"I'm the Duke now. And I am alone."
—Heroes VI trailer
Anton Griffin is a hero and protagonist in Might & Magic: Heroes VI.
Background
First legitimate child of Duke Slava and Duchess Cate of Griffin, through his childhood Anton enjoyed all the privileges – and sacrifices – such a position bestows. Instructed in religion, politics, leadership, and combat, Anton grew up a quiet, serious child, groomed for one purpose alone: to one day inherit the Griffin Duchy and become Duke himself. Aside from a babble of mysterious voices that plagued his early years but were eventually muted with the help of Jorgen, one of his father’s councilors, Anton was contented with his lot until political maneuverings saw his sister, Irina, forced to wed the despicable Duke Gerhart of the Wolf Duchy. Bitter, but unable to confront his father for his staunch fidelity to the emperor, Anton’s brooding is only broken when Slava is shockingly murdered at the hand of his other daughter, Anastasya. With the old voices back and blaming the Faceless, and knowing he will now never resolve his differences with his father, the newly crowned Duke is a very angry and vengeful Griffin.OffBck
Anton is the oldest child of the Griffin family but was the first legitimate child of Duke Slava and Duchess Cate of Griffin. His early childhood was ideal: loving parents, healthy siblings and an earnest education in swordplay, politics and the dominant religion of the Holy Empire, the Church of Light. There was one sour note, though: Anton was plagued by mysterious voices as a child, a mystical affliction he had inherited from his mother, Cate. His father hired a special councilor to help him block the voices out of his mind. This councilor turned out to be Jorgen, who succeeded to an extant.
Cate left the family one day and was never heard from again, with her children still too young to understand. Soon thereafter, Slava had to give the hand of his daughter Irina over to the Wolf Duke, Gerhart, his father's long-time rival. Anton grew bitter, and though he continued to learn the skills necessary to assume his future function as heir to the Duke, he began to question his father’s priorities, but he never had the time to confront his father man to man. On Anton’s 21st birthday, Slava was assassinated by his younger daughter, Anton’s little sister Anastasya. Anton was then forced to kill his own sister to spare her from the Inquisitions wrath. Suddenly the Voices that Anton had nearly forgotten returned to him, blaming the Faceless. Anton, as the new Duke, went on a witch-hunt to rout out the Faceless from his lands, declaring that the only religion acceptable in the Griffin Duchy was faith in Elrath, the Dragon of Light.
This proclamation certainly pleased Emperor Liam and his Angel councilors but caused Anton to lose the support of many of his vassals. Unfortunately, several counts and barons decided to take up arms against their lord to defend their right to worship Ylath as well as Elrath, and soon the whole Duchy was in a state of civil war. The spirit of Ishtvan, the first Griffin Duke, opposed him, as he thought he was not a good successor, given his actions. However, Anton, guided by the voices that only he hears, managed to prove himself that he was a worthy duke, settling the spirit into the afterlife. Hoping to put an end to the madness, Jorgen revealed himself as a Faceless, forcing him to hand Jorgen over to the Inquisition. However, this eventually helped him realize the error of the path he was treading upon. It was after that realization, Anton allowed his disgruntled nobles back into the fold and began to not only pray to Elrath but to Ylath as well, like his father before him.
The wars of the Second Eclipse finished breaking Anton’s fanaticism as he pieced together how the Angels, led by Uriel, had been deceiving his family and himself for decades with the goal of engineering a new Elder War. Later, he also fended off the Naga attack on the Wolf Duchy, only to see his sister, Irina, had defeated Gerhart and had a child on the way. Accepting her claim to the Wolf Duchy, Anton rushed to the capitol, Falcon's Reach, and defeated Ahribban, a demon prince that killed Emperor Liam. Despite this, Anton managed to save the late emperor's niece, Gwendolyn, who would soon take a liking to him, from demon cultists and after she ascended the throne, he pledged to protect her from any threats. As the extent of Uriel’s Deception was fully revealed by him and his siblings, Anton became a vocal advocate of the separation between the church and state. These reforms would later be called the Charter of the Griffin.
Gwendolyn's regime
Anton married Gwendolyn and had three children with her: Morvan, who became the next Emperor, Vyacheslav inherited the Duchy and his youngest daughter Sorsha enlisted in the military and became known as a strong defender of justice and honesty .[1] Anton and Gwendolyn would later construct a new castle, Talonguard, as a retreat from all the politics and troubles of the empire. It would centuries later become the capitol of the Holy Griffin Empire.
Gameplay
Heroes VI
Anton is a Knight.
Scenarios
Haven Campaign
- Something is Rotten: Anton must banish the Orcs from his duchy while also fighting with baron Djordje.
- Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair: Anton must defeat the remains of Djordje's supporters while also fighting armies of dead.
- Tempt Not a Desperate Man: Naga invaded the Holy Falcon Empire, putting the capitol Falcon's Reach under-siege and Anton must capture the cities under their control.
- A Battle Lost and Won: With Demons invading the heart of the Falcon Empire, Anton must kill their leader, Ahribann and break the siege of Falcon's Reach.
Necropolis Campaign
- Towards the Within: Anastasya needs to defeat Anton in the dream to go further.
- The Spider's Stratagem: Anton waits near a Sheogh portal to beg Anastasya for forgiveness.
Inferno Campaign
- The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Kiril advises Anton to tell Elder Ulah to capture Toghrul.
Duel of Champions
- Main article: Anton (card)
Anton appears as a hero card. He is the leader of the Haven faction.
Notes
In Towards the Within, The Spider's Stratagem and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell scenarios, as well as the games introductory cinematic and main menu, he is seen as a Paladin, rather than a Knight.
Appearances
Anton appears in Might & Magic: Heroes VI, Might & Magic X: Legacy and Might & Magic: Duel of Champions.
Gallery
Sources
