The Hero of the Second Age

The Hero of the Second Age also known as The Mercenary or The Mercenary of the Second Age is the player-controlled protagonist of and its expansion, . 
There is no preset name or title, and the player can choose to create The Hero of the Second Age from five different races:
* Human
* Elf
* Dryad (Female only)
* Half-Giant 
* Dwarf (Available only with )
The player is free to choose which fighting-style suits them best, melee, ranged Nature magic or Combat magic, or a combination of all four. In Broken World, two additional classes has been added: Fist of Stone (combining melee and Nature magic) and Blood assassin (combining ranged and Combat magic). 
==History==
===Early life===
The Hero of the Second Age grew up in the Elven town of Aman'lu. Some of the friends The Hero of the Second Age had were the Elves Finala and Drianjul, as well as Drianjul's brother Drevin, who would become The Hero of the Second Age's best friend. The Hero of the Second Age would come to crave adventure and when Valdis came to recruit mercenaries to fight for him The Hero of the Second Age and Drevin joined him, lured by the promises of fame and wealth.
=== The Shield of Azunai ===
Their final battle for Valdis took place at Greilyn Island, home to the Dryads. Valdis' forces attacked the Temple of the Coast, defeating the defending Dryad forces, and Valdis claimed an ancient relic stored within. During the battle Drevin gave The Hero of the Second Age a medallion, which had been in his family for generations, for safe-keeping. This turned out to be an act of foresight as Valdis then betrayed his mercenaries, killing everyone except for The Hero of the Second Age who was shielded from the strike by Drevin. Left for dead, The Hero of the Second Age was found by the Dryads and taken to their village of Eirulan. Amren, an Elf who had spied on The Hero of the Second Age during the battle, requested that The Hero of the Second Age would be given a chance of redemption, and while the Dryads were reluctant to release a follower of Valdis they complied and eventually freed The Hero of the Second Age from custody.
The Hero of the Second Age attempted to return home to Aman'lu, but on the way they encountered an Azunite scholar. From him The Hero of the Second Age learned that the First Age came to an end when the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth met in battle, and that Valdis believe the key to controlling this age was to gather all the Aegis pieces, one of which was the relic taken from the Temple of the Coast.
Realizing the threat Valdis posed to all of Aranna, The Hero of the Second Age set themselves on a new quest to gather the Aegis pieces before Valdis. The Hero of the Second Age traveled to Windstone Fortress and assisted the resistance there before returning to Aman'lu, only to find the town in ruins. Valdis and his Dark Wizards had already been there, seeking the Aegis of Death, but instead learning that princess Evangeline of the Northern Reaches had been there first, removing the Aegis by caravan. The Dark Wizards let loose a magical blast that destroyed Aman'lu, leaving only a few scattered survivors. After saving the town from the magic fires from the blast, The Hero of the Second Age attempted to track down the caravan, but found it had been attacked and the Aegis stolen by the Vai'kesh. Seeking out the Vai'kesh The Hero of the Second Age defeated their warriors and leader, as well as a monster guarding the relic, before finally claiming the Aegis of Death.
But princess Evangeline had been taken elsewhere: Impatient to rejoin the fighting the princess had gone ahead of the caravan, only to be captured by the Dark Wizards and be brought to the Azunite Burial Grounds. The Hero of the Second Age defeated the sole Dark Wizard guarding her, and the princess joined The Hero of the Second Age. Together they made their way to Snowbrook Haven just as the Morden army were laying siege on the castle. The Hero of the Second Age assisted in the defense, even slaying the dragon Talon, but the castle was ultimately lost when the Dark Wizards sent their Shard Souls upon the resistance. With the resistance crushed it was all The Hero of the Second Age could do to claim the Aegis of Blindness and flee through a portal to the city of Kalrathia.
In Kalrathia The Hero of the Second Age learned that the Morden were occupying the city. After restored the city's water, The Hero of the Second Age ventured to the Morden city of Darthrul to negotiate with its chieftain. The meeting ended in bloodshed, and The Hero of the Second Age killed the chieftain. Reporting these news to their leader, the Kalrathian people were inspired to rise up against their Morden oppressors, and after a brief but bloody battle Lord Kalrathia gave The Hero of the Second Age the Aegis of Sight. 
Next, The Hero of the Second Age went into the Mines of Kaderak, seeking the last Aegis which was in the hands of the Dark Wizards. Confronting three of the wizards at once, The Hero of the Second Age emerged victorious and could claim the final Aegis, the Aegis of Life - the very relic The Hero of the Second Age had helped Valdis seize in the first place from the Temple of the Coast. 
Although Lord Kalrathian was murdered by his advisor he was able to aid The Hero of the Second Age one final time - by giving The Hero of the Second Age directions to the ancient Agallans, the only ones able to reforge the Shield. While the Agallans were reluctant at first - believing history would repeat itself, and the Second Age would come to an end as the First Age did - they changed their minds when they realized The Hero of the Second Age held the Lost Fragment - a piece of the Shield lost during the first forging, which would enable it to meet the Sword of Zaramoth: Drevin's medallion. 
With the re-forged shield of Azunai and the end finally in sight, The Hero of the Second Age stormed Valdis' ancient fortress of Zaramoth's Horns, defeating Valdis' hordes and what was believed to be his Archmage, until finally facing Valdis himself. There, The Hero of the Second Age was met with betrayal: The Azunite scholar who had helped The Hero of the Second Age on several occasions turned out to be none other than the Archmage. However, the betrayal went both ways: Valdis, too, had been betrayed. It was the Dark Wizard who had placed the visions in Valdis' head which made him seek out Zaramoth's Sword, and convinced Valdis that he was Zaramoth reborn. The Archmage had manipulated both sides into reacquiring the Shield of Azunai and the Sword of Zaramoth in order to bring about the Endtime. 
The Sword shattered upon the Shield, which brought about the end of the Second Age and the beginning of the Third. The Dark Wizard escaped with the Shield, and The Hero of the Second Age were left to defeat and kill Valdis. Zaramoth's Horns crumbled upon Valdis' death, and The Hero of the Second Age escaped through a portal just in time. 
=== Broken World ===
The Hero of the Second Age is seen next a year later. With the world in shatters after the Endtime, The Hero of the Second Age had been on traveling foot, eventually coming to the Dryad Outpost. The Dryads, having been forced to flee when Greilyn Island sank into the sea, were reluctantly accepting human refugees under their guard, and The Hero of the Second Age learns one of the refugees had been driven mad after being instructed by a scholar. The Hero of the Second Age, suspecting the scholar is the Archmage in disguise, tracks him down and learn the Archmage of the Dark Wizards is an Overmage of the Cinbri, seeking to return his people to Aranna. 
Unable to confront the Overmage before he flees, The Hero of the Second Age returns to Aman'lu, attempting to rally the Elves against the Overmage. Instead they find the Elves broken and dispirited and under siege by the familiars - ancient creatures that ones preyed upon the Elves, and were locked away by Istaura, Isteru and Lorethal in ancient times. While able to defeat the creatures, the Elves refuse to join The Hero of the Second Age's quest to stop the Overmage. However, their leader Danadel allows The Hero of the Second Age to go to Solanum, a newly built Dryad city, but only for The Hero of the Second Age to find that the Overmage has already tricked the Dryads. Taking the shape of a male Dryad the Overmage has tricked the Dryads into believing he is a great prophet seeking to rebuild the world. The Dryads refuse to listen to The Hero of the Second Age, and the Overmage takes them through a portal.
Following them through the portal, The Hero of the Second Age ends up in Glorydeep, a lost Dwarven mine that had been overtaken by the Overmage and his familiars, forcing the Dwarves to rebuild the Cinbri City. Allying with the Dwarves, The Hero of the Second Age fights through the mines and halls into the city, eventually finding the Overmage surrounded by his Dryad captives. Sacrificing nearly all of them, the Overmage transforms into Zaramoth reborn, wielding the broken fragments of Zaramoth's Sword, but is defeated by The Hero of the Second Age, thus ending the final threat to Aranna. 
== Final Fate ==
Following the events of Broken World and the defeat of the Overmage, nothing is known whatsoever about the fate of The Mercenary of the Second Age. They are not mentioned in the or in Dungeon Siege III. However it is confirmed that they defeated the Overmage.
== Trivia ==
* The Hero of the Second Age's past and family is only vaguely mentioned (namely that the player's family perished when Valdis attacked Aman'lu) during the games, so there isn't anything but the player's own personal opinions that restrict or influence the choice of race, class or gender when creating The Hero of the Second Age. 
* The Azunite Spirit claims that The Hero of the Second Age is a descendant of Azunai, and the Dark Wizards call The Hero of the Second Age Azunai, alive again and wrapped in new flesh. 
* The Dungeon Siege 2 trailer shows several characters not encountered in the game. These could possibly be variations of The Hero of the Second Age, or player characters in the multiplayer.
==See also==
*
==Appearances==
*
**
==Notes==
==References==
ru:Герой второй эпохи
Category:Heroes
Category:Dungeon Siege II: Characters
Category:Broken World: Characters
Category:Characters of Unknown Race
Category:Characters
Category:Main Characters