A Gryphon's Heart

Template:Campaign Long Live the KingThis is the first map of the Heroes of Might and Magic III: Restoration of Erathia campaign Long Live the King.

Backstory

The war in Erathia is the greatest thing that could have happened for the nation of Deyja. A war of this scale is an endless harvest for our undead armies. Today we shall feast, and tomorrow we shall conquer Erathia for ourselves.

Briefing

King Gryphonheart, the man who banished us from Erathia, is dead. The Nighon and Eeofol invasion has given us the gift of death. At last we can build our armies and invade Erathia ourselves. First, however, we need a tactician. You must find the tomb of King Gryphonheart.

Cinematic Briefing

Our nation's goal was to kill the man who banished us from Erathia. However, Nighon and Eeofol's subsequent invasion has done us an unexpected favor. Erathia's strewn with the dead. For necromancers, this is the season of harvest. This is a season of war. Queen Catherine is a formidable foe. To defeat Erathia's remaining military, we need a tactician greater than her. We have a plan... An ironic plan. While Catherine organizes the last stage of her war with Nighon and Eeofol, you will sneak into Erathia and locate the King Gryphonheart's Grave. Be wary. The region is occupied by scattered Erathian. When the gravesite is found, we will resurrect the dead king and make him our pawn. With King Gryphonheart commanding our armies, his former home will become land of the dead

In-Game

Our spies tell us that the tomb of King Gryphonheart is located in the town of Stonecastle, near Erathia's northern border, in a place that was clear of the war with Nighon and Eeofol. Seek this place out and capture it so that we may animate the body of the King. You must also seek out the Spirit of Oppression and bring it to Stonecastle, as it is one of the items we need for the ritual to animate the King's body. But you must act quickly - the body will be of no use to us if its spirit departs.

Quest/Objective

To win, you must bring the Spirit of Oppression to the city of Stonecastle within three months. Seek out the Seer's Huts - completing the Seer's Quest will all you to carry the reward to the next scenario.

Victory message, "Congratulations! You have reached your destination, precious cargo intact, and can claim victory!"

Defeat message, "Alas, time has run out on your quest. All is lost."

Map Details

Difficulty: Normal

Map Size: Small

Next Map: Season of Harvest

Total Castles: 2

Underground: Yes

Heroes

You start with a random hero.

The enemy starts with Loynis.

Maximum Heroes: No maximum

Maximum Level: No maximum

Starting Options

• Start with a Scroll of Death Ripple
• Start with 1 Black Knight
• Start with a Skeleton Transformer

Tips

• The enemy starts with a more powerful hero than you start with featuring a throng of pikemen and a horde of crossbowmen. However his reinforcements are almost non-existent as the enemy does not purchase any structures.
• The enemy does not adventure past the first gate and rarely captures even the silos in their borders - so there is no reason to rush beyond that three month limit on the mission.
• After about 6 weeks, you will be powerful enough that you can easily crush Red.
• To acquire the Spirit of Oppression you must pass a series of artifacts through three Seer's Huts.

1. The first artifact to require is the Pendant of Total Recall which is located underground in the bottom left - heavily guarded by monks and zealots.
2. Move the Pendant of Total Recall to Spiridion the Seer located above ground in the bottom left of the map.
3. Move the Hourglass of the Evil Hour you acquired from Spiridion to Kae the Seer located underground in the top right closest to your castle.
4. Move the Pendant of Dispassion you acquired from Kae to Heather the Seer located above ground to the left of your castle.
5. Move the Spirit of Oppression to Stonecastle to complete this mission.