Ask a Lore Nerd: The world may never know

Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, WoW Insider's newest weekly feature column. Have a question about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe? Click the Comments link below, ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment!

Let's leap right into things, and see what Tyler wants to know, shall we?

Question: If the Ashbringer is really the Light's answer to Frostmourne, then why isn't anyone trying to use it, or destroy it? Is it because that Tirion Fordring has it? If he does, in WotLK then, he needs our help to weaken the Lich King and let him use it?

Answer: Nobody is using the Ashbringer right now because nobody has the Ashbringer in its true, Light-blessed form. Last we knew, the Ashbringer was still in Highlord Mograine's hands in a Corrupted form. The latest Know Your Lore covers the events leading up to that in a little more detail. Currently, we either need to purify The Ashbringer or forge a new one to be able to use it against the Lich King.

Nillex asks...

Since the Sunwell story is over do you think we will see Kalecgos again? Do you think he may appear in Northrend to help Alexstrasza and the Red Dragonflight or maybe even be a possible enemy and side with Malygos? I just thought it was an interesting topic and i have been discussing it in depth with my friends. We would love to have your opinion on it.

A: I think this could really go either way. Kalecgos might be in Northrend, but if he is, I doubt that he will play a major role. Involved, but not a highlighting character. His personal story came to a climax in the Sunwell more or less, so I imagine Alexstrasza and Malygos will be the top dogs in that story arc. It's unlikely Kalecgos wlil be personally involved, but if he is, it'll be pretty minor.

name! asked a few questions...

Q: What is Tirisfal?

A: There are things that we know, and things that we don't know about Tirisfal. The Tirisfal Glades are where the Highborne who fled Kalimdor landed after the Sundering, before settling Quel'Thalas. It later became home to Humans and the center of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. After a really long time, the Scourge came along, destroyed the kingdom, and turned everyone into Undead. A fraction of the undead army broke free of the Will of the Lich King, named themselves the Forsaken, and now rule that region.

What we don't know mostly surrounds the Tirisfalen, the Council of Tirisfal. They were a Council of very, very powerful Mages who fought the Burning Legion in secrecy. The Council was founded by High Elves as far as we know, so it's a little unusual Tirisfal was their gathering place and not Quel'Thalas. However, there is mention of being something very, very powerful beneath the Tirisfal Glades, with little indication of what it may be. We do know that the Titans sealed some of the Old Gods underground, so that may be the source of that power, but we don't really know for sure (though there is evidence that it might be the case). It may be tied to the Legion somehow, or some other source of power entirely.

Q: What is Grim Batol?

A: We have a Know Your Lore entry that explains it in detail. In short, it's a Dwarven Stronghold that had to be abandoned after a war, and it was later taken over by the Dragonmaw Orcs to hold Alexastrasza captive.

Q: What is south of Silverpine Forest?

A: That is Gilneas, sealed away behind the Greymane Wall. Gilneas is a Human Kingdom, one that was part of the Alliance at one time, but not especially loyal to it. Sometime around the Second War, Genn Greymane (King of Gilneas) told Lordaeron and the Alliance to shove it up their arse. The quote:

"Damn the orcs, damn the Alliance, and damn you! The last thing Gilneas needs is sponges from other nations drawing from our resources, Dalaran wizards meddling with our affairs, and someone else's enemies killing our soldiers! Gilneas is its own nation and it always will be. This is the last time I'll ever talk to you, Terenas, so I hope you were listening."

There are a few different rumors regarding what would be happening behind the wall because we haven't heard from Gilneas at all since the wall went up and it's unlikely a peninsula kingdom has gone untouched by the many threats in the world by simply walling themselves in. Due to their proximity to Shadowfang Keep, many think Gilneas has been turned into werewolves en masse. Others think they're all undead Scourge. Whatever is going on behind the wall, we probably won't really know for awhile yet.

Q: What is Uldum?

A: Uldum is a Titan-made structure in southern Tanaris. It was a resting place for the Earthen before they woke up, becoming Dwarves. For more information on what the Earthen are and the Dwarves' relation to them, I recommend running Uldaman just once despite how terrible the dungeon is to read the Disc of Norgannon. Alternatively, you can read the Wowwiki entry about them!

Mikel asked who the Lion of Azeroth was, but his response later implies he already knew the answer. However, since I'm sure not all of our readers know...

Q: Who is the Lion of Azeroth?

A: Anduin Lothar was the man known as the Lion of Azeroth, and he was a hero of the Alliance through multiple wars. You can see a monument to him in the Burning Steppes, near the place where he was finally killed. If you want to know more about him, Know Your Lore has covered him before, and Wowwiki has a large amount of excellent information as usual. If there's one hero from the Alliance's past you should know about, it's this guy. Second option being the leaders of the Alliance Expedition to Outland.

Eternalpayn asks...

Q: Where's Mankrik's Wife?

Answer:

Zach Carson asks...

If the Botanica is a zoo, Mech is a factory of some sort, and Arc is a prison, what did the Exodar used to be? it doesn't seem to have a useful part of Tempest Keep.

Answer: Most likely, it was the residential area of Tempest Keep. Where everyone lived, ate, slept, et cetera. All of the workers from those wings need to live somewhere, and I'm willing to bet Arc's security guards weren't too keen on sleeping with the prisoners. When Tempest Keep was attacked, everyone that could probably loaded into Exodar and took off to keep all of the civilians safe. I could be wrong on this one, but that's my best guess.

That's about all the time we have this week, ladies and gents. If I didn't get to your question this week, never fear! Ask a Lore Nerd will be back next week Sunday, answering as many of your questions as possible. Remember, don't be afraid to ask us your questions, no matter how large or small. Post them in the Comments field below, and I'll get to them as soon as I can. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week.

Ask a Lore Nerd is here to answer all of your questions about the lore and story of the Warcraft universe. From the backgrounds of raid bosses to the lifespan of your favorite race, everything is fair game. If you want more in-depth answers to some of your questions, you may find what you're looking for in Know Your Lore or the WoW Insider Directory.