Heroes

Alec Shaheen knew that this world was not the only one. His long fascination with the ancient ruins of the Dasht-e Jenn desert uncovered stories of powerful spirits, separated from Earth by a great veil. Ignoring the mockery of his colleagues, Shaheen abandoned his doctoral studies to scour the desert for a hint as to how this veil could be pierced. To survive he became a guide and cartographer; it was not long before one of his clients, a shadowy businesswoman, revealed that she believed his theories and wanted to fund a more thorough expedition. Shaheen did not question his fortune. He organized everything, and, after a year of rigorous searching, located the fabled Compass of Zephaeren; reportedly the key to crossing the veil.

As soon as Shaheen had identified the Compass, the group's escort of tribesmen turned on them, slaughtering the other researchers. Shaheen only escaped by activating the Compass. In the strange realm that he found himself in, he impressed and befriended a fearsome djinn named Bathiel. Days later Shaheen returned through the veil, bringing his new ally with him, and defeated the surprised tribesmen that were still hunting for him.

With Bathiel's help and guidance, Shaheen took the name of Zephaeren's legendary student, Malichae, and began tracking down the earthly locations of other djinn, learning to call on their aid. He knew he would need as much help as could get. Someone had already killed for the Compass's secrets, and would surely try again...

Shardmaster promo: In mastering the art of summoning his four djinn companions, Malichae grew closer to them and their world. He found his appetite for the bustle of humanity had ebbed, preferring the ancient mysteries beyond the veil; the stories of great wars that Bathiel had fought in, or the ethereal cities Somael had defended. Malichae returned to the ruins of Zephaeren's tomb, spending his time in secret there, studying the scrolls left by those before him. But his isolation could not last: though he had prevented the evil djinn Oriphel from crossing to Earth, many of Oriphel's followers were still wandering the desert, looking for him and his companions...

Ministry of Strategic Science promo: Over the course of several adventures alongside the hero Titan, Malichae had caught glimpses inside the great Ministry of Strategic Science vault; he knew it contained more secrets than any other place on Earth. So when Somael was turned to stone in a conflict with the rogue djinn Djaril, Malichae came to the Ministry with an offer: to work as one of their agents in return for access to the vault's secrets. Inside he found the means to restore his friend, but that was not all. He also learned to call on the djinn's abilities without fully summoning them; soon he could fire Bathiel's Umbral Javelin from his own hand. The Ministry was delighted at the powers of their newest agent, but Malichae could not prevent a growing uneasiness. His previous experience with a human-djinn hybrid had not ended well at all...