[Theory] Shadowlands is the remnant of a dead planet

[ro9ue]

The 'First One's had a planet. Blew it up. The world itself 'died' and caused some kind of veil / black hole / dimensional tear. All of the fragments or 'realms' of the Shadowlands are just pieces of the same planet. They've been separated for so long, so different fauna and flora evolved independently. However, they all still have First One relics because they were once united. Sort of like Pangea > Current world map.

[Chickat]

The 'First One's had a planet. Blew it up. The world itself 'died' and caused some kind of veil / black hole / dimensional tear. All of the fragments or 'realms' of the Shadowlands are just pieces of the same planet. They've been separated for so long, so different fauna and flora evolved independently. However, they all still have First One relics because they were once united. Sort of like Pangea > Current world map.

Maybe the zones we have and a few more, but the Shadowlands has infinite realms. Too many to be 1 planet.

[Soon-TM]

The 'First One's had a planet. Blew it up. The world itself 'died' and caused some kind of veil / black hole / dimensional tear. All of the fragments or 'realms' of the Shadowlands are just pieces of the same planet. They've been separated for so long, so different fauna and flora evolved independently. However, they all still have First One relics because they were once united. Sort of like Pangea > Current world map.

Tbh that sounds a lot more Void-y rather than anything from the First Ones. Still, we pretty much know !@#$ all about the latter, so... who knows

[TheFirstOnes]

Another weird theory. It's not a "planet", dude.

[Ohvul]

And azeroth is our mother who left the plane(t) of death, creating a plane(t) of life?

[KOUNTERPARTS]

I think people still haven't wrapped their heads around the fact that while the Shadowlands serves as an afterlife (if not the primary afterlife) of the Warcraft universe, it also functions as another plane of existence.

[Powerogue]

I thought the implication was that each "Eternal One"/titan adjacent/whatever Danathrius and the like are was so powerful they literally willed their respective realms into being out of anima.

That would make Korthia one of those realms, discarded and forgotten, but belonging to who?

[Darknessvamp]

So Outland? Well I guess not quite Outland considering the planet blew up/ripped apart as it was pulled into the Twisting Nether that already existed as a part of space.

[Jester Joe]

I thought the implication was that each "Eternal One"/titan adjacent/whatever Danathrius and the like are was so powerful they literally willed their respective realms into being out of anima.

That would make Korthia one of those realms, discarded and forgotten, but belonging to who?

I mean, maybe the Jailer before he was banished if that idea runs true. Would make sense why he cared enough to drag it in.

Although I do think that's the implication also, hence the "FOOLS! I AM REVENDRETH!".

[huth]

I mean, maybe the Jailer before he was banished if that idea runs true. Would make sense why he cared enough to drag it in.

Although I do think that's the implication also, hence the "FOOLS! I AM REVENDRETH!".

I think the idea is that Korthia is one of the First One created realms, like Oribos or Maldraxxus, so it isn't dependent on their Eternal for existence. Seems they have some way of making more... "stable" places.

It was also explicitly mentioned in one of the interviews that the Arbiter can always just create a new realm when it can't find a fitting one for a soul.

[Powerogue]

I think the idea is that Korthia is one of the First One created realms, like Oribos or Maldraxxus, so it isn't dependent on their Eternal for existence. Seems they have some way of making more... "stable" places.

It was also explicitly mentioned in one of the interviews that the Arbiter can always just create a new realm when it can't find a fitting one for a soul.

Arbiter: Oh, oh god. That does it, we're making a Supermaw.

[LemonDemonGirl]

I thought the implication was that each "Eternal One"/titan adjacent/whatever Danathrius and the like are was so powerful they literally willed their respective realms into being out of anima.

That would make Korthia one of those realms, discarded and forgotten, but belonging to who?

I think Bwonsamdi literally just... made De Other Side using his Loa powers

[pfbe]

I can see how the ingame map geometry could lead you to think this way, but Ardenweald's fog is actually just hiding more forest, iirc. You can sort of see more tree tops down there. From a lore standpoint, the Shadowlands is countless realms, but the in-game representation does very little to hint at that. They should have made Oribos (look) a whole lot bigger, with a whole lot more portals and whatnot. Alas, limitations of game design.

[huth]

I can see how the ingame map geometry could lead you to think this way, but Ardenweald's fog is actually just hiding more forest, iirc. You can sort of see more tree tops down there. From a lore standpoint, the Shadowlands is countless realms, but the in-game representation does very little to hint at that. They should have made Oribos (look) a whole lot bigger, with a whole lot more portals and whatnot. Alas, limitations of game design.

There actually are lots of portals when you're shown the Arbiter while it was active. The ones we go through are just for getting to the big, important realms that have practical reason to have a permanent connection to Oribos.

[uuuhname]

I don't think that applies to the Zones we have now, but for some reason it might explain the new zone in the next patch.

[TheFirstOnes]

I think the idea is that Korthia is one of the First One created realms, like Oribos or Maldraxxus, so it isn't dependent on their Eternal for existence. Seems they have some way of making more... "stable" places.

It was also explicitly mentioned in one of the interviews that the Arbiter can always just create a new realm when it can't find a fitting one for a soul.

I feel like the First Ones made everything, but just threw in secret areas here for there, such as Korthia

[huth]

I feel like the First Ones made everything, but just threw in secret areas here for there, such as Korthia

We know they didn't make everything. They made the framework others built on, but the things actually made directly by them are far more limited.

[Razion]

So would the working theory here be that because the dead planet is so large, it gravitates the anima into itself? Might explain why anima coalesces into the Shadowlands as part of the environment and becomes some of the native wildlife we find littered around. But the body itself could also be "growing" the land and critters itself organically, like how Azeroth kind of did. Maybe there's an epicenter of the Shadowlands with a soul engine that's pulling souls to it from across all realities? Seems like a much more powerful soul than Azeroth if it is -- but Azeroth was stated to be possibly the most powerful, or at least destined for greatness in ensuing struggles.

Basically, a lot of this premise sounds like Argus. Visually it matches what we see in Maldraxxus. It would maybe explain how Zovaal got put away, if he killed the death-realm or death-planet permanently or something.

Might make for a super-secret baddie if the dead planet is absorbing all the souls and consuming them. Kind of gives a Gorefiend vibe to it... which, again, kind of already done. But, y'know, I'm kind of hoping they build up Zovaal instead of just making the Shadowlands itself the villain. Maybe it'd be a way to push the Covenant Races out into Azeroth, if the Shadowlands was... y'know, an enemy, and dangerous to inhabit or something...

Also as far as death magic goes, pulling the magic of death from the corpse of a Death Planet is kind of metal. Like you're using a dead corpse to power your death corpse powers. Wicked.

[Raisei]

I did have a similar thought. Namely it being the Titan Homeworld that was mentioned once, with Oribos being the core and the rest forming the planet around it, which would explain why they are all just pieces of land floating in the In-Between. Probably unlikely, but we will see.

I thought the implication was that each "Eternal One"/titan adjacent/whatever Danathrius and the like are was so powerful they literally willed their respective realms into being out of anima.

That would make Korthia one of those realms, discarded and forgotten, but belonging to who?

It's very unlikely that the Eternal Ones are so powerful they can just create their respective dimensions. A group of a few mortals beat Deanthrius and he was probably the most powerful of the four, having full access to Anima and the Archon was beaten by one of her own Kyrian/Anduin with just a little Maw-help. Altogether they seem a lot weaker then it appears.

[loras]

The 'First One's had a planet. Blew it up. The world itself 'died' and caused some kind of veil / black hole / dimensional tear. All of the fragments or 'realms' of the Shadowlands are just pieces of the same planet. They've been separated for so long, so different fauna and flora evolved independently. However, they all still have First One relics because they were once united. Sort of like Pangea > Current world map.

That would be very neat, and honestly it ties in with the outland-like vibe i got from Korthia.