Blizzard short stories continue with "Charge of the Aspects"
by Anne Stickney 
Dec 2nd 2011 at 2:30PM
Blizzard's run of short stories continues not with another highlighted leader but with an event: the release of patch 4.3. Charge of the Aspects picks up on the slopes of Hyjal, where the Cenarion Circle and Earthen Ring seek to heal the earth after Ragnaros' defeat. Though Ragnaros has fallen, something must be done to put an end to Deathwing's reign of terror and to prevent the horrors of the Hour of Twilight that threatens us all. The story highlights the Aspect's decision to use the Dragon Soul against Deathwing and where Thrall fits into the plan.
The story was written by Matt Burns, the author who gave us the excellent leader short story The Council of the Three Hammers: Fire and Iron earlier this year. Council was a well-written and gripping tale, and Charge of the Aspects follows in its footsteps. In particular, the plight of Nozdormu as he struggles with his duty and the grim nature of his fate is fascinating. The story also gives us a brief glimpse into the mind of a maddened Deathwing and just what he thinks of the Titans' charge.
Check out the story on the official site. If you have any questions about the new heroics or how they came to pass, this sets them up quite nicely.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
The story was written by Matt Burns, the author who gave us the excellent leader short story The Council of the Three Hammers: Fire and Iron earlier this year. Council was a well-written and gripping tale, and Charge of the Aspects follows in its footsteps. In particular, the plight of Nozdormu as he struggles with his duty and the grim nature of his fate is fascinating. The story also gives us a brief glimpse into the mind of a maddened Deathwing and just what he thinks of the Titans' charge.
Check out the story on the official site. If you have any questions about the new heroics or how they came to pass, this sets them up quite nicely.
Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Review the official patch notes, and then dig into what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Chris Gonzalez Dec 2nd 2011 2:45PM
I read this when you linked it in yesterday's Queue, Anne. It was great; really helped clear up the wibbly-wobbly stuff I was worried about. Very well written, and I thought he captured the personalities of each individual Aspect rather well.
Daedalus Dec 2nd 2011 2:57PM
I liked it as well; very well written, and it (finally) gave us a little insight into Deathwing's thinking; it made him more of a character and less of a force of nature. (I'm actually kinda glad that's all we got of him as a person, though; I sort of like the idea of him being a faceless, implacable force of destruction.)
I was a little dismayed at the implication, though, that Murozond really is the end-all-be-all boss of the Infinite Dragonflight. Between this and the cinematic, I'm really kinda worried we won't be seeing any new Caverns of Time instances in the future, and that 4.3 might have been it's last hurrah.
Chris Gonzalez Dec 2nd 2011 3:15PM
Actually, I think we'll be getting more Caverns of Time instances now that he finally believes that in order to save time, he's got to meddle with it.
Shinae Dec 2nd 2011 5:05PM
The Battle for Mount Hyjal didn't have anything to do with the Infinite (not directly anyway).
Daedalus Dec 2nd 2011 5:55PM
I'm guessing neither of you watched the cinematic that plays when Deathwing dies.
I'm not trying to spoil anything, but that might change your minds.
Radioted Dec 2nd 2011 2:58PM
So... I kind of thought this wasn't very good. Specifically, it strikes me as being overwritten. It seems like every time a character is mentioned, they have to mention what that character's motivation/status is, in case we forgot from a few paragraphs ago. Kalec is especially bad in this aspect; we get it, he's new to the job and somewhat insecure about it. You don't need to mention it every single time.
Oteo Dec 2nd 2011 3:53PM
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I don't think there's been a single WoW short story I've read that hasn't left a bad taste in my mouth.... Maybe the Sylvanas one was okay.
br17gsp Dec 2nd 2011 5:45PM
I'm right there with you two. I read, "Time travel...blah, blah, blah. Green Jesus...blah, blah, blah. Holy crap, it's Magni!!!!"
kL Dec 2nd 2011 3:14PM
Thought this was a great read. VERY informative. Excites me for the next KYL... What are you going to cover Anne? It's quickly becoming one of my fav articles (besides thequeue).
gudrenthehunter Dec 2nd 2011 3:29PM
he even mentions pandaria, that land covered in mist he mentions
Sideswipe Dec 2nd 2011 3:34PM
Also mentions bronzebeard, as how he's not dead, but one with the earth.
Bryan Dare Dec 2nd 2011 4:30PM
YES!! That was my favorite part. So happy Magni isn't totally out of the story! :D
Jerhomie Dec 2nd 2011 3:40PM
My only question is, where is Malfurion in all of this? Being that it focuses in at Hyjal and all, after Ragnaros is gone, and the Druids and Shaman are working together you'd think he'd make a cameo. Ysera made the big deal that Malfurion was getting more powerful than she is so it's odd how her connection is suddenly with Thrall.
I still don't like the idea of them getting rid of the aspects. Or is it just their immortality they lose? Why would the titans give them such a finite job, to stop one specific event from occurring, while still having things like Algalon?
moobinator Dec 2nd 2011 6:45PM
* Spoiler Alert Kind of *
Throwing htis out there, but what if they are just saying its the end of the Dragon Aspects, but not of the Aspects all together.
Thrall - Earth Aspect
Malfurion - Nature Aspect
and others take on the other aspects, not sure who and which.
MaDaBr14 Dec 2nd 2011 4:02PM
So 2 sentences stuck out to me the first time I read through this. "The blood of the Old Gods does not answer to your whims, for they are not of this world. Only the chosen hold true sway over it."
So do you think this helps answer the question if the old gods were on Azeroth from the start or if they showed up and took over for some of the same reasons that the titans are so interested in Azeroth?
Bryan Dare Dec 2nd 2011 4:41PM
Yeah, that moment was a pretty exciting lore development in my opinion. Not only a seeming confirmation of their other-worldliness, but this mention of "the chosen" is fairly intriguing to me. Does that apply to even low ranking members of the Twilight's Hammer or only super-powers like DW? If the latter, then it seems to imply there are more beings in a position similar to DW. Azshara? Others? No one?
Sqtsquish Dec 2nd 2011 10:38PM
I think all those brainwashed by the OGs see themselves as special and chosen. I think it is what is so interesting about the Twilight Cult.
Pyromelter Dec 3rd 2011 8:18AM
3 possibilities:
1. Old gods are alien and truly "not of this world" (ie not from azeroth).
2. Deathwing is lying.
3. Deathwing is telling the truth, but the old gods are lying to him.
When it comes to old gods, lies seem to be the norm, so count me in for 2 and/or 3 on this list.
"So do you think this helps answer the question if the old gods were on Azeroth from the start or if they showed up and took over for some of the same reasons that the titans are so interested in Azeroth?"
Basically I think this helps answer that question about as much as throwing mud helps clean a muddy windshield.
Boreddruid Dec 2nd 2011 4:05PM
This is a nice story, I think.
Bryan Dare Dec 2nd 2011 4:36PM
Oh look, another moment of actual characterization (and motivation; shocking!) for Deathwing outside of the game! -__-
Also I really feel this should've been released a bit before the patch (and actually announced on worldofwarcraft.com; or maybe it was and I just missed it?) so the ending cinematic would've been a bit less of a shocker. Plus it just would've been a good lead-up to the patch, rather than being concurrent with it.