Reckoning? ...Betrayal

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

I swear that Northrend's foundations are built upon betrayal. Drakuru, the incident at the Wrath Gate, and now this.

I am such a fool. I should have seen through the illusions, the lies, and I would have known that the wench, Lok'lira, was really Loken in disguise. All of his plans and my own involvement, as it seems, was to draw Thorim out of hiding and allow him to be delivered into the hands of Loken and his dark master. All I could do was watch as that power reached out and took the Stormlord away, and all the while I heard that laughter. It was the same that haunted my dreams, a dread fear that whispered that I would turn against my allies. An ancient...evil power...

They are gone now as I write this, fled back to Ulduar and, for now, beyond my reach. My questions tear through my heart and mind. First, we must deal with Loken, and I have no doubts that the Sons of Hodir will agree. That will undoubtadly be the next step. Beyond that I have to wonder what the fate is of Thorim and Veranus, now in the clutches of this evil, Loken's master, Yogg'Saron.

All I can think about is what we have ahead of us.

When Titans Clash...er, yeah.

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

The tasks have been completed. The relations between Thorim and the sons of Hodir have been repaired, Thorim now has his great proto-dreak mount returned, as well as his great hammer of storms, Krolmir. A magnificant weapon. Great storms can be made small, but I can tell that weapon is too mighty for even my hands.

Now comes the next step: Confront Loken.

As the story goes, Loken and Thorim are brothers, and with the Loken's betrayal of his post as a Watcher came other betrayals as well, including crimes against his own family. I grew angry when I heard Thorim tell me the tail of how Loken slew his wife. No greater crime exists among the orcs than to betray one's own blood, and the same honor that binds and orc also binds a titan.

I hope to be there when Thorim teaches his one-time-brother this harsh lesson.

Thorim

*From the Writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

He resides in his temple at the top of highest mountin in all of the Storm Peaks, sitting in a throne and more kingly than the Lich King or that Alliance wretch could ever hope to be, just one of his feet great enough to crush any single mortal without much thought. I wonder if this being is one of the titans of old. However, when I look into the face of this being, this Keeper Thorim of the Temple of Storms, I am reminded of my own people during their lethargy of demonic powers lost.

He sits up here, brooding in silence, looking more pathetic than your average human despite all his great power. The old crone, Lok'lira, has guided me to this place after the long battles with the other Vrykul wenches, and now there is another step in my purpose here. What my next step is will have to wait, for my old bones creak and I must rest.

The titanic being sitting on his throne makes no motion in protest as I make a fire in his temple and settle myself for the evening. He just sits there, continuing to brood.

The Engine of the Makers

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

It is obviously not natural made, easily surmised by the mear sight of it, and I think all the dwarves and gnomes and goblins in the world could study it for years and still not figure out what its purpose is. It is just one of the many wonders of these peaks left behind by the Titans.

What more can these beings do? The powers of the elements that I wield in battle were long ago bested by the power of the Titans, and in the aftermath of that war they refined the world how they saw fit, bringing order to chaos.

I look at these marvels and I think them not natural, but then when I think of those who made them, I wonder...

What really is natural?

The Storm Peaks

*From the writings of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

There comes a time in every being's life when he make his first steps into a much larger world. Such times are always felt in the early years of childhood, for man and orc alike, when he must walk away from the home that was his whole world and take his first steps in a larger one.

An orc who has lived as long as I have, who has seen and experienced such things, I believed that I have seen all there is to see in this world and I would not be making any new steps into any new worlds.

I was wrong.

I know that now as I look up at the icy mountains of the Storm Peaks, and I can tell that this place is unlike any other that I have ventured in through my long years. Whatever might be waiting for me in these mountains, I know two things. I know that whatever is causing me to have these dreams, visions of me fighting my own comrades, as well as the several whispers I have heard since coming to Northrend, I will find it somewhere here. Also, I believe I will find my destiny here, whatever that should be.

I notice that there is something peculiar about these mountains though as I brave their snowy heights. Twice in my ventures I have seen signs of such giant machinery that it could only be true that these mountains as a whole were not made by nature's hands, but were built by something else entirely. What power could build such wonders? The legends of the titans are not unknown to me, but to think that the ancient enemy of the Old Gods could have constructed such things as this is too much for one orc to grasp.

I have little time to dwell on it, for there is much work to be done. I have recently met a Vrykul hag who has offered me her assistance, and I am obliged to give mine as well. I intend to end my contract with her as quickly as possible, because I do not enjoy wearing the guise of a half-giant woman.

Making Deals With Gods

*From the journal of Dakore, Shaman of the Horde*

Shalazar Basin is a spectacular region. I would not have dreamed that such a land existed in such a place as Northrend, and whatever power it is that keeps it, the land is vibrant and wild.

I have a theory though that the five pillars, four rather as one seems to have been destroyed sadly, has something to do with it. I have seen however that this cradle for life is someone fragile. It seems that the destruction of one of these mountainous pillars and the device at its top has triggered a recent avalanch from neighboring Icecrown. Scourge are beginning to invade this land, and the only one to stop them is the Avatar of Freya.

I know not who this Freya is, but I admire her ferocity in defense of this place, calling in the entire basin's wild powers to keep the Scourge out. Yet the tenacity of the undead is unrivaled and they continue to push and steadily gain ground from the avalanch. This avatar of a godess or other greater power is willing to take allies, but I am too weary now to be of much use to the Scourge. The avatar made a deal with me, a night of rest here in these wilds, under her protecting, and in the morning I will help her with the Scourge any way I can.

I wonder if she has a plan for this. I will soon see.

The Titans

These are the guys who fought the Old Gods like Yogg-Saron in the ancient-ancient times of Azeroth. The beat them, shackled them, and imprisoned the in the underbelly of the world in places like Ulduar and elsewhere, presumably at the bottom of the Maelstrom with Azshara would be my guess, so I can anticipate a future Ocean expansion, yes? But that's beside the point.

Anyway, here we are fast approaching Ulduar raid and a lot of juicy Titan lore, and I'm thinking, "just who the hell are these guys anyway?"

All we know about the titans is that they are a race of metal skinned giants, they are extremely powerful and advanced, travelling through the space and altering worlds to have order and life. In a sense, they are the good version of Galactus, right?

They are led by a group called The Pantheon, a council of the mightiest titans, akin to gods in Warcraft Lore. As far as the Pantheon goes, a few snippets of lore give some information but right now they are nothing more than paragraphs and pictures on a page. One or two might have been mentioned but none of them have yet to be seen.

Within Ulduar we'll possibly get to see the first actual Titans of the game? There have been suggestions that guys like Thorim, Freya, and Hodir are all Titans themselves, though not part of the Pantheon itself, obviously. Since Loken is brother to Thorim, that would make him a titan as well, right? Some have suggested not, that these guys are just creations of the Titans. So, the question is, what is really the truth here?

It is suggested in the Alliance quest "Fate of the Titans" that Thorim, Freya, Mimir, and Hodir are in fact members of the Titan race. The quest talks about the missing "Watchers" which include these guys who were stationed in their respective temples around Storm Peaks. Thorim can be found at his post in Temple of Storms and Loken makes an appearance in Temple of Wisdom. I think that's pretty solid evidence, yes?