The Horde burns Darnassus in World of Warcraft. Or does it? A thoughtful fan theory sees another culprit: Azshara and her Naga burn Teldrassil in WoW.
From Wednesday (01.08.2018), players in World of Warcraft can experience the finale of the War of the Thorns. They will get to see the cinematic where the tree Teldrassil burns. Although a lot currently points to the Horde being responsible for the fire, there are still serious doubts. After all, Sylvanas would gain little benefit from it.
Sylvanas wants to possess the tree, not burn it
That Sylvanas does not want to burn Darnassus should have been realized by all players by now. After all, her plan is to wear down the civilians present in Darnassus and break their spirit. Afterwards, she could use them as a “living shield” from within to prevent the Alliance’s recapture. Sylvanas wants to possess Teldrassil – and not burn it. So why does the tree burn? The currently most common assumptions are:
- that Sylvanas either finds herself forced to burn the tree rather than give it up
- or that it simply results in an accident – a zeppelin crashes, an Azerite explosion goes wrong, or something similar.
But in recent days, new theories are surfacing that introduce a different factor: a third party that wants to escalate the war between Horde and Alliance.
Warbringer videos could provide the evidence
On Reddit, fans were already skeptical when Blizzard announced the release of the three “Warbringer” videos. Jaina fits wonderfully with the Alliance and Sylvanas with the Horde – but what does Azshara have to do with it?
Azshara does not belong to either party and seems out of place when it comes to the subject of war between Alliance and Horde. Unless she has an important role: she is the trigger of the war.
Azshara has long become a servant of the Old Gods since she ended her existence as an elf ten thousand years ago and became the Queen of the Naga. The Old Gods feed on suffering and death, which is why a war would only appease these creatures.
Fans suspect that in the last “Warbringer” video, which is likely to be released next week, we will see the true reason the Teldrassil burned – or at least Azshara’s motivation for wanting to ignite the war.
That would be the perfect trick. Because the Alliance fleet would see the tree burning and blame the Horde. The Horde, in turn, would have no way to prove that they are not responsible for the fire – after all, they started the War of the Thorns.
Ogmot’s Dream Diary
Those who remember Ogmot’s Dream Diary may also become suspicious. In this diary of an ogre from the Shadowhammer Cult, there are many sentences with a lot of room for interpretation. Particularly striking and fitting is the passage:
“Among the ships shadows wind and rise. Ever higher.”
“Shadows under the ships” is, according to fans, a clear reference to creatures that are beneath the ships – and they can only be the Naga, who are native to the sea.
It is therefore quite conceivable that the Naga play a significant role right at the outbreak of the war.
Azerite in the hands of the Naga
Another possible hint is the source of Azerite at Darkshore. Alliance and Horde fight over a small island for the new resource, yet what many forget: this island is actually inhabited by Naga.
Players from the Alliance who have quested here had their first contact with Azshara, who showed herself in her true form there. Is it really so unlikely that Azshara and her Naga have seized Azerite to destroy the tree?
After all, the Naga harbor a special hatred for the elves, especially Azshara – she still sees herself as the queen of all elves.
If we’re lucky, the truth will be revealed tomorrow. Because then there is the cinematic in WoW where Teldrassil burns. Many players, however, suspect that the video will not reveal why exactly the tree is going up in flames – that could be disclosed much later.
Do you find any value in this theory that the Naga are literally “skipping the signals”?
