Yogg-Saron


 * "Prisoner? Ha! With its bindings shattered, its influence unchecked, it's gonna come after us...and WE'RE gonna be the prisoners."
 * - Brann Bronzebeard, about Yogg-Saron

Yogg-Saron is a named Old God, one of the mysterious and dread elder beings that were defeated and sequestered by the Titans during Azeroth's primordial ages. Upon their fall at the hands of the Pantheon countless millennia ago, Yogg-Saron was imprisoned inside a Titan complex within the depths of what would become the continent of Northrend. Yogg-Saron made its first appearance in World of Warcraft as the final boss in the raid dungeon Ulduar, which was implemented in patch 3.1.

History
One of the greatly malevolent and ancient entities known only as Old Gods, Yogg-Saron held chaotic tyranny over the world of Azeroth in its very distant past and was responsible for the creation of the Curse of Flesh to "facilitate assimilation" of the Titans' creations. When the Titans waged war against the Old Gods and shattered their citadels, they found that the entities' infestation had grown so severe that destroying the Old Gods would also lead to the annihilation of Azeroth. Instead, the Pantheon took measures to neutralize the Old Gods' power and to bind them within Azeroth for the remainder of its existence. Yogg-Saron was sealed away within the depths of Ulduar in the far northern reaches of the infant world, and had six watchers assigned to it which served as wardens for its near eternal imprisonment; the Titanic watchers known as Loken, Thorim, Hodir, Tyr, Mimiron and Freya.

Yet despite the power of the shackles which the Titans placed on the Old God, Yogg-Saron's influence has been felt throughout Azeroth's history, including during some of its most pivotal events. The whispers of Yogg-Saron proved capable of eventually overtaking the mind of its prime warden, Loken, who was then able to subdue the other watchers, facilitating any possible escape Yogg-Saron might seek to attempt.



During the encounter with the Old God in the Ulduar raid, three visions are shown to players which represent key moments in the history of Azeroth; strongly implying Yogg-Saron can be directly linked to these events somehow. These visions include the creation of the Dragon Soul by Neltharion and the Dragon Aspects during the War of the Ancients (which resulted in the Sundering of the world), King Llane's assassination by Garona Halforcen (which caused the fall of Stormwind at the end of the First War), and a vision of the Lich King torturing Bolvar Fordragon (the man who would become the new Lich King after Arthas Menethil's death). During this third vision, the voice of Yogg-Saron can be heard proclaiming: "He will learn--no king rules forever! Only death is eternal!", a prophecy of the Old God that would come to pass with Arthas' defeat by the Ashen Verdict, and the words of which are eerily repeated by the spirit of Terenas Menethil as his final words to his dying son.

Yogg-Saron also appears to have been the source of the corruption that befell the world tree Vordrassil, after its roots grew too close to the Old God's prison. The ancient druids growing Vordrassil destroyed the tree immediately upon discovering the sheer power behind Yogg-Saron's tainting influence, however the corruption nonetheless continued to spread to the Grizzlemaw Furbolgs who came to inhabit the tree's stump ages later. They became murderously insane soon after settling within Vordrassil's remains, and began attempting to regrow the afflicted world tree. The Furbolgs also used the dire power still emanating from the tree's stump to resurrect the bear god Ursoc, who returned to the world as a viciously twisted reflection of his former self.

Saronite and the Scourge
Throughout Northrend, deposits of a mysterious ore named "Saronite" can be found, which is called "The Black Blood of Yogg-Saron" by the Tuskarr people and who advise any who will listen to keep their distance from it. Saronite is capable of driving any who come into contact with it to violent insanity, and it appears to be a type of byproduct of the Old God's physical manifestation. The Scourge mine extensively for this material; It is used in their fuel, armament, weapons and most notably in the construction of their buildings, including Icecrown Citadel itself. Alliance questing reveals however that the Scourge mysteriously utter the name "Yogg-Saron" with great hatred and contempt.

Blizzard representatives have stated that they feel the connection between Yogg-Saron and the Lich King ended up being poorly expressed in-game, but added that it "had a lot to do with the ability for mortals to become corrupted."

The Faceless Ones
The Faceless Ones are unnatural, grotesquely misshapen and insane beings of unknown origin which appear to be closely connected to Yogg-Saron. Described by Kilix the Unraveler as "a tendril of the Old God's will, made manifest in the creatures known only as The Faceless", the Faceless Ones have liquid Saronite for blood and seem to function as Yogg-Saron's heralds and guardians. Named Faceless Ones in World of Warcraft include Herald Volazj, Darkspeaker R'khem and General Vezax.

Official Ulduar Intro
''For millennia, Ulduar has remained undisturbed by mortals, far away from their concerns and their struggles. Yet since its recent discovery, many have wondered what the structure's original purpose may have been. Some thought it a city, built to herald the glory of its makers; some thought it a vault containing innumerable treasures, perhaps even relics of the mighty Titans themselves. Such speculations were wrong. Beyond Ulduar's gates lies no city, no treasure vault, no final answer to the Titan's mysteries. All that awaits those who dare set foot in Ulduar is a horror even the Titans could not, would not destroy, an evil they merely... contained. ''

''Beneath ancient Ulduar, the Old God of death lies, whispering.... ''

''Since discovering Ulduar in the Storm Peaks, adventurers have journeyed to the titan city to learn more about its mysterious past. Further exploration has revealed that the magnificent complex is above all a prison, intended to permanently confine the Old God of death, Yogg-Saron. This ancient horror has corrupted its guards, and now it is breaking through the last of its restraints.'' ''Faced with the peril of Yogg-Saron's imminent freedom, a band of mortals has made preparations for a sweeping assault on the city. Overcoming the legions of iron minions and towering defenses at the city's entrance will take tremendous strength, but even that great victory may not be enough to overcome the madness that dwells below.''

The Whispers of Yogg-Saron
The whispers heard inside Whisper Gulch from "An Unknown Voice" are listed in the game files as "Creature - Yogg-Saron Whisper". They sound similar to the whispers of C'Thun, the first named Old God:
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper

In the 5-man Ahn'kahet instance, which features a desecrated Nerubian temple now dedicated to Yogg-Saron, "A Mysterious Voice" can sometimes be heard whispering to players at random. This voice most likely is Yogg-Saron's as well:
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper

(These voices can also be heard within the Ymirheim Saronite Mines.)

In Cataclysm, the new archaeology profession allows players to assemble a rare and ancient Nerubian puzzle box that is somehow related to Yogg-Saron's dread and mysterious nature. The puzzle appears impossible to solve properly, but with each attempt the player makes the Old God whispers oracular and chilling knowledge to them:


 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper

Composition
"Yogg-Saron" is a composition of several different NPCs in the Ulduar encounter:
 * Body of Yogg-Saron
 * Brain of Yogg-Saron
 * Constrictor Tentacle
 * Corruptor Tentacle
 * Crusher Tentacle
 * Influence Tentacle
 * Sara

Connection to C'Thun
In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Arthas encountered and defeated a "Forgotten One" while traveling through Azjol-Nerub which beared physical similarities to C'Thun, the first named Old God, and which was being defended by faceless ones, which are typically associated with Yogg-Saron, hinting at a close connection between the two Old Gods.

It is also possible that the Forgotten One which Arthas fought was a manifestation or tendril of Yogg Saron's power, but which was not at full strength due to Ulduar not yet having been fully compromised.

The fate of Tyr
The watcher Tyr is seemingly missing from the Ulduar encounter, and questing reveals that unlike with the other watchers, Tyr's temple is the only one which shows no sign of violent overthrowing by Loken's armies. When asked about this, Blizzard's lead world designer Valnoth implied Tyr may in fact be none other than General Vezax, who has been completely corrupted and assimilated by Yogg-Saron's power. Other developers however commented that Tyr "was not in Ulduar" when Yogg-Saron was defeated.

Inspiration

 * Yogg-Saron's name is derived from of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.  Additionally, by the same turn, his monikers "The Beast with a Thousand Maws," or "Fiend of a Thousand Faces" are references to, who is refered to as "The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young" and to whom Yogg-Saron bears a resemblance. "That Which Must Not Be Named" may be a reference to Hastur, whose role in the Cthulhu mythos remains unclear. In Lovecraft's own "The Whisperer in Darkness," the protagonist hears a recording of cultists reciting, in reverence, the names of several beings, including Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and Hastur (as "That Which Must Not Be Named"). However, in the same story and in the expanded universe created by authors continuing Lovecraft's mythos, Hastur is shown as being at war with the Mi-Go, the race of extraterrestrials that seems to worship the aforementioned "Gods" as a group (who were among the voices heard on the recording).
 * "Yogg" might also be an intentional misspelling of "Ygg", referring to, the World Tree of Norse mythology, tying in with Yogg-Saron's corruption of Vordrassil.
 * "Ygg" is also one of the aliases of the Norse God "Odin".
 * The name "Saron" could also refer to, the evil necromancer and antagonist of the novel by . Not to be confused with Peter Jacksons film adaption of the novel. On Wikipedia, in the Adaption section it is quoted: In interviews, Jackson repeatedly refers to Sauron as "just a giant floating eyeball." In the novel, even if one interprets the text as saying that the Eye exists physically, it is never clear whether it is disembodied or not. In the very novel, Sauron is indeed referred as The Eye, but Sauron is furthermore the evil opponent, called the one who should not be mentioned, a sort of death god, who has corrupted the world, able to see things beyond others/create visions - alike Yogg-Saron.
 * Ulduar, his prison may also be a reference to Uldar, another "elder god" of the Cthuhlu Mythos