 Karazhan | |
|---|---|
| Level 51-60 | |
 | |
| Karazhan — Medivh's Tower | |
| Location | Deadwind Pass |
Karazhan [54, 78]
(a.k.a. Medivh's Tower, Ivory Tower of Karazhan, or Ivory Spire of Karazhan)[citation needed] is an abandoned citadel (or castle)[citation needed] located on a nexus of ley lines in southern Deadwind Pass. The tower is best known for its last known occupant — Medivh, the last Guardian of Tirisfal. After Medivh was killed by Khadgar, Lothar, and Garona, the tower sealed itself off from the rest of the world.
Karazhan, as a level 70 ten-man raid instance, would be opened in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.
History[]
The Banquet Hall
Karazhan is located in Deadwind Pass on the sub-continent of Azeroth in the Eastern Kingdoms. Existing long before Medivh inhabited it, it is unknown who originally built Karazhan or who now resides within its walls. The land it sits on "was similar in shape to a human skull. Many had noted it over the years, though only a few had been sufficiently brave, or powerful, or tactless to mention it to the property's owner".[citation needed]
Karazhan's history begins with an explosion that carved out Deadwind Pass and weakened the fabric of reality in the region.[citation needed] Someone then built the tower, probably to take advantage of this weakened reality and heightened magic. Medivh eventually took up residence there, but mused that the explosion and the construction only happened because he would eventually arrive.[citation needed]
During the First War, the tower was inhabited by Medivh, his steward Moroes, his cook named Cook, and his then-apprentice Khadgar. Garona also resided here as an emissary in the same time of Khadgar's apprenticeship. Sargeras allowed Medivh to freely explore Karazhan. As a result of the region's weakened reality, many strange and disturbing visions lurked within the tower, and Moroes was known for wearing blinders to avoid seeing them. The visions were ultimately ended when most of Karazhan's ambient magical power was absorbed by the resurrected Medivh, reducing it to "a pile of stone in the remote reaches", its power taken to serve the Prophet.[citation needed]
Much of the story from this era is presented in the novel The Last Guardian.
Kharazhan, as it could be seen in the Alpha.
The Black Riders of Deadwind Pass, though rarely seen, have a connection to Karazhan. However, no one knows who their master is. One recent sighting is cause for concern — the Black Riders seek the Scythe of Elune, a powerful artifact with the ability to summon the vile Worgen into this world.
All ley lines on Azeroth lead to a location under Karazhan.
Worldofwarcraft.com says the following about Karazhan:
The decrepit tower of Karazhan once housed one of the greatest powers Azeroth has ever known: the sorcerer Medivh. Since his death, a terrible curse has pervaded the tower and the surrounding lands. The spirits of nobles from nearby Darkshire reportedly walk its halls, suffering a fate worse than death for their curiosity. More dangerous spirits wait within Medivh's study, for it was there that he summoned demonic entities to do his bidding. However, the brave and foolish are still relentlessly drawn to Karazhan, tempted by rumors of unspeakable secrets and powerful treasures.
Contradictions[]
In The Last Guardian, Karazhan is described as being an isolated tower, no mention of any village around the tower's base. Quite the contrary in fact.
Q u o t e:
Less than ghosts but more than memories, these were nothing less than pieces of the past that had become unstuck from the flow of time.
-Khadgar, Selected Quote from "The Last Guardian".
Q u o t e:
"Such hauntings were common even in the days when Karazhan was inhabited, though now, stripped of control (and the madness) of their master, they had become more brazen. Yet these shards of the past belonged here..."
-Khadgar, Selected Quote from "The Last Guardian".
Trivia[]
Looking towards the sky.
- When Karazhan was first announced, there were rumors that an upside-down version of the tower existed, extending down from the bottom floor, deep underground. Whether or not Blizzard actually plans to implement this "Lower Karazhan" remains unknown.
- It is likely that this is a reference to The Last Guardian by Jeff Grubb, a novel which details the last weeks of (living) activity within the tower. Several references are made to an "inverse" of Karazhan which begins at the lowest level and works its way downward, with Medivh's secret chambers lying at the very bottom.
- It is also possible that this rumor was a nod to the Konami game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, wherein players could fight through an upside-down version of Dracula's Castle after completing the regular version.
- There exists a building behind the nearby graveyard in which there is a stair downward towards a locked gate. One can go through this gate as a ghost and explore the large area beyond.
- Karazhan could be based on The Dark Tower from the Stephen King novels.
- A curious easter egg is hidden below the tower. If you can get under it, you can find a Smiley face on the ground.
The smiley under Karazhan
Karazhan gryphon roost[]
Screenshot taken by Natala.[1]
The Karazhan gryphon roost is leftover from the planning phase of Karazhan.[citation needed] The instance portal does not function. On the Gryphon Roost you can find 2 gryphons alive and well, but you can't interact with them. If you look into the portal you can see a wooden staircase leading up and down, but an iron gate prevents you from entering.
External links[]
- This article has been tagged among the Pages that need revision.
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