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4
5[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MightMagic_25th_Final_Logo_4156.jpg]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:[[http://blogs.suburbanchicagonews.com/games/UBISOFT_Might%26Magic_25th_Final_Logo.JPG Meet the team!]] [[note]](From left to right: (First line:) [[{{God}} Asha]], a Coral Priestess, [[AGodAmI Sar-Elam]], a Griffin, [[{{Satan}} Urgash]], (Second:) [[LightIsNotGood Michael]], [[VideoGame/MightAndMagicClashOfHeroes Anwen]], a Juggernaut, [[CaptainErsatz Gotai]], a Ghoul, [[BoisterousBruiser Wulfstan]], [[BenevolentGenie Solmyr]], a Cyclops, [[BigDamnHeroes Zehir]], (Third:) [[OnlySaneMan Godric]], [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Catherine]], [[CainAndAbel Roland and Archibald]], [[WellIntentionedExtremist Arantir]], [[LoveRedeems Raelag]], (Fourth:) [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic Corak]], [[BarbarianHero Crag Hack]], [[MagnificentBastard Kha-Beleth]], [[TakeOverTheWorld Sandro]], [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic Sheltem]] .)[[/note]]]]
7
8[[foldercontrol]]
9
10[[folder:Haven]]
11!Farm (I) / Knight's Town (II) / Castle (III) / Haven (IV, V, VI, VII)
12->''[[LawfulNeutral "For Honour, Order and Duty."]]''\
13\
14
15The KnightInShiningArmor faction, and the only one to have been present in all of the base games. Their troops were all humans in the first two games, composed from various classical soldiers (archers, swordsmen, cavalry, etc.), before the introduction of [[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Griffins]] and, most importantly, [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Angels]] in ''III''. [[JackOfAllStats Typically the most balanced and the beginner's faction]], they started gaining more flavor with the fourth game by gaining the [[BackFromTheDead resurrection ability]]. Their Might Hero is the [[KnightInShiningArmor Knight]] and their Magic Hero is the [[ChurchMilitant Cleric/Priest]].
16
17->'''Heroes I Farm Creatures''': Peasant, Archer, Pikeman, Swordsman, Cavalry, Paladin\
18'''Heroes II Knight Creatures''': Peasant, Archer/Ranger, Pikeman/Veteran Pikeman, Swordsman/Master Swordsman, Cavalry/Champion, Paladin/Crusader\
19'''Heroes III Castle Creatures''': Pikeman/Halberdier, Archer/Marksman, Griffin/Royal Griffin, Swordsman/Crusader, Monk/Zealot, Cavalier/Champion, Angel/Archangel\
20'''Heroes IV Haven Creatures''': Squire, Crossbowman, Pikeman, Ballista, Crusader, Monk, Champion, Angel\
21'''Heroes V Haven Creatures''': Peasant/Conscript/Brute, Archer/Marksman/Crossbowman, Footman/Squire/Vindicator, Griffin/Imperial Griffin/Battle Griffin, Priest/Inquisitor/Zealot, Cavalier/Paladin/Champion, Angel/Archangel/Seraph\
22'''Heroes VI Haven Creatures''': Sentinel/Praetorian, Crossbowman/Marksman, Sister/Vestal, Griffin/Imperial Griffin, Radiant Glory/Blazing Glory, Sun Rider/Sun Crusader, Seraph/Celestial\
23'''Heroes VII Haven Creatures''': Crossbowman/Marksman, Dire Wolf/Silverback, Sentinel/Legionnarie, Cavalier/Cuirassier, Guardian/Justicar, Chaplain/Abbot, Landsknecht/Swordmaster, Seraph/Celestial, Healing Sister, Ballista, Catapult
24----
25* OurAngelsAreDifferent:
26** The Angels/Archangels are Castle's tier 7 creature and most powerful creature in III. They have [[LightningBruiser very high stats and the ability to fly]], in addition to dealing bonus damage against Devils/Archdevils. As Archangels, they can resurrect units and inspire the hero's army, granting all of its creatures +1 morale. According to [[WordOfGod Gregory Fulton]], they are robotic creations of the Ancients that oppose the Kreegans.
27** In the Ashan continuity, the angels are an elder race created by the primordial dragon Asha and blessed by the blood of the light dragon Elrath. As Elrath's divine messengers, they are Haven's ultimate enforcer of order. In V, the Angels and Archangels share similar abilities to their incarnation in III, including the resurrection ability for the Archangels. Their alternate upgrade, the [[FallenAngel Seraphs]], are [[LightIsNotGood blood-stained warriors who revel in slaughtering their enemies]]. They lack the ability to resurrect units, but make up for it with the LifeDrain ability (''Hammers of Fate'' only) and the ability to cast Righteous Might and Divine Vengeance (''Tribes of the East'' only).
28* AnimalMotifs: Griffins in III and V. The background of V, VI and VII also counts eight Duchies, each corresponding to an animal and being a FantasyCounterpartCulture: The [[NobleBirdOfPrey Falcon]] (AncientRome), [[OurGryphonsAredifferent Griffin]] (Russia and Eastern Europe), [[NobleWolf Wolf]] (Germany), Raven (Hungary), Stag (Ireland), {{Unicorn}} (Britain), [[DogStereotype Greyhound]] (France) and [[BrutishBulls Bull]] (Italy and Spain) Duchies.
29* AntiCavalry: {{Downplayed}} with the Pikemen/Halberdiers in III, who has a special ability that negates the jousting ability of Cavaliers/Champions, receiving normal damage from them. However, they are no stronger against other mounted creatures, like Wolf Riders/Raiders and Black/Dread Knights, who lacks that ability.
30* BadassPreacher: Monks in III, IV and V, and Sisters in VI and VII (though the latter serve more as TheMedic).
31* BadassNormal:
32** In a world filled with magic and monsters, they are basically [[PunyEarthlings puny humans]] who manage to win most of the time lorewise.
33** This is especially prominent in ''Heroes 1'' and ''2'': the only non-humans in the Knight faction are a few scattered heroes, none of the troops have any magical abilities, and the heroes themselves only have them if a spellbook is bought. In ''Heroes II'', victory was achieved with the help of the rather magical Sorceress and Wizard factions, but in ''Heroes I'', Lord Ironfist won on his own.
34* BeastOfBattle: In III, V, VI and VII, they had the Griffin as a flying war beast in battle. By VII, players can use a Dire Wolf instead. Make sense in the campaign as it represents the Wolf Duchy.
35* {{BFS}}: The Landsknecht in the VII carries one, as they are capable of cleaving to multiple enemy units.
36* BlingOfWar: Most of their heroes - monks/priests aside - and some of the units wear rather elaborate armor. Exaggerated from the fifth game onward.
37* ChurchMilitant: Many of their heroes are this, being either [[ThePaladin paladins]] or monks/priests. There's also an actual Paladin unit in I, II, III, IV and V, and a Monk unit in III, IV and V.
38* ACommanderIsYou:
39** The JackOfAllStats faction. In the first two games they were the Pariah faction, being seriously underpowered.
40** In ''Heroes IV'', they have traces of a Ranger faction, having three ranged units -- two of which have no distance penalty -- and one melee unit with long reach. Their magic is mainly focused on [[WhiteMagic healing and blesses]].
41* CrystalDragonJesus: Elrath - the god they worship in V, VI and VII - is a literal one, as he - just as the other gods of Ashan - is a dragon.
42* DarkerAndEdgier:
43** [[TheEmpire The Holy Griffin Empire]] in V is [[BlackAndGreyMorality much less sympathetic]] than the previous incarnations.
44** The preceding Holy Falcon Empire in VI/VII isn't much better, in part thanks to [[LightIsNotGood the Angels]].
45* TheEmpire: The Holy Griffin Empire in V, and the Holy Falcon Empire in VI/VII.
46* EnergyBeing: The Zealots of the third game, as well as the Glories of the sixth and Sun Crusaders who ride ''[[HorseOfADifferentColor horses made of light]]''.
47* EvilCounterpart: The "Renegades" mini-faction in V's ''Hammers of Fate'' campaign presents the same units, [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience but red]], [[SpikesOfVillainy with spikes]], and coming off as even bigger {{Knight Templar}}s than any other KnightTemplar in the game.
48* GoodIsNotNice: Even at their best, they are ''not'' of the AllLovingHero kind of "good", and ''will'' kick your ass if you stand in their way.
49* GoodWingsEvilWings: Angels are generally depicted with white bird wings, but the Seraphim in V's expansion packs have blood-stained wings that mark them as [[LightIsNotGood agents of Holy War and Vengeance]].
50* GuardianAngel: Their racial ability in VI, making a stack [[NighInvulnerable impervious to all harm]] for one turn.
51* TheHero: The main characters of their campaigns are typically this.
52* HolyHandGrenade: Though their magic is mostly focused on [[WhiteMagic healing and defense]], it's also useful against Demons and Undead.
53* HumansAreAverage: Very prominent in the first games, where they were "average" to the point of being underpowered, but even in the latter ones, they are typically the most balanced, JackOfAllStats faction.
54* JackOfAllStats: From III onwards - cheap, relatively powerful in magic, loads of shooting, flying and defensive units, and powerful heroes.
55* JokeCharacter: The Knights have one of the worst creatures in I and II, Peasants. They are a tier 1 creature that is so weak that they will die to anything. Thankfully, in III, they are a neutral creature while Castle has a suitable tier 1 creature, Pikemen/Halberdiers. When they return as Haven's tier 1 creature in V, they at least have the Taxpayer ability, which lets them generate 1 gold per stack, making them decent meatshield and support unit.
56* KnightInShiningArmor: A whole faction of them, at least when they are not being...
57* KnightTemplar: Unfortunately, plenty of this as well.
58* LightEmUp: Particularly in V, VI and VII, where they worship the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent literal]] CrystalDragonJesus of Light, Elrath.
59* LightIsNotGood: Especially pronounced from the fifth game onward.
60* MedievalEuropeanFantasy: Their general aesthetic.
61* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: They appear as creatures in the third, fifth, and sixth games. They're mid-tier creatures that fly and have unlimited retaliations. In the original continuity, taming the griffons was the reason King Gryphonheart earned his name.
62* RedOniBlueOni: The red to the "good" magical factions they are usually aligned with, such as the Sorceress and Wizard. They generally rely more on brute strength, while the latter rely more on magic.
63* ReligionIsMagic:
64** The Magic heroes of the Castle town in ''III'' are the Clerics and tend to specialize in Water Magic, which covers the Cure, Bless and Prayer spells.
65** Monks and Zealots from the same game are trainable units that attack by launching magic energy balls. In Armaggedon's Blade the campaign-only hero Dracon can upgrade them to Enchanters.
66* SavageWolves: The Dire wolves/Silverbacks in VII are tamed beasts that represents the Wolf Duchy. They have unlimited retalation, and the Silverbacks have an ability that allow them to target any unit in the map, regardless of their speed, for [[DeathOrGloryAttack additional attack at a cost of their defense]].
67%%* ThePaladin: A creature in I, II, III, IV and V, and a class in IV and VI.
68%%* PraetorianGuard: Upgraded tier 1 units in VI.
69* WeHaveReserves: Any time peasants show up directly among their troops.
70* WhiteMagic: Usually their prefered school of magic, along with some of the creatures having abilities that qualify, such as Angels being able to resurrect their allies.
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Haven's Iconic Characters]]
74!Morglin Ironfist (I)
75The leader of the "Knight" faction in Heroes of Might and Magic I, and the canonical winner of the war against Lord Slayer the Barbarian, Queen Lamanda the Sorceress and Lord Alamar the Warlock for rulership of Enroth. His father, the King of Varn (the world of the first ''Might & Magic'' RPG game), was [[CainAndAbel killed by his own brother]], who then [[TheUsurper seized the throne for himself]] and was in turn succeeded by his son Ragnar. Morglin then ([[UnreliableNarrator probably]]) tried to have his cousin Ragnar assassinated in order to reclaim the throne of Varn, but when the attempt failed, he fled to the Varnal Hills, where he found a mysterious portal...
76----
77* ManChild: Shows shades of this in his letters to Ragnar. Played for laughs.
78* RevengeByProxy: His father was murdered by his uncle, and he probably tried to get revenge for his father by murdering his cousin.
79* RightfulKingReturns: Subverted. He never reclaimed the throne of Varn from Ragnar, and after conquering Enroth, he didn't really want to.
80* PlotTriggeringDeath: ''Heroes of Might & Magic II: The Succession Wars'' begins with his death three years before the campaign begins. His kingdom becomes divided as his two sons, Roland and Archibald, went to war with each other over the throne of Enroth.
81* UnreliableNarrator: His first few letters to Ragnar attempted to deflect accusations of attempted murder (including some pretty incriminating pieces of evidence), but from the last few letters, written when he was much better established in Enroth, it's pretty clear that Morglin was guilty as charged. In his later letters, Morglin's only complaints about Guthbert, the man who carried out the attempt on Ragnar's life, were that he had a "loose tongue and couldn't strike a mouse dead", and after conquering Enroth, he considered it fortunate that Guthbert had failed to kill Ragnar.
82
83!Roland Ironfist (II, III-AB, [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic M&M]])
84[[quoteright:99:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Roland_1655.jpg]]
85One of [[CainAndAbel the two sons]] of Morglin Ironfist, the canonical winner of the first game's campaign. "Good, kindly and honorable", Roland was forced to flee when his "not so good" brother Archibald blamed him for the murders of the various seers charged with finding a successor to their dead father. [[GondorCallsForAid Calling his Knight, Wizard and Sorceress allies]], he started a civil war against his brother, a conflict constituting the plot of the second game's campaign. Canonically the winner, he [[TakenForGranite turned Archibald to stone]] until the future generations take pity of him. Later [[BattleCouple married to Catherine Ironfist]], Roland came to her aid in the Armaggedon's Blade campaign against the [[DemonicInvaders demon Kreegans]], who imprisoned him during the [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic M&M's VI]].
86----
87* AntiHero: The punishment that he inflicts to his own brother, and his FantasticRacism toward the Kreegans can make him appear as this. To be fair, Archibald could be considered [[AssholeVictim deserving it]], and the [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic RPG games]] make clear that genocide is [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar a reasonable course of action when it comes to the Kreegans]]. The punishment he inflicts on his brother becomes slightly less cruel in light of another of the things revealed in the RPG series: this is ''not'' a setting where AndIMustScream applies to beings TakenForGranite, so as far as Archibald was concerned, he'd simply [[RipVanWinkle wake up at some indeterminate future point]].
88* BattleCouple: With Catherine.
89* CainAndAbel: With Archibald.
90%%* CruelMercy
91* HeroWithBadPublicity: Roland's decision to subdue half of the lords near his summer palace by force of arms made enemies of the other half, forcing him to subdue them by force of arms too.
92%%* PornStache
93* PragmaticHero: Knowing that Archibald quickly gained the support of the barons near Castle Ironfist, and afraid that even distant barons might swear fealty to Archibald too in the absence of a viable alternative, Roland was determined to provide such an alternative... by demonstrating equal military strength and willingness to use it to Archibald's.
94* RightfulKingReturns: Sort of. He was kidnapped after II and was held for several years before being rescued, and his introductory scenario in III-AB is ''called'' [[LampshadeHanging "The Return of the King"]]... but his return to his ''actual'' kingdom occurs offscreen some time after the game.
95* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He goes on the field personally for the final battle of the Succession War. As a Wizard, oddly enough (he is a Knight every other time he shows up in a ''Heroes'' game -- including the penultimate battle of his campaign in ''Heroes II'').
96* WhatTheHellHero: Done by the ghost of his father after having retrieved the Armaggeddon's Blade and ''still'' marching to eradicate the Kreegans. Although later (and therefore more easily missed) dialogue (with both the ghost and others) indicates that it is not so much the march to eradicate the Kreegans as Roland's ''motivations'' that is the problem -- too much hatred and a desire for vengeance, not enough understanding of the fact that the Kreegan [[GuiltFreeExterminationWar simply can't co-exist with ordinary mortals in the long run]].
97%%* TheWisePrince
98
99!Catherine Gryphonheart (III, [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic M&M]])
100[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/catherine-ironfist-foto_4051.jpg]]
101-->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/WendeeLee
102Queen of Erathia, Roland's wife, and the BigGood of the third game, where she leads the good factions to liberate Erathia from multiple invaders after her father's death.
103%% Later, she has to fight him after he was [[BackFromTheDead resurrected as a lich]] by the Necromancers. She ultimately appeases her undead father and ends the war by finding and letting him kill the traitor Lord Haart, who assassinated the king in the first place. She reappears in Armaggeddon's Blade, this time fighting against the demonic Kreegans as they try to create and use the titular ArtifactOfDoom.
104----
105* ActionGirl: Catherine is an accomplished warrior as well as a queen, and joined the Erathian military at a young age.
106* BattleCouple: With Roland.
107* ChainmailBikini: Her preferred battle outfit, at least going by the cutscenes in III.
108* FieryRedhead: She is an accomplished warrior and commander with striking red hair.
109* HeroesPreferSwords: Her specialty are Swordsmen and Crusaders.
110* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Like her husband and his family.
111* SherlockScan: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVeBw3S020E opening cinematic]] shows her analysing a battlefield and correctly surmising the course of the battle and who its participants were.
112* {{Stripperiffic}}: She has the classic female fantasy armor with a boobplated LeotardOfPower.
113
114!Lysander (IV)
115[[quoteright:123:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroLysanderIV_9993.png]]
116The founder and king of the little kingdom of Palaedra, populated by the refugees of Erathia after their original world was [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt destroyed]] and they had to flee to another planet. The ''Heroes IV'''s ''The True Blade'' campaign deals with him searching for the titular sword, a sign of appurtenance to the Gryphonheart family that an imposter, Sir Worton, claims to have, challenging Lysander for the throne.
117----
118* ComeAlone: [[ButThouMust Forced to do it]] to finish the BigBad mano-a-mano, [[ILied only to be ambushed by a group of Rogues]]. Of course, given the OneManArmy late-game strength of campaign heroes, those guys are quite insignificant.
119* FantasticRacism: Lysander hates Necromancers, [[ItsPersonal as they killed his parents and separated him from his siblings]].
120* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: His adventures are told from the point of view of his squire, Milton.
121* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler:The end of his campaign reveals that he is unknowingly a Gryphonheart. WordOfGod is that he and his brothers are the products of an affair between King Nicholas Gryphonheart and a woman named Iduna. Thus Queen Catherine is his half-sister. Furthermore, Waerjak of the Stronghold campaign and Gauldoth Half-Dead of the Necropolis campaign are his long-lost brothers. You can see the resemblance]].[[invoked]]
122* LanternJawOfJustice: Square-jawed and he's around to bring righteousness and justice to Palaedra.
123* SadisticChoice: Having to choose between asking the Oracle of the Dawn either where his lost siblings are, or who the imposter Worton's true parents are.
124* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler:Right before the final one-on-one battle against Sir Worton, he cracks a joke about how he's going to make Milton the city's new seneschal, a "thankless position" that will require Milton to have lots of contact with pretty women.]]
125* TheStoic: According to Milton, he rarely smiles, and he often has little patience for Proetho's BoisterousBruiser personality - at one point, the two of them even come close to blows.
126* TomatoInTheMirror: The campaign ends with [[spoiler:Lysander accidentally drawing the sword from its sheath, thus proving that he himself is a Gryphonheart.]]
127
128!Isabel (V)
129[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hav_isabel-27042ea_3179.jpg]]
130The main character of V's campaigns, Isabel is the new spouse of Nicolai, the King of the Griffin Empire, forced to repel a sudden demonic invasion.
131%% Joining him to fight by his side, and helping Markal to raise him via necromancy after his death, she will eventually be revealed to be the central element in [[BigBad the Demon Sovereign Kha-Beleth's]] EvilPlan, aiming to make her bear his child who will become the VideoGame/DarkMessiah. After he ''succeeds'', she's impersonated by the succubus Biara, who turns the Empire into an even more KnightTemplar-ish nation. She's eventually freed by Agrael/Raelag and returns to deal with the impostor.
132----
133* ActionGirl: The Haven campaign starts with her refusing to sit and do nothing while her husband-to-be, Nicolai, is off fighting demons. So she assembles a militia, deals with some rebels, then frees a number of cities from the Demons... All the while fighting alongside her army. However, she spends a lot of time - including a part of the last mission of ''her own campaign'' - as a DamselInDistress, and Godric and Freyda are the ones representing the Empire and fighting on its behalf in all important battles, which may place her in the FauxActionGirl territory.
134* BreakTheCutie: For a given value of "cutie", anyway. The story [[TraumaCongaLine isn't particularly kind to her]], which results in some quite big NiceJobBreakingItHero decisions on her part.
135%%* DamselInDistress: Spends quite a big part of the campaign(s) as this.
136* DealWithTheDevil: More like a Deal with the Necromancer, in case of [[spoiler:Markal]], who offers to [[spoiler:resurrect Nicolai]] and [[GoneHorriblyRight does just that]].
137%%* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:Nicolai]], in Isabel's.
138%%* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: Biara!Isabel.
139* GoodIsDumb: Isabel might be a righteous person, but she makes a lot of bad choices over the course of the campaign, such as [[spoiler:trusting [[EvilSorcerer Markal]] to resurrect Nicolai]].
140* TheHero: Of the Haven campaign. Also, the whole ''Heroes V'' saga revolves around her.
141* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Really, Isabel, trusting [[spoiler:[[ObviouslyEvil Markal]]]] ''wasn't'' a good idea.
142* KnightTemplar: As described under the LawfulStupid entry below, Isabel ''will not'' tolerate anyone who shows disloyalty to the Empire. The first two missions of her campaign are all about her dealing with rebels... mostly by killing them.
143* IdiotHero: While she's not stupid, Isabel makes some ''very'' bad decisions without thinking of the consequences, with a prime example being [[spoiler:to trust [[ObviouslyEvil Markal]] in raising Nicolai from the dead without even considering that he could [[CameBackWrong come back wrong]].]]
144* LawfulStupid: A particularly {{JustForFun/Egregious}} example: the first map starts with an encounter with some peasants refusing the conscription. Her reaction?
145-->'''Isabel:''' "You will fulfill your oaths to your lord, even if you must do it in chains! Get them!"
146* LadyOfWar: Looks the part, other parts... not so much. If anything, she's closer to being TheLadette. By her own admission, she's "more comfortable in a camp than at court"; the intro also has her wondering if she's looking stupid in her wedding dress.
147* MedicalRapeAndImpregnate: [[spoiler:What Kha-Beleth does to her.]]
148%%* {{Necromantic}}
149%%* NiceJobBreakingItHero: So. Much.
150* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: Seems like her marriage to Nicolai was like this. Unfortunately, a demon invasion and [[spoiler:Nicolai's subsequent death]] prevent them from becoming HappilyMarried.
151* RightfulKingReturns: Played with. [[spoiler:She ''does'' reclaim her throne from Biara, but only to make Freyda the next Queen, thus starting the Unicorn dynasty.]]
152* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Swears revenge twice - first after [[spoiler:being captured by Agrael and learning about the real Beatrice's death at the hands of Biara,]] and later again after [[spoiler:Agrael kills Nicolai. Then there's the whole deal with Biara impersonating her...]] It didn't go well at first, [[spoiler:but at the end, she succeeds in killing Biara. Agrael is... another matter.]]
153%%* RedEyesTakeWarning: Biara!Isabel.
154* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: She's a noble and a would-be Queen, but when Demons attack, she refuses to sit still and does everything she can to help - including assembling and leading an army of her own.
155%%* ShelteredAristocrat: Her bio states that she grew up as one.
156%%* UnwittingPawn: ''Twice'', with both [[spoiler: Markal and Kha-Beleth.]]
157* UnwantedRevival: [[spoiler:Nicolai ''isn't'' okay with being BackFromTheDead.]]
158-->''[[http://heroesinanutshell.blogspot.com/2011/04/ranger-chapter-1-refugees.html You’re not even listening to what I am saying. I am so angry right now]]'' ''[[VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle I feel like… I could… INVADE AN ENTIRE ELVEN KINGDOM!]]''
159* YouMonster: Towards Agrael, after [[spoiler:he captures her and she learns that the real Beatrice is dead]].
160
161!Godric (V, VideoGame/MightAndMagicClashOfHeroes)
162[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroGodricV_7736.png]]
163Nicolai's uncle (and Freyda's father and commander), tasked by Isabel [[GondorCallsForAid to get help from the Wizards]], much to his dismay.
164%% Reappears later in the campaign to form a Four Man Band with the Wizard Zehir, the Ranger Findan and the Warlock Raelag. A younger version of him appears in VideoGame/MightAndMagicClashOfHeroes.
165----
166* CoolOldGuy: Despite being of quite an old age, Godric shows no shortage of badassery and charisma alike.
167* FantasticRacism: Godric ''really'' doesn't like Wizards. He doesn't let this stop him from asking them for help - and later working alongside them - when the situation becomes bad enough, though.
168* IncorruptiblePurePureness: One of the most loyal champions of Elrath alive. [[spoiler:Once she takes over the Griffin empire, Biara doesn't even try to corrupt him like she did with so many other knights, instead imprisoning him so that he doesn't cause much trouble.]]
169* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: He meets his end in ''Hammers of Fate'', but at least he gets to enjoy his religion's version of heaven.]]
170* KnightInShiningArmor: Out of all main characters, he's the one closest to this archetype.
171* OnlySaneMan: He fulfills this role for pretty much his entire country. Once Markal starts to take things over, Godric is one of the few people to stand against him before everything goes to hell.
172* ThePaladin: One of the last true champions of [[CrystalDragonJesus Elrath]], and one of the best and most loyal ones, according to WordOfGod.[[invoked]]
173* UndyingLoyalty: To Nicolai (and later to Isabel), and to Elrath and the Empire in general.
174* ValuesDissonance: In-universe with [[ForScience the Wizards]], and [[AGodAmI Cyrus]] in particular.
175
176!Freyda (V)
177[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroFreydaV_1222.png]]
178Godric's daughter and a major Haven character in ''Hammers of Fate''.
179%% After serving under Isabel, she defects and takes the rebels' side. At the end of ''Tribes of the East'', Isabel makes her the next Queen, thus starting the Unicorn dynasty.
180----
181* ActionGirl: Freyda is a frontline commander who has trained for much of her life to serve the Griffin Empire, and she gets into a lot of action during the ''Hammers of Fate'' and ''Tribes of the East'' campaigns.
182* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[spoiler:Becomes the next Queen at the end of ''Tribes of the East'', founding her own - Unicorn - dynasty.]]
183* DamselInDistress: In the original ''Heroes V'' campaign, courtesy of Markal.
184* FirstNameUltimatum: Does one towards [[AxCrazy Laslo]], after discovering that [[spoiler:he killed Godric. ''It kills Laslo.'']]
185* OddCouple: With Duncan.
186* UnexplainedRecovery: Was supposedly killed by Markal in V's campaign, only to reappear in ''Hammers of Fate''. Possibly justified by Markal saying that he "can kill and raise her, but it's too much trouble".
187* YouKilledMyFather: Towards Laslo and [[spoiler:fake!Isabel.]]
188
189!Anton (VI)
190[[quoteright:160:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Anton_Sketch03A_tntcm2410597_590.jpg]]
191First legitimate son of the Duke of Griffin Slava, and new Duke after his father's assassination, apparently by the hand of his sister Anastasya.
192----
193* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Looks suspiciously like Creator/CillianMurphy, along with the infamous blue eyes.
194* DecoyProtagonist: He's still ''a'' protagonist, but the VI intro suggests he'd have a more central role than what actually happens wherein he shares screen time equally with his four siblings.
195* HearingVoices: He periodically hears whispers from someone encouraging him to do things, typically trying to convince him to fight the Faceless. Finding out exactly whose voices they are is one of the main arcs of his campaign.
196* KnightTemplar: In his first map, to the point of being a borderline HeroAntagonist. He can stay this course or grow out of it depending on the player's choices.
197* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He can have this realization eventually, if the player [[KarmaMeter lets him]].
198%%* ToBeLawfulOrGood: A conundrum he inherited from his father, and one of his more defining character conflicts.
199
200!Ivan (VII)
201The Duke of Griffin and one of the main contenders for the throne of the Empire after Empress Maeve's demise, he plans to deal with his rival Seamus by marrying his daughter Nolwenn, although his councilors have other plans in mind.
202----
203* BlingOfWar: He wears a gilded suit of armor, likely to symbolize his allegiance to Elrath.
204* GoodScarsEvilScars: He has a rugged scar running across his right eye, giving him an appearance worthy of an AntiHero.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Stronghold]]
208!Plains (I) / Barbarian's Town (II) / Stronghold (III, IV, V-[=TotE=], VI, VII)
209->''"We walk our own path, alone."''\
210\
211
212The BarbarianTribe faction. Populated with [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblins]], [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]], Cyclopes and the like, with the exception of the fourth game, where Orcs and Goblins were replaced by human barbarians and beastmen. [[ACommanderIsYou The Brute Force Faction]], they are since the fourth game pure might (though still able to gain magic skills and to eventually learn spells), while in the last two games they more or less totally drop magic, gaining instead the [[ScreamingWarrior Warcries' ability]], filling the troops with UnstoppableRage. Their Might Hero is the [[BarbarianHero Barbarian]], and their Magic Hero is the [[WitchDoctor Battle Mage/Shaman]].
213
214->'''Heroes I Plains Creatures''': Goblin, Orc, Wolf, Ogre, Troll, Cyclops\
215'''Heroes II Barbarian Creatures''': Goblin, Orc/Orc Chief, Wolf, Ogre/Ogre Lord, Troll/War Troll, Cyclops\
216'''Heroes III Stronghold Creatures''': Goblin/Hobgoblin, Wolf Rider/Wolf Raider, Orc/Orc Chieftain, Ogre/Ogre Mage, Roc/Thunderbird, Cyclops/Cyclops King, Behemoth/Ancient Behemoth\
217'''Heroes IV Stronghold Creatures''': Berserker, Centaur, Harpy, Nomad, Ogre Mage, Cyclops, Thunderbird, Behemoth\
218'''Heroes V Stronghold Creatures''': Goblin/Goblin Trapper/Goblin Witch-doctor, Centaur/Centaur Nomad/Centaur Marauder, Warrior/Mauler/Warmonger, Shaman/Sky Daughter/Earth Daughter, Slayer/Executioner/Chieftain, Wyvern/Foul Wyvern/Paokai, Cyclops/Untamed Cyclops/Bloodeyed Cyclops\
219'''Heroes VI Stronghold Creatures''': Mauler/Crusher, Goblin/Goblin Hunter, Harpy/Fury, Dreamwalker/Dreamreaver, Centaur/Centaur Marauder, Jaguar Warrior/Panther Warrior, Cyclops/Enraged Cyclops\
220'''Heroes VII Stronghold Creatures''': Brute/Crusher, Harpy/Fury, Gnoll/Gnoll Hunter, Centaur/Centaur Marauder, Sand Wyvern/Venomous Wyvern, Basilisk Rider/Basilisk Lancer, Cyclops/Enraged Cyclops, Behemoth/Ancient Behemoth, Tamed Cyclops, Dreamwalker
221----
222%%* AllTrollsAreDifferent: In I and II.
223* AntimagicalFaction: In IV, Stronghold towns can't recruit mage heroes, and can't build a mage guild to teach heroes new spells; instead they get a magic dampener that makes enemies' spells weaker. In V, barbarian heroes learn [[SuperScream War Cries]] that are mechanically very different from the spells used by other heroes, and can't use wands that duplicate the effects of spells, as they "find them shameful".
224* AggressivePlayIncentive: In V, their Bloodrage mechanic rewards them for aggressive actions with Blood Rage points that grant creature-specific buffs, and penalizes them if they wait or defend.
225* AttackAttackAttack: Stronghold units are strong offensively, but vulnerable, meaning they need to crush the enemy as fast as possible. This is reinforced starting with the fifth game thanks to their Blood Rage ability that rewards aggressive actions and punishes waiting.
226* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The Behemoth of the third, fourth and seventh games, combined with MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily and ridiculously big claws.
227* BarbarousBarbaryBandits: The faction's aesthetic in VII, being geographically closer to the Academy faction.
228* TheBerserker: The berserker is a unit in IV that cannot be controlled and will always exhibit LeeroyJenkins behavior in combat. The Blood-rage mechanic in V and VI allows a commander to give their units buffs as a reward for aggressive behaviour.
229%%* ACommanderIsYou: The Brute Force faction.
230* CuteMonsterGirl: The female orcs in V, in contrast with the hulking muscular males, look much more like humans.
231* {{Cyclops}}: Cyclopes are present in every game as high-tier units for the faction, with them even being the ''strongest'' in most games (although they're topped by Behemoths in III, IV and VII). They have EyeBeams in I, II, V and VI, and settle for [[BoulderBludgeon throwing rocks]] in other games.
232%%* DumbMuscle
233* FantasyPantheon: In V, VI and VII (the games set on Ashan), they worship "Father Sky" and "Mother Earth". They [[AmbiguousSituation may or not]] be the same as Ylath and Sylanna, the Dragons of Air and Earth.
234* GlassCannon: Stronghold troops generally have very good damage outputs but poor-to-average defense, encouraging aggressive battle tactics.
235* GrimUpNorth: In the first and second games, they live in the Frozen Wastes to the north.
236* HarpingOnAboutHarpies: Originally a Dungeon creature, Harpies are Stronghold creatures in IV, VI, and VII. They possess the same ability as their Dungeon predecessor, which allows them to strike their target and then return back to their original hex.
237* HornedHumanoid: Some of their "demonic" alt-graded versions sport horns as part of demonic inheritance.
238* HotAsHell: Sky Daughters and Earth Daughters look a lot like their apparent "ancestors", succubi.
239%%* TheHorde
240%%* HulkSpeak: In V.
241* HumanDemonHybrid: In the Ashan continuity, orcs are {{Artificial Hybrid}}s born from demon blood being injected into human criminals as an experiment by the Wizards of the Silver Cities. The medium-sized orcs are the most stable and successful results of this process, as opposed to the smaller goblins and larger cyclopes.
242* LeeroyJenkins: TheBerserker unit in IV, who can't be controlled. In V, it's actually ''encouraged'' through the Blood-rage mechanic, and the official Orcs' strategy motto in VI is "Rush now, think later!".
243* {{Mayincatec}}: In VI. In V, they were closer to Mongols.
244%%* OneManArmy: The Barbarian Hero in the fourth game, even more so than the other heroes.
245* OurCentaursAreDifferent: One of their creatures from the fourth game onward. The Ashan centaurs are a mix of human and [[HellishHorse Nightmare]].
246%%* OurGiantsAreBigger
247* OurGoblinsAreDifferent: Goblins are typically smaller, dumber orcs that typically serve as the faction's tier 1 creature, although strangely in IV the only goblins were high-tier neutral creatures aligned with Chaos called Goblin Knights. They are TheChewToy and DirtyCoward in V, with specials that make them flee when hit and even ''turn against you'' when you're losing the battle. A bit of {{Irony}} when in VI Kraal praises them for their UndyingLoyalty and they're armed with a PrecisionGuidedBoomerang.
248* OurOgresAreHungrier: In the games where they appear, they're even bigger and tougher than orcs but also much dumber. They hit ''hard'', [[MightyGlacier but are also painfully slow]]. The first two games depicts them as looking like cavemen, while in the third and fourth they're ugly green-skinned humanoids. The third game also introduces Ogre Magi who can cast Bloodlust, as a deliberate ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/WarcraftII''.
249* OurOrcsAreDifferent: Even among the different games. The first, fifth and sixth games' orcs looked humanoid, while those of the second and fourth games were [[PigMan pig men]], and for the third, green-skinned. In [[TheVerse the Ashan universe]], they, and the rest of the humanoid creatures in the faction, were "made" with human criminals and demon blood, and [[SlaveRace enslaved]] after having [[DudeWheresMyRespect saved the world from Demons]].
250%%* ProudWarriorRace: In IV, V and VI.
251* SavageWolves: Wolves in I and II are tamed beast trained by the barbarians to fight. They are [[GlassCannon poor in defense, but has an ability to attack twice]]. In III, they are ridden by goblins for battle, with the Raider possessing their ability to attack twice.
252* ShockAndAwe: Thunderbirds in III and IV, and Pao-Kai (a subspecies of Wyverns) in V are able to use lightning strikes to enhance their regular attacks.
253* {{Stripperiffic}}: Shamans in V and Harpies in VI both wear barely any clothing. The only thing covering the nipples of the former are their necklaces.
254* WholePlotReference: In Heroes I and II, Goblins live in a hut made of Straw, Orcs live in a hut made of Sticks, and Ogres live in a house made of Adobe Bricks, while right around the corner there is a Wolf's Den.
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Stronghold's Iconic Characters]]
258!Lord Slayer (I)
259The leader of the Barbarian faction in ''Heroes of Might & Magic I'', he was initially involved in a three-way war with Queen Lamanda and Lord Alamar, but was defeated by the newcomer Morglin Ironfist. Later he allied with Lamanda and Alamar against Ironfist but was unable to stop him from conquering Enroth. Supposedly, his bones are buried in the foundations of the Barbarians' Coliseum in ''Heroes II''.
260----
261
262!Crag Hack (I-II-III-IV, mentioned in V and VI)
263[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroesOnline-CragHack_9498.jpg]]
264A classical BarbarianHero, Crag Hack (who shares his name with a VideoGame/MightAndMagic dwarf hero), has is [[ADayInTheLimelight Day In The Limelight]] in III-Shadow of Death, where he was part of a group of four heroes aiming to stop the necromancer Sandro's EvilPlan, after having been his UnwittingPawn. With Sandro and the [[OurGeniesAreDifferent genie]] Solmyr, he is one of the few characters of the old universe deemed by Ubisoft as sufficiently of an EnsembleDarkHorse for gaining a ContinuityCameo in Ashan's backstory, apparently as TheDreaded.\
265\
266He got his own DLC campaign for VI called "Pirates of the Savage Sea".
267----
268* AccidentalMisnaming: He is not pleased with being constantly called "Mister Hack" by Sandro in Shadow of Death.
269* AuthorAvatar: Originally a Jon Van Caneghem tabletop game's character.
270* BadassArmfold: His artwork for ''Pirates of the Savage Sea'' has him doing this.
271%%* BeardOfBarbarism
272* ContinuityCameo: In ''V'' and base ''VI''. The Ashan incarnation is the ''main character'' of the first DLC for VI, ''Pirates of the Savage Sea''.
273* CoolHelmet: He's usually wearing a helmet with two horns pointing upwards and two pointing downwards. It's even an artifact in VI!
274* DumbMuscle: In the old continuity, to the point that even other barbarians comments on it (this was a person with decades of mercenary experience across at least ''two'' continents -- and he ''still'' hadn't picked up that mister is a title, not a name!). His Ashan incarnation, on the other hand, is [[AvertedTrope clever enough]].
275* EyePatchOfPower: His Ashan incarnation sports one on his right eye.
276* FieryRedhead: He is a BarbarianHero with a red beard.
277* HandicappedBadass: His lack of depth perception hasn't stopped him from being a renowned mercenary and Ashan's pirate king.
278* HeroicSacrifice: ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic X'' reveals that this is how his Ashan incarnation ended his days, as a way to make the best out of a bad situation (it was either die from other reasons, and break the curse he was under, or die from the curse, and be RetGone).
279* HornyVikings: While never commented on, his helmet is the one design element his portrait keeps across all of the [[Creator/The3DOCompany 3DO]] games, and even retains into the Creator/{{Ubisoft}} era.
280* InsultBackfire: [[TheEmpire The Holy Falcon Empire]] of Ashan meant to insult him by referring to him as being "[[FantasticRacism more orc than human]]". Since orcs are known for their brute strength and toughness, this actually made it easier for him to find work.
281* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Prior to ''III'', Sandro tricks him into gathering an artifact for him (along with Gem), then uses it to install a puppet king to invade Erathia, kickstarting the events of the main game. To be fair, he does band together with Gem and two other heroes to defeat him later.
282%%* RetiredBadass: At the start of ''Pirates of the Savage Sea''.
283
284!Yog (I, III, IV, VII)
285[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heroyogiv.png]]
286
287Despite studying magic in Bracada with his genie mother for most of his youth, Yog always felt a closer connection to his barbarian father. When Duke Winston Boragus of Krewlod offered him an invitation to join his army, Yog accepted without hesitation. He was featured in the ADayInTheLimelight campaign "Birth of a Barbarian" in ''Shadow of Death'' that explained his somewhat convoluted backstory.\
288\
289In the Ashan continuity, Yog was infused with the essence of a djinn at birth in an experiment. Rather than grant him magical powers as the wizards hoped, he lacked all affinity for magic and was ostracized, eventually finding a family among the orcs and beastmen.
290----
291* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: He looks human aside from his deep blue skin. He especially stands out among the largely green hordes of goblins, orcs and ogres.
292* ContinuitySnarl: Both Gem and Sandro remark on remembering meeting Yog in Enroth... despite the fact that ''that very same campaign'' shows that there's absolutely no way timeline-wise that Yog could've been acting as a Barbarian on another continent during the time of the first game. The only possibility is that "Birth of a Barbarian" takes place way before any other campaign in the story, which itself is unlikely since a pre-necromancer Vidomina plays a minor role in both that campaign and another.
293* DoesNotLikeMagic: Despite being raised in a {{Magocracy}}, he hated magic and readily rejected it when Boragus tested him. It does fall into some GameplayAndStorySegregation, since he's perfectly capable of using magic outside of the ''Shadow of Death'' campaigns.
294* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: In 'Birth of a Barbarian', his specialty is Chain Lightning (same as Solmyr), showing his natural prowess for magic through his genie heritage. However, he's unable to use any magic in that campaign, making his innate talents useless and letting the player understand what Yog is willing to sacrifice to feel fulfilled.
295* HalfHumanHybrid: Half human and half genie. It's not really elaborated how that union came about, since we never meet his father and his mother wants nothing to do with the barbarians.
296* PeltsOfTheBarbarian: His outfit after becoming a barbarian, in stark contrast to the wizard robes he wore before.
297* UnSorcerer: In the Ashan continuity, the magic experiment that created him sapped all magical potential from his body.
298
299!Kilgor (III-AB, Chronicles, intro of IV)
300[[quoteright:140:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herokilgorab.png]]
301
302A young, ruthless barbarian warlord who slew King Winston Boragus in the Festival of Life, making him rightful king of Krewlod according to tradition. He led the barbarians to endless wars, and eventually stole the Sword of Frost and accidentally destroyed the world when he clashed with Gelu and Armageddon's Blade.
303----
304* TheBadGuyWins: As both the VillainProtagonist of the Festival of Life campaign and villain in the final Heroes Chronicles mission.
305* TheBeastmaster: As a child, he and his father would hunt and sometimes capture wild Behemoths. It's his familiarity and kinship with the Behemoths that wins him the Festival of Life (on top of his sheer ruthlessness).
306* BladeLock: In the opening of ''Heroes of Might & Magic IV'', he and Gelu lock their swords in their epic duel. Unfortunately, when their swords, the Sword of Frost and Armageddon's Blade, respectively, touched, [[spoiler:it fulfilled the prophecy and caused the Reckoning, destroying the planet of Enroth]].
307* FisherKing: Following Kilgor's ascension, Krewlod suffered from horrible famines and drought. Granted, this had as much to do with nature as it did him constantly marching armies through the land and occasionally burning crops to snuff out any potential revolutions.
308* FrontlineGeneral: Even after claiming the throne, he loved battle too much to give it and was often on the battlefield in the wars he fought.
309* GoodScarsEvilScars: He has a scar running from his cheek up through his eye, rendering him blind in that eye.
310* HatedByAll: Although he was popular with the people of Krewlod during his initial ascent to the throne, respect for Kilgor almost immediately disappeared after his warlike and power-hungry ways came forth. By the time of ''Heroes IV'', his very name has become a swear word thanks to destroying the old world. No one hates him more than the few surviving barbarians, who are still trying to escape the vicious savages that Kilgor's actions painted them as.
311* AnIcePerson: Briefly, after acquiring the Sword of Frost.
312* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:He is one of few casualties of the Reckoning in ''IV''. Since he was at the center of ground zero, alongside Gelu, he had no chance of surviving.]]
313* KlingonPromotion: He first killed his father to rule over his clan, then he killed Boragus to become king of Krewlod.
314* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: '''Kill''' '''''Gore'''''. It doesn't get more obvious than that.
315* {{Patricide}}: At the age of eighteen, Kilgor killed his father to gain leadership over his clan.
316* SavageSpikedWeapons: His weapon prior to obtaining the Sword of Frost was a spiked mace. In his own words, "[[CombatSadomasochist You can't hear bones break under a blade.]]"
317* TyrantTakesTheHelm: After killing [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure King Boragus]], Kilgor leads Krewlod to an endless war in his quest for power.
318
319!Tarnum (Heroes Chronicles, NPC in IV)
320[[quoteright:96:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Tarnum_9997.jpg]]
321->''"But a warrior is not just a killer. He's a protector! You must have respect for life, and an even greater respect for your ability to take it. Otherwise, you're just a murderer."''\
322\
323
324The main protagonist of Heroes Chronicles, Tarnum started out as a bloodthirsty warlord, but [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens "the Ancestors"]] decided to punish him after he died by denying him access to the afterlife, systematically resurrecting him as a hero in any Antagarich's factions, charged to perform various heroic deeds. Tarnum eventually [[TheAtoner atoned]], taking a young barbarian named Waerjak as his adoptive son. He is also the second most important protagonist in IV's barbarian campaign, acting as TheMentor for Waerjak, before being captured and presumably killed by a warlord. Waerjak eventually finds him BackFromTheDead, and Tarnum reveal to him his past and how he finally redeemed himself in the eyes of the Ancestors, but [[IChooseToStay chose to stay]] among the mortals.
325----
326* TheAtoner: He was granted immortality so he could atone for the horrible things he did in his life.
327* BeenThereShapedHistory: A few times throughout his mortal ''and'' immortal life.
328** He conquered the nation of Bracaduun, which once spanned the entire south of Antagarich. After his death, the splinters of the nation formed Erathia, Bracada, and Krewlod from the three idealogies of the people.
329** He freed the Mudlanders from Erathian enslavement (a fitting atonement since Tarnum had used the Mudlanders as slaves prior to his death). He led them to the swamps on the west coast of Erathia and founded Tatalia.
330* BloodKnight: In his youth, though by the time he mentors Waerjak he's [[CharacterDevelopment grown out of it]]:
331-->"I have a lesson for you, Waerjak. See here, a pair of mating spiders, and a scorpion - equally poisonous creatures. Watch how the scorpion easily kills the male spider because he is so small. Now, the female, enraged by the loss of her mate, attacks the scorpion with everything she's got. You see, she kills the scorpion, but at what cost? Her own life. Such blind hate is dangerous, and pointless!"
332* CoolOldGuy: By the time he mentors Waerjak, he is not a young man. Doesn't mean he can't still kick ass. Just ''how'' cool is Tarnum? When he appears in ''Lost Tales of Axeoth'' expansion in ''VII'' (which shows him shotrly after Enroth's destruction), he is level ''50'', with literally every skill maxed out. Considering Level 30 is generally considered end-of-campaign level, and level 40 is all but impossible to achieve
333* DoesNotLikeMagic: Since his people were enslaved by wizards, Tarnum had a hatred of magic that he never truly surpassed. Even though one of the trials forced him to become a master of all four elements to stop the Confluxes, he abandoned magic immediately afterwards.
334* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Despite his hatred of magic (due to how his people where treated by the Bracadan mages) he can still learn just as many magic spells and skills as any other hero even when he was alive.
335* GeniusBruiser: Unlike his [[DumbMuscle barbarian fellows]], Tarnum became a well educated man, learning languages and customs from various cultures, and taught many of these to Waerjak, who notes that it doesn't stop him for being even more badass than the average BarbarianHero.
336* HeWhoFightsMonsters: In his first campaign, he gradually went more and more brutal, especially after the death of the woman he grew to love. He gets better, but only after his death, trials, and resurrection.
337%%* CosmicPlaything
338* IChooseToStay: Why? In the man's own words:
339-->"This new world still needs heroes."
340%%* MentorOccupationalHazard
341* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: In the final Heroes Chronicles mission, Tarnum spares the life of Kilgor's wife Kija. [[PacifismBackfire By proving that he was no longer a brutal savage, Tarnum let Kija reach the Sword of Frost first and ultimately doomed the entire planet.]]
342* TragicHero: Once the savior of the Barbarians, who eventually becomes just as evil as the wizards that had enslaved them. Through the trials the Ancestors put him through, he eventually redeems himself.
343* WarriorPoet: In IV, each scenario of the "Might" campaign begins with one of his philosophical musings.
344* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Tarnum was granted CompleteImmortality by the Ancestor gods as a mixture of punishment for his evil deeds and reward for saving the Barbarian people from oblivion in the process. As time goes on he is ''very'' much aware of how alien this fate makes him to normal humans and strives to find love and friendship anyway even though he knows it'll be severed by the deaths of others.
345* VillainousLegacy: He is regularly confronted by his ''own'' Villainous Legacy after his FaceHeelTurn, and even centuries later he is regularly stuck fighting warlords and tyrants who continue a cycle of evil that he started. The above mentioned Kilgor in particular is considered by Tarnum to have been the final fruition of the example he set as the Barbarian Tyrant.
346
347!Waerjak (Heroes Chronicles, IV)
348[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Waerjak_9880.jpg]]
349TheHero of IV's barbarian campaign, Waerjak grew the same concern as his adoptive father Tarnum: already weakened by the destruction of Enroth (the world of I-II-III), the barbarians were also stupidly fighting themselves instead of uniting their force. Waerjak eventually decided to unite them himself, peacefully if possible, but is confronted with a SadisticChoice when he has to choose between saving Tarnum from a barbarian warlord or liberating barbarian slaves.
350----
351* AltarDiplomacy: [[EnforcedTrope Enforces]] this to end a blood feud between two tribes he's absorbed into the new barbarian nation. It's never mentioned exactly how well this shook out.
352* BadassBookworm: Enforced by Tarnum, who routinely makes him read ancient books as well as practice with sword and axe.
353* TheChainsOfCommanding: Feels these more and more as his campaign goes on, and the barbarian nation unanimously wants him to be king.
354* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler:According to WordOfGod, he is an illegitimate son of King Nicholas Gryphonheart and a woman named Iduna. Lysander of the Haven campaign and Gauldoth Half-Dead of the Necropolis campaign are his long-lost brothers. You can see the resemblance]].[[invoked]]
355* HonorBeforeReason: He stumbles across a vicious pirate's crew while they're all sleeping, and contemplates killing them then and there, but - with Tarnum's [[IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim subtle nudging]] - wakes them and gives them the chance to surrender first.
356%%* LanternJawOfJustice
357* MeaningfulName: "[[OurGryphonsAreDifferent Griffin]]" in the old barbarian language.
358* OfferedTheCrown: He accepts, though not without reservation.
359* OnlySaneMan: Pretty much the ''only'' Barbarian (with any leadership skills) who realizes the various tribes ''need'' to unite or they'll all be gone within a generation.
360* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: This was the first lesson that Tarnum taught him, after killing the cougar that killed [[HeroesLoveDogs his favorite hunting dog]].
361* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:But he got better.]]
362
363!Kujin (V-[=TotE=])
364[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herokujinv.jpg]]
365An orcish shaman who serves Gotai after the death of Quroq, but is [[HypercompetentSidekick arguably more competent than either of them]].
366----
367* HypercompetentSidekick: While Quroq and Gotai may have been the warchiefs, Kujin is the one who does a lot of the work to rally the clans under Gotai and she is the one to fight one of the demon strongholds near Talonguard in the final mission.
368* NoSenseOfHumor: Her bio describes this as potentially her one shortcoming.
369* {{Stripperiffic}}: The only thing covering her nipples is her necklace of talismans.
370* WomenAreWiser: She is much smarter and more level-headed than Gotai and Quroq, encouraging the former not to go blindly seeking vengeance for the latter's death, an act that would've been suicide if Gotai didn't first liberate the orcs and seek the blessings of their ancestors.
371
372!Sandor (VI)
373[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Sandor_8347.png]]
374First, but illegitimate son of the Duke of Griffin. With his half-sister Irina and the Orc Kraal (the Duke's master-of-arms) as his only friends, and finally fed up with his life, he flees to the Orc's Pao Islands to become a Barbarian.
375----
376* BastardAngst: Downplayed in that he seems pretty happy with his family (besides perhaps Anton), but seems to view himself as an outcast to the rest of the nobility.
377* TheBigGuy: Of the siblings in VI, he's the most hotheaded and physically imposing.
378* FreudianTrio: With [[CoolOldGuy Kraal]] as TheSuperego, himself as TheEgo, and [[PluckyComicRelief Goink]] as TheId.
379* HeroicBastard: He loves his family, rescues his half-sister Irina from her abusive husband, leads the Orcs to freedom, and takes charge against the demon invasion.
380* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough: Both Kraal and an anonymous Wolf Duchy soldier comment on how crazy it would be to lead an army into the heart of Wolf Duchy territory to rescue Irina, but Sandor is badass enough to pull it off.
381* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The first map of his campaign basically sets off the chain of events for the rest of them, despite his intentions being noble (saving his half-sister from a brutal lord).
382[[/folder]]
383
384[[folder:Dungeon]]
385!Mountain (I) / Warlock's Town (II) / Dungeon (III, V, VI [=SoD=], VII) / Asylum (IV)
386->''"Hide, listen, watch, learn... And when the time is right, strike from the shadow."''\
387\
388
389The EvilSorcerer faction, specializing in power, both in creatures and in destructive magic. While they are powerful, they are often limited by the expensive prices of their armies and lower growth rates. It has largely remained the same with each game, despite becoming dominated by Dark Elves instead of humans in the games set on Ashan. Their Might Hero is the [[EvilOverlord Overlord]] or [[BlatantBurglar Thief]], and their Magic Hero is the [[EvilSorcerer Warlock/Sorcerer]].
390
391->'''Heroes I Mountain Creatures''': Centaur, Gargoyle, Griffin, Minotaur, Hydra, Dragon\
392'''Heroes II Warlock Creatures''': Centaur, Gargoyle, Griffin, Minotaur/Minotaur King, Hydra, Green Dragon/Red Dragon/Black Dragon\
393'''Heroes III Dungeon Creatures''': Troglodyte/Infernal Troglodyte, Harpy/Harpy Hag, Beholder/Evil Eye, Medusa/Medusa Queen, Minotaur/Minotaur King, Manticore/Scorpicore, Red Dragon/Black Dragon\
394'''Heroes IV Asylum Creatures''': Bandit, Orc, Medusa, Minotaur, Nightmare, Efreet, Hydra, Black Dragon\
395'''Heroes V Dungeon Creatures''': Scout/Assasin/Stalker, Blood Maiden/Blood Fury/Blood Sister, Minotaur/Minotaur Guard/Minotaur Taskmaster, Dark Rider/Grim Rider/Brisk Rider, Hydra/Deep Hydra/Foul Hydra, Shadow Witch/Shadow Matriarch/Shadow Mistress, Shadow Dragon/Black Dragon/Red Dragon\
396'''Heroes VI Dungeon Creatures''': Assassin/Shade, Stalker/Chakram Dancer, Shadow Lurker/Shadow Watcher, Manticore/Scorpicore, Minotaur/Minotaur Guard, Faceless/Faceless Puppeteer, Shadow Dragon/Black Dragon\
397'''Heroes VII Dungeon Creatures''': Assassin/Shade, Troglodyte/Chthonian, Stalker/Tracker, Minotaur/Minotaur Guard, Strider/Soulless, Medusa/Medusa Sorceress, Shadow Dragon/Black Dragon, Cave Hydra/Dark Hydra, Faceless, Shadow Lurker, Cave Wyvern
398----
399* AlwaysMale: In I and II, to go with their theme at the time of being opposites of the Sorceresses. While it was dropped for the town in III along with the opposite-number theme, a nod to ''was'' given -- the single female Warlock has it pointed out in her description that she is the sole female Warlock.
400* BlackMage: At least in V, Warlocks have a [[FireIceLightning Chaos Magic]] affinity and possess vast destructive spellpower.
401* BlindSeer: One of the heroes in III is a troglodyte who can 'see' magical energy, making it easier for him to learns spells via the [[MegaManning Eagle Eye]] skill.
402* BloodyMurder: Hydras in V, spilling acid blood when hurt.
403* OurCentaursAreDifferent: In I and II, centaurs were the warlocks' tier 1 creature, a possible nod to how centaurs in Myth/ClassicalMythology - Chiron excepted - often verged on AlwaysChaoticEvil after a cup of wine or two. They are literal {{Horse Archer}}s, which is important because they are the Warlock's only ranged unit in their home town, so they are necessary as ranged support for their army.
404* ChainmailBikini: The armor of the Furies in V. Also present on the Matriarch, although it's clearly more for sex appeal than protection given that unit's theme.
405* ACommanderIsYou: Elitist faction, bordering on Game Breaker. A bit of Guerilla, too, with the Thief hero in IV, the Stalker unit in V, and the 'Shroud of Malassa' mechanic in VI.
406* DifficultButAwesome: The cost of their units means they're weak starting out so they can be hard to use early the game, but once the player learns to survive late game, they're devastating.
407* DisabilitySuperpower: Troglodytes in III (and IV, as neutral critters) are eyeless creatures immune to the blind spell as well as to petrification from the Basilisk and Medusa.
408%%* ElementalPowers: Due to their focus on destructive spells.
409%%* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Their racial skill in V.
410* OurElvesAreDifferent: Dark Elves in V, which bear great resemblance to both ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' counterparts.
411* EqualOpportunityEvil: The faction with the most diverse monsters, due to important changes between each iteration. Only the Minotaurs and Black ([[RealMenWearPink Purple in I]]) Dragons, along with the Hydras save in III and VI, have been a constant.
412%%* EyeBeams: [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Beholders]] in III, Shadow Lurkers in VI.
413%%* FireIceLightning: As main destructive elements.
414%%* GlowingEyesOfDoom: The Shadow/Black/Red Dragons have these in V.
415* HarpingOnAboutHarpies: Their tier 2 unit in III, bird women that can attack enemies then return to where they initially attacked from.
416%%* HellishHorse: Nightmares in ''IV''.
417%%* HighlyVisibleNinja: Rogues and the Thief hero in ''IV'', Scouts in ''V'', and Assassins and Shades in ''VI'' and ''VII''.
418* HitAndRunTactics:
419** The Harpies/Harpy Hags in ''III'' have a special ability that allow them to return to their original hex after they move and attack. The Harpy Hags are especially better at hit-and-run than the base Harpies because they prevent enemy retaliation.
420** The Blood Maidens and their upgraded versions, Blood Furies and Blood Sisters, in ''V'' share a similar role as the Harpies, as a creature that strikes their target and then return back to their original hex.
421* OurHydrasAreDifferent: One of their units in ''I'', ''II'', ''IV'' and ''V'' (it was on loan to the Fortress in ''III''). They can attack every hex around them and suffer no retaliation.
422* ALighterShadeOfBlack: In the fifth game, the Dark Elves are the only evil-aligned faction that isn't trying to TakeOverTheWorld, and unlike the AlwaysChaoticEvil demons or death-worshipping necromancers, they have legitimate grievances against "good" factions. Still, some of them are irredeemably evil - it seems to vary from clan to clan.
423* {{Medusa}}: A mid-level troop in ''III'' and ''IV''. Both iterations are archers, with ''III'' using a bow and ''IV'' just using their DeadlyGaze.
424* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Aside from the iconic Dragons, Minotaurs have been ''the'' constant of this particular faction. The first three games depicted them as just a few steps shy of Dragon-tier, though ''IV'' and ''V'' kicked them quite a few notches down the food chain.
425* MixAndMatchCritters: Manticores in III and VI, a mix of lion, scorpion and bat.
426* OrderVersusChaos: Chaos against Academy's Order in IV.
427* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The iconic black dragons, some of the most powerful creatures of the series and are typically the strongest creature in the game. [[LightningBruiser They are among, or are the most durable creature, hit really hard (usually dealing the most damage of any creature in the game) and while not the fastest creature, are still right up there]]. Their signature ability besides being strong, [[AntiMagic they can't be affected by any magic]], which as a drawback means healing magic and buffs don't affect them. Their BreathWeapon hitting units adjacent to whatever they're attacking.
428%%* OurGargoylesRock: In I and II.
429%%* OurGeniesAreDifferent: Ifrits in IV.
430%%* OurGryphonsAreDifferent: In I and II.
431%%* PigMan: Orcs in IV.
432%%* RingsOfDeath: Chakram throwers in VI.
433* {{Stripperiffic}}: Female dark elves tend to wear the absolute bare minimum of clothing. Particularly, the Furies and Matriarchs in V, and Chakram Throwers in VI.
434* SwampsAreEvil: Implicit, since this was their home terrain in I, II and IV.
435* UndergroundCity: In every game where the faction is called Dungeon, it's an underground city.
436* WhipOfDominance: Shadow Matriarchs in V are {{Dominatrix}}-coded spellcasters that attack enemies with a whip. The FlavorText for one of their upgraded forms, the Shadow Mistress, notes that their whips aren't just for combat.
437[[/folder]]
438
439[[folder:Dungeon's Iconic Characters]]
440
441!Lord Alamar (I, II, III)
442[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/heroalamariii.png]]
443
444The leader of the Warlocks of Enroth in Heroes of Might and Magic I, he was defeated by Morglin Ironfist but escaped to other lands. Decades later, he returned to Enroth to serve Archibald Ironfist but was again forced to flee when Archibald was defeated. He fled to Nighon, where he helped the Overlords invade Erathia following the death of King Gryphonheart, but Nighon's invasion was ultimately repelled by Queen Catherine.
445----
446* CoolCrown: His headwear in II, although its replaced with a weird blue headband thing in III.
447* EvilSorcerer: The leader of a whole faction these. He has a knack for picking the losing side of every war, though.
448* IronButtmonkey: Consider how many times he has found himself on the losing side... and that he ''still'' comes back for more.
449* WorthyOpponent: Morgan Ironfist seems to think him so:
450-->"He was cunning, mighty was his sword arm, great his magic, and brilliant his strategies. But they availed him for naught, for in the end I cast him down and my only disappointment was that he was able to flee into distant realms."
451* YouDontLookLikeYou: His appearance is quite different in each game. In I, he looked like a generic wizard with blond hair and full beard. In II, he has white hair, darker skin, and a trimmed moustache instead of a beard. In III, he's back to blond and fair-skinned, but no longer has any facial hair.
452
453!Archibald Ironfist (II, [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic M&M VI and VII]])
454[[quoteright:99:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Archibald_6860.jpg]]
455The "not so good" brother of Roland, Archibald accused him of killing the seers charged to chose a successor after their father's death. Given how obvious who the real murderer was, Roland, after flying the royal castle, started a civil war against his brother. Archibald canonically lost, and was TakenForGranite, until the [=PCs=] in VideoGame/MightAndMagic VI freed him [[IDidWhatIHadToDo so that he helps them save the world]]. He then became a prominent member of the Necromancers' guild.
456----
457* TheArchmage: Turns out he both has an extensive knowledge of magical rituals (which is ''why'' he has to be freed from statuedom in ''Might & Magic VI'') and is better at necromancy than many necromancers despite being a Warlock rather than a Necromancer.
458* BigBad: Of the second game.
459* CainAndAbel: Cain to Roland's Abel. Downplayed in that at the end, ''neither'' brother is willing to go all out and kill the other.
460* EvenEvilHasStandards: In ''[[VideoGame/MightAndMagic Might and Magic VII]]'', he can't stand for Roland to be imprisoned by the [[DemonicInvaders Kreegans]].
461%%* EvilBrit
462* RedEyesTakeWarning: Though this might've just been artistic license on the part of whoever painted his portrait.
463* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Just like his brother, he's not above going on the battlefield himself if he feels it necessary.
464* SmugSnake: Especially prominent in his victorious ending. His narration drips with it.
465* TakenForGranite: His fate in the (canonical) ending of ''Heroes II'' where Roland won is to be turned into a statue.
466
467!Mutare (III, Heroes Chronicles)
468[[quoteright:140:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mutare.jpg]]
469A young woman from Nighon who took advantage of the infighting among the various Overlords to seize power for herself. After defeating the neighboring overlord Ordwald with the aid of the Vial of Dragon's Blood, she sought to conquer all of the dragons.
470----
471* AmazonianBeauty: As evidenced by the combination of biceps and bustier.
472* TheBeastmaster: Has a natural affinity for dragons, even the Good-aligned Green and Gold ones.
473* FieryRedhead: Her temper's nothing to sneeze at, though most of the time she's able to temper it with PragmaticVillainy:
474-->"The Master of Scouts has not located [Ordwald] and cringes whenever I look at him. The fool, he doesn't realize he does too good a job for me to make an example of him."
475* FromNobodyToNightmare: A girl of common blood, who eventually becomes a sentient Dragon ''and'' Queen of all Nighon. She serves as BigBad in "Clash of the Dragons", one of the more important campaigns in ''Heroes Chronicles''.
476* KilledOffscreen: After her defeat in "Clash of the Dragons", supplementary material reveals she is slain by Dracon (who perishes in his battle with her).
477* KlingonPromotion: [[https://web.archive.org/web/20011210221135/http://www.3do.com:80/products/pc/heroes3/expansion/bios/exp_mutare.html As revealed]] in her [[AllThereInTheManual extended bio]] on the game's mini-website, She attained her Overlord status by killing her former employer, an Overlord named Rauric. This is her own eventual fate as well at the hands of a lesser Overlord, after Tarnum defeats her and sends her packing back to Nighon.
478* MeaningfulName: It means "to change" in Latin.
479* {{Metamorphosis}}: Into a dragon, when she drinks the Dragon's Blood.
480* MightMakesRight: She was disgusted that Ordwald, [[{{Nepotism}} who inherited his dominion from his much more skilled father]], didn't do anything in his own right to earn his title; so she took it upon herself to relieve him of it by force.
481* RevelingInTheNewForm: After drinking the Vial of Dragon's Blood, she spends some time marveling at how strong she feels and how beautiful her claws are.
482* ScaledUp: She transforms into a dragon after drinking from the Vial.
483* TheStarscream: To Rauric.
484
485!Tawni Balfour (IV)
486[[quoteright:84:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Asylum_Tawni_Balfour_9966.gif]]
487->''"Honor among thieves? Hah! Any thief who invokes such rubbish is a hypocrite! The instant they have the opportunity to stab their best friend in the back, you know they won't even hesitate. A pirate, on the other hand, lives by a different motto. "The last one standing gets the gold."."''\
488\
489
490The main character of IV's Chaos campaign. A ruthless PirateGirl, Tawni Balfour was way too happy at the death of her father, the feared Captain Black, and took the opportunity to conquer the Gold Sea above all pirates.
491----
492* BadBoss: Automatically kills ''the first guy who showed up for first mate auditions'' on the grounds that anyone who did so was obviously [[AmbitionIsEvil too ambitious for her liking]].
493* BloodKnight: Not that she's entirely happy about it:
494-->"I feel like a shark - if I don't keep swimming I'm afraid I will die."
495** Deconstructed later in the campaign, where her second mate Eight-Fingers Oba accuses her of deliberately baiting her first mate [[TheStarscream into betraying the crew]], all to give herself a new ArchEnemy.
496%%* DarkActionGirl
497* DeviousDaggers: Her preferred weapons, since they're easy to hide in her baggy clothes.
498* HairTriggerTemper: Reins it in with varying amounts of success.
499* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:Eight-Fingers Oba]], a CoolOldGuy who serves as her MoralityPet, turns out to be her true father.
500* PetTheDog: [[spoiler:Her final conversation with Eight-Fingers Oba, where she makes him retire because she fears that he's lost his killer instinct and can no longer survive as a pirate.]]
501%%* PirateGirl
502* VillainProtagonist: Undoubtedly the nastiest of the campaign protagonists in IV; [[https://web.archive.org/web/20151120025039/https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/lost-tales-q-a-with-terry-ray according to the game's head writer]], whatever sequel he planned to IV's storylines would probably have featured her as the BigBad.
503%%* TheUnfettered
504
505!Raelag/Agrael (V, VI)
506[[quoteright:134:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raelag_6909.png]]
507The protagonist of the Inferno and Dungeon campaigns in V, Raelag starts out as Agrael, the (secretly elven) [[TheDragon Dragon]] of the BigBad Kha-Beleth.
508%% But, [[LoveRedeems in love]] with Isabel, he betrays his master and comes in contact with the Druid Tieru, who reveals the VideoGame/DarkMessiah prophecy to him and purges him of demonic influence. Later, we play as Raelag as he rises to power after his return to the Dark Elves, trying to foil Kha-Beleth's schemes.
509----
510* ActionInitiative: As Agrael, he increases the Initiative of all creatures in his army, while as Raelag, he decreases the Initiative of the enemy's creatures. In the ''Hammers of Fate'' campaign, he combines the two together, raising his army's Initiative while decreasing the Initiative of the enemy army.
511* AntiClimax: TheStinger of the original ''VI'' is him dramatically vowing to do some great action that will leave a mark on the world. When he becomes playable in the main ''VI'' expansion, it is many years later and he admits that whatever he did after saying those words was the actions of a brash, clueless youngster who failed miserably.
512* TheAtoner: For what he did as Agrael. Later revealed to be two-fold: he also destroys the Soul Scar clan that he led to worshipping demons in his backstory.
513* DarkIsNotEvil: As Raelag. He may be a Dark Elf and a [[BlackMage Warlock]], but he's not evil, and wants to stop Kha-Beleth as much as anyone else.
514* DefectorFromDecadence: Betrays Kha-Beleth and teams up with the "good" guys to stop his plans.
515* EvilSorcerer: Agrael sure ''looks'' like one - and likely was a real one before experiencing how LoveRedeems - but as Raelag he completely averts it. He's described as a very powerful spellcaster, but, as noted above, he's not actually evil.
516* EvilSoundsDeep: As Agrael, until he rejects the Soverign.
517* {{Foreshadowing}}: Agrael's height is only the same as a human, hinting that he is not an actual demon. His intelligence also is shown as most of the demons prefer to rely on swarming their adversaries, he relies on tactics. Also, the fact that he is immune to the heart of the griffin. It becomes obvious that it only affects actual demons instead of those of other races who aid him. Also note the fact that Agrael can understand emotions outside of evil. It indicates that he has a conscience.
518* HeelFaceTurn: Starts out as a servant of the BigBad, only to change his mind and decide to oppose him later.
519* HorseOfADifferentColor: Most Demon Lords travel on foot, but Agrael rides around on what looks like a Tyrannosaurus. [[{{Foreshadowing}} Just like]] the dinosaurs that generic Dark Elven Warlocks ride.
520* IDidWhatIHadToDo: That's how he tries to justify [[spoiler:Beatrice's death]] to Isabel. It doesn't work - if anything, it only makes her even angrier.
521* LoveRedeems: One of his main reasons for betraying Kha-Beleth is his love for Isabel.
522%%* MurderTheHypotenuse: Why he kills Nicolai.
523* NobleDemon: As Agrael. Going as far as offering to run away with Isabel, and promising to protect her after she refuses and [[YouMonster calls him a monster.]]
524* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Once he joins other main heroes in ''V''. He isn't too concerned about the fate of Ashan, merely about protecting Isabel.
525* PutOnABus: In the ''Hammers of Fate'' ending. He doesn't even appear in ''Tribes of the East''.
526%%* ScrewYouElves: As Agrael.
527* SignificantAnagram: Raelag to Agrael.
528%%* SpikesOfVillainy: As Agrael.
529* StalkerWithACrush: Started as a StalkerWithoutACrush (as watching over Isabel was a task given to him by Kha-Beleth), but eventually fell in love with her.
530* TallDarkAndHandsome: As Raeleg.
531* WhatTheHellAreYou: Asked by Nicolai when he turns out to be immune to his HolyHandGrenade.
532
533!Ylaya (V-[=HoF=] and [=TotE=])
534[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/homm5_ylaya.jpg]]
535The Keeper of the Law of the Shadowbrand Clan in Ygg-Chall. She is the main Dungeon hero in Hammers of Fate and Tribes of the East.
536----
537* AscendedExtra: She was originally unnamed and used a generic model prior to Hammers of Fate, but she was given a unique model and made playable in both Hammers of Fate and Tribes of the East.
538* MsFanservice: Just like her fellow Dark Elves, Ylaya has a very curvy figure and is dressed in a form-fitting leotard.
539* MysticalWhiteHair: Ylaya is a powerful Warlock and her long hair is white as snow.
540[[/folder]]
541
542[[folder:Sylvan]]
543!Forest (I) / Sorceress's Town (II) / Rampart (III) / Preserve (IV) / Sylvan (V, VII)
544->''[[InHarmonyWithNature "We dance to the rhythm of the world."]]''\
545\
546
547The [[InHarmonyWithNature Nature]] Faction. Originally serving as the good counterpart to the warlocks in the first two games, they eventually became more associated with elves from the third game onward. As one might expect with a faction of elves, they are more associated with speed than the other factions at the cost of defense, and favor nature-themed magic. Their Might Hero is the [[ForestRanger Ranger/Archer]], and their Magic Hero is the Sorceress or {{Druid}}.
548
549->'''Heroes I Forest Creatures''': Sprite, Dwarf, Elf, Druid, Unicorn, Phoenix\
550'''Heroes II Sorceress Creatures''': Sprite, Dwarf/Battle Dwarf, Elf/Grand Elf, Druid/Greater Druid, Unicorn, Phoenix\
551'''Heroes III Rampart Creatures''': Centaur/Centaur Captain, Dwarf/Battle Dwarf, Wood Elf/Grand Elf, Pegasus/Silver Pegasus, Dendroid Guard/Dendroid Soldier, Unicorn/War Unicorn, Green Dragon/Gold Dragon\
552'''Heroes IV Preserve Creatures''': Wolf, Sprite, White Tiger, Elf, Griffin, Unicorn, Phoenix, Faerie Dragon\
553'''Heroes V Sylvan Creatures''': Pixie/Sprite/Dryad, Blade Dancer/War Dancer/Wind Dancer, Hunter/Master Hunter/Arcane Archer, Druid/Druid Elder/High Druid, Unicorn/Silver Unicorn/Pristine Unicorn, Treant/Ancient Treant/Savage Treant, Green Dragon/Emerald Dragon/Crystal Dragon\
554'''Heroes VII Sylvan Creatures''': Hunter/Master Hunter, Dryad/Oak Dryad, Pixie/Sprite, Druid/Druid Elder, Moon Doe/Sun Deer, Blade Dancer/Blade Master, Green Dragon/Emerald Dragon, Treant/Ancient Treant, Sylvan Ballista, Mother Treant, Greater Earth Elemental
555----
556* AlwaysFemale: The Sorceress heroes in I and II are... well, sorcer'''ess'''es.
557* ACommanderIsYou: Closer to a Generalist Faction, though not as much as Haven. Their army tends to favor FragileSpeedster units (Fairies, Unicorns, etc) but also a minority of slow but tough defenders (Dwarves and/or Dendroids/Treants), along with ranged units (Elves and Druids) and, since IV, heroes specializing in archery skills, giving them some minor Ranger Faction aspects.
558* CultureChopSuey: In III, with [[Myth/NorseMythology Dwarves, Elves]], [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Centaurs and Pegasus]], and a distinct [[FarEast Asian]] architecture. Overall they fall closest of all factions to the eclectic StandardFantasySetting.
559* DanceBattler: Blade Dancers in V, it's in their name.
560* {{Druid}}: A ranged or caster unit in I, II and V, and a magic hero in other games.
561* OurElvesAreDifferent: A staple of the faction for the entire series, they gained more prominence starting with V, where they got three distinct elf units instead of the sole archer.
562* ElvesVersusDwarves:
563** Averted in the first three games, with both elves and dwarves in the same faction. Played straight however in the fourth game, where Elves remain in the Preserve town, aligned with Nature, while Dwarves move over to the Academy town, associated with Order, one of the two alignments (along with Death) opposing Nature.
564** In Ashan, both the Elves and the Dwarves are on the Good side of factions.
565* FantasyCounterpartCulture:
566** Their architecture in ''III'' is influenced by Japanese architecture, though their Grail building is a Native American totem pole.
567** In V, they're a bit {{Magical Native American}}-flavored, with a bit of Celtic symbolism thrown in.
568* ForestRanger: Their Might heroes. In Heroes III and IV, they're members (or former members in the latter case) of the Forest Guard, Avlee's elite troops.
569* FragileSpeedster: The majority of their units are fast but frail. The only exceptions are the [[MightyGlacier Dwarves and Dendroids/Treants]].
570* GhibliHills: Their town screens in general tend toward lush, idyllic forests and meadows.
571* MageMarksman: Ranger heroes in V, who can enchant their attacks with harmful spells in order to create {{Trick Arrow}}s.
572* {{Treants}}: Dendroids in III, and Treants in V. They're ''very'' slow, but have health comparable to some tier 7 creatures. They can also tangle enemies they attack with their roots, preventing them from moving until the Treant leaves or dies.
573* {{Wutai}}: They have an inexplicable Japanese theme to their architecture in III, particularily their mage guild, town hall, and a shishi-odoshi as a special building. This is despite them not having anything thematically Japanese in their lineup.
574[[/folder]]
575
576[[folder:Sylvan's Iconic Characters]]
577!Queen Lamanda (I)
578The leader of the Sorceresses of Enroth in Heroes of Might and Magic I. She was defeated by Lord Ironfist.
579----
580* BestHerToBedHer: There is some speculation that she married Morglin Ironfist following her defeat, though nothing's official. Notably, she's the only one among his rivals whose fate is never established, and her faction becomes an ally to the Ironfists by the time of ''Heroes II''. More substantively, the Queen of Enroth is depicted in the ''Heroes I'' manual and looks a lot like the default Sorceress model. This suggests that Lord Ironfist at least married ''a'' Sorceress, if not Lamanda. Finally, the campaign scenario ''Apocalypse'' features two roads: the King's Road, covered in dwellings from the Knight faction, and the Queen's Road, with, you guessed it, dwellings from the Sorceress faction.
581* TheLeader: Of Sorceresses of Enroth.
582* OvershadowedByAwesome: She's a mighty sorceresses but Lord Ironfist is better.
583
584!Sister Eliza (II)
585The leader of the Sorceresses of Enroth in Heroes of Might and Magic II. She was attacked by Archibald because of her public support for Roland. Roland defended her and her guild against Archibald, and she swore allegiance to him.
586----
587* BadassInDistress: Outside her trouble with Archibald, she has formidable power.
588* DamselInDistress: Initially Roland saved her from Archibald
589* IOweYouMyLife: She's great asset to Roland after he saves her guild.
590
591!Gem (I-II-III-IV)
592[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cf99d7a4786c97e03b1b52be1910caf4.png]]
593Gem was one of the greatest Sorceresses that Enroth had ever seen, serving King Roland Ironfist during the Succession Wars. Shortly after Roland had secured the throne of Enroth, Gem left for Erathia, finding a new home in Avlee.
594----
595* TheAgeless: She appears in Heroes of Might and Magic games I-IV, [[OlderThanTheyLook a time period which spans approximately 80 years, yet still appears young]]. ''IV'' explains that she maintained her youth by drinking from a [[FountainOfYouth special fountain]]; however, she no longer has access to this fountain as of ''IV'' and has started to age normally again, which may explain her absence in later games.
596* FacialMarkings: One of her soldiers asks if the butterfly wings around her eyes are [[ThisMeansWarpaint war paint]], which she laughs off, explaining that it's a druid tradition. She gave the markings to herself with magic to honour a raccoon that cleaned her food for her.
597* FantasyCharacterClasses: Though she is listed as a "Druid" in her HOMM III appearance (as the game does not have a Sorceress class), her first campaign in the ''Shadow of Death'' expansion for ''III'' lists her as a Sorceress, the only hero in ''III'' to have a unique class name.
598* FriendToAllLivingThings: As befitting her character class. However, according to her campaign scenario in ''III'', it took her a little while to warm to the Sylvan Castle's [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]], though one could hardly blame her given her experiences with them in ''II''.[[note]]Dragons were part of the Warlock and Necromancer factions in Heroes II, Archibald's character class and allies in that game, respectively[[/note]] She also appeared to be uneasy of the [[WhenTreesAttack Dendroids]] at first, due to an [[NoodleIncident unexplained incident in her past.]]
599* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Despite being at the "heart of over 80 years of conflicts and wars," she has maintained her gentle demeanor.
600* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Prior to ''III'', Sandro tricks her into gathering an artifact for him (along with Crag Hack), then uses it to install a puppet king to invade Erathia, kickstarting the events of the main game. To be fair, she does band together with Crag Hack and two other heroes to defeat him later.
601%%* RecurringCharacter
602* RiteOfPassage: The "New Beginning" campaign explains her transition from a Sorceress to a Druid, as she becomes enamored with Druids of [=AvLee=] and completes the ritual to join their ranks.
603* VainSorceress: Her bio in IV [[InformedAttribute claims]] this, though she has no role in any of the campaign stories.
604
605!Gelu (III-AB and [=SoD=], intro of IV)
606[[quoteright:140:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroGeluAB_5757.png]]
607A half-elf Ranger assisting Catherine and Roland in Armageddon's Blade, and the heroes Crag Hack, Gem and Yog in Shadow of Death.
608----
609* ArtifactOfAttraction: Armageddon's Blade ends up being one for Gelu. After the events of the eponymous campaign, he returns to the woods with the sword in hand. Catherine hopes it's to destroy the sword, but suspects he plans to keep it. In the epilogue cinematic, we see Gelu posing with the sword and watching how it shines, already swayed by its power.
610* BladeLock: In the opening of ''Heroes of Might & Magic IV'', he and Kilgor lock their swords in their epic duel. Unfortunately, when their swords, Armageddon's Blade and the Sword of Frost, respectively, touched, [[spoiler:it fulfilled the prophecy and caused the Reckoning, destroying the planet of Enroth]].
611* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: A HighFantasy version of this - he commands the Forest Guard company, an Erathian unit that specializes in guerrilla warfare.
612* FantasticNuke: Causes one of these in the opening to ''Heroes IV''.
613* HalfHumanHybrid: Half human, and half elf.
614* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:He is one of few casualties of the Reckoning in ''IV''. Since he was at the center of ground zero, alongside Kilgor, he had no chance of surviving.]]
615* MeaningfulName: His name means "frost" in Latin, and he's a half-snow elf.
616* MilitaryBrat: More-or-less raised by the Erathian military, who found him (apparently orphaned) as an infant.
617* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:He accidentally fulfills Lucifer Kreegan's plan and the prophecy regarding the Sword of Frost when it and Armageddon's Blade touch, destroying Enroth when he and Kilgor clash in a duel.]]
618* OurElvesAreDifferent: He is not a "normal" elf, but a (half-) Snow elf.
619* RaisedByNatives: A slight inversion of the usual formula - this time, it's the NobleSavage-coded (half-)elf being raised by the "civilized" humans, with all the associated baggage.
620* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Fighting an epic battle to defeat a bloodthirsty warlord intent on conquering the world is quite heroic, but he managed to accidentally doom the world despite himself by doing it.
621* UnwittingPawn: Gelu is instructed to slay bandits and rogue lords from near the [=AvLee=]-Deyja border on the order of Lord Falorel as part of his test to become a member of the Forest Guard. Thanks to Sandro's meddling, Gelu later finds out that Falorel was actually a vampire in disguise and those were in fact loyal [=AvLee=] soldiers, and Gelu had been fooled into weakening the country's defenses.
622
623!Elwin and Shaera (IV)
624[[quoteright:83:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Elwin_1525.gif]]
625[[quoteright:63:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shaera_4406.gif]]
626Two elves whose romantic story drives IV's Nature campaign, as Lord Haarke tries to [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty keep Shaera for himself]].
627----
628* FriendToAllLivingThings: The debut of the first mission is basically Elwin learning to do this to survive.
629* GenreBlind: Changing the colors of the sails to indicate something to the loved one? Elwin, even heard of [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Theseus]]?
630* MindRape: What Haarke essentially tries to do to Shaera...
631* MurderTheHypotenuse: ... and what he tries to do to Elwin.
632* PantheraAwesome: One of the missions is entirely dedicated to Elwin having to gain the support of the White Tigers.
633* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: At the start of the campaign, Elwin is a Druid, despite spending most of his time in the elven court being a playboy. After that, he goes through CharacterDevelopment.
634[[/folder]]
635
636[[folder:Necropolis]]
637!Necromancer's Town (II) / Necropolis (III, IV, V, VI, VII)
638->''"Life is change, chaos, filth and suffering. Death is peace, order, everlasting beauty."''\
639\
640
641TheUndead Faction. First seen in Heroes II, the necromancers serve as a counterpart to the wizards. Their strategy is primarily to overrun their enemies with hordes of undead, with their Necromancy skill and their higher growth rates to emphasize this. In IV they were merged with the demons, but from V onward they were back to strictly commanding the undead. Their Might Hero is the [[BlackKnight Death Knight]], and their Magic Hero is the {{Necromancer}}.
642
643->'''Heroes II Necromancer Creatures''': Skeleton, Zombie/Mutant Zombie, Mummy/Royal Mummy, Vampire/Vampire Lord, Lich/Power Lich, Bone Dragon\
644'''Heroes III Necropolis Creatures''': Skeleton/Skeleton Warrior, Walking Dead/Zombie, Wight/Wraith, Vampire/Vampire Lord, Lich/Power Lich, Black Knight/Dread Knight, Bone Dragon/Ghost Dragon\
645'''Heroes IV Necropolis Creatures''': Skeleton, Imp, Ghost, Cerberus, Vampire, Venom Spawn, Bone Dragon, Devil\
646'''Heroes V Necropolis Creatures''': Skeleton/Skeleton Archer/Skeleton Warrior, Zombie/Plague Zombie/Rot Zombie, Ghost/Spectre, Poltergeist, Vampire/Vampire Lord/Vampire Prince, Lich/Archlich/Lich Master, Wight/Wraith/Banshee, Bone Dragon/Spectral Dragon/Ghost Dragon\
647'''Heroes VI Necropolis Creatures''': Skeleton/Skeletal Spearman, Ghoul/Ravenous Ghoul, Ghost/Specter, Lich/Archlich, Lamasu/Putrid Lamasu, Vampire/Vampire Lord, Fate Spinner/Fate Weaver\
648'''Heroes VII Necropolis Creatures''': Skeleton/Skeleton Hoplite, Ghost/Banshee, Ebon Spider/Death Spider, Lamasu/Plague Lamasu, Lich/Archlich, Vampire/Vampire Lord, Bone Dragon/Spectral Dragon, Grim Rider/Grim Reaper, Namtaru, Spitting Spider
649----
650* AnimalMotifs: Spiders in V and particularly in VI and VII.
651* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[SinkOrSwimMentor Belketh]], the founder of the Necromancer order in Ashan, created the Necropolis as a power base to enable him to figure out how to do this. He didn't have the usual Necromancer motive of cheating death since as an [[FallenAngel Angel]] he was born naturally immortal. [[spoiler:He is eventually killed without ever having achieved his goal, since attaining enlightenment requires a certain amount of introspection and humility, two things that Belketh [[SmugSnake didn't have an ounce of]]]].
652* BadPowersBadPeople: Very much so from I to V, save for Arantir in V who is more of a WellIntentionedExtremist, but...[[DarkIsNotEvil VI gave us two good necromancers in Sveltana and Anastasya]].
653* BlackKnight:
654** The Might hero in III, IV, and VII is called the Death Knight. In VI, the basic Might hero is the Ebon Knight with two alternate variants depending on the hero's [[KarmaMeter reputation]]. Its Blood (Evil) version is the Death Knight, while its Tear (Good) version is the Bone Guard.
655** In III, the Necropolis creatures, Black Knights and Dread Knights, are undead knights who can inflict curses on their foes to force them to deal minimum damage, weakening their offense. The Dread Knights have the special ability Death Blow, which gives them a 20% chance to deal double base damage.
656** In V, the Death Knights are neutral creatures with close association with Necropolis, due to being [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiric]] knights. While their cursing attack functions similarly to Black Knights in III, their Death Blow ability instead have a chance of halving the creature's unit stack.
657* ClownCarGrave:
658** The Necropolis's creature dwellings are nearly all graves, and they let you hire undead each week.
659** Due to bugs in IV and V, you can theoretically raise more corpses with necromancy than enemies killed.
660* ACommanderIsYou: Spammer faction, due to their creatures generally being somewhat below average but recruitable in greater numbers.
661** In VI, they switch from "produce more" to "lose nothing"
662* DarkWorld: All their town screens are in the dark.
663* DemBones: Skeletons and Bone Dragons, naturally. Liches are also skeletal spellcasters, and the heroes in IV were skeletons as well.
664* DeceasedAndDiseased: A few games give their units disease themed abilities, such as the upgraded zombies in III and V that can spread enemy weakening illnesses, and the lamasus from IV being used as plague vectors.
665* {{Dracolich}}: In most of the games, the most powerful creatures they can recruit are bone dragons or ghost dragons.
666* FantasyCounterpartCulture: AncientEgypt and Babylonia in VI and VII.
667* FateWorseThanDeath: According to the flavor text, transforming someone into a ghoul is the worst punishment sanctioned by necromancers.
668* FearlessUndead: All undead creatures keeps their moral neutral no matter the modifiers.
669%% GiantSpider
670* MagicKnight: In III, Death Knights are one of two Might heroes that start with a spell book and a single spell, allowing them to cast spells as soon as the game starts, instead of having to purchase a spell book and learn the spell from the Mage Guild.
671* TheNecrocracy:
672** Alternate between Types I and II, even if the fourth game implies they have a decent part of living subjects.
673** VideoGame/MightAndMagic VI and VII between them weakened this for the Enroth setting, making clear both that it was entirely possible for living humans to lead the most powerful faction of necromancers, and that liches were a relatively recent development. ''VII'' also revealed that Deyja has a decent amount of living citizens -- they just don't play as important a role in the necromancers' armies as the undead.
674* TheNecromancer: Its heroes, especially its magic hero Necromancers, have the special Necromancy skill, which allows them to resurrect a portion of enemy creatures slain as Skeletons. Necromancy is usually exclusive to Necropolis heroes, with other heroes requiring the assistance of Scholars and Witch Huts to obtain it, even though it is completely worthless for them due to the Skeleton's weak stats and detriment to morale.
675%%* NightOfTheLivingMooks
676* NonHumanUndead: [[{{Dracolich}} Bone dragons]] in II through V, lamasu (zombie sphinxes) & namtaru (SpiderPeople) in VI, and zombie horse steeds for the heroes in V and VI.
677* OurGhostsAreDifferent: In all games save in I and II, where they were neutral Game Breaker units thanks to their ability to create a new ghost for every enemy unit killed.
678* OurGhoulsAreDifferent: In VI, undead ghouls serve as the basic foot-soldiers of the Necropolis's army. Sveltana states that they are made from the spirits of murderers, bound to undeath as punishment.
679* OurLichesAreDifferent: The main ranged attacker with DeadlyGas, and a spellcaster-type hero in ''III''. They seem to fit the standard description of powerful undead spellcasters, but are more common than might otherwise be expected, and far less durable.
680* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Famous for their powerful LifeDrain ability, who make them one of the most effective creature of the game. [[LightningBruiser There're usually one of the most useful units of the faction, being one of the few fast Necropolis units]]. They are ClassicalMovieVampire in II and IV. LooksLikeOrlok in III ([[http://v1.archangelcastle.com/h3erathia/vampire.jpg see here]]). And {{Bishonen}} in V and VI, the latter with a suspicious resemblance to Arthas from [[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} Warcraft III]]. ([[http://www.archangelcastle.com/img/h6/creatures/necropole/artwork_vampire.jpg see here]]).
681* OurWightsAreDifferent: In III, they were ghosts. In V and VII, they resemble {{Grim Reaper}}s, along with {{Sinister Scythe}}s.
682* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The classic StoneWall, typically the least useful unit due to its [[ZombieGait extremely low speed]]. In VI, however, their upgraded version changes them to LightningBruiser category, giving them 2 additional movement points and 30% more damage when attacking living targets. Doubly so in the campaign due to Anastasya having a passive trait that increases ghoul movement by 2. This together with their upgrade allows them to get to the enemy lines in a single turn.
683* SpiderPeople: Fate Spinners and Mother Namtaru in VI are DualModeUnit. They switch from six legs and two arms (with ranged attacks) to two legs and six arms (efficient in melee)
684* OrderVersusChaos: Order to Inferno's Chaos in V, VI, and VII.
685* TheSacredDarkness: In V and VI, the Necromancers are more akin to worshippers of the Death aspect of Asha rather than a simple guild. They also appear more sympathetic in general, though they still count some of the worst villains among their ranks (Markal in V, Sandro in VI). In VI, it's up to the point where Necromancers are still tolerated by the Griffin Empire.
686%%* SicklyGreenGlow: in V and VI.
687* GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath: A side effect of the Namtaru venom with a Lich/Vampire's bloodstream.
688* SpidersAreScary: Mother Namtaru is the spider avatar of Asha's nightmares. The spider cult of Heresh consequently refer to Asha as the Spider Goddess.
689* ZombifyTheLiving: Sometimes has access to an Undead Transformer, which can convert living units from other factions into undead.
690[[/folder]]
691
692[[folder:Necropolis's Iconic Characters]]
693!Sandro (I-II-III-IV, VI, mentioned in V, [[VideoGame/MightAndMagic M&M]])
694[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/49ff9730a87bf6f78e34ed44417940b9.png]]
695Arguably the most popular character of the entire series, Sandro was the only undead hero of the first game (as a Warlock). A [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] with the classical necromancers' obsession to TakeOverTheWorld, Sandro was nearly successful in doing so by basically planning the ''entire'' events of the third game's campaign, as seen in the prequel The Shadow of Death, thus being the mastermind behind the invasion of Erathia. Unfortunately for him, his first plan, involving two [[ArtifactOfDoom Artifacts of Doom]], was foiled by a group of four heroes (including Crag Hack and Gelu), and the credit for his second plan was stolen by the lich he was planning to control as TheManBehindTheMan. Sandro make a ContinuityCameo in V and VI, being regularly mentioned as TheMentor of Markal and several necromancers, sadly KilledOffForReal.\
696\
697He got his own DLC campaign for VI called "Danse Macabre"
698----
699* BigBad: To ''Shadow of Death''[[spoiler:, ''Shades of Darkness'' and ''Heroes Online''.]]
700* CanonImmigrant: Despite the Ashan continuity reboot, Sandro reappears in Ashan in Heroes VI with the same aesthetic and personality, although this version has ([[UnreliableNarrator allegedly]]) somewhat different motives.
701* CardCarryingVillain: Sandro identifies as being utterly evil, and revels in it. Among many other instances from in-mission narration, his first instinct at the prospect of fighting an old friend, Jeddite (who unwittingly helped him along the path to evil), is to coldly use their prior bond to his military advantage and break Jeddite's spirit by showing him just what sort of monster (Sandro's own words) he helped create.
702* TheChessmaster: The first real one in the ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' franchise, every previous BigBad being more the "amass troops, smash the good guys" variety[[note]]Archibald Ironfist ran a more complicated scheme in the backstory of ''II'' to ''become'' king, and proved adept in ''Might and Magic VII'', but so far as Heroes campaigns are concerned he's not one[[/note]].
703** Sandro's original plan involved conning Gem and Crag Hack into recovering powerful necromantic artifacts for him, while simultaneously tricking Gelu into weakening the Avlee-Deyja border. The heroes didn't expect anything because they inflicted heavy blows to Deyja's forces -- which Sandro wasn't aligned with yet. Then Sandro entered Deyja with a fresh army ready to exploit Avlee's weakness, letting him place the PuppetKing Finneas Vilmar on the throne as Deyja prepared to conquer all of Antagarich. He's only stopped by [[SpannerInTheWorks Yog]], who knew where all the pieces of the Angelic Alliance were hidden and assembled it to counter his artifacts.
704** When that plan failed, he immediately enacted a new plan where he provided a deadly poison to Lord Haart, a traitor who used it to poison King Gryphonheart. This death destroyed the morale of Erathia, and Sandro convinced the Kreegans and Dungeon Overlords to join forces to destroy their enemy in its weakness. They failed, as planned, but the real goal was to distract Erathia so the necromancers could reach King Gryphonheart's tomb and raise him as a lich to serve as an unrivaled tactician. The plan goes off without a hitch... except Finneas became tired of being Sandro's puppet and tricked him into getting arrested, letting Finneas' incompetence ruin everything.
705%%* ContinuityCameo
706* DistressedDude: In the second scenario of "Long Live the King" campaign in ''Restoration of Erathia'', Sandro is imprisoned and the player is advised to rescue him to gain an additional hero. [[spoiler:It is revealed in ''Shadow of Death'' that the reason Sandro was imprisoned in the first place was because his recently deceased pawn, Finneas Vilmar, imprisoned him after deceiving him into attacking an innocent lord so that Vilmar can claim the victory for himself.]]
707* DemotedToExtra: After single-handedly causing the entire plot of ''Heroes III'' and being the central character in his own expansion, Sandro only shows up as a random necromancer hero in IV with no bearing on the story.
708* EvilSorcerer: He trained as a Warlock before becoming a Necromancer. He even pulled an EvilerThanThou on his former masters and turned his necromantic forces on them.
709%%* GlowingEyelightsOfUndeath: In I and II.
710* HijackedByGanon: ''Shadow of Death'' establishes that Sandro was actually responsible for the Restoration Wars all along. Plus, it was all just his ''plan B'' when the original is foiled.
711* InTheHood: Thus combined with his DemBones give him a very GrimReaper-like appearance, except in IV, where he wears a weird {{Mayincatec}} crown.
712* MacguffinDeliveryService: Pulls this off with Gem and Crag Hack heroes simultaneously during ''Shadow of Death''.
713* TheManBehindTheMan: He guided Finneas Vilmar to becoming the PuppetKing of Deyja. It was Sandro who orchestrated the Restoration Wars... at least until [[DidntSeeThatComing Finneas tricked Sandro into attacking an innocent lord]], giving grounds for his arrest and letting Finneas take all the credit. However, it's implied that Sandro somehow arranged for Finneas' death at the hands of King Gryphonheart, if his narration in the ''Shadow of Death'' epilogue is to be believed.
714* OneSteveLimit: It's not all that easy to reconcile ''The Shadow of Death'' with Sandro being an active open lich during the First War of Enrothian Succession without resorting to there being two necromancers named Sandro who became high-profile heroes. From the same source, it is ''impossible'' to reconcile his mentor Ethric as being the in-universe most famous Ethric, despite sharing a similar story (a mage who became a lich).
715* OutGambitted: [[spoiler:Sandro uses Finneas Vilmar in his schemes, even helping him ascend the throne of Deyja so that he can use him as a PuppetKing. However, in the end of ''Shadow of Death'', he was deceived by Vilmar into attacking an innocent lord so that he can imprison Sandro, claim the throne of Deyja, and steal his idea of invading Erathia. Sandro, however, gets the last laugh as he curses Vilmar for his deception, which came true in the form of King Gryphonheart.]]
716* PastExperienceNightmare: In the secret campaign at the end of ''Shadow of Death'', Sandro starts having reoccurring nightmares about his defeat at the hands of Gem, Yog, Gelu, and Crag Hack. This is particularly bad for him, since liches have no souls and therefore [[YourMindMakesItReal dying in a dream will sever the magic keeping him alive]]. [[AmbiguousSituation Maybe]].
717* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Claims to have this as his primary motive in the Ashan continuity.
718* TakeOverTheWorld: Sandro's ultimate goal was to rule all of Enroth. He shockingly managed to get close -- ''twice'' -- however his plan crumbled just before he could start his conquest both times. In IV, Gauldoth speculates that this lofty goal was the real reason Sandro failed: [[EvilWillFail fate will simply never let one man rule for long.]]
719* YourMindMakesItReal: Among liches, there's a superstition that if a lich dies in one of their dreams, they'll die a final, irreversible death. Sandro has no idea if there's any truth to this, but he's not interested in taking the chance. As such, he has a zombie servant wake him up periodically.
720
721!Finneas Vilmar (III)
722
723The king of Deyja, he led to necromancers in the invasion of Erathia in ''Restoration of Erathia''. In ''Shadow of Death'', he is the pawn of Sandro for his nefarious schemes before he became king of Deyja.
724----
725* BigBadWannabe: As king of Deyja, he wants to avenge the wrongdoing inflicted on the necromancers by resurrecting King Gryphonheart from the dead and using him to get revenge on the kingdom. Unfortunately for him, King Gryphonheart has other ideas and kills Vilmar once he was resurrected.
726* PuppetKing: Sandro's intentions of ascending Vilmar to the throne of Deyja was to use him for his schemes. [[spoiler:However, when Sandro and Vilmar lost to the band of heroes at the end of the ''Unholy Alliance'' campaign, Vilmar tricks Sandro into attacking an innocent lord so that he can imprison Sandro and claim the throne for himself.]]
727
728!Lord Haart (I-II-III)
729[[quoteright:174:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herolordhaartiii.png]]
730
731He was an Enrothian knight who served under Morglin and Roland Ironfist before serving King Gryphonheart in Erathia. In truth, he is secretly a member of the Necromancer Order.
732----
733* ArcVillain: He is the main antagonist of the ''Playing with Fire'' campaign in ''Armageddon's Blade''. Resurrected by his cult, he ravages the mudlands of Tatalia to gather bodies for his army and is the personal adversary of Adrienne.
734* BlackKnight: After his death in ''Restoration of Erathia'', he is resurrected as a Death Knight in ''Armageddon's Blade'' to ravage Tatalia. In ''Armageddon's Blade'', as an undead lich, his specialty increases the effectiveness of Black/Dread Knights.
735* EvilAllAlong: At first, he serves both Enroth and Erathia as a knight, but he was secretly sympathetic to the Necromancer Order.
736* KarmicDeath: He lost his mortal life at the undead hands of King Gryphonheart, the man that he personally assassinated.
737* TheKingslayer: He assassinated King Gryphonheart by poisoning his meal.
738* MoneyMultiplier: In III, as a living human, he starts with Basic Estate, a skill that increases gold income, and his specialty increases the effect of Estate by 5% per level.
739
740!King Nicolas Gryphonheart (III)
741
742The former king of Erathia and father of Catherine, he was resurrected by King Vilmar and the Necromancers
743----
744* ArchnemesisDad: He was Catherine's father before he was murdered and resurrected as the Lich King. Now, Catherine must put down her own undead father in order to save Erathia.
745* CutsceneBoss: Since he's not a campaign hero, he is defeated in a cutscene.
746* FinalBoss: He is the final adversary that Catherine must face in order to restore order in the Kingdom of Erathia.
747* GoneHorriblyRight: The Necromancers grew fearful of what King Gryphonheart accomplished, so they ended up [[EnemyMine turning to Catherine to put down their own creation]].
748* LastOfHisKind: He was the last king of the Gryphonheart dynasty in Erathia, as his daughter is married to Roland Ironfist of Enroth.
749* OrcusOnHisThrone: In the ending cinematic of ''Restoration of Erathia'', he is sitting on his throne as Catherine, Lord Haart, and her forces besieges his castle.
750* ResurrectionRevenge: While he was resurrected by the necromancers for their own nefarious scheme, King Gryphonheart is only interested in finding the man that murdered him and will destroy his own kingdom in order to find him. In the ending of ''Restoration of Erathia'', he succeeded in killing the man that murdered him, Lord Haart.
751
752!Gauldoth Half-Dead (IV)
753[[quoteright:123:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gauldoth_4050.png]]
754The main character of IV Death's campaign, Gauldoth earned his nickname when, as a young necromancer apprentice, he tried to cast a spell to survive the destruction of Enroth (the world of I-II-III). It... [[IncrediblyLamePun ''partially'']] worked, leaving him TwoFaced, with one side of his body becoming undead. The campaign deal with him creating the small nation of Nekross, finding his old master, and ultimately having to fight him when he's revealed to be serving an OmnicidalManiac mysterious figure.
755----
756* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: Obsessed with respecting it, seeing any who don't as "fanatics".
757* BewareTheNiceOnes: Possibly the nicest Necromancer in the franchise, and yet one of the most powerful.
758* BurnTheWitch: Almost subjected to this at the start of his campaign. When he besieges Vitross, he makes a point of catching the town guard who ordered his execution alive so he can [[ATasteOfTheirOWnMedicine do the same to him]].
759%%* ContemplateOurNavels
760* DarkIsNotEvil: He is a necromancer with a very disturbing appearance, but he is capable of kindness and is shown to care for the wellbeing of Nekross' citizens by the end of the campaign.
761* DealWithTheDevil: He's the one responsible for the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Kreegans]] being part of the Necropolis line-up. [[TheExtremistWasRight It worked]].
762* EmergencyTransformation: Attempted to turn himself into a lich in order to survive the apocalypse that destroyed Enroth. It was only partially successful.
763* GoMadFromTheIsolation: Particularly explicit at the very start of his campaign, since he's been running around in the woods for years on end, just trying to survive. Any humans who catch sight of him tend to scream in horror and/or try to kill him.
764* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler: According to WordOfGod, he is an illegitimate son of King Nicholas Gryphonheart and a woman named Iduna. Lysander of the Haven campaign and Waerjak of the Stronghold campaign are his long-lost brothers. You can see the resemblance (on his living side)]].[[invoked]]
765* MusclesAreMeaningless: Way physically stronger than he appears on his undead side.
766* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Is incredibly loyal to his master Kalibarr, carrying out many unscrupulous acts on his orders [[spoiler:and only turning on him when he realises that Kalibarr is working for an entity that wants to destroy all life on Axeoth]].
767* NamedAfterTheInjury: His last name is a reference to his {{Two Faced}}-ness following his failed attempt at achieving lichdom.
768* PetTheDog: Sure, Gauldoth raises deads and summons demons, but he's very careful to protect his living subjects from them. This earns him the name "Father Gauldoth".
769* ThePhilosopher: He spends part of his campaign travelling with a priest, and enjoys debating the differences between her "LightIsGood" philosophy with his own "Light and Dark are both dangerous extremes".
770* PragmaticVillainy: Decides it's easier to form an alliance with Great Arcan than conquer it and risk becoming the villainous necromancer the rest of the world unites against.
771* SummonMagic: His specialty; he can raise the dead as allies through necromancy, and he also has knowledge of nature magic that lets him summon animals and magical creatures. By using both in combination, he can also gain the ability to summon demons.
772* TwoFaced: Half of his body has the appearance of an ordinary flesh and blood human... the other looks like a decaying zombie.
773%%* {{Ubermensch}}
774* UnholyHolySword: Gauldoth find at one point in the campaign that the Angel's Blade, a powerful weapon against Demons, was created by a Demon to begin with. But since he only needs it [[ItMakesSenseInContext to open a teleporter]], it doesn't bother him too much.
775* UnscrupulousHero: He's not particularly altruistic (given the stuff the "civilized" world has thrown at him, who can blame him?), but he's more interested in surviving than any TakeOverTheWorld scheme, and he almost never does things ForTheEvulz.[[note]]One event during his campaign does have him reviving a knight's corpse and having it chase around the attendant monks as a prank, but this is a Quest event rather than a script event, so it can theoretically be done by any hero.[[/note]]
776* WithGreatPowerComesGreatOpposition: Averted, but discussed; Gauldoth recognises that necromancers like himself are frequent victims of this trope, often ending up as villains who try to TakeOverTheWorld, only to inspire the rest of the world to unite together and destroy them. Determined not to repeat the mistakes of others, he goes out of his way to avoid acquiring too much political power.
777* YouHaveFailedMe: When one of his vampire lieutenants attacks a peasant family without his permission, Gauldoth sentences him to burn to death during the next sunrise.
778
779!Markal (V)
780[[quoteright:96:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Markal_5330.jpg]]
781A Necromancer desiring to avenge the death of his master [[ContinuityCameo Sandro]], killed by the Wizards.
782----
783%%* BeardOfEvil
784* EvilSorcerer: He is very evil and a master sorcerer.
785* ExactWords: He did tell Isabel that the artifacts could bring Nicolai back. He did not necessarily give the specific state.
786* KnightOfCerebus: His actions considerably make the plot more darker, and leaves two kingdoms severely weakened.
787* HateSink: Markal is an unrepentant, scheming monster of a man who plays on Isabel's love of Nicolai and uses it to take control of the Griffin Empire, devastate the Silver Cities, and lay waste to Irollan.
788* ManipulativeBastard: Manipulates Isabel into attacking the Wizards by making her believe that the artifacts in their possession can resurrect Nicolai.
789* MummiesAtTheDinnerTable: Keeps the skull of Nicolai's mother as part of a necklace, and is seen talking to it.
790* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Granted, he was long dead, or so believed, but Biara takes full advantage of his association with Isabel to drive further people into open rebellion when she declares herself a saint.
791* NotEnoughToBury: [[spoiler:Zehir completely disintegrates him to prevent him being raised from the dead.]]
792* ObviouslyEvil: Very evil, and his appearance shows it.
793* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Against the Wizards and [[TheArchmage Cyrus]] in particular for having killed his master Sandro.
794* SmugSnake: Very overconfident and arrogant.
795
796!Arantir (V-[=TotE=], VideoGame/DarkMessiah)
797[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroArantirV_731.png]]
798A Necromancer trying to prevent the Dark Messiah prophecy. The BigGood of the [=TotE=] Necropolis campaign, previously seen in ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah'' as the main antagonist and final boss.
799----
800%%* BadassBookworm
801%%* DarkIsNotEvil
802* CatchPhrase: "Asha [[InMysteriousWays Uses All]]", at least in Heroes V.
803* HeroAntagonist: In ''Dark Messiah'', [[AntiHero though "Hero" may be a bit of a stretch...]]
804%%* RogueProtagonist
805* WellIntentionedExtremist: He intends to keep Kha-Beleth [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned in Sheogh]], no matter the cost.
806
807!Anastasya (VI, VII)
808[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HVIAnastasya_3757.png]]
809The younger daughter of Duke Slava Griffin and twin to Kiril. She was executed for killing her father and subsequently raised as an undead.
810----
811* BackFromTheDead: Thanks to her aunt. Averts CameBackWrong completely.
812* BadassBookworm: She was the nerdiest of the siblings.
813* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Her second map of the campaign takes place almost entirely in her own psyche, complete with mock battles against her siblings and ultimately herself.
814%%* BrainwashedAndCrazy: She gets better.
815* ClearMyName: The motivation of her campaign, though she's more interested in finding her father's true killer rather than absolving herself.
816* CreepyTwins: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. She is a necromancer, Kiril is a demon master, but both are friendly.
817* DarkIsNotEvil: Try to find friendlier necromancers than her and Sveltana. She has the sweetest personality out of the five siblings, even as an undead.
818* DeadpanSnarker: On occasion.
819-->'''Sveltana''': These are ghouls. They are the spirits of murderers that we have trapped in undead bodies as a form of punishment.\
820'''Anastasya''': How appropriate... we have so much in common.
821* HowDoIShotWeb: Anastasya is a novice necromancer, giving [[CoolOldLady Sveltana]] an opportunity to teach her (and the player) the basics of raising and controlling undead.
822* InformedAttribute: She's described as having been turned into an "Unliving", but despite the fact that that makes her a ''Vampire'', she averts the entire slate of VampireTropes and never directly brings it up. Only some dialogue between Vein and Zakera and her clawed fingers post-transformation provide any clue to this.
823* InterspeciesAdoption: She and Vein adopted Zakera, who unlike them is still alive and breathing. [[spoiler:Out of genuine love, but it helps that they had discovered that Zakera is ImmuneToFate.]]
824* InterspeciesRomance: With the Archangel Uriel.
825* LoveRedeems: Anastasya had this effect on Vein, who had a ''very'' well-earned reputation as TheDreaded up until that point. When she later brings him back to the Necropolis in an act of MandatoryUnretirement, whether he sticks to his redemption or falls back into his old ways is [[KarmaMeter up to the player]].
826* MeaningfulName: Come on, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasia look it up]].
827* NeverTrustATrailer: She's set up as an antagonist in the intro, with her undead army fighting Anton, which never happens in the actual campaign. Being narrated [[UnreliableNarrator from Anton's perspective]], the intro is intentionally misleading.
828%%* PerkyGoth:
829* SelfMadeOrphan: Accused of having killed her father at the start of VI. Her campaign is dedicated to finding out who brainwashed her into doing it.
830* TimeAbyss: She's still around in ''Heroes VII'', three centuries after becoming a Necromancer.
831%%* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The girly girl to Irina's tomboy.
832
833!Sveltana (VI)
834[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/herosveltanavi.png]]
835Slava's aunt and a highly respected necromancer.
836----
837* CoolAunt: To Slava, and then to his children, especially Anastasya.
838%%* CoolOldLady
839* DarkIsNotEvil: Like her great-niece.
840* LivingLegend: Well, '''''Un'''living Legend''. Among Necromancers, for bringing back a powerful entity to the Seven Cities on her own, while she still was an apprentice.
841* TheMentor: Teaches necromancy to Anastasya.
842* MysticalWhiteHair: She is a high priestess of Asha, after all.
843* OlderThanTheyLook: She is 90. Then again, she is a necromancer.
844* TheUnfavorite: Elder child in a duchy where HeirClubForMen was the rule.
845[[/folder]]
846
847[[folder:Academy]]
848!Wizard's Town (II) / Tower (III) / Academy (IV, V, VII)
849->''[[ForScience "All secrets will be understood, and mastered, in time."]]''\
850\
851
852TheMagocracy Faction. Debuting in II, the wizards are rivals to the Necromancers and the Warlocks. They specialize in magic and ranged attackers at the cost of weaker melee creatures, as well as costly prices. In II, V, and VII, they were in a desert setting[[note]]Their native terrain in II was Wasteland rather than Desert, but a blasted wasteland is another sort of desert[[/note]], while in III and IV they were native to snow. Their Might Hero is the [[AlchemyIsMagic Alchemist]] or Lord, and their Magic Hero is the [[WizardsAndWitches Wizard/Mage]].
853
854->'''Heroes II Wizard Creatures''': Halfling, Boar, Iron Golem/Steel Golem, Roc, Mage/Archmage, Giant/Titan\
855'''Heroes III Tower Creatures''': Gremlin/Master Gremlin, Stone Gargoyle/Obsidian Gargoyle, Stone Golem/Iron Golem, Mage/Arch Mage, Genie/Master Genie, Naga/Naga Queen, Giant/Titan\
856'''Heroes IV Academy Creatures''': Dwarf, Halfling, Gold Golem, Mage, Naga, Genie, Dragon Golem, Titan\
857'''Heroes V Academy Creatures''': Gremlin/Master Gremlin/Gremlin Saboteur, Stone Gargoyle/Obsidian Gargoyle/Elemental Gargoyle, Iron Golem/Steel Golem/Magnetic Golem, Mage/Archmage/Battle Mage, Djinn/Djinn Sultan/Djinn Vizier, Rakshasa Rani/Rakshasa Raja/Rakshasa Kshatra, Colossus/Titan/Storm Titan\
858'''Heroes VII Academy Creatures''': Cabir/Cabir Master, Gargoyle/Obsidian Gargoyle, Golem/Sandstone Golem, Djinn/Djinn Channeler, Apprentice/Disciple, Rakshasa/Rakshasa Raja, Arcane Eagle/Simurgh, Colossus/Titan, Healing Tent, Small Pyramid, Great Pyramid
859----
860* ArabianNightsDays: In V, their architecture was given a very overt Arabian feel to go with their move from snow to desert.
861* ACommanderIsYou: Technical/Ranger faction. Weaker units than average, but powerful spells to compensate.
862* CultureChopSuey: From the Greek Titan to the Indian Rakshasa and Naga. Heroes V give them a distinctive ArabianNightsDays style, though.
863* EnergyWeapon: The Mages units' attack.
864* FloatingContinent: In V, the city screen shows the Academy town as a floating city in the sky.
865* FullBoarAction: One of their creatures in II.
866* OurGeniesAreDifferent: Originally neutral creatures in the first two ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' games, the genies became the mainstay creature for the mage-based town in III onwards, though the Ashan continuity refers to them as "djinn." They are spirits from the Plane of Air that are either willing allies to the wizards or bound by them. Their most prominent ability is they can [[RandomEffectSpell cast a random spell]]. In addition, a number of their heroes throughout the series are genies.
867* GodhoodSeeker: Wizards seem to become one of the Dragon Gods.
868* {{Golem}}: The wizards deploy golems as their frontline defense for their mages. All of the golems throughout the series have [[ResistantToMagic an innate resistance to spells]]. In IV, they have both Gold Golems and [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Dragon-Golems]] as their golem warriors.
869* GripingAboutGremlins: Available as the tier 1 creature in III and V. They're very much InNameOnly however, since they have nothing to do with wrecking machinery. In V, they can even [[MrFixit repair golems and war machines]]. It wouldn't be until ''Tribes of the East'' that Gremlin Sabatours would be added, which can muck with machinery.
870* {{Hobbits}}: Sling-wielding halflings serve as low-tier ranged units II and IV.
871* MageTower: The usual Mage unit's dwelling, and the town itself in III.
872* MagicKnight: In III, Alchemists are one of two Might heroes that start with a spell book and a single spell, allowing them to cast spells as soon as the game starts, instead of having to purchase a spell book and learn the spell from the Mage Guild.
873* TheMagocracy: An entire society of mages. Gameplay-wise, they focus heavily on spells and have multiple creatures that use magic in their ranks.
874* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Nagas in III and IV and Rakshasas in V. Biggest perk to this? No enemy retaliation!
875* NayTheist: In the Ashan universe, Wizards don't bow to the Dragon Gods, but work to [[GodhoodSeeker become one of them]].
876* OrderVersusChaos: Order against Asylum's Chaos in IV.
877* OurDwarvesAreDifferent: One of their two tier 1 units in IV.
878* OurGargoylesRock: In III and V to VII.
879* OurGiantsAreBigger: The unupgraded tier 7 unit, which as you might expect are really big humanoids.
880* OurTitansAreDifferent: The upgraded form of Giants, which are lightning-slinging warriors and usually a contender for strongest creature in the game. The only time they have an explained origin is that they're giant golems in V and VII.
881* PantheraAwesome: Rakshasa in V and VII, which resemble giant humanoid MultiArmedAndDangerous lions.
882* ShockAndAwe: Titans are generally given a lightning bolt attack of some description.
883* SlaveRace: By V and VI, it's made plenty clear that a ''lot'' of their troops were built in a lab and never meant to have free will. Actually, hints of this go back as far as III (let's just say gremlins don't carry that ball-and-chain around for their good health).
884* SnakePeople: Nagas were one of their creatures in III and IV. In both games, they are powerful creatures because their attacks negate enemy retalation. They were replaced with Rakshasas in Ashan and moved to their own town, Sanctuary, in VI.
885* SpiderTank: Dragon Golems in IV, personally commissioned by Gavin Magnus.
886* {{Steampunk}}: A little shade of it, most notably with IV's Dragon Golems, and the Gremlins in V being the only ones to avert FantasyGunControl.
887* SufferTheSlings: Halflings in II and IV, which are tier 1 shooters (replaced with Gremlins in III and V). In IV, they deal extra damage to the highest tier units, in reference to David and Goliath.
888* WarElephants: Wizards use elephants as steeds in V, providing them a good view of the battlefield from which to cast spells.
889[[/folder]]
890
891[[folder:Academy's Iconic Characters]]
892
893!Gavin Magnus (IV, background of III)
894[[quoteright:115:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroGavinMagnusIV_3604.png]]
895The inexplicably immortal ruler of the wizard faction of Bracada, and later the BigBad of IV's Order campaign "The Price of Peace", where he tries to brainwash the entire world to end all wars. It turns out even a ''godslaying'' ''sword'' can't kill him.
896----
897* AssimilationPlot: The effect of his Crystal Pendulum turned people into mindless puppets.
898* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: He comes to believe this after Enroth is destroyed and tries to take control of the survivors' new world of Axeoth through mind control.
899* FaceHeelTurn: He was the leader of the good side in ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VII'', even if he left a lot of things in the hands of his Terran advisors. The destruction of Enroth caused him to jump off the slippery slope, however, culminating in most of the other tropes describing him here.
900* TheGhost: In III, he is mentioned by Winstan Langer, ambassador of Bracada, in the "Neutral Affairs" scenario of the ''Liberation'' campaign, and in Solmyr's biography, but he himself doesn't appear in person. His appearance is [[UnseenNoLonger revealed]] in ''Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor'' and ''Heroes of Might & Magic IV''.
901* HumanoidAbomination: Not even he himself knows how he became immortal. He also has some weird abilities, like writing with an uncanny perfection, or spotting even an insignificant error in the construction of a room, while being at the other end of it.
902* KnightTemplar: In "The Price of Peace", Magnus is willing to go to any length to achieve his ends and unite the world through conquest.
903* MagnusMeansMage: A fitting name for a powerful wizard.
904* NighInvulnerable: Not even the sword that once killed the God of Sacrifice could permanently kill him; his wounds healed themselves almost immediately. Only the destruction of the Rainbow Crystal that powered his MindControlDevice ultimately stopped him by rendering him brain-dead.
905* SorcererKing: With the minor exception of his title (he used Grand Vizier instead. He was still openly and legally the one in charge, note), he ''was'' this (understandable, as the ruler of the Wizards' nation of Bracada), [[spoiler:before Enroth's destruction. The event was... not good for his mental health, and he went [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill off the deep end]].]]
906* WeCanRuleTogether: His first attempt to annex Great Arcan was to offer his hand in marriage to Emilia, making her his queen. She refused.
907* WellIntentionedExtremist: He wants a world of perfect peace and order. Unfortunately, he's trying to bring it about by force, first by conquering all other nations and eventually turning to mind control.
908* WizardClassic: In his appearance in ''Might and Magic VII'', he is an elder mage with a long beard to match. However, in ''Heroes IV'', he is much younger in appearance, having brown hair and a lack of a beard.
909
910!Solmyr ibn Wali Barad (III, IV, mentioned in V)
911[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Solmyr_2.png]]
912A GenieInABottle who gave his word to serve the man who liberated him "as long as he will walk this earth", and the man turned out to be Gavin Magnus, the immortal ruler of Bracada. Eventually, Solmyr had to betray his master after being forced by him to oppose [[MessianicArchetype Emilia Nighthaven]] help Gavin Magnus try to brainwash the entire world.
913----
914* AscendedExtra: Originally a generic hero with no role in the campaign in III, he is one of the main characters of the Academy campaign in IV.
915%%* BenevolentGenie: In a setting where ''no'' Genie hero can really be called a JackassGenie.
916* ChainLightning: His signature spell in III, which makes him one of the most powerful Tower heroes -- he starts with a level 4 spell and the power to use it. [[ItOnlyWorksOnce Once.]]
917* ContinuityCameo:
918-->'''Narxes:''' Maybe we should go home? I'm no Solmyr!
919* FriendlyEnemy: Even before defecting to her side, Solymyr is very cordial to Emilia.
920* HumansAreSpecial: He waxes eloquent about this, in part because of their limited lifespans.
921* IGaveMyWord: Pretty much the ''sole'' reason he continues to follow Gavin Magnus, even as Magnus jumps [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope further and further off that slippery slope]].
922* InconsistentSpelling: His name is spelled "Solymr" in ''IV'', where he gets his own half of a campaign, but the spelling from ''III'' is better remembered, even though he was just a generic hero there (although well-liked due to starting with the powerful ChainLightning spell).
923* LoopholeAbuse: "As long as your feet will walk this earth"... Convenient that they both ended up on another planet.
924* {{Narrator}}: He is the narrator of the Academy campaign ''The Price of Peace''.
925* ShockAndAwe: In III, his specialty is ChainLightning; this is rarely if ever mentioned by IV.
926* ToBeLawfulOrGood: His dilemma when Magnus becomes a KnightTemplar. While initially choosing to be Lawful and continue to serve his master despite his increasing doubts, he ultimately picks Good.
927* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Does this a few times in ''IV'' to spy on his enemies; his preferred form is a [[MorphicResonance blue]] parrot.
928* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: His voice actor in ''IV'' puts on a very... ''strange'' accent, apparently to mark his foreignness.
929* WhoWantsToLiveForever: Pitying both [[{{Angst}} himself]] (for having [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone to remember his failures]]) and [[SympathyForTheDevil his master]] (for having to endure wars for ever).
930* WorthyOpponent: He and Emilia are this to each other before his HeelFaceTurn.
931
932!Emilia Nighthaven (IV)
933[[quoteright:123:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HeroEmiliaIV_470.png]]
934The main protagonist of IV's Order campaign "The Price of Peace". A few years after miraculously escaping the destruction of Enroth, she united refugees of her old world into the new nation of the Great Arcan, hoping to resist the various warlords of the region and [[OrderVersusChaos introduce a bit of order]]. She eventually clashes with Gavin Magnus and his plans. She ends the war victorious, but with her legs paralysed.
935----
936* BenevolentMageRuler: She is a kind-hearted, if a bit inexperienced, mage leader that does not make her kingdom [[OrderIsNotGood an order that tramples upon free will]]; she always respects her people's free will and gives fair and just trials for both good and evil people (the latter get tossed to jail if she can help it).
937* ICantFeelMyLegs: Her legs are paralyzed by a blow she takes from Gavin Magnus in the final battle against him, while she is shielding Solmyr. [[spoiler:If you take ''Legends of the Ancients'' as canon, then she gets better.]]
938* EarlyBirdCameo: She is actually the young girl that barely escapes the destruction of Enroth in the opening of ''Heroes of Might & Magic IV''. Players wouldn't recognize her as a main character until the Order campaign.
939* JeanneDArchetype: A mage version, but she went from a common girl with a bit of magic experience into a leader of her people that fought against tyranny. Unlike the inspiration of the trope, Emilia won, [[ICantFeelMyLegs though with a price.]]
940* MagneticHero: Her simple charisma attracted a lot of people who will fight for their cause, and even made Solmyr decide to throw in his lot to her (though it helped that it's at that time he realized Gavin Magnus had lost it).
941* RagsToRoyalty: Emilia was a commoner and daughter of a glassblower, albeit taken in by an enchantress after being orphaned. After she led the charge to defeat the brutal warlords oppressing the people, her followers declared her Queen of the newly formed nation of Great Arcan.
942%%* TechnicalPacifist
943* WorthyOpponent: Regarded as such by Solmyr, at least. Gavin Magnus also sends her a few letters to this effect, but it's unknown how serious he was.
944
945!Sar-Elam (Background of V, VI and ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah'')
946[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sar_elam.jpg]]
947
948The greatest spellcaster ever in the history of Ashan, who achieved enlightenment and ascended to the form of ([[FantasyPantheon yet another]]) [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragon-God]], being accepted by the others as the Seventh Dragon. His disciples went on to found the [[TheMagocracy Academies]], the background monastic orders of [[BadassArmy the Dragon-Knights]] and [[BlindSeer the Blind Brothers]], and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick Necromancy]]. His dragon skull is a plot point in ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah''. The role model of every Wizard.
949----
950* AmbiguousGender: Although usually refered to as "he", his true gender and appearance are not really certain in historical record, not least because he could change forms. The djinns reflect this; the same djinn can appear male or female when summoned at different times.
951* TheArchmage: The most powerful of all Wizards and original founder of the vocation.
952* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: His enlightenment created the Plane of Magic, where djinns live.
953* DeityOfHumanOrigin: He was a mortal mage who became a deity through knowledge and enlightenment.
954* GodOfKnowledge: Sar-Elam was the first wizard, and during his lifetime he was able to make contact with the consciousness of the creator goddess Asha, granting him insight into the nature of spirit and matter which he used to become a god of magic.
955* HeroicSacrifice: He sacrificed himself in order to seal Sheogh, the demons' prison, and took himself out of the reincarnation cycle of Ashan in the process.
956* ScaledUp: As part of his ascension, judging by his skull. Though it's worth noting than the skull in question isn't a real one, but a jewelry. However, WordOfGod confirms that, if Sar-Elam was still physically human, [[VoluntaryShapeshifting he could turn into a Dragon on whim]].[[invoked]]
957
958!Zehir (V)
959[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/120px-HeroZehirOriginalV_2619.png]]
960Son of TheArchmage Cyrus, and twice protagonist and [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]], in V vanilla and ''Tribes of the East''. Most of his involvement in the plot consists of him cleaning up the mess left by the other heroes. He even lampshades it.
961----
962* BigDamnHeroes: He's responsible for turning the tide against the demons twice, first during Queen Isabel's war and then when [[spoiler:Biara she was impersonating Isabel as queen of the Griffin Empire]].
963* DeadpanSnarker: Zehir has several moments of dry wit in the campaign. One particular moment in the ''Tribes of the East'' has him deliver a scathing retort to a knight from the Red Church.
964-->'''Knight''': "Heathen atheist wizard scum! You have set your stinking body on holy soil. I will take it as an offering to purify our empire."
965-->'''Zehir''': "After my body, are you? You knights are all the same... these repressed tendencies. I'd hate to be a choirboy in your church..."
966* InsufferableGenius: Some of the other heroes in 'V' consider him arrogant or annoying, but they cannot deny his brilliance as a wizard.
967* ParentalAbandonment: According to WordOfGod, his mother [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]], which caused his father to [[TookALevelInJerkass take several levels in jerkass]] into a bitter man who was never close to him. No wonder he became a DeadpanSnarker.[[invoked]]
968* YouKilledMyFather: To [[spoiler:Markal.]]
969[[/folder]]
970
971[[folder:Inferno]]
972!Inferno (III, V, VI, coupled with Necropolis in IV)
973->''[[OmnicidalManiac "We will burn the world to ash and dance upon its ruins!"]]''\
974\
975
976TheLegionsOfHell faction, composed from various demons, like imps, cerberi and devils. From the fifth game onward, they rely heavily on SummonMagic (though the fourth game had some similar spells, too). Generally considered to be one of the weakest factions in terms of stats, and they also lack flyers and shooters. Their Might Hero is the [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demoniac/Demon Lord]] and their Magic Hero is the [[DealWithTheDevil Heretic]].
977
978->'''Heroes III Inferno Creatures''': Imp/Familiar, Gog/Magog, Hell Hound/Cerberus, Demon/Horned Demon, Pit Fiend/Pit Lord, Efreeti/Efreet Sultan, Devil/Arch Devil\
979'''Heroes V Inferno Creatures''': Imp/Familiar/Vermin, Horned Demon/Horned Overseer/Horned Grunt, Hell Hound/Cerberus/Firehound, Succubus/Succubus Mistress/Succubus Seducer, Hell Charger/Nightmare/Hell Stallion, Pit Fiend/Pit Lord/Pit Spawn, Devil/Arch Devil/Arch Demon\
980'''Heroes VI Inferno Creatures''': Maniac/Demented, Hellhound/Cerberus, Succubus/Lilim, Tormentor/Lacerator, Breeder/Breeder Mother, Juggernaut/Ravager, Pit Fiend/Pit Lord
981----
982* AlwaysChaoticEvil: In the old NWC continuity, the only Demon hero to (partially) avert this was Suraze in IV, who works with the protagonist (himself a necromancer, but one who believes in BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil) because he realized that his old boss intends to betray him. The Ashan continuity also has non-evil Inferno heroes, such as Agrael [[spoiler:(secretly a Dark Elf)]] from V and Kiril (a Human) from VI.
983* BigBad: In V, Inferno and characters related to it serve as the main villains throughout the main game and both of its expansions, with even Dungeon and Necropolis, the other "evil" factions, fighting against them.
984* BigRedDevil: Seen most prominently in III, where the Devil and Pit Fiend were red humans with horns. Later games give all the demons a more beastial look.
985* BlobMonster: The odd-duck Venom Spawns in IV, which are globs of toxic goo with random eyes and mouths all over their body.
986* BloodyBowelsOfHell: Sheogh is portrayed as FireAndBrimstoneHell in ''V'' but in ''VI'' it takes on a much more organic feel, with mutated limbs, fangs, and eyes jutting out of the landscape and architecture.
987* CombatSadomasochist: Maniacs and Tormentors in VI, which are demons that filled themselves with ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}''-esque BodyHorror self-mutilation devices.
988* ChainLightning: Succubi attack this way mechanically in V, although it's actually chain ''fire''.
989* ACommanderIsYou: Spammer faction in ''V'' and ''VI'', where their racial ability, [[SummonMagic 'Gating']], allows them to summon reinforcements in the middle of a battle.
990* DealWithTheDevil: Succubi and Incubi in Ashan are mortals who made pacts with Sheogh. Most of them wind up as low-level cannon fodder in the Inferno armies, but the fact that most Inferno heroes are Incubi or Succubi shows that a few are more successful.
991* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Arch-Devils]] and Pit Lords.
992* DifficultButAwesome: Inferno units are fairly weak in terms of stats, but if you know how to use them, they can be devastating.
993* DistractedByTheSexy: An ability shared by the Succubus Seducer in V and the Lilim in VI. Succubi can use it to take control of an enemy stack, while Lilims can only use it to prevent the target from taking actions.
994* EvenEvilHasStandards: It's implied that there are some things that even Demons won't do, as shown by the description of one of the human Death Knights in IV; she's capable of evil deeds that 'even the demons balk at'. Among their own, [[OmnicidalManiac genocidal]] ranks, the demon Marius in ''III'' is seen as a weirdo for her all-consuming hatred of the Rampart faction, and [[WhenTreesAttack dendroids]] in particular.
995* OurGeniesAreDifferent: Efreet and Efreet Sultans are spirits from the Realm of Fire and eternal enemies of the genies. They are immune to fire magic and deals bonus damage against genies, with the Efreet Sultan possessing a fire shield that [[AttackReflector allows the creature to return a portion of damage received back to the attacker]].
996* GoodWingsEvilWings: In V, winged units have upside-down bat wings, emphasizing their chaotic/demonic nature.
997* GruesomeGoat: Demons in III (the tier 4 units just called "Demons"), which have goat legs, an elongated face, and baa when attacking or getting hit.
998* HellHound: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hell Hounds]] and Cerberi.
999* HellishHorse: Used as mounts by the heroes in III. In V, they're recruitable as an EvilCounterpart to unicorns.
1000* HornedHumanoid: All over the place, from the aptly-named Horned Demons in III and V, the Pit Fiends in III, the Succubi in V, and the Devils all across the franchise.
1001* TheJinx: In III, Devils and Archdevils has an ability that reduces the enemy's Luck by 1, which reduces their chances of dealing critical hits.
1002* LanguageEqualsThought: According to the Ashan games, demons have their own language in which the words for "war" and "politics" are interchangable with each other. As a result, demon "elections" consist of the candidates fighting one another, [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership with the last survivor becoming the leader]].
1003%%* TheLegionsOfHell
1004* ManaDrain: An iconic ability of the imps. Familiars in III convert a portion of any mana spent by the enemy hero into mana for your hero. IV buffs them to passively siphon mana at the start of their turn. Imps in V have a ManaBurn instead, which can be upgraded into either Familiars with a passive mana drain or Vermin with a more powerful activated mana siphon. In VI, this effect was instead given to Breeders.
1005* OrderVersusChaos: In V, VI and VII, Demons are the spawn of Urgash, the god of Chaos. Thus, they are at odds with all the other factions of Ashan, but particularly with the Necromancers, who worship Asha, the goddess of Order.
1006* OurDemonsAreDifferent: Up to the fourth game they were Kreegans, PlanetLooters who merely appeared to be supernatural demons to the residents of the planets they invaded. In the Ashan universe, they're the spawn of the Dragon-God of Chaos.
1007* PlayingWithFire: Most of their spells are Fire-based.
1008* PortalNetwork: The Castle Gate is one of Inferno's unique buildings in III, which allows the hero to teleport to another Inferno town that also has the Castle Gate.
1009* ThePowerOfHate: Pit Fiends from VI are the minions of the Demon Overlord of Hate, and have several hate-themed abilities.
1010* WeaponizedOffspring: Breeders in VI, who attack by spitting imps that fly into enemies and [[ActionBomb blow themselves up]].
1011* WhipOfDominance:
1012** The first iteration of pit fiends and pit lords in III were themed after taskmasters and wielded whips in combat, even able to use it to turn dead allied troops into demons. This was dropped in future games where they're armed with other weapons.
1013** The [[SuccubiAndIncubi succubi and lilim]] are {{sadist}}ic and [[HotAsHell seductive demons]] that are DressedLikeADominatrix and whose abilities are often related to pain and pleasure. Starting with VI they began wielding whips in combat, to complement their S&M theme.
1014* ZergRush: The Inferno in V makes use of this with their Gating ability, summoning additional demons to overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers.
1015[[/folder]]
1016
1017[[folder:Inferno's Iconic Characters]]
1018!Xeron (III-AB)
1019[[quoteright:135:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/seeking_armageddon.png]]
1020TheDragon to [[BigBad Lucifer Kreegan]] in ''Armageddon's Blade''. Xeron is the most feared general in Eeofol, and was tasked by his king to build Armageddon's Blade and destroy the world.
1021----
1022* BadBoss: He abuses his minion Xex whenever he delivers bad news.
1023* BigRedDevil: He looks like a stereotypical portrayal of Satan. Fittingly, his specialty is Devils.
1024* DragonInChief: He's the main antagonist in the expansion, being the one who drives the plot forward and having [[ItsPersonal personal]] beef with Gelu. The supposed BigBad Lucifer Kreegan is a combination of OrcusOnHisThrone and TheUnfought.
1025* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He's left in absolute anguish when he learns [[YouKilledMyMother Gelu killed his mother]]. (His mother being a hideous demon that Gelu couldn't imagine being the mother to anyone.)
1026* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Only the artificer Khazandar was skilled enough to forge Armageddon's Blade. When Gelu and Catherine reach Khazandar first, Xeron is confused why they're protecting him instead of just killing him.
1027* HumanDemonHybrid: Half Kreegan and half-human, although it doesn't slow him down nor cost him any respect. According to one of the tavern rumors, his father was an Erathian knight that was seduced but not slain afterwards.
1028* TheQuisling: After Lucifer Kreegan took the throne following Xenofex's death (in [=M&M6=]), Xeron immediately swore his loyalty to the at-the-time unpopular new king. This ended up swaying the Kreegans in favor of Lucifer, since Xeron was ''that'' respected.
1029* VillainProtagonist: The middle of the Armageddon's Blade campaign has you playing as Xeron and fighting Gelu and the Conflux.
1030
1031!Biara (V)
1032[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/h5biara.jpg]]
1033A succubus in service to Kha-Beleth, and [[TheDragon one of his best agents]]. Biara is the cause of most of the heroes' troubles throughout the campaign.
1034----
1035* AintTooProudToBeg: She gets Findan to spare her life by giving him the scroll for the Rite of True Nature.
1036* TheCorruptor: While disguised as [[spoiler:Queen Isabel]], Biara corrupts many of the Griffin Empire's heroes, especially Lazlo, turning them into bloodthirsty zealots. She also [[spoiler:corrupts the Heart of the Griffin by murdering Prince Andrei and using his blood to reverse its effect, letting it summon demons rather than banish them]]. Notably, [[PragmaticVillainy she doesn't try to corrupt Godric]] and has him imprisoned instead.
1037* DevilInDisguise: She's a succubus who specializes in impersonation, taking on the appearance of [[spoiler:Abbess Beatrice, Shadya, and Queen Isabel]].
1038* TheDragon: Biara is second only to Kha-Beleth as a threat to the heroes.
1039* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: When Biara [[spoiler:impersonates Isabel]], she causes untold devastation across the Griffin Empire and provokes several other factions into renewed conflict.
1040* HeroKiller: She kills Tieru to take the scroll for the Rite of True Nature so it can't be used on Isabel. Findan takes it back from her. She also has Godric locked up in ''Hammers of Fate'', which results in his demise later on.
1041* HotAsHell: Being a succubus, and having a rather curvaceous model, Biara fits the trope.
1042* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: After everything she's done throughout the campaigns, Biara finally gets what's coming to her at the end of ''Tribes of the East'' and is slain by Isabel.
1043* MoreDespicableMinion: Though Kha-Beleth is the overall BigBad, Biara does a ''lot'' of damage throughout the campaign to nearly all of the other factions, and she absolutely relishes in it.
1044* PragmaticVillainy: Rather than try to corrupt [[ThePaladin Godric]], she [[spoiler:(as fake!Isabel)]] has him imprisoned (and eventually killed) since she knows he's incorruptible.
1045* {{Sadist}}: Being a demon, Biara ''loves'' to inflict pain and suffering on others.
1046* VillainousBreakdown: When Biara is finally cornered at Talonguard, she is screaming in despair at her demonic troops to fight off the allied armies coming for her, but it is to no avail.
1047* WorthIt: When she is finally cornered in Talonguard, Biara boasts at how much damage she caused to Ashan just before Isabel kills her, claiming her death is worth all the destruction.
1048
1049!Kha-Beleth (V, VideoGame/DarkMessiah, VI)
1050[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/120px-HeroKhaBelethV_639.png]]
1051The Demon Sovereign and the BigBad of V, where he's setting up his masterplan to create the VideoGame/DarkMessiah, [[TheAntichrist the only one capable of liberating him from Sheogh.]]
1052----
1053* BigBad: In V. To a lesser extent, he's this in any Ashan-related game, as he's the Demon Sovereign, and Demons are portrayed as AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters who [[OmnicidalManiac want to destroy the world]].
1054%%* BigRedDevil
1055* TheChessmaster: He plans to [[spoiler:liberate Urgash, the GodOfEvil, and if you don't stop him as Sareth, it'll work. The rest of the addons in V is just a sham.]]
1056* CoolHelmet: He wears a helmet with several thorns pointing upwards.
1057* TheCorrupter: Sways both [[spoiler:Agrael/Raelag]] (in V) and Kiril (in VI) to his side. [[spoiler:Backfires both times.]]
1058* FatalFlaw: {{Pride}}. Both [[spoiler:Agrael and Kiril]] had the power to bypass the seals keeping the demons in Sheogh. While he could have exploited their abilities to free himself, Kha-Beleth let both opportunities slip away to focus on a plan to get out of Sheogh under his own power rather than compromise his plans for their goals or share power with anyone. [[spoiler:Whether this actually stops him in the long run depends on the player's choices in ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah''.]]
1059* FauxAffablyEvil: He's pleasant to everybody. Still he's BigBad. and he possibly [[spoiler: raped Isabel to sire Sareth]].
1060* GlowingEyesOfDoom: He has ominous fiery red eyes. Averted in V, where his head is covered in flames.
1061* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Heavily implied. Hunting is his favorite sport, and two-legged creatures are his favorite prey.
1062* LukeIAmYourFather: To [[spoiler:the main protagonist, Sareth]] in ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah''.
1063* ObviouslyEvil: His [[TinTyrant ominous armor]], [[GlowingEyesOfDoom eyes]] and flaming head isn't something that is typically associated with goodness.
1064%%* RedEyesTakeWarning: This is best seen in ''Dark Messiah''.
1065* SatanicArchetype: Meets the criteria by the virtue of being the supreme leader of the Demons, thus being an enemy of not only the Good factions, but even ''the other Evil factions''.
1066* SealedEvilInACan: He is unable to leave Sheogh; not that it stops [[ThePlan his plans]].
1067%%* SmugSnake
1068* TinTyrant: He's basically a red [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Sauron]] with a {{BFS}}. Less so in VI, where he gets a more "organic" armor.
1069* YouHaveFailedMe: Executes one of his minions for failing to capture [[spoiler:Agrael/Raelag]].
1070
1071!Kiril (VI)
1072[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HVIKiril_8122.png]]
1073Anton's younger brother and Anastasya's twin, thrust against his will into the demon prison-world of Sheogh by the angel Sarah.
1074----
1075* CreepyTwins: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. He is a Demon Lord, his sister is a Necromancer, but they are neither creepy nor evil.
1076* DarkIsNotEvil: He's an inferno hero leading an army of demons, but he's genuinely on the side of good and just trying to help figure out the mystery behind his father's death.
1077%%* DeadpanSnarker
1078* EnemyWithin: [[FluffyTheTerrible "Azzie"]], aka [[DemonLordsAndArchDevils Azkaal]].
1079* InterspeciesRomance: With Xana the Succubus [[spoiler:and Sarah the Angel.]]
1080* SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan: Kiril shares his body and mind with the demon Azkaal.
1081* TakeAThirdOption: [[spoiler:Instead of destroying the Invisible Library or leaving it alone, Kiril brings it to Sheogh instead, neutralizing it without facing the consequences of destroying it.]]
1082* TakingTheHeat: Anastasya's campaign reveals she broke a window while flying a kite, and he took the blame for it. This moment wound up heavily defining the public's perception of them both, leading Anastasya to be labeled the "angel" to Kiril's "devil", something Anastasya still feels guilty about. For his part, Kiril doesn't seem to care.
1083* UnwittingPawn: To the Angels' plans. [[spoiler:Like his twin sister.]]
1084* WhatDoesHeSeeInHer: Sarah misleads Kiril, gets him possessed by an archdevil, and banishes him to Sheogh without any explanation, ''and'' he meets an alternative love interest there that he's genuinely interested in. He ''still'' wants to get back together with Sarah. [[spoiler:And in his Tears ending at least, he actually does so.]]
1085* XanatosGambit: One of these is why he [[DeadpanSnarker isn't particularly upset]] when [[spoiler:Raelag pulls the Invisible Library out of Sheogh and kills him.]] By that point, his main goal was to [[spoiler:keep Kha-Beleth from getting control of the Library. If he won, he'd be free to dig in and summon reinforcements from Sheogh while Kha-Beleth wouldn't be able to come after him anymore except during an Eclipse. Since he lost, the Library is safely out of Kha-Beleth's reach and Raelag is now the one stuck with the responsibility of defending it, plus the Demon Sovereign falsely thinks Kiril is permanently dead.]]
1086[[/folder]]
1087
1088[[folder:Fortress (III)]]
1089!Fortress (III)
1090The nation of Tatalia is home to this Fortress faction. Consisting of [[LizardFolk lizardmen]] and beasts from the swamps, they are the definition of a technical faction, relying very much on the abilities their creatures have. Also, while the Stronghold focuses on Attack, the Fortress focuses on Defense, making them another Brute Force faction. Their Might Hero is TheBeastmaster, and their Magic Hero is the [[LadyOfBlackMagic Witch]].\
1091\
1092Not to be confused with the Heroes V faction with the same name, which is focused on dwarves.
1093
1094->'''Heroes III Fortress Creatures''': Gnoll/Gnoll Marauder, Lizardman/Lizard Warrior, Serpent Fly/Dragon Fly, Basilisk/Great Basilisk, Gorgon/Mighty Gorgon, Wyvern/Wyvern Monarch, Hydra/Chaos Hydra
1095----
1096* BeastOfBattle: All their lineup save for the [[HeinousHyena Gnolls]] and [[LizardFolk Lizardmen]], who only count as MixAndMatchCritters.
1097* BeastMan: Lizardmen (LizardFolk) and Gnolls ([[HeinousHyena Hyena Folk]]).
1098* BubblegloopSwamp: Their home terrain, which features a heavy toll on hero movement. Many of their structures are suspended in trees or floating on the swamp water.
1099* ACommanderIsYou: Technical, so very, ''very'' much. The only creatures they have that don't have any particular ability are the Gnoll and the Lizardmen.
1100* DeadlyGaze: The Mighty Gorgons (different from the Medusas, being based on the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' gorgon design - that is, a scaled cow based on the mythical catoblepas) have a Death Stare that can instantly kill the top creature in the targeted stack.
1101* HeinousHyena: {{Downplayed}} with the gnolls, a race of hyena humanoids that live in co-existence with the lizardmen, as their town is Neutral-aligned.
1102* OurHydrasAreDifferent: The Hydra is the Fortress's most powerful unit. Each of its heads [[HerdHittingAttack attacks simultaneously in all directions]] when it attacks or counterattacks.
1103* LizardFolk: Lizardmen are one of Tatalia's major races, including its royal dynasty, many heroes, and one of the units in the Fortress faction's lineup. Speaking of the Fortress lineup, nearly all of the faction's units are reptilian, except the Gnolls (mammals) and the Serpent Flies (insects, but even they have "serpent" in their name). The Gorgons, despite looking like cows, are also covered in scales.
1104* MaleMightFemaleFinesse: Beastmaster heroes are AlwaysMale and Witch heroes are AlwaysFemale. This is in contrast to every other faction, which feature a mix of sexes for each class (although the Dungeon has only one female Warlock).
1105* ManEatingPlant: Their grail building, which gives a defending hero +10 Attack and Defense.
1106* {{Mayincatec}}: Present with some of their buildings, particularly their castle and the Gorgon dwelling. However, the majority are nests and wooden huts suspended above the swamp, implying that perhaps the more impressive structures are ruins from another civilization that the Fortress faction have taken over. In the RPG series, another branch of lizardmen civilization using a similar mix shows up for which this explicitly the case, though it's implied the lizardmen do have some form of connection to whoever built the ruins originally.
1107* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Wyverns are winged bipeds with a venomous stinger, and prefer to roost in arboreal nests. They're a good deal more animalistic than their more majestic chromatic dragon cousins.
1108* PowerCopying: The intended purpose of Witches. Since the Fortress Mage Guild only goes to level 3, Witches have an extremely high chance to learn Eagle Eye. Unfortunately, Eagle Eye is not very useful, which renders Witches fairly underpowered.
1109* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Downplayed, but still there. Tatalia has been coexisting peacefully with Erathia for some time, but moved in to annex its western lands once Erathia was weakened by the war against Nighon and Eeofol. There's also how they were treated as slaves in ''Revolt of the Beastmasters'' by the Erathians.
1110* SlaveLiberation: The ''Heroes Chronicles'' campaign ''Revolt of the Beastmasters'' establishes that they once were enslaved by the Erathians before becoming an independent nation.
1111* StoneWall: As a defensive counterpart to the offense-oriented Stronghold, with many of their heroes starting with Armorer and having a naturally high Defense rating.
1112[[/folder]]
1113
1114[[folder:Fortress (V & VII)]]
1115!Fortress (V-[=HoF=], VII-[=TbF=])
1116->''[[ProudWarriorRaceGuy "For the Clan, for the Blood."]]''\
1117\
1118
1119A faction of dwarves exclusive to Ashan. Their heroes use special Rune magic that uses resources and can be applied to creatures throughout battle. As is expected of the dwarves, they specialize in defense, with several abilities nodding to this. Their Might Hero is the [[FrontlineGeneral Jarl]], and their Magic Hero is the [[RunicMagic Runemage]].\
1120\
1121Not to be confused with the ''Heroes III'' faction of the same name, which focuses on swamp beasts and shares almost nothing in common with this Fortress.
1122
1123->'''Heroes V Fortress Creatures''': Defender/Shieldguard/Mountain Guard, Spearwielder/Skirmisher/Harpooner, Bear Rider/Blackbear Rider/Whitebear Rider, Brawler/Berserker/Battlerager, Rune Priest/Rune Patriarch/Rune Keeper, Thane/Flame Lord/Thunder Thane, Fire Dragon/Magma Dragon/Lava Dragon\
1124'''Heroes VII Fortress Creatures''': Defender/Shieldguard, Bear/Blackbear, Kobold Scout/Kobold Pathfinder, Dis/Valkyrie, Rune Priest/Rune Patriarch, Lava Elemental/Magma Elemental, Fire Giant/Einherjar, Red Dragon/Ardent Dragon, Runestone, Dwarven Ballista, Fire Cannon
1125----
1126* BearsAreBadNews: Bear ''cavalry''. Yeah, you're pretty much screwed.
1127* TheBerserker: One of their units is literally called a Berserker. It's a bladed gauntlet-wielding dwarf that can whip itself into a battle frenzy and is so crazy that it's ImmuneToMindControl.
1128* ACommanderIsYou: Like the old Fortress, a technical faction (thanks to Rune Magic) with [[StoneWall a strong defense]]. Close to GameBreaker.
1129* ElementalEmbodiment: The Lava and Magma elementals in VII take on the form of [[RhinoRampage rhinos]]. Also, the fire dragons in V are fire elemntals.
1130* FantasyCounterPartCulture: HornyVikings.
1131* FantasyPantheon: The Fortress faction worships Arkath, the Dragon-God of Fire.
1132* HorseOfADifferentColor: Aforementioned bears, and also ''mammoths''.
1133* JavelinThrower: Their tier 2 unit, the Spearwielder. They can be upgraded to a harpooner that [[YouWillNotEvadeMe reels enemies in]].
1134* MightyGlacier: The Fortress army in V encapsulates this, having a very durable army (aside from Spearwielders and Brawlers), but lacking in speed and initiative. In particular, trying to lay siege to a Fortress town is a LOT harder than sieging any other faction's towns, as one of the buildings will spawn a large number of Defenders whenever the town is sieged[[note]]these Defenders expire after the battle ends[[/note]] and the walls and gates of a Fortress are tougher than other towns.
1135* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Very different. They're [[ElementalEmbodiment fire elementals]] as opposed to flesh and blood creatures. They don't hit as hard as the Dungeon's dragons, and are slower and can't fly (in fact they're the slowest [=LV7=] creature in the game), but are also the most durable creature in the game and actually damage enemies that attack them in melee.
1136* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: In V, the only unit that isn't a dwarf in some way is the fire dragon. Even the Thanes are basically ''giant dwarves'' (who teleport and shoot lightning). VII adds several more non-dwarven units like the kobold, valkyrie, and lava elemental.
1137* OurGiantsAreBigger: One of their champion units in VII is the fire giant, dwarven soldiers who fused with fire and stone after plunging themselves into the craters of newly erupted volcanoes and survived the ordeal.
1138* OurKoboldsAreDifferent: Anthropomorphic hamsters who wield crossbows in VII.
1139* PlayingWithFire: Their Dragon-God, the Fire Dragons, and the Flame Lord. This also serves as their element of choice, even though their native terrain is [[GrimUpNorth snow]].
1140%%* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: Naturally.
1141* RunicMagic: In addition to normal spells, Runemages can use a selection of special rune spells. These cost resources instead of mana to cast.
1142* ShockAndAwe: The Thanes and Thunder Thanes, and there is also a hero, Svea, who specializes in this.
1143* StandYourGround: Mountain Guards have an absurd amount of armor for a tier 1 unit. However, it's lost as soon as they move. They also can't be knocked away by enemies if they're in their starting position. They're meant to stand still and defend the backline.
1144* StoneWall: The Fortress in V has the best durability on-average out of all the factions, but this comes at a cost of speed, initiative, and damage output. Their towns in ''V'' are also the hardest to siege thanks to their tougher fortifications and ability to spawn a large number of Defenders when the town is attacked.
1145* WarElephants: Their heroes ride into battle atop mammoths, who gore the enemy with their tusks while the hero casts spells.
1146* {{Valkyries}}: In VII, one of their elite units is the dis and its upgraded version, the valkyrie. They're born in battlefields where many dwarves died and serve as Arkath's messengers.
1147[[/folder]]
1148
1149[[folder:Fortress's Iconic Characters]]
1150!Adrienne (III)
1151A fire witch who is the protagonist of the PlayingWithFire campaign. She is feared by the people of Tatalia for her use of fire magic.
1152----
1153* PlayingWithFire: Besides being the name of her campaign, Adrienne is ostracized by the Tatalians for her use of fire magic (which normally cannot be learned by Witches in-game).
1154* WomanScorned: Adrienne certainly feels this way towards Tarnum, as she's not happy to see him at the start of the ''Clash of the Dragons'' campaign.
1155
1156!Wulfstan (V-[=HoF=] and [=TotE=])
1157[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/120px-HeroWulfstanV_871.png]]
1158The protagonist of the Fortress campaign in Hammer of Fate, and token dwarf.
1159----
1160* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: After seeking out Arkath, the God-Dragon of Fire, Wulfstan is proclaimed the new king of the dwarves after King Tolghar's death. It doesn't get much more awesome than being made king by your people's patron deity.
1161* BadassInCharge: During the events of Tribes of the East, Wulfstan is proclaimed King of the Dwarves by Arkath, the Dragon-God of Fire. Even before then, he is a highly respected leader among the dwarves for fighting alongside his men on the front lines.
1162* BashBrothers: With Duncan. Once the two meet up during ''Hammers of Fate's'' campaign, they start causing the Red Church a world of trouble.
1163* BloodKnight: While he's not bloodthirsty, Wulfstan loves a good fight.
1164* CainAndAbel: With his half-brother Rolf, the dwarven king's EvilChancellor.
1165* DefectorFromDecadence: Wulfstan cuts his ties with King Tolghar after the former is labeled a traitor due to the machinations of Rolf and Hangvul. It didn't help that Tolghar was willing to cut a deal with [[spoiler:fake!Isabel]] so he wouldn't have to fight both the Griffin Empire and the forces of Ygg-Chall simultaneously.
1166* IGaveMyWord: When Lazlo starts a war against the dwarves, Wulfstan allows Freyda and her men to escape since he gave his word that they would have safe passage, despite Rolf insisting that they be taken prisoner as leverage against the Griffin Empire.
1167* HomefieldAdvantage: Wulfstan gets a bonus to his Defense if he fights a battle within one day's travel of an owned city.
1168* TheLeader: Wulfstan is highly respected by his dwarven kin due to leading from the front lines. It's this quality that leads to Arkath proclaiming him as the new king of the dwarves.
1169* OnlySaneMan: Compared to Tolghar, Hangvul, and Rolf, Wulfstan is the only one who actively does the right thing by fighting the Red Church, while the other three either bargain with the corrupt Griffin Empire or, in Rolf's case, seek to usurp the Dwarven throne.
1170* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: While Wulfstan doesn't start out as king, he is eventually given the title by Arkath, the Dragon-God of Fire, due to his willingness to fight the demons of Sheogh (compared to King Tolghar, who opted for neutrality). The first thing he does after being proclaimed king? March a huge army into the Griffin Empire to help the other factions wipe out the demons and kill Biara.
1171[[/folder]]
1172
1173[[folder:Conflux]]
1174!Conflux (III-AB)
1175When the originally planned Forge faction was scrapped due to fan complaints about its sci-fi elements, the Conflux was introduced instead. Consisting of [[ElementalEmbodiment elemental creatures]], their armies are weaker than most, but make up for it with boosted growth rates, with the Phoenix in particular being the only tier 7 creature with an initial growth rate of 2. Their Might Hero is the [[DimensionalTraveler Planeswalker]], and their Magic Hero is the [[ElementalPowers Elementalist]].
1176
1177->'''Heroes III Conflux Creatures''': Pixie/Sprite, Air Elemental/Storm Elemental, Water Elemental/Ice Elemental, Fire Elemental/Energy Elemental, Earth Elemental/Magma Elemental, Psychic Elemental/Magic Elemental, Firebird/Phoenix
1178----
1179* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Elementals have no morality in the human sense, essentially living to fulfill the purpose assigned by the conflux that summoned them. While they were pretty much the BigGood of the AB campaign, a ''Chronicles'' campaign deals with them attempting to ''destroy'' the world. This is represented mechanically, since they have neutral alignment and elementals are immune to mind spells.
1180* ACommanderIsYou: Game Breaker/Spammer faction. It's even banned in official tournaments.
1181* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: Psychic Elementals are immune to mind spells... which would be nice, except ''all'' elementals are immune to mind spells. Is it an oversight? An artifact from an earlier design? A bit of flavour? The world may never know.
1182* ElementalEmbodiment: Their tier 2-6 units are all elementals. This includes the formerly-neutral [[BlowYouAway Air]], [[MakingASplash Water]], [[PlayingWithFire Fire]], and [[DishingOutDirt Earth]] Elementals, their new upgraded forms [[ShockAndAwe Storm]], [[IceMagicIsWater Ice]], [[EnergyBeing Energy]], and [[MagmaMan Magma]] Elementals, and the entirely new [[PsychicPowers Psychic]]/[[PureEnergy Magic]] Elementals. Like undead, elementals have no morale bonuses or negatives. Unlike the Necropolis, this doesn't extend to their tier 1 or 7 creatures, the Pixie/Sprite and Firebird/Phoenix.
1183* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Enforced. Each elemental is resistant to certain spells but take extra damage from others - for example, Air Elementals are immune to Chain Lightning but vulnerable to Meteor Shower. Additionally, elemental opposites will deal 100% bonus damage to each other, namely Water/Fire and Air/Earth. Of course, this only comes into play for a MirrorMatch.
1184* FantasyCounterpartCulture: A soft ArabianNightsDays feeling in architecture.
1185* FishPeople: Water and Ice Elementals. They look like fish-headed women with a snake-like tail that ends in a fin.
1186* FragileSpeedster: The Sprites and the Phoenixes, being the fastest creatures in their tiers -- and Phoenixes are the fastest creature in the game. Sprites, however, have the second-lowest health per unit, and Firebirds and Phoenixes are tied for the lowest health for a tier-7 unit.
1187* LiterallyShatteredLives: Ice Elementals turn into an ice sculpture then shatter upon death.
1188* OurFairiesAreDifferent: Pixies and Sprites are their tier 1 creature, refugees from the Sorceress town in I and II. They're fast and plentiful, but [[GlassCannon can't take a hit]].
1189* ThePhoenix: Noted for being the fastest creature whenever appears and being immune to fire. After being killed for the first time in combat, a stack of phoenixes has a 20% chance per bird to resurrect at full health.
1190* UselessUsefulSpell: Each of the upgraded elementals sans Magic Elementals can cast "Protection from X magic" (X being their root element) on an allied stack. Protection spells tend to be pretty niche, and you have to sacrifice that unit's actions for the turn to cast these (which given how strong Storm and Ice Elementals are, is ''not'' a good use of your turn). Most players will never use these effects.
1191* WintryAuroralSky: Their grail building is the Aurora Borealis, which fills their mage guild with every spell in the game.
1192[[/folder]]
1193
1194[[folder:Sanctuary]]
1195!Sanctuary (VI)
1196->''"We strive for perfection in Shalassa's worship."''\
1197\
1198
1199The first aquatic faction in the series, populated by nagas and creatures from Japanese mythology. Their battle system is based around all aspects of water as well as honor, favoring to fight enemies one on one. Their Might Hero is the [[KatanasAreJustBetter Samurai]], and their Magic Hero is the [[KungFuWizard Monk]].
1200
1201->'''Heroes VI Sanctuary Creatures''': Shark Guard/Wanizame, Coral Priestess/Pearl Priestess, Kappa/Kappa Shoya, Spring Spirit/Mizu-kami, Snow Maiden/Yuki-onna, Kenshi/Kensei, Kirin/Sacred Kirin
1202----
1203* ConservationOfNinjutsu: Their special ability is a defensive bonus triggerable when fighting enemies one-to-one.
1204* ElementalEmbodiment: [[MakingASplash Spring Spirits]] and [[AnIcePerson Snow Maidens]] are elemental spirits of Water.
1205%%* ElementalPowers: The Monk hero and his upgrades.
1206* FantasyCounterpartCulture: To Japan (which explains some of the names) with some of China, Thailand and India thrown in.
1207* FantasyPantheon: The Sanctuary faction worship Shalassa, the Dragon-God of Water.
1208* HonorBeforeReason: They prefer fighting one on one for the sake of honor, with [[ConservationOfNinjutsu abilities to reflect this]].
1209* {{Kappa}}: Available as one of their core-level creatures.
1210%%* KatanasAreJustBetter
1211* {{Kirin}}: Their tier 7 creature, which leaves a trail of clouds that speed up allies and stop enemies.
1212* MakingASplash: They worship Shalassa, the Dragon-Goddess of Water, and have a close bond with this element.
1213* {{Medusa}}: Coral Priestesses, which have snakes for hair and take the traditional mid-tier shooter role that Medusas have filled in previous games. The Dungeon faction's Medusas are rogue Coral Priestesses who worship Malassa, the Dragon of Darkness.
1214* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Kensei, the upgraded version of Kenshi. They're this universe's take on the classic nagas seen in previous games.
1215* NoOneSeesTheBoss: The Naga have been ruled since time immemorial by the Eternal Empress, but she speaks entirely through intermediaries and who or ''what'' she is is shrouded in mystery. The Empress is considered the living avatar of Shalassa on Ashan, and [[AmbiguousSituation may be either]] immortal or a LegacyCharacter.
1216%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Kirins and Dragon-Eels.
1217%%* SharkMan: Wanizame
1218* SheIsTheKing: Inverted; it's been suggested that if the Eternal Empress has been more than one person over history, not all of them have been female, but the title remains the same.
1219* SnakePeople: An entire faction of these. Coral/Pearl Priestesses and Kenshi are recruitable ones.
1220* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: The upgrades to a few of the creatures are just the creatures' names in Japanese. For example, the Snow Maiden becomes the Yuki Onna, which means the same thing.
1221* WalkOnWater: Sanctuary heroes can cross water without using a boat if their army consists of only Sanctuary units.
1222* {{Wutai}}: Naturally, as an Asian (largely Japanese) faction in an otherwise Western fantasy setting.
1223[[/folder]]
1224
1225[[folder:Sanctuary's Iconic Characters]]
1226!Irina (VI)
1227[[quoteright:128:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/HVI-Irina_8180.png]]
1228The first daughter of the Duke of Griffin, forced to accept an ArrangedMarriage with the family's long antagonist Duke Gerhart of the Wolf Duchy. Liberated by her brother Sandor, she then integrates into the Sanctuary faction.
1229----
1230* ActionGirl: She's entirely able to lead an army to defend herself [[spoiler: and her unborn child]] from Gerhart, and can become a very powerful magic user in her own right.
1231* ArrangedMarriage: Leading to IHaveYouNowMyPretty, leading to GroinAttack against the Duke, [[spoiler: leading to pregnancy]].
1232* {{Determinator}}: Hinted in the loading screen text for her first mission. "Tether a Griffin's wings, and she'll learn to fly with her claws."
1233* LikeADuckTakesToWater: Literally, in her case. She quickly learns the naga customs and rises higher among them than she realistically could back in the Empire. It helps that they respect beating people's faces in, whereas her father trying to curb that is what got her married to Gerhart in the first place.
1234* MamaBear: One of the main motivations for her in her campaign is a desire to protect [[spoiler: her unborn child from the clutches of his [[{{Jerkass}} utter shitpile]] of a father]].
1235* PregnantBadass: [[spoiler:She spends her entire campaign pregnant with Gerhart's child, but that only strengthens her resolve to get back on him.]]
1236* RebelliousPrincess: She has an active, strong-willed personality, and resents how society expects her to sit back and let men rule her life and do as they please with her. Her campaign is about her rising up against her abusive husband.
1237* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Against the Wolves, ''especially'' if you choose the Blood way.
1238* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The tomboy to Anastasya's girly girl. She'd rather learn how to fight from Kraal than traditionally feminine pursuits like sewing, music, and poetry.
1239[[/folder]]

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