"Tarnum knew the Azure Dragons, strongest of the all the Dragons, would give him the edge he needed to defeat both Gelu's Elves and Kija's Barbarians. Convincing the Azure Dragons to join him, however, would cost him dearly."
A New Ally is the fourth scenario in The Sword of Frost, the eighth part of Heroes Chronicles.
Tarnum seeks the help of the Azure Dragons when he realizes his enemy is much stronger than he first believed. Tarnum and his two best Captains will carry over to the next scenario along with all their experience, skills, and spells. All Heroes are limited to level 22.OffBck
The battle against Kija's barbarians slowed him down, and Tarnum feared that he wouldn't be able to catch up to Gelu. To strengthen his forces, Tarnum decided to enlist the aid of the azure dragons. When he prepared to search for their lair, he learned that the barbarians had circled around him and were again blocking his path. Kija had gained the ability to manufacture crystal dragons, and Tarnum knew he would have to face the powerful beasts in battle.
The medusas in Tarnum's army were being mistreated after the attempt on his life back when they first came to Vori, and they were desperate to gain his approval. One of the medusas approached him to inform him that she and her sisters had found the lair of the dragons, but her sisters had been killed by one of the creatures. She told Tarnum where to find the dragons.
Neez had been trying to find out which one of Gelu's friends they should capture, and had settled on Ufretin, a ranger that had joined the Forest Guard at the same time as the half-Vori. Tarnum knew Ufretin, who was a brave fighter and a good person, and cursed the Ancestors for making him do this.
After dealing with the barbarians and their crystal dragons, Tarnum strengthened his army with the powerful azure dragons.
Walkthrough[]
Tarnum has a Dungeon to the southwest, while his strongest hero from the previous scenario has another south of the center of the map. Between them, there's impassable terrain, and while there's a two-way monolith between the Dungeons, it's guarded by gold dragons. The enemy has two Strongholds to the north. Like the Dungeons, the Strongholds are blocked from each other by the woods, and while they have two-way monoliths nearby, they are guarded by war unicorns. There are three Crystal Caverns in the enemy lands, allowing them to build crystal dragons.
There's a neutral Dungeon northeast of Tarnum's initial Dungeon, and another east of the other hero's Dungeon. There's a neutral Stronghold west of the enemy's western Stronghold, and another southeast of their eastern Stronghold. There are two paths between Tarnum's area and his enemy's, one on the western edge of the map and one on the eastern, but both are blocked by crystal dragons.
To acquire the six azure dragons needed to win the scenario, Tarnum must build up the four Dungeons and create an army, with enough red or black dragons to defeat the crystal dragon stacks. Once he has taken the neutral and enemy Stronghold, he can head through the two-way monolith and capture the two other Strongholds. With all eight towns under his control and his enemy defeated, Tarnum can prepare to face the azure dragons.
The azure dragons are located at the center of the map, and the only way to reach them is the teal two-way monoliths near the two enemy Strongholds. After defeating the azure dragon guarding the monolith, he'll reach a quest guard that only Tarnum can open. The area has six Frozen Cliffs where Tarnum can hire dragons, but he must defeat three azure dragons at every one to hire from them. He can either capture all six Cliffs, or just capture a couple and wait until the next week to hire again. Once he and his heroes have six azure dragons in their possession, Tarnum is victorious.
Towns[]
- Four Dungeons
- Four Strongholds
Strategy[]
There are three seer's huts on the map.
- The one south of the southeastern Dungeon will give 60 crystal for 50 wood, 50 ore, and 3000 gold.
- The one south of the northwestern Dungeon will give 50 sulfur to any hero that reaches level 22.
- The one northwest of the southeastern Stronghold will give two crystal dragons for six black dragons.
In the northwestern corner of the map, there's a large treasure of mercury and gold, useful for hiring the expensive azure dragons. The path is blocked by a quest guard that only Tarnum and his heroes can open, and guarded by a stack of green dragons.
