We kept it hidden long enough. Today, it is finally here! Welcome to Schism reveal!
As we have already revealed all the other factions, we think it is about time to showcase a very unique addition to the Heroes of Might and Magic Universe. Schism will be the last of the 6 playable factions present once Early Access starts.
First, let's take a look at who we’re talking about: what is Schism? As a renegade group of Alvari Elves, these determined scholars and soldiers went looking for answers among the ruins of their Vori ancestors and became altered because of what they found. In search of power, they have opened the Rift to the Abyss, a lower layer within the Plane of Water that connects to the Realm Between Realms, which you may be familiar with from other Heroes of Might and Magic games or the Might and Magic RPG games. This allows them to summon planar creatures that are very unique and mysterious to the genre, yet extremely powerful.
To follow up on the lore, now that we know where their origins are, the in-game lineup for the faction will consist of multiple altered Alvari Elves, as well as some creatures and monstrosities that they are capable of summoning. Together, they will form the faction we named Schism.
Just like the others, Schism will have its own unique faction skill, called Abyssal Communion, which greatly ties the faction’s flavour with its gameplay! The way it works is very simple: Every time you go into a battle, your army’s size will increase based on your Communion level you have. It will decrease every day, but can be increased (up to a certain limit) with each fight you win. However, every hero will have their own Abyssal Communion level, so you will have to make strategic decisions on which one of them takes the fights! These bonuses to army size can be very impactful, especially if you’re taking into consideration subskills or hero specialisations.
With this faction skill, Schism can become very powerful the longer the game goes. The more units you have, the more units you will get extra in every battle. So whether you are against it, or playing faction yourself, plan your actions accordingly. Keep in mind that these additional units are available only during combat and do not persist after the battle so you cannot transfer them between heroes.
For a much more detailed look at all the Schism units you can watch our latest full faction reveal that has it all:
What makes Schism an ideal faction for Olden Era
Our intention with Olden Era is to create an original game, so that the community can explore new and unique factions alongside the old ones. Olden Era is a standalone game, and not a remake of any former parts, so our main goal is to combine the old with the new, in order to bring something fresh to our audience. We thought there is no better opportunity than to create a faction that was never explored before in the franchise. Our decision was solidified even further by the many mentions of creatures or monsters that we can find throughout the lore bits from previous games, that never found their place or played an incredibly minor role.
The description of Elemental Planes and its inhabitants affected by Realm Between Realm’s madness, taken from RPG Might and Magic VIII
The origins of Enroth and Elemental Lords as explained by Tarnum in Heroes III Chronicles
Therefore, Olden Era’s Early Access will have 3 familiar factions (Temple, Dungeon and Necropolis) and 3 “new” ones (Hive, Sylvan and Schism). We are considering adding more factions into the game through potential DLCs later on.
Embedding Horrors into Narrative Framework
Even though Schism is a brand new faction, we always aim to ensure that the foundation of each faction we create draws from the old lore. What we found was a solid and interesting framework for a faction that plays with power they do not fully understand, which slowly twists them into its own image. Thanks to all the information about Jadame in the RPG Might and Magic VIII we know that our playable party faces Escaton the Destroyer within Realm Between Realms (referred to as Plane Between Planes there) — an interdimensional landscape that walls off the Material World and the Arcane (or Elemental) Planes from one another. What they come across there is a place full of literal Nightmares (not Hors :D) and incomprehensible monstrosities that defy any laws or logic. Players also get to see eldritch creatures for a short time during the adventures of Gauldoth Half-Dead in Heroes IV, where they enlist the aid of Ice Demons and Venom Spawns in his quest against his master.
The Nightmares (not the horses) within Realm Between Realms in RPG Might and Magic VIII
The Spawning Pits of Venom Spawns from Heroes IV
The Frost Gates of Ice Demons from Heroes IV
Despite the limitations of time, budget and available technology back then, Realm Between Realms has proven itself to be a very memorable place that left a lasting impression on the players. It gave us room to introduce something outright abominable, eldritch and twisted — a field of ideas that was only barely touched upon in the grander scheme of the universe. In other words — lore that asks to be explored.
Additionally, from the texts scattered among Heroes of Might and Magic and Might and Magic games we’ve learned that the barrier between each elemental realm and the Material World is thinnest in the deepest crevices of the world of Enroth that lead to a sinister, darker layer of that plane which borders Realm Between Realms. These are the following:
The Abyss within the very depths of the oceans;
The Chthonic Depths deep beneath the crust of the world;
The Underworld (also referred to as Hell in Heroes III: Chronicles in some languages) in the volcanic caverns of Underground Realms (such as Nighon or Jadamean Cave Network);
The Starry Firmament (sometimes called the Stratosphere by those who still retain the knowledge of the past) high in the sky.
Orb of Silt hinting at the thin barrier between Elemental Plane of Earth and Material World deep within Enroth from Heroes III The Shadow of Death
As the Abyss is a lower layer of the Elemental Plane of Water that connects directly to the Realm Between Realms, its denizens have a lot of aquatic features and that is reflected in the design of Schism units and the alterations that mutated the elven half of their roster.
We know that there are a lot of fans of H. P. Lovecraft and his work, and so far that kind of space hasn’t really been explored in the Heroes of Might and Magic games yet, which is exactly what we aimed to do with Schism. We want Olden Era to feel familiar, but also be a completely new and unique experience for any player to enjoy.
This is why we made sure to connect Schism to the existing pieces of lore within the universe by digging very, very deep into the older games, sometimes pulling information from the tiniest snippets of lore such as, for example, artefacts or physical manuals for the games. On this, we also collaborate with Heroes IP team in order to keep everything appropriate to the Might and Magic universe, which they’ve been greatly helpful with. As a lot of that information would be a massive spoiler for our Story, we’ll let you discover more yourselves! However, there’s one thing we can share about the powers these renegades have acquired: all of it hails back to the discoveries their Vori ancestors have made upon recovering some artefacts from the mysterious Triton Empire.
Trident of Rulership from RPG Might and Magic VIII. What secrets did the Tritons know?
An Icy Kingdom beckons
To give a quick summary of what to expect from Schism:
A brand new faction that was never developed before in Heroes of Might and Magic Universe!
Unique faction mechanics that can alter the course of each game. Plan accordingly!
A very close connection to H. P. Lovecraft and his work, for all the fans of things eldritch and abominable!
Going deeper into the lore that was available within the Might and Magic Universe, but never had a chance to be fully explored!
We have great respect and love for the universe of Might and Magic, but we also wish to expand on its horizons whenever an opportunity is offered. This made Schism a perfect fit for us and the continent of Jadame that is known for its plethora of magical leylines and thin barriers between planes. A new land — a new story behind it — comes with new threats that pose new challenges to face.
Once we expand the campaign with the future acts, you will be able to learn more about Schism as we will uncover the veil of mystery around their creation and rise to power. This will be done after Early Access release and during the journey towards full release.
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