"I fear that no one but myself will ever understand that my Master, Gavin Magnus, was not an evil man. I hate to call him misguided, or misunderstood - those words seem so cliché. He was a man who had lived too long, who had seen too much war and pain, who had witnessed the destruction of a world. After so much horror, wouldn't you want to put an end to it too?"
—Solmyr ibn Wali Barad
The Rainbow Crystal is the fourth scenario in The Price of Peace campaign in Heroes of Might and Magic IV.
Walkthrough[]
"As it turns out, the Red Dwarves and their dragon golems are harder to control than Gavin Magnus expected, especially after a riot caused the destruction of all that he had built. So, Magnus sent Solmyr to bring back a giant Rainbow Crystal from an ancient underground ruin now populated by the undead. What Magnus plans to do with this unique crystal, however, is a mystery."
After a quarrel among the Red Dwarves results in the destruction of most of Gavin Magnus's new dragon golems, the Immortal King decides to force his new servants to total obedience. He sends Solymr to a far-away land to find the Rainbow Crystal, a magical gem that can hypnotize large groups of people. With the help of his guide Holman, the only survivor from the adventure party that found the Crystal.
Solmyr starts out in the east, with a few creatures and no town. Heading south will allow him to capture a neutral Academy, with a second one to the west.
Old King Dreggar is located underground, and the only tunnel can be found in the northeastern corner. The path is blocked, but will be opened if one of Solmyr's men visits the nearby quest hut and pays 6500 gold and 20 mercury.
Solmyr will also need to pass a red gate to reach Dreggar, and the road to the red Keymaster tent is also blocked. The quest hut between the two Academies will open the path if Solmyr brings the Cap of Knowledge, which is found behind a purple quest tower in the northeast, guarded by harpies. The purple Keymaster tent is near the western Academy.
Visiting the green Keymaster tent north of the eastern Academy will allow Solmyr to reach the Altar of Wishes near the center of the map, but it's guarded by a large force of thunderbirds.
Once he heads underground, Solmyr will eventually reach a fork in the road. Heading west will take him to a red Necropolis, which can be captured to allow him to caravan in reinforcements. The nearby neutral Necromancer guards a pile of artifacts, but his army is one of the toughest challenges on this map - ignoring him may be the safest option.
Heading east will eventually lead to the red gate, and Dreggar's town. Dreggar is a twelfth-level Assassin with a Staff of Death and a Golden Plate Mail.
Strategy[]
The key to passing this scenario is patience, since Solmyr will not be able to attack much of neutral troops in the beginning. It should be noted Solmyr should attack the town in the east after he conquered the one in south-east. Passing the underground means that Solmyr does not face any real threat, unless he faces the Necromancer in the west. Dreggar does not pose much of a threat, either, since Solmyr can get more troops before attacking.
