"After his victory in the Alderoth Valley, Baron Von Tarkin led his armies across the Dragonsaddle Mountains and into central Channon. His next task will be to secure an area on this side of the pass that he can use to launch the siege on Rylos, and to that end has already made arrangements with a local mayor..."
The Hand of Death is the third and last scenario in the Death March (H4) campaign in Winds of War.
Information[]
"Nearly to Channon's capital city, Baron Von Tarkin must take control of the area on this side of the Dragonsaddle Mountains before he can begin the siege of Rylos."
Finally nearing the goal of his journey, Baron Von Tarkin brings his army of the dead into central Channon, conquering town after town as he moves closer to the fortress of Angelmist Castle.
Strategy[]
Von Tarkin starts out alone, with only a few dark champions and skeletons for company, but the nearby Necropolis town of Olos will join him when he moves close to it. This is the only Necropolis town on the map, and it can't build buildings above second level. Some quest huts will let him purchase buildings, but conquering and building up a few of the Haven towns may be the better option.
There are six Haven towns: two red ones, three blue ones, and the purple Angelmist Castle - the most fortified of them all, and likely to be the last town Von Tarkin sieges. The red towns are the weakest, so Von Tarkin should move towards them immediately, killing every living neutral stack he sees to raise vampires through Necromancy. By the time he reaches the red towns, he should be able to take them out easily.
By continuing to attack neutral stacks, he should eventually raise an army of Vampires large enough to take on the blue towns as well. Taking on the purple garrisons, however, may be harder.
Von Tarkin can enter Angelmist through three paths. The first is the set of Two-way Portals on the map, one of which will put him inside the fort, but behind a strong garrison. The second path is over the bridge that can be found just west of the western blue Haven. That way is also blocked by a strong garrison. The last path is a one-way portal in the northwestern corner, blocked by an army of mantises and waspworts. No matter which of the three paths he takes, there's a final garrison protecting the town, and a large force inside the town, as well.
There are three quest huts on the map. The one west of Olos will build a Mansion in the town for 10 000 gold and 25 gems and crystals, allowing Von Tarkin to train vampires. The one north of the town charges 14 000 gold and 40 wood and ore to build a Dragon Graveyard for bone dragons.
The third one, west of New Haven (the eastern-most blue town), allows Von Tarkin access to a Dark Sanctum and Dragon Graveyard to the far north, allowing him to reinforce his armies with dark champions and bone dragons, if he first captures the town of New Haven and gives up 20 of each resource.
The southern-most of the blue Haven towns has no creature dwellings, but under Von Tarkin's command it will recieve reinforcements of skeletons, ghosts, and vampires every week.
There are nine gold oracles on the map, showing the way to a Grail. Their locations are:
- Northwest of Olos.
- Outside the southern red Haven.
- East of the northern red Haven.
- North of the red Havens, on the western edge of the map.
- In the northwestern corner, just north of the one-way portal.
- West of New Haven, the right-most blue Haven.
- East of New Haven.
- A day or two north of the western-most blue Haven.
- A day or two south of the western-most blue Haven.
The grail building can only be built in Olos.