Part 80: Appendix: Mercenary Heroes (Haven)

Appendix B - Mercenary Heroes (Haven)

Mercenary Heroes are the Heroes you can hire from a tavern, and the ones you use during non-scenario maps. We've just finished a Haven map, so we'll start with those.

Listed are the Hero's portrait, biography, and default specialization and reputation - the latter can be changed if you want before a game. This section is mostly just for those who like reading up on more lore from the game (there's a surprsing amount of them).

Might Heroes (Knight)


Karloff
Male
Dig Master: +1 Ore/day.
Blood

Biography: Karloff was born the son of the Baron Piotr, banished from the Griffin lands by the Duke Pavel for his peculiar sense of justice – one involving sharp stakes and barbed whips. Piotr was immediately accepted into the Wolf Duchy and tasked with the administration of the Duke’s secret slave mines. Karloff inherited the responsibility upon the mysterious death of his father, and production was doubled under him, a result of his harsh but just treatment of the slaves which contrasted against his father’s acrimonious abuse. As a result, Karloff was awarded the title of Master Engineer by a young Duke Gerhart. The only scandal which has ever concerned Karloff came after his refusal to attend Piotr’s funeral.

Your 'standard' go-to mercenary Hero if you don't need anything else in particular. +1 Ore/day is helpful early on in the game, if nothing else.


Lady Cornelia
Female
Stand Your Ground Master: Automatically starts with the Stand Your Ground skill, and gains a +10% effect when using it.
Blood

Biography: Serving as a crusader under the Holy Inquisition, Lady Cordelia commands the fortress guarding the ravine of Nelsham’s Scar on the southern border of the Bull Duchy. It is said that Cordelia is the only woman who has ever pierced the hard heart of the Great Inquisitor Salvatore – not through any womanly charms mind you, but rather via her uncompromising faith in Elrath, with which she has condemned many a heretic’s soul to a slow and gruesome death. For her accomplishments, Cordelia was tasked with keeping an eye on the Necromancers settling the Heresh Valley beyond the Scar. She couldn’t have dreamt of a better reward.


Lord Haart
Male
Natural Born Leader: +2 to Morale.
Tears

Biography: A protégé of the House of Stag, Lord Haart showed his mettle from a young age, fighting as Lord Kieran’s squire during the Elven Wars when he was only thirteen winters old. After Lord Kieran’s mysterious disappearance, Lord Haart dedicated himself even more wholly to the ways of the sword, becoming the youngest Knight to ever walk the entire Duchy – not to mention one of the bravest. When Cate returned to the Stag Duchy to mount a search for her lost brother, Lord Haart did everything he could to help, even trekking the Antlered Forest alone, where he was almost killed by a pack of Dire Wolves for his trouble.
Gossip has it that when the rambunctious innkeeper, Bardon Fleece, mocked the renowned Knight for reticence in discussing his experiences during the Elven Wars, Lord Haart gave the man an impromptu change of dress – with the tip of his blade from three paces.

Those who've played previous games will recognize Lord Haart from HoMM III.


Martina
Female
Marksman Master: Marksmen's Piercing Bolts will not harm friendly targets.
Blood

Biography: One of Gerhart’s most loyal servants, Martina is a well-decorated Knight from the Wolf Duchy who seems more than happy to be part of any conflict that places the House of Wolf in opposition to the House of Griffin. Rumor has it that this personal animosity stems from an incident in her childhood when her father was reputedly forced to dance in pig swill for the amusement of a high-ranking Griffin.

A unique and very helpful specialization - now Marksmen can fire without any fear of hitting allies.


Maximus
Male
Heroism Master: Automatically starts with the Heroism skill, and gains a +10% effect when using it.

Biogaphy: Maximus is indubitably the most unusual Knight of the Holy Empire. His grandfather, an Orc slavemaster serving the Holy Empire, refused to follow Kunyak during the Orc Crusades. The great liberator respected his choice – sparing his life, but breaking his legs. Due to his family’s poor reputation among the Orcs, Maximus knew he could never hope to join his people in the steppes or the islands, so he decided to make himself a place in the Empire instead – first as a servant, then as a squire to an old, wise knight who recognized his talents. The turning point in his life came at the great tournament of Falcon’s Reach.
The Emperor had promised knighthood and lands to the winner. Maximus defeated all his opponents, his popularity magnified with each successful match. By the contest’s end, he was acclaimed as “the greatest”, and the Emperor had little choice but to grant the Orc the promised rewards. Maximus has served the Empire loyally ever since.

Magic Heroes (Clerics)


Adelaide
Female
Tears
Master of Light: Improves effectiveness of all Light Magic spells by 6%.

Biography: Her lovely face perpetually illuminated by a radiant smile, Adelaide is a benevolent, caring woman who grew up in the mountains west of the Greyhound Duchy. As a child, she enjoyed climbing as high as possible to enjoy the view of the valley.
One day, she ventured higher than usual and was caught in a snowstorm. The blizzard raged for three consecutive days, and her parents thought their treasured daughter was lost forever. But on the morning of the fourth day, as the sky was finally clearing, the Angel Eliora appeared, holding the girl in her arms. The Angel revealed that she had followed a beacon of light that seemed to radiate from within the storm, and had found Adelaide. To the celestial being, it was proof that the girl had been chosen by Elrath to become a Priestess of the Light.

Veterans will recognize Adelaide from HoMM III and IV.


Eduardo
Male
Tears
Painless: +2 Might Defense.

Biography: As the seventh son of the Duke of the Bull, Eduardo received a proper education, martial and religious training, and the promise that he would inherit nothing. Striking out for adventure, determined to make a name for himself, he fought alongside Emperor Liam in the War of the Bitter Ashes against the Elves of Tuidhana. Though Eduardo’s contribution was outstanding, even showing a certain knack for forest warfare, his army was massacred during a night bivouac by Elven assassins. The tragedy left him emotionally and psychologically scarred. Turning towards Elrath for consolation, Eduardo sheathed his sword and took up the robes of priesthood.


Eileen
Female
Blood
Heal Master: Automatically starts with the Heal spell, and gains a +10% effect when using it.

Biography: Lady Eileen first became famous for bringing identical triplets into the world. This miraculous blessing from Elrath was soon defiled, as her three sons were captured and held captive for seven years by mercenaries seeking ransom. During this period, when Emperor Liam himself offered a tremendous reward for the children’s return, Eileen turned to Elrath for guidance and became an extremely devout priestess. Finally, upon the return of her children and the beheading of their captors, however, she learned her sons were not at all the gentle Angels that she had once known, and they were sent to the schools of the Inquisitors for a desperate reeducation.
Eileen continues to see them regularly, but she places firmer trust in prayers to Elrath and the guidance of the Church for their upbringing than her personal attention. Eileen’s secret rage at the turn of fate in her life has given her an extremely pragmatic, if not expedient, sense of justice.


Rosalie
Female
Tears
Sister Master: +3 growth/week to Sisters and Vestals.

Biography: Discovered in a rose bush in front of a church of Elrath, Rosalie was raised by the Vestals of the Greyhound Duchy. In spite of her natural talents regarding all things spiritual, she was a rebellious child who often went missing. Having run away from her foster parents a dozen times in her early years, she claimed that she had caught the scent of her mother and went after it. After years of fruitless searching and a near brush with death, Rosalie settled down sufficiently enough to finish her training and receive her priestly robes. She continually searches for clues that might lead her to her real parents, and has become an expert on maps, lore and impossible investigations. Her counsel is often sought when someone or something has gone missing.


Umberto
Male
Tears
Enlightened: Recieves the Enlightenment skill by default with 10% bonus.

Biography: Umberto is no ordinary priest of Elrath: while his faith is unquestionnable, he sees the world with a much more pragmatic and tolerant eye than his fellow members of the Church of Light. Umberto is known for his open-mindness when it comes to discussing philosophical questions, and his razor-sharp skills of deduction. While he has made a few enemies among the ranks of the Inquisition, he also has the support of many local priests who do not approve the rise of bigotry in the Empire. A scholar at heart, Umberto likes nothing more than a new book to read, a new road to walk and Elrath’s light to make the world a nicer, brighter place.

A happy biography? Perish the thought!