Recap pages are Spoilers Off by default, so in all these pages all spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution. You Have Been Warned
Guided by the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, Devapala rules a rich and vibrant empire. However, as dangerous rivals threaten his realm, the ambitious emperor finds it increasingly difficult to balance his policies with his morals. Will the ends ultimately justify the means, or will Devapala's quest for his own enlightenment and that of his subjects fail?In this campaign, the player is in charge of the Bengali, using the color Yellow.
Scenarios
1. Dissatisfaction
The Pala dynasty has established a solid foothold in Bengal, a land of luxuriant jungles, majestic animals and the sacred River Gange. This is also the land of the Mahayana, the sacred vehicle of Buddhism. However, while monks have to deal with spiritual welfare, the weight of the Emperor's life is heavier: Devapala, son of Dharmapala, wishes to rule justly his subjects and walk the path of the bodhisattva, but first he has to strengthen his empire. The first step to do so is send his cousin against an old foe, the rebellious domains of Utkala and Kamarupa.2. Desire
The initial lack of enthusiasm for the bloody victory over the domains of Kamarupa and Utkala has been replaced by a sense of well-being as the domains of the Pala now prosper. As Buddha taughts, a good idea put in act is far better than many ideas left as such; Devapala now wishes to add the holy city of Kannauj, pearl of India, to his domain. Unfortunately, old rivals are on their way to stop him: Pratihara King Mahira Bhoja rides from the west with an army using a new breed of fast and nimble horses, while the mighty Amoghavarsha, pride of Rashtakuthras, leads a horde of swordsmen and elephants from the south. A three-way battle over Kannauj is about to begin...3. Renunciation
With the conquest of Kannauj, now Devapala has strong ties with Buddhism thanks to the virtuous monk Veeradeva. However, a new threat is soon at hand: the Huna to the northwest are a tribe of violent and decadent pillagers who have committed unnumerable atrocities against the cities and temples of India. Determinated to get rid of this noxious menace, Devapala's cousin Jayapala leads an army in the land of the former enemy, the Pratiharas, to battle the Huna Khans around the city of Mulat.4. Liberation?
The Hunas were defeated, those Khans who didn't embrace buddhism to repent were executed or exiled. However, Veeradeva is troubled by the new, burning desire within his emperor: his fears are motivated when Devapala decides to move southwards to conquer the peaceful Pandya people and force them to accept the word of Buddha. Not showing care or interest for the pleads of his trusted advisor and friend, Devapala leads a great army to the south, this time threathening an old enemy as well, the worried Rashtakuthras.5. Enlightenment
The subjugation of the Pandya ended in a dreadful disaster, with countless victims of war and enraged enemies. Feeling the weight of his failure, Devapala meditates for several days before finally realizing that he needs to shed his past behind him, just like a snake sheds his skin. With this burning determination to make amend, Devapala prepares to take his steps into the path of the Bodhisattva, but first he must save his empire from his past errors, as the invading forces of the Gurjara-Pratihara from the west and the Rashtakuthras-Chola from the south approach to his domain, bent on revenge.This Campaign contains examples of:
- Arch-Enemy: Both Pratihara and Rashtakuthras are always encountered in all scenarios, together in at least three out of five of them.
- The Atoner: The final scenario has both Jayapala and Devapala trying to make up for their mistakes and horrors of warfare.
- Central Theme: The campaign is heavily built around Buddhism and its philosophy.
- Every scenario except for fourth are named after one of Noble Truths of Buddha (which gets quoted in the opening monologue); the only one that breaks that convention is the one where Devapala temporarily breaks away from the chosen path in pursuit of his ambitions.
- In some missions, following Buddhism ideology ultimately rewards you, either directly (like giving you free relics, or new allies) or indirectly (by giving you the sense of satisfaction, appraisal by characters and, sometimes, achievements).
- Cosmetic Award:
- "Won't You Take Me By The Hand" for completing the campaign.
- There's also "Huna Join Me?"note , "Construction Cancellation"note and "Parinirvana"note .
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Invoked, should you manage to subdue Kamarupa with no losses, the citizen will be so impressed they'll automatically go to Castle Age.
- Easy Level Trick: In the third scenario, you're tasked with eliminating — or converting — three Huna chieftains, while being on a timer. One of them is in the well-protected fortress far to the north, which you can barely reach in time, let alone fight through... but there's also a tiny spot, in blind zone of everything that can shoot at you, with chieftain standing just within reach and making zero attempts to flee as he gets converted. You can reach it only by water — but there's a convenietly-placed neutral transport and a monk, hidden behind the trees not far away from your base, who promptly join you once discovered.
- Golden Ending: Final scenario gives you different reaction from your enemies when you finally defeat them, depending on your current piety points; they actually acknowledge Devapala as good man and ruler if he wins at 80+ piety points (achieving true enlightenment, as was his goal all along). The problems is, you have limited opportunities to rise those points, and they slowly decay over time.
- Heel Realization: Devapala himself has one after the failure and the carnage in Pandya.
- Join or Die: In the third mission, you can either convert the Huna Khans to Buddhism or slay them to win the scenario.
- Mercy Rewarded: In the third and fourth scenarios, following Veeradeva's advice on the mission is harder (for example in the fourth scenario you're advised to defeat the Pandya with less than 100 enemy slain) but rewarding.
- In "Renunciation", most of your enemies can be peacefully converted to your side. The only ones who can't, the city of Multan, would give up peacefully once the Hunas are dealt with, with you never having to face them in battle.
- In "Liberation?", destroying all three castles before you cause too many casualties to your enemies, gives you three relics right at your starting location (already carried by the monks); given how scarce the gold on this map...
- Timed Mission:
- In the third scenario, Multan would eventually put a relic into their monastery, putting you on a timer. You can destroy the monastery to get rid of the timer, but it would also destroy the relic (for which you would be scolded); alternatively, you can just concentrate on the main objective.
- In the fourth scenario, once you defeat Pandya, Rashtrakuta would start building a Wonder in the opposite end of the map; once it gets completed, a timer starts, forcing you to destroy it quickly (which would end the mission, as it's your actual final objective), or lose. One of achievements requires destroying it before it gets completed.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Amoghavarsha will often taunt and berate Devapala during his campaign in Pandya. Veeradeva does a more subdued and indirect version if you don't follow his advices.
