Drekirjar

The Drekirjar (or the Dragon-Riders) are a group of dragon-taming vrykul located in southeastern Stormheim, in the city of Hrydshal. A part of the Tideskorn, the Drekirjar have famously maintained a pact with the local Thorignir storm drakes for ages, granting them an unprecedented command of the skies. In recent times, however, the rise of God-King Skovald has seen the Drekirjar betray this alliance, with disastrous consequences.

Background
The Drekirjar are one of numerous vrykul factions that have inhabited Stormheim for millennia. These groups are loosely tied together in the form of the Tideskorn clan. The Drekirjar themselves are based from their city of Hrydshal, which sits in Stormheim's far southeast in the shadow of Thorim's Peak.

Long ago, the Drekirjar entered into a new era when Hakkap One-leg first learned to tame the nearby Thorignir storm drakes. The relationship between the two races was mutually consenting, and they would form a pact with each other that lasted many years. The result was the formation of the Drekirjar Galeborn, the fiercest airborne combatants on the Broken Isles. Hakkap himself would fall in battle during a major thunderstorm over the skies of Stormheim. Buried within the Tomb of the Old Kings, his legacy would live on in all Drekirjar dragon-riders.

The Drekirjar fashion their armor from storm drake scales, and possess specialized equipment to make regular trips up the mountains, such as grapple launchers, climbing threads, oiled cloaks to keep the rain out, and enchanted lodestones to keep the lightning at bay.

Legion
The vrykul of Stormheim were deeply affected by the arrival of the Burning Legion during its third invasion of Azeroth. Led by their new leader, the God-King Skovald, the vrykul allied with the demons, the Drekirjar being no exception. Many of the Tideskorn accepted the fel gift, and became Felskorn.

The new allegiance of the Drekirjar did not bode well for their relationship with the storm drakes. The vrykul broke their ancient pact with the Thorignir and chose instead to begin enslaving the dragons. They would launch an all-out assault on Thorim's Peak and the Stormwing Rookery along with their demon allies, with the goal of corrupting the storm drake young for the Burning Legion and seizing the dragons' power. The Thorignir put up a fierce defense of their home, delaying but not stopping the total conquest of the mountain.

On the verge of defeat, the Thorignir would ultimately find allies in the form of outsiders in the Alliance and Horde who sought the Aegis of Aggramar. These champions infiltrated the Drekirjar base in Hrydshal and caused great damage to the town's defenses. They also proceeded to the summit of Thorim's Peak, where they aided the Thorignir in fighting Skovald and the Drekirjar.

As the battle continued, the storm drakes and their allies were able to free the Thorignir broodmother Thrymjaris before she fell to corruption. Following this, numerous other drakes who were captured by the Drekirjar were also freed just in time. The Thorignir then prepared themselves at the mountain's peak for a devastating assault on the Drekirjar's city.

Vethir and his allies spearheaded the attack; together, they descended on Hrydshal and bathed the town in lightning, which saw hundreds of Drekirjar fall. Despite the significant setback, the vrykul would continue to try and enslave more dragons, and the Thoriginir would respond by launching more attacks on Hrydshal.



The Drekirjar also made several raids into the neighboring region of Highmountain, inhabited by the Highmountain tauren. They would return with numerous prisoners and bring them to Hrydshal. At the direction of Vydhar, the outsiders infiltrated the city and liberated the tauren. Several prominent figures within Hrydshal would also be targeted by the Wardens at times throughout the conflict on the Broken Isles, such as Thane Irglov the Merciless.

The Tideskorn reborn
Sometime after the defeat of God-King Skovald in the Halls of Valor, his daughter and heir Sigryn went on a quest to become the new God-Queen of the Tideskorn. Hoping to unite the Stormheim vrykul against the Burning Legion, she first had to contend with claimants from the other Tideskorn factions. She came face-to-face with Jarl Velbrand of the Drekirjar in Hrydshal, where he challenged her to combat. Sigryn and her ally were able to overcome Velbrand, who yielded his claim to the throne and pledged the Drekirjar in support of Skovald's daughter.

Velbrand would then accompany Silgryn to the Halls of Valor during her attempt to kill Odyn himself. They were stopped by Sigryn's own ally, the outsider champion and agent of the Kirin Tor, who confronted Velbrand, Sigryn, and Runeseer Faljar of the Bonespeakers. Sigryn returned to her senses before she could take this further, and went to ask for Eyir's forgiveness. She received no punishment, instead the val'kyr made her God-Queen of the Tideskorn, uniting the Drekirjar and the other vrykul of Stormheim under one banner once more.

Unnamed

 * Drekirjar Felblade
 * Drekirjar Galeborn
 * Drekirjar Shieldbearer
 * Drekirjar Shrine-Keeper
 * Drekirjar Trapper
 * Felstalker