Blizzard Entertainment added the new short story: Charge of the Aspects as a prelude to Patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight.
The story written by Matt Burns uses elements in continuity with World of Warcraft: War of the Ancients
From what I could read the timeframe of this short story is a few weeks after players rescued Thrall’s spirit scattered throughout the four elemental realms, and shortly after the Dragon Aspects Summit at the World Tree — event experienced in-game in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm 4.2.
The final words of this short story give us an insight into the final cinematic of Patch 4.3: Hour of Twilight.
If the Dragon Aspects were gifted and given purpose to prevent the Hour of Twilight, then … what is their purpose after the Hour of Twilight is averted?
Spoilers and Speculations
- Nozdormu learns through the death of one of his own the danger of the approaching Hour of Twilight.
- Ysera and Thrall talk privately.
- The idea to use the Dragon Soul to end Deathwing’s threat is born — serving as main topic of the three 5-player dungeons.
- Thrall’s new earth shaman powers allow him to see every corner of the world and its depths.
- Hint that King Magni Bronzebeard’s spirit lingers in Khaz Modan. The “Commune with the earth” spell actually worked — which brings up the question: “Will King Magni return in Mists of Pandaria?”
- Thrall senses Pandaria.
- There are multiple caverns beneath the ground across the globe — reminds me of classic 1864 science fiction novel by Jules Verne: A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Could Blizzard ever make an expansion around that concept? Could that ever mean: Azjol’ Nerub dungeons too?
- Deathwing has a massive cavern very deep below Mount Hyjal all along … the walls are made of … solid Old god blood. Could this be why Mount Hyjal is one of the most sacred places? Is it harboring one of the Old god prisons?
* SPOILERS ALERT *
I always loved the dragons on warcraft, since the beginning, even before they ever appeared on wow and I loved how they came and played their part with us in the game… but they have really no purpose anymore now… (we can see that clearly on the cataclysm end cinematic)
Mortals enslaved one dragon aspect for a long time, defeated two dragon aspects already, and two also suffered from the corruption and evil deeds of old gods…
They are not the law anymore… I think they did their job pretty well, despite a few bumps in the road… but now mortal races are more than capable of controlling their destiny…
UNLESS titans decide that they’ve created something that even they can’t control anymore and they need to intervene… I can clearly see us facing sargeras, old gods and in a very long future maybe a titan that wants to follow malygos steps…
The game has changed now for something bigger than the dragon aspects… Now let’s kill each other on the next expansion while we prepare for fighting the old god’s for real or the burning legion on their backyard and maybe later take a trip to the pantheon!
That was one of the best short stories they’ve ever released: there was character growth,an epic (albeit a bit short) fight, even some foreshadowing. All of that in five measly pages. 🙂
The part about all those huge caverns really opens up some interesting possibilities for a future zone or dungeon(s). I can see a storyline crystallizing with Pandaria’s Sha (maybe another manifestation of the Old Gods? It would fit their modus operandi).