Guardians of Azeroth

Full History

Azeroth's earliest guardians inherited a world already scarred by elemental powers and the influence of the Old Gods. The titans' ordering brought new structures of protection, among them five dragon Aspects charged with different responsibilities. Their appointment did not end every danger beneath the land. It established a watch that later history would show to be both powerful and vulnerable.

Ancient accounts describe a struggle against the Old Gods and the elemental lords before the rise of human, orc, or elven kingdoms. The original history credits the titans with confronting those forces and reshaping Azeroth, while leaving many precise details of this primordial age unknown. The appointment of Nozdormu, Alexstrasza, Ysera, Malygos, and Neltharion divided the work of stewardship across time, life, dreams, magic, and earth.

That arrangement helped protect the world for ages, but its strength rested partly on trust among the appointed guardians. Neltharion's future betrayal would show how dangerous it was when one Aspect turned his gifts against the others. The Old Gods also remained part of Azeroth's buried fears. Guardianship was therefore not the conclusion of the world's ancient struggles; it was the beginning of a long responsibility carried into wars that the titans' mortal descendants could scarcely understand.