The Feast of Winter Veil

I've always loved this time of year. Even though most of my life I failed to recognize it. While I was under the control of Sargaras, not a single joyful thought cross my mind, but there were glimpses when I saw the snow falling and heard the carols being sung that I dared to risk the rebellious thought: "Let's be happy."

Winter Veil is a tradition passed down for eons celebrated mainly by the Taurens and the Dwarves. It celebrates the time when Greatfather Winter, a Titan of old, would wander across the earth and veil the ground with his white robe to usher in a time of renewal for all of Azeroth. The Taurens celebrate this season as a reminder to rest and renew under their great druidic forces. The Dwarves celebrate to remember their great genealogy which heralds back to the Titans themselves. The Goblins exploit the season to sell joy and merriment for a pretty penny, but they may be forgiven if the citizens of Azeroth remember what the holiday is all about: a joyous time of renewal and celebration.

This joy is well-founded, indeed. The wintry lands of Northrend are a bitter reminder of how harsh the cold season can be, but it is good to remember that there is a reason for the cold; there is a reason for the bitter sting. Without winter there could be no spring. And while they may be considered equally beautiful, spring brings to life the death, or rest that is brought by winter. But I cannot help but tarry on the thought of winter's death. For the Lich King brings his own version of life, or rather undeath, to the death that he has found at the roof of the world. For all of Azeroth, what would bring true joy and continuous merriment is if spring broke forth and we were given a Savior. Then I think Winter Veil would be truly joyous, because death is nothing without new life, rest is nothing without waking, and winter is nothing without spring.

Our Ancient Enemy; My Old Friend

In recent history there has been three major events which lead to their most notable and deadliest foes.

The first was the creation of the Scourge. Although the Forsaken were born out of those Scourge that found their own will, it can be safely said that most Scourge will remain pathetic wretches who, if they could think anything, would be thinking, "please kill me." The master of these scourge at the time was the Lieutenant of the then-absent Lich King: Kel'Thuzad who ruled from his floating ziggurat, Naxxramas. Kel'Thuzad was the unbeatable enemy who survived raid upon raid of those adventurers who sought both glory and Azeroth's freedom. Many came back with reports of his death, but somehow... he survived.

The second notable event was the reopening of my Dark Portal. When this happened, all the forces of Azeroth stormed the ancient homeland of the Orcs which is now known as the Outlands. The self-proclaimed ruler of this land was Illidan, the corrupted demon/Night Elf. Many assumed him to be the enemy that one could never defeat. But eventually... they did. Illidan fell after several raids and his lieutenant Kael'Thas, prince of the Blood Elves, though he also died, was resurrected to summon he who would become the unbeatable foe of this second era: Kil'jaeden. Though many attempted to kill this monstrous demon, it only ended in the Burning Legion's commander slipping back through his portal into the Nether. Kael'Thas is defeated, but Kil'jaeden is merely waiting... he survived.

Now the third notable event was the fullness of the Lich King. Since Arthas merged with Ner'Zhul, the Lich King had been sitting on his throne waiting for the perfect time to strike from his icy glacier. He amassed for himself great armies and finally sent an attack on the southern lands. Orgrimmar and Stormwind were hit by his forces. Meager forces meant only to lure the unsuspecting races to the Frozen North, Northrend. And this is where things get interesting...

After the first notable event, the most powerful being, Kel'Thuzad, was never defeated. He survived until this third event and has become one of the easiest beings in Northrend to finish off. His defeat has been recorded and Naxxramas rules no more. How sad is it that a character of such power was so easily slain? But this leads to greater question: If such a being could not be slain in his day, will the Lich King survive this most recent event?

This question may be answered by the second event. Because while the assumption was that the most heinous of monsters to be beaten after the reopening of the portal was Illidan, it is no doubt that Kil'jaeden, though a late-comer to the scene, was even more powerful than the half-demon Night Elf. If the fates write the story of the Lich King in a similar way, then it may be possible to defeat Arthas, but will a second, more powerful foe take his place? And if so... whom?

The possible answer to this question is one of very... personal interest. Fate seems to be placing a lot of interest of late on the origins of Azeroth: the Old Gods and the Titans. Although the Lich King has nothing to do with these beings, stories of them have reached the ears of adventurers in startling amounts as they make their way to Icecrown. It would seem ancient powers are being stirred and an old friend of mine just may return.

For the entirety of my adult days I had been plagued by the presence of one of the darkest beings to ever see existence. The Fallen Titan, Sargaras, chose me as his vessel to create a portal from Draenor to Azeroth and bring orcs and demons to the unsuspecting humans in the First War. Sargaras had full control of my mind and body. There is no possible way to explain how that felt. To be trapped in your own body, compelled to do things you would never have dreamed of doing. After a while, however, one becomes numb to the sensation. You begin to accept all the atrocities that are being committed by your body without your permission. It's as though... you're watching events taking place from the comfort of your own home... It's something... I rarely talk about these days.

Sargaras is the most evil, darkest figure on the map of our known universe. He has been thought defeated and returned in force before. It is not hard to believe that he will return again. And if fate is to write his story in a similar manner to Arthas, Kil'jaeden will return as his lieutenant as Kel'Thuzad returned as the Lich King's.

As this thought crossed my mind I was beset by grief. The days I lived under the control of the Dark Titan were days I never wish to experience again. I am nearly in tears thinking of all the horrid things he did while claiming to be me as I watched through my own eyes. But the fates have been bringing the story of the Titans more and more to light and he is an inseparable part of that story. I can only pray that if he returns there will be some way I can help bring him to his knees.

The Old Gods (part 2)

The Old Gods they called themselves. And so they were to the ancient inhabitants of Azeroth even before the Night Elves. They proved to be a powerful force until the Titans arrived and pitted these "omnipotent" beings in an ages-long war hoping to defeat their strangle-hold of chaos with the establishment of order. This is a war that these beings lost and it left the survivors to wonder what kind of gods are able to be defeated by being buried under dirt.

It is theorized by some and spoken in hushed whispers that the Night Elves evolved from from Trolls. Given the elves proven ability to adapt rapidly to changing circumstances (see the Naga and High Elves), it is not a far stretch to imagine that before the time of the elves, the trolls roamed the land and worshiped (or were forced to worship) the the Old Gods. It is then not a far stretch to believe that tribal feuds were responsible for the loss of their knowledge. But what does one do when one loses a god? He finds another, of course.

The Drakkari Trolls of Zul'Drak, also known as Ice Trolls, had found their new gods long ago. But this time they opted for something a little less powerful. They opted for something they could kill. In the distant past they learned that by drinking the blood of the gods they could become all-powerful. But in so doing they doomed their sprawling empire to ruin. The blood did, indeed, give them supernatural power, but these new, powerful trolls were savage and impossible to control. The blood of the gods became like a drug and because of it the mighty nation of Zul'Drak fell into decay.

But now decay has fallen on them. Those trolls who survived now face the undead forces of the Lich King. And in their well-practiced habit of forgetting about the past, they have turned once more to the blood of the gods. Some of them remember and they hope to document this folly well. But it has gone too far for them to stop on their own. They have turned to the Alliance and the Horde to help them defeat both Drakkari, the troll agent of the Lich King, and those who would drink the blood of their gods.

But if the Ice Trolls are willing to take such desperate measures to fight the Scourge, what hope is there for those who dwell in the Grizzly Hills?

It is now called Grizzlemaw, but long ago well-meaning Druids attempted to create a World Tree on that site named Nordrassil. It did not take long before these ancient Druids decided it would behoove them to fell the giant tree, for its roots dug deep into the realm of an ancient buried evil, the Old God, Yogg'Saron. His evil taint has crept all over the frozen lands of Northrend and the Scourge army uses the metal that blatantly bares his name, Saronite, to build their armor. Is the Old God whose name is on the lips of the faceless ones in the Old Kingdom purposely injecting himself into the lives of those who dwell on the surface? Or is he being conjured by the warring tribes of Furblogs who undoubtedly also seek a way to overcome the Scourge? Whatever the case, this foe must not be allowed to resurface.

The Old Gods were long thought to be defeated, but they have once again shown their faces. What hope can there be if they are allowed once more to show their faces? The only chance we have is if the Titans return to reclaim their creation and reorder our world. Except for one Titan in particular...

The Old Gods (part 1)

The knowledge of them has been lost to time. And this is partly due to the will of the Titans. It is said that the Old Gods ruled this world in chaos. Their servants were the elemental forces of the unshaped world. There was little more known about them, for when the Titans came to shape order out of chaotic Azeroth, they buried the Old Gods deep under the surface of the planet, planning to destroy them as soon as their work was finished.

But they didn't. The Titans' job was to travel the universe and shape ordered planets out of chaotic elements. On Azeroth they established the Dragon Aspects, created the Earthen (which would become Dwarves) and the Vrykul (which may have become Humans), and formed the great oceans and mountain ranges on the planet. They created many of the physical laws we know to be in place today and took steps to safeguard the ways in which we were able to manipulate them. But the chaotic and anarchic Old Gods would see to it that this perfect world of the Titans would never last. They bound themselves to Azeroth with the Curse of Flesh so that if they were destroyed, so would also be the planet. The Titans saw this and bound the Old Gods in their graves so that they would never be able to escape and do harm to Azeroth.

And there they slept for thousands of years. Until now.

The first of the Old Gods to awaken was C'Thun. Commanding vast armies of insect-like Quiraji, he attempted to free himself from his earthen prison. Mighty heroes of Azeroth soon put an end to this threat.

But now there is an even stronger force that threatens the lives of the denezins of Azeroth.

My first encounter with this Old God was in the Howling Fjords, though I was unsure at the time of its origin. Whispers from an unknown voice entered my head and tried to dilute my thinking so that I woud believe everyone was out to get me. This was silly, of course, because everyone believes me to be dead. At first I was wont to believe this was the voice of the Lich King. But I knew that voice. It was not his.

My travels took me deeper into Northrend were, as you know, I found myself resting in the Dragonblight. After I had gathered my strength I decided to investigate some rumors I had heard about the old Nerubian kingdom. The Nerubians are in a civil war against those who would align themselves with the Lich King. I was fortunate to be able to speak with one of the insectoid creatures who is against out common enemy.

He told me that the Scourge had almost completely wiped out their old kingdom and left it in ruins. The only things that remain are Scourge forces, ancient, untouched tomes of wisdom and literature... and the Forgotten Ones. The creature I was talking to explained that the Nerubians had regarded the Forgotten Ones as a myth until that fateful day when their traitorous king met the Death Knight Arthas. On their way to Icecrown Glacier, they passed through Azjol'Nerub and battled against a huge faceless being with unsightly tenticles. It was said that these beings lived far underground and wished to return to the surface and destroy the known world. This was because they were said to worship and serve the Old Gods.

I am still investigating this new threat. My only comfort is that I am already dead and cannot succumb to a deathly force... I think...

Pray that what I find is defeatable.