The Infinite in Dragonflight
The story of the Infinite in Dragonflight began back in the pre-patch, where we first encountered Chrono-Lord Deios in the revamped Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr. We were sent into the dungeon by Alextrasza, with the instructions to retrieve a hidden disc of Tyr’s memories – in the hopes that these memories would contain the secret of unlocking the Dragon Aspects’ power once again. However, we were thwarted in our mission by Chrono-Lord Deios, there to ensure the rise of Murozond.
Chrono-Lord Deios: Your efforts are impressive… but in vain.
Chrono-Lord Deios: The timelines are convering. There will be only one Aspect… and Murozond shall be… Infinite!
Hints of Murozond
Before long, there were hints that Nozdormu himself was beginning to feel his fate closing in on him. In a side-quest in Thaldraszus, Echo of Duty, the Bronze Aspect is reminded of his sacred duty to preserve the timeline, even when it means his own fall and death, and it seems to trouble him.
Nozdormu says: When I was granted a portion of Aman’Thul’s power, many great secrets were revealed to me.
Nozdormu says: I captured that knowledge within this relic. An echo of what is, what has been, and what must always be.
Nozdormu says: I hid it away in a corner of every timeline. So that I would always remember those words. Even after I…
Nozdormu falls silent. After another moment, he clasps the sphere more tightly and turns away from you.
According to Cataclysm’s End Time dungeon journal, Nozdormu’s transformation into Murozond is brought about when he is tricked by the Old Gods into trying to avoid his own death. The knowledge of his death, and his transformation into Murozond, has always weighed heavily on his mind, and in Dragonflight, it has seemed clear that he feared his transformation was imminent.
In the story of Thaldraszus, the Infinite Dragon Eternus leads an assault on the Bronze Flight in an attempt to turn Nozdormu. She fails, but it’s close. In the zone’s Epilogue, Chromie and Nozdormu share a cutscene where Nozdormu appears perfectly resigned to his fate – though Chromie, being the way she is, promises him that she will find a way to stop his transformation.
Interestingly, while by this point Nozdormu seems to believe his transformation into Murozond is both inevitable and close, he tells Chromie that he thought he had more time. This suggests that Nozdormu does not know for sure when or how his transformation into Murozond will occur – and only believes it is coming because he can feel a darkness looming ahead.
Nozdormu: Eternus nearly succeeded. I thought I had more time…
Chromie: Oh no! I’m sorry! I thought I was strong enough to defeat her. I… I…
Nozdormu: Ah, Chronormu, you have done nothing wrong. You fought valiantly and well. But Eternus is right. My fate is inevitable.
Chromie: What do you mean?
Nozdormu: Each day that passes the future flows into the present which blurs into the past. Soon it will merge into one, and that is when I will become my darkest self, Murozond.
Dawn of the Infinite
This brings us to the Dawn of the Infinite mega dungeon, where we finally see Chrono-Lord Deios execute his plan.
Using the Bronze Temple’s timeways, Deios and the Infinite travel back in time, all the way until just after the defeat of Galakdron – while the Aspects were still, uh, Proto-Aspects. At first, we send the Proto-Aspects to deal with the Infinite, while we focus on stopping Iridikron – who we find attempting to harvest Galakrond’s essence into an ancient, Demon Soul-like relic.
Though we succeed, we quickly realize our mistake. Without us there to oppose them, the Infinite manage to transform Proto-Nozdormu. This changes history, throwing us into a timeline where Chromie, Keeper Tyr, and of course, Murozond, are all loyal to the Infinite.
By the end of the Dungeon, we defeal Chrono-Lord Deios and fix time, saving Nozdormu from his fate. However, by making the choice to stop the Infinite, we are unable to stop Iridikron – who uses the timeways to obtain the essence of Galakrond before disappearing through a Void Portal.
We go over the dungeon in more detail in our lore companion, as well as our analysis of the dungeon’s cinematic finale:
Dawn of the Infinite: Lore Companion Dawn of the Infinite Finale – Cinematic Analysis
Upon leaving the dungeon, there is a post-dungeon epilogue. Most of this epilogue deals with the story coming in Patch 10.1.7: Fury Incarnate. The new world tree, Amirdrassil, is growing from the Emerald Dream, but it is still vulnerable, and Fyrakk plans to attack. Though Iridikron is clearly a threat, we cannot afford to do anything about him for now, as once again we are forced to choose to stop the immediate threat instead.
As for Nozdormu, he is spared his transformation into Murozond… At least for now.
Chromie says: Everything’s back how it was.
Nozdormu says: Not everything. The clouds in my vision have parted, and I can breathe without doubt, or despair. I feel… alive again. Thanks to you.
Nozdormu’s Limited Vision
So is Nozdormu cured? Will he never become Murozond?
We doubt it. Nozdormu is still destined to become Murozond – all that’s been achieved here is a delay. What’s more, while this particular transformation didn’t stick, we believe that groundwork is being laid to make a future transformation even more likely.
As we said, the evidence seems to indicate Nozdormu does not know for sure when his transformation will take place. His vision is often impaired – to such an extent it’s almost become comically predictable.
This is partly because Nozdormu’s vision, a power granted to him by the Titans, is tied inherently to Order – his vision seems to blur when he tries to see past the Void. Since the Infinite Dragonflight is inherently linked to the Void, it makes sense that he would not be able to see his transformation into Murozond clearly.
It seems possible Nozdormu will not be able to see his transformation into Murozond at all – that the only reason he’s felt the transformations like this one coming is because ultimately he returns to Nozdormu after the end of it, giving him a frame of reference.
In fact, since he seems unable to see events from Murozond’s perspective, Nozdormu may even be wrong about his own death.
After Murozond’s defeat in the End Time dungeon, Nozdormu tells us this death, at our hands, was the one he saw when he was first granted his powers. It’s the vision that has tormented him since. But he witnessed this death as Nozdormu – it could be that he merely believes this to be his death, because this is the one death of Murozond that Nozdormu has seen.
If there is a version of Murozond who dies in a way that Nozdormu never witnesses – Nozdormu would never know it.
Murozond Can Still Rise
As we mentioned, the creation of Murozond is supposedly the result of Nozdormu being tricked by the Old Gods in attempting to avoid his own death. However, there are other reasons why Nozdormu may become Murozond. Chief among them is that he may simply decide for himself to reject the Titans and their “one, true timeline”.
The theme that there is more than enough reason to question the Titans has been growing throughout Dragonflight. One particular controversy was caused with the discovery of the lore book Progress Report: Uldorus, found in Uldaman: Legacy of Tyr. This book describes the Titan Keepers infusing the waters ingested by Dragon Eggs, with the specific goal of aligning even the most willful proto-dragons with the Titans’ philosophies.
By ingesting the water (or causing their eggs to absorb its effects), it should be possible to keep even the most willful dragons aligned with the titans’ philosophies.
While Steve Danuser confirmed that the Titan Keepers believed themselves to be doing the right thing with these waters, good intentions don’t justify these methods. The theme of removing the free will of others has been a consistent one throughout Dragonflight, with the story time and time again reaffirming that it’s wrong, no matter how characters try justify it to themselves.
However, despite growing concerns, the Aspects have been shown to remain loyal to the Titans, never really questioning them – until very recently.
In a brand-new conversation between Alexstrasza and Vyranoth, Vyranoth directly addresses the way the Titans enforced their will on the proto-dragons’ eggs. And instead of defending the Titans Keepers’ methods, or saying they meant it for the best, Alexstrasza openly admits that the act was wrong. In fact, she outright condemns it herself.
Vyranoth says: You promised me you would not force the Titans’ will upon us.
Vyranoth says: But the eggs, Alexstrasza.
Vyranoth says: You did nothing while your masters warped our children still in the shell!
Alexstrasza the Life-Binder says: That abhorrent act should never have happened.
Alexstrasza the Life-Binder says: And I regret my part in it every day.
Vyranoth might not believe Alexstrasza, but these words from the Dragon Queen are really quite revolutionary. Throughout Dragonflight, Alexstrasza has been coming face to face with the things she previously took for granted. For example, she has been speaking with rebels in the Dragon Isles to understand their dissatisfaction. She has expressed regret with the way she and the other Aspects dealt with the Primal Incarnates. And now she admits that she believes the Titan Keepers did something “abhorrent”.
And if Alexstrasza is questioning the Titans, or at least their Keepers, then why not Nozdormu?
At the end of the Dawn of the Infinite dungeon, Iridikron challenges Chromie about the Titans’ idea of a “true timeline”. He predicts that the Titans will not intervene to save anything on Azeroth but themselves and their own interests. He may be the villain, but there is a truth to his words. There is evidence that the Titans are inherently selfish, caring only about preserving the birth of Azeroth as one of them, and nothing more. As the Chromie dailies in Eon’s Fringe remind us, the Titans are quite happy to make sure pain, tragedy, and death happens – providing it all serves their “one true timeline”.
We can’t help but consider the name of the mega-dungeon. Dawn of the Infinite – not Sunset of the Infinite. If Iridikron does end up helping to push the Aspects into questioning and rejecting the Titans, then stopping Nozdormu’s transformation in the Dawn of the Infinite – and thus letting Iridikron go – may, ironically, have been the thing to ensure Murozond’s rise.
Whatever else happens, the Aspects grappling with their own assumptions and beliefs about the Titans seems to be an important part of their future.
Murozond may not rise soon, but when he does, we wonder if it will require trickery at all. Or will Nozdormu simply finally come to realize that the Titans are not always right, particularly about a one true timeline, and that Murozond’s approach of Infinite is better after all?
