Yodit is a campaign in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. It focuses on the semi-legendary exploits of the real-life Gudit (Ge'ez: ጉዲት; Amharic: Yodit, lit. "Jewess"; reigned ca. 960), an enigmatic non-Christian (thought to be Jewish and Beta Israeli; so of the Kingdom of Semien) Ethiopian queen believed to be the cousin of the founder of the Zagwe dynasty, Mara Takla Haymanot, according to one tradition. Yodit is notorious for causing mass destruction over much of Aksum and slaughtering the Aksumite Empire's ruling dynasty before becoming a queen herself for reasons not yet clear to the present day due to the contradictory and incomplete nature of information about her.
Nevertheless, Yodit is so feared by the Ethiopians to the point that her name is usually translated to "fire" and "destruction" in Amharic, and her reign of terror is still widely remembered from various oral traditions and historical accounts recording her actions.
Campaign[]
| “ | The beautiful princess Yodit has a promising future at the Aksumite court, but is forced to flee when her Jealous nephew accuses her of theft. Witness exile transform this fallen princess into a mighty queen whose vengeance would strike fear into the hearts of all Ethiopians for centuries! | ” |
| —In-game campaign description | ||
| “ | The beautiful princess Yodit has a promising future at the Aksumite court. But when her jealous nephew accuses her of theft, Yodit is forced to flee her home country. Witness how exile shaped this fallen princess into a mighty queen. For centuries the story of Yodit's vengeance would invoke fear in the hearts of all Ethiopians. | ” |
| —In-game campaign description before the Definitive Edition | ||
The Yodit campaign consists of 5 scenarios. The player plays as the Ethiopians and the player color is green, except in Broken Stelae, where the player color is yellow. In the Definitive Edition, the player color in all scenarios is green.
The campaign is narrated by an unnamed Ethiopian trader as he told Yodit's tale to his son Daniel during their stay on Aksum. In the final scenario, another trader and a survivor of Yodit's attack on Aksum named Tariku also gives his account of witnessing Yodit's carnage first-hand.
Unit[]
| “ | Yodit had finally arrived to destroy the cradle of Ethiopian civilization! I shievered, for her fury was legendary... | ” |
| —Intro of Welcome Home | ||
Yodit is an infantry hero in Age of Empires II HD: The African Kingdoms. She had the appearance of a Gbeto and is only available in the Scenario Editor. Since the Definitive Edition, she has a unique model similar to a Gbeto. As a hero, she cannot be converted and can regenerate health.
Note that this unit does not actually appear in the campaign. There, Yodit is represented by Princess Yodit, a Queen incapable of attacking.
She is one of the starting units in the Battle Royale Fall of Axum map.
Trivia[]
- This is one of four campaigns with a female protagonist. The other three are Joan of Arc, Jadwiga, and Tamar.
- The campaign icon is a Stele/Stela, which is also an in-game decor object and is featured in the scenarios, most prominently in Broken Stelae.
Gallery[]
Views of the unit
A painting of Yodit circa 1400s.
Artwork of Yodit in the Definitive Edition
Imprisoned by her nephew Gidajan, victim of false accusations and jealousy by the latter
Artwork of Yodit in The African Kingdoms
The cutscene background in the Definitive Edition
The cutscene background in the HD Edition
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