The Doom of K’aresh Recap (and Excited Screaming)
As a companion piece to my post about Ethereals, I’m writing a summary/my takes on the Doom of K’aresh story. In case you missed it, this fantastic audio drama serves as a prologue to 11.2. It takes place right after the 10.2.7 questline in the canon: Alleria and Locus-Walker have this conversation while securing Telogrus after Xal’atath’s first attack. This story covers events literally thousands of years ago while interspersing scenes from the start of the expansion but was released right before 11.2. Not confusing at all right? 😊 Let’s dive in…
Did I like it?
YES HOLY FUCK TAKE MY MONEY YOU BRILLIANT CREATIVE WRITING PEOPLE!!! CHRIS METZEN YOU DESERVE A KISS!
Lore Bombs TLDR
I’m posting the important/interesting stuff up top for folks who don’t want the in-depth version.
· Nexus Princess Ky’veza ruled a city state on K’aresh, Ma’nussa, which Locus-Walker hailed from, and they were FRIENDS!
· Nexus King Salhadaar, who we fought in TBC, was in charge of the Council of Oracles, the faith of K’aresh and the faction with the most political influence
· Nexus Prince Bilaal, from the Aluneth/Light’s Wrath scenario in Legion ruled a city-state named…Tazavesh.
· LOCUS-WALKER HAD A GIRLFRIEND NAMED KRYSSON!!!!! AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY SUPER CUTE!!!!
· Like Azeroth, K’aresh had some super giga powerful artifacts called Reshii Ribbons. Ours are things like Pillars of Creation, Well of Eternity, Doomstone, etc. These Ribbons could do a fuck ton of crazy magical stuff.
· Ve’Nari existed as Nari, working for Salhadaar, with a secret faction named The Ravel, led by Salhadaar acting secretly to deviate from the Oracles
· K’aresh died slowly when Dimensius showed up-he started by eating their two suns
· Locus-Walker realized he could not beat Dimensius and devised a solution of creating enormous arcane barriers for the K’areshi to hide under
· Similar to Suramar hiding from the Legion, living under an enormous amount of Order magic affected the K’areshi with a phenomenon called the Wasting, rotting their humanoid skin into Arcane energies
· The K’areshi turned against Locus-Walker after seeing this solution in action. When he came up with a failsafe to use the Reshii Ribbons to flee the planet, Salhadaar turned against him in secret, reverting back to the Oracles, declared Locus-Walker and the Ravel as villains, and sent the planet against him
· Locus-Walker fled with Nari, never saw Krysson again, Salhadaar brought down the barriers, and Dimensius began eating K’aresh
· The story ends with the reveal that the void creature Locus-Walker and Alleria were hunting in Telogrus was the Void revenant of Krysson ☹ they lay her to rest
Recap
Locus-Walker determines there’s still a void creature in Telogrus and suggests a hunt. Alleria presses him on the story of the end of K’aresh, since he just mentioned the Radiant Song happening before his world’s end. He walks her through a bit about his life back on K’aresh before its destruction. The planet was harsh, arid, sandy, and difficult to live on. In a beautiful line, he says “what it lacked, we built.” The K’areshi were grateful for their world and became adept at surviving on it, eventually spanning into a web of city-states. Ma’nussa was Locus-Walker’s home, ruled by NEXUS PRINCESS KY’VEZA? THEY WERE FRIENDS???????
HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND?!?!?!?!
Locus-Walker was in love with a lovely K’areshi woman named Krysson. They have a bunch of super cute scenes: quiet walks in the streets at night, wine, smooching, and discussing the insane shit he deals with at work (read: giant Void Lord eating your planet). Was not expecting a WoW story to make me feel even more single than I already am but here we are.
Our Ethereal friend belonged to a noble rank called “technomancers,” a type of magic we’ve seen in WoW before. The Ethereals have a bunch of unique designs, such as the Manaforges, the harvesting machinery seen in the Mana-Tombs, their warp tools, and of course their outfits. Technomancy is responsible for many of their energetic strides, especially those that allowed them to live in harmony with the natural world of K’aresh. One of their greatest achievements was Eco-Domes, helmed by none other than our very own Ve’Nari.
Before you ask, yes, it is all but confirmed that Brokers also come from K’aresh, as evidenced by Ve’Nari’s presence in pre-Dimensius K’aresh. I’m extremely intrigued to see how this change came about.
Back to K’aresh, while the city states all had rulers, there was a Council that held authority over all of K’aresh known as the Oracles. Think Catholic church, religious and spiritual leaders who were able to commune with the Worldsoul. It was viewed as highly blasphemous to commune with the Worldsoul if you weren’t an Oracle (sound familiar?) and as such, when the Radiant Song began, Locus-Walker’s reports were dismissed. As another fun tidbit here, one of the other city states was in fact named Tazavesh. We’ve been there before. Who was it ruled by? Bilaal, the Nexus Prince who tried to fight Arcane Mages and Disc Priests for their artifacts in Legion.
After Locus-Walker tried to report the Radiant Song, he was snatched by Ky’veza and Nari and brought before Salhadaar in a secret meeting of an organization called the Ravel. This secret group of technomancers, powerful nobles, and allies were working away from the influence of the Oracles, as Soul-Scribe, the 2nd in command of the Oracles under Salhadaar, was not present. The allegory is strong here, with the Ravel representing scientific advancement and problem-solving and the Oracles representing “trust in God and we’ll be all good.”
Our science-inclined friends discuss the meaning behind the Radiant Song and give Locus-Walker a new oath. For reference, these oaths are binding as fuck (see the Nexus-King boss later for an example), and he swears to conduct research on the Radiant Song for the good of all K’aresh. For those keeping track, the current slate: everyone except the Oracles are on Locus-Walker’s side. I’ll be updating who’s rooting for who as we go on. At the tail end of this first chapter, Locus-Walker hears a voice warning him that Dimensius is coming. Who could possibly be heralding his arrival? (smile). The sky goes purple, the suns are blotted out, and the Void begins circling K’aresh, signifying the beginning of the devouring.
Locus-Walker begins his work. He moves to Tazavesh with Krysson. Life proceeds under the purple skies of the Void, albeit with a great sense of fear. Much like how Alleria received different visions while the denizens of Azeroth heard the Radiant Song, Locus-Walker heard a different voice informing him of what Dimensius was. In a super relatable moment, Locus-Walker goes weeks without leaving his laboratory and locking in a bit too hard. He comes home to have a super cute evening with Krysson and she rips the band-aid off telling him to man the fuck up and present his insane idea to the Ravel. Period!
His idea to save K’aresh: use the Reshii Ribbons to construct enormous Arcane barriers around the world, preventing Dimensius from feasting on any matter beneath them. The Ribbons are functional energy translators, able to change any energy into the Arcane (for those keeping track at home, remember that Arcane magic coincides with the plane of order. Another point towards the Titans meddling on other planets besides Azeroth). Some members of the Ravel present concerns, but the meeting ends with Salhadaar conferring leadership of the Ravel on to Locus-Walker.
The picture painted afterwards is haunting: as if the lingering purple skies weren’t concerning enough, the actual arrival of Dimensius terrifies the fuck out of me. Locus-Walker describes it as the Void shaking the foundations of the planet right as the barriers go up, crashing on to them like “grains of sand in a dust storm.” Dimensius is a big guy. The K’areshi are safe…for now.
As I referenced earlier, Arcane magic has complications. If you remember Suramar, the Shal’dorei (Nightborne) became Nightborne due to prolonged exposure to the Nightwell. Which was powered by what? The Eye of Aman’thul of course. Their bodies began becoming reliant on the Nightwell for sustenance, infusing them with magic. If deprived of their Arcane energies, they would Wither as we saw in Suramar. A different fate born of the same magic befell the K’areshi: The Wasting.
Slowly, burns, cracks, and skin-demolishing wounds arose in workers who had been nearest to the reactors. Locus-Walker’s own partner Krysson began showing signs of the Wasting, crackling with Arcane power as Dimensius’ assault raged. The people of K’aresh showed phenomenal resolve here, slinging spells through the barriers at Dimensius, rising up as they could, and trying to battle the encroaching consumption of their world. It’s little wonder they’ve survived for so long as the Ethereals, given the incredible resolve they showed during the Devouring War. While the Nightborne had directly ingested Arcane magic, the K’areshi simply lived under it. Therefore, the changes were different: instead of changing skin colors, suffused arcane tattoos, and Withering, the K’areshi began flaying, splitting apart at the seams.
Here’s where this story really gripped me: civil war broke out amongst the K’areshi. As Locus-Walker says in game, “we warred amongst ourselves as much as we did Dimensius.” Chaos engulfed the streets, and according to Locus-Walker, it was only because of the Oracles that pure anarchy didn’t tear across the planet. The allegory is back: when science fails, explanations run dry, and people need an answer, they turn to a faith they cannot see. Even worse? Locus-Walker presented his updated calculations, and leadership deemed the cost acceptable. I cannot imagine the horrifying ramifications of making these decisions on Locus-Walker’s psyche. The leaders of the Ravel prepared for a “short” siege, but Dimensius could stand at the metaphorical front door of K’aresh for eons. There wouldn’t be a K’aresh for him to consume.
Here's where the famous Ethereal bandages come from: the K’areshi began wrapping themselves to conceal their wounds from the Wasting. Absolutely incredible that, 18 years later, there’s actually an explanation for why they look like that. Krysson attempts to reassure Locus-Walker: were it not for him, they’d all be consumed and Dimensius on to the next planet. It’s an insane situation: he’s accidentally doomed the planet to become a swath of energy-addled ghosts, but also saved them from Dimensius and prevented him from powering up through the Worldsoul. This poor guy!!!
A voice we can only assume is Xal’atath, eager to exploit Locus-Walker’s insecurities, speaks to him once more. Krysson gets up from their bed and lights the room with her wounds: they’ve progressed from physical to magical. The K’areshi are no longer beings of flesh. She leads Locus-Walker to the answer: he once again knows how to save the people of his world.
As time goes on, infighting continues, more and more folks from the Ravel jump ship, and Locus-Walker presents his next conclusion: the K’areshi must become beings of pure energy to live on. Beings of flesh have no need for water, food, earth, they can simply drift across the various planes of the Great Dark (this should sound eerily familiar to “humans can live in space” btw, in case you were wondering if we had allegory). The Ravel is visibly shaken by his demonstration, even Salhadaar pulling back his confidence in Locus-Walker.
What followed would be the end of K’aresh. Salhadaar, ever the opportunist, double-crossed the Ravel, much as he double-crossed Soul-Scribe by founding the Ravel in the first place. He told a half-truth to the populace: as he informed the K’areshi of the barriers’ terrible side effects, he blamed Locus-Walker, head of the Ravel, for having calculated this consequence in advance. He framed Locus-Walker to a city full of people and screamed for his head with Soul-Scribe by his side, forever fracturing the faith of K’aresh from their temporary savior. Locus-Walker, Krysson, Nari, and Ky’veza fled, seeking a brief refuge in the streets. As Locus-Walker and Krysson parted for the final time, he and Nari sought the Reshii Ribbons to save the K’areshi.
Locus-Walker abruptly ends his direct recounting of the end of a world. Alleria asks what happened. He says “what is there to tell?” The barriers came down, Dimensius began his feast, and eventually, K’aresh ceased to be and split into the husk we saw in 11.1. You’ve gotten this far-this isn’t the end of the story. Sadly, the creature he and Alleria were hunting is implied to be Krysson as a void revenant. He eats her heart and they move on to their next objective.
So, did I like it?
This story is by far the best piece of WoW fiction, finally topping Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, and cementing TWW as a leap in writing (good news: the patch is just as good). There are so, so many things I was pleased by in this story, it feels like someone who cares about this game’s story finally pulled the threads of a bunch of expansions together and made something great.
What happened in this story that pulls from previously established story?
Here’s a list!
· Tazavesh was a city-state of old K’aresh, not just a random Shadowlands hub. The Brokers warped it off-world after they became energy beings and utilized it for commerce.
· Ky’veza was a ruler before, now a Nexus-Princess. That means somewhere along the way she shifted her allegiance.
· Bilaal ruled Tazavesh. Another Ethereal lost to the pursuit of power after the end of his world.
· The WRAPS! Ethereals aren’t just bandaged because it looks cool, they were actively covering their magical wounds from their only defense against Dimensius.
· Ve’nari has always been like this lol
· Xal’atath has also always been like this
Wtf does Tazavesh have to do with this?
It’s super cool that our Shadowlands mega-dungeon is not just an under-utilized 5-man. I was already glad they brought it to K’aresh to serve as our hub, but the revelations about Tazavesh here are phenomenal. It reads like an ancient New York, full of merchants, culture, advancements, and people. Locus-Walker and Krysson relocated to Tazavesh after he took his new oath to research the Radiant Song. This also offers a much more sentimental explanation for why the Brokers operate out of Tazavesh: it’s a small piece of home.
We’d already met the ruler of Tazavesh in Legion, as I said earlier, which is also pretty crazy. These poor K’areshi were forever changed when their world blew up, in more ways than one, and one of the consequences of feeling powerless under those domes was an insatiable hunt for power in some Ethereals. Totally understandable tbh. So understandable, in fact, that it would make sense if some K’areshi thought their only recourse would be to fight for the Void and reform Dimensius…
Tazavesh now holds its former purpose as a center of commerce, but for the…entire Great Dark? There’s more to learn here in the patch itself, I won’t spoil.
What else? Who fucked up and doomed K’aresh?
That’s really up to you. There’s more to the story-you’ll learn it in the campaign-but after reading this story, it’s hard to say who’s right. Personally, I would’ve made all the same choices as Locus-Walker and been on his side. Xal’atath demonstrates her exquisite skill at manipulation both in this story and in the patch: she doesn’t lie to people, she just finds insecurities and pulls on them. She’s rarely actually falsifying anything to convert people to her side, she just works with what’s there. The moment in the story where she watches Locus-Walker come to the conclusion that he can save the K’areshi by turning them into energy is phenomenal, as she whispers him in the direction of his studies and reinforces to him that the people won’t understand him. Even though I agree with him, it’s clear that he was one of the early victims of Xal’atath’s half-helpful whispers.
Lastly, Dimensius is literally just a hungry giant Void Lord. Ultimately, K’aresh was doomed as soon as he decided he wanted to eat it and manifest in their dimension.
I will tell y’all this: there is even more to the story in the 11.2 campaign. I think what they’ve done both in this short story and in the patch is brilliant. This story ends where 11.2 begins, in that Locus-Walker isn’t being fully forthcoming: there is more to what happened at the very end of the Devouring War.
Who held the Reshii Ribbons? Who wanted Dimensius dead? What happened when Salhadaar brought the barriers down, claiming to end the Wasting? Why did we find him Void-drunk in Outland?
What does Xal’atath intend for Azeroth?
(she’s gonna kill her boss and take his job)
