
Avengers -- The Return of Zorran

	The Dynasty of Secoy has lasted for a century
in the small yet strong nation of Yew. Despite the
hostilities from larger neighbouring countries, it
has many a time survived and won a handful of splendid
victories. After the infamous Iron Wars over 20 years
ago, the people of Yew have ever since experienced
peace and prosperity. The youngsters have grown lax,
but the war survivors are ever wary of another great
danger impeding upon the Kingdom again. During the
festive seasons, a worried old soul locked himself in
the attic gazing at the stars while everybody was
making merry in the streets. He suddenly threw up
his hands in the air and burst out," Yew is doomed!
Doomed!" He shook his head. " No, I must avert this
disaster, Within 2 weeks, the Valin army would have
arrived in hordes and none will be spared from the
massacre... The Prince is our only hope, for the
stars have shown me that. But this child is so
headstrong, if I reveal the truth, he'll rather perish
with us. Now let me think..." The astrologer cum King
paced up and down about the attic. Soon he got it...

	Next day --- King Dortmund made a proclamation:
The Royal Prince is to set off immediately to seek the
Elixir of Life. The Prince is somewhat taken aback by
his father's command as His Majesty has never believed
in prolonging one's life. Princess Juilea bitterly 
opposed the plan; she couldn't bear the thought of
being separated with her beloved brother. However,
the King's word is final.

	Juilea appeared tear-faced as she bade her
brother goodbye. " You must return safely as soon as
possible, alright?" The Prince showed no hint of sorrow
though he longed to say he'd miss her. A real man
shouldn't be behaving like a girl, he thought. "Goodbye,
my little sister..." and with that he marched off
with his troops.

	2 weeks later --- A flustered messenger scuttled
into the throne room carrying a message that the Valin
is spotted less than 5 miles away from Elftown with
seeming overwhelming forces. From the looks of it, they
could arrive within a day or two and launch a full-scale
attack. All the officials in the court stood frozen,
fearing for the worst. Only the King remained calm as
ever, and muttered, " The time has come." He stared
blankly into the air for a few moments before regaining
his composure. "General Aekon Whitbread, you shall
command 25,000 footmen to ambush the adversary at the
Cyrin Forest. General Lefeof Uris, I command you to
station your troops at Windy Valley and set the place
aflame when the need arises..." Once all the military
tasks have been delegated. King Dortmund went to the
balcony to plot his next move.

	As dawn approaches, a messenger rushes into
the palace to convey the news of astounding victory.
Everyone jumped in joy with the exception of King
Dortmund. Princess Juilea, being sharp, quickly observed
this and asked curiously," Father, aren't you
delighted?" King Dortmund returned with a sigh. "There
are more to come, my dear. It's just the beginning of a
vicious battle." Upon hearing this, the court fell
silent.

	Meanwhile, the Prince is still in the midst of
his impossible quest. Several months have passed. He
decided to end his fruitless expedition. When he set
foot upon his very homeland, a nasty shock greeted him.
A picture of ruin and destruction unfolded before his
eyes. In a split second, he dismounted and flew toward
the spot where the king's castle formerly was. There
were mutilated bodies everywhere but no sight of his
father or sister. After a few hours of searching, the
Prince slumped his head down saddened by this sudden
catastrophy. Quiet tears crept down his cheeks;
he finally understood why the King had sent him on a
silly expedition. But who in the world is this enemy?
Thoughts raced through his mind, but none offered him an
answer. Finally, too tired to probe any further, he
simply fell asleep.

Dreaming...
Suddenly, The Prince felt afloat in the air. Hw was in a
strange surrounding and seemed to hear a voice beckoning
him to advance. He followed the instructions and soon
enough, a spectral figure came into vision. Though not
apprehensive, he is uncertain to approach the figure.
Deadly silence regined. Finally he shouted, " What are
you and why am I here in this strange place?" The figure
turned to face him and said, "I'm your father. I've
changed a great deal. Little wonder you failed to
recognize me." The Prince gasped and then cried out,
"What happened to you, my dear father? And why is our
homeland left in ruins?!" King Dortmund bellowed, 
"Enough! Stop all this ranting, I have little time for
questions. Once I have related everything to you, I must
leave. Listen, the Valin is responsible for all these,
yet I suspect a greater evil manipulating our Allies.
Furthermore your sister Juilea is still alive..."
"What?! Juilea isn't dead yet?! I must save her at all
costs!" cried the Prince. "Wait! You are too impatient,
calm down and listen to me. Before I died, I gave Juilea
an artifact that will protect her from any threat unless
the magic word is invoked. Go to the Land of Oysten, 
you'll know more upon reaching...King Dortmund's voice
trailed off and soon he vanished into thin air." Father!
Father! Don't leave, come back, come back..." With that,
the Prince woke up with a jolt. Worried faces
surrounded him. " What's the matter, your Highness?"
"Nothing, Men, pack up and set forth to the Land of
Oysten!

Now, you shall play the role of the Prince and delve
deep into the mystery behind the destruction of the
kingdom and the disappearance of your sister. No time
to waste now, so be off and Good Luck!

Now, the whereabouts of Juilea has been located. She
is trapped in the very heart of the cursed Necromancers'
wasteland. Far in the distance, her desperate cries
seemed so close. " Hold on, my dear sister, I'll come
in a jiffy to rescue you!"  Now the Prince is
intensively training his troops in his quest to save
Juilea. Soon, they will be ready for any tough
opposition. Moreover, he has managed to summon a
legendary Phoenix to strengthen his military might.


The great aftermath to Avengers (Please read this when
you have completed the map!)
	
	Finally the moment has arrived, The Prince came
face to face with his archenemy and brother, Zoran. The
weather seemed to have changed all a sudden; no longer
the cheerful and picturesque scenery you have seen
previously. A mystic fog seemed to rise from the
surrounding crevasse.  A furious gust of wind appeared
and nearly lifted the Prince off his feet. It is a
tempestuous yet strangely beautiful night. Clouds hung
thickly about the turreted roof of the castle. The wind
blew in violent gusts, pausing now and again. The clouds
were tossed about, coming together and then being blown
apart. The lower surfaces of the moving clouds and the
tree trunks all about the castle were bathed in an eerie
glow. Yet so moon shone; no stars twinkled; no lightning
flashed. What then, was this strange, unnatural light
that seemed to be circling about the castle?
	Zoran roared," Are you ready for your final
journey, my dear brother? Heeheehee!!!" Then he raised
his ghastly hand to direct his troops for the offensive,
endeavoring to tear the Prince to bits. Though the
opposition is numerically superior, the Prince
possessed great leadership and battle tactics.
Using a variety of battle formations, the Prince's
army managed to destroy a third of the enemy while 
suffering little casualties. Zoran, sensing that things
are not going right for him, invoked the magic
inchantations and hurled a massive lightning bolt
towards the Prince's army. The effect was horrendous:
many of charred bodies writhed vigorously before
slumping into a black mass and half of his troops are
gone. The Prince let a bloodcurdling scream at his
men's fate and mobilized himself for a massive charge
into the enemy. His men, inspired by their lord's
fighting spirit, joined in fiercely. Once again,
Zoran is at a disadvantage. However, Zoran smiled
sinisterly and chanted a few magic words. Immediately,
the broken bodies of the Undead were reanimated and
again launched their ghostly attack on the Prince's
troops again. More casualties this time and the Prince's
men were greatly demoralized. Just as the Prince was
panicking, King Dortmund's voice rang in his ears,
"Destroy him using the Battle Garb of Anduran, quick!"
" But how to? I don't know!" " Fuse your mind and
spirit into the battle garb and soon nobody can hurt
you..."

	The Prince concentrated for a few moments and
new strength seemed to develop in within him, however
he knew that he new found strength will not last long,
he must destroy Zoran quickly if not all effort will
come to naught. Howling a bloodthirsty cry, he drove 
deeply into the defenses and soon neared Zoran.
 "Brother!" a familiar cry rang in his ears. The Prince
turned briefly and saw Juilea approaching. Before the
Prince knew it, Zoran had already raised his hand to
direct a lightning bolt towards him. " Brother, look
out!" Suddenly the Prince saw Juilea stood frozen
before him, and then he realized what happened. He put
Juilea down and screamed," Zoran, you beast, I swear
to slaughter you!" He hacked and slashed wildly as he
rose to challenge Zoran. When he was near enough, he
made a leap and thrust his sword at Zoran. Zoran ducked
and countered with a swift swipe of his sword. The
Prince somersaulted in the air and then transformed
himself into a fierce jet of energy and penetrated
Zoran's skeletal frame. Zoran yelled horrifically and
exploded into pieces... 

	Suddenly, a wild light flashed across the
bloodied land. The prince turned to see where it came
from, for before him were only the vast castle and its
shadows. Then he saw where the strange light was coming
from --- it was from the blood red light of a full
settling moon. It glowed through a crack in the wall of
the castle. While the Prince gazed, this crack rapidly
 widened. Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind - a whirlwind
- -burst upon the place.

	His brain reeled as he watched the once mighty 
walls come crashing down and the Undead slowing
disintegrating. A tumultuous shouting, like the roaring
voice of a thousand oceans. The Prince stood frozen,
gazing in awe, as the tumbling walls began to sink.
Then the land closed angrily and silently over the
fragments of Deathzone Castle...

Please look out for the continuation of this story
and Avengers 2 as a HOMM3 map!
	










































































































































