World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 (14 page)

When Loken learned that the Discs of Norgannon were missing, panic seized him. If Tyr and his allies presented the artifacts to
Algalon or the
Pantheon, Loken’s life would be forfeit. Out of desperation, he turned to the only creatures he knew were powerful enough to stop the mighty Tyr and recover the discs: ancient
C’Thraxxi monstrosities known as
Zakazj and
Kith’ix.

Zakazj and Kith’ix had served as the
Black Empire’s most ruthless and cunning C’Thraxxi generals. Long ago, the keepers had sealed them and many of the other
n’raqi away in underground chambers alongside the
Old Gods. With considerable effort, Loken excavated these C’Thraxxi tombs and roused Zakazj and Kith’ix to life. He ordered the colossal abominations to kill Tyr and all who followed him. Sensing the lingering touch of
Yogg-Saron in Loken’s mind, the two C’Thraxxi readily obeyed.

Far to the south, in a tranquil and temperate glade, Zakazj and Kith’ix overtook the fleeing keepers and their followers. Fearing for his allies’ lives, Tyr ordered Archaedas and Ironaya to lead the rest of the titan-forged farther south. Meanwhile, he would hold off the C’Thraxxi for as long as possible.

Only the barest shadow of
Aggramar’s old power lingered within Tyr’s iron form, but the titan’s noble spirit had not flagged. Tyr would not retreat, not when the lives of innocents were at risk.

As he grappled with the C’Thraxxi, torrents of both arcane and shadow energy ripped through the once-peaceful glade. The violent struggle between the lone keeper and the C’Thraxxi raged for six days and nights. Through it all, Tyr never gave ground—but neither did his foes. As fatigue set in, Tyr resolved to sacrifice himself to protect his friends. He unleashed all of his remaining power on the C’Thraxxi, expending his life force in a blinding explosion of arcane energy that shook the bones of the world.

To the south, Archaedas and Ironaya watched as the eruption of magic flared across the horizon. After the volatile energies subsided, the two titan-forged ventured back to the site of the battle. There, within a giant crater crackling with arcane magic, they found the lifeless bodies of Tyr and Zakazj.

Despite facing hopeless odds, the keeper of justice had nearly killed both C’Thraxxi. The survivor, Kith’ix, had only narrowly escaped Tyr’s vengeful onslaught. The severely wounded C’Thrax had blindly fled to the west. It would not be seen again for many thousands of years.

In honor of her fallen comrade, Ironaya named the glade surrounding the crater “Tyr’s Fall,” which in the vrykul tongue translated to “
Tirisfal.” She and her followers buried Tyr and his foe where they lay. They placed Tyr’s massive silver hand atop his final resting place as a memorial to his valiant sacrifice.

Although all of the refugees would carry on the story of Tyr’s noble sacrifice, the vrykul in particular felt compelled to do something more. They were so moved by the keeper’s deeds that they decided to settle at the battle site and stand vigil over Tyr’s grave until the end of their days.

Archaedas and Ironaya honored the vrykul’s wishes to settle the land of Tirisfal. The keeper and the giantess continued south with the earthen and mechagnomes in tow. They eventually stopped at the easternmost titan-forged vault on Kalimdor:
Uldaman. Archaedas and Ironaya expanded the site, carving out new chambers to hold the Discs of Norgannon and vowing to protect the history of Azeroth with their lives if need be.

As the years passed, some of the earthen exhibited signs of the curse of flesh. Many of these titan-forged feared that the effects would only worsen. They asked to be placed in hibernation until a cure could one day be found. Archaedas, promising to rouse them at some time in the future, agreed. He sealed his followers within Uldaman’s vast subterranean vaults.

The mechagnomes, however, remained awake. Even though they knew the curse would one day overtake them as well, they heroically vowed to watch over Uldaman and maintain its wondrous machineries.

T
YR’S
S
ACRIFICE

The mortals who would one day inhabit the area of Tirisfal would feel two conflicting energies emanating from the earth: the remaining spiritual essence of Keeper Tyr, and that of his enemy Zakazj. Some would tap into Tyr’s energy; others would become attuned to the C’Thrax’s dark aura
.

TYR’S SILVER HAND AND ITS VRYKUL CARETAKERS

In distant
Ulduar, Loken became desperate upon learning that his
C’Thraxxi had failed to kill his foes. He assumed that with the mighty Tyr dead, Archaedas and Ironaya would not attempt a direct assault upon Ulduar. But the Discs of Norgannon still posed a threat to him. Stealing or destroying the artifacts was no longer an option—Archaedas and Ironaya could easily seal off
Uldaman from intruders.

Instead, Loken attempted to replace the Discs of Norgannon with an archive of his own design, one that he dubbed the
Tribunal of Ages. He adjusted the historical events contained in this new repository to his liking and expunged his sins from the record. Though he assumed he had been successful, his archive proved to be flawed. The histories stored within were warped even beyond Loken’s understanding.

Loken then took one final drastic measure to prevent retribution from Archaedas and Ironaya. He believed that his enemies would eventually summon the
constellar
Algalon. To stop this, Loken altered the titan communication devices in Ulduar. This assured that no living creature would be able to contact Algalon. Only Loken’s own death would draw the constellar to Azeroth. The fallen keeper assumed that his demise would come at the hands of Archaedas and Ironaya. If so, he was confident that Algalon would take his revenge for him by wiping out every living creature on Azeroth’s surface.

W
ith the
Winterskorn asleep in their deep vaults and many of the earthen sealed within Uldaman, the remaining vrykul clans dominated the lands of northern Kalimdor. Over the course of eons, their disparate cultures flourished in unique ways. They developed their own identities and customs as they spread across the unforgiving north.

One of the mightiest clans to arise was the
Dragonflayer. Much like the Winterskorn, these vrykul found that their iron hides were gradually turning to flesh over time. Initially, the clan leaders sought to balance out their diminishing strength by enslaving the ancient
proto-dragons, just as the Winterskorn had done in previous centuries.

But unlike the Winterskorn, the Dragonflayers did not see the proto-dragons as mere beasts of war. They used the fearsome drakes as hunting companions, and they also rode them as battle mounts. Over time, these proto-dragons became an inseparable part of the clan’s culture. They were also a necessary weapon against the vrykul’s mortal enemy: a fierce race of bear-men called the
jalgar, the progenitors of modern-day
furbolgs.

Under King
Ymiron, the Dragonflayer clan finally gained the upper hand against its foes. In a coordinated offensive, the vrykul attacked and drove the jalgar into Kalimdor’s lush central forests. Yet on the heels of this victory, tragedy struck. The curse of flesh took another turn.

Dragonflayer women began giving birth to small, malformed children—a development that spread fear and superstition among the clan. Some of the vrykul even blamed Ymiron for the affliction, but the king had his own belief about who was responsible. In his mind, the mythical keepers were behind the curse of flesh.

The keepers, whom many vrykul viewed as their godlike creators, had not been seen or heard from in generations. Ymiron convinced his people to renounce the silent and aloof keepers, who had clearly abandoned them to the curse of flesh. He promised to unite
all
vrykul under his banner. As his first decree, Ymiron ordered his followers to cleanse the clan by destroying all of the malformed infants.

Many of the Dragonflayers obeyed Ymiron’s brutal orders. Some, however, could not bring themselves to murder innocent children. They sought to hide their stunted offspring in a place of legend, a land far to the south where a lost clan of vrykul was said to have journeyed with Tyr, Archaedas, and Ironaya.

A number of Dragonflayers ventured south, taking their diminutive newborns in search of this fairy-tale refuge. Most were never heard from again. But others did find their way. With heavy hearts, they left their beloved sons and daughters in the care of the vrykul who inhabited
Tirisfal.

In the ages that followed, the afflicted children and their offspring would continue degenerating into mortal beings called
humans. Many of the other
titan-forged—
mechagnomes,
tol’vir,
mogu, and giants—would suffer a similar fate. Very few of the keepers’ servants would fight off the affliction. Just as
Yogg-Saron had hoped, the curse of flesh would weaken the titan-forged. But it would also give rise to mortal qualities of necessity that the Old God had never anticipated: courage, resolve, and heroism.

Unaware that these potent traits would one day shape the fate of the world, Yogg-Saron and the other
Old Gods focused on escaping their prisons. Freedom, however, would take thousands of years to attain.

For now, more immediate dangers stirred in the lush heart of Kalimdor. A new power—a savage native race born in the early ages of the world—was on the rise. They called themselves
trolls, and it would not be long before they learned of the malignant entities imprisoned beneath the earth.