The Lord is more alive than dead

Name: "The Sovereign is More Alive Than Dead"
Name: "NikolasRemarsh"
Size: 176x176 Large
Underground: yes
Type: scenario
Number of players: 4 (1 vs 3)
Faction: Necropolis
Starting heroes: Nicholas, Stefan
Required Heroes 5 version: only 3.1 (Tribes of the East) !
Current map version: 1.3
Date of last update: 26.06.2026
Author: Koschei the Deathless


Acknowledgments:
- forum members RedHeavenHero, AstralLein, MasteR, Jack_of_shadows, AlekseyS, Markel the Imperor, Remix, Sashager, Novik, psatkha;
- developers at Nival Interactive, as well as the creators of HoMM5 Map Scripts Editor (HSerg, Valex, Romzes).

Special thanks: }{0TT@6bI4 (aka Hottabych), Gerter, Andrei_21, IchGViji, Grigory Kovalev, zahar0z (aka Zahar), fktifzobr@mail.ru (aka Zobr), Narron.

Manuals, guides, maps, mods and other works by these people became the foundation and source of inspiration for my work, for which they receive beams of goodness and respect.

Description: While Markel was fighting the demonic expansion and rebels in the Griffin Empire, he tasked the resurrected Nicholas with invading Irollan and dealing with those insurgents who had fled to the elves. However, the military campaign, which seemed like an easy walk, clearly went awry when the undead legions were stopped near Syris Thalla and pushed back to the southwestern border of the forest kingdom. Now Findan is preparing a decisive retaliatory strike, and the high vampire faces a dilemma: silently accept his preordained fate or try to cheat his Final Death, already the second time around...


From the author: This is my first map. Its events take place approximately during the mission "The High Vampire" (Sylvan campaign), but from the perspective of the other side of the conflict. Initially, I wanted to extract the map from the original part of the game and remake it for that same part... Unfortunately or fortunately – depending on how you look at it – that fell through, so I ended up creating it for the second expansion. From scratch, so to speak. The idea of getting a kind of "rematch" for this particular mission had been brewing in me for quite a long time and demanded implementation, although I generally like any well-made story maps based on the lore of Heroes 5. Keep in mind, "The Sovereign..." is a trial run, so don't expect major miracles from the story. But if, in the end, some old-timers shed a nostalgic tear, that's already a success. The map is large, and there is a lot of rough terrain, so logistics are your friend, especially at the beginning. That should be all, throw your slippers/hats at me, just don't throw me into the thorn bush! =)

Warnings:
1. The map contains built-in mods (inside the "h5m" file itself) and uses in conjunction external mods ("pak" file), as well as a few scripts! Therefore, it is best to place it on a "clean" version of the game and delete other maps from the "Maps" folder while playing!
The external mods present include, among others, mods for:

a) wide text message window (taken with permission from Gerter from his scenario);
Map link – /topic/14423/

b) faction gates (author Hottabych);
Source link – /topic/15478/

c) visuals (textures, models) for death knights, manticores, and 4 types of elementals (author Narron);
Link to NVS project – https://vk.com/homm_ashan
Its creation also involved the masters ArchWarlock, Hannik, Samurai, Zobr, Zahar, artists Sveta Nero (formerly S.Nero), L’Garold. Not all are listed, as this modification has been partially used.

d) textures of the mummy, its icon, and the pyramid (author Zahar);
Source links – https://vk.com/wall-40470309_2605 , https://vk.com/wall-40470309_2626

e) replacement of zealots with spearmen from Heroes 6 (author Zahar);
Source link – https://vk.com/wall-40470309_1359
Editing of the attack animation timing was done by vova2112.

f) replacement of wolves with elven archers from NCF (author psatkha, together with mDance);
Source link – https://psatkha.narod.ru/creature_433.html

g) replacement of unused yetis with guardian vampires (author Koschei the Deathless).

If you already have similar unit replacement mods with id 108, 113 or 114, it's best to remove them first to avoid bugs!

2. Do not rush to sell some combination and high-level artifacts (e.g., Cloak of Death's Shadow, magic school tomes, etc.) – they may be the only copy!

3. Old saves (meaning from earlier versions) of the map will most likely work unstable/with crashes/previous errors on later versions, and vice versa (see section "Change History")! When an "upgrade" is released, it's best to delete all previous saves and start anew if you want to avoid surprises. Which will 100% occur when launching the map in game v3.0 and below (see required Heroes 5 version)!

Banned:
1. Alternate creature upgrades in towns and hill forts (this does not apply to armies under a neutral flag).

2. Spells: "Anti-Magic", "Astral Gate", "Vampirism", "Summon Boat".

Installation: From the downloaded zip archive, move the file NikolasRemarsh.h5m to the "Maps" folder (create it if it doesn't exist), and NikolasRemarsh_mods.pak to the "data" folder of the installed game.
Both components must be installed! The NCF core is not required. There will be a slight delay on startup (the script will load); just wait it out.

Uninstallation: Remove the files NikolasRemarsh.h5m and NikolasRemarsh_mods.pak from the above-mentioned folders.
It is recommended to do this immediately after completing the map due to its impact on other maps/mods!


Feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism are welcome. I wish you a pleasant game!

Change History: attached as a docx file in the zip archive at the link below (couldn't fit it here, as the number of 'chars' there already exceeds the character limit for a single message).

Download link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PlBq9cBd-0VkEb6nFnVH1Ijn8sn4uwMI?usp=sharing

Screenshots: