Heroes Chronicles: Warlords of the Wasteland
Heroes Chronicles: Warlords of the Wasteland is the first game in the Heroes Chronicles series. Warlords was released on September 27, 2000, simultaneously with three other Chronicles games, and represents the first chapter of the new saga. It tells the story of Tarnum before he became an immortal hero. Like all Heroes Chronicles games, Warlords is based on the Heroes of Might and Magic III engine and consists of a campaign, a tutorial and previews of the other three Chronicles games (Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld, Heroes Chronicles: Masters of the Elements and Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons). That's a total of 12 scenarios. Unlike Heroes III, Warlords forbids importing additional scenarios or playing them in multiplayer mode.
Story
This story takes place before the founding of the Kingdom of Erathia. Long ago, the great barbarian king Jarg ruled over these lands. But then the wizards of Bracaduun came and enslaved the barbarian people. Young Tarnum learns of his people's long-lost history from the last bards and decides to do everything he can to break the wizards' rule. As the new barbarian king, he leads the clans against Bracaduun. After the death of the woman he fell in love with, Yalla, and the murder of one of the bards by the wizards, Tarnum's noble intentions turn into a sinister quest for blood and revenge. Determined to destroy the wizard-kings at any cost, he enslaves the inhabitants of the Mudlands and orders villages of "traitors" burned to the ground, even causing the death of one of his long-lost sisters. After months of campaigns and terrible battles, his advisors express hope that they will be able to return to their homeland, but Tarnum does not listen to them, as he is obsessed with taking the fortress of Stahlhorn. To prevent a rebellion, he has his advisors poisoned, including his old friend Hardac. He accuses the wizards of crime and turns his army into a bloodthirsty horde. Victory is within reach, but at a terrible price: Tarnum is now known as the tyrant of the barbarians, and has become everything he despised about the wizards. Some time later, the survivors flee Bracaduun to the north and found the kingdom of Erathia. During a campaign to conquer the young kingdom, Tarnum is defeated by its first king, Rion Gryphonheart. Tarnum soon finds that paradise is closed to him. Because of his crimes against his own people, the ancestors have cursed him to wander the world forever until he has righted "the tremendous wrong he has committed." It is also worth noting that Gavin Magnus, the future immortal king of Bracada, was present at the Battle of Steelhorn and was "killed" by one of Tarnum's monsters. As a result, he discovered that he was indeed immortal.