Qiraji


 * For the language, see Qiraji (language).

The qiraji are a race of insectoid creatures in southern Silithus. Different types of qiraji are referred to as castes with a life-long occupation and responsibility in society. It seems to be that every caste has a leader who are under the command of the Twin Emperors: Vek'nilash and Vek'lor. The three most notable castes are the battleguards, led by Battleguard Sartura, gladiators, led by General Rajaxx, and prophets, led by The Prophet Skeram. The qiraji are able to create servants of living obsidian stone, the obsidian destroyers, anubisaths, and horusaths.

Origin
At the ancient continent of Kalimdor's center was a mysterious lake of incandescent energies, the Well of Eternity. It was the true heart of the world's magic and natural power. From this magical ether the Silithid were born. As the fallen Old God, C'Thun, recognized their appearance, he attempted to sunder the world that it once held in its unmerciful grasp. The Old God created avatars from the silithid in its own image. These avatars were to be known as the qiraji. Sapient and with purpose, the qiraji worked feverishly to build a force capable of laying waste to the world that would betray their god, with the silithid as their minions.

Not long after the troll empires divided the insectoid kingdom of the aqir, the aqir that traveled north would eventually become the race we know as the nerubians today. The aqir that travelled south ransacked and overthrew a titan research station near Uldum, enslaved the tol'vir, renaming themselves the qiraji and calling their new home Ahn'Qiraj.

The qiraji spent the next thousands of years building an army capable of exacting revenge upon the whole of Kalimdor.

The War of the Shifting Sands
Only the night elves, who once inhabited Silithus, stood in their way. The War of the Shifting Sands raged for long, agonizing months. The night elves were always on the defensive, always outnumbered, always being driven back. The whole of Silithus was soon engulfed by the silithid and their qiraji hosts. The night elf army was pushed back through Un'Goro, to the borders of the Tanaris desert. Out of desperation, the night elven leader Fandral Staghelm sought the aid of the elusive bronze dragonflight. Their initial refusal to interfere was reversed when the brazen qiraji attacked the Caverns of Time, home and province of Nozdormu, the Timeless One. Nozdormu's heir, Anachronos, agreed to enlist the bronze dragonflight against the marauding qiraji. Every able-bodied night elf joined the cause, and together they forged a campaign to retake Silithus. Even with the might of the dragons backing them, however, the sheer numbers of the qiraji and silithid proved overwhelming. And so Anachronos called upon the progeny of the remaining flights. Even so, it seemed that the numbers of qiraji and silithid were never-ending. So the dragons and Fandral hatched their final, desperate plan: to contain the qiraji within the city, to erect a barrier that would confine them until a more hopeful stratagem could be devised. With the blessing of Elune the barrier was erected before their eyes, rock and stone and roots from beneath the sands emerging to create an impenetrable wall. Even the winged soldiers who attempted to fly over the barrier met with an invisible obstruction that they could not pass. The qiraji who remained outside the wall were quickly slain. The dragon told Fandral that should any mortal ever wish to pass the magical barrier and access the ancient city, they need only strike the scepter against the gong and the gates would open. He then handed the scepter to the arch-druid.

Hoping to contain the threat for all eternity, the arrogant Fandral then broke the scepter, both insulting and angering the bronze dragonflight. His actions that day created a rift between the allies that has existed to this day.

Reawakening
The threat posed by the qiraji has thus remained behind its wall for thousands of years. Recently, however, the unmentionable Old God slowly awakened from his slumber beneath Ahn'Qiraj. Behind the gates of the Scarab Wall, the merciless qiraji stirred once again. Empowered by the Old God, C'Thun, the qiraji prepared their legions for a worldwide assault to avenge their bitter defeat at the hands of the night elves a thousand years ago.

It was discovered that some of the qiraji were finding ways past the wall. Anachronos, the bronze dragon, helped the adventurers of Azeroth open the Scarab Wall to prevent more incursions. There was a lot of preparation both the Horde and the Alliance had to deal with before the gates could be opened. There were two primary branches of this prep work: gathering war supplies and reconstructing the Scepter of Shifting Sands. After Shiromar rang the gong with the Scepter the ancient gates of Ahn'Qiraj opened, revealing the horrors of a forgotten war.

Opening of the Gate
After the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj were shattered, and the Qiraji poured forth. The combined forces of the Horde and the Alliance, with High Overlord Varok Saurfang as their Supreme Commander, had to stop the Qiraji before they could overrun Silithus and eventually Kalimdor. The qiraji General Rajaxx commanded the opposing forces, and an endless flow of silithids and Anubisaths flooded Silithus. This battle stretched across all of Kalimdor, with qiraji resonating crystals summoning the insects. Nonetheless the Might of Kalimdor was victorious. The last of the Qiraji forces were defeated, retreating back to the ancient city-fortress of Ahn'Qiraj. The Qiraji Resonating Crystals littering Kalimdor vanish as quickly as they appeared, leaving behind nothing but sundered earth.

Adventurers fought the Qiraji and finally reached the Chamber of C'Thun. After C'Thun was defeated his remnants were brought to Caelestrasz.

The Burning Crusade
Harbinger Skyriss is one of the qiraji entities that the naaru kept locked up within the Arcatraz. As a servant of the Old God, he seeks to usher in his master's vision of conquering all of the worlds in the universe. He corrupted Warden Mellichar into releasing all the prisoners within the Arcatraz.

Skyriss indicates that the qiraji may still have a role to play in the universe. Skyriss speaks of the might of the qiraji in the universe, saying "We span the universe, as countless as the stars!" and also "No force on this world or beyond harbors the strength to bend our knee... not even the mighty legion!" Because there is no reinforcement for this theory, he most likely blusters.

Cataclysm
During the Elemental Invasion, it is revealed that some Qiraji led by Prince Sarsarun still reside in Ahn'Qiraj and some worship Cho'gall. Alliance adventurers led by Varian Wrynn or Horde led by Cairne Bloodhoof defeated these Qiraji before they could invade Stormwind and Thunder Bluff.

Culture
The qiraji and their servants wield items made with the rarest and finest materials: bones from gargantuan ancient creatures, gems from the depths of the earth, metals pure and strong. The most powerful qiraji wield items of such might they'd give pause even to a dragon. The rings worn by the qiraji lieutenants are rumored to grant them formidable abilities. The corrupted gems that adorn them could, in theory, be swapped out with more pure materials to create uncorrupted versions of the rings. It seems to be that female qiraji must constantly keep their face covered.

Each of the Silithid hives in Silithus has a crystalline prism in it. They are apparently a means for the Qiraji to communicate various messages and orders to the Silithid.

Types

 * Qiraji gladiator
 * Qiraji battleguard
 * Qiraji prophet
 * Qiraji emperor