The storyline of Archlord begins with a great magician. Like many with great power, he went way too far in pursuit of his "Ultimate Truth" and tricked his elemental allies into creating five artifacts called "Archons" that he would then use to acquire more power than any mage in history. His elemental friends -- the spirits of air, earth, fire, and water -- realizing what the magician had tricked them into creating, banded together to fight against him. Though they couldn't destroy him, they did manage to banish him and the Archons to the world of Chantra, never to return. Not realizing that, despite their massive powers, the Archons couldn't be used to escape Chantra, the mage tried to use them to return to his home. The resulting explosion, we're given to understand, was pretty spectacular. The mage vanished, and the Archons were presumed destroyed.

Fast forward a few thousand years, and rumors of the Archons start to resurface. A stranger appears and attempts to gather them together again. The forces of good, led by fast friends Xian, a mighty human warrior and Ugdrasil, the leader of the Orc tribes, drive away the mysterious stranger. Unfortunately, however, the world now knows that the Archons exist, and the former friends turn on each other in an attempt to possess them. That's where the players come in. As a member of one of the game's factions, the players will attempt to claim the greatest prize on Chantra -- control of the Archons and the title of Archlord, the unquestioned master of the world.