RETAIL
CLASSIC ERA
WRATH
RETAIL
CLASSIC ERA
WRATH

Fireside Tales: Aberrus - A Shattered Legacy



It was over a decade ago that one of Azeroth's greatest villains was slain. Deathwing accompanied us for many years as one of the darkest pages in Azeroth’s history book, and it took a great sacrifice to finally defeat the Earth Warder formerly known as Neltharion. Despite this victory, many of his secrets and experiments remained hidden from prying eyes for a very long time. The Legacies short-series unveiled one of those secrets of Dragonflight to us: The Dracthyr.


After waking up from their stasis, the Dracthyr struggled to find their place in this world, and a way into the future. It was the Primal Incarnates who had inadvertently opened a new path for the Dracthyr, as the Zaralek Cavern was not only home to the secrets of Shadowflame magic, but also revealed the very birthplace of the Dracthyr. Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, was the laboratory where Neltharion first created the Dracthyr, and within its halls, one of the five leaders of the Dracthyr, Scalecommander Sarkareth, was hoping to find a purpose for his kind. Accompanied by two of Neltharion’s brood, Wrathion and Sabellian, adventurers got to explore this place that was shrouded in mystery for such a long time.

Join us today at the campfire where we will talk about what Sarkareth, Wrathion and Sabellian found out about their father’s legacy as they bravely, or foolishly, ventured into Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible.



Table of Contents





Oathbinder


The story begins tens of thousands of years ago. After defeating Galakrond and being tasked by the Titans with the protection of the still young Azeroth, the Dragon Aspects prepared for any potential harm that could befall the planet. It was Neltharion, the Earth-Warder, who took on the mantle of Defender of Azeroth. With the rift between the Dragon Aspects and the Primal Incarnates growing, Neltharion saw an inevitable war on the horizon. While the Aspects and their children were powerful, they lacked the numbers of the Primalist forces. As the mortal races began to settle the world, Neltharion saw their strength and intelligence, and decided to experiment on them, infusing them with the essence of his kind. Thus, the Dracthyr were born.

The Dracthyr possessed something that the other allied forces were lacking: An intelligence that would surely be useful in the war to come, or so Neltharion thought. Unbeknownst to many, the Old God, N’Zoth, had infected and poisoned Neltharion’s mind, and, in his growing paranoia, Neltharion decided to train the Dracthyr forces in secret on the Forbidden Reach, fearing his fellow Aspect’s disapproval of his methods. Neltharion also sought to find a way to control this new tool in the fight against any who would oppose the Aspect’s reign, as an army of intelligent and powerful soldiers could eventually rise up against him. He decided to use an old Titan relic he acquired, the Oathbinder, a glove that would allow him to imbue his soldiers with the magic of Order. While this further enhanced the Dracthyr’s might, it also bound them to his will.



Neltharion was right, of course, as the Primal Incarnates and their Primalist supporters soon rose up against the Aspects. Alexstrasza’s path of diplomacy had failed, and Neltharion saw his belief confirmed that only power and domination could lead to peace on Azeroth. With the help of his dracthyr forces, Neltharion was able to hold back the tide of the Primalists. In one fated battle, however, Raszageth, the Storm-Eater, soared from the skies and struck the Oathbinder with a powerful lightning bolt, destroying the artifact. With the unity of his army shattered, Neltharion only saw one way out, and called upon the powers of the void to subdue the Incarnate of Storm.



The thought of losing control over the Dracthyr festered in his mind, and he decided to ask Malygos, the Spellweaver, for help. Together they came up with a plan: Seal away the dracthyr forces in the depths beneath the Forbidden Reach in a magical stasis. With the blue dragonflight watching over them, they remained within these halls for nearly 20,000 years. They were not the only ones locked away beneath the Forbidden Reach, however, as one of the Primal Incarnates was imprisoned within a nearby vault. When Kurog Grimtotem and his Primalists evoked a ritual to free Raszageth once more, Nozdormu, the Guardian of Time, decided to finally release the Dracthyr from their slumber.


Nozdormu frees Scalecommander Emberthal in Legacies: Chapter One

With the Oathbreaker destroyed, they were now free to decide their own fate, and it was thanks to their help that Azeroth’s champions were able to defeat Raszageth deep within the Vault of the Incarnates…



Whispers of Power


Just as our brave adventurers defeated Raszageth, the Incarnate of Storm managed to free her siblings. Seeing their sister slain before them, Fyrakk, Vyranoth and Iridikron quickly made their way out of the Vault of the Incarnates. Together the trio unearthed another secret of Neltharion’s in the Forbidden Reach, a device that would reveal the location of the Zaralek Cavern. Scalecommander Sarkareth, one of the five leaders of the Dracthyr, witnessed the events, and, when Fyrakk descended into the cavern, he decided to follow suit.


Sarkareth witnesses the Primal Incarnates and learns about Aberrus.


Neltharion’s hidden underground lair held many secrets, and, while Fyrakk was seeking to empower himself with Shadowflame magic, Sarkareth was looking for something else entirely. Legend had it that the shattered pieces of the Oathbinder were hidden somewhere within the cavern, and a dark thought crept into his mind. With a reforged Oathbinder, he alone would control the fate of the Dracthyr – an unthinkable power, in his grasp.



It was only the timely arrival of our great champions, who managed to pursue Sarkareth and ultimately stop him from completing the Oathbinder once again, that foiled his plans. With the help of the black dragons Wrathion and Sabellian, Scalecommander Emberthall managed to destroy the Oathbinder once and for all. With Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible nearby, Sarkareth decided to flee and dig even deeper into his fathers legacy. What could he possibly have hidden so deep beneath the earth?

Of course, our brave champions immediately gave chase! With Wrathion and Sabellian at their sides, who had been quarreling over who would take on the mantle of Aspect of the black dragonflight for quite a while already, they ventured into Aberrus. The two black dragons were anxious to find out more about the Earth-Warders secrets, and hoped that it would guide them, and the remaining black dragonflight, to a greater future.

Once inside, they were quickly greeted by an Echo of Neltharion, who considered Sarkareth a betrayer. Proclaiming the two black dragons as his true heirs, and inheritors of his legacy, he took pride in showing what Aberrus held in store for those who dared to claim its power.


What they found, however, was far from glorious. The Echo of Neltharion showed them what they could become, if only they accepted the power that was left here for them. Twisted and discarded experiments were unleashed on them, abominations of Fire and Shadow. Even failed prototypes of the Dracthyr, which were considered too weak or too volatile to control, were among the challenges that Wrathion had to overcome. Neltharion considered all Dracthyr a failed venture, not just the abominations left behind in the run-down laboratory. Wrathion ultimately questioned the vision of his grandfather, and was promptly dismissed.

Dialogue
Echo of Neltharion: Your performance is beyond my expectations.
Wrathion: Wait. You knew these creatures were waiting to be unleashed?
Echo ofNeltharion: Of course! And you rose to the challenge, as I knew you would.
Wrathion: This all seems... questionable. How malleable is this vision of yours?
Echo of Neltharion: I was afraid of this. The process used to create you weakened your spirit. An issue I doubt I'll have with my true born heir.

Sabellian followed a different path, and, to his surprise, it seemed like many of the Djaradin were laying siege to the laboratory! The Zaqali tribe of the Djaradin seemed to have a strong connection to the Shadowflame magic, and now they came to Aberrus for *something*. At the urges of the Echo of Neltharion, Sabellian annihilated the assaulting forces, and stopped them from opening a chamber deep within the laboratory. Feeling pride in his success, Sabellian was shocked to realize that the Zaqali mission was not one of conquest or power, but one of rescue. Rashok, one of their Elders, had been imprisoned for over a millenia: The true source of Shadowflame magic. Rashok, the Elder, broke free from his chains, and after hundreds of years of torture, death came as a mercy to him. The Shadowflame conduit no longer had a source of power, and Neltharion had high hopes for his son.

Dialogue
Echo of Neltharion: Well done. The conduit will remain dormant, though we need to restore it soon. Perhaps there are fresh Djaradin outside that you can harvest.
Sabellian: You expect me to... I will not.
Echo of Neltharion: I expected more of you Sabellian. No matter. Perhaps Wrathion will have the resolve you lack.

After dealing with Zskarn, the Steward of Aberrus, Sabellian and Wrathion finally delved into the deepest reaches of the Shadowed Crucible. Questioning the words and wisdom of the Echo of Neltharion, they were determined to chase after Sarkareth still. Leading our champions further into the Crucible, Neltharion’s Echo finally revealed its true self. It turns out the Echo of Neltharion was nothing more than a faceless agent of the void!

Dialogue
Echo of Neltharion: We have come to the end of your journey, champions.
Sabellian: What do you mean? Where is Sarkareth?
Wrathion says: You were never leading us to Sarkareth.
Neltharion says: Always the clever one, Wrathion.
Sabellian says: I cannot...move…
Wrathion says: What... are you?
Neltharion says: I am the whisper in the dark. I had hoped you would see the value of the gifts I offered. Yet you rejected them. The Dracthyr eagerly accepted. They were designed to serve.

It was this revelation that made Sabellian and Wrathion truly understand how dangerous Neltharion’s machinations have been, and that it was Deathwing's legacy, not Neltharion’s, that was promising a power to dominate, not to lead. Wrathion, Sabellian, and the champions of Azeroth were more determined than ever to put a stop to it once and for all.



Sarkareth, Heir to the Void


While Sabellian and Wrathion decisively rejected the gifts of the void, Sarkareth was hellbent on following in the footsteps of his father. With the Oathbinder shattered, he sought the power to control the fate of his race, and the world, in the same place as Neltharion. Entering the Earth-Warder’s sanctum was an eerie task, as our champions were attacked by void creatures from every side. As they reached the Edge of Oblivion, Neltharion’s long hidden sanctum, it became clear what that legacy truly meant.


Source: MrGM Twitter

Having little time to question how a place like this could exist down here in the first place, from its impossible physics to a starry sky all the way under the earth, it was the giant void portal depicting none other than N’Zoth that immediately drew everybody’s attention. Sarkareth drew power from this very portal, and subduing the leader of the Sundered Flame, as his weyrn had come to be known, was not going to be an easy task.


Sarkareth defended himself with Fire and Arcane magic, but it quickly became clear that he was no match for the champions of Azeroth. In his despair he fell to the promises of power and decided to draw more energy from the enormous stained glass window within the sanctum. While at first he was able to contain his new strength, he found himself outmatched still. In a last, and desperate attempt, Sarkareth decided to soak up as much void energy as he could. Shattering the imagery of N’Zoth, he mutated into an unrecognizable abomination of Shadow energies that barely resembled the once noble leader of the Dracthyr.


Source: Wowhead

It was here that Sarkareth became the true heir of Neltharion, or rather, Deathwing. The Heir to the Void. And, just like his father, it drove him mad in an attempt to dominate all those who would oppose him. When at last he was defeated by our brave champions, he recognized how far he had fallen. How Neltharion’s Legacy was a broken one.

Sabellian and Wrathion could only watch in silence, realizing that they all shared a pursuit for power and the ability to lead their people, but that they had to find these answers not in the legacy of an agent of the void who would only bring oblivion to our reality, but within themselves and those who share their fate.



A Shattered Legacy


Neltharion’s corruption ran deep, and even long after his demise in the Maelstrom, none of his children are safe from the temptations that his masters of the void have to offer. When even those untouched by his corruption, like his grandson Wrathion, were set on paths that only lead to oblivion, then who is to lead the black dragonflight? What path can the Dracthyr have among all this chaos and uncertainty?

Sarkareth sought to break free, determined to no longer be a tool for anybody else, especially the black dragonflight. Yet it was this desire for power and self determination that set him on the path to oblivion, driving him deeper into the clutches of the void, and ultimately bringing him closer to his father’s and creator’s legacy than anybody else. Only in his final moments did he realize what it truly meant and how he failed those he swore to lead and protect.


”Empty promises, leading us only to oblivion…”

Sabellian and Wrathion saw a dark visage of themselves in Sarkareth and the path he was following. In their own pursuit of power and attempts to lead the remains of the black dragonflight, they too came dangerously close to falling prey to the whispers of the void. But their experiences in the world, both in their years of solitude and their time together on the Dragon Isles, had taught them a valuable lesson.

Sabellian has been seeking power and the mantle of Aspect ever since he was leading the remaining black dragons in Outland, and he remained just as arrogant and ruthless as he always had been. More concerned with power than leadership, he seemed to be ill-equipped to become the new Aspect.


Sabellian in The Burning Crusade. Source: Wowpedia

Wrathion, on the other hand, has been weeding out any corruption he could find since his birth – at any cost. The ends justify the means, as long as it rooted out any corruption, that’s what he always believed. But, seeing some of the experiments, pain, and suffering that his grandfather had caused among his followers, opened the young dragon's eyes.




A Legacy Reforged


Eventually, Wrathion and Sabellian decided to return to Aberrus one final time, this time accompanied by both Scalecommander Emberthal, as well as Ebyssian, an ancient black dragon who had lived through many millenia, and who remained free from the Old God’s corruption. Whereas Wrathion and Sabellian tried to lead by might and force, Ebyssian spent most of his life among the Highmountain Tauren on the Broken Isles, living a peaceful and spiritual life. It was Ebyssian who accompanied the Dracthyr to Orgrimmar to extend the Dragon Aspect’s invitation to the Dragon Isles, and whereas Wrathion was more of a strategist and Sabellian a general, Ebyssian has always been a diplomat, first and foremost.

The growth of both Wrathion and Sabellian became clear as they cleared out the remaining forces in Aberrus. Where previously they both took their own path, now they ventured together, reflecting on their experiences and decisions, freeing tortured Djaradin, and dispatching any remaining loyalists of Sarkareth and Neltharion along the way.

Dialogue
Wrathion: I knew of Deathwing's corruption when I was still in the shell. But I had no idea how deeply it ran.
Sabellian: Father... pursued his goals with relentless conviction. He was never fond of half measures.
Wrathion: A trait you admired?
Sabellian: In some ways, yes. But now, seeing what it can lead to, I am... less certain.

Realizing that the legacy they had been chasing was nothing but an illusion that would only lead to death and despair, they finally arrived at the scene of their ill-fated encounter with Sarkareth.

Watching Sarkareth succumb to his pursuit of power, and the tests of the Echo of Neltharion, made both of them realize that neither one of them were fit to lead the black dragonflight. After vying for the title for such a long time, both of them decided to reject their claim to becoming the new Aspect, instead putting forth Ebyssian’s name as the new leader of the black dragonflight.

After years of fighting for power, Sabellian realized that such a fight is only worth it if it serves to preserve life. Wrathion, on the other hand, finally understood that while his birth came without the corruption that almost all of his fellow dragons were suffering from, he was not immune to the whispers and temptations of the void.

Dialogue
Sabellian: These pitiful creatures... did father truly hold so little regard for life?
Wrathion: He cared only about forging a future in which the black dragonflight would be dominant.
Sabellian: As... as I have done.
Wrathion: You are not him, Sabellian. You wish to see our kind thrive, not dominate. It is an admirable pursuit.
Sabellian: Thank you, Wrathion. But I must do better.

Sarkareth followed this same path, and in his attempts to reforge the Oathbinder, he sought to dominate and control those who wouldn’t follow him willingly. Despite his shortcomings, Emberthal wants to remember him as a proud dracthyr, and as a powerful reminder for all dracthyr and black dragons, that they do not have to follow the legacy of Neltharion, but that they can forge their own.


After defeating Sarkareth, evokers were able to find a Cracked Titan Gem on his lifeless body. Nozdormu, the bronze Aspect, detected the residual titan energies of this piece, and saw an opportunity to help the Dracthyr one more time. Using some of the pieces of the shattered Oathbinder, and with the help of fellow adventurers and crafters of the Dragon Isles, evokers were able to recraft the titan artifact that was once used to control their entire race, and instead create a new legacy – one free of any of Neltharion’s corruption. Nasz’uro, the Unbound Legacy was formed, and with it, the Dracthyr were finally free.



Links




About the Authors


Seliathan has been playing Rogue for over half his life, since the initial release of WoW over 18 years ago. After a long career of Raid Leading, Theorycrafting, and pushing Mythic+, Seliathan enjoys creating all kinds of PvE content on Twitch, co-hosting the Tricks of the Trade Rogue podcast, contributing to Raider.IO as Staff Writer, and writing guides for Icy Veins.


Kubie has played WoW for 13 years, achieving Cutting Edge during several tiers. Kubie enjoys meeting new players and making the community a better place, one person at a time. In 2016, he began streaming on Twitch — most notably, Heroes of the Storm. Kubie went on to become a coach for the HGC team No Tomorrow. Throughout his career in esports, Kubie has been an integral part of several support teams and is excited to bring his passion for gaming and community to the Raider.IO team.