World of Warcraft

In the southern reaches of Deadwind Pass, a thick, massive protrusion of white stone and dark mortar rises into the sky, scaling higher than the surrounding hills. Engravings decorate the surface of this Gothic stone structure; the turrets are capped with oxidised copper domes. This is Karazhan, once the seat of Medivh, the Last Guardian, and it still leaks corrupting magic, preventing the region from recovering. Inside the tower, the dead and the dying await, along with arcane anomalies, otherworldly thieves, and dark demonic powers.

Last time, we looked at the history of Karazhan and began our exploration of this once-palatial tower. We looked at the Livery Stables, the Grand Ballroom, and the Banquet Hall, among others. But as we climb higher and higher, we will see more hauntingly luxurious rooms, including an opera hall and a magical observatory – all of which truly capture the wealth and power of the Last Guardian.

Beyond the Grand Ballroom, there is a long, curved corridor, decorated with paintings and lion statues. Leading off from this hallway are several rooms. These are guest rooms, where honoured visitors to Karazhan would have been allowed to spend the night, especially after its famous parties. So far, while ascending the tower, you have only seen spirits and phantoms – so you might be surprised to see living, breathing elves and humans along this corridor and in the adjoining chambers. At least, that’s what they appear to be. If engaged in battle, however, they reveal their true forms – that of banshees, succubi, wraiths, and satyrs. Yes, it seems Medivh provided his guests with whatever they desired during their stay at his tower, including a demon harem.

At the end of the corridor is a circular marble room. The smooth, polished surfaces reflect the brilliance of a huge stone statue in the centre, the Maiden of Virtue. Many years ago, this titanic watcher was infuriated by Medivh’s infamous parties and debaucheries, and she made her way to Karazhan to cleanse the tower of vice and corruption. Clearly, she failed in her crusade for virtue.

Nonetheless, the Maiden remains in the tower, committed to purging immorality using all the powers at her disposal. She stands motionless until her attention is caught by someone she thinks is Medivh – or is as debauched as he was. Her judgment has perhaps decayed over time because, with enough provocation, she will attack anyone regardless of their moral character.

One of the most famous locations in Karazhan is Medivh’s private opera hall, the height of elegance and sophistication. The stage manager, Barnes, once booked the very best singers and actors from around the world to play here, and those lucky enough to have attended a show may have seen some of the greatest stories of the age unfold with pathos and grandeur.

Those lavish days may be long gone, but spirits still perform shows for the benefit of a ghostly audience. The standard seating, directly in front of the stage, seems a little basic – simply old, dilapidated wooden benches – but there is also an upper balcony that affords more comfort and better views. There’s plenty to see and appreciate here if you like little details, from the massive pipe organ off to the side, to the delightfully amateurish stage backdrop; and, if you look up, there’s a Michelangelo-esque fresco ceiling painting of cherubic goblins in some clouds. Go behind the stage to see spectral performers and stagehands preparing for the next show.

To advance further in the Karazhan raid, you’ll need to go onto the stage itself and battle a random boss based loosely on a character from a famous play or story. This Opera Event has been a fan favourite for many years. Part of its appeal is the presentation: the grand introduction of the now-spectral stage manager Barnes, the rising deep-red curtain, the spectacle of fighting on a stage in front of ghostly aristocrats (complete with applause and anxious murmurs), and the comically overwrought melodrama of the various encounters.

And what encounters they are! There’s Big Bad Wolf, whose name and numerous speeches (‘Oh, grandmother, what big ears you have’; ‘The better to hear you with, my child’) are an obvious reference to the classic childhood story Little Red Riding Hood (he even drops Red Riding Hood’s Cloak when killed). Then there’s Romulo and Julianne, a clear homage to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Their quotes are largely taken, word for word, from the real play, while the items they drop are further references: the Masquerade Gown is a reference to the fact that Romeo and Juliet met at a masked ball; Romulo’s Poison Vial is a nod to the fact that when Romeo thought Juliet had died, he ended his own life by drinking a vial of poison; and the Blade of the Unrequited is a nod to Juliet fatally stabbing herself with Romeo’s dagger after realising that Romeo has already killed himself. Finally, Wizard of Oz is… well, The Wizard of Oz. It stars Dorothee (Dorothy), Roar (the Cowardly Lion), Strawman (the Scarecrow), Tinhead (the Tin Man), Dorothee’s summoned wolf Tito (Toto), and the Crone (the Wicked Witch of the West). As a further reference to The Wizard of Oz, the Crone drops Ruby Slippers when slain, which has the flavour text ‘There’s no place like home’ and acts as a Hearthstone, returning you to the inn your Hearthstone is currently bound to.

After the Opera Hall, if you want to climb higher into the tower, you need to use what is now called the Broken Stair. This is the first major indication of the disrepair that Karazhan has fallen into since the death of Medivh. Broken and twisted stairs and ramps, haunted by wraiths and trapped souls, wind along the outer edge of the tower. As you climb, gaping holes in the side of the tower provide views of Deadwind Pass beyond.

After climbing the treacherous Broken Stairs, you will find yourself back in a part of the tower that seems to have largely escaped ruin and dereliction. It’s called the Menagerie, which strikes me as a bit of an odd name because there aren’t really any exotic creatures to be found here. Maybe, back in the day, when Karazhan was a bit more… alive, Medivh had some sort of zoo here.

These days, the Menagerie appears to be a magnificent museum-esque display hall decorated with large bird statues on either side. Each contains emerald gemstones in its eyes. A red carpet guides travellers onwards. According to the lore, the Menagerie was used by the cursed Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass to house the magical artefacts they obtained in the service of Medivh. I’ll be talking about the Dark Riders in another post.

Although it is undoubtedly in better shape than the Broken Stair, many of the pillars here in the Menagerie are also broken. But the wreckage is not entirely as it seems. Look closely and you will notice that some of the broken pillars are floating in place as though frozen in time when they fell apart – another side effect, it would seem, of the reality-warping aspect of Karazhan’s existence.

Mana surges (sentient collections of stray magical energy) and mana wyrms (remember those from Sunstrider Isle?) patrol the Menagerie, as does the Curator, a massive arcane guardian that was created long ago by Medivh to protect his secrets. The Curator still reactivates from time to time to continue his duty with ferocity. It safeguards the Menagerie from unwelcome guests, terminating trespassers who seek to plunder the secrets of Karazhan. It seems to have deteriorated over time, though, becoming prone to energy overloads and erratic behaviour.

In his private library, Medivh amassed a vast collection of writings and artefacts that dwarfed even that of the Kirin Tor. For years before the First War, a conclave of influential scholars, mages, and sorcerers in the Kirin Tor tried to insinuate a sympathetic ear in Karazhan, as they wanted to learn what arcane knowledge was hidden away in the Guardian’s Library. Enter today and you will see thousands of books, tomes, scrolls, and correspondences in varied conditions – some still kept rather neatly on the shelves, some scattered across the floor or on tables and chairs, and some even piled up and used for bonfires in the corners. Mana wyrms and mana surges abound. But the things to really watch out for here are the giant arcane golems that protect the place – and its books – from pillagers, thieves, and desecrators. Activated by Medivh to guard the secrets of Karazhan decades ago, these arcane protectors follow their orders even now.

Look up and you will see that the library is truly vast and disorienting. There are many different levels and sub-rooms, all connected by ramps. Within the upper levels of the library, undead and orc warlocks – perhaps from the Shadow Council – can be found, along with their summoned grell companions (they’re called homunculi in this case – a possible reference to their mention in The Last Guardian). These warlocks have been drawn to Karazhan by its extensive library and hope to uncover its many secrets for themselves. In another section, some ethereal thieves have also come to rob Karazhan of its arcane riches.

Strange forces are at work in the library – this high up in the tower, space is becoming stretched and twisted. Raise your gaze to the very top of the room, and you’ll see that there isn’t really a ceiling. Instead, the upper reaches of the tower above seem to have crumbled and fallen apart, and huge chunks of rock now hang suspended in the air, resisting the call of gravity, frozen in time. Beyond that, only greyness is visible. Reality really is falling apart here.

A private room within the Guardian’s Library is not only home to countless more books, crammed in shelves running around the perimeter of the circular room, but it’s also haunted by the Shade of Aran. Nielas Aran was Medivh’s father, whom I may talk about in more detail in a later post. For now, I will simply mention that he raised Medivh by himself, and that he was accidentally killed by his son when Medivh’s dormant Guardian powers awakened on the eve of his 14th birthday. How Nielas Aran’s spirit came to be in Karazhan, when he died far away from it, is not known (perhaps he was drawn to the tower for some reason), but that is where his shade now resides, trapped and tormented.

A bookcase in the Guardian’s Library slides to the side, revealing the secret entrance to a long, dim corridor that leads to a dead-end room called the Repository. Potions bubble away with vials and test tubes around the outskirts. Clusters of candles give off a sickly green glow from the corners, illuminating the foul satyr known as Terestian Illhoof and his grell minions. A spell circle can be seen on the floor in the centre of the room, surrounded by more candles and a charred human corpse. Whatever dark ritual Illhoof and his demonic minions were conducting in this secret room, it can’t have been good.

The developers and artists of World of Warcraft clearly consulted The Last Guardian when they were creating Karazhan in-game, as many rooms and locales mentioned in that novel make an appearance in this raid: the stables, the kitchens, the guest quarters, banquet hall, library, and now this room, the observatory – or, as it’s called in WoW, the Celestial Watch. Medivh’s personal observatory is a vast, grand, circular room, filled with globes, astrolabes, shelves piled high with books, and, of course, a gigantic telescope – all beneath an enchanted ceiling depicting a deep purple night sky.

Oh, and there’s a giant nether dragon here called Netherspite. Nether dragons are ethereal dragons whose bodies are composed of energies from the Twisting Nether itself. They can all trace their origins back to eggs of the black dragonflight taken through the Dark Portal by Deathwing during the Second War, which were exposed to a great deal of nether energies when Draenor was torn apart. Why there should be one residing at the top of Karazhan – or how it got there – is still a mystery.

Once you’ve managed to escape from the Guardian’s Library on your journey to the top of Karazhan, you will enter Gamesman’s Hall. Here, beneath three glowing golden chandeliers, there is a giant chessboard. An Echo of Medivh stands nearby, and you’ll need to play him – and win – in order to advance.

The chess pieces seem to be alive – and they’re all units that were playable in Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, the first game in the Warcraft franchise. On one side, there are the human forces that fought during the First War. Footmen stand in place of pawns; chargers (basically horses) are knights; conjured water elementals are rooks; clerics are bishops; a conjurer is queen; and King Llane is… well, the king. On the opposite side, you have the orc units: grunts as pawns, wolves as knights, summoned daemons (note the spelling – that’s what the units were called back then, before the lore had been established properly) as rooks, orc necrolytes as bishops, an orc warlock as queen, and Warchief Blackhand as king.

Raids must take control of the chessboard and engage in a warped, third-person match against the Echo of Medivh – who, by the way, has a penchant for cheating – in a re-enactment of the First War. The objective is to kill the enemy King without losing one’s own. I have distant but fond memories of the first time I did the Chess Event – it was confusing, chaotic, and entirely unexpected within World of Warcraft’s established combat structure.

After the Chess Event, you will continue moving upwards. Oddly, although it seemed like the upper reaches of Karazhan had completely crumbled from your perspective in the Guardian’s Library, reality doesn’t seem as warped up here. You’ll soon find yourself in Medivh’s Chambers, located near the summit of Karazhan. This private bedchamber contains a worktable, various artefacts, many books and scrolls, and, most notably, a huge, elevated, grandiose bed. A door from his bedchamber leads to what may have been Medivh’s private study, a room filled with statues and more worktables, where he likely conducted his spells.

There are several strange, deformed creatures called fleshbeasts in these rooms. For most, the horrors of their sleeping hours cannot follow them into the waking world; yet some are haunted by them even long after the veils of sleep have parted. The mindless fleshbeasts were brought into this world by Medivh, summoned from some unspeakable place beyond. Once, the wizard used the fleshbeasts in his clandestine experiments within the laboratories of Karazhan. Medivh may be gone, but the slavering, hungering creatures of his twisted nightmares remain, forever stalking the gloomy shadows of Karazhan.

After yet more climbing, it seems as though you are right at the very top of the tower. Skeletal gryphons circle the summit. From the outside, there’s nowhere left to go except one final room. But if you go inside, you’ll see another corridor that heads off to the right that doesn’t seem to exist from the outside. Follow it, and you’ll emerge into a grim, grey place with a large eredar called Prince Malchazaar jogging around. At first glance, it seems as though you’re on a large upper balcony that has been partially destroyed. But if you look into the grey vastness, you’ll see jagged rocks floating in the air. The mountains of Deadwind Pass are nowhere to be seen. If the name of this subzone – Netherspace – didn’t give it away, it’s clear that you’re no longer in Karazhan.

If you fly around the outside of the tower, this otherworldly ‘balcony’ doesn’t exist. That’s because at least part of Karazhan is in the Twisting Nether. That explains why parts of the upper reaches of the tower, as seen from the Guardian’s Library, appear to be floating in grey nothingness. Unbeknownst to many people, Karazhan is actually a portal into the Nether, a beacon shining into other worlds – and Netherspace is the point where Karazhan is anchored to the Nether. This presumably gave Malchazaar, the so-called Prince of the Eredar, access to the tower. Upon defeating him, he has a chance to drop Gorehowl, the legendary two-handed axe famously wielded by Grom Hellscream. Lorewise, at this point in the timeline, Thrall is in possession of Gorehowl – he kept it after Grom’s death and will later give it to Grom’s son, Garrosh. But since one of Prince Malchazaar’s quotes is ‘All realities, all dimensions are open to me’, he could have acquired his Gorehowl from an alternate timeline – perhaps he is a collector of rare and powerful items?

Prince Malchazaar may seem like the final boss of the raid, but there is, in fact, one more boss to be fought. It can be found on the Master’s Terrace – a ledge running around the exterior of the tower itself, much lower down. Here, raids can battle a hulking mass of reanimated fiery dragon bones called Nightbane.

When Aegwynn battled Medivh in Karazhan many years ago, she was accompanied by a blue dragon named Arcanagos, who was one of the few allies she had made during her long years of exile. But even though he was a powerful master of the arcane, Arcanagos was severely outmatched. Sargeras forced Medivh to strike him down, burning Arcanagos from the inside out until all that was left was bone that fell down over the surrounding area. The dragon’s death sent Aegwynn further into a rage, and as their duel continued, she slowly gained the upper hand.

The spell Medivh used against the dragon imparted some of his own essence into Arcanagos, cursing him with a fiery form of undeath. When the Violet Eye, a secret sect founded by the Kirin Tor, began to investigate Karazhan, they decided to resurrect the dead dragon to extract his arcane essence. This once-noble creature was resurrected as a fiery, skeletal version of himself known as Nightbane. This monstrosity now proceeds to attack those who summon him on the Master’s Terrace.

Well, that’s it for Karazhan – at least for now. Several expansions later, in World of Warcraft: Legion, a new dungeon opened in the tower called Return to Karazhan. It features many encounters from its spiritual predecessor, such as Attumen the Huntsman, the Maiden of Virtue, and The Curator, but it also introduces new encounters and original story elements, including a battle against the twisted shade of Medivh himself. Keep an eye out for a post in the future when I revisit the famous haunted tower – one of my favourite places in the whole of Azeroth.