Chapter 2- Introduction
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To see him outwardly distressed though, was truly concerning. What otherworldly force could distress Corak the Mysterious? The man so supremely composed and powerful that he was considered the greatest warrior since the days of Kalohn the Vanquished. The most respected High Priest that Cron had ever known. And, simultaneously, the most knowledged and learned Archmage ever imaginable.
He spoke to himself as he worked feverishly among his tomes and experiments. He spoke of his 'prisoner'. A man named Sheltem who was now loose in Cron -- and of how Cron was 'out of alignment' and if he could not correct it, fiery death would sweep across all the known world.
Using a strange claw-shaped talisman, he would disappear into his study. Sometimes he would be gone for moments but return from it looked tired and haggard as though he had been gone for several weeks. Other times he would disappear into his study for days and return looking refreshed and energetic.
And then one day, after another feverish fortnight of intense trips to and from his study--A clap of lightning shook the building, and Corak was gone. All that remained were the charred stains of what must have been a great deal of energy.
This is the world of Cron.
Long ago, there was void. And then, one by one, the Elemental Gods were seeded into the nether.
First came Acwalander, the lord of Water. And for a time, things were ordered and good.
Next, the Air was seeded, and Shalwend, the lord of Air, battled Water to a fierce but steady stalemate.
Pyrranaste, the Fire lord, deemed the time right for attack, and conquered Air and Water while they were weakened from their previous battle.
At last, Gralkor, the supreme lord of Earth, came and laid all the warring Elementals to defeat, establishing himself as the most supreme. So, setting his new slaves to task, a large landmass was built across Cron, using Earth as the firmanent, with remnants of land and air and water remaining throughout. Thus, did the land of Cron take shape.
And then, from that same seed that spawned the elements, life began to form. And the elementals found themselves powerless to resist. Humans and demihumans slowly took shape and began to build. They trod upon the mighty Earth. Water beaded off of them. Air swirled past and throughout them. Fire would burn them, but they had learned to use the other three to control it. Thus, under the might of the first humanoid leader--King Kalohn, the four elemental lords were subjugated to planes at the four corners of Cron, where they would be imprisoned indefinitely...and he took as his prize a magical artifact--a four-taloned claw--one for each element, representing his mastery over them.
But the elementals did not go peacefully. In their war with the humans, the elementals had learned from their observation of man the secret of magic. Acelwander, the Lord of Water, pooled all his might and in a gesture of vengeance created a being of unimaginable terror-- the Mega Dragon. The ripples of whose creation gave rise to the namesake beasts--those great and terrible creatures who roam the land and skies.
Meeting King Kalohn at the Savanna of Plenty, the Mega Dragon let loose a terrifying flood of raw energy and obliterated Kalohn immediately. Thereafter, the Mega Dragon itself perished under the waves of elemental water that flooded the Savanna, transforming it permanently into that swamp we now call the Quagmire of Doom. Some even say that the four-taloned claw is still out there. Lying under the murky brine where Kalohn the Vanquished met his fate.
A generation has passed--and in the wake of such devastation, chaos still reigns in Cron. Kalohn's daughter reigns with middling success from her palace. Lawlessness and cruelty is rampant. Corak -- the last, greatest hope for peace in our time has disappeared, and every day -- the sun high in the sky looks slightly brighter..and slightly warmer.
In this world, it is not the rule of law and decency that wins the day, but strength of might and magic.
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That's all paraphrased by me from the pages-long manual. Because this game was made back in a time when manuals were serious business.
If you don't read the manual and just jump into the game, your starting goal and background information is this:
This game gives you the option of importing characters from Might and Magic 1. If you do so, imported characters are levelled down to level 7 (6 if you haven't found the Inner Sanctum), they can bring over a max of 1000 gold, 100 gems, and 40 food. This can give you a decent but not overpowering headstart in Middlegate. However, I just decided to go with rerolling a new group all at level 1.
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