The twelve heroes

The twelve heroes were a group of adventurers who gathered at the Great Library of Delphinad during the Hidden Era, roughly 2,000 years before the present day of Erenor. Their expedition to the Garden, the birthplace of the world, transformed them into gods. Their subsequent conflicts and betrayals shattered Auroria and forced the surviving races to flee south, founding the civilizations that players inherit.

The expedition

The journey began when Inoch was freed from prison, where he had been locked up for inspiring a satirical play that mocked lesser gods. The twelve traveled north from Delphinad through frozen peaks, a scorching basin, and untamed forests. They eventually discovered a massive crater at what turned out to be the navel of the world.

Descending an ancient stairway into the crater, they encountered remnants of previous failed explorers and fought dragons. Naima, a dancer and priestess of the Misac tribe, was the first casualty. She died fighting a dragon while protecting Gene Evernight.

At the bottom, the remaining eleven found an ornate gate guarded by a fae creature named Lancisa. When Orchidna touched the glyph on the gate, it opened. The fae revealed it had been bound as gatekeeper "until the end of this world, or until another came to take her place." The companions forced Orchidna onto the throne, binding her as the new gatekeeper, then entered the Garden individually.

Members and their fates

Each member who entered the Garden emerged merged with a divine soul fragment from the Mother Goddess Thiol, who died in the process. Eleven gained godlike power, though their fates varied widely.

Gene Evernight

Gene merged with Kyrios, God of Destruction. Associated with the Battlerage skillset. The fusion corrupted him. Under the influence of Anthalon, Kyrios's ancient advisor, Gene raised armies of undead and laid siege to the kingdoms of Auroria. He killed Tahyang, Melisara, and Aranzeb. He was eventually killed, resurrected, and trapped in the Garden.

Kyprosa Daeior

An Elven scribe and archivist of the expedition, Kyprosa inherited the powers of the former gatekeeper Lancisa. She returned to fight in the War of Auroria and later became the Keeper of the Gate to the Hereafter. Associated with the Vitalism skillset. She is considered the most reliable source on what happened inside the Garden.

Eanna Nimush (Nui)

The noble daughter of the governor of Delphinad, Eanna was selfless and kind-hearted. She accepted Thiol's soul fragment and merged with Nui, becoming the Goddess of the Hereafter. Associated with the Occultism skillset. When Gene's wars destroyed Auroria, Eanna sacrificed herself to open the first Hereafter gate, a portal that allowed survivors to escape to the southern continents. She expended all her power in the act and sealed herself along with Kyrios in the Hereafter. The western continent of Nuia is named after her.

Orchidna

A fairy or half-elf, Orchidna was forced to serve as gatekeeper of the Garden after the companions bound her to Lancisa's throne. She was left behind while the others gained divine power. She eventually escaped by striking a bargain with a demonic entity. This deal unleashed the Warborn into the world and connected her to the Akasch. Orchidna became the queen of both the Warborn and the Akasch, championing their liberation from their dimensional prison. Her imprisonment and betrayal by her companions is one of the most morally ambiguous threads in the lore.

Tahyang Kahlzit

A Firran, Tahyang became the God of Wind. Associated with the Archery skillset. His people revered him as their patron deity. He was killed by Gene Evernight during the destruction of Auroria. His soul was trapped in limbo. The Firran became nomadic wanderers after his death.

Aranzeb

An Elven mage and scholar, Aranzeb inherited great sorcerous power. Associated with the Sorcery skillset. He made the Covenant of the Sacrificial Hill to stop the gods' destructive conflicts and stood against Kyrios in the final battle on Auroria. He was killed by Gene Evernight, his soul trapped forever in limbo.

Melisara Livolla

An Elven warrior associated with the Shadowplay skillset. Melisara gained the power to trap souls during assassination. She was killed by Gene Evernight during the destruction of Auroria, her soul trapped in limbo alongside Tahyang and Aranzeb.

Ollo

The son of a Dwarven king, Ollo merged with Shatigon, God of Iron Walls and Abundance. Associated with the Defense skillset. He built a powerful defensive army. After gaining divine power, Ollo became obsessed with the knowledge stored in the Great Library of Delphinad, seeking to learn how to turn back time and prevent his father's death. His clash with Inoch over access to the Library destroyed it, obliterating much of the world's accumulated knowledge.

Aranzebia (Dahuta)

An Elf and Aranzeb's goddaughter, Aranzebia merged with Dahuta, Goddess of the Sea and Change. Associated with the Witchcraft skillset. Described as childish and jealous, she fell into deep depression after Aranzeb's death. She sealed herself in an abyssal island, and her obsession with Aranzeb manifests in her compulsion to change people to resemble him. Dahuta's influence shaped the maritime dangers that players encounter, and her temples can be found in underwater zones.

Inoch

Born among the Hiram people of northern Auroria, Inoch sprouted wings as a young person, a condition that made him an outcast nearly killed by his own people before he fled Hiramakand. He merged with Haje, God of Sealed Doors. Associated with the Auramancy skillset. Inoch helped Nui separate Gene from Kyrios in the final battle and later sealed the door to the Hereafter. His refusal to let Ollo access the Library of Delphinad triggered the battle that destroyed it.

Lucius Quinto

A human from Delphinad, Lucius gained the power to change forms at will. Associated with the Songcraft skillset. He joined the Covenant of the Sacrificial Hill alongside Aranzeb. After Nui's sacrifice, Lucius made a promise to keep her appointments and wandered the world spreading her word. He is one of the less documented heroes, but his shapeshifting ability and devotion to Nui's legacy made him a wandering legend.

Naima

A dancer and priestess of the Misac tribe, Naima was the first and only expedition member to die before reaching the Garden. She was killed by a dragon while shielding Gene Evernight. Because she never entered the Garden, she was the only member who did not receive a divine soul fragment. The Spelldance skillset added to the original ArcheAge in version 8.0 was created in her honor, representing her graceful combat dance style that exuded healing power.

Legacy

The twelve heroes became the gods of the Delphinad Pantheon. Each is associated with one of the game's twelve skillsets. Their actions, from Nui's selfless sacrifice to Gene's catastrophic corruption to Ollo's desperate attempt to cheat death, defined every aspect of Erenor's history. The two southern continents, the factional divides, the sealed threats of the Crimson Army and the Akasch, and the ongoing tension between mortal civilizations all trace back to what happened when twelve people walked into the Garden and came out as something else entirely.

In ArcheAge Chronicles, set roughly 50 years after the original game, the consequences of the twelve heroes' actions still resonate. Auroria is being resettled for the first time since they destroyed it.