Raid Idea: Ny'alotha, the Sunken City

[Deleted]

Amazing, 11/10! Only thing I want to add is that achievements should be normal mode (like all others in wow).

[Umbra]

Amazing, 11/10! Only thing I want to add is that achievements should be normal mode (like all others in wow).

Oh, yeah, I got them mixed up with the dungeon achievements. Correction in progress.

[bohapjut]

Since this thead is about N'zoth I figure I'll c&p my 2 speculation posts from the 'Clues of an Old God in Eastern Kingdoms - What do you think?' thread in here, ignore the irrelevent parts

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My thoughts on the Old God N'Zoth [Speculation]


Topic 1: Prophet Zul / Rise of the Zandalari
The prophet Zul has mysteriously rallied the troll nations to come together as a third world power against the Horde and Alliance. ^[1] However, as shown by the two troll NPCs in the Zul’Gurub questline (Ghaliri & Surkhan, who both have the title <Emissary of Rastakhan> affiliated with the Zandalar tribe) who are working to stop the Gurubashi tribe from remaking the Zul’Gurub Empire, I believe a political split has occurred on Zandalar. Due to the title these NPCs share, it would appear that King Rastakhan does not share the same sentiments as Zul and his followers do. With their homeland of Zandalar shattered by the emergence of Deathwing, the inhabitants would be easily manipulated by a leader who promised them a great future. The Prophet Zul took advantage of this, and foreseeing a great future, lent aid to the other nations.
This leads me to conclude that the Prophet Zul is either the humanoid avatar of N’zoth, or his right-hand minion (i.e. think Staghelm to Ragnaros).




Topic 2: Lord Xavius / The Emerald Nightmare
When in the form of the Nightmare Lord, Xavius is described as being a massive, gnarled tree, greatly obscured by the dark fog of the Nightmare.
The druids believe that the Rift of Aln bleeds into the Twisting Nether and the Great Dark Beyond. Malfurion sensed that an ancient evil kept its grip from somewhere deep in the depths of Azeroth’s seas. ^[1] According to the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron, “In the land of Ny’alotha there is only sleep. In the sleeping city of Ny’alotha walk only mad things. Ny’alotha is a city of old, terrible, unnumbered crimes”. Also, it is referenced in “In the sunken city, he lays dreaming…” & “The drowned god’s heart is black as ice.” ^[2] This could mean that N’zoth resides in Ny’alotha, an interdimensional city connected both to the Rift of Aln in the Emerald Dream and to the Great Sea. During the War of the Ancients, Malfurion defeated Xavius by growing a tree which absorbed his energy and body, which was subsequently sent to the bottom of the sea during the Sundering. ^[3] It is likely that N’zoth granted him greater power to rule the Emerald Dream with.

Old Gods are obviously based on H. P. Lovecraft’s works. The Emerald Dream bears remarkable similarity to a location in Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle, the Dreamlands, and the way that druids travel to it. On to one of the stranger quotes from the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron:

“Have you had that dream again? A black goat with seven eyes that watches from the outside.”

This may be referring to Nightmare Lord Xavius, as he was a satyr before Malfurion trapped his soul. Shub-Niggurath is often associated with the phrase ‘The black goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young.’ In Out of the Aeons, the Black Goat is the figurehead through which Shub-Niggurath is worshipped. In The Whispers in Darkness, the Black Goat is called the “Lord of the Woods”, and is represented in The Dunwich Horror in the form of a satyr, half-man and half-goat, ^[1] all three of these would point at Nightmare Lord Xavius being the likely topic of this whisper.



“There is no sharp distinction between the real and the unreal.” -Puzzle Box of Yogg Saron

As old gods are interdimensional beings, this could refer to Ny’alotha as being “between realms” of Azeroth and Emerald Dream, where things come and go as they please.


Topic 3: Corruption of Lordaeron
N’zoth may also have a presence in Lordaeron. In the Whispering Forest, you can hear soft whispers and strange activity. This may be the part of Tirisfal Glades where Dath’Remar and the highborne fleet first landed, as after a few years several of them began to go mad. It was theorized that something evil slept beneath, before they travelled north to Quel’Thalas. ^[1] On Tol Barad Peninsula, there are some signs of Old God interference as well. The soldiers within Farson Hold have gone insane for unknown reasons, and the inhabitants of the fishing Rustberg Village have become very suspicious and paranoid. In one of the daily quests, they are referred to as ‘bandits’ and ‘wackos’. ^[2] It is also possible that N’zoth has affected the Forsaken and Sylvanas, with her recent tendencies similar to the Lich King, and may have played a part in the betrayal of Arthas, along with Mal’Ganis. This would mean N’zoth would likely be close to the western part of Lordaeron, if true.

The Scarlet Crusade has crumbled to darkness and is now only a shadow of their former power. Perhaps N’zoth will take over where the dreadlords Mal’ganis and Balnazzar left off? From the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron:

“Beneath the shadow of the darkened spire, there is no light, no mercy, only void, and the chaos within.”

A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. ^[1] The Scarlet Crusaders show no mercy, and did not use the light correctly in their quest for extermination of the undead, and they became what they hated most. The darkened spire may be a reference to the Scarlet Monastery. It is not clear if they are still sane, or have fallen into chaos, since the crusaders in Stratholme and Tyr’s Hand do not seem to notice that they are undead.




Topic 4: Queen Azshara
As the Well of Eternity was destroyed during the Sundering, a voice heard in Azshara’s head whispered to her, “There is a way... there is a way... you will become more than you ever were... more than you ever were... we can help... we can help... You will be more than you have ever been... and when the time comes, for what we grant you... you will serve us well...” As the Well filled her lungs she did not drown. She instead expanded with hate and rage, becoming a massive monstrosity, reflecting the wickedness and malice that had always hidden within her core. ^[1] As the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron hints that Ny’alotha is under the great sea, it is likely that N’zoth is responsible for the whisper she heard and her subsequent transformation. It is shown in Vashj’ir the Naga and Faceless Ones working side by side.



Topic 5: Location of Ny’alotha
According to the Puzzle Box of Yogg-Saron, it would seem that Ny’alotha is a sunken city. To be able to influence activities both in western Lordaeron and at the Well of Eternity, N’zoth could be placed north of Vashj’ir. He may have a strong presence in Tol Barad as well. It is stated in Vashj’ir that the Faceless Ones have a master below, possibly reference to N’zoth. In Vashj’ir, the Twilight’s Hammer is killing the ancient L’ghorek draining his energy and using it to ascend. Below him, in the Undershell, three ogre magi are performing a ritual to connect L’ghorek with a powerful creature below. They are shown channeling into tentacles reaching up from underground. The tentacles could be part of either N’zoth, or it could be part of another forgotten one such as Iso’rath instead. The following map shows approximately where I would place N’zoth.




Kul Tiras Appearance
Blizzard hinted Kul Tiras may come into play later on in Cataclysm during Round 1 of Ask CDevs:
http://blue.mmo-champion.com/topic/1...nswers-round-1
The reappearance of Kul Tiras would be an excellent time to expand on N’zoth.

Q: Will we be hearing from any of the old or neglected human nations in Cata, specifically Stromgarde, Kul'tiras, and the remnants of Alterac (hey, Deathwing paraded around as an Alterac noble before)?
A: With the revamp of the classic World of Warcraft zones, players will get a chance to see how the fallen nations of Stromgarde and Alterac have fared over the last few years. Kul Tiras, the island nation, will not be visible at the start of Cataclysm – something about tectonic plates shifting it out to sea....

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That all, really big post since I combined 2 into 1 in it.

[Umbra]

This thread is about my idea: seeing as you have a thought-out idea of your own, I suggest you create your own thread.

[Deleted]

I like the raid idea, I just dont know where it would fit in the current WoW timeline.

If we go off of WOTLK,
Firelands = Ulduar
War of the Ancients = TOC
Deathwing's Raid = ICC

Then I guess this could be the Cataclysm end raid, particular if it involved the Old Gods.

[Grimsdott]

Incredible idea but I get the feeling that no matter how awesome it is, Blizzard won't come up with with something as good as you thought of. Nevertheless 10/10 and 1 extra point for coming up with N'Zoth's "title" so to speak. "Void that Feasts" perfectly suits this dark, ever-devouring theme puzzle-box presented and is even better than my personal favourite - Ozumat's "Fiend of the Dark Below"

[Umbra]

I see N'Zoth as more of a Kil'Jaeden than a Halion, but yes; N'Zoth could easily be the "end-villain" of Cataclysm and even lead into a future zin-Azshari related expansion, given the Rift's location and his possible connection to the Highborne queen.

I'm sure that Blizzard's iteration of N'Zoth will be memorable in its own right; they've done well with the Old Gods so far, have they not? Thank you both, nonetheless; I'm always glad to hear comments on my work, be they good or bad.

[Conscious]

Great post, I really liked the achieves lol.

Sadly, I think we'll see something like this at the end of the expansion. I only say 'sadly' because Blizzard probably isn't going to do many unique and original shit anymore imo, and I wish they'd have already incorporated something like this to connect some lore together.

[The Ogdru Jahad]

This sir. Is pure sexiness in raid form. You have literally taken my love of H.P. Lovecraft and turned it into a load of references and creepy old god stuff. 10/10 sir. Words cannot describe how amazing this raid would be. It's a shame blizzard would never implement something as epic as this.

[WeaponXAnimosity]

We all love OL' GODS bra!

You like wearing WoW themed female underwear? Good luck with that...

[Deleted]

Hopefully that means we'll have a raid there eventually, then.

Or maybe Gallywix will build another Pleasure Palace, who knows.

EDIT: Lakrin, the Whispering Forest area is hopefully far enough from Deathknell and whatnot that the people who actually are there to raid will try to focus on getting their shiny new epics. Not to mention that I think the Forsaken starting zone employs at least some sort of phasing; the lowest of the low will be spared, to some extent.

Another problem, though: It will be significantly harder for Alliance players to get there, unless some sort of portal system is set up.

Burning Crusade Zul'aman wants a word with you.

[Spl4sh3r]

Anyone else caught on to the King Arthur, Knight Lancelot, Lady Guinevere and Lady of the (Deep) Lake? Ops, forgot Merlin aswell. Hmm, the key to Emerald Dream is the Holy Grail?

[Ihnasir]

Love anything Old Gods, however this one has King Arthur AND Countess Bathory? Sign me up!

[Umbra]

Thanks for all of the positive responses, guys! Good to hear I'm not the only one who thinks N'Zoth deserves a proper raid.

Solution to the "It's too close to Undercity" problem:

The Cenarion Circle have noticed trouble stirring in the Eastern Kingdoms, in the place commonly known as the Whispering Forest. Everything points to the presence of an Old God, perhaps even the resurgence of one onto the surface. With such an immediate threat, the Cenarion Circle travel to all of the major faction hubs and offer direct transportation to the Whispering Forest.

The Forest itself becomes an outdoor raiding zone, entirely separate from the world map. Think of the existing Whispering Forest as the flyover version of AQ20: it's there, but it's not representative of the raid. There will be no bosses in the Forest, but some trash packs and Cenarion Circle NPCs, as well as some interesting tidbits of lore.

With this in place, the only way of getting into and out of the Whispering Forest raid zone would be to talk to the relevant NPC, which teleport you to a city of your choice. It is surrounded by an invisible dome that prevents people from leaving. (As a matter of fact, the map ends not too far away.)