Where did the obelisks disappear to?

Based on your description, I suspect that you don't have the original "The Shadow of Death" or "Complete Collection," but rather WoG (In the Wake Of Gods) or some other mod, on which an HD mod has already been installed, or even WoG+ERA or a rarer mod. To be more precise, you should help us identify your specific version of "Heroes." Perhaps you could provide (in a private message, so as not to openly "encourage piracy") a link to the page from which you downloaded your version of "Heroes"? Or a description from there.
What, for example, is the image that appears when you launch the game? Here's what the main screens of "The Shadow of Death" and "Complete Collection" look like: