Free World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 by Blizzard Entertainment Page B

languished in regret within Ulduar’s silent halls. Despite everything he had accomplished, he was ever fearful that thePantheon or their appointed watcher,Algalon, would one day return to Azeroth. If that happened, they would discover Loken’s horrific crimes and punish him.
    But in truth, the greatest threat was right beneath Loken’s feet. No longer under the watchful eyes of Ulduar’s jailors, Yogg-Saron began to stir, working to free itself from its impregnable prison.

A s he dealt with the other keepers, Loken always expected thatRa would emerge from the southern reaches of Kalimdor to investigate the goings-on in Ulduar. But much to Loken’s surprise, the highkeeper remained silent throughout these world-altering events.
    Overcome with curiosity, Loken dispatched a contingent of his army to the distant bastion ofUldum to investigate Ra’s activities. These titan-forged agents never found the missing highkeeper, but they did learn from the localmogu,tol’vir, andanubisaths that Ra had mysteriously vanished.
    These meetings would have a lasting impact. In journeying south, Loken’s forces had unwittingly spread thecurse of flesh throughout many of Ra’s faithful servants.
    Unbeknownst to Loken and the titan-forged, Ra had experienced a revelation … one so terrible that it had driven him into seclusion. When the Pantheon’s power and memories had been infused in the keepers, Ra had reeled in confusion much like his siblings. Over time, however, he had concluded that this event was more than just an anomaly. The influx of power was the last remnant of the Pantheon’s spirits.
    Ra struggled to accept the fact that the Pantheon had fallen. He extracted the lingering power ofAman’Thul from himself and carefully stored it in a mountain vault near what would become known as the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. There, the highkeeper hoped to preserve what little was left of his beloved titan creator.
    Ra then retreated into the catacombs beneath the land to meditate on what he had learned. With the highkeeper gone, his loyal titan-forged developed new cultures, wholly distinct from those of their northern kin. Most of the tol’vir congregated around Uldum, making the fortress their home. To the west, the anubisaths continued their sacred charge of watching over the prison ofC’Thun. Similarly, the mogu remained in the east, guarding the titan-forged vaults and machineries buried beneath the earth.

F or many ages afterLoken’s betrayal, the titan-forged who were exiled from Ulduar spread across northern Kalimdor. The lumbering giants gradually trickled into the mountains and seas around the region, disappearing from sight. Theearthen tunneled into the deep places of the world, where they fought for dominance against a race of brutish and misshapen creatures known astroggs. Many of thevrykul remained aboveground, congregating into small clans. Some of these factions wandered the harsh northern landscape as nomads. Others established dwellings across the forested tundra of the region.
    A tenuous peace existed between these groups of titan-forged, but it could not last. In time, malign forces moved to assert dominion over the lands once protected by the keepers. Among these forces were two of Loken’s own creations, the brutish fire giantsVolkhan andIgnis.
    Volkhan and Ignis saw the Storm Peaks surrounding Ulduar as a land ripe for conquest. Yet to seize the region, they required an army. To this end, the giants turned to the fierceWinterskorn clan of vrykul.
    Though many vrykul were warlike in nature, most avoided direct confrontation with each other. The Winterskorn proved to be an exception. These vrykul had developed a culture of violence and aggression, due in large part to their belief that they would one day ascend to theHalls of Valor. They thrived on conflict, whether it was between members of their own clan or with nearby groups of titan-forged.
    Volkhan and Ignis took control of the Winterskorn by force and