Mission 12 - Fury of the Beasts

## 12 - Fury of the Beasts

The Azrati Order's forces guard the Cradle Stone monument.

### Aftermath

Unexpected Azrati Order defeat.* Cradle Stone monument opened, but artifact found damaged, unable to be used.
* Post-Izlar Synod is convened following the expedition's return, Azrati Order criticized for actions against Humans and Izlarian creatures.
* Synod edict established forbidding future ventures into the Izlar.

## Belligerents

* Azrati Order

* Izlarian Creatures

## Commanders

* Adikara
* Zeraphim

* Unknown

## Forces

* Basic defenses including Polaron Spheres
* Intruder strike craft
* Warpglider corvettes
* Flanker cruisers
* Explorer drones
* Shagua

* Small organisms, including Guards, Ventators, Minds and Rictii
* Large Argus organisms with Spawn breeding capability
* Local colonies, including Ponds, Mind Fungi and Evulatories
* Defensive colonies including Agarics and Helias

## Objectives

* Protect the Cradle Stone until it's opened.
* Recover the secrets within the Cradle Stone.

* Destroy all invaders.
* Recapture the Cradle Stone.

## Casualties and losses

Severe
Extensive

## Involved Characters

* Adikara
* Zeraphim

*Fury of the Beasts* is the twelfth mission of Chapter 01 - Hostile Visitors in the Five Nations campaign.

## Setting

Following the costly capture of the Cradle Stone by the Azrati Order, the local infuriated Izlarian creatures have reacted with encroaching numbers beyond belief, doubtlessly planning a counter-attack.  War consultant Adikara recommended fleeing from the Izlar, especially given the few numbers of the expedition and the firsthand experience in fighting the creatures, on which they behaved like a coordinated superorganism, and return with the Armada of the Patriarch to fully secure the Cradle Stone.

High One Zeraphim however, naively boasting the technological superiority of the Athraels and fearing that either the United Federation or the Sylon Collective could use the Cradle Stone's artifact against the Athrael species if they ever found it, refused to comply and ordered Adikara to prepare for the siege as the Order priests opened the Cradle Stone.

## Wrath of the Izlar

As Adikara informed Zeraphim the Azrati Order would need time to open the Cradle Stone monument, she had little time in terms of organizing a proper defense or patrols, with early warnings sent by the few Explorer drones deployed across the perimeter, before the first creature waves arrived.  Taking into account the losses suffered due to the creatures' surprising resilience, Adikara resorted to deploying Flanker cruisers, whose tough hulls and potent Polaron cannons could even the odds between the Athraels and the Izlarian creatures.

Still, this was but barely enough for the Azrati to withstand the creatures' numerous advances, whom charged uncaring of the losses they suffered.  Amongst the breeds encountered was one capable of spitting out potent fire-like globs from a distance, effectively becoming a mobile artillery battery.  As the creatures also entrenched themselves in lines the Azrati expedition couldn't breach, Adikara had to resort to a defensive stance, hoping to hold long enough for the Order's priests to do their work.

Eventually, the Cradle Stone was opened, but the priests within could only find a broken artifact within the monument, too damaged to be used.  While Zeraphim became clearly frustrated that all the effort in capturing the Cradle Stone was for nothing, Adikara urged for the expedition to leave, being unable to hold any longer against the Izlarian creatures.  Zeraphim ordered the expedition to leave the Izlar, but also collect as many artifact pieces as possible and destroy the Cradle Stone monument, so that the Sylons and Humans would never be able to find it.

## The Fallout

Following the return of the Azrati expedition to the Sedra System, Patriarch Cesral reunited a Synod, a gathering of the Athrael Theocracy's orders, to discuss the findings of the Azrati expedition.  The Azrati were met with heavy criticism due to their notorious, destructive means and little to show in return.  The most vocal criticism came from High One Nephral of the Annaki Order, highlighting the engagements with the Izlarian creatures, which could've released them into the outside galaxy, and the EIRA Institute when recovering the Keystone, which could've started a war between Athraels and Humans (especially given Nephral already saw the humans as potential allies against the Sylons).

As a result, the Synod issued a canon law prohibiting any further ventures into the Izlar.  However, while agreeing with the law, Zeraphim (altered with the creatures' influence on his mind) became convinced that somehow the Izlarian creatures could be the key to their redemption...

## Walkthrough

Immediately into the beginning of the mission the player should focus on gathering Metal and making Drones, as the player will be sorely needing the economy up and running as quickly as possible, especially before the first Zhogarn waves arrive, which escalate quickly along the 20 minutes the player must defend the Cradle Stone.  The player should also keep the Shagua close to the Cradle Stone for safety, as it'll almost never be attacked. If either the Shagua or the Cradle Stone are destroyed, the mission is failed.

The player will start with a modest base with reasonable supplies and some energy output, but the construction radius of the sole Central Pyramid will definitely play against setting up defenses at the southern and southwestern entrances.  The player should convert the outward BioSpheres into Polaron Spheres as soon as possible to defend both mining sites against enemy attacks, and have a good number of Intruders available to intervene in heavy engagements.  For this, the player may need two Cabals as well, as soon the economy allows it.

The player will have two new units in the mission, the Flanker and the Explorer, both requiring a Conservatory.  The Explorer is the basic scout unit which should be taken with attack parties at all times, as it's the only one capable of detecting stealth units, and can be upgraded later to have stealth itself (through the Absorbent Coating upgrade), making it very useful for scouting or providing early warning on enemy attack waves.  The Flanker on the other hand is the Athrael attack cruiser with a solid enough Hull and also potent attacks against hull, which will be a must for fighting off the Zhogarn waves.

Both Zhogarn bases (orange and green, with green only having one Argus) will attack the player with strong numbers that they will field faster than the player will be able to, even if attempting to acquire the metal expansion to the northwest, which is too risk for it's benefits, especially in the Hard difficulty.  They will first field Guards and Ventators before escalating with Minds and Rictii.  The Rictus is particuarly dangerous as it possesses a long range attack that can cause damage to cruisers and structures long before it is engaged.  Hence, Rictii are best countered with numbers of Intruders instead.  The Guards, Ventators and Minds should be engaged often with Flankers as Warpgliders provide fire support from the back.  Level 2 upgrades at the Dome are a must in Hard difficulty, as the Zhogarns' numbers can't be defeated by brute force alone.

Both Zhogarn bases and their Arguses are well defended (especially the orange one by Overseers), so the player won't gain any advantage in assaulting them, especially with the few resources available at the start.  The player is better off spending resources in building some additional BioSpheres and upgrade them into Polaron Spheres and amassing a wing of Intruders as well as a force of Flankers and Warpgliders to defend.  The Explorers can be well positioned amongst the map's obstacles, across the attack routes, to spot enemy attack waves on the way and react better.

When the 20 minute timeline is up, the mission is completed.

## History and Background

While the recovered Cradle Stone's artifact could no longer be used by the Athraels, it did not mean it could not be repaired to an usable form, and this was demonstrated by the time the Renegade Sylons under Cura and the Praetor recovered the artifact from the Azrati Cathedral amidst a Thorun Empire's siege in *The Artifact*, in Chapter 02 - Ascension.  The artifact, reconstituted by the use of nanotechnology, would prove instrumental in the creation of Unizar, the main driving force in separating the Sylons from the Sylus and the Collective.

Contrary to Zeraphim's beliefs, neither the Humans nor the Sylon Collective came to find or even know of the Cradle Stone right after the Azrati expedition departed.  The Renegade Sylons would only know of the Cradle Stone when the Renegade Praetor caught the Azrati expedition into the Izlar and deciphered their objectives, consequently creating the Ascension program.  The humans, led by Benjamin Colburne, would only know of it's existence when revealed by Cura in *Jigsaw*, in Chapter 04 - Endgame.

Zeraphim was apparently the only one 'altered' by the Zhogarns while in the Izlar, given Adikara, by the time Zeraphim made the suggestion to forsake the canon law of the Post-Izlar Synod and bring forward the Zhogarns to win the war against the Thoruns, instead chose to depart with Nephral to the Krion System in *Hermit of Krion*, in Chapter 03 - Cataclysm, and instead reactivate the facility at the cost of Nephral being cast out and anathemised.