Cosmic Weapon’s Cache
The flavor text on the Arsenal: Cosmic Weapons Cache reads,
“Armaments forged from the primal fabric of the cosmos. Who assembled this collection and why remains a mystery. Wielding them will draw the eye of those who covet such power.”
The first thing we’re reminded of by this is the Cache of Cosmic Curiosities that we found at the end of the Secrets of Azeroth event. You may recall we never got to open this mysterious cache, leaving us wondering what exactly was in the chest that apparently was engraved with languages associated with the Cosmic forces of Order, Fel, and Void.
(One light-hearted interpretation could be that the group of artifact thieves that played the antagonist role during the Secrets of Azeroth event have been working for the Trading Post all along, and have since managed to steal the chest – making these weapons available for us this month. We doubt it, but it’s a fun idea.)
It’s possible that we’re not meant to read too much into Trading Post rewards at all. After all, the Trading Post is largely where rewards that don’t easily fit into the current story go – reskins of existing cosmetic items, old trading card game drops, and similar. On the other hand, the flavor text on a previous Traveller’s Log reward recently turned out to be a hint about events that are coming in 10.2.
The precedent is set. Monthly rewards can hint at things to come. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at these weapons.
Voidsong, Stave of the Harbinger
First, there’s Voidsong, Stave of the Harbinger. The flavor text on this staff reads,
“A gift of Dimensius bestowed at the height of the Black Empire. Those touched by shadow are drawn to its haunting whispers.”
Dimensius is a Void Lord players might remember from the Burning Crusade. He is the one who destroyed the ethereal home world of K’aresh. (Suddenly, the fact that the Ethereal Transmogrifier toy was available on August’s Trading Post feels a lot more significant!) Dimensius was encountered and defeated by players on Outland, but this staff implies that he was around Azeroth during the time of the Black Empire – huge if true!
What’s more, the name of this weapon claims it is the “Stave of the Harbinger”. This mysterious Harbinger is someone whose identity we’ve been questioning for awhile. We know they are aligned with the Void-aligned Naga, who believes they will bring about a prophecy to “reclaim what was lost”. We also know they’re working with Iridikron, who believes they will claim Azeroth. We’ve speculated that the Harbinger is Xal’atath, who we also believe is working with Iridikron. And now, it seems that they were given this stave as a gift by an infamous Void Lord during the height of the Black Empire.
Taesavir, Sword of the Grand Design
Next, there’s Taesavir, Sword of the Grand Design – according to the flavor text this sword was honed by Aggramar.
“An edge so sharp it could only be honed by Aggramar himself. Any who defy the will of the titans should beware its wielder.”
Once the Lieutenant of Sargeras, Aggramar replaced his former leader as champion of the titans after Sargeras left. Aggramar also has a significant history with our planet – he is the one who discovered the world soul that sleeps within the world of Azeroth – and was horrified to discover her already infected by the Old Gods, it was the height of the Black Empire. Rather than destroy Azeroth – as Sargeras had done to a Void-infected planet that he had once discovered – Aggramar advocated saving our world.
However, we can’t help but notice how strong the language on this weapon is. The question of the morality of the titans is one that has been coming up more and more recently – especially as it turns out the Primalists have legitimate reasons to resent the titans forcing their will onto the unwilling, who defy them.
M’thorus, Dagger of the Grand Design
Finally, M’thorus, Dagger of the Grand Design. The flavor text on this blade refers to Disorder (Fel), Shadows (Void), and the titans (Order) – the same three cosmological forces whose inscriptions were engraved into that Secrets of Azeroth chest! Maybe the Trading Post traders are artifact thieves after all…
“Shadows cannot be allowed to fester. Disorder must be struck down wherever it takes hold. True children of the titans will heed their makers’ call.”
And once again, we can’t help but notice a certain strength of language. “True children of the titans” will obey – the suggestion is that anyone who considers themself a child of the titans but who questions them is not “true”. Alexstrasza’s journey in Dragonflight so far has involved quite a bit of questioning the titans, and has expressed regret over following some of their orders. If she continues on this journey, is it possible the titans themselves could declare the Queen of the Dragons to no longer be a “true” child of theirs?
What Could It Mean?
At least two of these weapons directly reference the time of the Black Empire, and the conflict between Order and Void. In our own speculation about things to come, we spoke at length about both of these Cosmological forces – how there are hints throughout Dragonflight that the Old God threat is not as eliminated as we like to think, but also how the titans are less benevolent than we’ve previously believed.
Finally, the last thing we want to highlight is the appearance of these weapons. The dagger and sword – the titan, Order-themed weapons – share a similar weapon model – one that happens to look a great deal like the Heart of Azeroth. However, while the staff also has a gemstone in a focal point, the coloring is different… instead of blueish-gold, it’s the pinkish-purpose of the Void.
In fact, it reminds us of something we’ve seen recently. The artifact that Iridikron used in the Dawn of the Infinite Dungeon, an artifact that Chromie described as “kinda like the Dragon Soul, but even more ancient”. Remember, the Heart of Azeroth has also been compared to the Dragon Soul in the past. Remember also, that the Black Empire absolutely counts as “more ancient than the Dragon Soul”.#
We do find ourselves asking the question… If the Old Gods did somehow suddenly succeed at reclaiming Azeroth’s world soul, if they filled her heart… what would a Heart of Azeroth look like then?
