Posts from Which Might and Magic universe are you referring to? Auto-translated

Sylvan are more like Celts. Dwarves are like Scots (remembering the kilts). Nagas are specifically Japanese Buddhists, not just any. Dungeon is a classic fantasy culture of the time. Inferno – the developers mentioned that they were inspired by Babylon (maybe I'm mistaken).

Inferno – the developers, as far as I remember, said that they were inspired by Babylon (maybe I’m wrong).

Yes, there is something similar in the fifth part. In the sixth... It’s unclear.

Naga – specifically Japanese Buddhists, not just any.

Not entirely. I’m looking at their composition now and realize that the developers failed to maintain a stylistic unity for this faction. The music, architecture, atmosphere, and the vast majority of the units (kappa, shark warrior, snow maiden, deep naga, kirin) still somehow relate to Japan, but the coral priestesses and stream spirits are a miss. I’m not entirely sure about the priestesses, but still... This is more Greece than Japan. And the stream spirits are purely India, especially clearly expressed in the mizu-kami. Although... If you remember the Sanctuary presentation video, you can see that the team was also inspired by China, India, and Thailand. I think it would be good to reconsider the concept of the water faction in the future, without focusing exclusively on Japanese culture.

Coral priestesses are quite similar to the Japanese ones, with the exception of their serpentine appearance. And the Mizu-kami... does the name not ring a bell?

Coral priestesses are quite similar to the Japanese ones, with the caveat of their serpentine appearance.

They can easily be associated with either Greece or Japan. However, identification should be unambiguous, instantaneous, and indisputable.

And what about Mizu-kami... does the name not tell you anything?

A creature with an Indian essence (specifically Indian, not any other) and a Japanese name (yes, I know that "mizu" means water, and "kami" means god)... This is extremely strange. And frankly, it's absurd. First, the god of Water is more likely Shalassa. Second, simply changing the name (it was much better before) doesn't make the river spirits any closer to Japanese culture. On the contrary, this situation looks extremely ridiculous, as if they're trying to shoehorn a creature stylized after India into the Japanese faction, and to avoid unnecessary questions from the public, they'll just give it a Japanese-sounding name. And that's it! No, such cheap tricks won't fool everyone. It's sloppy work. Third, why was it necessary to write the name of the upgrade in transliterated Latin from Japanese? I more or less understand the situation with the snow maidens, because Yuki-Onna is a real character from Japanese mythology. But all this mess with Kappa-soya, Wanizame, Mizu-kami... Why was the pearl priestess left as is? And why is the Kirin suddenly sacred, and not a Shinsheina?... Did they think it would add to the atmosphere? Not at all. A familiar player who is also a Japanologist didn't appreciate the local humor either.

Kappa is the original name of the creature. And please, don't confuse Buddhism with India. Buddhism also exists in Japan, which is why Mizukami might seem to have an Indian appearance to you, but that's just your perception. The Priestesses, as I already mentioned, look quite normal, in keeping with the faction's style. They might remind you of Medusa, but again, that's just your perception.

Kappa is the original name of the creature.

Who's arguing?

And please don't confuse Buddhism and India.

I'm not confusing them...

Buddhism also exists in Japan, which is why it might seem to you that Mizukami has an Indian appearance, but that's just your perception.

It's definitely not a perception. I'm familiar with Indian culture and can confidently state that Mizukami is a creature designed in an Indian style. As proof, I can say that the chain from the nose to the ear is only worn in India, not in Japan.

Who's arguing?

I more or less understand the situation with the snow maidens, because Yuki-Onna is a real character from Japanese mythology. But all this nonsense with Kappa-Sōya, Wanizame, Mizu-Kami... Why did they leave out the pearl priestess?

You, judging by your posts, seem to know.

Still unclear: who is arguing against the fact that "kappa" is the original name of the creature? I was referring to "kappa-soya," by the way.

Sylvan — славянская культура

I doubt it, unless we're talking about a very, very ancient culture... In my opinion, the Gauls would be a better fit.

исламская культура

More likely a mix of Islamic and Indian cultures. Judging by the appearance of most units, they are clearly inspired by their culture, and the names also hint at it (Kshatriyas, Rakshasa), not to mention the war elephants, of course.

или ацтекская (6) культура

I thought they were closer to Africans. Perhaps Aztecs as well, but the latter were much more civilized than Orcs.

Dungeon — ?

I'm having trouble with this one.
They definitely have a Freddy Krueger-esque style. In the sixth game. In the fifth, I would also attribute them to European style, but of a different kind.

A question for those who understand Ashan. Regarding the styling.

Haven — European culture
Sylvan — Slavic culture
Sanctuary — Buddhist culture
Academy — Islamic culture
Fortress — Scandinavian culture
Stronghold — ? (Mongolian (5) or Aztec (6) culture)
Dungeon — ?
Necropolis — ? (Egyptian (6) culture)
Inferno — ?

Could someone clearly correlate these? Which culture does each faction ultimately adhere to?

It is not that simple.

Based on official information, the sources of inspiration are (quoting):

Haven:

- Medieval Western Europe (general atmosphere and setting);
- Roman Empire (militarized structure and the principle of ”Pax Romana”);
- The Order of Templars (the sense of a sacred mission);
- Victorian England (puritanical morals and strict social stratification).

Inferno:

- Greek Maenads / Bacchantes (mad followers of Dionysus-Bacchus);
- Rome during the period of decline (Nero, Caligula, Heliogabalus);
- Carthaginian and Aztec priests.

Necropolis:

- Ancient Egypt (Book of the Dead);
- Buddhism (asceticism and rejection of the physical world due to its illusory and fleeting nature);
- Various sects (fanaticism, cult of personality, strict order, and spiritual purity).

Sanctuary:

- Zen Buddhism;
- Eastern martial arts;
- Samurai of the Sengoku Jidai era;
- Shaolin monks;
- Yogis and spirits from Indian mythology.

Stronghold:

- Pre-Columbian South American tribes (Aztecs, Mayans, etc.);
- Polynesian tribes (Maori);
- African tribes (Maasai, Zulu).

Official information about the sources of inspiration for the other factions will likely appear as they are released in Heroes 6.

Added after 1 hour 26 minutes
I will add a bit of my own:

Haven - for the most part, yes, Medieval Europe. Moreover, each duchy corresponds to a specific region of it.

Duchy of the Griffin - Eastern Europe, where Russian names predominate (Nikolai, Alexei, and Andrey from Heroes 5; Anastasia, Anton, Kirill, Irina, Slava, Svetlana from Heroes 6) as well as Hungarian (Sandor, Istvan).

Duchy of the Ox - Italy (Ornella, Orlando, Giovanni) and possibly Spain and Portugal.

Duchy of the Wolf - Germany (Gerhard, Mark, Karl, Martina).

Duchy of the Hound - most likely France (Isabelle, Elizabeth, Beatrice), but not for certain.

Duchy of the Stag - Ireland and Scotland (Duncan, Kieran, Deirdre).

Duchy of the Unicorn - ancient Scandinavia (Godric, Frida) and again Ireland and Scotland (Fiona, Aidan).

Duchy of the Falcon - England and again Ireland and Scotland (Liam, Ronan, Maeve, Brian, Brendan).

Duchy of the Raven - unidentified, as I do not know any representative of this duchy and likely won't in the near future, because this duchy only appears after the fall of the Falcon Empire.

Inferno - overall, it can be attributed to ancient Greece and Rome. In any case, judging by the architectural style of their castle in Heroes 5.

Necropolis - official sources are somehow silent about the Sumerian notes in Heroes 6. Take, for instance, the Sumerian ziggurat. Does it remind you of anything? Or the fact that Lamassu is a guardian spirit in Sumerian-Akkadian mythology.

Sanctuary - as was previously mentioned, it is mainly a mix of Japan, India, China, and Thailand. There is plenty of obvious evidence for this. However, this mix is slightly seasoned with Greek style in the image of the coral priestesses (i.e., medusas) in typical Greek draped garments.

Stronghold - the situation here is very interesting. In Ashan, there are 3 types of orcs: Mongolian (Heroes 5), Aztec (Heroes 6), and Arabic (have not appeared yet). Moreover, the Aztecs are heavily seasoned with influences from other wild peoples. For example, the orc capital on the Pao islands is called Taumata-Kunyaq. Taumata is a locality in New Zealand.

Sylvan - the elves have plenty of nods to Celtic culture (druids with Stonehenge, fairies, unicorns and, of course, the elves themselves), as well as to Native American culture. For example, feathers, face paint, long double braids. Remember the hairstyle of the elf Ossir, and compare it with the hairstyle of a Native American. To be honest, I don't see anything from the Slavs in the elves at all.

Academy - as already mentioned, they are clearly Arabs with a mix of India.

Fortress - indisputably Scandinavians.

Dungeon - the hardest faction to identify. Some find the Italian Renaissance in it. But, IMHO, no single people correspond to this faction. Inspiration during its creation was most likely drawn from the dark elves of the Forgotten Realms world (R. Salvatore's novels).

In general, I once thought that Ashan followed the principle of 1 faction = 1 real people. But now I realize that Ubisoft mixed too many things here. For instance, India is present in both the nagas and the mages. And Celts are found among the elves and slightly among the humans.

Take, for example, the Sumerian ziggurat. Doesn't it remind you of anything?

It does. :)

But still, this mix is slightly flavored with Greek style in the image of the coral priestesses (that is, Medusas) in typical Greek attire with draperies.

Exactly! I agree.

And, frankly, I don't see anything from the Slavs in the Elves at all.

It's just my impression, nothing more. :)

But now I understand that Ubisoft has mixed too many things here. For example, India includes both Nagas and mages. And the Celts are present both in the Elves and a little bit in the Humans.

I don't like such solutions. If you are going to individualize factions based on real cultures, you need to do it more skillfully. For example, associate Nagas exclusively with Buddhism, depriving the Academics of any hints of India, and leave pure Islam. And so on, following this principle.

by removing any hints of India from the academics, leaving only pure Islam

Actually, one doesn't preclude the other. What we consider Indian culture is quite compatible with Islam. For example, in Pakistan. And there are many Muslims among Indians as well.

And one more question for the experts. Did I understand correctly that the demons were finally locked away in Shio? Meaning they no longer emerge from there during eclipses, and they are gone from Ashan? If so, in what year did this happen?

And another question for the experts. Did I understand correctly that the demons were finally locked away in Shio? Meaning they no longer escape from there during eclipses, and they are gone from Ashan? If so, in what year did this happen?

It all depends on Sareth's decision in 989 A.S.

In one version of the story, Sareth used the Skull of Shadows to seal the breach in the Sar-Ilam barrier, and the demons were forever trapped in Shio.

In the second version, Sareth destroyed the Skull of Shadows, and the Shio barrier was destroyed along with it.

And in the third version, Sareth decided to postpone the choice, and began carrying the skull with him all the time. And everything remained as it was.

In the game Heroes Kingdoms, the second version of events is considered. But the canonical version could be completely different.

So, there isn't a clearly defined ending, is there? Just three options to choose from?