Tyr's Hand (WC2 Human)

Tyr's Hand is the eighth mission of the Alliance campaign in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.

Mission briefing
''With the destruction of Dun Modr and the downfall of Grim Batol, the Orcs have completely withdrawn their armies from Khaz Modan. While your victories have been notable, the menace of the Horde still hangs over the head of the Alliance. Lord Lothar has stationed your troops in the northlands to protect the borders of Quel'thalas. Troubles have arisen in the township of Tyr's Hand, with the local peasant population in a state of minor revolt. You must quell this uprising and then summon the Knights of the Silver Hand to watch over the populace. To maintain order in the region, you must search out all of the Horde forces in the area and destroy them.''

Objectives

 * Quell the peasant uprising
 * Build a Castle
 * Destroy enemy forces

Background

 * Note: this account comes from the Official Strategy Guide, which features a first-person description of each mission from the game.

Believing they had forced all the orcs to withdraw from Khaz Modan, Milan's commander was sent to quell an uprising in Tyr's Hand. Slaughtering human workers was unpleasant, but with the Horde nearby, this action was necessary to ensure their survival. Once the township was quiet, they had very little time to make preparations for war. They trained more peasants to speed up mining operations while their troops patrolled inside the town walls, ever vigilant for raiding orcs. Barracks were constructed first, and then a lumber mill near the forests on the east side of town. Next came the transformation of the town hall into a keep. To protect their efforts they constructed farms to block the north and west entrances. Behind these they raised cannon towers, placing archers near them for good measure. The remaining troops were gathered near the other entrances while stables were prepared for the arriving paladins, who would hearten and watch over the people.

Once the township had been properly fortified, they began training knights and constructing ballistae for the coming battles. When resources were available, the keep was fortified into a stalwart castle and a church was constructed for the paladins, who invited the knights to join them and learn their craft. To ensure their success, they spent much time and gold preparing better weapons, armor, and ballista spears in the smithy. Ten paladins and four ballistae gathered in the courtyard before sallying out, and the long process of cleaning out orcs began in earnest.

They sent a single paladin northward to draw enemies toward a row of ballistae defended by paladins. Though many of the creatures turned back, a few were aggressive enough to fall into the trap. This they repeated until the number of guards in the northern camp was greatly reduced. Only then did they roll in the ballistae to help take out structures. Several raids were made on the Alliance township, but their fortifications held nicely with cannon towers defending them. They then started destroying the camp to the west of town, replacing fallen warriors as needed. Finally, they assembled a large force of mixed units to remove the stronger threat to the northwest and, with that task completed, constructed a second castle on the ruins to prevent further problems there. The Horde was now on the defensive and the ground was soaked with orcish blood rather than their own.

Aftermath
The Horde forces around Tyr's Hand were destroyed, but unfortunately the orcs later launched a massive naval assault from Tyr's Bay and razed down the city.

Forces

 * Alliance of Lordaeron
 * Footmen
 * Archers
 * Rangers
 * Knights
 * Paladins
 * Ballistae
 * Flying machines


 * Orcish Horde
 * Grunts
 * Axethrowers
 * Berserkers
 * Ogres
 * Ogre magi
 * Catapults
 * Zeppelins
 * Peasants (revolting)

Trivia

 * This is one of only two missions in the Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness campaigns that features Attack Peasants.