Zeroth - Keystone or Cornerstone - Grimoire Book

[Neverafter]

I hadn't seen anyone on here discussing this yet.

The Broker has the following quote in the new book:


The fact that he decoded any of the glyphs at all was more progress than has been made in many ages of study (though whether "zereth" is best translated as "keystone" or "cornerstone" remains a subtle, yet ongoing, debate).

What are the implications you can think of?

Couple of quick definitions:
Keystone - a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.
Cornerstone -(1)an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.
(2)a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.

So one way to translate Azeroth would make it the central stone, locking everything else in place. The other makes it either an important feature or the base of a corner.

It seems to me, the Keystone makes Azeroth unique, where as a Cornerstone would presumably have at least 3 other Cornerstones and join 2 things together.

[olddog]

Oh, blizzard.....another Deus Ex Magical-stone again?

Sargerite keystone, xel'naga keystone, black soulstone

And First one's keystone now?

[Nagawithlegs]

Maybe Azeroth is some kind of “anchor” that keeps reality and the six forces together?

Azeroth herself would still be a titan but because of magic/tech from the first ones, she could be absorbing latent energy that makes her extra powerful (have the abundance of Spirit, why Sargeras wants her so bad, why Jailer put so much stuff on the planet, etc)

[TyrianFC]

Keystone would make sense ingame as a good way to make Azeroth truly unique in the universe.. and why it seems everyone and their mum wants to come/conquer/claim/destroy/save/empower/devour/defend it etc etc.

If players were ever wondering 'why does shit keep happening specifically to azeroth' - then this would provide an answer thats rooted in a cosmic scale.

Maybe Azeroth itself is actually going to be retconnned to be a First One. Or maybe shes the only being capable of/powerful enough to commune with them. Azeroth could be a 'keystone' maybe because its key to ending/balancing a cosmic imbalance/war going on between the 6 opposing forces. Maybe Azeroth is the key to unlocking XXX knowledge to make things right.

[TheFirstOnes]

I hadn't seen anyone on here discussing this yet.

The Broker has the following quote in the new book:


The fact that he decoded any of the glyphs at all was more progress than has been made in many ages of study (though whether "zereth" is best translated as "keystone" or "cornerstone" remains a subtle, yet ongoing, debate).

What are the implications you can think of?

Couple of quick definitions:
Keystone - a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.
Cornerstone -(1)an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.
(2)a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.

So one way to translate Azeroth would make it the central stone, locking everything else in place. The other makes it either an important feature or the base of a corner.

It seems to me, the Keystone makes Azeroth unique, where as a Cornerstone would presumably have at least 3 other Cornerstones and join 2 things together.

So...

Basically what I've been thinking. First Ones made Azeroth as a unique World Soul that'll keep everything in place, and if she is ever corrupted, then literally every fucking thing gets fucked.

Azathoth, in other words.

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Then again, this guy also states Azeroth's name as a separate entity. So it's likely the Brokers don't fully know of Azeroth's uniqueness? Or? Maybe Zovaal does know, tbh? Idfk

[Razion]

Maybe world stone, like the Earth Pillar we saw in Cataclysm in Deepholm's Temple of Earth, could be one interpretation.

So Azeroth could be "pillar of all" or something.

[Nagawithlegs]

The lord of ravens will turn the key.

Let's all keep in mind this quote from Ilgynoth. Prior to Shadowlands it was suggested it was Khadgar or Medivh because Ateish, but now we know the "nine ravens" from another quote are The Nine (Valkyr, who worked for Helya and Sylvanas). So the Lord of Ravens is likely Zovaal.

It confused me why he would turn ONE key when he was collecting five sigils/"keys". However, now we know... if Azeroth is a "keystone", then Jailer will turn it.

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Maybe world stone, like the one we saw in Cataclysm in Deepholme, could be one interpretation.

Is Deepholme part of Azeroth or a elemental plane dimension that the Titans made?

[Konteil]

i have been a fan of teh lore for years. be nice to see where this goes

[Razion]

Is Deepholme part of Azeroth or a elemental plane dimension that the Titans made?

Well, Deathwing shattered through the barrier. I think the two are intertwined now and linked via the open Maelstrom. I'm not sure that was ever really fixed. So for all intents and purposes, I think the realm of Deepholm is tied into the physical world right now..? It'd be weird if they weren't connected, because breaking the pillar is what caused the Shattering.

[Sondrelk]

A cornerstone doesnt need 3 others to be significant. When you discuss the meaning of a cornerstone it simply means the first brick you lay upon which all else is built after. You cannot afterall know where to begin without a solid point of reference, which is the purpose of a cornerstone in this sense.

So in the quote the question is whether Azeroth was made first or last. Both are integral to the stability of a structure, but it is a subtle difference.

[Civciv]

Let's all keep in mind this quote from Ilgynoth. Prior to Shadowlands it was suggested it was Khadgar or Medivh because Ateish, but now we know the "nine ravens" from another quote are The Nine (Valkyr, who worked for Helya and Sylvanas). So the Lord of Ravens is likely Zovaal.

It confused me why he would turn ONE key when he was collecting five sigils/"keys". However, now we know... if Azeroth is a "keystone", then Jailer will turn it.

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Is Deepholme part of Azeroth or a elemental plane dimension that the Titans made?

Isn't that prophecy related to Khadgar turning 5 Pillars of Creation?

[Frontenac]

As you said, both terms refer to architecture. The keystone being the one who locks all the other stones of an arch, vault or dome means that this element is the achievement of the construction. It is something you place at the end of the construction. The cornerstone is the stone that was put at the very begining of the construction in the foundations, the stone upon which all the others stones will lay ("The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone...").

Therefore, if "zereth" relates to Azeroth (or simply the mortal world), if it means "cornerstone" it means that everything was created on it and ordered around it. If it's the keystone, it means that it is what prevents everything from crumbling and that it was created at the end.

As Al-Hazred the Mad Mage, herm, Al'firim the Mad Scribe said:

What if -- again, this is still purely speculative -- the mortal plane is not some distant corner of reality that the First Ones created to supply us with souls and anima?

What if it is the very nexus of existence, where Death is but one of many great powers that holds sway?
If truth, what would this say of mortal souls and their potential?

And if the six (or seven, or... excuse my imprecision) each vie with one another to claim it, could they be driven by the unconscious knowledge that there exists some other force outside our understanding that seeks it as well?

Nexus of existence. It could be cornerstone and keystone, it would fit. But as I said, cornerstone is about beginings, original cause. Keystone is more about end, final cause. Sepulchre is about end too... Maybe reality itself is the Sepulchre of the First Ones. Or maybe Azeroth is both the beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega of the World of Warcraft...

[Nagawithlegs]

Nexus of existence. It could be cornerstone and keystone, it would fit. But as I said, cornerstone is about beginings, original cause. Keystone is more about end, final cause. Sepulchre is about end too... Maybe reality itself is the Sepulchre of the First Ones. Or maybe Azeroth is both the beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega of the World of Warcraft...

Or, the Ouroboros, which is shown time and time again in Shadowlands. Oribos and the Arbiter/Zovaal's sigil.

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Isn't that prophecy related to Khadgar turning 5 Pillars of Creation?

For one, I don't believe he did turn the 5 pillars (we did), and the ravens are brought up again in Shadowlands and have to do with the Valkyr. I doubt they would do two different meanings for them.

[Frontenac]

Or, the Ouroboros, which is shown time and time again in Shadowlands. Oribos and the Arbiter/Zovaal's sigil.

True. Although Ouroboros is about an eternal circle of life and death, without real beginning nor end.

[Neverafter]

Maybe reality itself is the Sepulchre of the First Ones. Or maybe Azeroth is both the beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega of the World of Warcraft...

It's been a while since I watch one of his videos, so this theory may have changed by now, but Accolon had a video where he makes a great argument for the Sepluhre of the First Ones being a kind of Forge of Origination for all of existence, making it sort of the end and beginning.

[Frontenac]

It's been a while since I watch one of his videos, so this theory may have changed by now, but Accolon had a video where he makes a great argument for the Sepluhre of the First Ones being a kind of Forge of Origination for all of existence, making it sort of the end and beginning.

Yeah, I tend to dismiss what Accolon says, but he may be right.

[Nagawithlegs]

I don't particularly think that we are getting a complete reboot of WoW, considering we're building up stuff like Calia and a new order of Dragonflights/Night Elves... but I do wonder how Zovaal can turn the key (or reorigination) AND we don't get a universe reset.

[gcsmith]

Let's all keep in mind this quote from Ilgynoth. Prior to Shadowlands it was suggested it was Khadgar or Medivh because Ateish, but now we know the "nine ravens" from another quote are The Nine (Valkyr, who worked for Helya and Sylvanas). So the Lord of Ravens is likely Zovaal.

It confused me why he would turn ONE key when he was collecting five sigils/"keys". However, now we know... if Azeroth is a "keystone", then Jailer will turn it.

- - - Updated - - -



Is Deepholme part of Azeroth or a elemental plane dimension that the Titans made?

What quote makes the 9 the ravens?

[Nagawithlegs]

What quote makes the 9 the ravens?

When their mistress beckons, nine ravens take flight. Each seeks a prize to earn her favor

The Nine serve both Helya and subsequently Sylvanas, and they all have black wings. There is also a "lord of ravens" and Zovaal rules over both of them, so....

[luigisp]

I hadn't seen anyone on here discussing this yet.

The Broker has the following quote in the new book:


The fact that he decoded any of the glyphs at all was more progress than has been made in many ages of study (though whether "zereth" is best translated as "keystone" or "cornerstone" remains a subtle, yet ongoing, debate).

What are the implications you can think of?

Couple of quick definitions:
Keystone - a central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together.
Cornerstone -(1)an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based.
(2)a stone that forms the base of a corner of a building, joining two walls.

So one way to translate Azeroth would make it the central stone, locking everything else in place. The other makes it either an important feature or the base of a corner.

It seems to me, the Keystone makes Azeroth unique, where as a Cornerstone would presumably have at least 3 other Cornerstones and join 2 things together.

The word is "zereth", not "zeroth".