Part 20: The Gates of Myrgard Recap
Previously on Myth III
This happened.
This might be the best mission in all of Myth 3 consider how much fun it is to play. It might be the best mission in all of Myth. In my mind only the Stair of Grief from Myth 2 comes close, and it too was a dwarf-centric battle against overwhelmingly huge numbers of enemies. What I really like about this mission is how every time I play it, one of two things happens. Either I lose hilariously in friendly-fire related catastrophes, or my reinforcements arrive just as the main position is about to be overrun. The arrival of more units is timed perfectly. Playing solo, you pretty much need to be playing on ½ speed at all times to keep an eye on everything, so it helps a lot to have a buddy helping you out. If you're really good, you can try to put satchels down in the middle of the gate between waves, but I think that's just asking for trouble.
Screenshot, singular, because god damn look at this:
Okay one more image, of just the gates themselves:
The symbol of a hammer surrounded by two wings - we've seen that before as a tattoo on a dwarf in Myth: The Fallen Lords. The dwarf in question was part of a paratrooper brigade retaking Myrgard after it was captured by Ghôls. This image certainly fits with the dwarf motto - "Si vis pacem, para bellum" meaning "If you wish for peace, prepare for war".
The game film.
Casualty. Casualties. Casualties. Casualties. Casualty. Casualties. The word is starting to lose meaning. The end of the mission is such a clusterfuck of explosions and tornados that you miss little things, like the one Ghôl who single-handedly killed most of my archers. I was exaggerating when I said we'd only lose 30 more units the rest of the game, but what I am pretty certain of is that we won't lose that many units in any other mission. I will count as deaths the three archers Tiny blew up at the end because he's a jerk because the game doesn't count deaths after victory is announced. Seriously, never play games with Tiny, this is what he does all the time. I have no idea how he manages to be nice enough otherwise to get away with it, so be warned.
One thing I can say about enemy casualties is that I've already recorded a mission with more enemy kills than the 185 we accomplished here…
Proof of counting, but we lost all 14 Axe-Warriors and not 13 like I wrote.
YouTube
The success video was our third attempt at recording, so I strongly suggest watching these videos to see just how bad things can get with only slightly worse play and luck.
Dwarven Axe-Warrior You don't get to play as Axe-Warriors all that much in the game, so it's hard to compare them to other melee units. They're slow units, but they're also tanks, able to take an incredible amount of punishment. I didn't say this in the main video (but did in the fail video), but Axe-Warriors are slightly resistant to explosions. In a pinch it might be okay to target a unit with a cocktail that is in combat with an Axe-Warrior.
Wearing magnificently crafted heavy armor and wielding wicked battle-axes, Dwarven Axe-Warriors are no-nonsense juggernauts in the battlefield. When these stout fighters gather in a line, they can be a barrier to waves of enemies, being able to suffer wounds which would kill an ordinary human outright. Their only disadvantage is their slow speed.
"…their axes fell into the throng like hammers on anvils, but still the Ghôls approached. For each defender slain, two-score of the scavengers leaked their blood upon the steps of Craghold. Yet still, the defenders were overwhelmed by the horde. They fought to the last - the bodies of their dead carpeting the mountain pass. The fall of the fortress of Craighold is still bitterly remembered…"
(The text uses both Craghold and Craighold so I don't know which is correct)
"…Draveld, son of Drovali, is a major hero in Dwarven legends. In his chronicles, he defeats the Serpent Khryshka by allowing it to swallow him and then carving his way out from the inside. He is also credited with making an elaborate throne out of a thousand Ghôl skulls to honor his Ephor. It is said that when Draveld was in the path of a rolling boulder it shattered upon striking him…"
Dwarf Hero
We also saw our first dwarven heroes. Heroes either look identical to the standard unit, or are just recolored, but they do have new flavor text.
"In 'The Ghôl Campaign of Myrgard', one valiant hero stands above all others. Danuvin the fleet, who hauled a great backpack of satchels deep into the Ghôl cavern system. Finding the main support, he was spotted before he could set up a fuse. Igniting the explosives with a cocktail, he raced against the raging Ghôl and collapsing cavern to emerge alone into the dust clouded night…"
"…the great inventors, Kili and Kori, constantly attempted to improve upon the explosive powders and the methods of delivering it to the enemy. They met their demise while testing a 'super-explosive' version of the powder with a 'slingshot' delivery system. We can only imagine how far their minds would have led us if that slingshot hadn't backfired…"
Next time on Myth III
The Smiths of Muirthemne finish forging a Tain, an artifact that Connacht will use against the Myrkridia. For the Myrkridia there are only two options - death, or Imprisonment inside the Tain.