Everyone chose restarts. Generation based on luck… It turned out more or less even. For me – a disaster with roads, but I have Dragon Utopias, which gave basically nothing but money.
111 – recruited 6 heroes. Fast roads, I have a bunch of blockers, albeit small ones, but shooters. There is a Pandora's Box behind the dwarves, but there are 100+ of them. Even with 90 starting skeletons – it's tough. I took a breastplate +3 attack.
112 – broke into the treasure zone, scouted there. What I saw was relatively pleasing. There is a Titan's Cuirass, a couple of Dragon Fly Hives, a Dragon Utopia. A couple of prisons with level 5 heroes opened up – I can take them and turn them into skeletons.
113 – took both villages in the treasure zone. The only remaining road leads to a second treasure zone. I send Clavius along it. Another Dragon Fly Hive was found near the Cuirass.
114 – I take the second prison (the first had Gundula with expert starting skills), there's Sonia – useless. The fights are going awkwardly, and skeletons are melting away. At least the income from prisons and secondary towns helps… I cast scout. The revealed picture is pleasing. +5 Dragon Fly Hives (but not all convenient), a Helmet +6 to all stats behind the Rocs, and a second Dragon Utopia. A bit further – Wings behind a horde of Monks. In principle, if I gather everything quickly, these two respawn spots should be enough to win. Yes, the road hit a village and ended.
115 – I recall home, buy Luna, prepare to fight the Pandora's Box behind the dwarves. I broke through without a road into another treasure zone – there's a Griffin Conservatory at the entrance, which is very good. Luna with the Angel dominates!
116 – The Pandora's Box gives 5k experience (took it with Luna), +1 Spell Power. I prepare to set up for the Griffin Conservatory.
117 – Last turn I positioned Xi slightly wrong, so I don't take the village near the Griffin Conservatory. Oh well, I set up under the split, built Knights in the Citadel. 170 skeletons. Clavius got Logistics!
121 – Didn't have very much gold for buying, but enough for Knights and skeletons. I approached and entered the Griffin Conservatory. There are 3 with Haste, it went okay, even without Haste, but I had simple Slow and plenty of mana. I lost a Knight and some skeletons. Then I cleared 100 Ogres with Haste for a quest artifact, and the morale kill took another Knight. Remaining: 343 skeletons.
122 – I enter a Dragon Fly Hive without checking and slightly incorrectly. It's a maximum roll – I lose the Angel. But Luna takes a Jar and a size-8 Dragon Fly Hive without losses. Clavius also took a Pandora's Box for Half Moon.
123 – The Pandora's Box gives the entire 4th level. And I only have basic Wisdom. Very frustrating. I run for the Cuirass, Luna takes another size-6 Dragon Fly Hive.
124 – Cuirass, a size-4 Dragon Fly Hive, a Pandora's Box with 15 Storm elementals. I can start taking Dragon Utopias.
125 – Dragon Fly Hive, Dragon Utopia, another Dragon Fly Hive. Luna takes +2 Speed and enters another Dragon Fly Hive. 41 Wyverns, 430 skeletons. The Dragon Utopia is minimal – gives only the Sentinel's Shield.
126 – Luna +8 Wyverns. Clavius + another Dragon Utopia. Again minimal. Even worse – the Helmet of Thunder doesn't bring much benefit. These days, the opponent's stats jump sharply, and his army power becomes greater than mine. Second thing – very strange, I seem to have quite a bit… Also pulled a good Mullich from prison and went to take the Wings.
127 – Wings, another size-8 Dragon Fly Hive, the last Dragon Utopia. Again a small one, level 2, with Captain's Hat, and fortunately, it gives a Tome of Earth. Without it, it would be the end. I portal to the dungeon to double my mana.
131 – Took the last Dragon Fly Hive, there was also a box with 15 upgraded Bulls. I gathered troops using Town Portal and Luna, upgraded the skeletons. Doubled my mana, went to the computer (600 skeletons, 60 Wyverns, 15 Bulls, 7 Knights, and an Angel). 12-23-24-12 (375). The opponent's parameters are comparable, but I pulled ahead in troops. The computer had a looted Dragon Fly Hive.
132 – The computer itself was untouched for some reason. Well, took a ramp, went to another computer through a portal. There's snow, and it's quite far to go. Then Crag Hack got pleasing parameters, and his army became bigger. Creepy.
133 – Mullich broke into my last treasure zone, took the village there. Clavius captured a Tower, scouting showed a complete absence of useful objects. I portal to the swamp to upgrade Wyverns and take the last Dragon Fly Hive.
134 – Mullich gets killed, Crag Hack sits in the village I just took. I must attack before it's too late. I collect the last Dragon Fly Hive (turned out to be maximum), upgrade Wyverns, and attack, forgetting Black Knights along the way:
Clavius (14, 26, 26, 14(337)), 583 skeletons, 70+1+1+1 Monarchs, 15 Bulls, 1 Angel, +2 Speed, no armor, Air Magic not maxed – only basic, Earth – Expert vs Crag Hack (30, 24, 24, 25(138)), 8 Angels, 7 Birds, 62 Wyverns, and a few Air (17) and Fire (8) Elementals. He has both Armor, Air, and Earth properly leveled. All Fire with Sorcery, all 5th level spells. But Nothing from Magic! And very little mana!
We traded Implosions (-Birds, -half the Wyverns, I lost -30 Monarchs), and only in the second round did the opponent move forward with Mass Slow. Another Implosion and a rush. At the start of the 3rd round, I had Skeletons, 2 single Wyverns, and Bulls left. I took down the Angels – only 31 Wyverns and a couple of Fire elementals remained. Then Magic Mirror on the Wyverns, and the Wyverns fly away. Implosion would finish them off, but it's risky. I resurrect my Wyverns, finish off the Fires, and fly away. I summon a hundred Earth Elementals. Then an Implosion hits the Skeletons, and here I mess up – instead of resurrecting the Wyverns (or the Skeletons), I summon a second stack of Earth elementals. Armageddon – and 90 Skeletons remain against 5 Wyverns (and 200 Elementals). Fortunately, Crag Hack ran out of mana, and Lightning Bolt couldn't finish the Skeletons (though it wouldn't have worked anyway – the Bolt could deal 650 damage, but the Skeletons have 8 HP each, i.e., 720 total health). As it was, if he had sacrificed his Wyverns on the Earth elementals, getting rid of the Skeletons, both heroes would have died.
In short, a very hard-fought victory. The battle was in a village, and with Shackles of War, so no ransom possible.
Thank you for the game!