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In the early morning heat, the Aztec emissary approached the conquistadors with the air of haughty conceit fitting of a Mexica nobleman among his inferiors. He walked through the palace grounds, the gardens of the tlatoani Montezuma, now dead only twelve hours, filled with the white men and their Tlaxcala allies, century-old enemies of his people. Scattered in the once pristine foliage and stone paths were the strange weapons of the invaders, along with barrels, boxes, and sacks, hills of trash and refuse, juxtaposed with the strewn piles of pillaged gold and jewels; a scene that betrayed the nature of these bandits and vagrants once viewed as demi-gods of the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl. The emissary's resolute gaze only projected forward and high, his chin raised as if his nose were seeking the higher fresh air, away from the consuming stench of ordure and unwashed bodies.
He stopped before the leader of the conquistadors, his high gaze not lowering to meet the brown eyes of Hernán Cortés. His vivid feathery adornments and jewels of jade, amethyst, and polished obsidian contrasted with the muted grey iron of the Castilian's breastplate.
The emissary puffed his chest and through the translations of La Malinche and Gerónimo de Aguilar demanded the Spaniards' surrender of the palace and removal from the city. His brow raised and nostrils flaring, Cortés responded in fast and heated Castilian: "
Unblinkingly and with the composure of his station, the Mexica raised a bejeweled arm to the palace walls, behind which could be heard the chattering of thousands of Aztec warriors. "
The meeting ended, Cortés turned to his lieutenants. He had just returned from Vera Cruz after successfully defeating the Spanish army of Pánfilo de Narváez, dispatched by the treacherous Diego Velázquez to arrest Cortés. He left his forces in the capital to Pedro de Alvarado but the cruel and merciless Alvarado had massacred eight thousand unarmed festival-goers, inciting the wrath of the entire city. Now was not the time to assign blame, however.
The palace walls were high but the Spaniards' food and supplies could not sustain a lengthy siege. Much of the gunpowder and ammunition had been expended and Cortés wondered if the abundant gold in the palace could be shaped into balls for the cannons and arquebuses. If they retreated from the palace, where would they go? The narrow causeways out of the city were veritable death-traps and likely blocked and well-defended by the shrewd Mexica. To even reach those causeways would require an intense fighting trek with house to house fighting against a numerically superior foe in the dense streets and canals of a hostile city. Even now, many of his men, scattered throughout the city, were fighting for their lives.
As the sun climbed into the sky over the pyramids of Tenochtitlan, Cortés had many problems. But had he not problems before? Had he not landed in Santo Domingo many years ago destitute, armed only with his wits and the respected name of his father? Had he not organized this expedition even amid the avaricious whim of Governor Velázquez who, hours before he was set to sail, revoked his charter? Had he not defeated an army dispatched to arrest him? Had he not fought and parlayed his way into an alliance with the Tlaxcala and Totonac and into this very city to hold the god-king of an empire for ransom?
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- Choose from one of four famous conquistadors to define the character of your army based on their historical personas (See Lieutenant System below for more information)
- Low visibility night-time combat
- How well you do determines Cortés' place in history. Play multiple times to see if you can match or surpass El Capitán General himself!
- Three difficulty levels (El Teniente, El Capitan, and El Caudillo)
- Every Spanish unit is a named actual member of Cortés' expedition (using Bernal Díaz del Castillo's memoirs as a reference)
- Spanish units have been altered to emphasize the disparity between the Spanish and Aztec:
*Armored units (condottieri) are sturdy but move slowly
*Metal swords and bullets inflict great damage
*Cavalry are very quick but unarmored horses make them vulnerable
*Metal swords and bullets inflict great damage
*Cavalry are very quick but unarmored horses make them vulnerable
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Your choice of second-in-command defines the character of your army based on each famous conquistador's historical persona.
Each lieutenant provides different bonuses, different starting bonus units, and slightly different dialogue. Your army also earns experience from kills and are upgraded based on your lieutenant's specialty (at 250 and 500 kills).
Alvarado's mercilessness against our heathen foe inspires your infantry to push and stab even when struck so that they swat away the enemy's blows like so many mosquitos! (condottieri +1 armor)
Ordaz has taught the archers techniques he learned in Panama to better protect themselves against the Mexica weapons and tactics. (Spanish archers/gunners +25 hp)
Sandoval's fearless example inspires your cavalrymen to drive their steeds harder, galloping into battle. (cavalry +2 speed)
Fortuna smiles on us! The resourceful Olid has somehow managed to convince the Aztec nobles to consider a ceasefire! (Aztecs ally for 120 game seconds)
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[This message has been edited by Al_Kharn the Great (edited 06-09-2014 @ 06:18 PM).]