeat the process and kill all troops in the small Persian town, converting as many Savars as possible (but not delaying too much by waiting for the Monks to replenish faith). Move to the very north. On the way, there's another Supply Depot in a path which forks southwards into the mountains. Reach the Turkoman base and, after killing their starting army, use the War Elephants to tear down the Gate and then destroy the Town Center. Two Monks can be used to retrieve the two Relics in the eastern part of the Turkoman base for some extra gold income, although this is not necessary. Immediately take the southern route, liberating another town and destroying another Supply Depot, and keep heading southwards until outside the walls of the Ghorid fortress. By this time, the player should have produced some Trebuchets. Use these to attack the Ghorids and lure their army out. After destroying the army, use Trebuchets and War Elephants to destroy the two Castles, while the other troops defend them. Take some strong units and move to the southwestern end of the map (there's a direct path west from the Ghorid trading post), and destroy the Supply Depot there. The last Supply Depot is directly to the west of the Ghorid fortress.
Outro[]
Have I finally evoked something in you? Is it your respect for my mother's victory against the Shah, the man whose defeat was the crowning jewel of your father's achievements, that makes you spare my life? Is that why you offer me the bow that moments ago was to kill me?
For all of the atrocities that you have wrought, it would be perverse of me to accept it...
...and yet, I will.
My mother brought Georgia to heights previously unthinkable. She contended with the greats of her time and bested them all.
She left behind a magnificent legacy – but for all my efforts, I have failed to preserve it.
I am not worthy of Tamar the Great, nor have I ever been.
If submitting to your rule will save what is left of her kingdom, then I will accept your... friendship.
In return, I plead only that you accept this. Inscribed is a story of valor, adversity, and companionship.
‘The Knight in the Panther's Skin' is a tale inspired by my mother's life – one which raises our spirits to this day.
When generations have passed, these stories will be all that we leave behind. Your father may well be renowned as the greatest conqueror of all time, whilst my mother becomes just another one of history's forgotten.
However the next thousand years look back on us, may our fates be bound evermore.
Trivia[]
The scenario's name is a reference to the early 13th century Georgian chivalric epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin (Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი, vepxist̕qaosani) by Georgia's national poet and Tamar's contemporary Shota Rustaveli, and is mentioned by that name in the outro. Despite its fictional story and setting in the countries of "Arabia" and "India", the work is an allegory to the life and reign of "King" (as she is called in Georgian) Tamar, who is named in the prologue. While the Georgian word vepxi is usually rendered "panther" in English, it can also be translated to "leopard", "tiger", or similar felines. Likewise, "the knight" can alternatively be rendered "the lord", or "the man".
