The Scourge of God is the first scenario in the Attila the Hun campaign in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors. It is based on the time when Attila was co-King of the Huns with his elder brother Bleda in 434 - c. 445 A.D., but with the order of events changed for dramatic reasons.
Intro[]
A severed head on a pike seemed such a grisly trophy to be displayed in the chapel at Châlons. And yet it took me weeks before I got up the nerve to ask Father Armand why he kept it.
The ancient priest stared out the window for a long time, recalling days gone by. 'I was there', he said finally. 'At the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields... fighting alongside Aetius and Theodoric the Goth.' I knew there had been a battle here, decades ago. Peasants still overturn skeletons and broken shields with their plows from time to time.
'Who was it, Father?' I asked him. 'Who were you fighting?' He turned back to regard me, paralyzing me with his old-man's stare. 'Attila the Hun,' he said. And then he told me the story.
The Huns rode out from the wilderness sometime in the 370s, eager to feast on a Roman Empire weak from internal corruption and the expansion of other barbarian tribes.
It was the Huns who drove many of these other barbarians before them. They were terrifying warriors from the steppes of Asia, their bodies disfigured from ritual scarring, their legs deformed from a near lifetime in the saddle.
Despite their fearsome aspect, the Huns might have been little more than raiders, had it not been for the leadership of Attila. He called himself the Scourge of God. Attila and his brother Bleda led the Huns not just to raid, but to devastate Scythia and Persia.
A severed head on a pike seemed such a grisly trophy to be displayed in the chapel at Châlons. And yet it took me weeks before I got up the nerve to ask Father Armand why he kept it.
The ancient priest stared out the window for a long time, recalling days gone by. "I was there," he said finally. "At the battle of the Catalaunian Fields... fighting alongside Aetius and Theodoric the Goth." I knew there had been a battle here, decades ago. Peasants still overturn skeletons and broken shields with their plows from time to time.
"Who was it, Father?" I asked him. "Who were you fighting?" He turned back to regard me, paralyzing me in his old-man's stare. "Attila the Hun," he said. And then he told me the story.
The Huns rode out from the wilderness sometime in the 400s, eager to feast on a Roman Empire weak from internal corruption and the expansion of other barbarian tribes.
It was the Huns who drove many of these other barbarians before them. They were terrifying warriors from the steppes of Asia, their bodies disfigured from ritual scarring, their legs deformed from a near lifetime in the saddle.
Scenario instructions[]
Starting conditions[]
Differences between difficulty levels[]
- On Standard difficulty, the player starts with Loom and Murder Holes researched.
- On Hard difficulty, the Roman Empire has a Castle in their base, as well as one more Watch Tower.
Objectives[]
- Attila must survive.
- Attila must make sure Bleda is killed and return to the Huns' camp. Only then can the Huns ride against their enemies.
- Defeat 2 of your 3 remaining enemies (the Scythians, Romans, and Persians).
- OPTIONAL: Rescue Hun captives from the Roman fort to the south.
- OPTIONAL: Free the Scythian Scout from the Roman fort. He promises a reward.
- OPTIONAL: Bring Attila to the Scythian village to the west to discuss an alliance.
- OPTIONAL: Send 10 Horses to the Scythian palisade so the Scythians can supply Attila with soldiers.
Hints[]
- Bleda may be defeated in several ways; you can change your stance with him to Enemy and attack him, see that he dies in an accident, or refuse his challenge altogether and flee the Hun camp.
- Look for allies in unlikely places. The Scythians (green) are not on good terms with the Romans (blue) so it may be possible to convince the two to fight against each other.
- The Huns may only reach the Castle Age.
Scouts[]
Your scouts report:
- Attila the Hun (yellow) initially commands no troops as all of the Huns are loyal to the Hunnic king Bleda. Attila must somehow depose Bleda in order to inherit troops and villagers.
- There are three other enemies scattered across the landscape. The Western Roman Empire (blue) has a fort to the south where it holds some Huns captive. The Romans rely on their infantry in combat.
- The Scythians (green) have a scattered encampment to the west. Because the Scythians are a nomadic people, there are unmined reserves of stone in their area.
- The most dangerous enemy is the Persian city across the bay to the east. The Persians hoard lots of gold, but their army consists of Mangonels and War Elephants as well as a considerable navy.
Players[]
Player[]
- Player (
Huns): Initially commands no troops as all of the Huns are loyal to Bleda. After a short intro, the player gets to control Attila. The Hun base is in the northeast of the map.
Ally → Enemy[]
- Bleda's Huns ( Huns): Controls the base the player starts in, near the northeast of the map. After defeating Bleda, any remaining Huns join the player.
Enemy → Neutral → Ally[]
- Scythians ( Mongols): Have a scattered but well-defended encampment to the west. Because the Scythians are a nomadic people, there are unmined reserves of stone in their area. They field mainly Cavalry Archers and Skirmishers.
Neutral[]
- Eastern Roman Empire (Western Roman Empire before the Definitive Edition) ( Byzantines): Have a camp to the southwest where it holds some Hun Villagers captive. They field Archers and Men-at-Arms, but do not advance past the Feudal Age because they have no Town Center. The camp's perimeter is protected by Palisade Walls and Watch Towers.
Enemy[]
- Persians ( Persians): Have a walled gold mine near the Hun camp and a fortified city in a large island to the southeast, across the bay, which is connected by shallows to the Roman territory. They have several Gold Mines, and their army consists of Mangonels, Knights, War Elephants, and War Galleys. In Hard difficulty of the Definitive Edition, the Persian player will often send Villagers into Hun territory to hunt, mine, and build Stables to train Knights near enemy lines.
Strategy[]
To win, the player must kill Bleda and take over his forces, then defeat two of three other players: the Scythians, Romans, and/or Persians. The player will lose if Attila dies.
Attila can kill Bleda directly, allow the Iron Boar to do the same, or escape the Hun base and start up his own north of the smaller river. Of the foreign opponents, the Scythians will form an alliance with Attila if he frees their prince from the Roman camp and then delivers 10 Horses to them.
Ways to kill Bleda[]
There are many methods to ensure Bleda dies, each with different results and consequences.
Once Bleda leads Attila into the forest to kill the Iron Boar, change diplomatic stance with Bleda to enemy and attack him. Attila is statistically superior to Bleda and can kill him.
After Bleda is killed, return to the camp and stay close to the larger group of Tarkans to the right. Soon a group of archers, loyal to Bleda, will accuse Attila of unfairly killing Bleda. The Hun Commander (a stronger Tarkan) will counter-accuse them of plotting against Attila. A fight then breaks out, the larger group of Tarkans will join Attila, while the few to the left remain under Bleda's control. Concentrate on killing the archers. As soon as all archers are killed, all remaining Hun units and buildings switch control to Attila.
Another way is having Attila lure out the Iron Boar, and Bleda will follow and attack it with him. When the boar is lured out, have Attila retreat. Bleda will call him a coward and face the boar alone. Because the boar is strong with a lot of HP, it will kill Bleda.
After Bleda is killed, return to the camp and stay close to the larger group of Tarkans to the right. The dialogue that runs will be exactly the same as before. Kill the archers and the rest of the Huns will join him.
Attila can also take the honorable path and kill the boar alongside Bleda. Upon the boar's death, Bleda will thank him for his help, then betray him and order his archers to fire on him. Have Attila quickly retreat to the Tarkans. Once there, Bleda's diplomatic stance will quickly change to ally. The Tarkans will be outraged at Bleda's betrayal and deem him unfit to rule. The Tarkans will then all join Attila. Kill Bleda and his archers, and all the Huns will be under Attila's control.
Note: While it is possible to kill Bleda and the Archers with Attila alone, provided that the Boar caused enough damage to Bleda, if Attila takes too long, it may happen that the Tarkans will appear and attack him, as they are still under Bleda's control. However, if the player manages it in time, they get the benefit of all of the Tarkans being at full health.
If Attila decides to keep close to the Tarkans for a while, the Tarkans will demand to follow Attila. After a while, a few will join him. They will tell him to go to their families across the river. Take Attila and the Tarkans to a bridge west, next to a damaged Roman Watch Tower. Bleda will disown Attila and set stance to enemy. Continue on the bridge and encounter a group of Villagers. They will join Attila and give him starting resources. Prepare quickly, as Bleda's Tarkans will attack the camp (in The Conquerors, Bleda himself joins in on the attack but killing him will not ensure victory, a Tarkan must also die; in the Definitive Edition, Bleda stays in the Hun camp). When Bleda dies, Attila becomes ruler of the Huns.
This is the only method to get the villagers and their resources. If Attila becomes ruler any other way, they will not appear.
This is only possible to do before the Definitive Edition.
Approach the Iron Boar so Bleda starts attacking. When he does so, make Attila run back and cross the bridge in order to get four Villagers and some resources. After Bleda is killed by the boar, run back to the Tarkans before the Archers arrive (staying on the same side of the river as Bleda's camp may be better). Doing so will trigger the dialogue of the archer saying Attila has betrayed Bleda and the Hun commander's dialogue but as soon as he finishes talking Bleda will resign and the dialogue "When Attila comes back to the camp he will be the only leader of the Huns" will play while all Tarkans undamaged, archers, and the Hun camp extra resources and four extra Villagers pass onto the player's control, making this the best start possible.Attacking the Romans[]
Immediately advance to the Feudal Age and task Villagers to gather food. With the remaining Tarkans, attack the Romans before they become a threat. The Tarkans should be able to handle their Men-at-Arms and Archers. Focus on taking out the towers, followed by military buildings. Capture the Villagers and use a Tarkan each to free the Villagers and the Scythian prince (represented by a Scout Cavalry). The Romans resign when they lose their Market and Monastery closest to the Hun captives.
On Hard difficulty, the Romans also have a Castle, but they do not have Murder Holes and the military buildings are out of its reach anyway. Just focus on taking out the towers and military buildings first, then the Castle with the surviving Tarkans.
Note: the Romans are set as neutral to avoid killing the captured Villagers with their Towers and Castle. However, if the player uses the Villagers to destroy the Palisade Walls locking them, the Roman Archers will attack the Villagers.
Forging an alliance with the Scythians[]
Once the Scythian prince reaches his Village, the Scythians will extend an invitation to Attila to discuss an alliance. Station Attila in the marked area. The Scythians will request 10 horses, which if provided carries a reward of 18 Mangudai. If Attila sets diplomatic stance with them to neutral or enemy, they will switch to enemy, so be careful. Once provided with Mangudai, the Scythians will provide the same number again if all Mangudai under player control are killed.
Defeating the Persians[]
The player has the choice to defeat the Scythians, but the Persians are the most sensible choice. Gather as many Cavalry Archers as possible. Build a Castle near the shallows connecting the Persians to lure the Persian warships, Knights and Mangonels. Also build a Dock and assemble 8-10 Fire Ships to take care of the Persian War Galleys. Eventually the Scythians will also attack the Persians. In The Conquerors, the Persians will not retaliate against the Scythians due to a Diplomacy error, significantly thinning their numbers, but this bug is fixed in the Definitive Edition. Use a few rams to break the Persian Gates, Towers, Castle, and Town Center. The Persians resign when they lose all Villagers.
Alternatively, the player can defeat the Persians early in the game if they send Attila and all of their starting Tarkans to attack their base as soon as they gain control of Bleda's base, because the Persians have no land army, nor Murder Holes researched when the game starts. Breach one gate and send all units against the Town Center, preventing the Persians from advancing age. Afterwards, destroy their Castle and whittle down the Villagers. The Persians will resign shortly after, sparing the player a major headache later in the game.
Outro[]
I asked Father Armand more about this legendary Attila the Hun, whom the stories always treat as more of a monster than a man.
'He was a man,' the priest said, 'but he did not look like the Romans, nor did he worship the Roman god. That was the cause of all that was to follow.' Father Armand shivered as if from the cold breeze that blew in from the chapel's open window.
Kingship among the barbarians was not by divine right or lineage, but by who had the strongest will. Attila was the strongest of the Huns, and he reinforced his position by brandishing a rusty old blade and proclaiming it to be the Sword of Mars, the old Roman god of war. Attila had a custom of fiercely rolling his eyes, as if he wished to enjoy the terror that he inspired...
He had a power over other men, so that many chose to join him. Many foreigners joined his council, Scythians and Burgundians and Goths. It was not uncommon for Romans to do so as well - several decades prior, the son of a prominent Roman family had been sent to the Huns as a hostage to ensure peace. The name of this boy was Flavius Aetius, a name not soon to be forgotten.
I asked Father Armand more about this legendary Attila the Hun, whom the stories always treat as more of a monster than a man.
"He was a man," the priest said, "but he did not look like the Romans, nor did he worship the Roman god. That was the cause of all that was to follow." Father Armand shivered as if from the cold breeze that blew in from the chapel's open window.
"Kingship among the barbarians was not by divine right or lineage, but by who had the strongest will. Attila was the strongest of the Huns, and he reinforced his position by brandishing a rusty old blade and proclaiming it to be the Sword of Mars, the old Roman god of war. Attila had a custom of fiercely rolling his eyes, as if he wished to enjoy the terror that he inspired..."
Trivia[]
- In the co-op campaign mode, Player 2 has a base west of the Hunnic camp under Player 1, and controls a modified Hero unit Jarl named Edeko the Hun. Edeko was a prominent Hun who served as both Attila's deputy and his ambassador to the Byzantine Empire (in 449).
- In The Conquerors, the Scythian prince is not the hero Scythian Scout from the Editor but actually a Scout Cavalry with 1,000 hit points. The hero unit replaces him in the Definitive Edition.
- In The Conquerors, Bleda the Hun is not classified as a hero but as a common unit, doesn't regenerate health, and can be converted by Monks in the Castle Age. However, he is reclassified as a hero with the usual traits after The African Kingdoms.
- In the Definitive Edition, the Western Roman Empire is changed to be the Eastern Roman Empire which is a better fit geographically and historically.
- In The Conquerors, if Bleda is provoked to chase Attila across the river, he will also convert automatically to Attila's side along with all other Hunnic units across.
- The Roman dialogue "Our arrangement was with Bleda! I will not turn the captives over to Attila, you must take them by force!" will trigger when the player places any unit near the Roman camp, even if said unit is Bleda himself converted.
- Converting Bleda will not defeat, nor turn his remaining Huns to the player's side, but manually deleting Bleda after converting him can trigger them to do so.
- Attila and Bleda are classified as infantry despite being mounted, enabling them to garrison in rams. They also receive no multiplied damage from anti-cavalry units like Spearmen and Camel Riders.
- This is the only The Conquerors scenario in which the font used in the intro and the outro is not Poor Richard; instead, it is italicised Lucida Bright.
- Despite being advertised as carrying 700 food, in The Conquerors it's not actually possible for Villagers to harm, hunt, or harvest the Iron Boar. Only military units may damage and kill it.
- In the Definitive Edition, it is possible to harvest food from the Iron Boar. However, each Villager shot will only deal 1 minimum damage to it, so it is better to have Attila significantly weaken the boar first.
- In the Definitive Edition, Bleda the Hun's icon is changed to that of Subotai, despite his unit already having a unique icon in the Scenario Editor.
- In the Definitive Edition, the "Diplomacy is for the Meek" achievement can be earned by killing the Scythian Prince and defeating the Scythians.
- The Roman Empire camp is designed in the typical structure of a Castrum, a Roman frontier fort and military base, with the characteristic two major crisscrossing roads running north to south and east to west, intersecting at the center which consisted of the headquarters (here represented by a University). As it contains Stone Walls and fortifications it would be called a "castra stativa", which were permanent structures.
Historical comparison[]
- The map is loosely based on Eastern Europe, the main river being a mashup of the Dnieper (north-south flow, near the Scythians homeland), and the Danube (frontier between Romans and Huns). The 'island' occupied by the Persians resembles northern Anatolia, with the Aegean Sea west and the Black Sea north, and their small overseas colony near the Huns mirrors the Crimean port cities that were ruled from Anatolia. However, both Anatolia and Crimea were ruled by the Eastern Roman Empire, while Persia was further east. The shallows that connect Persian and Roman territory correspond to the Bosphorus straits, where the Eastern Roman capital, Constantinople, was.
- As mentioned in the intro, the name of the scenario is a nickname for Attila the Hun, "Flagellum Dei", Latin for "scourge of God".
- The scenario begins with Bleda's death (or Attila's flight, alternatively), which happened around 445 A.D. In reality, Attila and Bleda invaded Persia and the Roman Balkans while ruling together, in 435-440 and 440-445 A.D. respectively. The Huns turned their attention to the Romans after being defeated by the Persians.
- The death of Bleda during a hunting trip is based on Gothic historian Jordanes's claim that Attila killed him during one.
- The destroyed Roman camp on the Hun side of the river is likely a reference to a market established north of the Danube to facilitate trade between Romans and Huns by the Treaty of Margus, in 435 A.D. It was destroyed by the Huns in 440 A.D., after they accused the bishop of Margus of ransacking the Hun royal graves nearby.
- The Roman base is likely Margus itself (now Pozarevac, Serbia), which was destroyed at the beginning of the Hunnic invasion of the Balkans. This city was part of the Eastern Roman Empire, not Western as shown in the original version of the scenario. The Huns actually had good relations with the Western Empire in this time.
- Instead of rescuing Hun prisoners from the Romans, the Huns demanded that the Romans handed over some tribes who had defected because of their opposition to Attila and Bleda. Two of the tribes leaders were then crucified for converting to Christianity.
- The presence of "Scythians" may seem anachronistic as archaeologists consider that the Ancient Scythians assimilated into the Sarmatians by the 2nd century A.D. However, the Romans continued to use the name Scythians for peoples in the Ukrainian and Romanian steppes, even after the Huns conquered the Sarmatians in the 4th and 5th centuries. Alternatively, the name "Scythian Peoples" is used as a general term for ancient Eurasian steppe peoples, including the Sarmatians and the Ancient Scythians (who are called Pontic or Western Scythians in such case).
- Historically, the Scythians were eastern Iranian nomads from central Asia. However, in-game, they are represented by the Mongols, possibly because the Scythians were historically known for their mounted archery, light cavalry, and mounted lancers, and the Mongols were the closest civilization to have access to such units.
- The Scythian chief Leipoxais is named after a mythical Scythian chief mentioned by Herodotus.
- In The Conquerors, the outro mentions young Flavius Aetius living as a hostage of the Huns under Attila. In reality, this happened much earlier, under the reign of Uldin in 410 A.D., and Aetius returned home some ten years before Attila and Bleda ruled. In the Definitive Edition, it is said that it happened "decades earlier".
Gallery[]
