Disciples III: Renaissance- Is a turn-based strategy-RPG game. It was Developed by Russian studio .dat. It was released in Russia on December 11 2009, In Europe on June 16 2010, and in North America on July 12 2010. The game uses .dat’s in-house Virtual Dream engine. The game features 3 out of 5 playable races: The Empire, Elven Alliance and Legions of the Damned. Each race has its own Single-Player Campaign.
An Expansion Pack, Disciples 3: Resurrection of Mortis, has been announced as being in production, and was released in Russia in November. It is not yet available in other languages however. The expansion introduces a new playable race - The Undead Hordes.
History of Nevendaar[]
The Dawn of all Times – History of Creation[]
Nevendaar was created a long, long time ago by Bethrezen, who in those times was the superior angel of the Celestial Father, the only one who possessed the priceless gift of creation. The angel's mission was the creation of a perfect world, which was destined to be the pride and joy of the Celestial Father; a hymn to his glory. Bethrezen named his world Nevendaar, which meant "Sacred" in the angels' tongue.
The angel decided to share the joy of populating his new world with his peers, the other gods. His world was waiting for inhabitants like a blank canvas hungers for the touch of a brilliant artist's brush.
The first ones to be summoned into the lands of newly created Nevendaar were Gallean and Soloniel, whose love for each other was undying and limitless. Gallean’s touch filled the barren lands with the rustling of leaves of the mighty trees, which shielded the soil from merciless sunrays. The tears of happiness shed by fair Soloniel, Gallean's beloved, poured over the land of Nevendaar like lifegiving rain; and to men it would seem that this rain lasted for several years, but what feels like ages to mortals, is mere seconds to celestial beings. And so the oceans came into this new world.
Then Bethrezen did invite mighty Wotan. He struck the land with his powerful hammer, and the Earth was shaken, and mountain ridges arose here and there.
The world was more beautiful than ever – yet still lifeless. And so the assistants of Bethrezen populated it with their children. Out of the trees, the elves emerged: the eldest race of all. Life was born in the sea depths as well – now the merfolk, children of Soloniel, dwelled there. The mountains became home for the dwarves, who, to the surprise of their creator, decided not to stay on the surface, but instead chose to found their underground realm.
Bethrezen didn't sit idly either, and when everything else was finished, he created one more race, meant to be the pinnacle of his work. He created men, who were given the most valuable gift there is – free will. From that point on, no one could compare with them in independence; neither was it possible to anyone to foresee what they were about to do – so unpredictable were they. Also, Bethrezen created animals – true and loyal servants and friends of men.
Betrayal and Division[]
Bethrezen looked at his beloved Nevendaar one more time and went to the Celestial Father to show him his world, created to honor the Creator of all things. Little did he know what was awaiting him and his world, into which he had put as much love as he possessed. For the lesser angels, who were tasked by Bethrezen to care for Nevendaar, were consumed by envy. Jealous of his power, they used Bethrezen's gift to his children – the freedom of will – as a tool to achieve their own dark goals. They planted the seeds of greed and malice in the hearts of men, which, in turn, led them to struggle first with each other, and then – with the other races of Nevendaar. Peace and harmony were no more. Men, led by the passions surging in their hearts and souls, sowed death in their wake, terrifying all those who had not yet known of war or violence.
What is mere seconds for gods lasts years for their children. And as the superior angel stood before the Almighty with joyous news that he had finally completed his mission, the Celestial Father looked upon Nevendaar, but didn't see what Bethrezen claimed to have done. Instead, he saw that the soil of young Nevendaar was soaked in blood; nature's beauty, admired by all gods, could now hardly be seen through the fires and smoke… The world seemed to cry in terror and pain.
Words fail to describe the wrath of the Almighty as he looked upon Nevendaar. What was it? Betrayal? Mockery? How could he dare to defile his sacred mission in such a way? The chastising hand of the Celestial Father threw the flawed angel into the depths of Chaos and sealed him in that prison forever.
And as much light as was once in the heart of the Fallen before his punishment, so much darkness was there after it – he was left in solitude, betrayed by everyone. The Celestial Father betrayed him – by throwing him into confinement and dooming him to suffer for the sins that were not his. His peers, the angels, betrayed him – and Bethrezen's only fault before them was his love for the Almighty. And finally, men, his own children, betrayed him – his beloved men, who were meant to live in a world devoid of malice and evil.
Apparently, this had stricken the Fallen the most, since the men had betrayed him thrice. First, they failed to stand up against the lesser angels, who were consumed by their envy, thus putting their divine gift – the freedom of will – to evil ends. Second, they sacrificed the young world into which Bethrezen had put all his love to the darkness born in their hearts - for it was their cruelty and lust or power that plunged Nevendaar into many bloody wars, which, in turn, were the cause and reason for the divine wrath. And finally, as Bethrezen fell, they immediately began to worship the Celestial Father. To him they now offered up their prayers, thus pushing their creator even further away… for it was their fault that the punishing hand of the Almighty struck Bethrezen.
Therefore, the revenge of the Fallen was primarily directed at men. Bethrezen, despite being held securely in his prison, managed to create another race. He gifted his new creations with not only his strength, of which he still had enough, but also his rage, his fury and all the pain of his soul, fatally wounded by the betrayal of all he held dear. And so the demons came into Nevendaar, and their mission was to punish the ungrateful humans.
The Dark Times[]
Bethrezen's punishment, followed by the creation of the demons, initiated a new series of terrifying events in Nevendaar. Not a single race, not a single one of the gods who had participated in the creation of this world would be spared. Everyone had to drink that cup of bitterness.
The demons broke into the world, guided by their creator's rage and the desire for revenge. Every life form was hated by them; everything they saw enraged them even more. They were determined to crush and destroy everything in their wake, and the fate of those who stood up against them was gruesome, to say the least. The first ones to stand against this horrible horde were the elves. Woods were dying in the fires, and the children of Gallean were forced to run for their lives. They headed into the mountains, hoping that the dwarves would help them. But they were wrong. The children of Wotan saw the escaping elves as invaders; they thought that the elves were actually trying to raid their kingdom.
Few managed to escape the insatiable flame – only to fall to the hammers and axes of the Mountain Clans warriors. Soloniel and Gallean were enraged. They confronted Wotan, demanding that he punish his children for their cruelty. The elves were innocent; they sought only aid and protection. In the heat of quarrel, Wotan killed Gallean, tore out his heart and threw it into the sun. The fair goddess saw her beloved murdered right before her eyes, and was terrified to the bone. She rushed after the still beating heart, hoping to retrieve it.
But the sun's heat was too great, and even the gods were not allowed to reach for it. Soloniel's fate was terrible. She feared for her beloved so much, that there was only one thing she cared for at that moment – save him no matter the price. She did manage to grab the heart, but the pain of her burns was intolerable, and her beauty was gone forever. The worst part of all was that her sacrifice was in vain. The retrieval of Gallean's heart didn't help – he never woke up. The goddess suffered from great pain, and this pain combined with the loss of her beloved one drove her to madness.
Soloniel's beauty – once the reflection of her pure soul - burned in the searing flame of the sun. Moments later, her soul itself was consumed by the dark flame of anguish. The goddess – who was once so gentle and loving, who helped create this world with tender joy – transformed into her complete opposite. It would probably be correct to say that Soloniel died along with Gallean. Mortis, a new goddess, stepped into Nevendaar… and she looked no less terrible than she was corrupt from the inside.
The First Great War[]
Six thousand years had passed since Bethrezen was exiled by the Celestial Lord. It took the Fallen that long to find the breach in his prison. The Legions of the Damned broke loose and started the preparations for an unholy ritual, which was supposed to reincarnate the Fallen in a human body.
No one would have known the consequences if they succeeded, were it not for the divine revelation given to Memnor, the oldest and wisest Keeper of Knowledge of the Mountain Clans. His dream foretold great misfortune to all his kin. A council was held in the Griffin Peaks, and the sage spoke of his vision, sharing his knowledge with all dwarves: the end of the world was approaching. A great battle is about to begin, which will destroy the world. Only the knowledge of the ancient runes, granted to the dwarves long ago by Wotan himself, could save the doomed people. But that knowledge was lost long ago, and the Keepers of Knowledge who could help to recover it had long passed. A handful of heroes departed for the land of Hael to seek the lost rune of wisdom. They overcame countless perils and returned victorious.
In the meantime, the demons had captured Nornden, a city of the distant northern seas. From the sacred Well of Destiny, they took the magical liquid metal Uru – it was meant to become a dagger, which was needed for the future ritual. Once the dagger was forged, Bethrezen told his subjects who had been chosen to become a new vessel for his soul – Uther, son of Emperor Demosthenes, heir to the throne. That would have been a well-deserved revenge for the betrayal.
The queen, who fell in love with the Lord of the Demons, and her son were abducted by demons and brought to the site of the ritual, a cursed mine of the Mountain Clans. But thanks to the Celestial Father, the dwarves and men became aware of the evil plan. The allied forces of the Empire and the Clans managed to disrupt the ritual and, with the newly recovered rune of wisdom, sealed the demons in their temple in the mountains. But the taste of victory was bittersweet: neither the queen nor the heir returned to heartbroken Demosthenes.
The queen died during the assault, killed by Imperial soldiers – for the succubus who possessed her soul had also altered her body. The boy was never found. At the same time, the haze of insanity clouding the mind of reborn Mortis faded. For many centuries, she had been crying out the name of her lost husband into the Void to no avail. Now her madness stepped aside, giving room to the recognition of her loss – and desire for revenge. Wotan refused to punish the dwarves who had killed the children of her beloved Gallean? In that case, she would do it herself – restoring justice and taking vengeance on Wotan, who would be hurt a lot to see his people suffer. But even a goddess would find it hard to battle an entire race on her own, especially one patronized by another deity. The bodiless Mortis needed an army – and she knew where to acquire it.
Her target was the southern land of sorcerers, Alkmaar. Her choice was well thought over. Alkmaar's mages were mostly necromancers, and their customs were rather strange. They carefully preserved the remnants of their dead, which continued to exist as members of their families even after death. Sorcerers of Alkmaar presented a great danger for Mortis – perhaps, they were the only ones capable of opposing her. The Bodiless Goddess sent a virulent plague on Alkmaar, and the poison of her breath was so powerful that even those who were long dead could not escape its decaying touch. The dead of Alkmaar, who had always been the advisors and protectors of the living, had turned against them.
The religion of Alkmaar, which gave its people power over the dead, was their downfall. In the end, only a lifeless desert remained in Alkmaar's place – and Mortis had an army of the living dead at her disposal. With the aid of this army, Mortis exacted her revenge. Countless warriors of the Mountain Clans fell in the battles with her undead horde; among them was the venerated dwarven king, Sturmir Stormhammer. The pain of loss and her love for Gallean didn't weaken any in the wounded heart of Mortis… but for the first time, she felt at peace. She dismissed her army of the dead and turned away from this world, patiently waiting for the return of her beloved Gallean.
This was the end of the First Great War.
The Second Great War[]
With the aid of the Mountain Clans, the Empire defeated the demons, thus preventing Bethrezen's return. But the price of victory was terrible: the queen and the heir were both lost, which meant that internal wars and division would be inevitable once the monarch was dead. The dwarves lost their beloved king, but were not defeated. They retreated deep into the mountains, into the underground city of Svatalfaheim. The Horde was dismissed, as Mortis felt her lust for revenge satisfied. But peace would not last for long in Nevendaar. A new misfortune loomed on the horizon: the battle foretold by Memnor. The end of days was coming.
Ten years passed, and the seals of Bethrezen's prison began to weaken. Attempts to reseal the breach failed, and a child emerged from the breach – Uther, the lost heir of the Empire, whose body was now the vessel for the Fallen's soul.
The humans rejoiced, but they couldn't know that the boy's soul was poisoned. They saw the truth when Emperor Demosthenes fell at the hand of his own son – but it was too late, for now the Empire was left without a ruler. Still, Bethrezen's plans were foiled, for the ritual was not carried out properly, and the Lord of the Demons had not subdued the boy completely. Uther's own hopes to rule the world after claiming the power of the Fallen would also not come true.
When Mortis learned of the arrival of Bethrezen's vessel, she returned from her drowsiness, and the undead hordes arose again. There was a glimpse of hope to revive Gallean, for the spirits revealed to Mortis that the sacred blood of the demonic child had the power to do so. She was determined to achieve her goal no matter the price. The servants of Mortis seized Uther and started preparations for the ritual of the resurrection. The mad and cruel goddess would stop for nothing, and even the elves fell prey to her wrath. The elven queen Taladriel was slain, and the forest folk lost all protection. Evil stepped under the canopy of the ancient woods, and there, surrounded by unspeakable abominations and horrors, Gallean was brought back to life. Fear and loathing filled his heart as he saw what had happened to his beloved children. He realized that his beloved Soloniel was lost forever, and there was now nothing left in Mortis' heart but darkness and insanity. Gallean abandoned his reborn love, who never realized what she had become.
As for the Clans… they were to fight many battles and suffer great losses, for this was their destiny. Morok Skykeeper, who had succeeded Sturmir on the dwarven throne, also departed – yet he was not slain by ruthless enemies, but rather his own subjects. The old king lost his mind when the ancient rite of resurrection hadn't brought back his beloved son, who fell while trying to seal Bethrezen's prison. The elders couldn't make Morok listen to reason; no words would awaken his fatally damaged mind. After Morok's death, Princess Yaata'Hally ascended the throne. Many grey-haired warriors doubted her ability to lead the Clans in these troubled times, but the young dwarven lady proved worthy of her ancestors.
Old runes, thought to be lost forever, were rediscovered, the alliance with the Empire was restored and by her order, the dwarves performed a sacred rite, which allowed them to restore their link to Wotan and invigorated their deity. But the grandest of battles was yet to come. Ragnarok was approaching, and the deities themselves fought in the heavens of Nevendaar for power and for their own lives. During that time, Wotan was unable to aid his children, and the invincible serpent by the name of Nidhogg, the spawn of the dark forces, came into their lands. Only true faith, courage and the aid of ancestral spirits allowed the dwarves to weaken the fearsome enemy. When he was finally destroyed, the end of days had been staved off.
Light and Darkness - A New Confrontation[]
The end of the world had been staved off, but there was still no peace in Nevendaar. The Empire was ravaged by internal strife, which was inevitable, since Emperor Demosthenes died leaving no successor. Bethrezen was furious at his failure to break out of his prison, and so he prepared a plan to take vengeance on those who blocked his way to freedom. Mortis, who had done the impossible to bring her beloved back to life, was outraged by his betrayal and longed for revenge as well. The Mountain Clans attempted to recover after all those battles – the price they had to pay for their victory was terrible indeed.
The elves dreamed of peace, too. Gallean was very happy that his children were still alive, and so he sent Lacla'an, his messenger and avatar, to them. His destiny was to bring peace to the lands of Nevendaar and unite all its races, but that was fated to never happen. The prophet was slain by demons, who wanted to use his power in order to free their master, and this was the beginning of yet another chain of terrible events in Nevendaar.
Three people were struggling for the throne of the Empire: noble paladin Amry, Baron of Abrissel, Umbriel, Duchess of Vircillia, former head of Demosthenes' Royal Secret Service, and Count Flamel Crowly, leader of the Inquisition and its army of zealots. The latter was deceived and used by the demons, yet he firmly believed that he was serving the celestial cause. He was the scourge of his own people, and many others as well. The dwarves and elves were also persecuted, and none could feel safe wherever the sinister shadow of the Inquisition loomed. Eventually, the fanatic was killed by Amry's warriors, and only in the last moments of his life did he realize whom he was really serving, and who the mastermind of all the terrible plans he had helped to implement was – himself being nothing more than the puppet of demons. He was seized by great fear, but it was too late for him – the demons were already waiting for his soul on the other side, for Flamel had given it to them willingly.
In the meantime, the demons managed to bring another plan of their master’s into play. Bethrezen, seeing that there would be no way for him to regain reedom in the foreseeable future, decided to drown Nevendaar in blood. Having captured three grand elven cities, the sacred triad that guarded an extremely potent mana source, they used its power to unleash a terrible plague upon the people of Nevendaar. The source of this corruption was the powerful demon Nebiros, who broke free from his dungeon. Amry and his warriors, with the help of Umbriel, managed to defeat the demon, and he was thrown back into Hell. The plague, which, according to Bethrezen's plan, should have destroyed the Empire, instead united it under the rule of two most deserving monarchs. King Amry and Queen Umbriel ascended the Empire's throne.
But still the deeds of demons hurt the men severely. A fragile alliance between men and elves was shattered. Using Crowly as their puppet, the demons framed Amry and accused him of slaying the prophet. The elves withdrew deep into the woods, bearing a grudge against men, and Lacla'an himself became Mortis' minister of vengeance on Gallean. She took his remains from the demons who had killed him, and resurrected him as a son of her own. From that point on, there was no place in his heart for wisdom and light – only malice and hatred for all living things. The time had come to show Gallean his reborn son. And Mortis wouldn't waste effort to do it by herself, for it's always easier to make a cat's paw of someone else. So Mortis once again turned her eyes to the hated Mountain Clans.
The plan matured when the barbarians, captured and tortured by the undead, revealed their sacred secret. The northern warriors possessed special magic amulets, which granted them great powers. With these talismans, any of them could assume the form of a spirit wolf, which were considered by the Mountain Clans to be Wotan's messengers. The pious dwarves rejoiced when they received a message from their beloved God – or so they thought. They began to hastily prepare a ritual, for they thought that it was Wotan's will. Little did they know that they would not hear the voice of Wotan in the end, for they were walking right into the trap set for them by the servants of Mortis, who had assumed the form of the spirit wolves.
The undead rushed into the sacred circle and killed many recently initiated Keepers of Knowledge. Dark Lacla'an finished the ritual and then called upon Gallean, his father. As the forest god heard his sacrilegious speech, he was infuriated. His hate, unleashed upon the world, gave birth to the Beast of Gallean, the incarnation of the forest god's darker side. The undead had achieved their goal – for just one fleeting moment did proud Gallean feel the hatred that drove his rejected love, but it was enough for him to be changed forever.
Many of his own children, as well as the undead ones, fell at his hand. Two ancient races joined in death, brought upon them by the feud of their creators. Once Gallean came to his senses, he was terrified. He abandoned the elves, fearing for their future and realizing that he wouldn't be able to protect them from himself.
The Uprising of the Elves[]
The hate that broke out in Gallean's heart drove him to madness. Now, two personalities coexisted within him – a kind god of the woods and a furious wild beast. Shortly after that, there was a split of the elven race, and, like their god, the once united folk were divided. Noble elves, wise and calm, chose a path similar to that of men. They built cities, forged marvelous armor and were eager to ally with other friendly races of Nevendaar in their aspirations.
On the other hand, wild elves, furious and distrustful, preferred the quietness and peace of the deep thicket. They guarded their territories like fierce beasts, and anyone who dared to cross the borders of their realm was risking his life.
Long had the forest folk not heard the voice of their God, who feared causing his children even more pain, but finally the silence was broken. Oracle Millu became the voice of Gallean. Her eyes gleamed with unearthly light, reflecting two grand figures: one of which cast blinding light, and the other surrounded by the shroud of darkness. She spoke the will of the elven god, and the eleven tribes, now united, marched towards their destiny. This was the beginning of the elven uprising. The start of this journey was spattered with innocent blood – peaceful inhabitants of a human village fell by elven blades. The rest of their way was clouded in a bloody haze.
The oracle's words sowed fury and hate in the hearts of the elves, and the elven warriors gave their enemies no quarter. Thousands of arrows sang their deadly song, collecting the bloody harvest… for such was Gallean's will. Many dwarves fell, smitten by the avalanche of elven hatred accumulated over all those long years. Millu herself slew wise and valorous Queen Yaata'Hally, and the dwarves mourned her. Men, the former allies of the elves, would not be spared by them either. The fall of the great fortress Temperance was the turning point in the history of all three races. Once, it was the symbol of friendship between elves and men; now its fall marked the beginning of the feud.
The elves took their vengeance on everyone they considered guilty – no matter if they really were. But even the victory at Temperance had not satiated their lust for blood. Millu was already seeing that her god had gone mad, but she realized that the bloody march of her people could no longer be stopped.
The Rebirth[]
The world of Nevendaar is far from perfect. Endless wars tear apart the once prosperous lands. The angel Izeril believes that only the complete purging of corruption from Nevendaar could please the Almighty. But only the celestial envoy, Inoel, can perform this purge. By the will of Izeril, she must descend from the skies to the Earth, collect the Force of the World and release it on the altar in the Temple of Ascension. The cleansing flame will purge everything unworthy from the world, and then the inhabitants of this renewed world will sing praises to the wisdom of the Great Heavens.
A star suddenly appeared in the skies of suffering Nevendaar. Shining brightly, it crossed the sky and fell somewhere not far from the borders of the Empire. Every race saw this as a sign. But while the shamans and seers all over the world struggled to find out what kind of prophecy it could be, Bethrezen, who also once walked the skies, already knew the answer. It took him just one look upon the skies to realize that the gods once again decided to interfere in the affairs of mortals, and the star is none other than a powerful envoy of Heavens destined to change the fate of Nevendaar. The mission of the envoy, though, was of little importance to the fallen angel, for he was planning to capture the celestial being and use its power to undertake another attempt to return to the Heavens.
Bethrezen summoned Haarhus, his most loyal servant, and ordered him to seize the celestial guest and bring her to him by any means. But Bethrezen is not the only one to seek the celestial guest. The Imperial guardsman Mizrael knows of one who is destined to change the world as well – and he advises the Emperor to dispatch a squad of knights and seek out the fallen star.
Changes[]
The biggest change in Disciples 3 is setting the entire game world in 3D. With a fully adjustable camera, the game view is nearly identical to that of Heroes of Might and Magic V. The Dark Fantasy climate characteristic to the Disciples series has been kept, giving the game a much more realistic look.
The Battle screen has been changed into a hexagonal battle grid on which units can freely move, take cover behind obstacles, cover weaker units behind them, and step on one of the three power-ups which gives a boost to melee, magical or ranged damage.
Upon Upgrading to a higher tier, units jumps several levels (for example, when level 1 Squire levels up, it becomes a level 2 Squire, but if an Armory is built in the castle, the level 1 Squire becomes a level 5 Knight).
There are no rodbearers in Disciples 3. Instead, there are certain spots, on the scenario map known as Guardian Nodes, where upon being reached by any hero (even the summoned ones like Living Armor), the Guardian is planted. Guardians are static characters, that acts both like Rod and a garrison, defending the nodes, and increasing the size of owner's domain. They also have three levels- Basic, Medium, and Strong, and can house any number of units (but no heroes). The Guardians gain experience not only by fighting off enemies, but also receives some after each turn.
Player cannot upgrade neutral cities anymore, they upgrade themselves with time.
There is a new resource- Stones, which are used for creating structures in the castle (although gold is still required). Stones are gained just like any other resource.
Thiefs have been put in the same league as the other heroes- he can level up, and take units with him.
Maximum units number per hero is increased to 7. Big units like Demons or Gargoyles now count as only one unit, instead of two.
Hero gains new abilities differently. Upon leveling up, hero may choose 3 point to increase one of the following stats:
- Endurance- raises max HP
- Strength- Raises Physical Attack Power
- Intelligence- Raises Magical Attack Power
- Agility- Raises chance to Evade attacks and receive Critical Damage
- Dexterity- Raises Attack accuracy and boosts Critical hit rate
Also, hero can assign 2 points to ability tree, in which he can choose either a stat boost, increased defense from certain attacks, another leadership point, or a special Active Skill, which is different to any hero.
Heroes now don't need certain Lores to equip new things. Each hero has got full equipment (albeit basic) from the beginning, and can find or buy new one. Also, there are no Banners and Artifacts.
Another change is that instead of 1 turn = 1 day, as with previous installments, each turn represents one of the day's four phases: Morning, Afternoon, Evening, and Night.
Useful Links[]
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