World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 (16 page)

Meanwhile, the Amani had set out to destroy Kith’ix. They tracked the C’Thrax’s trail far to the northeastern woodlands, cutting through an unending mass of aqiri guardians. In a final savage battle, the entire tribe flung itself in a suicidal attack against Kith’ix and its remaining insectoid minions. Only a tiny fraction of the troll army survived. Even so, the C’Thrax succumbed to its tireless hunters.

Though the cost was high, the fearsome reputation of the Amani became legend among the other tribes. Atop the site where they had killed Kith’ix, the trolls established a new settlement. It would one day grow into a sprawling temple city known as
Zul’Aman.

With the C’Thrax gone, the aqir no longer fought with as much ferocity or purpose. The war between the trolls and the aqir shifted dramatically. Extermination of the aqir became the trolls’ new imperative.

After many centuries of brutal fighting, the trolls shattered the aqir empire, containing the insectoids in the far northern and far southern reaches of the continent. Central Kalimdor was permanently scoured of their presence. The surviving aqir fortified their underground colonies against further troll aggression. They showed no more interest in fighting. In time, the trolls proclaimed themselves victorious.

T
HE
N
ERUBIANS
, Q
IRAJI
,
AND
M
ANTID

Three distinct cultures would arise from the aqir empire. The insectoids in the north gathered near the underground prison of
Yogg-Saron. Due to their proximity to the Old God, these aqir would gradually evolve into a race called the
nerubians. Their kingdom would become known as
Azjol-Nerub
.

   
The aqir in the southwest made their home in Ahn’Qiraj, the conquered prison complex of C’Thun. The captive Old God’s foul presence would slowly warp the aqir’s forms over time, molding them into a race known as the
qiraji
.

   
The aqir in the southeast congregated where
Y’Shaarj’s essence still polluted the land. These insectoids would eventually transform into a race called the
mantid. Even before the aqir empire fell, they would establish the great colony of
Manti’vess near the Vale of Eternal Blossoms
.

Without war to bind them together, the troll factions grew ever more distant and insular. The far-flung strongholds of the different tribes blossomed into vibrant homes, temple cities, and eventually empires in their own right. The Zandalari withdrew to their mountain plateaus to pursue spiritual knowledge, but they would always maintain an immense influence over the disparate troll societies.

I
n the later stages of the war with the trolls, one enclave of aqir gathered at the southern edge of Kalimdor. Below the roots of the great
kypari trees, they established a new empire. These insectoids, known thereafter as the mantid, saw no purpose in continuing a battle they knew they were not strong enough to win.

Such restraint was unusual among the insectoids, but then, so was the mantid’s reasoning. They still fervently worshipped the
Old Gods, believing that their ancient masters would one day rise from their prisons and reestablish their dominion over Azeroth. The best way to serve the entities was not to expend the mantid’s strength, but to conserve it, refine it, and sharpen it. The mantid would grow stronger without jeopardizing their survival.

Though a revered empress ruled over the day-to-day activities of the mantid, another group controlled the insectoids’ destiny. The members of this group called themselves the
Klaxxi—meaning “priest” in their native tongue. They guided the actions of the empress and the mantid swarms in the hopes of preserving and strengthening their race. Rather than seek retribution on the trolls, the Klaxxi turned their gaze on another enemy.

Nearby dwelled the
mogu, mighty
titan-forged who had guarded the Vale of Eternal Blossoms for untold ages. The mantid found themselves drawn to the mystical valley. They were not aware of it at the time, but they were attracted to the lingering presence of the slain Old God Y’Shaarj, whose festering heart had been locked away beneath the vale by Highkeeper
Ra.

To seek out the dark essence beneath the vale, the mantid launched a surprise attack against the mogu. The titan-forged narrowly withstood the swarm and drove them back to the kypari forests.

The Klaxxi did not consider their defeat a failure. The surviving mantid warriors had matured, grown more powerful and cunning. The Klaxxi patiently waited one hundred years before assaulting the mogu again. They dispatched a new generation of young mantid to besiege the titan-forged. Once again, the survivors returned stronger.

Thus began the mantid cycle. Every century, a new mantid clutch made war upon the mogu. The ferocious battles removed the weak from the swarm, and only the strongest returned to the kypari trees. Within only a few cycles, mantid civilization had become tightly honed and rigid, utterly focused on eradicating weakness and empowering the mightiest of their kind.

The mogu marked the change with concern. They launched a campaign into Manti’vess itself to ensure that the cycle would not come again.

The attack came at an inauspicious time for the mantid. It was decades before the next clutch of warriors would hatch. The mantid were few, and the mogu were many. Initially, the titan-forged devastated the insectoid ranks, even the strongest survivors of past swarms. Only one mantid, Korven, emerged to turn the tide of battle. Armed with blades forged of kypari amber, the warrior eviscerated the mogu ranks, thwarting their attack and sending them into retreat. So great was Korven’s skill that many mantid came to believe that he was capable of cheating death itself.

The high elders of the Klaxxi proclaimed Korven a “paragon” and promised his deeds would become legend among their kind. But the honored warrior was still not satisfied. He knew it was only chance that he arose in his race’s greatest hour of need. He did not want to leave the mantid’s defense to chance alone. The Klaxxi agreed and tasked him with finding a solution.

After years of experimenting with kypari sap, Korven discovered that a living creature could be preserved within an amber cocoon, potentially for thousands of years. If the Klaxxi placed their greatest warriors in these cocoons, they could be awakened whenever they were needed to avert disaster. Korven became the first to undergo this preservation. In honor of his deeds, the Klaxxi named him “
Korven the Prime”—the first of many paragons to come. As he lay undisturbed in his amber tomb, the great cycle he had almost single-handedly saved continued on, remaining unbroken for countless generations.

MAP OF AZEROTH AFTER THE WAR BETWEEN THE TROLLS AND THE AQIR

T
hough Highkeeper
Ra had not been seen in millennia, his loyal mogu maintained their vigil over the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, bravely fighting off each successive
mantid swarm. Their faith that the highkeeper would one day return endured through century after century of hardships.

Yet that faith vanished once the
curse of flesh manifested within the mogu ranks.

For the first time, the mogu faced mortality. Fear and uncertainty took root in their hearts. Small disagreements spiraled into conflict, violence, and bloodshed. Packs of mogu banded together. Clans and warlords emerged by the score and engaged in brutal power struggles. Those who triumphed were quickly toppled by rivals. Through it all, their culture and language—even their sense of purpose and identity—began to change. This period of turmoil and conflict became known as the
Age of a Hundred Kings, and the mogu edged perilously close to destroying themselves from within.

Only their basest instincts prevented annihilation. At the beginning of each new mantid swarm, the mogu’s petty conflicts would die down. The various clans would reluctantly band together to stand against the mantid. But once the swarm had retreated, internal hostilities would surface once again.

As the mogu battled the mantid, a number of other races arose in the region. Many of these creatures were drawn to the latent powers emanating from the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. Among these wondrous new races were the
jinyu, fish-like mystics who dwelled in the rivers and lakes. A bold and mischievous race of monkeys, known as the
hozen, also came to inhabit the dense jungles that encircled much of the vale. But by far, the most intelligent of these newcomers were the wise
pandaren.