The vortex acts as a sponge, soaking up the wild magic that would have otherwise wreaked havoc on the world, but it has trapped the mages of long ago within itself as they must continually cast spells to keep the vortex stable. Long ago, the great vortex was created to control the forces of chaos that threatened the world. Like rats, they live in darkness underneath the settlements of the other species, emerging when it seems propitious to do so and taking advantage of whatever presents itself at the time

Skaven: sounding almost more unpleasant than the Dark Elves, Skaven are a race of rat men who thrive on and worship chaos.

Dark Elves: descended from the Asur, these elves have moved away from the island to Naggaroth in the New World, a cold and forbidding place, much like the souls of the Dark Elves who are vicious, unrelenting and the most evil beings in the game.

Their armies are lightly equipped, but their soldiers are quick, brave and nimble They are very nearly immortal and produce some of the best mages in the game.

High Elves: also known as the Asur, these elves are the original inhabitants of Ulthuan and they are sworn enemies of the Dark Elves.

Lizardmen: as the name implies, these beings are reptilian, based on dinosaurs and amphibians and demonstrate a Central and Southern American (Mesoamerican/ Aztec) theme in their decoration and dress.

Playing the latter way makes the game into more of a race as each of the playable species want to control the power contained within the vortex and thus take control of the island вЂ“ and from there, presumably, the world. The game is essentially a battle for control of this island, called Ulthuan, and you can achieve it in one of two ways: brute force or by solving enough quests and meeting enough objectives that you ultimately take control of the great vortex, and sort of magical whirlpool/cyclone.

Set in fictionalised versions of Africa, America and Britain along with a mythical horseshoe-shaped Elven island, smack-dab in the middle of the Atlantic вЂ“ nicely placed to break up an awful lot of monotonous sea scenery, but also a useful place to have elves find a home, away from traditionally human habitation. There are thirteen main games and four spin-offs in the series, with the first, Shogun: Total War having been released in 2000. Total War: Warhammer II is a real time, turn-based strategy game in the Total War series.

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