Once upon a time…

Thousands of years ago, the world of Elemental was filled with magic.  This was the time of the Magi.  In their quest to create ever more powerful magical devices, the Magi foolishly created The Forge of the Overlord.  It allowed its users to bend the fabric of reality entirely.  It also brought their world to the attention of the Dred'nir, immortal Titans who lived beyond the world.   They arrived and utterly destroyed the Magi and enslaved mankind.

In an effort to keep future Magi from thwarting them, the Titans concentrated the world’s magical essence into pieces of an ancient crystal that they brought with them. This had the effect of cutting the rest of the world off from magic and the land and people slowly become increasingly mundane. 

Rise of the Channelers

However, one day, a powerful Sorcerer was born who could channel the magic from the crystals scattered throughout the world.  This allowed for some fledgling kingdoms in the western part of a continent called Anthys to resist the Titans.  The Titans, recognizing the growing strength of their foes, used their magic on those races of men under their thrall to create new races that men now collectively call “The Fallen”.

Many of these new races used their newfound abilities and power to flee Anthys entirely and exit our story. However, three of them went on to become lethal servants of the Titans – The Quendar, the Trogs, and the Urxen.  The Quendar were the Titan’s most trusted servants. The Trogs their loyal soldiers and the Urxen their tireless workers. 

Still, the free Kingdoms on the west of Anthys, led by Sorcerers who rivaled the Titans themselves and aided by Tandis the Arnor continued to grow.  The Titans, therefore, sought to open a gateway back to their homeworld to bring reinforcements. When word of this reached the Kingdoms, they launched an all out attack to stop it.

The Cataclysm

In the great confrontation between the combined might of the Titans and the entire host of the West, the gateway device was destroyed while in the midst of opening a portal and the resulting blast was so vast that the seas poured separating the remaining east and west from one another. It also laid the lands in waste. This became known as the cataclysm.  The Titans were gone but so were the Kingdoms.

Fallen Enchantress

[SPOILERS from Fallen Enchantress BEGIN]

A century after the cataclysm, civilization is beginning to creep back into the world. The lands have been overrun by foul creatures, bandits and ancient Elemental Lords who were awakened by the cataclysm.  The most powerful of the fledgling civilizations is Pariden, led by Queen Procipinee, the most powerful channeler of her age.  She has had a glimpse of the future – a terrifying one in which an Empire of Sorcery will arise and consume the world.  To learn of a way to stop her vision from becoming true, she sends her most trusted adventurer, Relias, into the shattered east to seek out the lot Oracle of Cyndrum.

Relias sails to the East and meets Procipinee’s agent in the East, Karavox to help guide him to the rumored location of the immortal Oracle. Relias soon learns that Karavox has betrayed Pariden and the Kingdoms of the West.  First, by keeping secret the resurging Fallen who have set up their own empires and secondly, by establishing his own Empire called Kraxis. 

Despite his difficulties, Relias finds the Oracle and attempts to free her only to discover that the Titans had placed a curse on her that transforms her into the Fallen Enchantress. The enchantment begins to raise the dead from around the world to serve as her minions. Relias, having discovered the mechanism of how the Empire of Sorcery is to begin, escapes back across the sea.

[SPOILERS from Fallen Enchantress END]

Legendary Heroes

Our story starts out where Fallen Enchantress leaves off.  In some ways, it is a retelling of the early chapters of Elemental: War of Magic (2010 PC game Stardock released but has discontinued).  But this time, it’s the full story and it plays not as an RPG but as a strategy game.  Legendary Heroes is a knock out, drag out, fight to the finish between the Empires and the Kingdoms.  You’re teamed up with the Kingdoms and the Empires are all teamed up as well. 

Unlike the Fallen Enchantress scenario which could be finished in around 20 hours, we have no idea how long Legendary Heroes will take except to say a LOT longer because it’s a huge world to conquer.

• Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes comes out May 22.
• Visit Time Magazine’s write up too!