Generation 9 Heroes

Magnus is one of those rare heroes who can confidently claim to have defeated an ice dragon den with his bare hands, tamed the untamable Beast of the Abyss, and single-handedly beat back an entire legion with a pistol and three mud-filled socks. Read all about it and more in Magnus' hot-selling autobiographical series "The Adventures of Magnus the Magnificent", which are allegedly "based on true events". Indeed, Magnus is already more myth than man in the eyes of countless youngsters all over the Tundra. Sadly, Magnus has yet to confirm or deny which happenings in his "autobiographical" series are actually true events. By contrast, famed explorer Bahiti has on several occasions publicly described Magnus' claims as "99% bunk" and the work of an "average explorer who for all of his skills remains no more than that".

Bahiti and Magnus' testy public relationship was not always so heated. On at least one occasion the present-day foes saved each other's lives. Explorers to the end, Bahiti and Magnus once found themselves holed up in the ruins of an ancient city. Argument over finder's rights quickly gave way to panic on seeing an approaching mercenary group. Surrounded on all sides by ancient buildings that were either crumbling or riddled with traps, they formed an uneasy but effective alliance. Even Bahiti admitted it probably saved their lives—proving Magnus must have at least some skill. Their only regret? What little treasure they retrieved had not been worth the taking. Sadly, this brief friendship soon crumbled under Bahiti's renewed mockery of "Magnus the Magnificent's tall tales", who returned to defending himself against Bahiti's "conspiracy of skepticism".

Magnus' obsession with becoming the best explorer of his age must be traced back to his parents' legacy. Although ordinary hunters in their time, the couple always claimed to be descendants of the world's mightiest pioneers, and were convinced the same heroic blood flowed through their son's veins. It was not long before Magnus began to adopt the look and characteristics of his imagined ancestors—with swashbuckling style and heroic exaggeration. Mockery from other children had no effect. Of course, Magnus is not just a speaker of words but a doer also, who by vigorous training almost backs up the boasts of his youth. Unfortunately, his exaggerations have expanded with age too. As summed up by Jesse: "Whatever you might say about Magnus, there's no denying his many stories have brought joy to countless kids."

Magnus' impressive list of ancestors include a famous adventurer who explored the seven seas, every continent, priceless archaeological ruins and ancient treasures beyond number. Not even the autobiographical version of Magnus has done that. The only achievement his ancestral pioneer left incomplete? Reaching the edge of the world. Not to be outdone, Magnus has publicly sworn to fulfill his ancestor's unfinished dream by planting his family crest on the very edge of our planet. This great feat, he has declared, shall be performed come what may—even if, as some have warned, the Earth is actually round.

"Show me the fire. I'll deal with the heat!" Fred has been a dependable fixture of the City's fire brigade for what seems like centuries, first to wade into the fiery maelstrom, last to surrender survivors' dwellings to the flames. Many years of service have built up a strong sense of gratitude on behalf of grateful survivors for his efforts. A Fire Chief has to be smart too. Fred hasn't survived this long without building up an uncanny understanding of unusual scenarios and a sixth sense for risk. This is surely why the last great engineers of the Solaris Dynasty gifted Fred with the so-called "Antifire", an extremely advanced and powerful piece of firefighting equipment the likes of which has never been seen since.

Strip away all the oldworld heroics and Fred consistently models a strong sense of humility and kindness, endearing him to his fervent fans everywhere—particularly in the Dawn Alliance. If Fred has a fault, an extremely minor one, it is that the man simply doesn't have much of a sense of humor (or, for that matter, the ability to detect sarcasm). To quote Bahiti on this topic: "Fred's the nearest I've ever seen to a perfect human being. If only he could lighten up a little..."

Fred would not claim to be perfect. Many decades ago, when the world was a very different place, Fred was already well-known in the Solaris Capital as the city's youngest ever and most successful fire chief. It was in fact on the eve of a ceremony celebrating Fred's achievements, with the anointing of a great bronze figurine in his honor at the Fire Bureau's gates, when disaster struck! The great Fire Crystal at the heart of the capital, powering much of its industry, ignited into an enormous explosion that rocked the city. Fred's failures that night have become an eternal weight on his conscience.

Fred has had plenty of time to ponder the collapse of the Empire in the years following. Had he been but a noble cog in its unfeeling machine, blinded by devotion? Which, once the pomp and majesty were removed, was covered by the scars of suffering and injustice? Fred has learned to accept that for all the faults of the new world, cities today do not have to maintain themselves at such a vast human cost. It was the arrival of the Dawn Alliance that ultimately filled Fred's heart with the hope missing since the Great Collapse. Now he is devoted not only to the extinguishing of harmful fires, but to that much deadlier fire: the fire of war, which threatens all of humanity.

How else should survivors interpret Xura's strange mask, unusual clothing, and odd accent except that he comes from a distant kingdom, far from the present-day Tundra? If only some well-versed explorer could explain which one! Enquiring minds want to know—Xura remains tight-lipped about his origins. Of course, the short traveler is welcome everywhere anyway. Xura has tried to emulate the language of the Tundra and mount the seemingly insurmountable cultural differences between his own way of thinking and the locals' as best he can. Added to this is Xura's ever-friendly attitude and, most importantly, the extraordinary herbal remedies with which he has cured many survivors to the bafflement of city physicians.

Where did Xura get his herbs? Most of the plants have never been seen on the Tundra, nor can grow there, adding further fuel to the rumors that Xura hails from a place utterly different to the frigid hellscape stretching from horizon to horizon. More curious still is Xura's thirst for knowledge about anything and everything to do with the Tundra, its people, flora, and fauna. His special rapport with local animals has often been remarked upon, as well as a strange willingness to test the medicinal properties of random plants—he often eats them on the spot.

Certain researchers from the Dawn Alliance on a mission to uncover Xura's origins have traced the symbols in his journal to a long-lost tribe known as the "Windbreakers". Xura's mask appears to be shamanistic, indicating a spiritual role around the "Gaia Spirit" in addition to his medical responsibilities. Surviving records of the Windbreakers are scarce, but paint a picture of a tribe on the verge of extinction even before the Great Chill. Xura's arrival has at least settled the debate on whether the Windbreakers survived. It also points the way to several promising possibilities.

Long before the world experienced a calamitous chill, the Windbreakers under the foresight of their witch-doctors migrated to a vast underground cave system anchored by the "Great Tree". The Windbreakers found new sources of heat and sustenance even without the warming rays of the sun, especially from the tree's strange roots, and adapted to their new subterranean life. As fate would have it, their odd choice of dwelling sheltered the tribe from the worst of the Great Chill. Yet Elders say the life force of the Great Tree is fading. And only a legendary Fire Crystal can provide revitalizing nourishment. Xura may only be a recent initiate, but on his shoulders now falls the burden of wandering a strange land to save his people.