Tanares is a world that shares as much beauty as it conceals dangers. It’s the home of unique landscapes, powerful beings, deadly creatures, disasters, heroic actions, and mysteries.
The Arcana War ended just as the Scriptures prescribed: all armies in the world perished at the doorstep of the most powerful kingdom in history, which followed the same path — swallowed by a massive fissure in the earth, mirrored by an equally frightening opening in the sky, in a region now called the Wasteland.
This power vacuum was quickly filled by a mighty survivor of the war whose identity is unknown. In collusion with the Church (who wanted no more deviation from the peaceful path determined by the Gods) and the nobles (who did not want to lose their status to vanish alongside their now extinct private armies), this “Faceless Emperor” picked up the pieces of the fragile world and now holds them with an iron hand.
In this way, Tanares has been through a fragile period of peace. But that doesn’t mean the land is free of strife. Nations, cities, and species hold grudges and conflicting interests as they compete for the same resources.
It was in this context that the Empire created the Arena, a place where such conflicts could be resolved through violent contests while keeping the loss of life to a minimum. These Arenas quickly rose to become the epicenters of politics, culture, and entertainment. Single battles became as important as full-fledged wars because they could decide the destiny of an entire nation and its people. And thus the combatants became as important as whole armies. As a result, only the strongest, fiercest, or most well-paid warriors battle in the Arenas. These unique fighters are, deservedly so, called Heroes.
How long can this delicate balance of power be sustained? This question is especially important now that the territory known as the Wasteland — created in the wake of the biggest war in history, and long thought to be uninhabitable, saturated with toxic gas and dark energy — seems to be somehow expanding.
The Empire hires a team of some of the best Heroes in the land for a secret mission, but what they discover — and the mysterious lurking threat behind it — might change Tanares forever, bringing everything they know to an end.
The deeply developed lore of Arena: The Contest takes you to the center of this story. Its epic campaign has many situations, decisions, and paths, allowing players to choose from alternatives that are sound and fluid. It brings to the table the concept of alternate endings, in which the choices made during your journey affect the Quests you will play, your achievements, and, ultimately, how the campaign ends, making your game sessions truly engaging experiences.
