[Location] The Inner Sanctum
Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:27 pm
The Inner Sanctum
The pride and joy of the Crucible is none other than the Inner Sanctum, an arena that consists of forgotten ruins that exist on the outer fringes of the Warrens. As the Pinnacle Games take place the contestants are warped into their starting points, which are scattered across the arena, and from there the times only grow more exciting as they begin the games with a bit of search and annihilation. However, fellow contestants aren't the only threats that are faced here, for the Inner Sanctum is situated somewhere above the levels of the First Deep; therefore serves as a gateway to the Warrens below. Creatures from within often can, and do, find their way to enter the arena of their own volition. Because of this, the excitement of the Pinnacle Games tends to grow quickly, and those brave enough to test their mettle often find themselves changed after their first experience.
The Inner Sanctum arena consists of several places of interest from times past, each section of the arena is large enough to contend into battle with, and each seemingly had their own personal history before they became a part of the Crucible's bloodsport.
Abandoned Circle
The centerpiece of the Inner Sanctum is where a very ancient Orkhan settlement once stood, the name lost to the ages of time, which is where the name was born from as contestants enter the area. A single obelisk had been erected within the dried fountain of this area, with weathered house structures encircling the place as their interiors were left intact. Furniture within these houses is extremely tattered and time-worn, indicating that this part of the arena has been around for at least an age.
Glowing Spires To the southeastern corner of the map where the ridges increase, there stands a set of glowing stones with runes akin to the ones found near the Macabre Monolith. These stones seem to resonate with high-pitched sounds, and give off an ambient amount of aether in the presence of mages. Contestants have a harder time casting magic up here due to this, as the spires tend to cause interference with their magic, making spells either fail or go completely haywire when used. Even the obelisk here tends to have problems producing magic, which makes this place a very challenging spot to attempt some 'King of the Hill' battles.
Hanz Villa
Scholars of the Antiquities Society had discovered this abandoned ruin long before the Pinnacle Games arrived, determining that the ancient settlement atop the chasm was man-made within the early parts of the Age of Steel. Scholars believe it was the first initiative to settle within the Warrens, though the attempt had gone exceedingly wrong when denizens of the Deep made it even this far up to the surface. Having no other alternative the project was abandoned, therefore, Hanz Villa became a bad memory left only for contestants of the Pinnacle Games to hide out in. Unlike the Abandoned Circle though the buildings bear no interior furniture, and while the designs are Kalzasian by nature, mostly all of them have been weathered by the passage of time. Contestants will find that the starting point found here is based literally where the obelisk is located.
Hanging Edge
This northern section of the arena is a very high-risk place to navigate, namely for the fact that narrow bridges interconnect pathways with one another here. Yet to fall from one of these bridges is to fall deeper into the Warrens below, risking certain death should a foolish contestant even survive the crash down. While it appears sections of the flooring have crumbled away, the Hanging Edge looks to have been the outer parts of a deeper city tucked within the walls. Some speculate that it was a district of the Buried Empire, and that there are even a few secrets left intact, but only if one can navigate the lower levels without falling to their demise.
Lower Waterfront
The southern part of the arena that connects the Tattered Coliseum to the Glowing Spires, the Lower Waterfront used to have a makeshift harbor before the Pinnacle Games took place. Rumor has it that the water flows in from another part of Lake Udori, and that a long, long time ago people used to access the arena from that point of entry. Now, however, with the application of magic to bring contestants into the match, the Lower Waterfront merely serves as means of navigating the battlefield for tactical fighters.
Scattered Slabs
A place situated between The Hanging Edge, Abandoned Circle, and Tattered Coliseum. The Scattered Slabs is the western part of the arena where many pillars and stone crags reside, all strewn across the battlefield to provide a variety of resources for combatants. There are few rules within the arena after all, and many stealthy contestants will find all sorts of nooks and crannies to hide within.
Tattered Coliseum
The largest structure found at the southwestern corner of the arena, the Tattered Coliseum is a place that had four points of entry, though not before the western section caved in to keep contestants from venturing beyond the arena's perimeters. There are four obelisk structures found in this ancient coliseum, making this ancient structure a prime spot to hold epic battles with and without magic. The Tattered Coliseum is believed to be a much older part of the Inner Sanctum, dating back to the Age of Wonders, and from the looks of its design was once a part of the Buried Empire.
Starting Points
When looking at the map there are two particular icons of interest to look for! The Blue Orbs being obelisks that contestants can tamper with using their magic, and the Magic Circles being starting points where contestants enter at the beginning of the match.
Past Variants
As seasons progress changed versions of the map will appear here.