SpellForce Lore/Story Summary

Preface

This guide is based on the canon information of various SpellForce games.

These include:

• SpellForce: The Order of Dawn
• SpellForce: Breath of Winter
• SpellForce: Shadow of the Phoenix
• SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars
• SpellForce 2: Dragon Storm
• SpellForce: Conquest of Eo

and their various external sources, such as official short stories and information released on the old website back in the day.

This guide doesn't include any information from:

• SpellForce 2: Faith in Destiny
• SpellForce 2: Demons of the Past
• SpellForce 3 (and its Add-Ons)

Due to various lore breaks, the story of Faith in Destiny and Demons of the Past has been confirmed inside the respective games as being a mirage that doesn't happen in reality, thus making the events inconsequential to the lore.

Similarly, due to all the SpellForce 3 games consisting of many lore elements that aren't just improbable, but often contradictory to the canon, I have decided not to include any information from it since it would undoubtedly lead to problems and conflicting statements, both of which cannot be true at the same time.

Not everyone may agree with this, but in my opinion, it's necessary to keep the objective integrity of the lore intact.

Apart from that, please let me know if you have any feedback for this guide. Mistakes happen, so if you notice any, write it below so I can correct it asap!

Lore Summary (No Spoilers)

The story of Eo began aeons ago when Aonir crossed the vast sea of stars, stepping foot on the then-desolate planet. Deciding to halt the primal elements raging on it, he banished them deep under Eo’s surface, using their vast power to form the countenance of this world: the mountains, valleys and rivers, before giving Eo his most precious gift, the Seed of Life out of which all life would be born. His work had been completed, but he wished not to leave it unattended. Thus, he called upon his nine children to join his side, assigning each of them a role they are to fulfill in his new world: the Guardians. However, before his departure, he forbade them from interfering in this world’s events, for it shall take its path – for better or worse. Then, he returned to the stary brinks of his homeland, leaving a fraction of his power behind in the form of Godstones, drops of his divine blood that would keep the Elements in check and allow Eo a future.

Eventually, life began to flourish on Eo, and among its first inhabitants were two beings that would dictate its future for the coming millennia: the Shapers and the Dragons, also known as the first races. The Shapers were a curious people, deeply connected to magic and filled with an adventurous spirit. Their prowess allowed them to form their thoughts into crystals, constructing many wonderous constructs and cities all across Eo. However, their curiosity would eventually cause their downfall. Having discovered the Allfire on Xu, their race fell victim to greed, slowly getting destroyed from the inside. Fearing enslavement, the Dragons arose from their nests in Godeland and used their Allfire-infused flame to destroy the Shapers. Only few managed to escape, hiding in remote regions of Eo. Over time, they would return to barbarism and change into the Humans, Elves and Dwarves.

What followed were 40,000 years of the rule of the Dragons. The Elves and Dwarves, having established new civilisations and cultures, remained in hiding. It wasn’t until the Dwarves of the Grimwarg Mountains ventured to the Windwall in search of ore that they discovered the Humans, then still barbarians cowering away in icy caves. They taught them of the world and the craft of smithing, and so the Humans descended into the valleys below, managing to use their wit to overpower the mighty Dragons. They soon expanded all across Fiara and even across places in Urgath and Xu, driving the Dragons back to Godeland and bringing their age to an end – the Age of Swords had begun.

The Humans had established their first empire, its members known as the Hybernians – their influence spreads across most of Fiara, Urgath and Xu. This was a time of prosperity for the Humans, the age of great individuals, such as Alchemist and Royal Advisor: Janus Malacay who would go on to mix his blood with the blood of ancient Dragons, creating the Shaikan. Though the Dwarves befriended the Humans, the Elves, still neath the treetops of Finon Mir, saw their arrival as ill will. They prevented the Humans from entering their borders, resulting in minor skirmishes. Their conflict, however, ends in a stalemate, interrupted by the creation of the Dark Races in the deep jungles of Xu, forcing the adversaries to soon join forces.

Zarach, formerly known as the Guardian Ulm, the Caretaker, and his brother Nor leave the circle of the Guardians, unhappy with the task their Father had given them, turning Renegades. Unable to create new life like his father, Zarach abducted many of Eo’s creatures into his Bone Temple, distorting their bodies until he had created the Orcs and Trolls. Eventually, he turned Elves into the Norcaine as a gift for his brother, Nor, before completing his ultimate creation: the Fial Darg, beings meant to serve as leaders of his armies.

The Guardians quickly uncovered their ploy, and so they banished them from Eo for breaking Aonir’s rules. Nonetheless, their creations remained, now seeking revenge for their Renegade gods. They left the jungle and hurled themselves onto the Humans residing in the scorching deserts of Xu. Initially, the Dark Ones were defeated and forced to flee to Urgath, but they would soon return. Led by the Fial Darg, they crossed the Sea of Dreams to Fiara, and so began what would become known as the War of the Six Races – a 150-year-long conflict between the forces of Light and Darkness.

Slowly winning the upper hand, the Dark Ones have managed to push the defenders of Humans, Elves and Dwarves to the North of Fiara. They fought valiantly, however, they were unable to harm the Fial Darg, and thus lacked the means to decide the war for themselves. The once grand Hybernian Empire collapsed during this war, splitting apart into Nortander, the Highmark and Empyria. Faced with the annihilation of Aonir’s creation, the Guardians ignored the rules of their father, descending onto Eo to aid the races of the light. They erected a wall of stone, stalling the advance of their foes, but it helped little, for the Fial Darg hurled their troops against it restlessly, until step-like moulds started to form, allowing them to climb it. Atop, the Guardian Niethalf gifted the mortals secrets of his forge, bestowing upon them the knowledge to craft armours able to withstand the weapons of the enemy. Together, they were able to defeat the Dark Ones. Unable to be killed, the Fial Darg were imprisoned by the Guardians neath Aonir’s Blade, the very mountain their father had used to pierce his side at the dawn of time.

The Dark Races were spared, yet were leaderless and lost, roaming Fiara aimlessly until they, too, started creating their nations: peace had temporarily found its place on Eo. But this time would not last for long. Soon thereafter, the power-hungry mages of all nations began rising up, causing discord in their midst. Uproars known as the Mage Wars would soon erupt across Eo, causing the races to put their differences aside in the search for solutions. After a mage uprising in Nortander had been quelled, it was decided in unison that an order of the most powerful mages of Eo must be established to prevent further misuse of magic. The Circle had been created, eventually comprising the 13 most powerful mages of their time. They built the city of Mulandir, independent of all kingdoms and realms, poised to virtuously uphold their goals.

The Circle ushered in an age of prosperity and peace, bringing Eo into a golden era that would last for centuries: however, they, too were not without their faults. Exploring ancient Shaper Ruins on Xu, the Circle discovered the Allfire, the source of all magic, together with old scriptures foretelling the Convocation – a cataclysmic event during which Aonir’s Eye would become covered by a dark roamer, allowing powerful individuals to bind them to their will. At first, the Circle used the Allfire for good, much like the Shapers once did, but they could not escape its call for power. Its members would begin quarrelling with each other, causing a divide that resulted in the Convocation Wars.

For decades, the former members of the Circle settled their disputes on the battlefields of Eo, using the Runes they had recently created to enslave and summon immortal armies adhering to their will. These wars devastated many parts of Eo, leaving them desolate and empty. They culminated in the Convocation, with the members of the circle eagerly calling upon the elements, freeing them from their slumber but for a brief moment. However, they did not know that the prophecy of the convocation had been a lie forged by the Renegades, given to the Fial Darg as a bitter act of revenge before their banishment from this world. The Elements were freed, yet none of the Circle could control them – none could except Aonir, the god of the stars. For an entire day and night, they raged across Eo, obliterating its countenance until nought but isolated islands remained.

Lore Summary (Game Spoilers)

SPOILER WARNING : This section summarises the events of SpellForce: The Order of Dawn and onward

Once Aonir's star had been uncovered once more, the Elements awoke from their slumber, changing the world forever.

This would have been the end of this world, were it not for Rohen Tahir, a mage of the Circle to survive the ordeal. Cured from his obsession with power, he spent the following years creating the portals that would mend the broken pieces of Eo. As he neared the completion of his work, dark clouds were rising on the horizon once again. Wishing for a protector of what remained, Rohen summoned a rune warrior, bestowing her with her rune and giving her free will – his final act before tragically meeting his end at his own hands. The Rune Warrior would search for ways to stop the new thread, leading her to the Phoenix Stone – an ornament containing the Phoenix, a being of pure Allfire. She would obtain it in the ruins of Mulandir and face Rohen’s killer, only to realise that she mustn’t stop him, for it was Rohen himself, appearing through time to complete a cycle he is unaware of. Had he died now, he would never have created the portals that became Eo’s salvation, and so she watched as he walked into a portal through time, taking him to the past where the cycle would start anew. However, time would continue to flow freely, and so the Rune Warrior, hence known as the Phoenix bearer, would take the Stone with her, returning to Fiara where she had hoped to find her peace.

Two years had passed, and another Rune Warrior had been summoned in the thick marshes of Urgath. Following the destruction of the convocation, some of the Fial Darg had escaped their prison, now plotting ways to bring their masters back to Eo. One such Fial Darg would abduct Cenwen, the Queen of the Ice Elves of Tirganach, from the nest of Aryn. This awakened the godlike Dragon, seeking to return the queen to his side. His roars upheaved the land, pressing the second rune warrior to obtain the Shadow Blade – a weapon not of this world, capable of mortally wounding the mighty Fial Darg. His quest would be successful and the queen returned to the Dragon, but victory came at a cost, for the soul of the rune slave, from now known as the Shadow Warrior, would slowly become consumed by the blade, forcing him to turn to a mysterious masked figure to mend his pain.

Unbeknownst to him, the mysterious individual was none other than the Circle Mage Hokan Ashir – destroyed by his magic during the Convocation, only to be brought to life by his most prized possession, the Mask of Belial. Knoweth, to obtain the Phoenix, the Phoenix Bearer offered Hokan’s spirit the mask, allowing the greatest necromancer of all time to return to the world of the living, conspiring in secret to merge with the demi-god Belial. He tricked Ereon, the god of knowledge and justice, into the Black Jungle where the Guardians hold no power. Using his divine blood, he revived the members of the circle, binding them to his will and using their powers for his own. Both holding a piece needed to put an end to the Circle once and for all, the paths of the two rune warriors would soon converge. They pushed through Hokan's undead hordes, using the Shadow Blade to destroy the impregnable phoenix stone, setting free the creature within, allowing to it take revenge on the Circle for its imprisonment. The end of the Circle marked the end of the rune – with their power to the Allfire severed, the powers of the rune faded over time as Eo entered a new era.

In the years that followed, a Norcaine Archon by the name of Toth Lar sought the help of a free rune warrior known only as “the Messenger”. He wished to free the soul of his father, Nazshar, which had been imprisoned by worshippers of the light. He succeeded, allowing his father to fully unleash the Shadows onto Eo.

The intrusion of the Shadows would not go without consequence. The widow of the now late Nazshar, a Norcaine named Sorvina, would force the shadows into a pact, offering a part of the life force of her people in return for their services, thus permanently binding them to the Dark Elves. In a conquest to rid herself of a cruel curse, she would wage war against the Realm, looking for ways to cure herself of a cruel curse. This brought her to Shaikur, the homeland of the Shaikan, children of the infamous Malacay, harbouring one of the last elder Dragons on Fiara, Ur. One of the Shaikan cursed with carrying the soul of their progenitor, would embark on a quest to save his homeland, leading him through the realms of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and dark elves, forging alliances that would allow him to stand up to Sorvina. Though unable to save their patriarch dragon, he would defeat his killed, setting the trapped soul of Malacay free, finally able to receive its just punishment by the Gods, and ridding the Shaikan of his Curse. But the Soul Bearer’s journey wasn’t over. His people needed a new Patriarch, and so he embarked on a journey to Godeland, land of the old gods and refuge of ancient dragons where his fate would take a different turn.

Meanwhile, the Shaikan were forced to leave Shaikur behind, settling in the province of the Westguard. There, a young Shaikan would become involved in a plot of cultists of the Red God, wishing to turn the Guardian Zerbo into an idol of their design. They would eventually deceive the Guardian, breaking his spirit and reshaping him into the Red God, a deity of the demons of the Red Horde.

Before the Soul Bearer could return to his homeland, another disaster befell Eo. Like the runes, the portals, once fuelled by Rohen’s Allfire, began losing their power. This left many islands cut off, and many others in a race against time, scrambling to contest the fruitful corners of the world. All the while, powerful mages discovered the still-living bodies of a shaper couple, the very ones who had first uncovered the Allfire, cursed to eternal sleep for bringing such misfortune upon their race. They awoke the pair but soon fell victim to their unrivalled power. During this, the Shaikan wished to gather at the Westguard to secure a future for their people, however, a former rune warrior turned Shaikan would not comply. He would set out, looking for the Soul Carrier’s whereabouts until meeting him in Godeland- his soul merge with the soul of a dragon. Their reunion was cut short, however, by the Shaper who wished to eradicate the Dragons – the only threat to his reign over Eo. He was ultimately unsuccessful, defeated by the former rune warrior. Fusing his body with the Allfire, he was able to cut the Shaper’s soul from this world while the Allfire’s immense power burned his own. His fate was to be the same, were he not saved by the Dragons – him, too, transferring his soul into one of their kin, protecting it from the heat of the source of all magic.

So far, no way has been found to re-ignite the portals, but with the Dragons returning to Eo, its people will find a way and they will do so using their own power.

If you want a summary that goes more in-depth, check out this video

Timeline

A comprehensive timeline is provided over on our SpellForce Fan Website. You can find it by clicking on this link

Races

Light Races

There are many various races on Eo - too many to put into this guide - so for the sake of simplicity, I'll only cover what many would consider the major ones: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Trolls, and Dark Elves There are not only many other races that exist on Eo, but also a lot more lore surrounding the six mentioned here.

Humans

There may well have never been a human empire, nor the legends of the Dragon Slayers, if many millennia ago, a few dwarves had not set out from their home in Grimwarg to seek adventure in the distant peaks of the Windwall mountains. They had hoped to find good stone, valuable metals, and a new home, but found only barren rock and a few tribes of wild barbarians living in inhospitable caves in the frozen heights. And though these creatures appeared to the dwarves as weak and primitive – their lifespan was barely longer than that of most animals – they immediately recognised the willpower and lifeforce that had been instilled in these creatures. Impressed by the barbarians, the dwarves stayed and began to teach them of the world, the Gods, and the art of forging. Never would those dwarves have thought that their actions might change the world forever. Greedily, the humans devoured their knowledge, learning each move and all the wisdom of their teachers, and this wisdom spread like wildfire. Soon, the first smith’s hammers began to ring in the Windwalls and formed the first of the great swords that were to become the human’s trademark. With these weapons, they descended from the mountains and took control of the plains, their numbers ever increasing. The Age of Swords had begun. Although the mighty dragons were the undisputed rulers of the Fiara, even their formidable might could not stop the humans’ advance. With lances and swords, they confronted the ancient lizards and accomplished the impossible, a feat that neither dwarf nor elf had managed: They drove back the dragons. With courage and creativity, they defeated one mighty dragon after another and filled the once-empty plains with villages and cities. With their victory over the ancient rulers of Fiara began the rise of the humans, a race that was both good and evil, courageous and cowardly, strong and yet weak, the strangest and most varied of all races of this world. And with their rise came cities, trade, money, and war.

Elves

The Elves, the oldest and noblest of all races, come from the forests of southern Fiara. The magnificent trees of the Finon Mir provided protection against the powerful dragons, allowing these children of nature to prosper and live in relative peace under the roof of leaves. Elves grow tall, yet are of delicate stature, and their lifespan is much longer than that of other races. What they may lack in physical strength is more than compensated by their bravery and wisdom. For as long as they can remember, the elves lives peacefully in their forests, but with the demise of the dragons came humans, and with them trade and war. In the end, the elves were forced to either fight or perish – and fight they did, earning themselves a reputation as feared warriors, better as friends than as foes. Today, the elves have allied with humans and dwarves in order to face the menace of the dark races. None can match their prowess with the longbow and they have learned to use the magic of nature and ice. The mages of the Circle knew of the elvish talent for magic and their use in battle. Thus they created many runes to make use of their skills. Since the wars against the dark races and the time of the Circle, the elves have been living in different tribes all across Fiara.

Dwarves

The best weapons and armour in Fiara come from the dark slopes of the Grimwarg Peaks and the snow-covered summits of the Windwall Mountains, items that are highly valued and traded among the races of the light. These amazing wares are forged by the smiths of the dwarves, a race small in height, but of amazing strength and unshakeable courage. Like the elves, the dwarves are an ancient race that survived the reign of the dragons hidden deep in the labyrinth of caverns under the Windwall Mountains. While the giant lizards ruled the air, the dwarves drove the mines and shafts of their stony home deeper and deeper in the rock. There, they found discovered their destiny to work with rock and ore, bonding with the spirits of the earth and the god whose realm is the rock foundation of the world. They became the servants of Niethalf, the Soulsmith and Warrior God, who deep under the surface forges the souls of all living creatures until they become strong and solid. And so it came that the dwarves also became a strong race, a race of builders and blacksmiths, but also of warriors and heroes. Courage and strength are the pillars of their life, and despite being known for a certain greed for gold and other jewelry, they are the only values they truly recognize. And though they may often seem reserved and condescending, they are always ready to help a true friend in need of their aide. Today the dwarves not only live in the dark shafts under the peaks of Grimwarg, but have created imposing cities of stone where they trade with the other races of the light. These are Fastholme, which stands under the old mines at the foot of the Grimwarg Mountains, and Windholme, which is an imposing sight in front of the snow-covered peaks of the Windwall, where it provides cover from the southern storms. There, the hammers of the master smiths ring constantly and merchants loaded with the most valuable of steel and silver travel to all regions of Fiara. And when it comes to war, the closed ranks of dwarf warriors will march from there with their indestructible armour and feared axes, always ready to support their brothers of the light.