World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 by Blizzard Entertainment Read Free Book Online

that some forms of wildlife, such asproto-dragons, came to be.
    In time, the keepers and their servants stabilized Azeroth’s main landmass, a continent that teemed with plants and creatures of every kind. Twilight fell as the titan-forged surveyed the world they had shaped, and they named the primary continent Kalimdor : “Land of Eternal Starlight.”

T HE P ILLARS OF C REATION
    ThePantheon bestowed wondrous artifacts on the keepers to aid them with ordering the world. These relics were known as thePillars of Creation. Ages after the keepers had completed their grand work, the artifacts would become lost and scattered across the lands of Azeroth .

GIANTS SHAPING THE LANDS AND SEAS OF AZEROTH

P leased with the keepers’ efforts and assured that the slumberingworld-soul was in good hands, the Pantheon prepared to venture back into the Great Dark. The discovery of Azeroth was proof that other nascenttitans could exist in the universe, and the titans were eager to renew their search.
    The keepers mourned the imminent departure of their makers, but they also brimmed with pride at being given the honor of safeguarding Azeroth. To commemorate the Pantheon’s departure,Loken andMimiron crafted a set of enchanted artifacts called theDiscs ofNorgannon, which would transcribe history as it unfolded on Azeroth. If ever the Pantheon returned, they would possess a record of what had come to pass in their absence.
    In his final act before departing,Aman’Thul commissioned theconstellarAlgalon the Observer to serve as the world’s celestial guardian. The possibility that the world-soul could become corrupted was one the titans could not ignore. Should that come to pass, Algalon had the power to initiate a procedure that would activate theForge of Origination, purging the world of life and any corruption that was present.
    With that, the Pantheon bade thetitan-forged farewell and disappeared into the stars. The titans had done everything possible to heal Azeroth and assure the world-soul’s maturation. All that remained now was to wait—and hope that the world-soul would one day awaken.

I n the ages after the Pantheon left Azeroth, myriad life-forms flourished across the surface of the world. The most savage and cunning were theproto-dragons, who dwelled in the frozen north of Kalimdor. The various proto-dragon species had a wide array of strengths and abilities. Some were gigantic winged beings of incredible fortitude, their spirits tied to the world itself. Others had unknowingly tapped into the latent elemental energies that permeated the newly ordered world.
    But there was one proto-dragon whose brutality and devastating power overshadowed the rest of his kind. His name wasGalakrond, and he was the largest proto-dragon who had ever soared across Azeroth’s skies. So mighty was the enormous creature that the beating of his wings could flatten entire forests. Strength, however, was not his only weapon. He possessed a preternatural cunning that made him an exceptional hunter.
    In time, Galakrond came to dominate the most sought-after hunting grounds in northern Kalimdor. Compelled by an insatiable hunger, he devoured everything in sight. His body swelled to an even greater size. Yet nothing could ever sate his cravings.
    So terrible was his hunger that Galakrond began feasting on other proto-dragons, even the corpses of the dead. Devouring fallen proto-dragons eventually warped Galakrond’s mind and body with a necrotic affliction. Misshapen limbs and dozens of eyes sprouted across his gargantuan form. Death energies wafted off of Galakrond’s jagged hide, reanimating dead matter. These necrotic powers were infused in Galakrond’s victims, and they rose from the dead as mindless abominations.
    The ranks of Galakrond’s wretched minions expanded. Soon, he and his ruined followers terrorized the skies over Kalimdor. The other proto-dragons, fractured by long-standing rivalries, failed to unite against this new threat.
    Tyr,