Speculation: I Think I Found N'Zoth!

[Jaspias]

He has been staring at us since Vanilla and even as far back as Warcraft III.

What do we know about N'Zoth? He is the master of Deathwing, most likely resides in the Great Sea between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, and is responsible for the transformation of the Naga. He was defeated by the Titans eons ago, but not killed, as killing the Old Gods would destroy Azeroth. But what lead the Titans to this conclusion? We have seen two Old Gods (three if you count Y'shaarj) die before our eyes, yet we felt not so much as an earthquake.

I propose that N'Zoth was the first Old God "killed" by the Titans (as C'thun faked his death.) The Old Gods do not live, therefor they cannot die. In order to "kill" such a being, one that is beyond our universe and understanding, the Titans would have to do the impossible: drag it fully into our reality, where it is bound to our laws. In the Warcraft universe, even mortals don't stay gone after they die. The spirits of ancient night elves had enough power to destroy Archimonde, the third most powerful being in the Burning Legion. Necromancers and shaman use the souls of the dead to channel their power. The dead can speak, and they can act upon the world. If N'Zoth, a god, were to die, what would be left of him?

The answer would be something of insane power. I propose that on the ground where N'Zoth was slain, he left behind the "soul" that was inadvertently given to him by the Titans when they pulled him down to our level, the power he had commanded in "life" became the Well of Eternity.We know the Well was left behind by the Titans, but we do not know why. In fact, it would seem strange for the Titans to do this. From what we know of them, the Titans value order and control. Why would they leave such a source of chaotic energy behind for the barbaric trolls and aqir? Because they could not remove it.
If one Old God left such power behind when it was slain, what would happen if ALL of them were killed? The Titans then fought their long war against the Old Gods, imprisoning Yogg'Saron and leaving behind watchers to jail him. They went further with Y'Shaarj, leaving only his heart and burying it beneath the earth.

The Titans eventually leave Azeroth behind, continuing their quest to order the universe. Meanwhile, the trolls around the Well evolve from exposure to its arcane energy and become the night elves, and the rest is history. Enter Azshara, queen of the Night Elves, extremely talented and equally ambitious. She heard the calling of Sargeras, who, now corrupted, wanted to harness the power he and the other Titans knew was left behind on Azeroth. Through the power of the Dragon Soul the Well was turned into a portal for Sargeras and his Legion. Deathwing, who originaly created the Soul thanks to the whispers of N'Zoth, tried to stop the summoning. But N'Zoth had no need for the dragon, as he was about to gain a much more powerful servant. His plan failed, however, as the portal was weakened by the various struggles for control occurring when Sargeras attempted to enter the portal. This led to the implosion of the Well, and the birth of N'Zoth's newest servants, the Naga.

N'Zoth had noticed Queen Azshara's power, and wanted her to be his new servant. When the Well imploded, Kalimdor began to sink into the sea. Azshara shielded herself along with her handmaidens against the flood, but as she sank beneath the waters, she heard the voice of N'Zoth promising her power in return for her loyalty. With nothing to lose, she lowered her shield and accepted the gift, becoming the first Naga and another tool for N'Zoth. From this moment on, the remains of N"Zoth would be the great scar of Azeroth known as the Maelstrom.

For ten thousand years N'Zoth would wait patiently as Deathwing recovered his strength in Deepholm and the Naga pursued their own ends. With the deaths of C'Thun and Yogg'Saron, N'Zoth's power somehow grew, and the world was torn apart once again as N'Zoth opened a portal to Deepholm within himself and let lose Deathwing upon the world once again. Ragnaros was sent to burn the World Tree, releasing the power on the second Well of Eternity. The Naga would usurp Neptulon and take his throne, and his faceless and the Twilight's Hammer would drain the life from the demigods L'ghorek and Nespirah. With his plans completed, N'Zoth would command Deathwing to rid the world of all life. So many souls to feast upon would surely give him enough power to reincarnate himself, or do what Azshara failed to do and open a portal for Sargeras inside the Maelstrom, giving him a new body to walk the world with once again.

His plan failed, however, as the heroes of the world worked together along with the dragon aspects to defeat Deathwing and the Twilight's Hammer, preventing the Hour of Twilight and N'Zoth's return. N'Zoth undoubtably has other plans, and if C'Thun and Yogg'Saron's death empowered him, Y'Shaarj's death has likely given him strength as well. Azshara is still alive, and likely still unknowingly enthralled to her master. Moonwells, made from the power of the Well, dot Azeroth and Outland, and could be ticking timebombs for the night elves. N'Zoth may have been the first to die, but it is likely he will be the last challenge Azeroth may face.

I know this theory has a few holes, but if it didn't it would be a fact, not a theory. But I do feel like i tied up a few loose ends, including;

• Why the Titans could not kill the Old Gods without destroying the planet
• Why the Titans created the Well of Eternity
• How Sargeras knew about the Well, and why he coveted it
• Why the Old God's stopped Deathwing from interfering with the summoning
• Why Azshara heard the voices of the Old Gods and was transformed the moment she was consumed by the Well
• Why the portal to Deepholm is within the Maelstrom
• Why Deathwing was empowered upon crashing into the Maelstrom
• Why we haven't heard out of N'Zoth since the Cataclysm
• What Lady Vashj was doing in Zangarmarsh (drawing in water to create a massive Well of Eternity with her vial, giving N'Zoth a hold in Outland)

feel free to call this the stupidest thing you ever heard, but please tell me where i goofed, thanks.
TL;DR, N'Zoth was the only Old God killed by the Titans, his soul and power became the Well of Eternity, now the Maelstrom

[Aquamonkey]

But what lead the Titans to this conclusion? We have seen two Old Gods (three if you count Y'shaarj) die before our eyes, yet we felt not so much as an earthquake.

Metzen's and Afrasiabi's response was that Cataclysm was the result, where the world almost blew up.

Who is the next Old God? Doomsday from putting down all the Old Gods? Not seeing much besides Cataclysm, but that's really with Deathwing.
CM: Or is it? You haven't seen who signs Deathwing's paychecks yet.
[...]
AA: Have you played any Cataclysm?
CM: You know, like where the world blows up? ...because of the Old Gods.
AA: You might, if you're astute enough, see his name or its name uttered in a few places in Cataclysm... but it's out there.
CM: You wanna know what it is?
AA: N'Zoth.
CM: The third Old God is N'Zoth. And we've suggested directly that he has was the critter responsible for the spark of the Emerald Nightmare, and he has all sorts of other weird shit going on. So, he's a real problem. (BlizzCon 2010)

We know the Well was left behind by the Titans, but we do not know why.

We do know why.

"For many ages the Titans moved and shaped the earth, until at last there remained one perfect continent. At the continent's center, the Titans crafted a lake of scintillating energies. The lake, which 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."

In fact, it would seem strange for the Titans to do this. From what we know of them, the Titans value order and control.

This is a common misconception. The titans order worlds so that organic life can thrive. One of the Pantheon titans is solely dedicated to life in all its forms. They aren't doing this for strict mechanical order.

[Jaspias]

This is a common misconception. The titans order worlds so that organic life can thrive. One of the Pantheon titans is solely dedicated to life in all its forms. They aren't doing this for strict mechanical order.

That doesn't stop them from leaving devices that would wipe out all life on the planet should things not go to plan. to me, leaving a giant well of infinite power for anything to tap into is extremely out of character for the Titans

[Aquamonkey]

That doesn't stop them from leaving devices that would wipe out all life on the planet should things not go to plan. to me, leaving a giant well of infinite power for anything to tap into is extremely out of character for the Titans

"not go to plan" ... you mean like having the planet's life support systems corrupted? The OGs seek to conquer the universe and they corrupt living beings. It's triage to re-originate a planet to stop them from spreading. And this is a last resort; the titans tried containment, but it failed.

Part of re-origination is to reseed life on the reconstituted world.

[Piamonte]

i don't think that the well of eternity is what remains of N'zoth body, but i did like the part when you said that when one old god weakens, the others grow stronger, anyway i have to correct you on the topic of "dead old gods", we never killed them, we only defeated them, they only one really dead is Yshaarj and only because he was already destroyed when we got to Pandaria.

PD: Aquamonkey, i read what you posted but to me the devs just implied that Deathwing caused the cataclysm following orders from N'zoth, they didn't really answer the question, i mean, they never state the cataclsym was caused because of the death of the others old gods, also how would that be? there is really no other dead old god than Yshaarj

[Aquamonkey]

i don't think that the well of eternity is what remains of N'zoth body, but i did like the part when you said that when one old god weakens, the others grow stronger, anyway i have to correct you on the topic of "dead old gods", we never killed them, we only defeated them, they only one really dead is Yshaarj and only because he was already destroyed when we got to Pandaria.

PD: Aquamonkey, i read what you posted but to me the devs just implied that Deathwing caused the cataclysm following orders from N'zoth, they didn't really answer the question, i mean, they never state the cataclsym was caused because of the death of the others old gods, also how would that be? there is really no other dead old god than Yshaarj

C'Thun died and was waiting on Cho'gall to resurrect it.

Yogg confirms its own death:

"The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."

[Piamonte]

C'Thun died and was waiting on Cho'gall to resurrect it.

Yogg confirms its own death:

"The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."

C'thun was defeated, we didn't even get to see his whole body, the part of "resurrection" can be interpreted as "brought back to this plane" or whatever.

"The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."
sounds like your tipicall boss quote.. not to be taken seriusly. Anyway, is a common understanding that the old gods have not been killed, we don't even know what the word "killed" means in the case of an old god. they have a massive body and waged a war against the titans, but yeah we have to believe that 10/25 adventurers killed them to never come back

[Aquamonkey]

C'thun was defeated, we didn't even get to see his whole body, the part of "resurrection" can be interpreted as "brought back to this plane" or whatever.

How is that different than resurrecting anyone else? You summon the person's soul from the spirit realm and animate their corpse.

"The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."
sounds like your tipicall boss quote.. not to be taken seriusly.

Typical for when they're salty about dying. Anyways, I cut it short. The full quote is:

"Your fate is sealed. The end of days is finally upon you and ALL who inhabit this miserable little seedling. The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."

He's pmuch describing what happened when Y'Shaarj died.

Anyway, is a common understanding that the old gods have not been killed, we don't even know what the word "killed" means in the case of an old god. they have a massive body and waged a war against the titans, but yeah we have to believe that 10/25 adventurers killed them to never come back

Killed just like anything else. Damage the body beyond functioning and the soul is released. All it took to kill Y'Shaarj was a bunch of mogu chopping its heads off. The difference is their corpses ooze corruption that leaves a taint on the land (this isn't even unique to OGs).

[Jaspias]

How is that different than resurrecting anyone else? You summon the person's soul from the spirit realm and animate their corpse.


Typical for when they're salty about dying. Anyways, I cut it short. The full quote is:

"Your fate is sealed. The end of days is finally upon you and ALL who inhabit this miserable little seedling. The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."

He's pmuch describing what happened when Y'Shaarj died.


Killed just like anything else. Damage the body beyond functioning and the soul is released. All it took to kill Y'Shaarj was a bunch of mogu chopping its heads off. The only difference is their corpses ooze corruption that leaves a taint on the land.

What i think Yogg'Saron meant with his last words was this:

Old Gods are not in our plane to begin with. what we see are their Avatars, beings of flesh created by mortals to house the will of the Old Gods. the Titans were smart enough to realize that if they trap the avatars, they are contained to those avatars and therfor to their prison. when we kill their avatars, they are released to whatever realm they come from, and it is possible that they might return in full force if another avatar is created for them. thats what Yogg meant by his corpse choking the land, he would be dead, but the fact that he died is bad news for us.

the avatar thing is only confirmed for c'thun though, but it makes sense to apply it to the other Old Gods as well. Hell, if i would dare venture into the realm of speculation again, i could hypothisize that if Yogg needed mortals to make him an avatar, the nerubians would have been the ones to do it. meaning that forgotton one arthas fought in Azjol-Nerub could have been a mindless avatar of Yogg, a failed prototype made before they gave him his current body, hence the name, "forgotten" as it was discarded. look how similar it is to the Maw of Go'rath, a failed summoning of N'Zoth (i think)

[Aquamonkey]

Old Gods are not in our plane to begin with. what we see are their Avatars, beings of flesh created by mortals to house the will of the Old Gods.

Yes, the OGs come from a non-physical plane. But they aren't in constructed avatars, they are summoned.

the avatar thing is only confirmed for c'thun though,

Where is this confirmed? You mean the Qiraji? Creating sapient minions is very different than creating replacement bodies. They're not avatars in the way you're thinking, they're C'Thun's children and are referred to as such.

[sseuorosal]

i don't think that the well of eternity is what remains of N'zoth body

[Karrosene]

C'thun was defeated, we didn't even get to see his whole body, the part of "resurrection" can be interpreted as "brought back to this plane" or whatever.

"The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."
sounds like your tipicall boss quote.. not to be taken seriusly. Anyway, is a common understanding that the old gods have not been killed, we don't even know what the word "killed" means in the case of an old god. they have a massive body and waged a war against the titans, but yeah we have to believe that 10/25 adventurers killed them to never come back

I dont think takeing 10/25 people killed him is literal. Just like icecrown i dont think it was a 10 man spec ops mission. Ice crown was more of a siege and there would of been little elite foot soilders helping lore wise at least. I think thats the gamepay>lore tyep thing.

[Octavius]

No one every confirmed Y'shaarj was killed only by the mogu. We know only the titans constructed the mogus to wage war against the old god. The best are some hints which could mean what you said, but nothing confirmed (except you have the quote clearly stating that, I don't remember anything so clear).
What I think is surely good about the topic-theory is:
-the death of C'thun and yoggy could not be true death
-the death or defeat of c'thun and yoggy empowered N'zoth in some way
-the well of eternity has some connection with the old gods. I wish to remember all that one of them directly manifested from the well itself with tentacles of powers or something similar during the WotA. IMO, N'zoth was imprisoned derectly under the well, which should've empowered some sort of super-safe prison for him. This explains Also why the titans left the well behind, a great source of power which attracts demons and can be easily used by evil magic users and old gods alike.

Anyway, I like the theory!

[Rabblexthree]

I thought the whole "Old Gods can't be destroyed" was answered in MoP. The Titans killed Y'shaarj and he left The Sha behind. I don't think the world would actually blow up or anything. It would just become uninhabitable by normal life. At least that was my take on the MoP story line.

[Deleted]

Explains why Kael'thas went nuts, he was given a vial from Illidan.

[Splub]

I do think N'Zoth is beneath the Maelstrom, It'd be pretty cool if he was!

Your theory is pretty likely though I think N'Zoth may have just hid in the Well Of Eternity.

[Aucald]

I believe that N'Zoth resides in or near the Maelstrom on Azeroth. It may be that he resides entirely within the realm of the Emerald Dream, within the Rift of Aln itself. I sometimes allow myself to believe that the oft-requested "Emerald Dream" expansion may have less to do with the Emerald Dream itself (although I'm sure we'd see some of it) and more to do with delving into the Rift of Aln and exploring N'Zoth's true domain, the city of Ny'alotha. It'd be a good way to get all classes, not just Druids, into the Dream and its darker environs.

[Piamonte]

How is that different than resurrecting anyone else? You summon the person's soul from the spirit realm and animate their corpse.


Typical for when they're salty about dying. Anyways, I cut it short. The full quote is:

"Your fate is sealed. The end of days is finally upon you and ALL who inhabit this miserable little seedling. The shadow of my corpse will choke this land for all eternity."

He's pmuch describing what happened when Y'Shaarj died.


Killed just like anything else. Damage the body beyond functioning and the soul is released. All it took to kill Y'Shaarj was a bunch of mogu chopping its heads off. The difference is their corpses ooze corruption that leaves a taint on the land (this isn't even unique to OGs).

they are not brought back from the spirit realm, they are brought back from their very own plane of existence, the bodys are (as someone else said), avatars. We never really killed them

[Kralljin]

No one every confirmed Y'shaarj was killed only by the mogu. We know only the titans constructed the mogus to wage war against the old god. The best are some hints which could mean what you said, but nothing confirmed (except you have the quote clearly stating that, I don't remember anything so clear).

The beast of seven heads
Fumed seven breaths.
The land wept shadow
And the swarm blackened the sky.
Supreme was the ancient one;
None dared waken its wrath.
Until the coming of the Storm.
First came thunder, then came Stone.
The thunder Storm's voice,
The Stone his weapon.
Lightning seared the sky.
The swarm fled from its light.
Stone struck at the heads of the beast.
The shadow bled into land and sky -
Fear and rage that would not die.
Storm's will was done.
Stone's purpose fulfilled.

http://wow.gamepedia.com/Shadow,_Storm,_and_Stone

Seven headed Beast = Y'shaarj
the swarm = Mantid
Storm = Titans
Thunder = Ra-den
Stone = Mogu

Henceforth :

Stone struck at the heads of the beast.

=> Mogu struck at Y'shaarj's heads, killing him.

Feel free to question it, but it perfectly fits, the only hint you have in other sources is that Ra-den helped the Mogu, but then again, he's their leader and merely a Titan Keeper, powerful but not that strong.

[Aquamonkey]

they are not brought back from the spirit realm, they are brought back from their very own plane of existence, the bodys are (as someone else said), avatars. We never really killed them

Their bodies aren't avatars. They are summoned from their home plane, manifesting into a physical form. Y'Shaarj was "very, very, very dead" and Garrosh only resurrected the heart, not the whole thing. Titans killed a lot.

Spirits being summoned back from the spirit realm was an analogy, not meant to apply directly to OGs. The OG realm may even be connected to the spirit realm. Everything has an immortal spirit that can be summoned back and resurrected. Summoning back an OGs spirit into its body is nothing special.