Mainline in: 1.13.7 and after
Created by: Dan Gerhards (beetlenaut)
Year of events: 22—23 YW
Created by: Dan Gerhards (beetlenaut)
Year of events: 22—23 YW
An undead campaign presented as the content of a journal written by Ardonna. Ardonna was a mage studying in Alduin who secretly desire to break natural order and allow everyone to live forever. She figures out that necromancy which was studied by the ancient Wesfolk might be the solution, but it is outlawed in Wesnoth. To figure out Wesfolk's secrets, Ardonna secretly leaves Alduin and travels while trying to figure out how to become immortal through necromancy.
This campaign provides examples of:
- Backstory: Not for any character, but the campaign is one for the book used to learn how to become a lich in Descent into Darknessnote . That book turns out to be Ardonna's journal. The campaign shows how Ardonna figured out how to do so, why she wrote the book, and why the mages of Tath have it.
- Developer's Foresight: Normally, if Shynal dies and Carcyn is still alive, he begs Ras-Tabahn to raise her, and he obliges (transforming Shynal into a unique-looking but otherwise identical-to-normal Walking Corpse). If this happens after Shynal advances to a Lich, Ras-Tabahn will instead tell Carcyn that you can only raise something into undeath once.
- Exact Words: Crelanu tells Ardryn-Na that she must die and let her soul go. Ardryn-Na realizes that while he is right about that one, he didn't say anything about whether the soul can come back into the body or not.
- Immortality Seeker: Ardonna wants to find a way to live forever and realize that necromancy could be away to achieve it. She then meets another necromancer, Ras-Tabahn, who shares the same goal.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Ras-Tabahn starts coughing not long after he becomes playable and, sure enough, his coughing fits gets worse until his condition is beyond saving after fighting Crelanu. Ardryn-Na uses the opportunity to test her theory that one must die before becoming immortal by turning into a lich. Ras-Tabahn does it and it works.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Downplayed example, but Ardonna and Ras-Tabahn spend the first part of the campaign slaughtering their way across Wesnothian, Mermen, Naga, Orcs, Saurians, Crelanu's troops and Dwarves. Once they finally return to Wesnoth after turning into Liches, they find themselves surrounded by a combined army of human knights, Nagini, Mermen, Saurians, Knalgan Dwarves and Orcs, all itching for a shot at vengeance against the two necromances.
- Meaningful Rename: In "Together Again", Ras-Tabahn tells Ardonna about how Alduin mages would get a new name when they complete their studies. Since Ardonna is a free mage, she decides that she is not the ordinary girl Ardonna anymore and give herself a new name: Ardryn-Na.
- Raising the Steaks: Ardonna starts the game with zombified bats under her control and, as a unique campaign mechanic, she can summon Living Corpses of any species slain in combat (so, by killing a Troll in a scenario, you can hire Troll Walking Corpses). Aside from humanoids, she can turns bats, rats, wolves, horses, gryphons and giant spiders into living dead.
- Revealing Cover Up: Implied. Crelanu (who likely know how to become a lich) tells Ardryn-Na that there is no secret to immortality and that she must die and let her soul go like any other creature do. Crelanu's wordings makes Ardryn-Na realize the secret that Crelanu tried to hide.
- Ship Level: The fourth scenario, "Becalmed", takes place on a ship, where barrels are the equivalent of village used for income and healing. The other, more important, gimmick of the scenario is a lower deck that can only be accessed from two "stairways".
- Title Drop: In the very first and the very last line of the campaign narration:Ardonna (first scenario): As I watched my family waste away of various maladies, I vowed that I woudn't share their fate, and if I can rediscover the secrets of the ancients, I'll be a heroine to the whole continent!
Ardryn-Na (epilogue): As for me, I will show my journal's skills on this battlefield. I suspect most of them fear it to the point of attempting to destroy it, but I have cast some spells on it to protect it. That way, I hope it stays whole and one day can fall into the hands of someone more open-minded. Tath, in particular, is home to many wizards. It is enough for one of them to be eager to learn the secrets of the ancients.
