Erathia
NOTE: 'Erathia' is sometimes used generically to refer to all of Antagarich (especially in the Lost Lore 
).
Erathia is a kingdom on the continent of Antagarich. It is ruled by Gryphonheart dynasty, and it is inhabited mostly by the humans. Most of the campaigns in Heroes of Might and Magic III - Restoration of Erathia and its expansions Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death take place in Erathia.
Erathia is mainly represented by the 
Castle. To a lesser extent, it is represented by the 
Rampart and the 
Tower.
Its capital is Steadwick.
Rulers
- King Rion Gryphonheart
Queen Allison Gryphonheart
Mad King Gryphonheart
King Niven Gryphonheart- King David Gryphonheart IV - Ruled during the beginning of the Timber Wars.
- King Aaron Gryphonheart IV - Put down the Harmondale rebellion of 817 AS, but soon died fighting AvLee.
King Nicolas Gryphonheart- Queen Catherine Ironfist (née Gryphonheart)
General Morgan Kendal- Unidentified new king
History
The nation was founded by Rion Gryphonheart during his uprising against the Barbarian King Tarnum. The throne remained in the hands of the Gryphonheart dynasty until Queen Catherine married Roland Ironfist of Enroth.
In 1164 AS, King Nicolas Gryphonheart was poisoned by Lord Haart. General Morgan Kendal took control of the country in absence of the former king's daughter and heir to the throne, Catherine Gryphonheart, who was living on the continent Enroth with her husband, Roland Ironfist, King of Enroth. Erathia's neighbours chose to take advantage of this situation. The west part of Erathia was invaded by Tatalia and Krewlod forces, the east and south were taken under the control of the united Eeofol and Nighon armies, and the north fell to Deyja. After the initial attack, Queen Catherine finally arrived from Enroth and landed on the shores of Southern Erathia. With the help of Enrothian knight Sir Christian, she was able to regain control of this part of country, and began her march for the Erathian capital, Steadwick. To accomplish this task, she sought help from the forces of Bracada and AvLee.
Meanwhile, Steadwick fell to the hands of Kreegans and Nighon. The Deyjan necromancers used their magic to resurrect king Nicolas, who then led the undead armies against his former nation. But with help from Bracada, Catherine managed to recapture Steadwick. Together with Mages and Elves, the Erathian military drove out all of the invaders.
Queen Catherine Ironfist (née Gryphonheart) stepped down as the Queen of Erathia, during the final events of Armageddon's Blade, and she no longer had authority to command her father's kingdom. The throne fell to Gen. Morgan Kendal, the highest General in Erathia and the commander of the Royal Erathian Military Command, who had previously ruled the kingdom after the murder of King Nicolas Gryphonheart. His task was to choose the successor to the throne. By the end of Clash of the Dragons, a new king ruled Erathia.
History of Erathia
The following is a short story that was written by a New World Computing employee and published on the now-defunct 3DO message board.
- "The History of Erathia is long indeed, and like the Ironfists of Enroth, the Gryphonhearts have been the ruling family since before the Silence. While there has been relative peace in recent years, there are many conflicts in Erathia's past. The Elves, for one, still claim the Contested Lands as their own, and the Timber Wars ended more than 300 years ago. The races in this land are as different as the terrains. From the forests, to the swamps, to the highlands, to the snowy wastes, to the desert sands - the inhabitants change with the scenery. Actually, it is amazing that with this much diversity that conflicts do not occur more often.
- You must forgive me, but I must return to my work. I shall speak more later.
NOTE: Gregory Fulton said the detail of the Gryphonhearts ruling since before The Silence is likely an error. According to Heroes Chronicles, Rion Gryphonheart founded Erathia after The Silence and the fall of Bracaduun.
Trivia
- Erathia's Rampart representation mostly comes from the Contested Lands and the Forest Guard.
- In addition, at least one Rampart town and one Tower town can be found in Erathia proper, as shown in Groundbreaking.
- The most famous Erathian Tower town is Cloudfire, a wizard outpost on the southern coast. It is actually the first Antagarich location ever depicted in the games, being where the Restoration of Erathia intro takes places.
- Marishen and Silverwing are also possibly located in Erathia proper.
- During the reign of Queen Catherine, Enroth's banner, with a lion on it, was used as Erathian banner in addition to the traditional griffin banner. This is shown in Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor, where the lion banner appears in Castle Gryphonheart and, if the player chooses Erathia, in Castle Harmondale.
- Catherine ruled both Enroth and Erathia after returning to and defending her homeland in the Restoration Wars. As she expresses in Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer, she considered herself to be the ruler of Enroth first.
- Catherine abdicated the Erathian throne in 1171 AS, near the conclusion of the Erathia-Kreegan war. She then left for Enroth very soon after the victory, intending to stay there. It is mentioned in Heroes of Might and Magic IV that she once defeated the orc Gurt, one of Kilgor's generals. This strongly hints that Catherine did return at some point to aid Erathia during the wars that brought about the Reckoning. However, it can be interpreted that she fought Gurt before the her and Roland's voyage to Enroth that was depicted Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer.
- However, if Catherine did return, she did not assume the throne again, only aiding her homeland as queen of the allied Enroth. By the time Mutare Drake's invasion was repelled, Erathia was ruled by a new king.