Origin of the Burning Legion

The Titans and the Ordering

 * Author: Unknown

No one knows exactly how the universe began. Some theorize that a catastrophic cosmic explosion sent the infinite worlds spinning out into the vastness of the Great Dark – worlds that would one day bear life-forms of wondrous and terrible diversity. Others believe that the universe, at it exists, was created as a whole by a singular, all-powerful entity. Though the exact origins of the chaotic universe remain unclear, it is clear that a race of powerful beings arose to bring order to the various worlds and ensure a safe future for the beings that would follow in their footsteps.

The Titans, colossal, metallic-skinned gods from the far reaches of the cosmos, came forward and set to work on the worlds they encountered. They shaped the form of their worlds by raising mighty mountains and dredging out vast seas. They breathed skies and raging atmospheres into being – all part of their unfathomable, far-sighted plan to create order out of chaos. They even empowered primitive races to tend to their works and maintain the integrity of their respective worlds.

The Titans, ruled by an elite sect known as the Pantheon, brought order to a hundred million worlds scattered throughout the Great Dark Beyond during the first ages of creation. The benevolent Pantheon, seeking to safeguard their structured worlds, was ever vigilant against the threat of attack from the vile, extra-dimensional entities of the Twisting Nether. The Nether, an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe together, was home to an infinite number of malefic, demonic beings, who sought only to destroy life and devour the energies of the living universe. The pure-hearted, altruistic Titans, unable to conceive of evil or wickedness in any form, struggled to find a way to end the demons’ constant threat.

Sargeras and the Betrayal
To combat the demonic entities that made their way into the Titans’ worlds from the Twisting Nether, the Pantheon elected their greatest warrior, Sargeras, to act as their first line of defense. Sargeras, a noble giant of molten bronze, carried out his duties for countless millennia, seeking out and destroying the demons wherever he could find them. Over the eons, Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races, both of which were bent on gaining power and dominance over the physical universe.

The Eredar, an insidious race of devilish sorcerers, used their warlock magics to enslave a number of worlds that they had invaded. The indigenous races of those worlds were mutated by the Eredar’s chaotic powers and turned into demons themselves. Though Sargeras’ nearly limitless powers were more than enough to defeat the vile Eredar, he was greatly troubled by the creatures’ corruption and all-consuming evil. Unable to fathom such depravity and spite, the great Titan slipped into a brooding depression. Despite his growing unease, Sargeras sought to rid the universe of the warlocks for all time, by trapping them within a vacuous corner of the Twisting Nether.

As his confusion and depression deepened, Sargeras was forced to contend with another group intent on disrupting the Titans’ order. The Nathrezim, a dark race of vampiric demons (also known as Dread Lords) set out to conquer a populated world by possessing its inhabitants and turning them to the shadow. The nefarious, scheming Dread Lords had turned whole nations against one another by manipulating them through unthinking hatred and mistrust. Though Sargeras defeated the Nathrezim easily, their corruption affected him deeply.

The noble Sargeras, unable to process the raging doubt and despair that overwhelmed his senses, lost all faith in not only his mission, but the Titans’ vision of an ordered universe, as well. Sargeras began to believe that the concept of order itself was folly – and that chaos and depravity were the only absolutes within the dark, lonely universe. Though his fellow Titans tried to persuade him of his error and console his raging emotions, he disregarded their theories as delusional. Storming from their ranks forever, Sargeras set out to find his own place in the universe. Though the Pantheon was sorrowful for his departure, they would never believe just how far their lost brother would go.

As Sargeras’ madness consumed the last vestiges of his noble spirit, he began to rationalize that the Titans were truly responsible for creation’s failure. Deciding, at last, to undo their works throughout the universe, he set out to form an unstoppable army that would set the physical universe to the flame.

Even Sargeras’ titanic form distorted from the corruption that plagued his once noble heart. His eyes, hair and beard erupted in flames and his bronze, metallic skin split open to reveal an endless furnace of hate and flame.

In his madness, Sargeras shattered the prisons of the Eredar and the Nathrezim and set the vile demons free. The cunning demons, bowing before the dark Titan’s vast rage and power, offered themselves to him and swore to serve him in whatever malicious way they could. From the ranks of the powerful Eredar, Sargeras chose two champions to lead his demonic army of destruction.

Kil'jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and lure them to Sargeras’ shadow. The second champion, Archimonde the Defiler, was chosen to lead Sargeras’ vast armies into battle against any who would stand against the dark Titan’s will.

Kil’jaeden’s first move was to enslave the vampiric Dread Lords under his terrible power. The Dread Lords, serving as his elite guard and agents throughout the universe, took pleasure in their work by locating primitive races for their master to corrupt and bring into the fold. First amongst the Dread Lords was Tichondrius the Darkener. Tichondrius served Kil’jaeden as the perfect soldier and agreed to promote Sargeras’ burning will to all the dark corners of the universe.

The mighty Archimonde also empowered agents of his own. Calling upon the malefic Pit Lords and their barbarous leader, Mannoroth, he hoped to forge a fighting elite that would scour creation of all life.

Sargeras, seeing that his armies were amassed and ready to follow his every command, launched his raging forces into the vastness of the Great Dark. He referred to his growing army as the Burning Legion. To this date, it is still unclear as to how many worlds they consumed and burned on their unholy crusade across the universe.

The Ordering of Azeroth
Apparently unaware of Sargeras’ mission to undo their myriad works, the Titans continued to move from world to world, shaping and ordering them as they saw fit. Along their journey they came across a small world whose inhabitants would later name Azeroth. As the Titans made their way across the chaotic, primordial landscape, they encountered a number of hostile, elemental beings. The elementals, worshipping a race of unfathomable evil beings known only as the Old Gods, vowed to drive the Titans back and keep their world inviolate from the invaders’ metallic touch.

The Pantheon, troubled by the Old Gods’ penchant for evil, sent their forces to make war upon the elementals and their dark masters. Though the elementals fought and raged, their powers could not stop the mighty Titans. The Pantheon shattered the Old Gods’ citadels and chained the five evil beings far beneath the surface of the world. Without the Old Gods’ power to keep their raging spirits bound to the physical world, the elementals dissipated and bled back into the earth itself. With the elementals’ departure, nature calmed, and the world settled into a peaceful harmony. The Titans, seeing that the threat was contained, set to work.

The Titans empowered a number of races to help them fashion the world. To help them dredge out the fathomless caverns beneath the earth, they created the Dwarves from magical, living stone. To help them dredge out the seas and lift the land from the sea floor, they created the immense, but gentle sea giants. For many ages the Titans moved and shaped the earth, until at last, there remained only one perfect continent. At the continent’s center, the Titans crafted a lake of scintillating energies. The lake, that they named the Well of Eternity, was to be the fount of life for the world. Its potent energies would nurture the bones of the world and empower life to take root in the land’s rich soil. Over time, plants, trees, monsters and creatures of every kind began to thrive on the primordial continent. As twilight fell on the final day of their labors, the Titans named the continent Kalimdor – "land of an eternal starlight."

Satisfied that the small world had been ordered and that their work was done, the Titans prepared to leave Azeroth behind. Yet, before they departed, they decided to empower the greatest newborn species of the world to watch over Kalimdor should any force ever threaten its perfect tranquility. Each remaining member of the Pantheon imbued a portion of its power to the five great Dragons awoken in that mythic age. Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, Malygos the Spell-Weaver, Ysera the Dreamer, Nozdormu the Timeless, and Neltharion the Earth-Warder were all empowered by the Titans’ vast powers and charged with the world’s defense.

With the Dragons prepared to safeguard their creation, the Titans left Azeroth behind forever. Unfortunately for them, and the small, newborn world they had shaped, it was only a matter of time before Sargeras learned of its existence...