Shadespire. Nightvault. Beastgrave. Each season of Warhammer Underworlds takes the fight to a new arena, from the mist-shrouded streets of the Mirrored City to the deepest caverns of the living mountain – a region known as Direchasm. Today we’re taking a look at the lore of the latest season, with a video to set the mood.
The living mountain of Beastgrave remains the setting for this season of the ultimate competitive miniatures game. After the Shyish necroquake, the curse that Nagash put on the Mirrored City of Shadespire spread to Beastgrave. Countless warbands were drawn to the mountain by vivid dreams of destruction and slaughter. These adventurers fought through the labyrinthine interior of the mountain, dying over and over, each time reborn to battle once more.
Direchasm is the name for the tunnels and chambers that have opened at the mountain’s roots. As Beastgrave stirs from its aeons-long slumber, the impenetrable amber that blocked the way into these abyssal reaches has begun to liquefy. New chambers have been revealed that drip with sticky resin, and they’re filled with both dangers and fresh opportunities for those warbands brave enough to venture into their depths.
For some, this is a chance to reach the mountain’s heart and either calm it, awaken it, or kill it. For others, the mysteries and treasures revealed are enticing enough. But for many, Direchasm is simply a place to indulge their thirst for battle and bloodshed.
The Lumineth Realm-lords known as Myari’s Purifiers are among the first to enter this region. These aelves have foreseen a great cataclysm if the mountain awakens, and seek to prevent it, by any means necessary. Ranged against them are the Dread Pageant, a band of Slaaneshi Hedonites who seek new sensations. They’ve discovered that causing pain and suffering within Direchasm causes the sentient mountain to feel primal emotions – and the warriors of the Dread Pageant can leech the mountain’s despair to reach a euphoric state.
Whatever your chosen warband’s motivations, you’ll discover more about Direchasm in the boxed game and an anthology of short stories from Black Library, both of which are available to pre-order this Saturday.* Sign up to the Games Workshop newsletter to be alerted when it’s available, and head to our Facebook page to tell us what you’re looking forward to most in the new season.
* If you live in Japan, you’ll have to wait a little while longer for the game – you’ll be able to pre-order Direchasm on the 2nd of January.