User:GoldenYak/Story Conflagra

The Birth of Conflagra, Princess of the Firelands
In the ancient days before history, before the coming of the Titans, the elementals languished under the rule of the Old Gods, fighting ceaseless wars against one another. Their hatred was strong, and the battles they fought shook the world, and this was pleasing to the Old Gods.

During one age, Ragnaros the Firelord and his fire elementals fought against Therazane the Stonemother and her earth elementals. Time and again, like a sea of flame, the forces of the Firelord would come against the mighty children of the Stonemother, and time and again they would be thrown back. Fire elementals were stamped out under the plodding feet of Therazane's champions, while the blazing fury of the sons of Ragnaros reduced countless earth elementals to lifeless molten rubble. Conglomrate elementals of magma and ash were born of the battle, turning upon one another and both sides.

In time, the daughter of Therazane, Theradras, came to look over the battlefield and grew angry. Her brothers were dying at the hands of the fire elementals, but never did the forces of earth attack - defend, holding their ground, but never pressing forwards, even when the fire elementals fell back weakened. Theradras went to her mother after the latest skirmish.

"The Firelord has fallen back again. He is vulnerable. Why do you not lead our forces out and crush him once and for all?"

"Patience, daughter," counseled the Stonemother. She had fought Ragnaros countless times in the past - she knew that eventually his fury would be spent, and he would go back to his home and slumber for a time. But to provoke him with open attack would only stoke the flame of his wrath, and they would pay a terrible price for this.

Theradras did not heed her mother, and only grew angrier. The longer they waited, the more of her brothers and sisters would suffer. She could see that Ragnaros had already spent much of his power - his fires were burning low. He was weak. One crushing assault would stamp him out forever. They would be rid of the fire elementals, and the Old Gods would favor them. They had promised her. Theradras gathered many of her brothers and their forces and went out to attack the forces of the Firelord.

Therazane stood in her path, again counseling caution. "Do not do this thing, daughter. Have patience. All will be well."

Theradras would not listen. "The Old Masters call out to me! They favor my forces! We will be rid of the Firelord and our rewards will be great! I will show you!"

Therazane closed her eyes in sorrow. "The Old Masters are fickle - you will find no reward in their attentions. Have patience and they will turn their sight elsewhere. If you will not heed me, mark well what happens next."

Theradras did not heed the Stonemother. She led her forces out against the fire elementals. There was chaos at first - the sons of Ragnaros had indeed spent much of their power already, and had not expected an attack. Ragnaros himself turned at the sound of battle, saw the children of the Stonemother approach, Theradras and her brothers at their head. He saw his forces ground under stone feet, their fire stamped out, saw his flames part like water and rush aside. And his fury knew no bounds.

Ragnaros charged towards the earth elementals. With every footfall, he grew. His flames blazed hotter and higher. His form swollen with power and anger. His strength doubled, and then doubled again. His power spilled out across his troops, increasing their own strength, their own fury. The fleeing fire elementals turned and struck back. Ragnaros thundered forwards, growing every instant, raising Sulfuras high above his head.

"AT LAST, THERAZANE! YOU REWARD MY LONG WAIT WITH TRUE BATTLE AT LAST! IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG! YOU HAVE MY GRATITUDE! LET ME SHARE IT WITH YOUR CHILDREN!"

Ragnaros brought his hammer down upon Brunt, a mighty giant of stone and gems, and shattered him with a single blow. The hammer struck the earth beneath Brunt, blasting a massive crater into the ground and throwing back elementals of earth and flame alike. Howling with rage and joy, Ragnaros swung his hammer again and again. With every blow, a son of Therazane split apart, blasted to flinders. With every blow, a new wound yawned open in the earth, spewing molten stone. Ragnaros' bellows and laughter could be heard for leagues. Therazane wept at the loss of so many.

In time, the survivors, Theradras among them, fled back into Stonemother's lands. Behind them, Ragnaros and his forces continued to ravage and destroy, singing and roaring at the carnage. Theradras knew that if she had heeded the words of her mother, Ragnaros might have grow weary of the endless siege and eventually left. Now, Ragnaros' destructive revels would last long, stoked by his rage - rage she had ignited. Weeping, she fled far from his mother's palace, into the broken wilds of primordial Azeroth.

Some time later, after the war had finally ended and Ragnaros had returned to his territory, Therazane went to the field where her children had died. She mourned for them, and for the pain her daughter felt - it had been a hard lesson. In time, Therazane would forgive her daughter, but for now, she would be left to her sorrow. Therazane looked out across the ravaged field, and the eight massive craters that had been formed by Ragnaros' blows. Eight blows, costing her eight sons. She turned to depart, but heard a voice from one crater.

"Who are we?"

A second voice answered from another crater.

"We are the children of Ragnaros! The children of his rage!"

A third voice.

"Yes! That's right!"

Therazane came closer, peering into the craters. Within each one burned a flame elemental, newly born, sparked into existence by Ragnaros' anger and the power of his blows. Already, the flames knew their creator, and they knew how to speak to one another. Therazane watched with detached amusement as they began to squabble.

"I am the mightiest of us! I should be in charge, for my crater is the widest! Surely father must have been angriest when he struck the blow that birthed me!"

"Hah! I should be in charge! My crater is the deepest! Father was angriest when he struck here!"

"Both of you are wrong! My crater is the hottest! I am the greatest child of his rage!"

"The stone in my crater is still molten! Your heads are made of smoke if you think any of you are greater than me! "

"Oh yeah? Come over here and say that!"

Therazane watched this for a time, as the flames began to fight amongst themselves, taunting one another ceaselessly. Finally, a thought came to her. She stood and spoke.

"Though I love my daughter, she vexes me terribly sometimes. Ragnaros, I think you should have the opportunity to experience the same joys."

"Who said that?" asked one of the flames.

Therazane reached down to the craters in the earth, and gathered up the eight flames and much dirt and stone in her great hands. She crushed them together and formed the earth into a ball, an egg of stone, with the flames burning in the center. When the stone egg began to glow white hot, Therazane hurled it towards Ragnaros' lands. It struck the earth and melted, and from it emerged a single fire elemental, born of the eight flames merged into one. The fire elemtental stood, and took shape, and its shape was female, with hair of burning flame and body armored in metal from the earth. She looked about for a time, and then flew towards the place where she knew her father lived.

And so was born Conflagra, princess of the fire elementals. And as Therazane predicted, she was the source of much vexation to her father.