For years now, many fan theorists, and now Blizzard, have tried to retroactively fit lore into places it was never intended for. I would wager my beloved World of Warcraft account when Blizzard’s staff originally wrote Sylvanas Windrunner: Edge of Night they never had an inkling of an idea about the Jailer or the Arbiter. But there it was, a reference to judgment. Even though Sylvanas realizes it is the Val’kyr judging her, people can now shoehorn in it was really the Arbiter or the Jailer. It is a perfect place where the lore could be defined as murky for Blizzard to insert something new years later.

                That has now become somewhat of a trend for Blizzard. Things that were previously vague or left up to the player’s imagination due to gameplay mechanics, have now been fleshed out to create new lore. Sometimes it is not so bad. The fight between Arthas and Uther needs some description around it. Certainly, players are not to expect the way Uther really died was by a full control group of ghouls and some meat wagons, and that while Uther’s Divine Shield was up, Arthas was commanded away until the spell faded.

                But certain things intentionally left opaque to give the writers opportunities down the line were not part of the lore from the beginning, I believe. Take the evil beneath Tirisfal Glades that drove the High Elves mad upon their arrival to the Eastern Kingdom. Is anyone here really arguing Blizzard knew it was Zakajz the Corruptor? Or is it more likely they needed something ominous to create buzz, drive lore nerds crazy, and keep a door open for themselves down the line? That is one of the most important things for writers of never-ending fantasy: there must always be something. In fact, during a developer Q&A the question was asked about what exactly lies beneath Tirisfal Glades and it was specifically said not an Old God, and while Zakajaz the Corrupter is not an Old God, I would argue it is Old God enough for this answer to sound like either a) intentionally misleading or b) just covering up for something Blizzard had not yet decided.

                Someone posed the question once on the Warcraft lore subreddit about Kil’jadaen commanding Illidan to destroy the Lich King. Was his plan to release the Scourge upon Azeroth, they asked. A seemingly reasonable question given what we now know. But this concept is never introduced to players once in Warcraft III. Not even later in Classic or the Burning Crusade. Legion would have been the perfect opportunity for the Deceiver to say something like, “If Illidan had destroyed the Lich King, and the Scourge had run rampant like my plan, this world would be a frozen wasteland of death!” I do not believe while Chris Metzen was writing The Transformers: The Movie The Frozen Throne he had any real concept of “There must always be a Lich King.” If you do not agree, that is fine. Yet the idea is never mentioned in Warcraft III, and it seems to be an important one if not only was it true, but also Kil’jaeden’s plan.

              Blizzard once said they had plenty of ideas for expansions. I believe they compared them to loaded bullets in a revolver. However, they also revealed something else. Blizzard’s said they had originally toyed with the idea for Legion to come before Warlords of Draenor. Now, humor me for a moment, and think about how different those storylines would have been. The beginning and end of Warlords, the beginning and end of Legion.

                So, there was some world where Garrosh was perhaps locked up for the events of Legion? And who would have opened the portal for the Legion to arrive if Gul’dan had not been there? Were they planning to have someone else free Illidan to help combat the Legion? Perhaps they envisioned the champions of Azeroth needed someone with a vast repository of knowledge on demon killing and it was agreed the Betrayer must be let loose on the world again. So much is different. I am not arguing the storylines are cemented moments before expansion release; Blizzard once said they had begun working on Cataclysm before Wrath of the Lich King was even released, but I do not think the storyline is written so concretely years in advance.

                When Blizzard said they had expansions lined up like bullets in a revolver, I think what they meant were macro storyline concepts. “Okay, we have an expansion where the Legion returns, and we have an expansion where players go back in time to Draenor.” I do not believe they meant all those plot points that made the expansion storyline move forward were fleshed out years in advance. Kil’jaeden did not know, in 2003, that killing the Lich King would set loose the Scourge.

                Beyond Kil’jaeden’s knowledge of the Scourge’s need for a master, or lack thereof, there are more recent instances of murky lore that I believe had other intentions. The fight with Il’gynoth in the Emerald Nightmare during the Legion expansion produced lines, fragmented whispers, that spawned endless speculation on what these whispers meant. Some seemed obvious: "The king of diamonds has been made a pawn." Despite some fan theories this could possibly reference Lord Gallywix, the message seemed clear – Magni Bronzebeard was not hearing voices from the slumbering titan Azeroth. Though so far, nothing has come of that whisper.

                There were two others with also seemingly clear meanings. The first was, “The lord of ravens will turn the key.” This was meant to be Khadgar, right? Can we all agree on that? Given the spotlight shone on him during this expansion and the fact he turns into a freaking raven multiple times in the game, I am going to put my gold on Khadgar. I read, several times, again on the Warcraft lore subreddit, this could be a reference to either Nathanos Blightcaller or Odyn. These seemed like a stretch.

                The second was, “Five keys to open our way. Five torches to light our path.” The Pillars of Creation just scream, “Us! They’re talking about us!” But what happens with this whisper? Nothing. Khadgar uses the Pillars of Creation to close the portal at the Tomb of Sargeras and nothing ever comes of these cryptic messages. We have two whispers, seemingly linked, and a prime opportunity for something to happen and very little does.

                I do not believe what unfolded next, patch 7.3 Shadows of Argus and Battle for Azeroth, is how the story was originally written. At least, perhaps, not exactly as it did. May I introduce Exhibit A! In Chronicle Volume II, page 105, there is a brief passage on the Tomb of Sargeras. It reads:

 

                After vanquishing Sargeras’s avatar, Guardian Aegwynn sought a place to bury the body so that its dark magic would not disturb the world. She settled on the sunken ruins of an ancient night elven temple – which some legends say was built upon an even older structure of mysterious origins. This cite housed powerful seals that negated nearby fel energy. Aegwynn added her own magic, reinforcing the structure and creating defensive measures to keep intruders out. In time, this place would become known as the Tomb of Sargeras.

               

                Did you catch that? It goes by fast. Here is a slower version. “…which some legends say was built upon an even older structure of mysterious origins.” How, in the name of Elune, does something like that go missed in-game? At times it seems baffling. Then I remember the Burning Legion now exists across all timelines and realities. Oh yeah, that’s how.

                It is the opinion of the author that these facts lead one to reasonably conclude the “original” storyline was for Khadgar to close the Legion portal in the Tomb of Sargeras and inadvertently open a gateway to Ny’alotha (or somewhere else infested with Old God corruption) thereby freeing N’Zoth. Is that too much of a stretch? This previous structure of “mysterious origins” I believe is something from the Black Empire. I do not think Blizzard was so callous that their first plan was to relegate something as serious as this to a large patch. Or am I giving them too much credit?

                Am I going crazy here? *insert joke about “maddening whispers”* What the heck is under the Tomb of Sargeras? I now fear this line will be lost to history. The Tomb of Sargeras is not a structure I believe will be revisited anytime soon. Old expansion content is typically forgotten after it has had its moment. We saw the Tomb of Sargeras in Warcraft III, then we got to revisit it in Legion, and now it may forever rest. Maybe I am wrong. Though I cannot see Blizzard involving the Tomb as a major plot point now aside from something minor akin to some of the artifact weapon quests. The Night Elf Transport Ship has sailed.

                Why would they put this in Chronicle? Is it just another ‘evil beneath Tirisfal Glades’ for us to speculate on for over a decade until Blizzard’s lore team needs something new? The only problem is, if you believe the aforementioned theory about the Whispers of Il’gynoth, it is Old God related; and if we are nearly finished with the Old Gods (we have defeated three and the fourth was killed by the Titans) then what is beneath the Tomb of Sargeras? Who is going back to the Tomb to unearth the even older ruins? For that matter, what empires are older than the Night Elven ones? The Trolls, I guess. Is there some sort of old troll temple beneath the Tomb of Sargeras? And if there is, do we care? Arguably more importantly, why would troll temples be of “mysterious origins” to the Night Elves? Is not a Black Empire temple far more mysterious?

                Blizzard was careful when writing the Chronicle volumes. They intentionally used their cunning linguistic skills to shroud the Shadowlands in mystery thereby not revealing anything for the Shadowlands expansion. “The origins of the Shadowlands remain uncertain…” Before this road is traveled too much, I will not belabor the point of Blizzard writing a book that purported to sum up the lore because it merits its own essay. But this is why a game like Warcraft does not need completely encompassing historical works. It closes too many doors. If that sounds ludicrous, please let me explain more in the coming essay.

                I refuse to believe Blizzard wrote that line in Chronicle Volume II with no intention of Khadgar closing the Tomb of Sargeras and opening a portal to somewhere worse. Maybe they felt the lore was not fleshed out enough in-game; quite possibly this was the original plan, but Blizzard went in a different direction. Perhaps they felt this line would create buzz online about what ancient temple had previously existed and then their big reveal would seem like a payoff. Yet nothing happened.

                It is hard to know. Chronicle Volume II was published in 2017. This leads me to believe they were writing it along with the overall narrative for Legion. There is also the possibility I am incorrect in my thinking. But seriously, “…which some legends say was built upon an even older structure of mysterious origins.”

                Ultimately, what we got instead was the Black Empire, the Old Gods’ horrific civilization, demoted to a patch. It is hard to fathom this was not intended to be its own expansion. Revamped zones with Old God corruption, Ny’alotha, and more room for them to squeeze another villain onto the “good guys’” side. Azshara taking the opportunity to free herself from the tendrils of N’Zoth? How could Blizzard pass that up?

                I cannot imagine what happened at Blizzard to make them pivot like this (if that even is what happened). Did someone forget to add that in a questline? Was it truly that no buzz came from this line (speaking of which, shame on you, lore subreddit for not talking about this more)? Did they feel there was not enough Black Empire substance to warrant its own expansion? Who knows? For now, the Old Gods feel wholly defeated which is somewhat sad. The Black Empire no longer the fuel for nightmares it once was.

 

 

                Uh-oh. It turns out I am an idiot. I confused the Whispers of Il’gynoth and the Whispers of the Blade of the Black Empire. In the midst of writing this essay I have discovered a trove of other whispers from Xal’atath. This is why you should do all of your research before you start – stay in school, kids.

                May I present Exibits B through L!

                While fighting Dargrul, the Blade whispers, ”A beast of stone who ignorantly throws around power he barely controls. He should be put down before he ruins our plans.” Dargrul wielded the Hammer of Khaz’goroth. It sounds like the Blade was worried Dargrul would succeeded in his plans and Khadgar would never come into possession of one of the keys needed to open the portal to the ruined temple beneath the Tomb of Sargeras of “mysterious origins.”

                In Aszuna, the zone nearest the Tomb of Sargeras, the Blade whispers, “The Legion burrows deep here. If they burrow deeper, they may not like what they find.”

                This one may be a bit flimsier, but in Suramar the Blade whispers, “This city of the elves pales in comparison to the sleeping city...” That could possibly be reference to Old God temple nearby. Maybe not.

                And here is where I really kick myself for mixing up these whispers. It is like a game of telephone with the Old Gods. On the Broken Isles the Blade whispers the following:

 

“That fel edifice towering over this land pales in comparison to the grandeur of what stood here long ago.”

 

“Is this not the site of what you mortals consider your greatest humiliation? I hope you fare better this time...”

 

“This conflict is but a shadow of an ancient war that predated the meddling of the titans. Infinite armies clashed in ceaseless battle. But I'm sure your little war is impressive...in its own way.”

 

“This was always a place of power. Aegwynn was drawn here, and before her, the elves, and before them, the trolls. And before them...”

 

“I don't believe these lands have seen such carnage since the Battle for K'tanth. Such a long time ago...”

 

“It was here in ages past that the God of the Deep lost a great battle to the God of Seven Heads. But as was so often the case even defeat ultimately worked in N'zoth's favor.”

 

In other locations the Blade whispers, “The God of the Deep writhes in his prison, breaking free ever so slowly. You should hurry and defeat the fallen titan...there are greater battles yet to fight.” This seems to imply we need to hurry and clear out the Tomb of Sargeras so Khadgar can open the pathway for N’Zoth.

              

This one could be a reference to the “circle of stars.” “This trifling skirmish is little more than a distraction. The true battle draws neigh as the circle nears completion.”

 

Your honor, I rest my case.

 

             Thinking aloud, at the end of the Tomb of Sargeras cinematic, Illidan opens a portal to Argus in the sky above Azeroth. A portal through space. Perhaps this is the “circle of stars?” Maybe the storyline went the ship we fought Kil’jaeden on crash landed on Argus where the Shadows of Argus patch played out until we found our way home. Then Khadgar used the Pillars of Creation to seal both the portal to Argus and Tomb of Sargeras. Next thing you know tentacles are creeping out of the water. Pure speculation.

             While you may need to suspend some disbelief to buy into these premises, you do not have to suspend much. Blizzard clearly had more planned out with the Tomb of Sargeras and the numerous whispers of both Xal’atath and Il’gynoth. And while the “circle of stars” eventually came to be the name of N’Zoth’s prison, I am not entirely convinced this was always the case (it also only feels like a matter of time before we hear how Sylvanas was the lord of ravens who turned the key). However, this one point seems trivial and I am more than willing to concede it. Even if it were always meant to be the name of the prison, that does not mean it could not have also originally been a reference to something else too. All those other whispers point to more, far greater plans Blizzard had.

             I took some shots at Blizzard in this essay. While I stand by them, I would also like to say there are plenty of legitimate reasons they could have (again, if this is true) changed the storyline. Perhaps there was more story they wanted to tell with Zandalar and Kul Tiras than the Black Empire. Maybe the narratives of Talanji and Jaina Proudmoore drove the overall narrative better than fighting Old God minions. Afterall, how could the citizens of Azeroth possibly stay enemies in the face of the Black Empire? Possibly after a storyline like Legion, with order halls full of people previously enemies, Blizzard wanted to delve back into the old hatreds better served with rivaling nations. Did you really want a raid full of enemies with as many Xs, Zs, and apostrophes crammed into their names as possible?

             If there are too many expansions in a row where Azeroth’s mortal enemies must join forces to combat a greater evil, eventually the characters must realize the futility of the fighting. Even now with Anduin helping Saurfang it feels like an end to the conflict must surely be on the horizon. Although we know it will not be. The point remains there must be reasons these two sides fight. Currently, Sylvanas is providing that role but it will only last so long.

             Furthermore, what is the natural progression of a story that goes from Legion to Old God? Are not those the two main entities responsible for all evil on Azeroth? Maybe the storyline really did need a pivot to something else to drive it forward, something to expand it. The first three expansions had wrapped up seeming loose ends from the Warcraft RTS games, but now seem more concerned with telling one overarching story.

             This story, the entirety of Warcraft, however, is so wide in scope that Blizzard should be careful with what it puts to paper. People should also be hesitant to believe so much lore is thought out in such detail so far in advance. The Tomb of Sargeras was supposed to sit atop Black Empire ruins and so far, it sits atop only the Great Sea. On the other hand, I could be totally off the mark, but the evidence seems clear. Xal’atath may have been whispering, but we all heard it.