From the times before the First Dawning some Heroes have pitted their strength against their foes, overcoming adversity through force of arms. Ours has always been a Fighter's world, and our history is replete with examples of the warrior's creed. The Knights of the Petty Kingdoms, the mounted archers of the Horse Nomads, the soldiers who follow the War Lords, and the Great Berserks of the Frozen North are all fighters at heart - no matter the particulars of their craft. Whether they fight for a cause, for glory, or for the simple love of slaughter, they fight.

Men of action, fighters depend upon their strength and toughness to survive, and many regard fighters as dull-witted sluggards. The fighter's path is the easiest, they argue, for the warrior lacks the faith and devotion of a healer, the long, arduous study of the mage, or the rogue's finely honed craft. Try telling that to the fencing masters of Mellissar, who have trained eight hours every day with their blades since their fifth birthday, or the yeomen of Gend, who legends say can fire twenty arrows from their longbows of yew in the space of a minute.

Steel has a discipline all its own, and a master fighter is capable of feats of arms that can be as potent as any magic. Besides, when the forces of Darkness or Chaos threaten the world, it is the fighter, not the mage or healer, who meets them head on, and always stands in the greatest risk of death.

Fighters tend also to be leaders of men, who can rise to lead entire armies and govern over kingdoms. In these dark times, such men are desperately needed. The High King himself showed how much a fighter with a sword could change the world. Alas, his downfall and The Sundering have shown how much a single fighter can destroy...