Walkthroughs for custom maps.

The map description states that this is an enhanced version of the “Vanadia’s Ruler” map. If you want to play it, I recommend trying the improved version: there were several limitations in the RoE editor that deprived authors of some important features (more on this later), and in the new version, the map became much better.
You can find information about the map on a signpost along the path to the main secret:

Map Maker: SMIRNOW Stephane (M.23),
Origin: Hody (Belgium),
edited by boon.

If I had to describe this map in three words, I would say it’s a warm, classic experience. Such maps were created in the early years after the game was released, and sometimes they still appear now. The map isn’t difficult but is interesting.
Plot: the bad guys kidnapped and hid the Wizard's Hat, starting a 300-year war. To restore peace, the relic must be found and returned.
In terms of genre, this is a strategy-RPG map with a focus on the strategic aspect.
To make things more challenging, the Vulnerability spell is prohibited on the map. Also, presumably to complicate exploration, the author has banned the View Land and View Air spells (later I realized: this is necessary to make it harder to find the “secret” city).
There is an original authorial concept.
The map is very well thought out and carefully designed and filled.
Replay value. You can choose any of the 8 available factions for the game, except for Conflux (although there are also cities belonging to Conflux).
Two victory conditions: obtain the Wizard's Hat or destroy all enemies – give you the opportunity to choose your preferred playstyle, focusing either on RPG elements or strategy.
The map is quite balanced and can be used for tournaments with 2-8 players.
There are no overly powerful enemies or mega-defenses made up of legions of dragons – accordingly, you won’t have to spend weeks accumulating troops or leveling up your hero in order to overcome some obstacle standing in your way.
Also, there are no tricky tricks that could put you in a dead end: everything is quite simple and straightforward.I will mostly talk about the main "feature" of the map. The City Portal spell is prohibited on it, and it can only be obtained in a specific place at a specific time. But this isn't implemented perfectly. In the Dungeon, there is a small zone consisting of 8 “flower petals,” where the cities of all 8 opponents stand. Initially, there are only level 7 dwellings, and nothing can be built. But on the great “Day X,” which we are told about in advance and warned about a week before its arrival (this is day 100, i.e., month 4, week 3, day 2), the cities are fully completed: they acquire level 5 mage guilds and all dwellings. Stronghold and Fortress also won’t be left out: next to them are prisons where heroes with City Portal and Literacy are imprisoned. It seems like everything is fine, but the implementation of this idea has several significant drawbacks:
1) for the momentous event to occur, the city must belong to its owner on day 100!
2) You can get to your city in the “flower” easily and quite quickly: through a blue one-way monolith, but returning to your land before obtaining the City Portal will be very difficult: the dungeon gate in the center of the “flower” leads to a closed sandy area on the surface with 3 Confluxes, and the one-way monoliths leading from there outwards are heavily guarded – in my opinion, this is wrong, and it would be better if there was no such guard (you could put border gates there).
3) The entrances to the "petals" are blocked by guards of four colors, so the enemy can also capture another's city. The reason is clear: the other four colors are used for other purposes. Border gates did not exist in RoE yet – they would be much more appropriate.
Since sitting and waiting in a city with only one level 7 dwelling is unreasonable, because during this time enemies can capture your cities on your native land, you have to accept that your city (as well as others) will change hands many times.
As a result, it may turn out that the City Portal never appears in any of the cities in the “flower”! (In my case, it appeared in 2 out of 8 cities – unfortunately, belonging to opponents)
However, if you’re really unlucky, there is another way to get the City Portal: the Tome of Earth, lying under heavy guard in the sands.
Therefore, the only correct approach is to settle into your city in the “flower” 1-3 days before day 100 and wait for the super bonus.
If you dare to suggest improving the map, I would make the appearance of the City Portal not in the “flower,” but in your "own" city behind the second border gate – enemies might reach it, but perhaps only once (in my playthrough, no enemy took over such an "own" city; only Purple reached it and captured the nearby angel dwelling, but did not attack the city). In the existing version, it would be better if “Day X” came earlier: approximately on days 50-70.
Now about the other shortcomings:
The protection of the Wizard's Hat is frankly weak, especially compared to the protection of the Tome of Air.
After taking the Tome of Air, you don’t need to look for the rest of the tents; you can simply jump to the place where the Hat lies (it can be seen by a hero with expert scouting from near one of the nearest cities), defeat the easy guard, and victory will be yours!
The protection of the Tome of Air is exactly the same as that of the Tome of Earth – the Tome of Air should be guarded more strongly.
In general, the guard consisting of 900 rusty dragons isn’t so strong when you consider that they have absolutely no immunity to magic – here, azure, gold, or black dragons would be better.
I played as Tower (Blue). To get maximum enjoyment and fully reveal the possibilities of the map, I aimed for victory according to both criteria, but in the finale, I had to choose something. Here, I also observed anomalies in the behavior of AI players: Pink (Fortress) sat in his first city for a very long time and didn’t venture out, although he accumulated quite decent troops. He didn’t even capture the lumber mill, which was guarded by miserable peasants! Only on day 4-3-4 did he finally crawl out of his lair! It seems this happened after an event giving him additional resources and troops.
When I became strong enough, I could take the Tome of Air, but I only did it closer to the very end and only to avoid spending many days traveling through the system of yellow one-way monoliths; I needed the Grail (fortunately, it lay where enemies couldn’t reach it), and I also wanted to capture the “secret” city.
I reached the Wizard's Hat, honestly defeating all the guards, but I didn’t take it and instead focused on finishing off the enemies.
Victory was achieved by destroying the last hero of Pink on month 8, week 1, day 5. Result: 201 days, 492 points. The Grail was dug up and placed in the capital, and all cities, including the "secret" one, were captured.
The author also created a sequel map called “Freedom of Vanadia,” already in WoG, where the action takes place in the same universe but in another location, many years after the events of “Vanadia’s Ruler.”