WARNING: Heretic is on its way!

Tired of fighting with mere man-made weapons? The graphic masters of Raven Software have conspired with the technical geniuses at id software to create a supernatural blast-fest. Heretic has everything you loved in Doom and more!

You can look up and down, fly through the sky, find kick-butt artifacts, struggle against winds and currents, navigate volcanic pits and ice covered passages, smash creatures beneath a rain of flame and face the darkest horrors of the abyss in the most realistic and visually dramatic 3-D environment yet designed.

Id Software plans to release the shareware version of the first episode of Heretic for the PC in December of 1994, with the second and third episodes available after registration.

HERETIC....
When you first saw the seven candles, you knew. You knewРbut any Sidhe would have known in the magic of the reflections pulsing across the ceiling of the Elder's chamber; each flame with its own power to burn, each flame tied irrevocably to the flow of the Earth's breathРthe seven flames were the armies of the seven kings of Earth.

Circling the candles stood the Elders of the Sidhe, leaders of an ancient race of elves proficient in arcane sorcery, and keepers of the Tomes of Power. From the Book they read the prophecy of Armageddon. "The three come from the Eastern wilds with seven swords in their seven right hands. And they shall be given dominion over all that believeth in them. He that hath an ear, let him hear that the children of the Sidhe will be driven before them and on the day that the children of the Sidhe are no more, the earth shall be forever lost to the Abyss."

From the East came the evil foretold by your forefathers: the three Serpent Riders, the guardians of death everlasting. Their form was shrouded by black cloaks. Only their eyes were revealed; sunken with evil, dreadful in their intensity. As a sign of power they brought peace to the Eastern provinces. Those who believed in the sign created a temple in their honor; and it bore the mark of the crossed trident. Their worshippers were the Order of the Sign; blind followers, without will, void of spirit. As the power of the Order grew, even the seven kings of the Earth followed like cattle behind them. And after they controlled the great nations two Riders left the world. Only D'Sparil, the weakest of them remained while his disciples traveled the earth cleansing it in preparation for its descent.

Scorned by the other people of Earth, the Sidhe possessing powers of their own, remained unaffected by the spell of the Riders. The Sidhe are now considered the Heretics, the unclean, fit only to be wiped from the face of the Earth. The disciples of D'Sparil conspired with the kings of the earth to remove the last lands of apostasy. And while the armies of the seven nations gathered to destroy the Sidhe, the Elders convened to discuss the fate of your people. When all voices had spake against the Order, the seven Elders extinguished the seven candle flames simultaneously. At that silent instant, a brilliant flash of light came from the east, and the armies that had gathered against you were no more. Drained by their efforts, the Elders fell to the floor, listening to the single painful scream echoing from the now-scorched battlefield.

But then the forces of the Abyss took their vengeance. The ether had quaked with the magic effort of the Elders' action, and the curse of the Order followed the trail unerringly to the Elders' conventicle. Suddenly the foul odor of death came and the earth opened to engulf the Elders in flames; the white-bright fire clinging to their flesh, knowingly and eagerly eating each layer of skin. Too, pouring forth from the earth like squirming maggots, came the forces of evil both beast and undead. They attacked in hordes like packs of dogs, first surrounding the weakest and biting and clawing their victims to the ground. As each Sidhe fell several beasts would gather to chew into their bellies like pigs into slop, their heads often deeply submerged into the gut with the victim's intestines slung half-eaten upon their own squirming bodies. When the day was done, the few remaining Sidhe were scattered throughout the land. The Abyss had taken the tomes and artifacts of your people as spoils of their victory. Alone, without weapons, the surviving Sidhe would surely perish at the hands of the Order of the Triad. The Elders' destruction of the seven armies had gone for naught.

While the other Sidhe hid, their spirit broken, you thirsted for vengeance and rode East into the wilderness, in search of D'Sparil. Now you stand before the City of Undead, its air thick with the stench of rot. Your hate drives you to see these creatures oozing their heart's ichor before you. Beyond these gates the dead and the creatures of the night writhe in dark corners, their bodies aching for your blood. With luck, some of your peoples' ancient artifacts can be found hidden amongst the dark passages beyond. For with only a staff as your weapon, the world is surely damned.

WHY HERETIC KICKS BUTT:
** Smack your friends around in network and modem play...
Like DOOM, HERETIC supports up to four players via network, or two by modem. Cooperate with your little buddies , or play "deathmatch" like a man: slaughtering your pals with the same glee you once reserved only for the monsters!

** Fly
With Inhilicon's Wings of Wrath, you can fly high above hazardous terrain to rain terror upon your unsuspecting enemy.

** Look up/look down
Ever wonder what the hell was smacking you in the head? Now you'll know, 'cause in Heretic you can look up to see the beastie before he scratches your eyes out!

** True color transparency
This works for creatures, items and players: "invisibility" in full color with the mystical Shadowsphere!

** Unique power-ups for every weapon
When fully equipped the player can select among seven weapons ranging from a simple staff to the awesome Phoenix Rod. Between these extremes are the Ethereal Crossbow, Firemace, Hellstaff, Gauntlets of the Necromancer, and more!

As if your arsenal wasn't destructive enough, acquire Tyketto's Tome of Power and the strength of EVERY WEAPON in your inventory is increased! This includes new effects for each weapon, too. Amaze your friends, then kill them.

** A host of horrors
Fantastic and frightful, the terrors of HERETIC include Undead Warriors, Sabreclaws, Weredragons, Ironliches, Golems and more....

** Awesome artifacts
Schedule a buddy's death with Delmintalitar's Time Bomb of the Ancients! Or watch your foes run like chickens when faced with Torpol's Morph Ovum.

** Hostile Environments
As if the enemy wasn't bad enough, the actual world of HERETIC is hostileРstruggle against heavy winds, river currents, lava-spewing pits, and ice-covered surfaces.

Heretic for the PC will be released as shareware in December of 1994.

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Heretic and Raven are trademarks of Raven Software, Inc. DOOM and Id are trademarks of id Software, Inc.