"Tarnum felt the other Ancestors were wrong. Vorr couldn't be saved. His heart had been eaten by violence and hatred, he had killed too many to be allowed to live. But was Tarnum really striking at Vorr, or was he attempting to destroy his own dark past?"
Vorr, the Insane is the fifth and last scenario in The Fiery Moon, the sixth part of Heroes Chronicles.
Tarnum must defeat the insane Ancestor, Vorr, capturing him so the Ancestors can give him a potion made from the sap of the World Tree.OffBck
The Ancestors gave Tarnum a vial of sap from the World Tree, which could cure Vorr's insanity, and sent him to battle. But the Mad Ancestor was more powerful than they realized, and he killed most of Tarnum' army, including his second-in-command Grumba and the shaman Wern. Skizzik disappeared, and they believed there wasn't enough of his body left to identify him. Tarnum's clothes and armor were burned from his body, and after gathering the scattered surviors of his army, he vowed to kill Vorr.
The Ancestors brought Tarnum more sap from the World Tree, but he said he wouldn't need it - he'd tried their way, and now he was going to use his sword instead. He asked them to join him in his battle, but they couldn't use their powers against Vorr.
One day, Skizzik came marching into camp at the head of a small force. He'd gathered some scattered survivors, and believing that Tarnum was dead, he'd set out to kill Vorr on his own. When he found the Immortal Hero, he gladly joined his side.
With most of Tarnum's commanders dead, the familiar acted as his second-in-command, and Tarnum met with him every night to discuss their progress. Skizzik wanted to slay Vorr: "That's what we Barbarians do best." But Tarnum wondered whether that was all they were, all they would ever be - whether his actions as the Barbarian Tyrant had tainted the bloodline forever.
Vorr visited Tarnum in his dreams, promising him eternal life if he would serve him. Tarnum promised to kill him, but Vorr said he would slay himself as well. Tarnum realized that his fate was tied to that of the Ancestors - if he killed Vorr, he would also kill the other Ancestors and himself. But he wasn't convinced that wasn't the better outcome.
In the end, once his army had defeated Vorr's, and the Ancestor was dying at his feet, Tarnum gave him the sap that cured his wounds and restored his sanity.
Walkthrough[]
Tarnum has a Stronghold on the eastern edge of the map, and his two strongest heroes from the previous scenario. The blue player has one Conflux to the west and one to the northwest, and the heroes Erdamon and Grindan. The red player has an Inferno to the northeast, guarded by Rashka, and another in the center of the map, where Vorr can be found. Vorr's Inferno is guarded by a heavily defended garrison.
To reach his enemy, Tarnum must visit the seer's hut just south of the Stronghold and trade a speculum for a phoenix. He can find a speculum west of his Stronghold, but he won't need to if he carries one from previous scenarios. With the phoenix, he can open the quest guard to the southwest and siege the neutral Stronghold.
Heading northwest, he can capture the two blue Confluxes, and then head to the shipyard on the northern edge of the map. Sailing east, he can capture the northeastern Inferno.
With all towns except Vorr's under his command, Tarnum can explore the rest of the map and build up his forces before taking on the Ancestor.
Towns[]
- Two Strongholds
- Two Infernos
- Two Confluxes
Strategy[]
Between the two Confluxes, there's a green two-way monolith guarded by ancient behemoths and firebirds. Here, Tarnum can find stacks of Stronghold creatures that are willing to join him.
The island south of the northeastern Inferno has some very good artifacts. To reach it, Tarnum can visit the shipyard south of the island, which is blocked by a quest guard that only Tarnum can open.
Notes[]
In this scenario, Grindan has Thunar's icon, and Rashka has Cuthbert's.
"As Vorr lay dying on the battlefield, Tarnum tipped the vial of sap from the World Tree to the Ancestor's lips. Slowly, a new life spread through Vorr. His wounds healed, and he stood. Tears streamed from Vorr's eyes as he embraced Tarnum. Not only had the World Tree cured his wounds, but the insane hatred that had tainted him. Tears flowed from Tarnum's eyes as well, because for the first time he believed that perhaps he really could change."
