Elm Shadow

Elmshadow. You face a strange quest this time, Keeper, you must not only conquer this land, you must also conquer fear. Lord Constantine has installed himself as master of all he surveys at ‘Keep Fear’ and protected himself with powerful Traps. It is said that all who attempt to depose him turn back at their first attempt, their faces contorted with terror.

Use the Dark Elves to snipe out the Guards and lead a charge on the keep. Destroy all who stand in your path, and remove the Gem from the carcass of the Hero Lord. Your skills are growing, and poisonous blight is beginning to spread across the green hills of Harmonia. Now it is time to turn your attention to Elm Shadow. Beware, your tasks before have been mere practice, like kicking crutches or taking candy from happy, sticky children. The Gem you seek is on the Lord of the Land, Constantine, who assumes he is safely behind the walls of the fort.

Business Model

Keeper. Your first order of business is to recruit creatures into your domain. That means that you’ll have to instruct your Imps to carve out a tunnel to the nearest Portal. Bear in mind, however, that the good people of Elm Shadow are not the types to hide from your presence, as did the cringing crusaders of Lord Ludwig. No, they will strike out at you at their earliest opportunity. Prepare for this by digging a 3x3 space beside the Portal and establishing a Guard Room. As the early Heroes make their first forays, your Guards will dispatch them, earning easy experience in the process. Now you have some time to devote to building a suitable fortress of your own. Build a Lair, Hatchery and Workshop, perhaps to the south of your Dungeon Heart. As you excavate and mine gold, you’ll discover that there is land north of your Guard Post that is inaccessible to your Imps. Build a Bridge to that place, and command that several Sentry Traps be established there. Arrange them closely together, and have them remain close enough to your Guard Room that they will receive immediate back-up support. You can expect raiding parties of Dwarves and Thieves to begin fairly early. Lay down plans for the rest of your rooms. There should be at least one of each, none of them smaller than 3x3. Send an exploration party to the south of your territory. Beware of any open areas. Should you find (and you shouldfind) territory that belongs to Lord Constantine, immediately claim enough to place a few Sentry Traps, and thenhave your Imps claim the rest of the area. There have been reports that this land has Wizards that will confront you. Expect these to have powers unlike any other creature you have faced before. Find and claim the neutral Prison near the Hero area. Be prepared for resistance … in fact, hope for it, as any enemies killed on your land (or Bridge) will be dragged to your Prison. Therein, their corpses will be imbued with your malign influence, and once the unwilling flesh has rotted away, their Skeletons will rise as your loyal troops and go off to seek battle.

Your task will be to defend your fortification until your troops are seasoned enough to manage a frontal attack. For this backwater territory, twelve or so creatures at Level 2 or 3 will probably suffice. At that point, build a Bridge to the enemy stronghold. Because the simpering do-gooder has made some rudimentary studies of your arts, he will seek to paralyze your minions with the same power you frequently use: fear. Your troops will encounter Fear Traps, but if you are quick, you can disable them by dropping Skeletons near them and commanding them to attack. Fear is a frailty of the flesh, and dry bones are immune. When those traps are dispatched, encourage your Imps to claim as much territory as they can, as quickly as they can. This will enable you to drop creatures close by any Knights you encounter. These canned pests will offer strong resistance, but nothing you cannot control with careful resource management (i.e., dropping in more creatures as necessary). Constantine will remain put until he actually sees proof of your forces in his realm. As your Imps claim land closer and closer to him, he will not fail to see them and react to the threat. He will first call for reinforcements before racing for your Dungeon Heart. Regroup your troops in your main area and wait … by the time they’ve battled past the Sentry Traps, they’ll be so weak that you’ll be able to scythe them down like brittle hay. You may pry the gem from his cold, dead fingers. Such is the fate of those who oppose your rule.