Total War: Warhammer III – Inside The Lore, Lands, And History Of Grand Cathay
Grand Cathay is coming to Total War: Warhammer III, and with it, the introduction of Grand Cathay to the world of Warhammer in force for the first time.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is coming early next year, and with it fans of the venerable fantasy world beset by ruin, chaos, heresy, and the common evils that lurk in the hearts of humans, will finally be able to venture into two oft-mentioned but little ventured regions: Kislev and Grand Cathay.
By now, you’re doubtless familiar with the towering mountains and ancient hoarfrost of Kislev, land of a thousand bears. But what of Grand Cathay? Today, Creative Assembly, develops of TW: WH3 are offering folks a look at the lore that lies in store for Grand Cathay. Let’s take a look.
via Creative Assembly
The first thing we know about Grand Cathay is that it is a land of dragons, and Creative Assembly expand on this with a look at what drives Cathayan society:
Harmony is the driving force behind Cathayan society. The teachings of the Dragon Emperor are such that everyone must work in concert with themselves and the land for the betterment of all and to find their natural place. This drives everything, from their magic lores of Yin and Yang to how the Dragons govern their people. Far from tyrants or aloof aristocrats, the Dragons act as teachers and wardens for the populace. They see little point in creating an imbalance between mortals and themselves when the ever-present threat of Chaos will happily destroy them all.
Similarly, the Dragons are not treated as gods, nor do they demand worship. They are immensely powerful beings, rulers by magical and physical right rather than mysterious divinity. The iconography of the Dragons is common-place and ever-present throughout society, but because they are very real, very present, and very powerful rulers. They are treated by the people with the reverence such beings deserve and speaking ill of them, especially if you are not native to Grand Cathay, is a quick way to get yourself killed.
And from the amazing trailer we got to see last week, we know that the mighty Dragons of Grand Cathay move among the people disguised as a human. Well not exactly disguised–you can’t really hide the draconic majesty of one of the Cathayan Dragons. But speaking of dragons though, two of them are the Legendary Lords:
Miao Ying is arguably the most powerful Dragon alive save her mother and father. Immense power and immense responsibility land on her shoulders, and she can seem cold and aloof in comparison to her siblings. The defense of the realm, the future of Grand Cathay, and much more is quite the burden to bear.
Meanwhile, the Iron Dragon must make do with a less defended, if less chaotic (and Chaotic), area of the world. The Western Provinces contain beasts and men of all sorts coming from further West, as well as the regular incursions of Skaven and Ogres from the Warpstone Desert and Mountains of Mourn. The creation of the Great Maw still hangs heavy on this area, even as an uneasy peace maintains.
Zhao Ming is a natural born warrior, though less innately skilled than his sister to the North. He is a talented alchemist and shows great preference for the art among his armies – much to the chagrin of those that find the insidious magics worrying for the Empire. His life-long station so close to the Great Maw and all that warpstone mean many fear his mind is permanently damaged from the exposure, and any eccentricities or erratic behaviour he displays is very worrying to his siblings.
There are a few other lore tidbits buried in the post, you can click here to get a closer look at all of them, but there’s one last bit worth mentioning: the Monkey King, who at one point apparently took power over the empire, “act heinous enough to galvanize the warring siblings into once again putting aside their differences to fight for their father’s throne.”
After that, little is known about the capricious king, other than he fled South, and will definitely never be heard from again. Certainly not in an expansion or DLC coming after launch.
What do you look forward to with Grand Cathay?
