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Saphery is a minor High Elves faction introduced in Total War: Warhammer II, led by Haerrieth.

Background[ | ]

Saphery is one of the Inner Kingdoms of Ulthuan, located to the southeast of the Sea of Dreams. The Kingdom of Saphery is an enchanted land, with skies that shine with all the colours of the rainbow, hills that move by night and warm rivers that glow with gentle light. Magic courses through the blood of Sapherian Elves, and all of the realm's princes are also mages of awesome power. They are reclusive and idiosyncratic, dwelling in exquisite mansions far from other outposts of civilisation. Each noble's home has its own character that reflects the interests and magical research of its patron.

The heart of Saphery is the Tower of Hoeth, the Elven god of wisdom. This is the greatest repository of magical knowledge in the world, complied down the centuries by High Elf Mages and scholars who dedicated their lives to the accumulation of magical lore. This bone white structure is almost half a mile high, a feat of engineering made possible only by magic. Its approaches are guarded by rings of illusion, and mazes of spells ensure that only those selected by the Loremasters of Hoeth ever find the true path. Those who seek wisdom here will find it. Those who seek power for power's sake are never seen again.[1]

Strategy[ | ]

Being located between Avelorn and Lothern, the faction has the potential to be a close ally - or a thorn in the side. Saphery often starts out on relatively negative terms with Avelorn because of Alarielle's trait "Defender of Ulthuan" in which she is supposed to protect the Ulthuani kingdoms from outside threats. Since the Scourge of Khaine start the game controlling several High Elven lands, Avelorn has bad reputation with several of the High Elf factions, Saphery being one of them. This can lead to hostilities if Alarielle isn't quick to drive away the Dark Elves.

On the other hand, Lothern often finds itself on good terms with Saphery since the destruction of the Cult of Excess leads to trust from the Sapherian Elves. When playing as Eataine with Tyrion, Saphery will have a -30 relations modifier, due to the intrigue woven around him. The Sunfang quest line eventually culminates in a pitched battle at Saphery, before the loremasters' tower.

In Immortal Empires, an extra layer of complexity is added by the presence of a Slaanesh cult in the White Tower of Hoeth settlement. For the Seducers of Slaanesh this is only good news, since it provides you with an unlikely trading partner in the early game and eventually gives you the opportunity to vassalise them, causing a major problem for two of your most serious enemies. Avelorn and Lothern on the other hand will have to cope with chaos corruption whilst travelling through the province, and increases the strategic benefit of simply destroying Saphery at the earliest opportunity.

Starting territory[ | ]

Eye of the Vortex
Mortal Empires

Diplomacy[ | ]

Eye of the Vortex

Diplomatic traits:

  • Aggressive
  • Guardian
  • Wary
  • Diplomatic
Mortal Empires

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