"With your successful retrieval of the artifact, Kraeger has fled to the west, towards Glaive Island, where the next piece of the artifact is said to be hidden. Unfortunately, Kraeger has discovered a secret way through the Darkscale Mountains, and is well ahead of you. You face a choice of perils...
You may wish to follow Kraeger along the hidden path known as the Abyss, but you will face mortal perils. Nonetheless, this is the faster route. Your other choice is to circle the mountains, through the forests to the south and west. These are elven lands, however, and there are those within who might take great affront should your forces disturb their shadowed glens."
The Abyss is the fourth scenario of the The Price of Loyalty campaign in Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty. It can be played instead of Arrow's Flight and The Giant's Pass, representing a shorter route to the sixth scenario, but without the wood bonus and the elven alliance gained from Arrow's Flight.
Having prepared for your arrival, Kraeger has arranged for a force of necromancers to thwart your quest. You must capture the castle of Scabsdale before the first day of the third week, or the Necromancers will be too strong for you.OffBck
After finding their way through the maze leading to Scabsdale, The Empire's agents manage to capture the city from the necromancers holding it.
Walkthrough[]
The Empire starts out with a sorceress town, hero, and creatures, and the Breastplate of Anduran. The town can't be upgraded to a castle, so there are no dwellings to hire creatures from - just a first-level mage's guild to provide spells.
The Hut of the Magi outside the town shows where Scabdale is located, and the red traveller's tent will open the barrier blocking entry to it. Don't forget the code, as there is far too little time to go back to get it later.
The are three paths leading to Scabsdale: the way of Might to the north will give the hero attack and defense bonuses, the way of Magic to the northeast will give the hero knowledge and spellpower bonuses, and the way of Numbers to the east has lots of Tree House and Air Summoning dwellings to give the hero sprites and air elementals. While it is possible to briefly visit more than one path, two weeks is not much time, and heading straight for Scabsdale is the safer option.
The ways of Might, Magic, and Numbers are blocked by a blue, aqua, and green barrier, respectively, and the traveller's tents are found on the way. The way of Numbers ends in a two-way portal leading to the castle, while the other paths go there directly.
The biggest challenge in the scenario is keeping enough creatures alive for the final fight. The necromancers of Scabsdale are relatively easy to defeat, but it quickly becomes impossible if the hero loses a lot of units on the way.