- For other characters of the same name, see Irina.
"Irina was sold to a cruel lord..."
—Anton, Heroes VI trailer
Irina Wolf (formerly known as Irina Griffin) is a hero in Might & Magic: Heroes VI.
Biography[]
Sewing, music, poetry. Irina, the eldest daughter of Duke Slava and Duchess Cate of Griffin, couldn’t care less about these traditional female pursuits. Instead, together with her rough-and-tumble half-brother, Sandor, Irina enjoyed the broadest of possible educations, even convincing the Orc Kraal, master-of-arms of House Griffin, to teach her the ways of the wild and the art of warfare. Feisty and headstrong, Irina’s already limited tolerance for her assigned role in Imperial society was broken the day she was forcibly betrothed to Gerhart, the odious Duke of Wolf. On her wedding night, he attacked her violently and she in turn wounded him greviously. Imprisoned in the Wolf’s fetid dungeons, Irina was determined to die rather than apologize to the tyrant. But she was freed by Sandor, and they both escaped to the south-eastern islands of the Jade Ocean. Stranded in the heart of Naga territory, Irina finds herself a stranger in a strange land, but with the means to get her revenge on Gerhart and the Holy Emperor himself.OffBck
Though not particularly unhappy as a child, Irina understood from an early age that her value was in her beauty and in whom she might marry. Disgruntled at her lack of opportunity and disinterested in sewing, music, poetry, and dance, she fell in with her rough-and-tumble half-brother, Sandor. Sandor was the first who convinced her to study swordplay on the sly; they trained together with Kraal when nobody was looking.
Despite her feisty nature, Irina would have been ready to respect her father’s wishes and put up with her married life had she not been betrothed to Gerhart, the Duke of Wolf, as requested by Emperor Liam and the Angel Uriel to avoid further conflict between her father and Gerhart. However, she found him odious and repulsive, and these feelings were intensified by his actions on their wedding night. A rough man overwhelmed by lust, Gerhart forced himself upon Irina who in turn wounded – and scarred – him severely. Rather than act with hatred, Gerhart's desire turned to a need to dominate and control his fiery wife. Locked in a dungeon, Irina would have died there out of pride had Sandor not come to her rescue.
Sandor delivered Irina to a Naga temple of Hashima, there she met the Naga priestess, Katsue. Sandor hoped Irina would find safety and solace among the Priestesses of Shalassa, but Irina was done letting others make choices for herself. She lent her services to a local Daimyo, Lord Hiroshi, who wanted to take control of the nearby trading post of Strandholm. It is during this time that Irina discovered she was pregnant with Gerhart's child, and from there an audacious plan for revenge hatched in her mind: her son would become the next Duke of Wolf, but Gerhart would not live to see it.
Hiroshi made Irina one of his vassals, and trained her in the ways of the Nagas. In fact, he trained her so well that, before long, she had challenged him and taken his place. Known as Daimyo Jubo among the Naga, Irina used the Second Eclipse as an excuse to lead her forces to the Wolf Duchy. She crushed the Demons’ forces in the Duchy by destroying the abomination known as the Breeder Queen, then proceeded to eliminate Gerhart himself, who almost seemed overjoyed to see his wife become a powerful warrior and that she defeated him.
With the blessing of the people and her brother, Anton, Irina was now the Duchess of Wolf, yet promised the Naga who aided her that once her time in the Empire was over, she would return to Hashima. Irina then removed – sometimes with great prejudice – all those who had been loyal to Gerhart from positions of power and enacted several reforms to the duchy, such as allowing women the opportunity to join the military. Soon after the Second Eclipse, her son Alexander was born, cementing her claim to the Wolf’s throne. For the rest of her life in the empire, Irina ruled the Wolves with an iron fist and a Griffin’s heart. Once her son was old enough, he succeeded her as Duke, hence Irina was finally able to fulfill her promise to the Naga by returning to Hashima as its Daimyo, where she remained until her final days.
Gameplay[]
Heroes VI[]
Irina is a Monk.
Scenarios[]
Sanctuary Campaign[]
- The Fury and the Mire: Irina must escape from forces of Wolf Duchy.
- The Winding Stair: Irina must defeat the remaining Wolf troops and defeat her master, daimyo Hiroshi.
- The Blood-Dimmed Tide: Irina must defeat the Necromancers who seek the souls which haunt the ships.
- Death-in-Life and Life-in-Death: Irina must defeat the demon armies and face Gerhart himself, to take control of the Wolf Duchy.
Stronghold Campaign[]
- No Country For Orc Friends: She's being kept in Gerhart's lodge, being almost tortured by Wolf troops until Sandor rescues her. Sandor needs to capture the lodge and escort her to safety.
- The Good, the Bad and the Bloody: Sandor escorted her to safety.
Necropolis Campaign[]
- Towards the Within: Anastasya needs to defeat her in her dream.
Haven Campaign[]
- Tempt Not a Desperate Man: after the liberation of Flammschrein Anton discovers Irina killed Gerhart and took control of Wolf Duchy.
Duel of Champions[]
- Main article: Irina (card)
Irina appears as a hero card. She is the leader of the Sanctuary faction.
Notes[]
- In The Fury and the Mire scenario, her attacks deal Light damage. In other scenarios she deals Water damage.
- In Tempt Not a Desperate Man scenario, she is shown to be a Samurai than a Monk. It is similar in the Sanctuary campaign loading screens, though she is shown to be a Shogun.
Appearances[]
Irina appears in Might & Magic: Heroes VI and Might & Magic: Duel of Champions.
Gallery[]
