View source for Mission 4 - What the Scholars Carried

{{Infobox mission
| name       = What the Scholars Carried
| number     = 4
| chapter    = 1: The Age of Iron
| played     = 4th
| map        = Forest, Medium
| demo       = No
| time       = 25-40 min
| resources  = 400 Wood, 500 Food, 100 Stone, 150 Gold
| teaches    = Escorting a fragile group, holding a perimeter, not chasing
| objectives = {{Spoiler|mission=4|compact=yes|1=<ol><li>Put your escort on a control group.</li><li>Escort the scholars to the Pillar.</li><li>Hold the ground while they study it.</li><li>Return home and hear the report.</li></ol>}}
| previous   = [[Mission 3 - The Quiet Stone]]
| next       = [[Mission 5 - The Day of Ruin]]
}}
''Story text not final: this mission's in-game text is a placeholder that will change. This page describes the mission from the developer's design and its objectives as built, and does not quote it.''

'''What the Scholars Carried''' is the fourth mission of the [[Campaign|Story campaign]], in Chapter 1, ''The Age of Iron''. It is an escort mission with very little fighting: you take a small team of scholars to a Pillar so they can study it, and bring them home alive.

== Overview ==
* The scholars cannot fight. Keeping them alive is the mission.
* The starting resources cover everything the mission needs.
* Mage buildings and units are still hidden, as are siege engines, ships, stone defences and the [[Stronghold]].

== Story ==
{{Spoiler start|mission=4}}
''Story text not final.''

The stones are a mystery, and the kingdom wants them studied. The Captain is put in charge of escorting a team of scholars to a Pillar. Roaming bands try the column on the way.

At the stone, Hale and the lead scholar talk while the scholars work, and the Captain's soldiers hold the ground around them. Then the scene fades, and the Captain is back in town knowing nothing new. There is no report, because nothing was learned. The mystery is bigger than when they left, and the mission's purpose is that unease rather than a hard fight. It also means that, before the next mission, the Captain has stood at the foot of a Pillar.
{{Spoiler end}}

== Objectives ==
{{Spoiler start|mission=4}}
# '''Form up.''' Four scholars, six [[Swordsman|Swordsmen]] and four [[Spearman|Spearmen]] join you by the hall. Select your soldiers and press '''Ctrl+1''' to make them a control group.
# '''Escort.''' The scholars set out for the stone on their own. Keep your soldiers beside them, pull the scholars behind your line when attackers come, and disengage rather than chase. Three Swordsmen attack about 22 seconds in, and three Shortbowmen about 58 seconds in. A checkpoint is saved after the first attack. The step completes when the scholars reach the stone.
# '''Study.''' A checkpoint is saved on arrival. Hold the ground around the stone while the scholars work, for about two minutes. Four Swordsmen attack about a minute in.
# '''Home.''' The screen fades, and the scholars and their escort return to town. The mission is complete a few seconds later.

'''Losing scholars:''' losing one scholar brings a warning. If two of the four fall, during the escort or the study, the mission ends in defeat.
{{Spoiler end}}

== Characters met ==
{{Spoiler start|mission=4}}
* '''[[Characters#Commander Aldric Hale|Commander Aldric Hale]]''', who gives the errand.
* '''[[Characters#The scholars|The scholars]]''', four of them, and their lead scholar.
* Roaming bands of attackers in the forest.
{{Spoiler end}}

== Notes ==
{{Spoiler start|mission=4}}
* The Pillar here is '''dormant''': it is approached and examined, and stays inert.
* The scholars can be selected, but they do not fight.
{{Spoiler end}}

== Campaign ==
&larr; Previous: [[Mission 3 - The Quiet Stone]] &middot; Next: [[Mission 5 - The Day of Ruin]] &rarr;

{{Navbox campaign}}
{{Navbox game}}

[[Category:Story]]
[[Category:Missions]]