Anubisath



The anubisath are giant beings of living stone, physically resembling the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, Anubis. According to an older account the qiraji created them as their minions. But with the recent discovery of Uldum it is also possible that they are watchers of the titans. They inhabit Ahn'Qiraj and Silithus. The anubisath are constructed from obsidian, and enchanted to serve as the guardians of the qiraji capital of Ahn'Qiraj.

On rare occasions, an anubisath may be blessed by the Old God C'Thun and become the immensely powerful horusath.

History

 * From http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/basics/ahnqiraj/anubisath.html:

The trolls were the first mortal race to face the ancient, insidious aqir and survive against their might. After thousands of years the trolls succeeded in splitting the insect empire in half, sending them fleeing to the northern and southern reaches of Kalimdor.

Over time the mighty troll empires collapsed, and while in Silithus the aqir slowly evolved into a new, terrifying race — the qiraji.

According to legend, in the aftermath of the war, the Twin Emperors, Vek'lor and Vek'nilash, acknowledged a need for loyal soldiers of great strength to stand against any future opposition. It is said that the Emperors themselves oversaw the construction of the first anubisath in the ever-burning fires beneath Ahn'Qiraj — even so the massive warriors were not completed for millennia. When the Well of Eternity was destroyed in the War of the Ancients, the few remaining mortal tales of the once-fearsome aqir were lost, yet still the qiraji waited, biding their time to strike at an unprepared world.

And so it was that a thousand years ago the Emperors once again commanded an assault to conquer Kalimdor. This time their newest weapons of war were ready, and the mighty qiraji demonstrated their strength against the prolific night elves, a lone Anubisath often smashing through an entire unit of sentinels.

Though imbued with minimal intelligence, the colossal warriors proved to be highly effective killing machines. While the strongest of these constructs served as elite shock troops, General Rajaxx placed most of the anubisath on the front line, knowing that the massive warriors would strike fear in the hearts of the elves.

During the war, as the elves faced impending defeat, the Archdruid Fandral Staghelm persuaded the bronze dragonflight to join the fray. Amid the frenzied battle outside Ahn'Qiraj, the dragons directed their wrath at the anubisath constructs.

The few anubisath capable of casting spells were far from the front lines, and so the dragons were able to concentrate their attacks on the giants with little threat of being countered. Nearly every anubisath was destroyed in the initial assault, but among them one in particular would prove to be more resourceful than all others combined...

Myth
Both the name and appearance of the Anubisath are a reference to the Egyptian deity Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification and one of the gods who presides over the afterlife.

Named

 * Emissary Roman'khan
 * Ossirian the Unscarred
 * Setis