Massively goes to WAR: Exploring Warhammer's capital cities pt. 2

With that last image seared into our mind's eye, we move on to the Chaos-haunted streets of the Inevitable city. Instead of white marble and smartly paved roads, the home of Tchar'zanek is all black stone, spikes, and horror. The sky is a roiling terror of black clouds and energy , and everything seems to be a grim mockery of the nobility seen in the human city. The analog to the Altdorf's market square, for example, is called the soul forge. It is the main tavern and bank area, just as the square plays that role in Imperial lands. The nearby tavern known as the Feasthall offers a glimpse into Inevitable City life; down below the rude stone of the hall a pair of pit fighters kill to keep their lives. We're promised that failure at the wrong quest can end up with your character as the evening's dinner entertainment.

The square itself is dominated by the Apex, a ziggurrat attended by grim acolytes. A never-ending parade of doomed creatures scales the structure's steps, only to throw themselves into the ever-burning flame shooting from the top. Across the dark stone is the soul bank, the main banking location in the city's center. Unlike the simple tellers behind bars in the city Karl Franz built, the soul bank is an enormous structure filled with howling souls and staffed by macabre creatures floating in pillars of light. From a design point of view, that pillar of light serves a purpose. Just as the city designers placed taverns and banks in all areas, here they made sure that bank couldn't be obscured by griefing players.

Corresponding to the area around the Temple of Sigmar, the Inevitable City has the Monolith. It's an enormous cube, floating in space, with each side representing the graven image of a Chaos deity. A portal below the cube takes you into its labyrinthine depths, which swirl and pulse with clockwork gears. The city's massive library is nearby, and it's absolutely chok-ful of mystery and information. Players looking to explore and interact with the world will find numerous secrets in the Chaos capital. The Elysium, a horrific garden, is yet another area to comb for clues. It will play host to the Chaos analog of Felix and Gotrek: Aekold Helbrass, Champion of Tzeentch. Tabletop players will be happy to know his penchant for "encouraging" growth is accurately represented in-game.

The arena quarter offers a number of unique exploration elements in particular. The fighting locale itself has a public quest that will pit participants against increasingly powerful monsters. The ultimate goal of the public quest is a confrontation with the arena master himself: Engra Deathsword, the destroyer of Praag. Off to one side there's a berm of stone that hides a path to a small pitched tent. The occupant, well out of sight, is more than willing to offer you a quest. The arena is the perfect place to jump out to some of those floating boulders as well. On one a tormented soul hangs from a ledge, brutally tormented by a Marauder. On another, a screaming portal whisks players off to ... somewhere. The designers refused to offer up the door's destination.

The Undercroft, our next destination, is the area where the might soldiers of Chaos can view their player statues. Here, as in other areas of the city, NPCs of all stripes look on player characters as just more food for the beast. Our guides warn that the Inevitable City is much less safe than Altdorf. There are numerous individuals here that wouldn't think of murdering a lowly footsoldier for a dirty look. This is generally true in all Destruction cities: their rough and dangerous ways require a wary eye. Additional areas of the city celebrate the three 'other' gods of Chaos. Though Tzeentch is the primary deity celebrated by this group of warriors Khorne, Nurgle, and Slaanesh all have areas themed to their specific needs and hungers.

The Magus Tower soars above the rest of the city, the ultimate destination of every Imperial soldier that might attempt to sack the city. The encounter with Tchar'zanek that caps off the city raid here is no less memorable than the final fight with Karl Franz. Instead of an intrusive griffon, the second stage of the Tchar'zanek fight will see the Chaos thrown sucked from the Tower and thrown into space ... along with the dark king himself. To slay him, you'll have to pursue him out into the darkness of the crater. Your conclusive battle will take place in the grim depths of the depression beneath the city itself - a chance to see the capital from a new angle and with great reward.

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