History Recap / AgeOfEmpiresIIKotyanKhan

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The Mongols wreaked havoc on the region, and almost all free Cumans had to leave Cumania. They were pursued by Subotai, betrayed by the people Kotyan wanted to trust, and had to face further adversity on multiple fronts in Eastern Europe. By the end, the Cumans prevailed in Bulgaria and Hungary. Even the Cumans and Kipchaks sold to slavery in Egypt became the Mamluks that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo) overthrew their Saracen masters]] and repelled the very Mongols that conquered them.

* HopelessBossFight: "The Battle at the Kalka River" involved a retreat from said conflict since it ended poorly. In that scenario and "Saving the Huts" Subotai will make an entrance after a certain amount of time, and his forces are usually too much for what Kotyan could handle. As such, the latter must break through the Tatar defenses, then reach Hungary respectively.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: "The Battle at the Kalka River" started off with the battle ending poorly, and what remained of the Kievan Rus evacuated northward, some cursing Kotyan's name for getting them involved in the first place. After you destroy one of the Tatar castles on the other side, a group of Cuman tribesmen will see this as an opportunity to leave so long as there's a hole in the Tatar defense.

* TwoRoadsBeforeYou: In "A New Home", the Cumans meet at the Danube River and must choose between heading south to Bulgaria or remaining in Hungary. To further enforce this, Cumans were not allowed to build docks, seeing as they're not known for their naval prowess even in-game. For either path:
** Staying would mean helping Bela's resistance, seeking to wrest control of Hungary back from the treacherous nobles and driving out the Austrians.

** There's also "Cuman Flush"[[note]]Win "The Battle at the Kalka River" without advancing to the Castle Age[[/note]] and [[Film/Terminator2JudgementDay "He Won't Be Back"]][[note]]Assist King Bela and defeat the Austrian Duke Frederick in "A New Home" before 45 minutes have elapsed[[/note]].

* StealthPun: The achievement "He Won't Be Back" requires you to defeat an Austrian duke before 45 minutes have passed.[[labelnote:Geddit?]]Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, who portrayed the T-800 in ''Film/Terminator2JudgementDay'', is Austrian, and one of the many phrases his character is known for is "I'll be back!"[[/labelnote]]

* CallBack: Many events in the campaign mirror the corresponding events in [[Recap/AgeOfEmpiresIIGenghisKhan the Genghis Khan campaign]]. The introductory cinematic had Subotai ride north and subjugate the Kipchak tribes as in "The Horde Rides West"[[note]]Originally, the faction was the Merkids, represented by Mongols. For ''Definitive Edition'', they were changed to Kipchaks represented by Cumans[[/note]]. "A New Home" is dealing with the aftermath of "Pax Mongolia", in turn based on the Battle of Mohi, after the Cumans laid waste to the countryside and abandoned Hungary to its fate.

!! Scenarios

!!! 1. Raising the Banners

!!! 2. The Battle at the Kalka River

!!! 3. Saving the Huts

!!! 4. Blood for Blood

!!! 5. A New Home

For centuries, the Cumans throve on the vast plains of Eurasia. Now, a new threat comes from the East - Mongols, ruthless beyond imagination and seemingly invincible. Kotyan, the khan of a small clan, must unite the Cumans to resist the invaders. Will he save his people, even if it means abandoning their ancestral lands and ancient ways?

The player is in control of the Cumans, the color being green.

** Heading to Bulgaria would mean helping them reclaim Nesebar from the Latin Empire[[note]]In the Fourth Crusade decades before the campaign took place, Crusaders led by Venice sacked Constantinople and claimed a large part of the surrounding areas afterward, thus their representation by the Franks with Mediterranean architecture[[/note]], while simultaneously fighting the Byzantines seeking to conquer it for themselves.

** Heading to Bulgaria would mean helping them reclaim Nesebar from the Latin Empire, while simultaneously fighting the Byzantines seeking to conquer it for themselves.

* HopelessFight: "The Battle at the Kalka River" involved a retreat from said conflict since it ended poorly. In that scenario and "Saving the Huts" Subotai will make an entrance after a certain amount of time, and his forces are usually too much for what Kotyan could handle. As such, the latter must break through the Tatar defenses, then reach Hungary respectively.

* CallBack: Many of the events of the campaign mirror the corresponding events in [[Recap/AgeOfEmpiresIIGenghisKhan the Genghis Khan campaign]]. The introductory cinematic had Subotai ride north and subjugate the Kipchak tribes as in "The Horde Rides West"[[note]]Originally, the faction was the Merkids, represented by Mongols. For ''Definitive Edition'', they were changed to Kipchaks represented by Cumans[[/note]]. "A New Home" is dealing in the aftermath of "Pax Mongolia", in turn based on the Battle of Mohi, after the Cumans laid waste to the countryside and abandoned Hungary to its fate.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The Mongols wreaked havoc on the region and whatever Cumans were free had to leave Cumania. They were pursued by Subotai, betrayed by the people Kotyan wanted to trust, and had to face further adversity on multiple fronts in Eastern Europe. By the end, the Cumans prevailed in Bulgaria and Hungary. Even the Cumans and Kipchaks sold to slavery in Egypt became the Mamluks that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamluk_Sultanate_(Cairo) overthrew their Saracen masters]] and repelled the very Mongols that conquered them.

** How the Cumans reacted hearing that the Mongols subdued Persia then the Kipchaks. This drove them to band together and even enlist the assistance of Russian princes.

** Heading to Bulgaria would mean helping them reclaim Nesebar from the Latin Empire, while simultaneously fighting the Byzantines seeking to conquer it themselves.
* WhamEpisode: "Blood for Blood" has the cinematic where Kotyan got murdered at the feast, sending the Cumans into a rage. The mission started off with the Cumans helping out with Hungarians in the country side, then eventually a rider comes in to break the bad news, turning them hostile against the Hungarians.

* OhCrap: Cuman tribesmen have this reaction when trying to hold off the Mongols' advance to the other side of the Kalka River, then hear that Subotai was bringing weapons from China.

** Heading to Bulgaria would mean helping them reclaim Tarnavo from the Latin Empire, while simultaneously fighting the Byzantines seeking to conquer it themselves.

Hungary was left defenseless and devastated, and couldn't rely on the Cumans as the Mongols rode into the country and razed it. King Bela fled to Austria after his kingdom fell, only to be taken advantage of by Duke Frederick, who saw this as an opportunity to extort the land and force him to swear fealty to the Holy Roman Empire. Bela sent a message to the Cumans asking to return to Hungary and deal with the very forces that wronged him. The new leader was at a crossroads, and many chieftains he consulted were still apprehensive and wishing to continue their plans to cross the Danube and reach Bulgaria to the South. It was not an easy decision, with both pathways having their share of adversity.

* TwoRoadsBeforeYou: In "A New Home", the Cumans meet at the Danube River and must choose between heading South to Bulgaria or remaining in Hungary. Neither choice is easy, since you either have to fight off Byzantines and Latins in the Bulgarian path, or the Austrians and Hungarian nobles when staying.

Genghis Khan and his Mongols rode in from the East, and at first the Cumans didn't seem to distinguish them from the standard raiders that are prevalent in Central Asia. It wasn't until reports came in that Mongols laid waste to the great Persian Empire that they recognize the threat, and already their Kipchak counterparts had already fallen under the sword of Subotai. A khan of the small tribe, Kotyan, sought to unite the Cuman tribesmen against the impending threat, and was even willing to set aside his peoples' differences with the Russian princes. Said princes were highly suspicious from years of Cuman raids, and would need some persuading before it's too late.

Kotyan managed to persuade a large force of Cumans and Russians to fight against the Mongols, only for the battle to end poorly. The Mongol army was highly ruthless, exploiting weaknesses through means of cavalry, archer fire and siege weapons. Many leaders have perished in battle, and Cuman spirits were deeply crushed. Kotyan however survived, hoping to take what's left of his forces and flee westward. However, a group of Tatars had stealthily established a base on the other side of the Kalka River, in an effort to flank Kotyan and allow Subotai to crush whatever hopes remained with Chinese siege weapons.

For centuries, the Cumans throve on the vast plains of Eurasia. Now, a new threat comes from the East - Mongols, ruthless beyond imagination and seemingly invincible. Kotyan, the khan of a small clan, must unite the Cumans to resist the invaders. Will he save his people, even if it means abandoning their ancestral lands and ancient ways.