The Inspiration for Michael

[MMXAlamar]

I was browsing Wikipedia and stumbled onto this page: Archangel Michael. Sounds like a very familiar concept to the Michael character from Heroes!

[Darkström]

So you've never heard about the archangel Michael before?

[MMXAlamar]

Nope, and I haven't played any Ubi-released Might and Magic game except for Heroes Kingdoms.

[ywhtptgtfo]

So you've never heard about the archangel Michael before?

Yes, that's a bit astounding... and I thought Archangel Michael/Raphael/Gabriel/Uriel/[insert biblical angel] is one of the most cheesy and unoriginal character to be added to a game.

[Corlagon]

Deliberate reference certainly, although it isn't actually supposed to be the Biblical archangel Michael (just as Raziel isn't Raziel). Still I would probably have gone for a different name for him myself. He and Uriel seem out of place in Heroes somehow under these names, as though they're crossover characters from the real world rather than fictional characters inspired by myth. It would be like encountering Muhammad in Erathia or Zeus in Xeen... err.

[Panda Tar]

In spite of strangeness, it would then apply to any of these beasts, no? Since they all come from our world cultures.

[Darkström]

Well, they could have least chosen another name. Like Diablo did with its own archangel, Tyrael.

[MMXAlamar]

I thought the Gods in MM9 were very creative. They were based on the Nose Gods. Krohn was Odin, Fre was Freyja, Idgra was Yggdrassil, the 3 Wyrdes were the Norns, and Yanmir the Frost Giant was the original Nordic Jotun, Ymir. I'm not too sure about Skraelos, but I really like his name!

Don't think there was anyone for Thor, son of Odin.

[MMXAlamar]

*Norse Gods

[Avonu]

You forgot Hanndl and Njam which are Heimdall and Loki.
Krohn is Odin but he is based also on some god, who gave Arnie revange.

[MMXAlamar]

You forgot Hanndl and Njam which are Heimdall and Loki.
Krohn is Odin but he is based also on some god, who gave Arnie revange.

Oh! Looks like they all were based off of Norse Gods. Do you have any idea who Bori was based off? He wasn't mentioned in MM9 but he was Krohn's brother and the God of Spirit.

[Corlagon]

But the entire game is based on Norse lore and the Celts in almost every aspect. Just look at the town names.

[Avonu]

Norway and Celts? I see only Vikings and Scandinavian. Even Beldonian invading army was modelled on Normans (Vikings) for Wilhelm the Conqueror army.
Celts had different mythology, towns names or equipment.

Do you have any idea who Bori was based off?

Odin had two brothers (Vili and Ve) and they all three killed their "great grandfather" Ymir and then created Midgard (Earth) from his body.
IIRC, Buri was "son" of Ymir and grandfather of Odin and his two brothers.

[MMXAlamar]

I know the Green Man is Celtic, there's not much I can think of other than that.

[Avonu]

Oh, I forgot about him, maybe because Druid wans't good choice in this game.

[Corlagon]

Norway and Celts? I see only Vikings and Scandinavian

Oh no doubt about it. There's plenty of Celtic influence in MM9, Lindisfarne itself being the most obvious example.

[Avonu]

Lindisfarne is connected with Vikings too.
Lindisfarne was Vikings first major/most known raid on Western countries. It is event from which Viking Age begins (and ends with Wilhelm* William the Conqueror victory at Hastings in 1066).

*In Polish his name is Wilhelm.

[hatsforclowns]

I never liked the whole norse thing, it felt cheap, fake, and plastic...like something made in china, imported, and sold at your local traitor shop Lidl Nor the gods and religion. And all that just makes me even more sad that they axed the Enroth-Antagarich-Jadame world... X(

They all came from that old world, so it's beyond me why they didn't bring with them their languages and cultures, instead of suddenly just picking up norse.

I'm kind of torn in that deparment, regarding the small MM sideproject that I sometimes work on. Should I just invent an alternative history timeline, where the world was never destroyed and you once again get to adventure in the old world? But that sort of feels like betraying Caneghem and his team, who -- as far as I know -- made the choice to end the world. Or maybe I should go with the flow, but instead of Axeoth make up a new world, a new planet, but populated by people from the old world, and consequently having similar traits in names, cities, cultures, kingdoms, etc. Basically creating a whole new world and different societies based on what they learned and experienced in the old world.

*sigh*...choices, choices, choices...

[Avonu]

Well, acording to M7 ending, there was active Web Gate on Enroth before Reckoning. So you can use these Gates to Another Words for choosing new planet and old heroes.

And from what I read, new setting was chosen because of Forge fiasco. Not only it didin't tie and ended old MM/HoMM stories but also Greg Fulton departed from NWC and he was a person who knew the most about story and future plans for HoMM/MM games. JvC was busy with his MMO project at that time.
However I can't tell you how much true is in these rumors.

[hatsforclowns]

Well, acording to M7 ending, there was active Web Gate on Enroth before Reckoning. So you can use these Gates to Another Words for choosing new planet and old heroes.

And from what I read, new setting was chosen because of Forge fiasco. Not only it didin't tie and ended old MM/HoMM stories but also Greg Fulton departed from NWC and he was a person who knew the most about story and future plans for HoMM/MM games. JvC was busy with his MMO project at that time.
However I can't tell you how much true is in these rumors.

EDIT:

I see. They also opened that gate in MM7, so at least two active gates? -- Right, Enroth as in planet, not continent. Gah, I wish people didn't do that

Ouch! New settings just because of that? I've never seen that much "hatred" for it. Some people say they dislike it, but never anything extreme. So Greg Fulton did most of the stories and/or history in the games?

Whatever happend to JVC's MMO project? Did it even have a name? I've heard of it before, but never any details. A failure?