Olden Era returns to Enroth, not Ashan. The developers explicitly discuss the complexity of the Might and Magic legacy: the main series was techno-fantasy about high-tech races, ancient beings, and the terraforming of a world that looks medieval, while the Heroes sub-series more often concealed the science-fiction side. Source: Devlog #3.
Techno-fantasy and a dispute within the Community
The Unfrozen team admits that the attitude toward the series' technological roots divides the Community and the studio itself: for some, it is the DNA of Might and Magic; for others, an explicit techno-element destroys the pure fantasy of Heroes. Therefore, Olden Era uses subjective storytelling and different worldviews of Jadama's inhabitants instead of a single omniscient explanation of how the entire world works.
Subjective Narrator
In the game, descriptions of creatures are written by an in-game scholar character. He tries to be impartial but may comment on other cultures from his own position and may be wrong. This approach preserves the possibility of different interpretations and conflicting religious or cultural views.
Example: Temple, Necropolis, and different views on souls
Followers of the Temple believe that the Sun is a magical chalice where all good souls go after death. Therefore, they preach self-improvement: the stronger the soul during life, the more it nourishes the central object of worship. Because of this, temple knights hate Necromancer who bind souls to remains. At the same time, a dark elf from Alvar may consider the conflict between Temple and Necropolis absurd because for him the sun is a ball of fire in the sky, and a satyr from Murmurwoods may have a third point of view.
What is not subjective
The developers separately note that not everything is open to interpretation. The peoples of Jadama, their social structures, politics, and geography are facts of the world. For example, Jadama's largest volcano is in Shadowspire and is dormant, while the volcanoes to the south are active. Meanwhile, the question of what caused a new fire power in these lands and what happened to the insect-like inhabitants of Wasp Nest may remain a matter of plot revelation or open interpretation.
Jadama before Might and Magic VIII
The events of Olden Era take place centuries before the RPG Might and Magic VIII. This gives the authors space for the early history of Jadama, a continent of Enroth that had not been previously explored in the Heroes series. The developers describe their task as a balance of old and new: familiar characters, creatures, and motives receive new stories, while new Factions and threats must correspond to the internal structure of the world. Source: Devlog #15.