- "So it's true, then? I am Azunite."
- ―The Hero of the Second Age
- "More than that, you are a descendant of the Defender himself!"
- ―Azunite Spirit
The Hero of the Second Age, also known as The Mercenary or The Mercenary of the Second Age, is the player-controlled protagonist of Dungeon Siege II and its expansion, Broken World. There is no preset name or title, and the player can choose to create The Hero of the Second Age from five different races:
- Human
- Elf
- Dryad (Female only)
- Half-Giant
- Dwarf (Available only with Broken World)
The player is free to choose which fighting-style suits them best: melee, ranged, Nature magic, Combat magic, or a combination of all four. In Broken World, two additional classes are available: Fist of Stone (combining melee and Nature magic) and Blood Assassin (combining ranged and Combat magic).
History[]
Early Life[]
The Hero of the Second Age grew up in the Elven town of Aman'lu. Some of the friends The Hero of the Second Age had were the Elves Finala and Drianjul, as well as Drianjul's brother Drevin, who would become The Hero of the Second Age's best friend. The Hero of the Second Age would come to crave adventure and, when Valdis came to recruit mercenaries, they joined him, lured by the promises of fame and wealth.
The Shield of Azunai[]
Their final battle for Valdis took place on Greilyn Island, home to the Dryads. Valdis' forces attacked the Temple of the Coast, defeating the defending Dryad forces, and Valdis claimed an ancient relic stored within. During the battle, Drevin gave The Hero of the Second Age a medallion, which had been in his family for generations, for safekeeping. This act turned out to be a sign of foresight, as Valdis then betrayed his mercenaries, killing everyone except for The Hero of the Second Age, who was shielded by Drevin's act of heroism. Left for dead, The Hero of the Second Age was found by the Dryads and taken to their village of Eirulan. Amren, an Elf who had spied on The Hero of the Second Age during the battle, requested that The Hero of the Second Age be given a chance of redemption. Reluctantly, the Dryads complied and freed The Hero of the Second Age.
The Hero of the Second Age attempted to return home to Aman'lu but encountered an Azunite scholar along the way. From him, The Hero of the Second Age learned that the First Age ended when the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth met in battle. Valdis believed that gathering all the Aegis pieces, one of which had been taken from the Temple of the Coast, was the key to controlling the current age.
Realizing the threat Valdis posed to all of Aranna, The Hero of the Second Age set off on a quest to gather the Aegis pieces before Valdis. Their journey took them to Windstone Fortress, where they helped the resistance, then back to Aman'lu, only to find the town in ruins. Valdis' Dark Wizards had already been there, seeking the Aegis of Death, which had been taken by Princess Evangeline of the Northern Reaches. After saving the survivors of Aman'lu, The Hero of the Second Age pursued the caravan, only to discover it had been attacked by the Vai'kesh, who had stolen the Aegis. The Hero of the Second Age defeated the Vai'kesh warriors and their leader, as well as a guardian monster, before claiming the Aegis of Death.
However, Princess Evangeline had been taken elsewhere. Impatient, she had gone ahead of the caravan and was captured by the Dark Wizards, who brought her to the Azunite Burial Grounds. The Hero of the Second Age defeated the sole Dark Wizard guarding her, and the princess joined The Hero of the Second Age. Together, they made their way to Snowbrook Haven, only to find the Morden army laying siege to the castle. The Hero of the Second Age assisted in the defense, slaying the dragon Talon, but the castle was lost when the Dark Wizards unleashed their Shard Souls. With the resistance destroyed, The Hero of the Second Age claimed the Aegis of Blindness and fled through a portal to Kalrathia.
In Kalrathia, The Hero of the Second Age learned that the Morden had occupied the city. After restoring the city's water supply, The Hero of the Second Age ventured to the Morden city of Darthrul to negotiate with its chieftain. The meeting ended in bloodshed, and The Hero of the Second Age killed the chieftain. This act inspired the Kalrathian people to rise up against their Morden oppressors. After a brief but bloody battle, Lord Kalrathia rewarded The Hero of the Second Age with the Aegis of Sight.
- "Azunai. You live wrapped in new flesh."
- ―Dark Wizard to The Hero of the Second Age.
Next, The Hero of the Second Age entered the Mines of Kaderak, seeking the final Aegis, which was held by the Dark Wizards. After defeating three of the wizards, The Hero of the Second Age claimed the Aegis of Life—the very relic they had helped Valdis seize at the Temple of the Coast.
Although Lord Kalrathian was murdered by his advisor, he helped The Hero of the Second Age one last time by providing directions to the Agallans, the only ones capable of reforging the Shield. Initially reluctant, the Agallans agreed to help once they realized The Hero of the Second Age possessed the Lost Fragment—a piece of the Shield that would allow it to meet the Sword of Zaramoth.
With the reforged Shield of Azunai, The Hero of the Second Age stormed Valdis' ancient fortress, Zaramoth's Horns. After defeating Valdis' hordes and what was believed to be his Archmage, The Hero of the Second Age faced Valdis. However, they discovered that the Azunite scholar was the Archmage, who had manipulated both sides into acquiring the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth to bring about the Endtime. When the Sword shattered upon the Shield, it marked the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third. The Dark Wizard escaped with the Shield, and The Hero of the Second Age was left to defeat Valdis. Zaramoth's Horns crumbled after Valdis' death, and The Hero of the Second Age escaped through a portal just in time.
Broken World[]
A year later, The Hero of the Second Age was seen traveling through a shattered world. The Dryads, forced to flee when Greilyn Island sank into the sea, had reluctantly accepted human refugees under their guard. The Hero of the Second Age learned that one of the refugees had been driven mad by instructions from a scholar. The Hero of the Second Age suspected the scholar was the Archmage in disguise and tracked him down, discovering that the Archmage of the Dark Wizards was now an Overmage of the Cinbri, seeking to return his people to Aranna.
Unable to confront the Overmage before he fled, The Hero of the Second Age returned to Aman'lu to rally the Elves. However, the Elves were broken and under siege by familiars—ancient creatures once imprisoned by Istaura, Isteru, and Lorethal. After defeating the familiars, The Hero of the Second Age was allowed to go to Solanum, a newly built Dryad city. There, they discovered that the Overmage had already tricked the Dryads into believing he was a great prophet seeking to rebuild the world. The Dryads refused to listen to The Hero of the Second Age, and the Overmage took them through a portal.
The Hero of the Second Age followed them into Glorydeep, a lost Dwarven mine overtaken by the Overmage and his familiars. After allying with the Dwarves, The Hero of the Second Age fought through the mines and into the Cinbri City, where they found the Overmage, now transformed into Zaramoth reborn, wielding fragments of Zaramoth's Sword. The Hero of the Second Age defeated him, ending the final threat to Aranna.
Final Fate[]
Following the events of Broken World and the defeat of the Overmage, nothing is known about the fate of The Mercenary of the Second Age. They are not mentioned in Throne of Agony or Dungeon Siege III. However, it is confirmed that they defeated the Overmage.
Trivia[]
- The Hero of the Second Age's past and family are only vaguely mentioned in the games (specifically, that the player's family perished during Valdis' attack on Aman'lu). There are no specific restrictions or influences on the choice of race, class, or gender when creating The Hero of the Second Age.
- The Azunite Spirit claims that The Hero of the Second Age is a descendant of Azunai, and the Dark Wizards refer to The Hero of the Second Age as Azunai, alive again and wrapped in new flesh.
- The Dungeon Siege 2 trailer shows several characters not encountered in the game. These could possibly be variations of The Hero of the Second Age, or player characters in the multiplayer.
See also[]
Appearances[]
Notes[]