Editing Shadows of the Forest

{{campaign navigational box|ab=expanded|armageddonsblade=expanded}}
{{scenario
| scenario       = {{PAGENAME}}
| description    = Gelu must defeat all enemies in this area using guerilla tactics.  He is the only one with the skills to lead this raid, for without him all is lost.  Gelu will be allowed to advance to 12th Level and carry over his skills, experience, and spells to the next scenario.
| underground    = disabled
| num_play       = 2/1
| size           = M
| source         = ab
| victory        = def_all
| loss           = hero
| loss_hint      = {{Hn|Gelu|noname=}}
| allies         = {{green}}
| enemies        = {{red}}
| difficulty     = Hard
| bonus          = {{BonusCr|Marksman|20}}{{BonusCr|Grand Elf|15}}{{BonusCr|Sharpshooter|10}}
| carry          = {{Hn|Gelu|noname=}}
| max_lvl        = 12
| Cmap           = [[File:Cmap ab ab 2.png|400px|Gelu, the half-Vori elf leader of Erathia's elite unit known as the Forestguard, has been ordered to wage a shadow war along the Avlee-Eeofol border.  This area is rife with small garrisons and outposts.  It is from these levies that Gelu shall draw his guerilla force.]]
}}

== Prologue ==
{{cvid|AB CD-Heroes3-DATA-Heroes3 vid-H3ABab3-smk-H3ABab3|thumbtime=0:00|float=left}}
{{h|Gelu|0=}}: Messengers inform me [[Queen Catherine]] and [[Roland Ironfist]] are retreating to the [[Erathia]]n border.  [[Avlee]] has chosen to turn a blind eye toward the war, but have purposely left local heroes to their own will.  Under the Queen's orders we are to wage a 'hit-and-run' war along the [[Avlee]] border.  Our only support will be local militia hostile toward the [[Kreegan]]s.  Should we be captured, [[Erathia]] and [[Avlee]] will disavow any knowledge of our actions.  Otherwise... this task is no different than before.

{{clear|both}}
== Scenario ==
=== Timed events ===
{{TEheader}}
{{TErow| 1 | Opening|[[Gelu]], early this morning you received word your special skills are needed for a daring plan.  While [[Catherine]] and the [[Erathia]]n forces keep the [[Eeofol]] army locked in conflict on the western border, you have been ordered to slip in through [[Avlee]] with a small guerilla force to harry the enemy there.<p>You have also been instructed to recruit allies from the local populace.  To that end, you have set up your base camp in the city of [[Diasamere]] along the [[Avlee]]-[[Eeofol]] border.  The elves there have offered shelter and aid in the coming fight.  The region is dotted with small garrisons and outposts.  A large number of mercenaries, some of whom fought in the recent wars, call this area home.  Many are loyal to [[Avlee]], but there are those who prefer to remain neutral and will fight for that choice.</p>Movement, stealth, and cunning tactics will win this Shadow War, not brute force, for the enemy is indeed powerful.  Good luck!}}
{{TErow| 15 | Guerilla Raids|freq=14|The men you sent in to raid the enemy supply lines have returned with a healthy take.|effect={{w}} 4 [[Wood]], {{m}} 2 [[Mercury]], {{o}} 4 [[Ore]], {{s}} 2 [[Sulfur]], {{c}} 2 [[Crystal]], {{gem}} 2 [[Gems]], {{g}} 2000 [[Gold]]}}
{{TErow| 25 | Gypsy Fortuneteller|A travelling caravan of gypsies passes near your encampment and several of the men decide to have their fortunes told.  As this is a time of great strife and with the possibility of death being quite high, you agree to let your men partake of this little distraction.  You even decide to join them.<p>The gypsy, a woman calling herself [[Nayestra]] the Oracle, reads their futures, one by one, some good, some not so good.  Eventually she reaches you.  Upon seeing your pale complexion, solid jet black eyes, and flame-red hair, she backs away, startled.  Your odd appearance and striking presence both intrigue and frighten her, but she is a professional.   She takes your hand, sits you down at her table and begins to read your palm.  What she sees is very strange.  Your lifeline is uncertain and yet your destiny is clear.  Your are to be a widely known figure, one of great import, yet there is a dark road as well.  Something in your future gives her pause.  She sees great evil in your future, yet cannot be sure if it is an outside force influencing your destiny or something from within.  A strange dichotomy to be sure, this [[Gelu]] is.  Both where you came from and where you were going are blurred, something [[Nayestra]] has never seen before.  Each one of these things is told to you in turn and you listen in rapt attention, hanging on her every word.</p>As you get up to exit her tent, you press a gem and several gold coins into her palm and leave, bowing deeply as if she were royalty.  She glows at the overpayment, for normally all she asks is a few silver coins and a promise to live up to one's potential.  You are indeed a hero, at least to her.|effect={{gem}} -1 [[Gems]], {{g}} -7 [[Gold]]}}
{{TErow| 34 | A Message From [[Ciele]]|As you pass a small puddle, you hear a voice call out to you, gentle and soft.  The voice is that of a woman, or so it sounds.  You kneel down beside the tiny pool and peer into its stillness.  To your surprise there is a face of a beauteous woman.  She is beckoning you to her, whispering your name on warm winds blowing across the puddle causing slight ripples on it's surface.<p>"I am [[Ciele]] the Waverider.  I represent the [[Elemental Plane of Water]] and am one of many called here to protect this world from those who would see it harmed.  I am sending this message to you, [[Gelu]], because your destiny lies along a similar path to ours.  Beware the Dark Lord, for he is assembling a weapon of near immeasurable power."</p>At that point a stiff wind comes up and scatters the water about, sending the image of [[Ciele]] away.  Confused at this warning, yet drawn to this woman somehow, you mount your horse and continue on with your mission.  Figuring out the cryptic message will have to wait, time is of the essence.}}
{{TErow| 40 | A Message From [[Erdamon]]|You are awoken to an odd feeling in the back of your neck, a tingling sensation warning of danger.  You spin; blade in hand faster than the eye can catch, and are faced with a small figure grown from the earth itself.  This figure is vaguely humanoid and stands approximately two feet tall.<p>The figure bows deeply, introduces itself as a minion of [[Erdamon]], and claims he bears a message for the ears of Gelu alone.  Confused, you agree, albeit warily."You are the one known as [[Gelu]], are you not?  Very well, I am [[Erdamon]] the Earthshaper.  I have come from the [[Elemental Plane of Earth]] and have been sent to protect this world from those who would see it harm.  [[Ciele]] told me you have spoken to her.  I trust you have already met the minions of the [[Dark Lord]]?  Excellent.</p>The [[Dark Lord]] has many names and many minions, the worst of which is [[Xeron]], he who was born of man and demon.  Be wary of this one, for he is most skilled in the dark arts as well as having an affinity for devilkin."  Then the small figure melded back into the ground as if it never had been.  Thinking you were merely dreaming, you lay back down and contemplate what this [[Erdamon]] has told you.}}
{{TErow| 50 | A Message From [[Fiur]]|Sitting around the campfire last night, you and several of your most trusted advisors were knocked off your feet when the flames suddenly exploded outward.  The flames licked skyward and coalesced into a humanoid shape, it's eyes glowing a brilliant green.<p>"I come to speak to the half-human warrior known as Gelu, he with eyes of obsidian darkness, skin of alabaster white, and hair the color of flame.  I am called [[Fiur]] the Flamewalker.  I am he, born of fire, come here to protect this world from those who would harm it.  A tide of growing darkness is flowing across this world, gaining momentum with every day.  The one known as [[Xeron]] is a servant to the [[Dark Lord]] and is even now seeking the tools needed to build a weapon of terrible destructive power, [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)|Armageddon's Blade]].   My fellow [[Conflux]] heroes, [[Ciele]] and [[Erdamon]], have secreted these tools away in a far off land.  Yet this [[Xeron]] has located us anyway.  He is powerful and we shall attempt to stop him, but we now fear that we cannot stop the weapon's creation.  We can, however, let you know the wielder of the Blade is not invincible."</p>That said, the flames form into a great fiery [[phoenix]] which gouts its breath into the sky, shoving aside the darkness of night for the merest of moments.  It then poured back down into the firepit and returned to being a simple campfire, as if nothing had happened.}}
{{TErow| 54 | [[Talon Brigade]] Member Found|A pair of warriors dragging a third enters the encampment early in the morning.  The dragged man is gravely wounded and appears near death.  Healers rush for the man and begin their work as you approach.<p>As he gets closer, you can see that this man is a member of the [[Talon Brigade]].  How he has gotten this far north, you cannot understand, but the fact remains he is here.  As you kneel beside him, the [[swordsman]] grasps you by the edges of your cloak and in a raspy voice speaks his warning.</p>"There is one out there milord, a devil named [[Xeron]] ..cough.. who is the one seeking [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)|Armageddon's Blade]].  ..cough..  My unit was sent here by  ..cough.. [[General Kendal]] to aid you.  ..choke.. I am all that is left of us.  [[Xeron]] is close to ..choke.. completing the Blade.  He is going to use ..choke.. it to destroy ..cough.. us aaalllll."<p>His words trail off into silence as he collapses into death.  His body limp and lifeless, the man's last words hang in your mind.  What is this [[Armageddon's Blade (artifact)|Armageddon's Blade]] and who is this [[Xeron]] you keep hearing about?  Answers are needed and needed quickly, for [[Erathia]] is running out of time.</p>}}
|}

=== Rumors ===
{{Rheader}}
{{Rrow| Birth|[[Gelu]] was a foundling child discovered by a member of the [[Talon Brigade]] under Captain [[Catherine Gryphonheart]].  That member is now a General in [[Erathia]]'s army.}}
{{Rrow| Homeland|The leader of the [[Forest Guard]] is said to be a half-breed child of Human and [[Vori Elf]] descent.}}
{{Rrow| Hair|[[Gelu]]'s flame-red hair is not a color found in [[Vori Elves]] normally.}}
{{Rrow| Kendal|[[General Morgan Kendal]] once served in the [[Talon Brigade]].}}
{{Rrow| Catherine|[[Queen Catherine]] was once a Captain in the [[Talon Brigade]].}}
{{Rrow| [[Talon Brigade]]|The [[Talon Brigade]] is an elite unit in the [[Erathia]]n Army.}}
{{Rrow| [[Gelu]]'s Skill|[[Gelu]] was born with a knack for the bow.  He is an expert shot.}}
{{Rrow| [[Forest Guard]]|The [[Forest Guard]] are [[Erathia]]'s eyes and ears before a battle.  Stealth is their greatest weapon.}}
{{Rrow| [[Diasamere]]|The town of [[Diasamere]] is a great place to work and live.}}
{{Rrow| [[Diasamere]] 2|In [[Diasamere]], there is a wealth of information on things like the [[Kreegan]] demons.}}
{{Rrow| [[Kreegan]]s|The [[Kreegan]] [[demon]]s first appeared during the [[Night of Shooting Stars]].}}
{{Rrow| Childhood|[[Gelu]] was raised by a noted [[Erathia]]n General.}}
|}

=== Objects ===
==== Events ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 33, 6, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | What manner of oddity is this?  The architecture matches nothing seen in [[Erathia]], [[Avlee]] or any other place, save maybe [[Bracada]].  But what would a [[Bracada]]n city be doing so far from its homeland?  Worse still, how did it get here when it was not here a few months ago?  All good questions, perhaps going inside will net some answers.
|}

==== Towns ====
{{Town header}}
{{Town row|65, 27, 0|green|Rampart|[[Diasamere]]}}
{{Town row|10, 63, 0|red|Inferno|[[Moribund]]}}
{{Town row|25, 37, 0|red|Inferno|[[Dragonbane]]}}
{{Town row|33, 52, 0|red|Inferno|[[Jakta]]}}
{{Town row|56, 62, 0|red|Inferno|[[Reavers Gate]]}}
{{Town row|8, 17, 0||Rampart|[[Dova Saera]]}}
{{Town row|33, 5, 0||Conflux|[[Whitespire]]}}
|}

==== Heroes ====
{{hero header}}
{{hero row|65, 29, 0|green|Gelu|Ranger}}
|}

==== Monsters ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Type
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 29, 3, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{cn|Pixie}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | A smiling band of little fairies stand milling about looking for something to do.  As you approach, they beam and flock to your side.  It seems these are [[pixie]]s and they are eager to fight against the evil beings that have come.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 32, 15, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{cn|Sharpshooter}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | "We found these gauntlets.  We thought you might like to have them."
|}

==== Artifacts ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Type
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 26, 2, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Sp|Precision}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | Half buried in the ground near the edge of the ore pit, there appears to be a small tube.  Uncovering it, you see the magical writing swimming before your eyes.  A sage rushes over to tell you what spell it is.
|}
[[Category: Campaign scenarios]]