Hi!
First of all, I’m a long-time player of the whole series based on the game world of Etheria, from Warlords and Warlords Battlecry through Puzzle Quest, and I’m delighted to see that the world of Etheria is still going strong. It’s lovely to see the amount of effort that’s gone into Puzzle Quest 3, and the whole series overall, from the art and music to the stories and the game design. I especially love how extensive and detailed the stories are and how deep the lore is, and hope all these qualities are a trend that will be kept long into the future, so more people can find, experience and enjoy the franchise!
To give a bit of background to my post, I’m one of the devs of a mod for Warlords Battlecry 3 called Warlords Battlecry: The Protectors of Etheria (or TPE for short). I generally do a lot of the gameplay design work, I curate the TPE story & lore document (which involves a mixture between official Etheria lore and TPE fanon), and dabble with some map editing, asset development and sound development among other things.
Ever since I’ve written down as much of the series’ story as I could, I’ve always wondered about some of the structure of the timeline and its narrative elements (was this ever confirmed to be official?), as well as the time at which certain games are set. Some of the franchise, such as Warlords Battlecry 2 aren’t meant to sit on a timeline as they’re a big battle royale for a bit of fun. Others such as Warlords 3 (well, most of it), Warlords 4, Warlords Battlecry 1, Warlords Battlecry 3, Puzzle Quest 1, Puzzle Quest 2 and Puzzle Quest 3 are intended to fit within a single holistic timeline. Given that, I’d like to get some answers to questions I’ve had for a while:
- Given that the Path of Darkness is the canon story of Warlords Battlecry 1 in Puzzle Quest 3, and given that Guardia appears to at least be functioning in Warlords Battlecry 3 (which is set in 3800), when does Warlords Battlecry 1, the Tears of Dawn, take place?
- Also, what happens to the hero (and the Horn) after the cataclysm?
- In Warlords Battlecry 1, Esgaard is a tower that represented the eastern influence of the Guardian/Gaardian Order, though in Puzzle Quest 3 this appears to have been changed to the Kingdom of Esgaard. Does this mean that the story of Warlords Battlecry 1 has changed? Is General Paridian now the leader of the Kingdom of Esgaard instead of the Guardian/Gaardian Order?
- In Warlords 3, the nation called Mirea existed on the eastern Isle of Dawn (also known as Dawnside). They are a nation of people which came from the east, presumably Agarian knights, but I’m unsure. However, Mirea isn’t represented in Warlords Battlecry 1 or 3, and there’s nothing about it in Puzzle Quest 3 either. My question is, where did Mirea go? Is it still canon, or has there been lore changes?
- In Puzzle Quest 3 at Chapter 11, the group sets down on a path from Goldport, at least part of which is said that the Knights of Esgaard patrolled long ago. Afterward, they change to the Guardian/Gaardian Path. Was the Esgaard Path one which was situated within the nation of Goldor, or somewhere near Esgaard? And was the Guardian Path, said to be rougher by Eveline, situated near this path or was it around the opposite side, down the Riverlands on the western side of the Inner Sea? Or was is located somewhere else near Esgaard?
- In Warlords Battlecry 3, on one of the item sets, Marthos the Explorer is said to have ascended to godhood, but neither the items or the official timeline states how or when. Is there a timeframe for which this happened, and any information about how or why?
- On the official timeline at 1913, Bane demands the surrender of the High Elves, but his demand is declined by Queen Ehlanna III. In response, Bane strikes her down and leaves. If Bane has such power, why strike her down and leave, and not attack the High Elves? How was he able to strike her down and then leave if the High Elves had the capability to stop him?
- On the official timeline at 2019, Bane is visited by Ehlanna, but given that there are multiple Queen Ehlannas and others such as Belan who took the name Ehlanna, which of them visited Bane?
- On the official timeline at 3558 (99 years after the Banewars, as Bane said he’d return in that time after his defeat), during Bane’s Revenge, Bane splits Sartek into 99 pieces and distributed him throughout Etheria. But, at 3745 the timeline says that Sartek travels to Mortuus and proposes to ally with Bane. Also, nothing further is written on the timeline to confirm what the consequences of this alliance will be. Given that Bane’s Revenge is confirmed to be canon in Warlords Battlecry 3 and Puzzle Quest 1, is this event at 3745 on the timeline no longer canon?
- Also, at the end of Bane’s Revenge, when he struck into the heart of the Sirian knights to eliminate the Albion family (which we know in Puzzle Quest 1, Bane failed as some members of the family were taken away and hidden), what stopped Bane from destroying Agaria, Silvermyr, the Northern Tundra and by extension, the free peoples of Etheria?
- In Puzzle Quest: Revenge of the Plague Lord, which takes place after the events of Puzzle Quest 1 and involves the same hero, the Sorceress Araveine is the origin of the Ghoulstones in the game. This character features in Warlords 4 (and I think is also the game where Kelthurax is first seen too), which by the subtitles is set in 4032. However, Revenge of the Plague Lord is set just after 3900, and in that expansion Araveine is said to have died 200 years ago. My question is, which is the correct time? Is Revenge of the Plague Lord meant to be set just after 3900 and is it meant to feature the same hero? Or is the time set in Warlords 4 incorrect? Are there parts of one or both that are non-canon?
- In Warlords Battlecry 3, only the Dark Dwarves have golems, and they appear as formations of stone, or iron or bronze. In Puzzle Quest 3, it details the Soul Forge of Drak-Dum, used to instil souls in inanimate objects like swords. Puzzle Quest 3 features plenty of golems, though from a Dwarven origin rather than Dark Dwarven, but these appear more mechanical in nature. Given that’s the case, do both Dwarves and Dark Dwarves make golems, and that Dwarven ones are more mechanical in nature and perhaps less magical, given the difference in the design?
Thanks in advance for any answers anyone can give, I look forward to reading them! Not only would they be interesting to discover and enjoyable to contemplate, but they’d also help us over at Warlords Battlecry: The Protectors of Etheria as well. Thanks Steve & crew for all the memories over the decades, and I wish you and any project you undertake all the best.