Nerubian History
Nerubians are descended from the aqir, insectoid-like creatures that evolved from organic matter that seeped out of the Old Gods. Aqir further evolved into distinct races, their evolution guided by whatever Old Gods they were closest to. The nerubians, who settled in the north, were affected by their proximity to Yogg-Saron. Other aqir include the qiraji – who evolved near C’Thun, and the mantid – who evolved near Y’Shaarj’s essence.
We’ll see nerubians who have evolved even further in The War Within.
When the Lich King, still Ner’zhul at this time, began to establish himself in Northrend, he found the nerubians particularly annoying to deal with, as they were immune to domination magic. In the ensuing War of the Spider, the Lich King’s forces struggled against the nerubians, whose vast, underground kingdom of Azol’Nerub sprawled out below the continent. Ultimately, the Lich King won the war by invading and destroying their home, causing it to cave in over their heads.
While the nerubians were also immune to the undead plague, the Lich King was able to raise their corpses into undeath, to serve as slaves in his armies. Most of the nerubians that we meet during Wrath of the Lich King – such as Anub’arak, the last King of the nerubians – are undead servants of the Lich King. However, not all nerubians suffered this fate. The Azjol-anak Battleguards, led by Kilix the Unraveler, are still-living nerubians who survived the War of the Spider, and who can be found in Dragonblight.
Some nerubians even left Northrend. During Battle for Azeroth, one of the possible destinations for island expeditions was Skittering Hollow, an island inhabited by the Voru’kar – still-living nerubians. Here, the item Vorus’arak’s Carapace can be found – bringing it to Kilix the Unraveler allows him to translate a story about Vorus’arak, a nerubian swarm lord who was able to escape the War of the Spider with his brood by tunneling away from Northrend.
Nerubians in the War Within
Like the Voru’kar, the nerubians of The War Within are still living, and do not inhabit Northrend. Their kingdom – a zone in The War Within – is called Azj-Kahet, and is described by Blizzard as the “last kingdom of the nerubians”. This kingdom is ruled over by Queen Ansurek, who has allied with Xal’atath.
Something I found personally delightful: if the language speculation section on the nerubian language page on the Warcraft wiki is to be believed, the name of this kingdom may roughly translate to “Kingdom Kingdom”.
One interesting aspect of Xal’atath’s relationship with these nerubians is that she has changed their evolution. This, once again, hints that Xal’atath may be an Old God – remember it was proximity to Old Gods that caused the aqir to evolve into different races, with Yogg-Saron’s influence creating the nerubians.
In return for their loyalty, Xal’atath has granted the nerubians the means of a dark evolution that will turn the nerubians into a new kind of ferocious and terrifying soldiers.
The nerubians of Azj-Kahet are at war with the Arathi of Hallowfall – another zone in The War Within. It is this war that has motivated Queen Ansurek to accept Xal’atath’s dark “gifts”.
Their capital city – the City of Threads – has been constantly rebuilt atop its own ruins over the years. This has resulted in class-based districts, with the wealthiest nerubians and those most favored by the Queen living in the highest areas, while the poor and mistrusted live in the lowest.
A literal high-rachy… I’m so sorry.
Under Xal’atath’s direction, the nerubians are gathering up the Black Blood of the Old Gods, which we’re told runs deep within the cracks of the world. This is being gathered for some “unknown purpose”, though it’s fairly easy to speculate. Old God blood is infamous for being both powerful and deadly. Saronite – ore created from the blood of Yogg-Saron that can be found all over Northrend – has the ability to corrupt just about anything it touches, and could convey Yogg-Saron’s whispers to those who encountered it.
In Azq’roth – The Old God Timeline that we visit during Time Rifts, it’s possible to find the Chipped Stone Tablet, which describes a Hunger Games-like event that exists to please “The Ancient One” – a creature previously only mentioned in Hearthstone. This creature – described as the Old Gods’ greatest creation – is summoned by collecting enough of its blood. If the Ancient One’s blood can be used to bring this creature back to life, then perhaps Old God blood can be used to restore them as well.
If this is the plan, it’s likely not all nerubians would be happy bringing back the former masters they once rejected. As it happens, just like with the nerubians of Wrath of the Lich King, it seems that not all will be our enemies. A resistance force works in opposition to Xal’atath and the Queen – and we can only assume we will end up helping this force.
In a perfect world, this would mean we eventually get a nerubian allied race – but we fully admit that’s probably wistful thinking.
