Shao Kahn's Fortress

Shao Kahn's Fortress is home to Shao Kahn the Konqueror. It is located in Outworld, and it is heavily guarded by his militia. It first appeared in Mortal Kombat 3.
== Overview ==
The centerpiece is a huge granite palace with a giant skull structure which represents Shao Kahn's helmet atop its tower. It is filled with elevators and traps and is ever guarded by Shao Kahn's militia. It contains dungeons and an armory in the lower levels. Also, in the lower level lies a hidden cave-like arena and a strange chamber. Between the lower level and the middle level is a first balcony. 
Introduced in Armageddon, the middle level is a huge statue room where the enchanted giant statue of the Konqueror resides, and a balcony. Also within the middle level are a temple-like chapel, debuting in MK3, and a stairway inside a tower which is part of the fortress, and a pit-like chamber. Between the lower middle and the upper level is a second balcony. The upper level contains a map room and finally a throne room.
It once appeared and emerged within one of the cities of Earthrealm, presumably New York City, during Shao Kahn's invasion. When Shao Kahn was defeated by Liu Kang and his friends, the fortress began to release massive amounts of energy that consisted of the souls that had been captured by Shao Kahn's forces. The fortress rushed into the portal in the Earth's sky and returned to Outworld. This signaled the end of Shao Kahn's invasion of Earthrealm.
It was sometimes called "The Shao Kahn Tower".
== Theme songs ==
* Konquest: Shao Kahn's Fortress/Lin Kuei Temple (Mortal Kombat Armageddon)
* Konquest: Shao Kahn's Fortress - Fortress Sanctum Variation (Mortal Kombat Armageddon)
== Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Part II ==
Once Sindel was resurrected by Quan Chi and Shang Tsung within the deep reaches of the Egypt desert, Kahn began his invasion of Earth merging it with his home turf. Stryker resumed his duties as a Riot Officer stationed in New York, and he was one of the first bystanders to see the massive Tower rise up from the ground and create the portal within the sky! He and Kabal defeated Kano within the streets next to the colossal fortress, and were determined to take down the Emperor, though the latter ally stopped him as they needed allies first.
While the team was regrouping, they advanced to the Tower after the Lin Kuei cyborgs were destroyed. Shadow Priests and Tarkatans from the extermination squads dealt with the heroes, and soon captured Smoke!
Shao Kahn sent out more of his extermination squads consisting of the usual Tarkatans, Shadow Priests and Centaurs while Sindel was looking over the cityscape from the Balcony. The enemies were suddenly ambushed by each of the heroes' own Animalities. Each one of the heroes continued to break thru the defense lines, and Kitana was the first to do so; she was able to gaze onto, and recognize, her resurrected mother, Queen Sindel!! She hid into the Fortress and the princess gave chase! Soon after, Liu Kang followed her to Kahn's Fortress, as did Kung Lao, Aiko and Nightwolf albeit several feet away. Sindel was then seen assimilating a lot of Shang Tsung's energy in order to empower herself and let out a deafening shriek which stunned all the advancing Kombatants! Aiko was barely able to use her cardiokinesis, expanding Sindel's heart just enough to exhaust her and seize her banshee screams! Liu Kang and Kitana were the first to infiltrate Kahn's Fortress, with the latter desperately looking for her mom. They wound up inside the Temple floor, and the monk was disgusted on how Kahn perverted it to something so unholy! Sindel made a surprise attack from above!! Kitana tried to talk some reasoning into the evil queen, but she never budged, always belittling Kitana that Milenna was her true daughter, and she was glad she was able to reunite with Kahn, forgetting about Edenia and Jerrod, etc. Liu Kang urged Kitana not to take her slander to heart, so it was against the two royals! Kitana fought the best she could, but Sindel was more enduring than she was. Her elongated hair was fatal when she used it to strangle her daughter after she used her fans to deflect the soundwaves!! Sindel incapacitated Liu Kang as he intervened, however, thanks to the numerous candles, they empowered his pyrokinesis to the point on combusting Sindel's hair!! He even greeted her with a sudden boot to the face!! He then ran to the princess' side and gave her mouth-to-mouth till she was resuscitated! Liu became emotional, and his worries and pure heart really warmed Kitana up to him...
Nightwolf and Kung Lao rushed into the bowels of Kahn's Fortress and the monk was the first to see Smoke chained against the rear wall over a pillar peeking thru the lava! He teleported over the gap, but his hat left him shocked; Nightwolf theorized they must conquer over Kahn if they can save him. Just then, they rushed into the Temple, and for once Lao wasn't fazed of Liu's and Kitana's relationship. The Matokan sensed the immense darkness ahead, and Liu offered to stay with the women for a while. They arrived in the Soul Chamber and were flabbergasted of the monstrous display encasing all the unfortunate souls, even Johnny's and their ancestors'. All of a sudden, Sheeva made an ambush from the opaque ceiling and challenged the heroes! The shaman offered to fight off the Shokan, while Lao'd advance up to the Balcony. At first, he wanted to assist him, but he watched from the sidelines. He was about to use his conjured electricity within his axe, but Sindel implored him to stop! Liu Kang and Kitana met up with them, and she convinced Sheeva as she'd resume her role as Sindel's bodyguard.
Kung Lao was relieved, and he headed up to the Balcony. At first the place was silent and empty, until his sharp senses detected Motaro's advances!! He noticed it was the same murderer that killed Johnny Cage!! He immediately took him on, and because of the limited space and Motaro's body covering up most of the arena, Lao was put into a disadvantage. Lao was desperate to end the fight in his favor as he used his sharp hat, but... Motaro was able to deflect it from his lower chest straight back into the receiver!!! Lao was completely immobilized as he was bleeding profusely and was thrown against a sharp end of a statue with his back!! He was at the monster's mercy, until Jax intervened with a quake! Lao disappeared within a flash, and the Agent finished the job defeating Motaro!!
The shockwaves from Jax made the ceiling collapse onto the devastated Soul Chamber. Sheeva ordered the guys to climb up thru the new hole, even using her strong four arms to help them ascend. They were too late... Liu Kang was desperate on finding his partner, but Nightwolf sensed Lao's soul is gone... The monk was devastated... His friends, even the arrival of the remaining Kombatants, entered and kept ensuring the Champion to keep fighting and put an end to Kahn's savage dominion over Earthrealm and Outworld. By Nightwolf's axe with the souls absorbed into it, they filled up Liu with tons of energy to the point on matching Kahn's astronomical strength, at least that was what the shaman believed...
Liu met up with Kahn at the upmost chamber, the Pit III! The climactic fight took place at the narrow bridge of the Pit and the space of the place was nerve-wrecking with the Emperor's brutality! Liu just conjured all his might for a remarkable uppercut sending Kahn plummeting to the abyss!! He hardly heard the rows of giant rotating spikes shredding both Kahn's body and soul into oblivion! As they did, they became slow, till they stopped like clocks. The chambers' greenlit sections began to fade into a corroding olive green before Liu could've sworn the gigantic stone statues began to move...
However, Kahn left one last nasty surprise! The Tower started to collapse, which was his last attempt to kill and trap the Champion!! Liu stormed down each floor till he got to the underbelly where Smoke was held, however, he was saved by Sub-Zero and co. As soon as he reached the exit, both he and his team noticed the rubble blocking it!! Liu's, Jax's, and Kuai's strength wasn't enough! The monk was about to lose hope and accept defeat, until neon red light greeted him! Turned out it was a rip and never minding where it led, he immediately took it nearly tripping over himself as he touched sturdier pavement! He noticed he was out on the streets with his friends who watched Kahn's Fortress collapse into itself!!
Little did our heroes knew, and the construction workers who were removing the rubble knew, was an infinitesimal rip in the concrete leading into the Netherrealm. Two sorcerers were about to cook up their next scheme...
== Final Kombat ==
Kahn's Fortress, despite NOT being included from MK Armageddon on the MK wiki, was featured as Taven took his Konquest to Outworld hoping to find Daegon, instead of Quan Chi. Caro, Orin, and the mysterious Oriental were following him after his pep talk with Shinnok from the Netherrealm and observed Taven from afar hoping he'd find allies to assist him. Taven traversed thru the side portions unlocking the main chamber, then took on swarms of guardsmen, even taking advantage of its lava pits and grinders. The first elitist he came across was Mileena, whom he knocked out remembering Orin's warning on crippling their enemies for Armageddon. He soon came across Shujinko while saving the prisoners only to have them slaughtered by the nearby executioner. He was tempted by his pleas and promises to wipe out Kahn and Daegon via his mimicry, but Hanzo stopped him; he came from the Chaosrealm reconverting Dairou and Darrius to the ways of chaos for Havik and knew Shujinko and the Elder Gods' machinations. He convinced Taven otherwise and assisted him further up, even against Motaro the Minotaur and Reiko. Unfortunately, his rage killed the latter general instead of crippling him. They still eavesdropped on the gathered overlords (Quan, Shang, Kahn and Onaga) as a lime portal shown toward Edenia. They were at each other's throats until Quan coaxed them to cooperate and claim the prize after decimating Blaze, no mention on Daegon. Taven and Hanzo were thrilled they didn't know it's all a setup. Unfortunately, Shang detected their souls, and they made a hasty retreat! Thanks to Taven's teleport, they emerged at the courtyard and the Oriental gave Caro the signal to conjure a portal away!
== Trivia ==
* It's quite possible that Ganon's Castle was roughly inspired by this place, whether it'd be the dark aesthetics, the swirling portal aloft, and the devs of Ocarina of Time could've drawn inspiration from MK3/Trilogy since MK4/Mythologies were considered to be disappointments.
== Gallery ==
File:Shao Kahn's Courtyard.webp|Concept art of the courtyard of Shao Kahn's Fortress in MK Armageddon
File:Shao Kahn's Palace.webp|Shao Kahn's Palace, aka Shao Kahn's Fortress, in MK: Conquest
File:Shao Kahn's Fortress MK Annihilation% 29.webp|Shao Kahn's Fortress in MK: Annihilation
File:Shao Kahn's Castle.webp|Shao Kahn's Castle in MK: Defenders of the Realm
File:Shao kahn's fortress MKA.webp|Shao Kahn's Fortress in MK: Armageddon
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Category:Mortal Kombat
Category:Fortresses
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Category:Locations in Ikran's Mortal Kombat Khronology