Zhon
Zhon is the house of Thirsha, the elder daughter of Garacaius. It is the wildest realm of Darien, a land of jungles, ruins and tribes. Zhon has no buildings that produce units: its builders summon beasts and monsters directly, and many of them fly.
Thirsha, the Huntress
Thirsha looks like her dark-haired mother, Lasha, who came from Zhon. She loved her mother's land and was happiest hunting deep in the forest. With Zhon she received the bracelet holding the Soul of Kandra, one of the Five Legacies. She soon brought the half-wild tribes under control, and they call her the Huntress.
Thirsha believes that magic is part of nature, and that no wild creature will harm her. She lives in Ulasem, a hidden city deep in the wilderness, and her brother Elsin has lost all contact with her.
In battle, Thirsha has 9,244 hit points, the fewest of any monarch, but she is the only monarch who can fly. She fights with a magic spear and casts Lightning, Lightning Ball and Wind Wave. She builds Lodestones, the Sacred Fire, the Death Totem and the first Beast Handler. She can also summon the Wrath of Tammuz, the goddess of her house. Some missions use a separate unit for her when she is wounded, the Injured Thirsha.
The Land and Its Tribes
Zhon was once the heart of the Kandran empire. Its cities are not living towns but Kandran ruins, and the Heart of Thesh is said to be hidden there. Its people worship Tammuz, the goddess of the hunt.
Four tribes are known by name. Their one shared trait is hostility to outsiders.
| Tribe | Lands | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Uru | The forests of the west coast | Expert hunters, who began the worship of Thirsha as a goddess |
| Ihom | The north | Attacks on ships in the straits between Zhon and Taros, and an old feud with the Kinik |
| Kinik | Most of the east, behind natural barriers | Raids on the Ihom, and a rich source of gems and metals |
| Seirn | Around the lost city of Ulasem | The most advanced tribe, and Thirsha's closest advisers |
In the atlas, the journal of an adventurer describes Zhon from the inside. Only the coastal cities of Iapur and Lahun are reasonably safe for travellers. Inland are the Impassable Wood, the Cairbray and Tethrian jungles, and the Haemus Mountains on the way to Ulasem. Half-beast people outnumber humans.
Thirsha rejects her father's oath and supports Lokken's right to use magic. She has banned Verunan traders and encourages pirates to attack their ships. Zhon tribes raid the coast of Aramon, and Aramon sends expeditions into Zhon in return.
How Zhon Fights
Zhon works differently from every other house. It has no factory buildings at all. Instead, four mobile builders summon its units: the Beast Handler, Beast Tamer, Beast Lord and Shaman. They are costly; the Beast Handler alone costs 1,685 mana, against 355 to 615 for the first builder of the other houses. The Beast Tamer and Beast Lord can also cross water.
Not counting gods, Zhon has 7 flying units, as many as Taros. They include the Gryphon, the Drake and the Wisp. The Harpy turns enemy units to fight for Zhon, and the Roc carries other units through the air.
On the ground, Zhon uses monsters. The Goblin costs only 173 mana. The Jungle Orc hits for 999 damage, and the Stone Giant has 10,310 hit points and throws boulders to a range of 900. The Basilisk turns enemies to stone. At sea, Zhon uses creatures instead of ships, such as the Kraken.
Zhon builds few structures. It has no Walls or Gates, and its only armed structure is the Death Totem. The Sacred Fire heals Zhon units near it. Zhon's Lodestone costs 492 mana, the most of any house, but it has 15,680 hit points, nearly three times as many as the others.
The builders come in order: the Beast Handler, then the Beast Tamer, the Beast Lord and the Shaman. The Zhon build tree shows what each one summons.
Notable Units
| Unit | Role | Mana cost |
|---|---|---|
| Goblin | Cheap infantry | 173 |
| Sacred Fire | Healing structure | 214 |
| Hunter | Spear thrower | 311 |
| Troll | Infantry with a battle axe | 354 |
| Kraken | Sea creature | 768 |
| Roc | Flying transport | 819 |
| Gryphon | Flying spear thrower | 859 |
| Jungle Orc | Heavy melee beast | 1,397 |
| Beast Handler | First builder | 1,685 |
| Basilisk | Turns enemies to stone | 1,784 |
| Harpy | Takes control of enemies | 2,562 |
| Stone Giant | Living catapult | 2,951 |
| Drake | Fire-breathing flyer | 3,004 |
| Ancient Dragon | Dragon, one at a time | 47,114 |
Zhon in the Campaigns
You play Zhon in 10 of the 48 missions of The Book of Darien: missions 4, 7, 17–19, 32–34, 41 and 42. The first is The Wedge, an attack on a Verunan port. In Walking Towers, you find the Stone Giants and use them against Veruna. In Collapse, you defend the wounded Thirsha as she retreats.
In The Iron Plague you play Zhon in 2 missions, 19 and 20, both of them set in Creon. That makes 12 Zhon missions in all.
Sources
- Total Annihilation: Kingdoms manual, The Chronicles of Darien (1999): the history, the Zhon chapter and its tribes
- The lore atlas in the GOG release of Kingdoms: the Zhon section
- Game data extracted from the GOG release: units, build lists and missions