Centuries ago, some traders established themself in a small and unwelcoming region called Sinedon. The first traders to establish there were humans, accabled by the always growing taxes the griffin empire took from them to pay its expensive wars. Those adventurers-traders choosed Sinedon for it's central position on erathia as well as for it's total lack of ressources and his unfertile soil. Those factors made that no one ever claimed this territory has its. It lacked the forest the elves like so much, it lacked the mining ressource for the dwarves, the unfertility of its soils discouraged the griffin empire to colinize it. The power of necromancy thought it too exposed to it's dark and sercretive projects.
But for our traders those disavantages were greatly appreciated, everything this place lacked they could buy it with their main ressource, gold.
The living there was harsh, and they had some really hard time in the first decades. the surrounding powers decided to simply boycott them to eradicate the threat the traders were to their economy. As a matter of fact, less than thirty years after they established on Sinadon, their civilasation was about to disapear. Some of the most influent traders talked about returning to their hometowns, and many of them had suffered from the boycott so much that they were now almost ruined.
Only one thing could save them, war. A large and massive war opposing their powerfull neighbours. And this war came, one of the most ravaging erathia ever witnessed. The war brought desolation on the surrounding empires, and their leaders were now begging financial help to the traders. The rulling council saw this as the opportunity to legitimate their existence on Sinadon as well as an unique possibility to get rid of the boycott. So answering their rulling council each trader family gave a large amount of their remaining wealth to answer the pleads od their neighbours. The council choosed not to help a single faction seeking for an alliance but each of them. As you can imagine some of the help was to stay secret. You can hardly hope to befriend someone if you help his enemy as well.
This method prooved a total success, the war lasted fo years, and during this period the traders managed to sell anything at any cost. The empires were in great need, the traders wanted to help anyone paying for it.
When the conflict finally ended, the trader families had grown way richer than they were when they established in Sinadon, the affluct of refugees coming from everywhere had created new trading places and growing towns. Their Capital city, Espoir, was diplaying an almost disgusting wealth when everyone around suffered the stigmates of war.
To Stay safe from the ambitions of their weakened, yet still more powerfull neighbours, they helped them building back their destructed town and restoring their economy. So for the next centuries they appreciated a period of peace, growth and wealth. As they always did, they used their money to buy tranquility and paece.
An era of darkness began with the rise of the Delané family. The Delané were one of the oldest and richest family in Sinadon, their influence were everywhere and from the begining of the colony till now they had a seat in the rulling council. Their heir charles, was an unconventional youngling, considering what was normal among the traders. When he should have studied trade and diplomacy he prefered to learn the arts of war at the court of the griffin. He then leaded his own sellsword company defending the boarders of the empire. The wealth of his father provided his troops with the best equipements and the most powerfull warriors were seeking for a place in his company. He wasn't himself very skilled at arms, but considered as a genius in strategical matters. For over 15 years he followed wars wherever they where, fighting every enemy and defending anyone who promised the more money. In this he was really a trader son. When his father died, everyone expected him to decline the lead of the Delané familly. His younger brother had been preparing to take this lead and scholared in every domain a trader should excel.
But as he learned the death from his father, Charles hurried back home with his whole company, thus breaking one of the most holy law of Sinadon, the interdiction to bear arms on the territory, except fot the Trader's Guard. Charles claimed his seat in the rulling council as well as the tittle of chief of the guard. No one dared resist his ambitions, he was a feared warrior and the leader of the most wealthy and powerfull family. He tried to buy to the other rulling families their seat at the council, but this was the only thing the weren't enclined to give him, so he spent years accumulating more and more influence, the smallfolk loved the famous warrior he was as well as the generous ruller. The other famillies joined his yet unknown cause one after the other till he was if not by law the true King of Sinedon.
Five years after he came back to Espoir Charles revealed to his most devout supporters his project, the goal he has been pursuing his whole life, give Sinadon a fearfull military force. His point was limpid, better to use the money to hire an army than to give it to the surrounding rulers. He used his tactical abilities to convince his opponents, and killed those which still disagreed. Once again the smallfolk supported him as he fed them with nationalist discourses on the legitimate right of Sinadon to defend his territory. To the most powerfull rullers of Erathia he promised that his army will never take arms against them, and that he and the council will continue their "financial agreements".
Since Sinadon was to small to have an army fitting Charles ambitions, he hired sellsword and bought their total allegance with more gold than anyone could gave them. The most talented of his mercenaries were offered to lead the brand new military academies Charles was building. From now on he would be able to add to his mercenary force, warriors traaines by his better generals. Sinedon would become a refference to anyone wanting to become a soldier.
Still Charles which had fought around erathia for years, knew Sinedon was lacking one thing... one thing he couldn't buy with money or gems. Each civilisation had their ultimate warriors, dragons, devils, Angels, Titans... each civilisation had his allmighty warden, not Charles. Sinadonians believed in no other god than profit and opportunism, no dragons or angel would never champion their cause. They were far from the magical knowledge needed to create titans, and Charles always dispised necromancy. He considered the demoniac rituals but soon discraded it, he wanted to be under no one's influence.
Wasn't money able to give him this ? it has served him and served him well during his whole life, why would it fails him today ? madness was making its way in his mind, and he knew that he wouldn't get rid of it without his champion. It's from this madness that the idea of building his champion came. he maybe had no god or beliefs, but in Sinadon dwelled many of the most skilled craftsman and engineers. Dwarves, human or elves the profit gathered them in Sinadon's towns, he would hire them, threathen them, kille their familly if need be, but each of em will give his life to the building of his ultimate goal. Years after the Death of Charles, as his heir was leading the council, the creature finally went out from the Delané 's workshops... if angels are smart they should fear Charles last madness...
here it is for my background, I'm sorry for the english, i m french and i don't have the vocabulary needed to make it as good as i wished.
I know that for some it's important that each civilisation venerate one god, yet mine has none. in fact the only god they ever believed in was themselves, their money and the power it would give them. If you add this to their Sellsword military background i immagine a racial skill not based on magic but on something more logistic. it could be for instance an ability for the heroes to buy back fallen creatures during combat. Due to the same reason their army is like the undead imune to morale effects.
Yet those are only ideas.
For the units... well i'm always up for new features. I liked heroes 3 and 4 a lot but why always think to bring back old creatures. Beholders and gorgons were cool, cyclops as well, but why not immagine others ? new skills, new skins... i admit that i would prefer new creatures
Still i know lot of you would enjoy to see some of those old school monsters back to business, why not ? that's one the main point of my trader's town, they hire sellswords units, there is no racial restriction ! I have some ideas on units but to make them consistent i need drawings of them, since you ve never seen them. It's not that i wouldn't enjoy to do it, But the time misses for now. maybe in some weeks i'll found the time, but not yet
If you have ideas, appreciations feel free to tell them. Nival will never hear of it, and i'm sure they already know which race will be added in the next expansion pack, but i don't really care
Very well done. I like it a lot. What's that level 7 unit going to be? 
. 
