Kreegan

The Kreegan, or the Kreegans, are a race of technologically advanced, hive-like humanoids who are one of the main enemies of the Ancients. They have taken over Paradise Valley and Eeofol after invading the planet Enroth on the Night of Shooting Stars. The Inferno lineup is composed of Kreegans and creatures summoned and bred by them, such as the  Efreet and  Hell Hounds. Commonly known as  Devils, and primarily represented by that unit in Heroes games. Also sometimes called demons, as are their various summoned and bred creatures. Despite being called that, and indeed being monstrous in their ways, the Kreegans explicitly have nothing to do with any mythological hell or the concept of a metaphysically wicked devil.

A key reason why the Kreegans do their interstellar conquests is that their biology forces them to continually breed and gather resources until the planet can no longer support their numbers, then send their ships to other worlds to renew that cycle. They brutally conquer these worlds, ravaging them and picking them to the bone. The natives are systematically exterminted. Extremely prolific, the Kreegans multiply very fast, with the enormous, grotesque Hive Queens being primary breeders. There are also other Kreegan females who serve as lower echelon breeders and are capable of creating hybrids between the Kreegans and the races of the worlds their conquer. New devils grow up very fast, becoming powerful, deadly fighters soon after they are born.

Various advanced technologies, weaponry and magics are employed by the Kreegans. Their influence also extends to alternate planes of existence, many of them practicing a form of teleportation that involves going to another plane and then returning in a different place. Upper echelon breeders and the Kreegan elite guard are also practically impossible to kill with the ordinary weapons and spells. They are felled only by something very powerful, like the Ancient blaster weapons.

The Ancients first discovered the Kreegans around three centuries before the Silence, at some point before Enroth was seeded with VARN MCMIV. The devils were attacking outlying colonies in the Ancient region of space and stealing their resources. The Ancient attempted to reason with these aliens, thinking the Kreegans only needed certain minerals. However, the Kreegan cycle of breeding and planet looting made them too voracious, and they also refused to expand in a different direction than the Ancients.

War broke out, reaching tremendous proportions, with the Kreegans disrupting the the Web of Worlds. The Kreegan proved to be such a threat to the world in the care of the Ancients that the war against them consumed virtually all the attention and resources of this godlike civilization. This state of war is the reason why the Ancients have still not re-established contact with Enroth, and many other planets, for over a thousand years.

They came from the depths of the Void, an ancient enemy of an ancient people. No one knows why they hate us so, or why they have made war upon us. Some say the struggle against their evil is the Mandate of Heaven. Though their origins and purpose are shrouded in mystery, their plan is simple. They travel, they land, and then they conquer. Now, they are here on our world, to do to us what they have done to so many others. And they will do it. Unless someone stops them.
-- Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven intro

Against all odds, the inhabitants of the Silence-ravaged Enroth have managed to save their world and repel the invasion, albeit not without help from the Oracle, the Ancient weaponry and the Conflux. The main hives were destroyed, and nearly all Kreegans on the planet wiped out. Escaton himself describes this as being amazing, since it is considered next to impossible for a world that has fallen as far as Enroth to defeat the Kreegans.

They are represented by the Inferno.

Kreegan reference

The following is a short story that was written by Christian Vanover and published on the now-defunct 3DO message board.

"Good afternoon! I discovered that earlier today the University received a letter from Xanthor. Since I knew that you would want to hear word of him, I shall read his letter to you.

*ahem*

"To the Staff and Students of the University of Erathia…" blah, blah, blah, "…August 6th, 1164."

"Colleagues." He's always so formal, isn't he?

"I know my journey has barely begun, but I felt it would be a good idea to keep you posted of my progress on a regular basis, even if at times it seems like nothing is happening. In the two weeks since leaving the University, I have seen little in the way of the excitement that Prof. Finch and I encountered in Stillbog."

"We continue to travel to the northeast, toward AvLee and the Contested Lands. The weather has been good, and looks to stay that way, though as we travel farther to the north at this time of year we should definitely find some cooler climes. A Knight by the name of Desslock is our guide to the Contested Lands. Beyond that I understand that an experienced Ranger will be leading us through the forests. The eastern countryside of the kingdom is beautiful. Gentle, rolling hills and quiet streams make for a pleasant journey, and it's easy on the eyes as well. I would like to thank you all again for allowing me to tour the world!"

"Ah, here is where things get curious."

"But there is a reason I chose to write to you today. Last night we stayed at an inn in the town of Whitestone. Strange thing about this town, we didn't actually *see* a white stone anywhere. In fact, most of the buildings weren't built of stone at all! Anyway, we met a messenger who had stopped there for the night who told us that he was on his way to the capitol. He said that he had not read the letter that he was carrying, but that it was given to him by a commander of the eastern garrison near Eeofol, a volcanic range on the eastern coast of the continent.

Apparently, there had been some sort of battle there. The Erathian guard was not involved, they merely found the site where the battle took place. Actually, the messenger knew very little of the events, only that which he had heard while waiting to receive the letter. If what he heard was true, the battle was between creatures from Eeofol and creatures from the underworld, much like what we saw in Stillbog."

"Since Xanthor doesn't mention it, I should point out for those of you who don't know that the Eeofol range is home to many of the creatures of the Infernos."

"Unfortunately, I have no other information of the incident, but our journey to AvLee should take us near Eeofol. I shall keep my eyes and ears open for any other news."

"Warmest regards, Xanthor.

Well, that's the letter. I shall have to see if I can gather any information from here. Do not worry, there have been no problems from that part of the world in centuries. Xanthor should be safe and sound."

CLARIFICATIONS

"After reading Xanthor's letter yesterday, I realized that there were a few things I should probably clarify. First, let me start with the Infernos. These places of summoning and breeding are only part of Erathia's recent history. You see, approximately three years ago, a race of devils known as the Kreegans mysteriously appeared in Erathia. Several astrologers claim their arrival was signaled by a star that fell from the heavens, crashing into the volcanic Eeofol range where the Kreegans are most prolific.

Shortly after their appearance, they immediately began to attack the nearby settlements. Initially, the only resistance they met were the garrisons of the Contested Lands. The Kreegans moved so quickly that the human cities of Dunwall and Marishen, along with the elven city of Bath'iere, fell before any large force could be brought against them.

Troops from Erathia teamed up with elven armies from AvLee, and together were able to halt the advance of the Kreegans. However, not even the combined might of the two strongest armies in Erathia could secure a victory. As the generals sought a solution, one came from a most unexpected place. The Dungeon Overlords, long-time enemies of Erathia, attacked the Kreegans from their flanks, but rather than destroy the army, they subdued them. The Kreegans, apparently now under the command of the Dungeon Overlords, retreated back to the Eeofol range, where they have remained for nearly all of the last two years.

In that time, new garrisons have been created by both humans and elves alike. Reconstruction of Dunwall has begun, and the armies of Erathia and AvLee have found themselves in several insignificant skirmishes with creatures now bred or summoned within the Eeofol Infernos. More often than not, it is troops of the Dungeon Overlords who step in when the Kreegans seem to get out of hand. The event that Xanthor reported was evidence of that.

With luck, we will one day be able to rid the continent of the scourge of the Kreegans and their allies. However, one must wonder why the Dungeon Overlords, who have never been friendly toward Erathia, did not merely allow the Kreegans to run rampant across the land?

Ah, well, that is a pondering for another time."

DISTURBING LETTER

"Oh dear, I just received a disturbing letter from Xanthor:

"To the Staff and Students…" blah, blah, blah, "…August 14th, 1164."

"Today was very strange indeed, and I fear that if I do not put today's events into writing before turning in, I will wake tomorrow having forgotten much of it. I shall try to remember it all.

"Our travel has been swift. Desslock tells me that we should reach the Contested Lands in as little as another week provided the weather holds. In fact, we're making such good time that this morning when we came upon the town of Claxton, Desslock decided we would spend the day here and leave tomorrow.

"As you know the library in Claxton is one of the most complete outside of the University (not including, of course, the libraries of Bracada), so I decided to spend the afternoon there. I wasn't looking for anything specific, but I did come across several interesting texts, including one highly entertaining novella written about many of the famous personae of Enroth. I'll have to see if I can't get a copy made for the University.

"About mid-afternoon, a slender gentleman entered the room I was in and began casually browsing through the scrolls. He was wearing a long coat of sorts, similar to the clothing of the Bracada Highlands, which seemed odd considering the warm weather. When I inquired, he said something about not having packed enough summer clothes for his journey. I pressed him further (you all know how nosy I can be), and discovered that he was from Silver Cove in Enroth!

"Well, we must have chatted for hours, eventually leaving the library for a nearby tavern, him telling me about Enroth and I about Erathia. I feel I need to report, however, some of the news of Enroth. First, the continent is in chaos. Apparently the armies of Enroth were not nearly as successful of stemming the tide of the Kreegans as the armies of Erathia. According to my friend, King Roland Ironfist marched an army to face the devils and never returned. Between that and the increasing number of natural disasters that have been occurring, many are starting to believe that the Ironfists have lost the 'mandate of heaven,'¹ which he explained as 'the divine right to rule.' Hearing some of his tales, I thanked my lucky stars that such occurrences did not happen here in Erathia.

"At one point, my friend began rummaging through his pack that he carried with him, and I noticed a sealed letter marked with the name Zenofex. When I asked him if that was his name, he quickly shoved his belongings back into his pack and said, 'I can't discuss it here. Meet me back at the library in 10 minutes.' With that, he left the tavern.

"Well, you know how easily distracted I get, and tonight was no different. There was a travelling bard at the tavern who was telling a story but seemed to be making it up as he went along. I was enthralled, and as a result I completely lost track of the time.

"Suddenly there was a woman's scream from outside in the street. Everyone in the tavern, myself included, ran outside to see what had happened. It was dark, but we could see that across the street, at an entrance to an alley, a body was lying in a slowly growing pool of blood. The woman who had screamed said that she had seen the man come out of the tavern and cross the street. Just as he got to the alley, a figure wearing a foreigner's longcoat leapt from the alley, slit the man's throat and then just disappeared into the shadows.

"By the time the city guard arrived and managed to clean up the mess, most of us had returned to the tavern, though in a much more somber mood. As I mulled over the murder that had just had just taken place, a patron approached me and asked if I was related to the victim. This of course seemed like a strange question, but I told him I was not related and asked why. 'Because,' he said, 'you look a little bit like he did.' I downed the rest of my wine in a single gulp, then asked for an armed escort back to the inn where we were staying. I then began writing this letter.

"I don't know who this Zenofex person is, but I hope never to see him again, or if this traveler was actually him. I shall be staying a little nearer to Desslock for the next week.

"Until next time, Xanthor."

"I do hope he stays out of trouble. He could have gotten himself killed! Well, you must excuse me, I must see that this letter is sent to the King's palace. The King will certainly want to know of the goings on in Enroth."

-Finch

¹ See Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven.

Trivia

• The Kreegans are the overarching main villains of the entire Enroth saga of games that spans Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer and the first four installments of the Heroes spin-off series. Even when they are not the immediate antagonists or absent from a story altogether, the consequences of their actions are still felt, as the war they wage on the Ancients caused Enroth to fall into decline, thus them being a major reason for much the suffering this world faces due to its sorry state. They also prevent the Ancients from bringing Enroth back into their fold. As Jennifer Bullard puts it, "In many ways the Kreegans are the original demons faced in the M&M worlds".
• "Kreegan" is likely a reference to the German word "krieg", which means "war".
• Although Erathians initially assumed that Nighon forces subdued and controlled the Kreegans, it was actually an alliance between the two, as Nymus' biography reveals. Although the initial campaign was going well for them, the Kreegans ended it early. They decided to strike later, together with the Dungeon Overlords, who were ideologically and economically motivated to attack Erathia in the near future, as described in Dungeons and Devils and To Build a Tunnel. This eventually led to Eeofol playing a role in the Restoration Wars.
• Sandro has also unwittingly helped the Kreegan plan of taking over the planet. As described in Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, Catherine being recalled to her father's funeral after he was poisoned aided the heretical religion of Baa in their efforts to weaken the Kingdom of Enroth, considered to be a power that could potentially stop the Kreegan invasion. Xenofex expected that the Kreegan would take over this world after Baa had finished its job and toppled the Ironfist rule. Kreegan Alliance features the Kreegans being initially skeptical whether Sandro would be useful to their plans, thus putting him through a test before they accept his scheme. The Legacy and Unlikely Alliance mention Baa closely watching the events and even spying in Steadwick, anticipating King Gryphonheart's death.
• Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor reveals that, with the Hive in Paradise Valley destroyed, and the Baa conspiracy unraveled, the Kreegans soon betrayed their allies. Eeofol withdrew its support, leaving the Dungeon Overlords to fend for themselves soon after the tide of the war turned into Erathia's favor. This is why there are no Kreegan armies in Tunnels and Troglodytes.
• As Kastore describes to the Lords of Harmondale in Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, the Kreegans "breed faster than rabbits". He then alludes to newborn Kreegans growing up very fast, saying that "the longer you wait, the more you'll have to fight".
• A prime example of this extremely fast growth is Xeron, who was born after the Night of Shooting Stars, thus being no more than nine years old by the time of the Erathia-Kreegan war. Xeron also shows that the Kreegans sometimes create hybrids of themselves with the races of the worlds they conquer, his father being a human local of Enroth.
•  Imps,  Familiars, Gogs,  Magogs,  Demons, Horned Demons,  Pit Fiends and  Pit Lords are all likely not members of the Kreegan race, since it is implied in various ways that the Kreegans are devils specifically, such as The Inferno text singling them out among the summoned and bred creatures, or that those units don't resemble devils from the sixth and seventh Might and Magic games, unlike the Inferno devils. However, the lore does leave room to interpret these creatures as being at least a variation of the Kreegan race. Moreover, Greg Fulton has stated, noting it as his own interpretation, that all demons in the setting could probably be considered Kreegans unless proven otherwise.
• Also, some fans theorize that the  Devil and  Arch Devil units, or at least many of them, are hybrids like Xeron, due to their similarities to him. While possible, this is not confirmed, as these devils could just as easily represent "pure-blooded" Kreegans.

Gallery

• Devils land near Sweet Water in Paradise Valley during the Night of Shooting Stars. The four heroes of the game narrowly survive, and would eventually save the world from the Kreegan
  (MM6 intro)
• Trailer for Might and Magic VI that was included on the Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars CD. It focuses more on the destruction of Sweet Water, and shows how Falagar teleported the heroes to safety.