Damn, I'm disappointed. It said here that this was the most difficult campaign in the game. Considering how much I struggled with the Emerald faction, I really believed I wouldn't be able to complete Nicholas's campaign. I played on Warrior difficulty. I over-leveled my hero so that, in addition to Avenger and Offense, he also had Leadership, Luck, Education, and Logistics. By the time of the battle with Nicholas (it was the 4th month), my stats were: Attack 26, Defense 28, Magic 14, Knowledge 23. I had 400 archers, 170 druids, 20+ Twilight dragons, and 20+ Emerald dragons, 100 ents, 80 undead + 5 phoenixes, plus an artifact that reduced the enemy hero's luck and morale by 2. That artifact was guarded by a group of 56 Twilight dragons... which I defeated before the battle by raining arrows down on them. So, I was expecting a long and grueling battle with an uncertain outcome, but I defeated Nicholas with the very first volley (the ents didn't even have time to move). However, considering that he started hunting phoenixes on his turn, that's exactly what I should have done. In the end, it turned out that on Warrior difficulty, the second mission is harder than the fifth. Perhaps those who encountered difficulties were playing on Veteran, but most likely on Hero.