Primalists

This article is about the followers of the Primal Incarnates. For the Draenor plant beings, see Primal.

Primalists
Main leader	Primal Incarnates
Secondary leaders	Kurog Grimtotem † Eranog † Koroleth †
Race(s)	Proto-dragon Drakonid Dragonspawn  Orc  Tauren  Night elf  Jungle troll  Draenei  Dwarf  Blood elf  Dark Iron dwarf  Vulpera  Human  Gnome  Nightborne Centaur Furbolg Tarasek
Theater of operations	Dragon Isles
Sub-group(s)	Flightless
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active

The Primalists are the followers of the Primal Incarnates, ancient proto-dragons that chose to side against the titans and the Dragon Aspects. They recruit people by offering them elemental powers. The Primalists have been known to reshape the land, whether by lava or by ice, like at the Flashfrost Enclave. They also steal dragon and proto-dragon eggs in order to infuse them with elemental energies and turn them to their side. They have also been known to transform furbolgs by giving them bodies of hardened stone.

Besides their hatred for the titans and their dragon loyalists, they also oppose the Kirin Tor, thinking they deserve death for using arcane magic. The dragonspawn and drakonid who rejoined the Primalists did it because they felt displaced by the return of the dragons. To help with their war, they summoned various elementals from the Elemental Planes through elemental gateways.

The Primalist Future in Thaldraszus is an example of what they strive to achieve; a primal world of ice, earthquakes and fire.

History

Ancient past

The Primalists in ancient times, as seen in Legacies.

While the titans uplifted the Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights, a group of ancient proto-dragons refused their gift, believing that dragonkind should remain unchanged by Order magic and should instead choose to return to their roots and embrace their inherent elemental energies. Despite all the work that the Aspects and their dragonflights had accomplished since their creation, these "Primalist" proto-dragons joined together and demanded that Keeper Tyr be exiled from the dragons' new home. When the Aspects refused, it sowed the seeds of rebellion for the Primalists. The Primalists' leaders became known as the Primal Incarnates, infused with the power of the elements.

Neltharion was concerned about the festering schism between Primalists and dragons, but Alexstrasza dismissed his concerns, hoping to resolve the tensions through communication. Fearing conflict was coming, Neltharion created the dracthyr and prepared for war.

The Primalists fight against the dracthyr army.

Neltharion didn't have enough time to perfect his creation. About 20,000 years ago Raszageth, the Storm-Eater, struck first at dragonkind by attacking the Forbidden Reach. With the Oathbinder broken, Neltharion lost control of the dracthyr, and resorted to submitting to the whispers of the Old Gods for the first time, using his newfound powers to banish Raszageth to the Froststone Vault. He then discarded the dracthyr and stashed them away in their creches where they were put in stasis indefinitely.

A cataclysmic conflict ensued between Primalists and dragonflights known as the War of the Scaleborn. Vyranoth and Fyrakk were ever loyal to the Incarnate's ideals, but Iridikron truly embraced the war. At the end, he struck terrible bargains to keep their cause alive. Alexstrasza believes the other incarnates never knew the true depths of his depravity. Despite the Primalists' alliance with the djaradin to end the dragons' reign, the remaining Primal Incarnates were ultimately defeated, but Alexstrasza, having failed to restore peace between the two groups, still couldn't bear to kill them given they had once been as close as clutch-mates, and decided to imprison them instead, within the titanic Vault of the Incarnates.

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

A few years after the war against the Jailer, a group of Primalists led by Kurog Grimtotem invaded the Forbidden Reach and successfully released Raszageth from her prison of Froststone Vault. She unleashed worldwide storms as a symbol of the Incarnates' return, and the Primalists attacked the Northern Barrens, Un'Goro Crater, and the Badlands, but were ultimately pushed out of the regions. The Primalists then focused all their attention upon the Dragon Isles.

They took the eggs of dragons and proto-dragons in order to infuse them with elemental energies. One such attempt was discovered by Sendrax and adventurers from the Horde and Alliance. The discovery prompted the pair to rescue the Infused Dragon Egg, and though Sendrax lost her life in the process, adventurers were able to bring the egg to Alexstrasza in an attempt to save the whelp inside from the Primalists machinations. Alexstrasza subsequently declared that the situation was dire, and that the eggs' only hope of salvation was within the Life Pools.

Sometime later Raszageth led the Primalists on an attack on the Ruby Life Pools, with the goal of infusing their own powers within. As Raszageth clashes with Alexstrasza in the skies, Primalists forces led by Kyrakka and Erkhart Stormvein invaded the pool themselves, but were ultimately defeated, whereas Raszageth made the decision to leave on her own after wounding the Dragon-Queen.

In the Ohn'ahran Plains, Primalists forces led by Koroleth attacked the Emerald Garden and fought against the Green dragon in an attempt to reach the portal to the Emerald Dream on the Ancient Bough. The dragons repelled them repeatedly, and the Primalists knew they needed the centaur's aid to win. Koroleth easily recruited Balakar Khan of Clan Nokhud, the mightiest of the Maruuk Centaur clans, and aided them in the subsequent civil war among the centaur of the land. During the war, the Primalists and Nokhud forces were able to capture Ohn'ahra and were able to use her, along with the Horn of Drusahl, in an attempt to assassinate Merithra, but were thwarted by Solethus' sacrifice. Convinced of their victory, Koroleth led a new assault on the Emerald Garden, however her forces were defeated, and she was slain. Meanwhile, the Primalists who were aiding Balakar face a similar defeat, with Balakar himself falling in battle. With their leaders defeated, the remaining Primalists scattered.

In the Azure Span, Raszageth led the Primalists' efforts to destroy Vakthros and the ley lines connected to it, which would destroy the Span. The Kirin Tor, who had come to aid Kalecgos reclaim the Azure Oathstone, were quick to come under attack by the Primalists for their use of the arcane magic of the titans. The Primalists were also able to sway Stoneheart and the Rustpine tribe of Furbolgs to their side, and had claimed Imbue from the Tuskarr. Ultimately Kalecgos, Khadgar, and adventurers were able to defeat the Primalists assaulting Vakthros, and the arrival of the blue dragonflight helped drive the Storm-Eater off. However the Primalists hold upon their allies and stolen territory remained.

In Thaldraszus, the Primalists had infiltrated Valdrakken in an attempt to sway the citizens against the Aspects. The Primalists had also launched an assault and claimed South Hold Gate, thanks to the efforts of Eranog who had betrayed the Aspects and joined their side. Sometime later, the Primalists through the trickery and deception of Rymek were able to gain access to the Emerald Dream portal upon the Ancient Bough, successfully claiming the area and preventing the defenders from being able to breach the ice barrier around them. However, the timely arrival of the returned Ysera destroyed the barrier and allowed the green dragonflight to launch a counterattack. Rymek was soon afterwards slain and the Primalists forces in the area were subsequently destroyed by the powers within the Lunardane by Merithra, who had ascended as the new Dreamer.

In time, Raszageth led the Primalists in breaching the Vault of the Incarnates in an attempt to free the other Primal Incarnates. Though Raszageth and a number of Primalists were killed, they were successful in their mission, with the liberation of Vyranoth, Fyrakk, and Iridikron.

Sometime later, Primalists forces and their Nokhud allies attacked the Windtotem tribe, who had come to the Ohn'ahran Plains, under the belief that they were druids who had come to the aid of the green dragonflight.

As the dracthyr and their allies returned to the Forbidden Reach, the Primalists could be found centered within the Stormsunder Crater. They also made forays into the Zaralek Cavern and aided Fyrakk as he attacked the Ohn'ahran Plains and the Azure Span.

Notable members

• Eranog - Commander of the Primalist forces.
• Balakar Khan - Centaur Clan Nokhud leader who sided with the Primalists.
• Koroleth - Leader of the Primalists in the Ohn'ahran Plains.
• Kurog Grimtotem - Grand Summoner of the Primalists, released Raszageth from the Froststone Vault.
• Stoneheart - Rustpine furbolg leader who accepted the powers offered by the Primalists.
• Broodkeeper Diurna - Fierce guardian of the Primalist nursery.
• Rymek - Leader of the Primalists' siege of the Emerald Dream.

Divisions

• The attack on the South Hold Gate in Thaldraszus was conducted by a group called the Magmasworn.

Trivia

• Unused Primalist entries also show yaungol, ice troll, and ogre members.