Recap pages are Spoilers Off by default, so in all these pages all spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned
In the 14th century, the once-great Mongol Empire is at the mercy of lesser men who're tearing it apart. In this chaos, the charismatic and ruthless Tamerlane, is ready to make his move. This brilliant tactician will start one of the greatest and bloodiest military campaigns of all time, leaving innumerable dead in his wake on the path to conquest and greatness.The player is in control of the Tatars, the color being Purple.
Scenarios
1. Amir of Transoxiana
Long ago, when Tamerlane was still making a name for himself as a chieftain, his homeland of Transoxiana was divided among the remains of the Mongol Empires, the White Horde and the Blue Horde, along with the weakened Chagatai Khanate. In this land, a young Tamerlane sought to defeat this rivals and acquire power. While he was in numerical inferiority compared to his enemies, he had a plan: a chieftain named Tokhtamysh sent a request for help to Tamerlane, asking help against his uncle Urus Khan, leader of the White Horde. With the right moves, these squabbling remnants would fall to the Tatars.2. Gurkhan of Persia
Transoxiana was unified under the rule of Tamerlane. From Samarkand, his gaze reaches down to the rich land of Persia, a bountiful country weakened by the internal strife of power-hungry cities fighting each other over petty reasons. With the help of his newfound ally Tokhtamysh, the Golden Horde now rides south to submit Persia. However...3. Harbinger of Destruction
In the middle of the Persian conquest, Tokhtamysh rebelled and backstabbed Tamerlane before fleeing northwest, to cold Russia. Furious, Tamerlane pursued his enemy all the way to the freezing river Korduncha, spreading dread and death along the way. Fearing for his life, Tokhtamysh and his Russian allies prepare to engage the Horde in a desperate attempt to stop the wily tactician.4. Sultan of Hindustan
While a defeated Tokhtamysh flees to Lithuania, a rebellion forces Tamerlane to return home to restore order and push beyond Khyber Pass to India: there, the forces of Delhi lie in wait, with their powerful elephant troops ready to crush the Timurid cavalry underfoot. However, the cruel Tamerlane has a plan, and he won't stop until the rich Delhi is reduced to a smoking charnel house.5. Scourge of the Levant
Having returned to Samarkand with two-hundred years' worth of Indian treasures, Tamerlane is ready to ride west and meet another massive obstacle to overcome and crush: the Ottoman Empire and his many, rich cities. Leading a massive, blood-thirsty horde, the Timurid general prepares to ransack Armenia, Georgia and the Levant, the cities of Baghdad, Aleppo and Damascus ripe for the taking.6. A Titan Amongst Mortals
The enmity between Tamerlane and Sultan Bayezid was great. When the Ottoman were left tired by their wars against the Byzantine and the Hungarians, the Timurids struck. However, this battle will prove very difficult, as the Ottoman Army boasts the powerful Janissaries, as well as support from foreign auxiliaries, gunpowder units and even European knights. If Tamerlane is to succeed in destroying this last obstacle, he'll have to use his acumen to sow disagreements among the auxiliaries and the main army before the final clash. The fate of two empires is at hand...This Campaign contains examples of:
- Badass Boast: At the end of the final scenario, Tamerlane loudly claims to be a Titan amongst mortal, as per Title Drop.
- Blood Knight: Tamerlane wages wars while thirsting for both power and bloodshed.
- Bullying a Dragon: The Hospitaliers from Smirne will condescendingly compliment Tamerlane over his victory against the Ottoman before telling him to leave now. This can result in Tamerlane destroying Smirne brick by brick.
- Call-Back:
- "Scourge of the Levant" requires you to acquire 10000 gold like in "The Walls of Costantinople", though in this case you start with a better base and with a generous army.
- Localized version, the final mission not only has red teutons like in Barbarossa campaign, but the voice actor for their representative in the Italian translation is the same as the narrator for Barbarossa's campaign.
- Combat Pragmatist:
- "Harbinger of Destruction", where you end up performing a pincer attack on your enemies.
- "Sultan of Hindustan", where the enemy fields war elephants, Tamerlane answers by fielding burning camels to scare them into trampling their own men.
- "A Titan Amongst Mortals", since Tamerlane's not stupid enough to take the entire Ottoman army head on, he has to weaken it by raiding camps and buying off mercenaries.
- Cosmetic Award:
- "Empire of the Steppes" for completing the campaign.
- "Raging Wildfire" for conquering Delhi when 5 or more minutes reamin in the timer in "Sultan of Hindustan".
- Disney Villain Death: Inverted, Tamerlane (the villain) has a penchant for having his defeated enemies thrown from crags or cliffs.
- Hordes from the East: The campaign has Tamerlane trying to relive the legacy of the Mongol Empire following its disintegration, conquering Transoxiana, Persia, Russia, India, the Levant and Anatolia.
- Karma Houdini: Tamerlane's campaigns cost 5% of the world's population at the time, and he was undefeated, never knowing the humiliation of defeat as a leader.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: In "Harbinger of Destruction", the Bulgars and the Golden Horde start on enemy side... before deciding that perhaps they should lend a hand to Tamerlane.
- Kick the Dog: If the player destroys Damascus in "Scourge of the Levant", the Tatars will taunt the Mamelukes who were supposed to protect the city from harm.
- Narrator All Along: The traumatized old man narrating the story is Tokhtamysh Khan.
- Oh, Crap!: The final outro, when the lord of the Lithuanian castle learns that Tamerlane has sent an ultimatum asking for Tokhtamysh.
- Red Herring: Most of the auxiliary camps are composed of mercenaries who are willing to side with Tamerlane or at least desert the upcoming battle... except the Balkan auxiliaries, loyal enough to actually attack the Tatars on sight if they set foot in the campnote .
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: In the final scenario, a deserted from Smirne tells Tamerlane that the city gets resources and food from European ships. Tamerlane still has the man executed before using said info to destroy the docks.
- Timed Mission:
- During "Harbinger of Destruction" mission, city of Astrakhan is scripted to try and build a Wonder if left alone for long enough, putting you on a timer.
- "Sultan of Hindustan" mission gives you 90 minutes to destroy 5 enemy castles (it's explained by Tamerlane's army having limited supplies for siege). The achievement "Raging Wildfire" requires you to conquer Delhi when the timer is 5 minutes or more away from ending.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Tamerlane supported Tokhtamysh's claim to the throne and helped him against his uncle. He's stabbed in the back as a result.
- Villain Protagonist: In the same mold as Genghis Khan and Attila.
- War Elephants: The Indians think they can beat Tamerlane because they're confident in their Elephants. Tamerlane begs to differ via camels set on fire.
