Essentially, everything was decided in the replays. The imbalance in castle strength made the game and the native Rampart and Stronghold factions even in the hands of a newbie: 28 Grand Griffins, 5 Unicorns, 65 upgraded Knights, 3 Pegasi, 3 Ents, and 7 Dwarves were stronger than 30 Gogs, several Demons, Whelps, and Dogs, supported by 80 Skeletons at Dessa's. It should be noted that Dessa was also a newbie, just like my newbie.
Thanks for the game!