User:GoldenYak/Temple of Atal'Hakkar

Built by the atal'ai trolls who worshiped Hakkar, their blood god, the temple was sunk by green dragons who wished to halt Hakkar's rebirth. The trolls that once dwelled there tapped the powers of the Emerald Dream to carry out their rituals, but the corruption of the Nightmare has taken hold. Though Hakkar has abandoned the place, the dark essence of the Nightmare still permeates it, and threatens to spill out into Azeroth.

Background
The Temple of Atal'Hakkar was built long ago by the atal'ai, troll worshipers of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The green dragon Aspect, Ysera, thwarted the mad plans of these trolls to summon Hakkar into their world by sinking the temple into the Swamp of Sorrows. Over one thousand years later, Hakkar called upon his followers to once again prepare a place for him on Azeroth, and a faction of the atal'ai returned to the sunken temple, discovering that much of the structure had survived even after suffering the wrath of the green dragons. The wicked atal'ai conducted dark rituals and sacrifices to earn Hakkar's favor, and their profane acts also caused the power of the Nightmare to seep into the temple, polluting it even further.

With Hakkar's potential return to Azeroth drawing closer, the zandalari trolls acted quickly to counter the blood-thirsty deity. Agents were dispatched to the temple of Atal'Hakkar to slaughter the atal'ai there and dispel the dark rituals being conducted.

Storyline and Encounters
While the temple was cleansed for a time and members of the green dragonflight took it upon themselves to monitor the area, the rise of the Nightmare within the Emerald Dream has now plunged the temple back into darkness. The Nightmare flows freely through the depths of the temple, rising in the form of dark mist, and hideous creatures have been sighted manifesting within it. The slain atal'ai are restless in their graves, rising as undead to further add to the menace. The green dragons are nearly overwhelmed, and it won't be long before the evil within the temple breaks free of their wards and spills out into the world. Desperate for aid, the green dragons have called upon the defenders of the Emerald Dream to enter the temple and prevent the Nightmare from seizing a foothold on Azeroth.

Ruinak Bleakhoof

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A shadow-satyr, a spirit of the Emerald Dream tainted and corrupted by the power of the Nightmare. Bleakhoof wields the Staff of the Waking Nightmare, a powerful totem bestowed by the Nightmare Lord himself. The instrument enables him to creating rifts to regions in the Emerald Dream that have been swallowed by the Nightmare, allowing more monsters and servants of the evil force to enter the waking world.

Malformus

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An abominable creature formed from the countless atal'ai corpses that were left to molder in the temple. The dark power of the Nightmare has welded the corpses together through some unspeakable sorcerous alchemy, creating a living battery of corrupting energy. Malformus' very presence causes the dead to rise and serve the Nightmare, viciously devouring the living to add their lifeforce to Malforums.

Alarion the Unwaking

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Formerly a guardian of the Emerald Dream, the night elf Alarion Ambersong was swallowed by the Nightmare and transformed into one of the Unwaking. Alarion once held the mystical ability to call forth the golden amber of the great trees in the Dream, forming it into protective cocoons that would preserve the lives of the fatally injured, shielding them from death until they could be restored and awoken. The Nightmare has twisted Alarion's gift, allowing him to draw the tainted sap from Nightmare-polluted groves and form it into monstrous oozes that seek to absorb and consume the foes of the Nightmare.

Echo of the Tyrant

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Many years ago, the great green dragon Eranikus was driven to madness by the influence of the Nightmare. Declaring himself to be the 'Tyrant of the Dream', Eranikus sought to spread the Nightmare's power through both the Emerald Dream and the waking world. A fragment of his power was left behind in the Temple of Atal'Hakkar, a fragment which still lingers, steeped in the Nightmare's dark power and ever seeking to destroy those who would oppose it.

Nightmare Weaver Sothok'Ua

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Deep beneath the temple, deeper even than the foundations laid by the atal'ai a thousand years ago, lies the cavern of Sothok'Ua, faceless one and servant of N'Zoth. This eldritch being is the true architect of the temple, having manipulated the atal'ai into building their sacred site above the Swamp of Sorrows in the first place. The temple had always been intended as a focus of arcane power, and Sothok'Ua has at last usurped it for its ultimate purpose - to tear open the veil between the Emerald Dream and Azeroth and let the power of the Nightmare pour unfettered into the waking world.