Other Arathi expanded to the coastal region known as Gilneas, where they constructed a series of robust harbors. The settlers fished the waters and engaged in rigorous trade with other parts of Arathor. The boldest of these sailors ventured into the open waters around Gilneas. In time, they discovered a large island to the south that was rich with metal ores and other valuable natural resources. Some of the sailors stayed on this island and founded a mighty maritime outpost named Kul Tiras.
Over the decades, these new cities continued to grow and develop their own unique customs. The ruling powers in Arathor’s capital, Strom, were ever wary that these settlements would become too independent. Despite these rulers’ attempts to retain control over the kingdom, many cities did eventually gain more autonomy. The first and most notable example of this was the trading outpost of Dalaran.
Established in the heart of Arathor, Dalaran quickly became a trading center of great import and influence. Citizens from across Arathor flocked to the city in a quest for wealth and new opportunity. One of these immigrants was a brilliant and eccentric mage named Ardogan. He won the admiration of Dalaran’s populace and was elected as its ruler.
Under Ardogan’s governance, Dalaran would continue expanding in power and would ultimately evolve into an autonomous city-state. It would also become a much needed haven for Arathor’s magi—a population that the kingdom’s citizenry increasingly viewed with suspicion and wariness.
The growth and prosperity experienced by Arathor was due in large part to magi and the protection they offered settlers. Even so, private distrust of sorcerers festered among the general populace. Over time, dissent and superstition grew, igniting tensions between magic users and the rest of society. Most magi withdrew from cities and towns, angry at being subjected to what they saw as baseless paranoia.
Dalaran’s ruler, Ardogan, invited many of these disgruntled magi to his city. There, he proclaimed, they could live free of prejudice. Many of these magi answered Ardogan’s call and settled in Dalaran. When the first group of these sorcerers arrived, they decided to remake the city into a glorious center of knowledge. Using their great powers, the magi expanded Dalaran in size and scope. They raised gleaming spires throughout the city and constructed vast libraries and repositories of arcane wonders.
Ardogan and the most powerful of these newly arrived magi formed a magocracy to govern the burgeoning city. This ruling body encouraged the study and practice of arcane arts. As word of Dalaran spread, magi from across Arathor began to see it as a symbol of hope and freedom.
Within a few years, Dalaran exploded in population. Though only a small percentage of residents could wield the arcane, the protection they offered allowed trade and industry to grow unimpeded. Crime was virtually nonexistent. The dangers of the wild were largely forgotten.
But this unchecked spellcasting had disastrous consequences.
The reckless use of magic began tearing through the fabric of reality in the region. Dalaran’s magi were unaware that waves of arcane energy billowed out from the city and into the Twisting Nether. These tides of power drew the attention of scattered demons belonging to the Burning Legion. A small number of these demons slipped into the physical world, infiltrating Dalaran itself. Though these creatures were weak and usually alone, they succeeded in sowing chaos and terrorizing the peaceful city.
The magocracy struggled to deal with these demonic intrusions while also keeping them a secret from the public. More and more, the city’s rulers feared that if the superstitious populace learned the truth, they would panic and riot. Eventually, the magocracy sought help from beyond the city’s walls. The ruling magi sent an urgent request to the high elves of Quel’Thalas. The humans hoped that the elves, in their infinite wisdom, might understand how to deal with the sudden influx of demons.
The ruling body in Quel’Thalas, the Council of Silvermoon, immediately dispatched the high elves’ greatest magi to investigate. They determined that only a few demons had crossed into the physical world, but the magi knew that this was merely the beginning. The problem would grow worse unless the magocracy placed limits on humans’ use of magic.
Many of Dalaran’s leaders rejected the high elves’ recommendation. Magi had come to the city because they could freely practice their arcane arts. Restricting them would result in a number of detrimental effects. At best, most of the brightest magi would leave and continue their arcane studies elsewhere. At worst, Dalaran’s entire economy would collapse, sparking a revolt and scattering the magi to the far corners of the land. One way or another, the use of arcane magic would continue, be it within Dalaran’s walls or without. No matter what happened, the threat posed by the Burning Legion would always exist.
Having agreed that they could not prohibit the use of magic, the Council of Silvermoon and the magocracy of Dalaran decided on another solution. Together, they formed a clandestine order to deal with the demonic invaders. This new group met within a secret grove in Tirisfal Glades to discuss its work, and it became known as the Council of Tirisfal. The order’s gifted members would be responsible for tracking and banishing the Legion’s agents wherever they might be found across the land. The magi would also quietly educate other magi about the dangers of reckless spell-weaving.
For decades, the first members of the Council of Tirisfal discreetly tracked down and banished any demons they could find. When facing extraordinarily powerful foes, the council’s members would channel their abilities into a single individual, who would act as a solitary vessel of their power for a short time.
Empowering a single champion was a dangerous ritual. As such, it was only done in rare and dire circumstances. The council members would have to be in close proximity to perform the ritual, leaving them vulnerable. The massive influx of energies also had the potential to destroy the appointed champions. Yet if they survived, they could overwhelm even the Burning Legion’s mightiest agents. Despite the risks, the Council of Tirisfal used this empowering technique to great effect for many years.
But everything changed when a dreadlord named Kathra’natir infiltrated Dalaran. This cunning demon stalked the city’s beautiful spires, spreading his poison through the hearts and minds of the populace. Terrible plagues gripped Dalaran. As the affliction spread, a veil of paranoia enveloped the city.
Upon investigating these phenomena, the Council of Tirisfal discovered and confronted Kathra’natir. The gifted magi found themselves outmatched by the demon. Seeing no other recourse, they moved to empower a high elf named Aertin Brighthand as their champion. Aertin hurled himself against Kathra’natir, wielding the council’s combined might as his own.
It was here that Kathra’natir turned the council’s greatest strength to his own advantage. Rather than face the champion directly, the demon struck out at the order’s members. With their energies in Brighthand’s control, they could not defend themselves. Kathra’natir’s shadowy assault disrupted the connection between the council members and Aertin. This in turn weakened the champion’s powers, until eventually he fell to the demon. Only the desperate intervention of a young half-elf named Alodi spared the council from total annihilation.
The wary council rallied for another battle, but this time as individual magi with no champion to focus their strength. Kathra’natir reveled in the council’s disarray, easily thwarting his adversaries.
The defeat shattered the Council of Tirisfal’s confidence and hope. The magi knew that they could not overcome Kathra’natir as individuals, nor could they rely on their empowerment ritual.
In this dark moment, Alodi and his allies discovered a new way to wield their power. No longer would the council members need to be present for the battle. Through a complex ritual, they could permanently grant someone a portion of their power. Alodi was the first to undergo this experimental technique. When the ritual proved successful, he declared himself not the council’s champion but its Guardian.
The newly empowered Alodi faced and struck down Kathra’natir, banishing the dre
adlord back to the roaring depths of the Twisting Nether. Hailed as a hero, Alodi would serve as the first Guardian of Tirisfal. He used his great powers to prolong his life, and for a hundred years he hunted down the Legion’s minions. At the end of his century of service, Alodi gave up his power voluntarily, choosing to live out the remainder of his days in peace and tranquility.
So began the tradition of the Guardian. Every century, a new mage would arise to dedicate his or her life to safeguarding Azeroth. The magi chosen to wield the council’s might would demonstrate their humility and commitment to peace by giving up their tremendous power after a hundred years.
For more than a millennium, an unprecedented era of prosperity reigned across the whole of Azeroth. Though conflict and suffering could not be entirely eradicated, the Guardians ensured that no demonic intruders would harm the world. As these noble individuals waged their lonely secret war against the Legion, Dalaran continued to serve as one of the world’s foremost centers of arcane knowledge and research.
Far to the south of Dalaran, the ancient vault of Uldaman lay darkened and silent. Ages ago, Ironaya and Keeper Archaedas had gone into hibernation. Many of the mechagnomes who had once watched over Uldaman’s machineries had departed as well after being afflicted by the curse of flesh. But a handful of these faithful clockwork servants had remained. Their once-resilient forms gradually succumbed to the degradations of time. They broke down and died out until only one was left.
Although this lone mechagnome did her best to maintain Uldaman, much of the stronghold fell into disrepair. Soon, the curse of flesh began to chip away at her metallic form. The affliction eventually transformed her into a gnome, and she grew old and close to death. Aware that she did not have much time left, the gnome worked to free the earthen hibernating deep within Uldaman. She could not bear the thought that when she passed, they would be abandoned forever in the vault’s deadened halls.
With her dying breath, the gnome activated the earthen’s hibernation chambers. The chambers stirred to life. The titan-forged slumbering within awoke to a new world … and a new destiny.
These awakened earthen discovered that they had changed dramatically. The curse of flesh had taken its toll, transforming them into creatures of flesh and blood—creatures who would call themselves dwarves.
Still groggy from their years of slumber, the dwarves stumbled from the broken halls of Uldaman and emerged onto the surface of the world. They found themselves drawn to the west, where a range of majestic stone mountains towered into the clouds. Much like the gnomes who had left Uldaman centuries ago, the dwarves were forced to contend with the savage beasts that prowled the land. Yet whereas the gnomes had used their ingenuity to overcome these threats, the dwarves relied on their resilience and natural physical strength. Eventually, they reached the mountains they had seen on the western horizon, and they settled in the snowy region of Dun Morogh.
Although the curse of flesh had diminished their memories, the dwarves still held faint ties to their titan-forged heritage. Inspired by these recollections of the past, they named their new home Khaz Modan, or “Mountain of Khaz,” in honor of the titan shaper Khaz’goroth. The dwarves retained a natural affinity to stoneworking and mining as well. They delved into the heart of Khaz Modan’s tallest mountain and crafted an immense forge. Around it, the dwarves built a proud city called Ironforge. This would become the seat of their new home, a great and mighty nation that would stretch deep under the mountains.
As the dwarves set out to mine Khaz Modan’s mountains and expand their holdings, they discovered the gnomes dwelling in the nearby caverns. The people of Ironforge were enthralled by the ingenuity and techno-savvy of their diminutive neighbors. The dwarves also sensed a natural kinship with the gnomes, due in large part to their shared titan-forged ancestry.
The dwarves imparted their knowledge of stoneworking and construction to the gnomes, helping them lay the foundations of a wondrous city that would later be called Gnomeregan. In turn, the gnomes taught the dwarves engineering and science, introducing much needed efficiency and advancements to Ironforge. Although the gnomes and dwarves would largely keep to themselves in the centuries that followed, they had formed an unbreakable bond and would aid each other in times of need.
In the southern reaches of the Eastern Kingdoms, the Gurubashi jungle trolls languished in poverty and hardship. They had never fully recovered from the destruction wrought by the Sundering. Many hunting and farming grounds were forever lost, and famine was a constant companion for the empire.
Desperate to reclaim their former glory, the Gurubashi of Stranglethorn Vale eventually turned to the powerful loa spirits whom the trolls worshipped. One such creature answered their call: Hakkar the Soulflayer, the Loa of Blood. The malevolent spirit promised to help the Gurubashi extend their empire across the lower half of the Eastern Kingdoms. In return, he demanded large numbers of living sacrifices.
The Gurubashi who pledged their loyalties to Hakkar became known as the Hakkari. They soundly defeated nearby packs of gnolls and tribes of murlocs, as well as other trolls who opposed Hakkar. Those taken prisoner soon wished they had died in battle; Hakkar’s disembodied spirit gorged on the blood of the captives for years. Under the Hakkari’s control, the Gurubashi had achieved all they had hoped, conquering vast swaths of land and even many of the islands that dotted the coasts of the South Seas.
The Zandalari, observing these events from afar, were pleased at first with the Gurubashi’s return to conquest and traditional worship. Yet once it became clear that Hakkar’s bloodlust would never be sated, they knew that the fiendish god would drive not only the troll race to destruction, but the entire world.
The Zandalari rallied their forces and set sail for the Eastern Kingdoms. There, they met with Gurubashi trolls who had kept their dissent hidden from the Hakkari. The Zandalari and their new allies learned that a faction of Hakkar’s most zealous priests, the Atal’ai, were attempting to summon the loa’s spirit into a living form. This in turn would awaken terrible new dimensions of his power and spell certain doom for the troll race.
Horrified by the Atal’ai’s plans, the Zandalari host stormed the Gurubashi capital of Zul’Gurub. Battles raged among the vine-covered ziggurats of the temple city day and night. Finally, atop Hakkar’s bloodstained shrine, the Zandalari defeated Hakkar and most of his crazed followers.
Despite this victory, the Zandalari and their allies agreed to remain vigilant for any sign of Hakkar’s reappearance. The loa was not truly dead—his spirit had merely been banished from the physical world.
A number of his fanatical Atal’ai priests had also escaped into the jungles surrounding Zul’Gurub. These trolls finally settled in the Swamp of Sorrows, north of the Gurubashi capital. In the heart of the wild marshland, they secretly constructed a great temple to their bloodthirsty loa: the Temple of Atal’Hakkar.
Deep within the temple, the Atal’ai continued their worship of Hakkar. They practiced grisly rituals and ceremonies, hoping to once again summon the loa into the physical world. Dark magics twisted the flora and fauna surrounding the temple. This in turn drew the attention of the green Dragon Aspect, Ysera.
Upon learning of the Atal’ai’s plans to summon Hakkar, Ysera unleashed her powers on the temple and its inhabitants. The Dragon Aspect’s attack buckled the temple’s walls and blasted its foundations apart. The immense ziggurat began sinking beneath the land. As the swampy mire engulfed the temple, the terrified Atal’ai abandoned their rituals and scattered into the marshlands.
Though Ysera had thwarted Hakkar’s return, she knew that the Atal’ai might someday attempt to summon the loa again. Thus, she commanded a number of her loyal green dragons to watch over the ruined temple and ensure it would never again be used to bring such evil into the world.
Far across the sea from the Gurubashi empire, a secretive society of Highborne who had survived the Great Sundering grappled with an uncertain future. They were known as the Shen’dralar, meaning
“Those Who Remain Hidden.” Nearly ten thousand years before, Queen Azshara had charged them with the storage and safekeeping of her most precious tomes. Led by Prince Tortheldrin, the Shen’dralar dutifully obeyed their queen. They journeyed into the misty heart of Kalimdor’s southern jungles and established a grand city called Eldre’Thalas.
When the Great Sundering later decimated the world, Eldre’Thalas narrowly escaped destruction. Only the efforts of Tortheldrin and his followers spared the city. Together, they wove a great spell to shield Eldre’Thalas from the destructive forces of the Sundering.
Although they had saved their city, the Shen’dralar soon discovered that the Well of Eternity had been consumed in the Sundering. Without the fount of power to draw on, Tortheldrin and his followers saw their immortality greatly diminished. The Shen’dralar soon fell into a deep lethargy and languished in their isolated sanctuary.
Tortheldrin eventually formulated a plan to revitalize the Shen’dralar. He forged pylons in one of the damaged wings of Eldre’Thalas, constructing a prison to house a new source of power: a demon named Immol’thar. To the shock of the other Shen’dralar, Tortheldrin had covertly summoned and bound the terrifying creature to siphon the demon’s power and give it to his followers. Any objections were quickly settled once the other Shen’dralar experienced the demon’s energy for themselves. Though dark and volatile, Immol’thar’s power was invigorating and addictive, more so than even the Well of Eternity had been.
The Shen’dralar reveled in their newfound source of power, but they knew that keeping Immol’thar in their midst was dangerous. Thus, they developed a means to use the demon’s power to keep him imprisoned. For thousands of years, all seemed well.
World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 Page 15
