Followers and non-followers of the World of Warcraft comic book should check us back this Monday at 5pm EST for our update. Things are getting exciting with the recent introduction of Medivh and Garona’s son: Med’an. Glimpses into what may happen down the line in upcoming WoW expansions, and the introduction of various key NPCs into the MMO: the new Council of Tirisfal.
Speculation: Is the rebirth of the Council of Tirisfal the platform to introduce our journey into other worlds to fight the Burning Legion at their own backyard? Is the new Council of Tirisfal involved in the staging plan that will send us through the portals scattered throughout Outland to reach other worlds? (Reminder: Metzen revealed at BlizzCon 2005 there were plans for at least 7 new worlds accessible through the portals created by Ner’zhul. Illidan sealed them in Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, but with the betrayer defeated, adventurers may access these portals to reach other worlds that have fallen to the Burning Legion. According to the WoW RPG: Shadow and Light, we might find rebel factions in those worlds as allies to fight the Burning Legion).
It is highly possible that Turalyon and Alleria may be stranded in one of these worlds if they escaped the destruction of Draenor through one of the portals.
So far we have been hinted of new worlds beyond Azeroth, and Outland. The World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde showed us a background story of Velen, Archimonde and Kil’jaeden in their homeworld: Argus. World of Warcraft Classic introduced a Warlock quest to summon their Dreadsteed mount. It involved a ritual where demons pour into the western-wing of Dire Maul. The world Xoroth is mentioned which is rumored to be the Nathrezim (Dreadlords) homeworld. Whether it is or not the same world is unknown, but Mal’Ganis flees to his homeworld through a portal during an Onslaught Harbor quest (Watch our video).
There is another scene in Death’s Door, in Blade’s Edge Mountains where an Eredar named Baelmon the Hound-Master summons one of those giant two-headed dog-like demons: Void Hounds.
Baelmon: “Make ready the chambers, another ally will soon join our ranks! Our ally has arrived! Clear the way to the materialization chamber!”
The second portal in-game is in the western-side of Zangarmarsh dubbed the Portal Clearing.
The third portal in-game is located in the Twilight Ridge, on the western edge of Nagrand, high in the mountains and can only be accessed with a flying mount. This portal is surrounded by the Shadow Council orcs and ogres, an Eredar and other demons. They are attempting to activate and re-open the portal. This gate will allow players one day to access another world that has been overrun by the Burning Legion.
Aside from these three portals already existent in-game, Chris Metzen revealed in 2005 there were plans to add four more portals in Outland in undetermined locations. Among other worlds that have been directly mentioned or indirectly implied in certain World of Warcraft quests is also the homeworld of the Worgen. These were summoned into Azeroth from another plane by Arugal and by the night elf Velinde Starsong who was given the Scythe of Elune. It is unknown what world they come from. The Elemental Plane is somewhere in the Twisting Nether. It was built by the Pantheon of the Titans to hold the Lieutenants of the Old gods (the Elemental Lords) isolated from Azeroth.
For those with sharp eyes, you can see many worlds monitored by Loken in the Halls of Lightning. And there is also the planetary hall in Ulduar displaying various floating worlds through holograms. How many worlds are displayed in Ulduar? Seven worlds. The exact amount of worlds Chris Metzen revealed are planned for future expansions of World of Warcraft. Blizzard is clearly hinting at us in the Planetary Hall what to expect in the long lifespan of World of Warcraft. Future Expansions will be aimed to set our journey into the stars.
New challenges. Other Titan seeded races. More Titans to fight. Otherworldly Old gods and their servants across the sky—remember Harbinger Skyriss (the Qiraji) imprisoned in Tempest Keep: Arcatraz? One of Skyriss’ clones says: “We span the universe, as countless as the stars!” This is what A’dal the Sha’tar naaru says in the quest titled Harbinger of Doom: “Prince Kael’thas has chosen his warden poorly, and now the entities that we kept locked up within the Arcatraz are breaking free. One in particular, a servant of the Old Gods known as Harbinger Skyriss, seeks to usher in his masters’ vision of conquering all of the worlds in the universe, you must not allow him to escape. Return to Tempest Keep, enter the Arcatraz, and slay Harbinger Skyriss before it is too late! “
We might encounter Demons not aligned with the Burning Legion with their own agendas—Altrius the Sufferer (a demon hunter) revealed a bit of lore in the quest titled Against All Odds about these rogue demons: “Some demons pledge allegiance to no one but themselves. A true enemy of demons finds and destroys his prey regardless of affiliation, however. The demon Xeleth - a Legion defector - was once worshipped as a god by primitive swamp creatures in Zangarmarsh. When Draenor was nearly destroyed, he retreated into a slumber deep beneath Marshlight Lake. Find the portal at the lake and plant this spear into the ground.”
This Warcraft 3: Frozen Throne video shows the single-player campaign where Illidan seals the portals of Ner’zhul that allowed the Burning Legion to send reinforcements to Magtheridon. Illidan sealed these portals with the help of Kael’Thas, Lady Vashj, Akama and his draenei (Click on the zoom-in button for a full-screen view).
