Warlords: Heroes

Warlords: Heroes is a game like Achilles (both created by the same creator, Ben Olding) that uses characters from Warlords: Call to Arms.

Story
The High Priestess of the Night Elves sends a messenger to Darkwood, capitol state of the Wood Elves, to deliver a message asking for the two races to band together in case of war. He never returns, and the High Priestess calls upon Ellder, a Whirler, to investigate. While Ellder is making his way there, he is attacked by a group of Orc bandits, one of those bandits being Toldors Brother. The bandits are defeated by Ellder, and he continues on his quest. Meanwhile, Toldor, an Orc of The South, hears of his brothers death and sets out on a quest for vengeance.

Episode 1 - A Lost Messanger
''You control Elleder, a young Night Elf warrior. Inexperienced but keen to learn, you are sent on a dangerous mission''

In the nation of Beneril there has been nearly a century of without war, but tensions are rising and the hope of continued peace dwindles as people plot and prepare for conflict. The Night Elf Priestess, while still hoping for peace, sent a messenger to the Wood Elves to unify the two elf races should the need for combat arise. After several weeks the messengers has failed to return the High Priestess has fears worst...You have been summoned to the High Court to receive instructions and must leave immediately. It is not far but there have been reports of orcish bandits in the area. You may have to defend yourself...

There is a tense atmosphere as you enter the High Court and the people are unusually subdued. You approach the High Priestess who is sitting silently. "It has been nearly three weeks since Latharn, the messenger left for the eastern forest" the High Priestess declares, "he should have been back days ago. I need you to find out what happened to Latharn and see if our message was delivered to the Wood Elf Council. Go there as soon as you can, travel quickly and quietly, try to avoid trouble but do what you must." You leave straight away and manage to cover a fair distance before setting up camp for the night...

You enter into the Wood Elf King's chamber and find him hiding. Somehow he managed to escape being possessed. "It was the demons" the King exclaims "they have poisoned the minds of my people and turned them against me! We must travel north and stop this evil sorcery! Unless we succeed the nation will most certainly be at war." You stand guard and wait for the Wood Elf King to gather his weapons and belongings...

You cut down the sorcerer, hopefully banishing the curse that has been placed on the Wood Elves. Looking around you see evidence that the sorcerer had been performing a summoning spell. There are runes, a burnt piece of parchment and most worrying, a trail of giant footprints leading into troll territory. You find it hard to image what monstrosity this sorcerer has summoned. You head off into troll territory, following the footprints. You intend to decide what to do once you have laid eyes on whatever it is you're tracking...

The creature moves faster than you had hoped, but with effort you are managing to gain on it. It appears to be heading towards the undead territory. You sit down for a brief rest; you don't want to be exhausted if you have to fight this giant beast. You are brought out of your weary thoughts by sound of someone rushing towards you. You look up to see a large orc with his sword raised and a look of burning anger in his eyes. There is no time to reach for your weapon...

Episode 2 - The Fugitive Prince
''You control Prince Aldon, heir to the throne of the Men of the West. You have been imprisoned by the Human Alliance and want to return home.''

You, Prince Aldon, have been imprisoned by the Human Alliance for so many years that you have completely lost track of time! It is an outrage! Your fellow men would storm the castle to rescue you if they didn't think you were dead. Finally, today, after years of watching and waiting, there may be a chance of escape. You have overheard the prison staff talking about a royal wedding and only two guards have been left to guard the prison. Surely the rest of the castle will be distracted by the celebrations. You have to take this opportunity. It's now or never! Once you are clear of the castle you will return to the West and tell your story. Then you must gather fighters to get your revenge...

You fight your way into the palace and close the door behind you. You see your sister, Ariene, sitting in full armor holding a bloody sword. Despite not having seen you for years, she barely acknowledges your presence. "I thought you were dead" she says. "What has happened here?" you ask. "The people have gone mad. I suspect witchcraft. I heard news of a Night Elf sneaking off to meet with the Wood Elves in the east. That was merely days before this happened." You doubt that the Elves would resort to such underhanded tactics as to curse a whole nation. It is doubtful that they would even have the power necessary. But this Night Elf your sister speaks of might know more about what is going on. You set off towards the Wood Elf kingdom...

Although, you have killed quite a few of these elves, it is evident that you are not the first to fight your way through here. There are corpses everywhere. An elderly Wood Elf comes running out of a ruined building..."Please! Our king has headed north to hunt a sorcerer who has cursed our nation. He has a Night Elf with him, but there is a large Orc is pursuing them and he intends to kill them both!" If the curse on the Wood Elves is the same as the curse on your people, which seems likely, then the quest to hunt the sorcerer that this old Elf speaks of will benefit your people also. If this Orc kills the Elves before you can get to them, you may never find out whom this sorcerer is. Without delay you begin your journey north...

You are deep in Demon territory and night is drawing in. You can see a campfire in the distance. No Demon would ever feel the need to have a campfire so it must either be the elves, if they are still alive, or the orc. It appears to be near the border of Troll territory. You debate about travelling through the night, but if it is the orc and he is as big as the old Wood Elf says, you will need all your strength. You decide to rest, and head off in the morning. You have found the young Night Elf. He seems to be alone, either the King has returned home or has been killed. The elf looks tired and worried. You wonder why, then, looking at the ground you realize the cause for the elf's concern. There are large footprints on the ground heading south. You hear some rustling in the bushes, it seems you are not the only one spying on this elf. A large orc bursts out, sword raised, running towards the elf. You have to act quickly...

Episode 3 - A Brother's Anger
You control Toldor, an Orc from the south who has recently heard of his brother's death and wants revenge.

You were outside enjoying a nap under a tree when you heard the news. Your brother has been killed in Azzitha. He and a gang of bandits tried to rob a lone elf, who slaughtered them. Damn those elves, always acting so high and mighty, thinking they are better than all other races, when really they are just murderers. Sure, your brother was up to no good, but he was no killer. You, however, are. After bribing a young elf you find out that you brother's killer has been sent on a quest by the High Priestess. She has been seen recently in the region of Chan. You intend to set off there immediately except some of your fellow orcs that you shouldn't go in case it angers the elves. You have no time for politics and you will cut down anyone who obstructs anyone who gets in your way for revenge...

You break into the Town Hall of Chan, but find that anyone of importance has already fled. Just four guards remain. You slay the first three easily, but rather than killing the last one, you disarm him, throw him the floor then proceed to bash his arms and legs until he can no longer use them. After only a few minutes of torturing, the weak minded elf tells you the person you seek is called Elleder and is on a quest to meet with the Wood Elves. You reward the injured elf with a quick and relatively painless death, then set off towards the Kingdom of the Wood Elves...

After torturing several very quiet Wood Elves with little success, you finally find someone actually willing to talk. "Our people are under a curse, they are not in their right minds." he explains, "Our King and the young Night Elf, have gone to put a stop to a Demon sorcerer's wickedness and free our people. Please don't interfere with their quest!" You wonder if this curse could spread to your people. You do recall some orcs having the same vacant look as these elves. You put the thought out of your mind, as you can't afford to get distracted...

You are wandering around the rocky, dry Demon lands wondering how you will find your brother's killer, when you have a stroke of luck. Far in the distance you spot a young man wearing purple. No Demon would ever wear purple. He is entering troll territory. You turn and start travelling towards the border as quickly as you can...

You finally catch up with the young elf you have been chasing for days. He looks tired and injured from battle, much like yourself. You step forward with your sword raised. The young elf looks up alarmed. Vengeance is about to be yours but then you are knocked to the ground by an unseen attacker's shield. As your vision starts to regain focus, you see that a human from the west has a sword pointed at your neck. "This young elf's quest is more important than any reasons you might have to harm him. I suggest we help him then settle our difference once the quest is complete. Or would you prefer to be killed where you lie?" You consider the man's proposal...

Episode 4 - A Common Foe
Pick your favorite character and embark upon the final part of the story.

After much discussion, Toldor is finally convinced that Ellder is not a cold blooded killer and was acting in self defense when his brother was killed. He sits silently while Prince Aldon and Ellder discuss the giant footprints and the large creature that has created them. Prince Aldon describes stories he has been told as a child about Giant Demons being summoned from other plains of existence. In the stories the mere presence of a Giant Demon in a land affects the way people think, causing hatred, violence, and ultimately, war. The demon sorcerer only had the power to summon one of these creatures, but it's not unlikely that the creature itself could summon more if it felt the need. Unless this creature is destroyed before it either reaches a town or summons more Giant Demons, then there is a lot of bloodshed on the way and a possible end to any hope of a peaceful way of life in Beneril. After hearing this, Toldor agrees to help Ellder and Aldon to hunt down the giant demon before it's too late...

The demon breathes its last breath. Straight away the air feels lighter and clearer as if the nation itself is relieved. The three heroes take a moment to rest and nurse their injuries. They reflect upon their own individual journeys across the land of Beneril. It becomes clear to them that even before the Giant Demon had been summoned, they had sensed the presence of evil creeping into their and it had begun to poison them, much like the Wood Elves and other aggressive people along the way. There is no such evil present anymore and it feels like the start of a new age in Beneril: an age of peace, friendship, and happiness.

Characters
Ellder, a Night Elf Whirler, uses his double-headed whirler to slice through foes quickly, yet gracefully.

Prince Aldon, a Man of the West, uses his blade to quickly eliminate his opponents, while his shield to block the mightiest of blows!

Toldor, an Orc of the South swings his mighty blade to defeat the toughest of the land.