wow WoW Community Contribution: Can We Ally With the Titans?

[Valks 2,375]

A post over on the /r/wow sub-Reddit caught my attention and I've decided to give a proper answer to the question of whether we are the good guys in the eyes of the Titans. Check it out!

 

The original post posing the question was submitted by user LordLuxon, in which he asks three main questions:

1. Did the plan of Algalon the Observer to purge Azeroth reflect the views of the other titans?
2. Do the Old Gods control Azeroth?
3. Since Algalon, do the titans respect our own fight against the gods and by that, would they ever work beside us?

We're going to work through this chronologically, but first we need some background; let's take a look at our creators, the Titans.

 

What is the Pantheon? 

 

The Pantheon was the name given to the high council of the Titans. These extremely powerful beings shaped the world and universe as we know it, acting as the guardians and creators. 

 

So who is a part of this Pantheon? Let's break it down and see who the most important figures in the Pantheon were:

 

Aman'Thul, Highfather of the Pantheon: He granted the Dragon Aspect Nozdormu, leader of the Bronze Dragonflight, powers of time, so that he could protect the essence of fate itself. 

 

Eonar, Matron of All Life: She granted power to both Alexstrasza, leader of the Red Dragonflight, and Ysera, leader of the Green Dragonflight, allowing them to watch over all living things and nature respectively. 

 

Norgannon, Lore-Keeper and Master Magician: He granted Malygos, leader of the Blue Dragonflight, dominion over the magic-based areas of Azeroth, as well as the spells unknown to other magic users. After Malygos lost his mind, Kalecgos took control of this domain.

 

Khaz'goroth, Shaper and Forger of the World: He granted Neltharion, leader of the Black Dragonflight, dominion over the earth itself of Azeroth.

 

Sargeras, the Destroyer: At the time, he was the greatest warrior of all the Titans. He betrayed them to become the leader of the Burning Legion.

 

 

The Dragon Aspects, from left to right: Nozdormu, Ysera, Alexstrasza, Kalecgos, Neltharion (Deathwing).

 

Who was Algalon and why did he come to Azeroth? 

 

Algalon is a titan creation, sent after the corrupted Watcher Loken was killed. Loken was one of the Watchers tasked with looking after Azeroth in the absence of our creators. He was initially meant to act as the Chief Jailor for the Old God Yogg-Saron, but the whispers of the menacing beast drove Loken to madness. His mind was corrupted and he sought to bring down everything the Pantheon had sought to create. He betrayed his brethren, subduing them so that Yogg-Saron could escape his prison.

 

When Loken was appointed to his role, a "fail-safe" was built into the world of Azeroth. Should a Watcher die, a signal is sent to the Pantheon that the world is in distress. Algalon was appointed by the Titans as the one that would investigate what was happening on Azeroth.

 

 

Loken, as we see him in the Halls of Lightning.

 

Loken knew exactly what would happen when he died and the reaction of the Pantheon, hence what he says upon dying:

 

"My death... heralds the end of this world."

 

Algalon was sent by the Pantheon itself to detect any interference from the Old Gods. If he found enough to deem the planet beyond saving, he was instructed to "re-originate" the planet, thereby killing every living being on Azeroth. Upon being stopped and defeated in Ulduar, Algalon retreats to take note of the mortal races of Azeroth. He believes there is something unique that sets us apart from the other worlds he has seen before.

 

This is where we find the answer to our first question; Algalon was acting on the orders of the Pantheon, therefore we can assume that the Titans acting on the council would agree with what was being suggested. It was not his direct wish to do this, evidenced by his willingness to re-consider, but the Pantheon's. They have seen what the corruption of the Old Gods can do on countless other planets, inhabited by their own versions of the Old Gods. Due to this, we can assume they have reached a point where they would rather recreate a grain of sand on the beach, rather than worry about the individual, microscopic bugs living on the grain of sand.

 

How strong is the link between the Old Gods and Azeroth?

 

There was a time when Azeroth was a pure planet, untainted by the grasp of the Old Gods. The Titans arrived here and began to shape it into their own image, creating the Earthen races to aid in their efforts, as well as protect their work. Shortly after this, from beyond the eternal universe, the Old Gods arrived on the planet, nearly breaking it in the process.

 

The strength of these beings is beyond belief, with the Titans incapable of killing those that inhabit Azeroth currently. There is legend of the Titans slaying Old Gods previously, but those residing on our planet were simply too strong.

 

 

C'thun, one of the Old Gods residing on Azeroth.

 

This is evidenced in the fact that the Titans didn't kill them. They instead bound the essence of the Old Gods to Azeroth itself. This is where the idea of "destroy one, destroy Azeroth" comes from. The Titans bound the Old Gods' powers to the essence of Azeroth, thereby simultaneously saving and dooming the planet at the same time.

 

While some of you may think Yogg-Saron was slain in Ulduar, we saw only a fraction of his power. The death of an Old God that powerful would have rocked the foundations of the planet itself, possibly even causing it to destroy itself. To completely root out the evil that is these beings, one would need to do as Algalon and the Pantheon wished: destroy all life on Azeroth and start fresh.

 

It is here that we find the answer to our second question: the Old Gods are extremely tightly bound to Azeroth, but they don't control everything on the planet. Much of the power of these beings is still bound to the earth and therefore cannot be utilised fully. As evidenced by their initial arrival, if they could use their full powers, the planet would be destroyed without the Titans to protect us. 

 

There is, however, an argument that the Old Gods are one of the largest influences on the events of Azeroth. Through their powers, let's take a look at what the Old Gods have caused:

1. The Curse of Flesh.
2. The corruption of the Elemental Lords.
3. Azshara and her people becoming the Naga.
4. Neltharion being driven mad and turning into Deathwing.
5. The Emerald Nightmare.
6. Corrupted the Titan Watchers.

The list goes on and on, but you get the point. They have influenced or been directly involved in some of the biggest events in the history of Azeroth. They are most certainly controlling a great deal of what happens around the world, but just how much is unknown.

 

Could we ever ally with the Titans against the Old Gods?

 

This is a question that can only be answered with a question. Why would we? In the novel, "The Sundering", we are told that in order to kill an Old God, the Titans needed to band together the power of a number of their individual warriors. If this is the case, then how powerful are the players?

 

If we assume that the lore coming from World of Warcraft is correct, then the players "killed" C'thun, an Old God. This is something that was attempted by the Titans previously, when Azeroth was first being inhabited, but they failed. We succeeded where they failed, so are we stronger than the Titans themselves?

 

If so, why would we require the help of the Titans, and why would they need to come to Azeroth? Despite leaving their own Watchers to guard the prison of Yogg-Saron, we defeated every Watcher and even went on to defeat a part of Yogg-Saron. Whiel it was a very limited part of his power, we still managed to defeat the supposed Titan Watchers.

 

It seems like the Titans have the perfect Watchers already placed on Azeroth: us.

 

It might turn out, as the OP suggested, that they request our help, but it seems that we don't need theirs. Things might change in future, since Yogg-Saron is most likely plotting away in Northrend while we are in the Broken Isles (read more about that here), but at this moment we don't need their help.

 

It's important also to note that we are going to be fighting our way through the Emerald Nightmare in Legion, so we are going to be fighting the extended power of yet another Old God. If we continue to stop any attempt of corruption by the Old Gods, why would the Titans need to interfere? 

 

We also need to remember that Algalon is supposedly watching and studying our every move and reporting it back to the Titans. If they truly believed we couldn't stop the Old Gods, why wouldn't they simple erase the corruption by reforming the planet completely right now?