Roland

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Roland the Knight
Basic information:
	Class:	Knight
	Gender:	Male
	Race:	Human
Recently freed from the Kreegans, Roland respectfully serves as a general in Erathia's military under his wife Catherine. Someday soon these conflicts will end, and he and Catherine will return to Enroth. However, both must decide what will happen to the Erathian throne.
Specialty: Swordsmen
Increases the speed of any Swordsmen or Crusaders by 1 and their Attack and Defense skills by 5% for every 4 levels (rounded up).
Starting Level:
Level
Starting primary skills:
2 2 1 1
Starting secondary skills:
Basic Leadership
Basic Armorer
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[[File:{{{skill_8}}} _small.png			link=]] {{{skill_8}}} [[]]
Starting troops:
Pikeman 10–20 Always  Archer 4–7 88% (Always )  Griffin 2–3 25% (Always ) [[File: Creature portrait {{{troop_4}}} small.gif|{{{troop_4}}}|link={{{troop_4}}}]] [[{{{troop_4}}}|{{{troop_4}}}]] Always [[File: Creature portrait {{{troop_5}}} small.gif|{{{troop_5}}}|link={{{troop_5}}}]] [[{{{troop_5}}}|{{{troop_5}}}]] Always [[File: Creature portrait {{{troop_6}}} small.gif|{{{troop_6}}}|link={{{troop_6}}}]] [[{{{troop_6}}}|{{{troop_6}}}]] Always [[File: Creature portrait {{{troop_7}}} small.gif|{{{troop_7}}}|link={{{troop_7}}}]] [[{{{troop_7}}}|{{{troop_7}}}]] Always
Starting movement points:
1560

Roland the Knight is a Castle hero.

He is not an original Restoration of Erathia hero, but was added in Armageddon's Blade and is also available in Shadow of Death.

By default, Roland is not playable, but he may be enabled in custom scenarios in the map editor.

Story

Roland as he appears in Heroes II.

King Roland Ironfist is married to Queen Catherine Ironfist.

Alternative biography

The following biography appeared on the official (now-defunct) 3DO website:

As a young man Roland was far too trusting of other people. While his brother, Archibald, plotted and killed several seers, Roland did not believe these deaths could be anything but accidents. Betrayed by his brother, who accused Roland of killing the seers, he was forced to flee in order to escape imprisonment. Mustering together loyal followers, the beloved Roland led a revolution against his brother. Roland won the war. Archibald became a stone statue and was placed in the Library.

Following the Succession Wars, Roland received an offer from King Gryphonheart of Erathia to marry his daughter, Catherine. Impressed by her beauty and incredible skill as a warrior and leader, he accepted. They soon wed and happiness became his. Not until the birth of his son, Nicolai was this happiness topped. For Roland, life had become perfect.

For ten years all was peaceful until the appearance of devils on the Enrothian border, and Roland was forced to drive their presence from the land. Taking a company of well-trained men he attempted, and failed, to drive the Devils out. Instead, he was captured and transported to Erathia. Roland was not freed until seven years later when a group of adventurers came to his aid. He then rejoined his wife and son for a brief reunion.

Letters to Catherine

The following letters from Roland Ironfist to his wife, Catherine Ironfist, were added to the manual of Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven. Note, that the text used in the manual was formatted poorly, and as a result some parts of the text are difficult to read or may appear to have orthographical mistakes (such as a lack of apostrophes).

July 28, 1152

My Beloved Catherine,

It is my sincere hope that this letter will lay to rest the fears you have expressed for my safety and that of my men. As you must understand, this trip could not be avoided. Both the Kilburn investigation and the Blackshire appointment require my personal attention, and I haven't visited the Northwest in ages. It troubles me that you should fret over my welfare during my absence, however short it will be. So please, dear, accept my promise that I will return by September without mishap.

After all, what could go wrong? I have five hundred armed men in my expedition, all of them veterans of the Archibald campaign. I am a popular king travelling in lands no one disputes as mine, and we have heard no news of rebellion or unrest. Many people flock to watch us pass through their hamlets and villages, eager to get an admiring glimpse of their king and his men.

Nothing stands in our way and no dangers beset us. Even the monsters are scarce. We've seen but a handful of goblins and ogres, and not even one dragon. The only trouble we ve had was a freak snowstorm that struck as we entered the village of Rockham. Even that - peculiar as it was - was of little consequence, as the villagers put us all up for the night in their houses and barns.

Of the devils that some say plague towns in the Northwest, we have only rumors. We have not yet encountered a soul who claims to have seen one himself, nor anyone who has found the bodies of Lord Kilburn and his Rangers. The only devils we have seen are these huge mosquitoes that love the swamplands so much. Wretched pests! My place in history would be assured if I could only think of a way to rid the world of such nuisances.

No, Catherine, Lord Kilburn was probably slain by something much more mundane than devils - perhaps a pair of dragons or a large band of highwaymen. Either way, we shall resolve his disappearance in short order, bringing any human culprits to justice or slaying any monsters. I cannot have my men attacked with impunity !

Now, once again, put your fears to rest and believe me when I say that I will return come September. Tell our son Nicolai that I love him, and know that I love you with all my heart.

Forever Yours,

Roland Ironfist

August 4, 1152

Dear Catherine,

Due to the snowstorm in Rockham, of which I wrote you last week, we have reached Blackshire one day behind schedule. By the time you receive this letter we shall once again be on our way, following the leads we discovered while in town. Kilburn's expedition disappeared a few days march west of here, so we shall soon reach the site of his last stand and begin tracking the killers.

Blackshire received us enthusiastically, and a few hours consideration was all I needed to select a new town magistrate. His name is Acton Spindler, formal replacement for my previous magistrate and old friend Aaron Hampton. I have reason to suspect that Hampton was murdered - poisoned to be specific - but there is no time for me to conduct another investigation personally. Instead, I am leaving Fineous Hogworth behind to look into the matter.

Ordinarily, I would not involve myself in local criminal matters, but Hamptons death fills me with a vague unease. It is probably a much simpler matter than that, but I am nonetheless anxious to learn the results of Hogworth's inquiry.

In the meantime I am proceeding with my investigation into Kilburn's death. Yesterday evening, at the inn in Blackshire, I received a letter from a rather nervous messenger who said he was paid to bring it to me by a mysterious stranger who didn't look quite human. Pressed for a description, he could only say that the stranger was very tall and broad shouldered: You know, BIG - like he barely fit into his own body. And that he wore a hat that could have concealed inhuman ears.

The letter turned out to be a map showing a location near Kilburn's last-known camp with the name Kilburn circled in red ink. I smell a very obvious trap, which could, of course, conceal a more devious plan, but I cannot see exactly how. Or perhaps the stranger is honestly trying to help anonymously. Either way, no trap set by man or monster can overwhelm the fighting force I have with me. Caution will see us through this safely.

I will, of course, write you when we arrive in Edenbrook. You are always in my thoughts, and I miss you dearly. Please convey a father s love to Nicolai.

Love,

Roland Ironfist

August 11, 1152

Dear Catherine,

I cannot honestly say that our trip to Edenbrook was uneventful. As we approached the town we encountered a trickle of refugees fleeing Edenbrook that gradually increased to a flood. When questioned, they told us that an army of devils had been spotted walking and hopping toward Edenbrook - a town with no wall and no standing garrison. I immediately increased our pace to reach the town before the monsters could sack it.

It was well that I did, for our arrival was but hours ahead of the enemy. Exhausted and ill-prepared to fight against an unknown enemy, my men nonetheless girded for battle. I ordered archers to the hilltop overlooking the town, and infantry to hide amongst the houses near the road, with flanking cavalry out of sight around the hill. Thirty men on horseback were sent on ahead to lure the enemy into the trap.

It worked. The devils must have lacked even rudimentary discipline or intelligence, for they immediately gave chase to my men. The horsemen raced past the archers hiding below the crest of the hill, and passed into town with the devils hot on their heels; the bait was taken, the trap sprung. As hundreds of the most filthy, vicious, and stupid beasts ever to draw breath filled the road beneath the hill, I gave the archers the signal.

Arrows rained down upon the devils from above while the infantry sprang from their hiding places to bar entrance to the town. Before the first shock of the two armies clash faded, the light cavalry rode around the hill, charging into the main mass of devils with lance and sword. Then the battle began in earnest, and it was all we could do to hold our lines against the demonic horde.

Though the battle was short, the tales of valor and bravery are many. Sir Ragnar rescued Chief Sorcerer Tanir from certain death, when he was set upon by no less than five devils, after his fireball spell failed. Ragnar charged into the group swinging wildly and screaming like a barbarian. His first swing lopped one head clean off while the next skewered an enemy through its black heart.

The other three devils quickly overcame him, but a recovered Tanir slew all three with his famed insides out spell in time to save Sir Ragnar. You'll be happy to hear that he is recovering nicely at the House of Healing in Edenbrook and will be out of bed in no time.

Unfortunately, many were not so lucky. Others who survived the combat itself contracted a disease our healer says was caused by the filthy condition of the devils claws. In all, eighty-three men fell in the fight against these devils. Yet, we have providence to thank that our fortuitous arrival in Edenbrooks hour of need prevented the death of hundreds more. The devils suffered much heavier losses - 272 dead. The survivors, - much less than half, thankfully - fled as one, on some sort of unseen signal, and we were too exhausted to give chase. After a short rest here we will hunt them down and finish them off.

I know you will want to know that I have survived the battle unscathed. I fear that what I have just written may be disquieting, but you would never forgive me for telling you anything but the truth. I am entrusting my advisor Sulman to take care of the detail of informing the families of the fallen as I have entrusted him with so many other things, including the delivery of these letters to you. He will handle the matter with tact, and can be relied on to select the speediest messengers for my letters!

Eternally,

Roland Ironfist

p.s. I will send another letter after we have caught up to that demonic army and dispatched it. You and Nicolai should hear from me in about a week.

August 18, 1152

Dear Catherine,

Before the sun rose over the battle of Edenbrook, we departed to give chase to the monsters. Clouds streamed over our heads, very like the ones that delayed us in Rockham, threatening more summer snow. Dauntless, my men pressed on, driven by the desire to avenge their fallen comrades and send these foul demons back to the Hell from whence they came.

The devils seemed tireless at first, stopping only for water and fleeing like darkness before the sunrise. We chased them for days, even though they seemed to be outdistancing us mile after mile. Our forced marches and short rests made the hot summer days nightmarish and confusing. Several men were felled by the heat and strain and we had to send a small contingent of sick men back to Edenbrook lest they die from the stress of the march.

On the fifth day we reached the bitter, barren land of Pleasant Valley. If the demons did not turn from their path soon we would chase them into the sea. Since we simply could not catch them at their tireless pace, I took a gamble and travelled northwest until we reached the old trade road that snaked along the western coast, hoping that when the enemy reached the sea, they would lack any real plan and would follow the road.

Again, the enemy proved mindlessly predictable, and again, I was able to lay an ambush that proved decisive. With a full days rest at the narrow pass I had chosen, my men were able to contrive a vicious ambush that would have turned Archibald green with envy. When fully half of the enemy had filed into the pass we attacked, rolling boulders down the cliff face and showering them with arrows. The avalanche we caused blocked the road, splitting the demonic army in half. We concentrated on the part of the army that had yet to travel through the pass and thus lacked leadership from the front. In minutes we had decimated that portion without a single loss on our side.

The remaining army of devils immediately fled north, chased by our arrows and curses. Considering the small number of devils remaining - forty-five or so - and the difficulty in chasing them any further, I declared the mission a success and we spent the night celebrating our victory.

The celebration, I fear, was premature. As the night hours wore on, my outriders began to return from their scouting details with reports of an army of devils - numbering in the thousands! - travelling out of the badlands in our direction. I was forced to order a retreat: hunter and hunted reversing roles. Catherine, I write this letter to you during one of our infrequent and brief rest stops. Our pursuers are faster than us and do not tire as easily. My scouts and seers report that the demons have followed our trail despite all efforts to shake them, and these horrible summer snowstorms seem to pursue us as relentlessly as the devils themselves. I fear there is a traitor amongst us, somehow signaling the enemy our every move.

My dear, I want you to give this letter to Wilbur Humphrey. He is to organize an army large enough to put these devils down, say twenty- five thousand men, and do it immediately. I also want you to call upon Rocklin, the King of the Dwarves, and inform him of the situation. He'll come - this danger affects both our kingdoms, and he also owes me a favor since I came to his aid during the Succession Wars against my evil brother Archibald. In the meantime, we will flee east again to seek a fortified location that can hold off the demonic army until help can arrive. I am not going to reveal the location until we arrive there for fear these messages will be intercepted by the enemy. I am having Sulman dispatch our fastest messenger with this message. May you get this soon and act on it sooner. I am counting on you and thinking of you and Nicolai all the time.

Roland Ironfist

August 23, 1152

My beloved,

We reached Castle Kriegspire a day ahead of the enemy and have fortified our position in anticipation of attack. This is the last message you will receive from me until we are liberated by the army you and Humphrey are preparing.

I thank the gods that I reserved this particular castle as a future reward for some loyal knight or nobleman. It has been unused since the Succession Wars, having formerly belonged to a supporter of my brother. Provisions here are meager — we are counting on resupply from either Rocklin or you, as we can only hold out for two weeks with the available rations . The forces we have here are barely adequate for a defense, but we should be able to last until your reinforcements arrive. Hurry!

We have spent some time exploring the castle, finding many secret passages and surprises; perhaps we may even find an escape tunnel! If the wall is breached, the traps, pits, and secret ways will serve us well. I hope it never comes to that, but it is best to be prepared. I will be much relieved if the treacherous necromancer who used to own this castle was paranoid enough to have dug an escape tunnel.

Sulman has been a great help during this entire misadventure, and he has promised to look into the cause of the snowstorms - he is, after all, a Master of Air - to see if they are divinely sent. Another has already formed over our castle and is even now covering us with snow and misery. Devils seem to operate better in cold weather. Anyway, this siege will give Sulman plenty of time to look into the causes. Perhaps the traitor, that is surely amongst our ranks, is also the cause of the storms.

Fear of such a traitor has me sleeping poorly at night - presuming I could ever sleep well in these circumstances. What would a man have to gain from such treachery? A high post in the devil hierarchy? I would like to see that! Wealth? Do devils even HAVE wealth? What could it be? If there is such a traitor, I shall catch him and have him publicly strung up and tortured. To think that he is probably hiding under my very nose makes me sick unto death. There is nothing worse than a traitor. Even Archibald would agree!

Well, no use complaining. He will show himself soon enough, I am sure. I must go now and finish preparations for the siege. Know that if I never see you again, I love you and I love Nicolai. And, if you love me half as much, move as fast as you can to send reinforcements to our rescue.

Pray for us,

Roland Ironfist

p.s. If I should fail to return, tell Nicolai that the Third Eye is in the Well - he'll understand when the time is right. It is his birthright and he will need it if he is ever to be King.

Appearances

Armageddon's Blade

Return of the King as a player hero.

To Kill A Hero as a player hero.

Oblivion's Edge as a player hero.

Specialty

Roland's specialty is bugged. It does not give bonuses to Swordsmen, only to Crusaders (fixed in Horn of the Abyss ).

The in-game description "Increases the Attack and Defense skills of any Swordsmen or Crusaders for each level attained after 4th level." is erroneous in "each level attained" moment, and lacks the speed bonus information. (Description is fixed in HotA ).

Unlike the native terrain speed bonus, the creature specialty speed bonus can affect the hero's movement points in case the creature is the slowest one in the army.

Level	10	12	12	12
4	+1	+1	+1	+1
8	+1	+2	+2	+2
12	+2	+2	+2	+2
16	+2	+3	+3	+3
20	+3	+3	+3	+3
24	+4	+4	+4	+4
28	+4	+5	+5	+5
36	+5	+6	+6	+6
44	+6	+7	+7	+7
48	+7	+8	+8	+8
56	+8	+9	+9	+9
64	+8	+10	+10	+10
68	+9	+11	+11	+11
75/88	+11	+14	+14	+14

Official Renders

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User commentary

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King Roland is an exact copy of Sorsha the Knight, except he has Armorer secondary skill instead of Offense.

See also:

• List of campaign heroes
• List of heroes
• Hero class
• Hero biographies
• Hero specialty
• List of hero specialties
• Heroes from previous games