Source-first reverse engineering of a mainline Battle for Wesnoth campaign

Endgame and Kingdom Founding

A traceability study connecting the forged-treaty plan to the final battle’s inverse victory state machine, recurring pressure systems, Aethyr’s sacrifice, the surviving orc witness, and the founding of Wesnoth.

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Endgame flow

20 Return of the Fleet │ ▼ 21 The Plan ├── forge elven Ruby treaty ├── Aethyr volunteers as carrier └── require one orc witness │ ▼ 22 The Rise of Wesnoth ├── Aethyr dies specifically to Jevyan ├── Jevyan reads treaty ├── Jevyan is destroyed ├── exactly one orc leader survives └── survivor escapes to Green Isle │ ▼ 23 Epilogue ├── Aethyr buried ├── Ruby remains hidden ├── inland kingdom planned ├── Haldric and Jessene unite └── Wesnoth is named

Plan-to-objective traceability

Scenario 21 statementScenario 22 implementation
Jevyan must find the treaty on a corpse.Aethyr overlay; valid death requires filter_second id=Lich-Lord Jevyan.
Jevyan must believe the elves possess the Ruby.Jevyan reads the elf-script treaty during Aethyr’s death event.
Jevyan must die before reading Aethyr’s undead mind.Jevyan is the required second major death after the sacrifice.
An orc must spread the story.Victory requires exactly one living orc leader.
The witness must reach the Green Isle.Side-specific fake ship escape ends the final battle.

Final battle as a state machine

AETHYR ALIVE ├── Jevyan dies ─────────────────────────► DEFEAT ├── Aethyr killed by non-Jevyan ─────────► DEFEAT └── Aethyr killed by Jevyan │ treaty accepted ▼ AETHYR DEAD / JEVYAN ALIVE └── Jevyan dies │ ▼ AETHYR DEAD / JEVYAN DEAD ├── 2+ orc leaders alive ────────────────► keep fighting ├── exactly 1 orc leader alive ──────────► escape and VICTORY └── 0 orc leaders alive ─────────────────► DEFEAT

Endgame pressure without a turn limit

Pressure systemEffect
Recurring corpsesRandom spawn inside five-turn windows.
Recurring skeletonsRandom maritime spawn inside four-turn windows.
Bridge destructionPlayer proximity can remove major routes.
Naga turn-10 arrivalAdds units and permanent recruitment to one orc side.
Jevyan gold after orc/Familiar deathsProgress against allied enemies can strengthen the primary boss.
Raised player casualtiesAttrition directly feeds Jevyan’s army.

Unlimited turns do not make the battle static. The scenario replaces a hard deadline with compounding spatial and economic pressure.

Map reuse bookends

MapFirst useSecond use
21_The_Plan.mapDecision and acceptance of sacrificeFuneral, confession, and kingdom founding
MeaningPrivate strategic necessityPublic memory and future construction

Final state outcomes

State or objectEnd condition
ruby_of_fire objectStill absent from Haldric; Ruby remains hidden in Troll Hole.
Commander AethyrDead by Jevyan’s hand and memorialized.
Jevyan and FamiliarDestroyed.
One orc leaderEscaped with the false elven-Ruby story.
Ka’lian pactPublicly honored in the immediate aftermath despite mutual deception.
Haldric and JesseneFirst royal house of Wesnoth.
Refugee identityGreen Isle peoples fused into the Wesnothians.

Scenario-reference completion

Release 0.5.0 documents all 27 scenario configuration files:

  • 23 numbered scenario positions,
  • an additional alternate file for Scenario 04, and
  • three additional files created by the four-way Scenario 17 branch.
Corrected inventory. Earlier releases reported 26 scenario files. Direct enumeration gives 27: 01–03, 04a–04b, 05–16, 17a–17d, and 18–23.

The Plan · Final battle · Epilogue

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