manifest in Conflux towns. Queen Catherine and the recently liberated King Roland are assisted by the mysterious elven warrior Gelu in the ensuing war. Xeron obtains the Blade, but is defeated by Gelu on his return to Eeofol. Gelu claims the Blade, and, at the behest of Queen Catherine, uses it to slay Lucifer Kreegan. Following this event, the Ironfists return to Enroth and the Blade is passed on to Gelu. The story is continued in Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost, eventually leading to a cataclysm that sets the stage for Heroes of Might and Magic IV. In the Armageddon's Blade campaign, the player takes command of Queen Catherine Ironfist, the main character of Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia, as well as King Roland Ironfist, the protagonist of Heroes of Might and Magic II. New characters introduced include Gelu, a half-elven archer, and Xeron, leader of the Kreegan armies. The five standalone campaigns feature a multitude of previously-unseen characters. "Dragon Slayer" features the Bracadan wizard, Dracon, while "Festival of Life" introduces the barbarian Kilgor who has a prominent role at the outset of Heroes of Might and Magic IV. "Dragon's Blood" stars Mutare, a dungeon overlord who returns in Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons along with Adrienne, the protagonist of "Playing with Fire". Finally, the unlockable "Foolhardy Waywardness" campaign features the Knight, Sir Christian, who also returns in Heroes of Might and Magic IV. As an aside, the epilogue of the "Foolhardy Waywardness" campaign explains the reason for Sir Christian's appearance as the player's starting hero in The Restoration of Erathia'''s first campaign, "Long Live the Queen". Development Work on the Armageddon's Blade expansion began in early 1999. The developers originally intended to focus the storyline around a new, futuristic faction, the "Forge" alignment, allowing the game to act as a continuation to the "evil" ending of Might and Magic VII while showcasing the science fantasy aspect of the core Might and Magic series, which had never been evident in the Heroes of Might and Magic games. Although the Forge faction was almost completed and functional, some fans reacted negatively to its inclusion, believing that the inclusion of science-fiction destroyed the Heroes series' fantasy-based atmosphere. Midway through the expansion's development, New World Computing decided to scrap the Forge faction and removed all references to its existence from the game's storyline, instead building upon