World of Warcraft: Dragonflight has introduced some fierce new antagonists to the game, and players are eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the expansion’s story. While bad guys like the Primal Incarnates have been out in the open since World of Warcraft's latest expansion was released, some have remained confined to the shadows. One, in particular, has been relegated to the sidelines of the story, steeped in uncertainty and speculation.
The Old Gods in World of Warcraft are a force for evil that never seems to be vanquished. Since the Battle for Azeroth expansion, the final confirmed Old God, N’Zoth the Drowned, was vanquished. Since then, the void has had little influence on Azeroth, or so it was thought. Dragonflight has strongly hinted that just as has always been the case in World of Warcraft, the Old Gods still linger on somewhere deep beneath the earth.
Vakthros Tower in the Azure Span Is More Than Meets the Eye
With the advent of World of Warcraft’s newest content patch, Embers of Neltharion, players were introduced to a raid called Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible. Here, they could witness the history of the Black Dragonflight and relive the exact moment when Neltharion fell to Old God corruption and became Deathwing. Void entities whisper and coalesce within the final boss fight, and various environmental motifs harken back to the Black Empire, a time when the Old Gods ruled Azeroth.
As these events unfold, players have also dedicated time to exploring some new details added to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight’s primary zones. One of these areas, the Azure Span, has a feature jutting out of its easternmost plane, a place known as Vakthros. This immense structure towers over the surrounding landscape, crested with enormous spires of ice and surrounded by swirling pools of lava. The magma seeping out of dark purple rocks is a direct visual reference to N’Zoth, as bright orange elemental portals mimic the Old God’s many wicked eyes and tentacles.
Other than this apparent optical reference to N’Zoth, the stone tower that dominates the Azure Span’s east horizon has another notable secret. At the highest platform, where a handy arcane portal focus can be found, there lies a discreet stone tablet. When players read its inscription, there lies a truly worrying warning from none other than Malygos, the former Aspect of the Blue Dragonflight. The message has existed for some ten millennia, as it was clearly carved before the dragons abandoned the area.
Malygos writes to the guards and attendants he stationed at Vakthros, reminding them that he built the tower atop a convergence point of all the ley lines in the Dragon Isles. Ley lines are like veins of pure magic that run beneath Azeroth’s surface, and this much power was required to seal something within a vault. Malygos further states that if Vakthros’ tower has sustained any structural damage, this should be reported immediately to the Spell-Weaver himself, for if not, death would soon follow.
The implications of this warning are massive. Whatever being or artifact was sealed within Vakthros, it’s clear that the Primalists have shown great interest in securing it for their own design. What’s more, the gigantic icicles erupting from the tower look as though Vyranoth herself tried and failed to break inside. Vyranoth is Dragonflight's Primal Incarnate of ice, and it’s likely that only she has the power to conjure up such vast and permanent ice that still surrounds Vakthros to this day.
Whatever dark secrets were buried beneath Vakthros, it was made clear by Malygos that they should never be uncovered. Because of the vault’s connection to the surrounding ley lines, damage to Vakthros poses an incredible risk. If there were an eldritch creature imprisoned within, giving it access to Azeroth’s lifeblood would be catastrophic. Regardless of whether Vakthros’ spooky lore implications will come to any fruition later, the tower remains as a monument to the mystery and intrigue of the Dragon Isles.
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