The Realm of the Sorcerer is like no other dominion within the immaterial lands of
the Aethyr. Tzeentch is the Changer of the Ways, the Great Conspirator;
the god of destiny, lies and deception, so it is to be expected that his personal domain reflects
his own madness and insanity. Yet to witness his power manifested without constraints can shatter
even the most well prepared mind. Innumerable dimensions and uncounted worlds collide with
one another atop an iridescent plateau, and it is here the Crystal Labyrinth Awaits.
Few demons guard the glittering pathways of this maze, yet the home of Tzeentch is as well
protected as any other Chaos God. Only those of the strongest will can navigate its endless
corridors, for the walls reflect not only light, but also hope, despair, dreams, madness, wonder
and terror. The route to its center is always changing, and no physical harm awaits those who
select the wrong divergence in the path, but to be trapped in the labyrinth is to be trapped in
a place of infinite possibility, a kaleidoscope of fates completely antithetical to a sane mind.
Many have entered the Crystal Maze, mortal wanderers and armies of demons from rival gods.
Within its twisting passages the air is thick with a murky soup of broken dreams,
and it glimmers with the light of fractal shards of shattered personality,
this is all that remains of those who entered the labyrinth but never left.
Yet if the proper path is taken, or the mind of a traveler simply too insane for
the designs of Tzeentch to have effect, then the heart of the Labyrinth might be found,
the site from which every tangled filament extends; The Impossible Fortress.
The Realm of Chaos is beyond the comprehension of any living being, so all who tread within it will
perceive its tortured landscapes differently. The Impossible Fortress however, is a madness beyond
any comparison. It is a scintillating bastion that reflects the aspirations of those who behold it.
Some will see a castle whose walls are of the same shimmering crystal
as the labyrinth that surrounds it. Others see foundations of living blue flame
or gnarled azure gems. But no matter from what material it is constructed,
the Fortress is in a state of constant insanity . The structure of the Impossible Fortress is
always in flux, impossible objects intertwine with echoes of infinity. It is perfectly symmetrical,
yet horribly unbalanced. Spires and towers reflect themselves into being, bursting from the heart of
the fortress only to be reabsorbed moments later. Gatehouses and battlements, windows and arrowslits
all spring into being, windows glow with evidence of inner workings, only to fold inwards on
themselves, lost in the eldritch constructs that rise to replace them. If there is a pattern to the
shifting nature of the Fortress, it is known only to Tzeentch himself, and is likely somehow bound
to the state of his current schemes and lies. If this is so, then it is beyond any prediction.
The interior of the fortress is every bit as incomprehensible;
its passages, halls and chambers continually transform themselves and blend together. Different
rooms follow different laws with the very nature of gravity, time and mass changing or disappearing
with every step. What gravity decrees is up in one room might be down in another. Hallways might lead
to the forgotten past or distant future. They can stretch to infinity or shrink down to oblivion.
Other chambers are even stranger, existing in inexpressible states of sorrow, dignity,
truth or introspection. Neither mortal beings nor demons can exist for long in such a place,
for even a stray thought from Tzeentch might pull apart those locked in physical or
magical form. Inevitably, trespassers will be consumed by an ecstatic, incandescent madness
in an implosion of consciousness and form. Those who succumb within the fortress are sometimes
reborn as sorceress familiars and gifted to Champions of Tzeentch in the mortal world.
A single perplexing room within the Impossible Fortress can be enough
to halt even the most formidable invasion by the other ruinous powers, and hundreds
of such chambers must be navigated before the residence of Tzeentch himself can be entered.
The Great Conspirator contemplates infinity within a vast Hidden Library,
a single repository in which every scrap of knowledge, every thought and deed might be found.
An army of demons tends to this collection, yet even they can not exist here for long.
The Library is in some sense, a living entity, and its endless books and grimoires whisper to
their keepers, trapping them in webs of deceit and rumor. With each deamon that flickers out of
existence, the Library grows stronger. There are some areas of the Fortress
even Tzeentch dare not enter. The Well of Eternity is one such place,
a vast receptacle of knowledge whose mystery and challenge is beyond even the Great Conspirator.
Only one deamon has ever survived the plunge into its depths,
and he was granted insights by the Well that only he can see. Yet a perfect understanding
of eternity lies somewhere within that Well, and Tzeentch remains transfixed on its allure.
The Impossible Fortress sits at the center of the absurd, beyond the thoughts and understanding of
mortal beings. Legends tell of only wanderer to ever perfectly navigate the Nine Gates of the Maze
and answer the riddles of Tzeentch’s guardian. Many versions of the story claim that whatever
it was, it adopted the form of a young girl with a black dog, but the significance of such
details is without an answer. Likely it is just another wisp of smoke from the Master of Lies,
or perhaps a mystery from some other reality. To seek the meaning of such stories is to invite the
attention of Tzeentch, and be drawn in some form or another to the Impossible Fortress.
Thanks to Creative Assembly for supporting our investigation into the Impossible Fortress.
Join the Templin Institute on Twitch one hour after this video went live where I’ll be playing
as one of three lords of Kislev trying to stop a Chaos invasion. Why is there a Kislev stream
following a video on Tzeentch? It really makes no sense… but maybe that’s all according to plan.