User:GoldenYak/Tomb of Sargeras

The Tomb of Sargeras is the resting place of the avatar of Sargeras, lord of the Burning Legion. Much of his evil power still lingers within.

Background
Once the Tomb of Sargeras was the night elf city of Suramar, home to thousands. During the Sundering, Suramar sank beneath the waves and was lost. Millennia later, the dark titan Sargeras would send his avatar to Azeroth to destroy it, but was opposed by the Guardian of Tirisfal, Aegwynn. She defeated the demon lord and drove his spirit from his avatar, leaving it an empty husk, brimming with untold demonic energies. Fearing the danger such a vessel might wreak upon the world, Aegwynn transported the avatar into the sunken city of Suramar, naming it Sargeras' tomb. Over the years, Aegwynn would come to use the tomb as a sort of holding facility for demonic threats, trapping countless within its depths as both prisoners and guards, and hiding dangerous magical artifacts that, if misused, could bring ruin to entire nations.

Centuries later, when the orcs invaded Azeroth through the dark portal, the warlock Gul'dan and his followers raised the Tomb and much of the surrounding landscape from the depths of the ocean, creating the Broken Isles. Gul'dan attempted to seize the power of Sargeras' remains for himself, but was slain by the hordes of demons infesting the tomb. Many adventurers and opportunists have braved the dangers of the tomb over the years, pilfering relics from the chambers.

The mightiest relic, the Eye of Sargeras, was taken from the tomb by Illidan Stormrage, but other prizes yet remain.

Dungeon Journal
The Broken Isles had been raised from the ocean floor years ago, almost in prelude to the rise of the lands of Zin-Azshari. Within the Tomb lie countless demons, guardians of the resting place of the great avatar of Sargeras, a mighty vessel for the demon lord's disembodied spirit. The naga have made no effort to breach the walls of the Tomb - Azshara remembers how Sargeras disappointed her 10,000 years ago by failing to purge Azeroth of the unworthy and making her his queen.

With the rise of Zin-Azshari, demonic activity within the tomb is increasing. Magi from both the Alliance and the Horde are sensing tremendous dark energies growing within. The imbalance in the world caused by Azshara may be having an adverse effect on the tomb, and if the evil within is left unchecked, it could grow to finally breach the walls of Sargeras' resting place, and once again threaten all of Azeroth. The exact reason for the rising evil is not known, but some amongst the night elves fear the worst.

"The Eye of Sargeras was taken from this place long ago. However... eyes often come in pairs..." - Malfurion Stormrage

Tomb Lord Ghargantulus
Defeated centuries ago by Aegwynn, the annihilan Pit Lord Ghargantulus was condemned to eternal imprisonment within the halls of the Tomb of Sargeras. Driven mad by a lack of opponents to fight, he resorted to mutilating his own body in order to satisfy his bloodlust. Despite his ruinous appearance, Ghargantulus has not lost any of his strength, or his capacity for destruction. His own burning blood is one of the most lethal instruments at his disposal.

Szar'Nath - Hound of the Burning Plains
One of Sargeras' personal hunting felhounds, raised and blooded on the burning wastes of Argus. Szar'Nath has grown so powerful by feeding on the ambient demonic energies in the tomb that he has mutated into a monster far stronger and more vicious than ordinary felhounds, sprouting additional heads and limbs. Szar'Nath's appetite for demonic energy is never-ending, and he can become easily distracted from mortal enemies when a feast of demon power is available.

Foultide
When Illidan Stormrage braved the dangers of the tomb to capture the burning Eye of Sargeras, he was accompanied by many of the naga who had sworn to serve his goals, for reason known only to Illidan and Azshara herself. The naga who fell to the blades of the demons have become undead monsters, their rotting, skeletal bodies slithering through the flooded areas of the tomb, unable to find peace. The largest among them, Foultide, has lost none of his fighting acumen from when he was alive.

Naisha the Lost
Naisha was once a loyal watcher of the Barrow Prisons of the night elves, standing vigil over those imprisoned within. When Illidan Stormrage was released from his prison, she joined the other watchers in hunting him down. Led by Maiev Shadowsong, the watchers braved the depths of the tomb to find their quarry, but Illidan escaped and caused portions of the tomb to collapse. Naisha and many of her sisters were killed, holding the line against the frenized demons of the tomb to allow Maiev the time to flee. Though Naisha faced death willingly, the overwhelming dark energies of the tomb twisted her spirit in death. Now she loathes the one she once loved, wandering the halls of the tomb raging against Maiev for abandoning her. In her madness Naisha will not hesitate to attack anyone who intrudes upon her suffering.

Echo of Gul'dan
The orc warlock Gul'dan was slain by the demonic denizens of the Tomb of Sargeras, but his wretched spirit endured, trapped within the halls, eternally living out his final painful moments of failure. Gul'dan might have suffered in this manner for eternity, never realizing what had befallen him, until Illidan Stormrage succeeded where he had failed, discovering the Chamber of the Eye and claiming the burning Eye of Sargeras within it. This act 'awoke' Gul'dan's spirit, shattering it into fragmented wraiths, each bearing a portion of the orc's knowledge and memories. Slowly, these wraiths have fed upon the endless hatred of those trapped within the Tomb, gathering their strength and uniting one by one, until at last the soul of Gul'dan is once again strong enough to make one last, desperate grasp at ultimate power...

Storyline
After dealing with the rampaging armies of undead orcs in the Broken Isles, players are sent to the Tomb of Sargeras to discover the source of the steadily increasing demonic activity within. After defeating the undead and demonic denizens of the Tomb, it is discovered that the echoing remnants of Gul'dan's spirit still linger within the halls, their existence sustained by the hatred of all those trapped within. The spirit fragments appear confused and disjointed, eternally living out Gul'dan's last moments within the Tomb before his death at the hands of Ghargantulus. Players learn that Gul'dan's spirit was trapped powerless within the Tomb by his death, but was awakened and fragmented when Illidan discovered the Eye of Sargeras.

Players confront and defeat Naisha in the chamber that once held the Eye of Sargeras, an act which causes the scattered fragments of Gul'dan's spirit to coalesce. Seemingly regaining his sense, Gul'dan reveals another secret - the true resting place of Sargeras, hidden beneath the Chamber of the Eye. Within is not only the broken husk of Sargeras' avatar seated on a colossal throne, but a second Eye of Sargeras, as potent as the first, hidden from all. Gul'dan's spirit attempts to claim the power of the eye, and he is seemingly consumed by it, triggering a massive eruption of demonic energy and subsequent flooding of the tomb.

The players barely manage to escape the flood waters, leaving the chamber to collapse and bury the avatar of Sargeras, the second Eye, and the spirit of Gul'dan. Meeting with representatives from their faction outside, the heroes are forced to wonder if the evil of the Tomb has been contained for good, or if the evil they witnessed will only grow stronger.