The Warpstone Desert, also called the Baleful Deserts[5a], is a desert loacted in the Far East of the Known World, on the western edge of Grand Cathay. It is a horrible wasteland close to the Great Maw, with dangerous amounts of warpstone present throughout its territory. Despite this, trade caravans travelling the Ivory Road cross the desert, and the great, western Cathayan commercial city of Shang-Yang is located inside it.
The Warpstone Desert is located in the Western Provinces of Grand Cathay. The city of Shang-Yang is located in the middle of the Warpstone Desert. Caravans crossing the desert must use mirrored shields to avoid exposure to warpstone and the accompanying Chaos mutations that will result.[1][5a] For caravans arriving from the Old World in the west, this is probably not a very good first impression of Cathay.[1] Despite the danger, Cathayan Alchemists from Shang-Yang's House of Secrets make regular expeditions into the desert, heavily shielded, to search for rare ores and elements which they use to create magical artefacts.[2]
Shang-Yang is ruled by the Iron Dragon Zhao Ming. Zhao Ming's Cathayan Dragon siblings suspect that his long exposure to the Warpstone Desert has affected his mind. It is certainly true that Zhao Ming is a much more gregarious character than his siblings, and more willing to mingle with the common people in his domain. The desert may be inhabited by the nomadic "Desert Clans," who are "kept in order" by Zhao Ming.[1]
The Warpstone Desert may have been created when a warpstone meteor crashed into western Cathay, destroying the Ogre homelands (previously a fertile region) and carrying the Great Maw, which forced the Ogres to migrate westwards across the Ancient Giant Lands to the Mountains of Mourn. However, on maps of the Known World, the desert is shown as being separate from where the Great Maw is located (albeit both appear to be in/near western Cathay).[3]
The great artefact known as the Wu-Xing Compass located in the floating Celestial City in Wei-Jin that is the palatial home of the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress can be pointed towards the Warpstone Desert, which weakened the effects of the Winds of Magic across Cathayan territory but also reduced the chances for Chaos to gain traction upon the souls of the empire's inhabitants.[4]
Skaven of Clan Eshin may have a nest underneath or near the Warpstone Desert.[2]
The Wyrdstone Necklace possibly originated in the Warpstone Desert.[5b]
Trivia[]
The Warpstone Desert may be based upon the real-life Gobi Desert of Mongolia and northwestern China.
Sources[]
- 1: Who is Zhao Ming the Iron Dragon? Total War Blog, Ben Barrett, Sep 28, 2021
- 2: Full Interview With Warhammer 3's Lead Writer Andy Hall - Total War Warhammer 3 - Lorebeards Podcast, Oct 12, 2021
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdoms (8th edition), Games Workshop, published 2011
- 4: Leading Grand Cathay - How the Eastern Empire Dominates the Campaign Map. Total War Blog, Ben Barrett, Oct 13, 2021
- 5: Warhammer Armies: Ogre Kingdoms (6th Edition)