Disclaimer: This is pure fan speculation. Also, Massive Spoilers alert. You’ve been warned.

The last time I wrote for all of you, I was presenting my theory on a single finality that awaits all of Draenor: the Burning Legion is coming. With the death of Mannoroth and the infidelity of the Draenei, Kil’jaeden, Archimonde, and even Sargeras (technically Medivh) himself beckon for the heads of their enemies.

The Legion is approaching, even if they don’t arrive in full force by the conclusion of Warlords of Draenor. Tom Chilton has already confirmed Grommash as the final boss, and his raid in and of itself will contain extremely heavy Legion elements. In one way or another, the Legion IS coming.

But how does this come to be? How do these events unfold?

Is it a simple matter of Grommash’s actions? Garrosh’s actions? The Draenei’s actions? OUR actions?



Tom Chilton has already confirmed Grommash as the final boss.

The reason for the Legion’s arrival, and even how “Warlords of Draenor” unfolds, can be explained with a simple phrase:

“Time is a flat circle.”

This is a phrase that actually popped up recently as an achievement in the beta for Warlords of Draenor.

The description is as follows:

“Everything we have ever done or will do, we are going to do over and over and over again.”

Now, why would such an achievement with such a description exist? No one has any idea how to gain this achievement, and it may in fact be a placeholder, but while it remains, it supports and develops an interesting theory:

The fate of all timelines, regardless of which one you may belong to, is all predetermined. No matter what timeline you travel to, no matter what point in time you may join, the fate for all those involved in these timelines is synchronized. Time must always correct the circle; no matter the events leading up to the end of a certain fate (character death, major occurrence in history), the fate and its outcome will always be the same.

The name thing causing the difference in events leading up to these shared fates is an anomaly presented to the Warlords of Draenor timeline: Garrosh.

The following excerpt is taken from the recently published short story, “Hellscream”:

“I understand how you feel.” Garrosh chose his words carefully. “My father died with his axe buried in his enemy’s chest. A good death. But the path that led him there was paved with dishonor and was born from a single wrong decision. For too long I lived with rage toward him. It was wasted anger. Your mate’s death and your clan’s moment of weakness may still cause you pain, but the son she gave you—” “My son? She never gave me a son.” Grommash was staring into Garrosh’s eyes, weighing him, judging him. Garrosh did not even allow himself to blink. “I did not know that,” was all he said. Kairoz. Garrosh felt a cheek muscle jump. Counting blades of grass. He took a moment to relish the memory of carving out the dragon’s middle, feeling Kairoz’s hot blood flow over his hands. It calmed him. Deep breaths.I was never born on this world. Grommash was never a father. Is this what the bronze dragon meant by “the perfect timeway”?

Because Garrosh was never born, he’s not supposed to “exist” in this timeline. You could even argue based on Kairoz’s comments that this was the perfect timeline for their plans, Garrosh was NEVER supposed to be born.

Regardless of what we want to argue, one fact is prevalent from this piece: Garrosh is not meant to be in this timeline. At all.



Garrosh never existing? Is that what Kairoz meant by “the perfect timeway”?

Think back to the phrase “time is a flat circle”. What does that imply to you? To me, “time is a flat circle” means time is a never ending route that, no matter the divergent path or “side road” you take on this route, it will always find a way back to that circular shape and continue on and on forever.

Garrosh is one of those “side roads”; a sort of blemish that’s not supposed to exist in this time. Because Garrosh is an anomaly that warps this “circle”, the “circle” itself must find a way to reach its perfect, rounded form again. And how does it do this? By having Garrosh slain by Thrall’s hand at the conclusion of Nagrand.

Though it’s poetic justice that Garrosh is killed on the very ground he was born and raised upon, I don’t think Garrosh was meant to die in Nagrand. If you recall the events of War Crimes, the fantastic novel tie in to Warlords of Draenor, you find out the Celestials were in fact going to spare Garrosh.

Even though he didn’t need to be saved, it seemed exceedingly likely he’d survive and work toward his own redemption. However, via the intervention of Kairoz the Bronze Dragon who acts as the sort of catalyst for this expansion, this is prevented, and Garrosh’s fate itself becomes an anomaly.

Note: Kairoz is a Bronze Dragon. The Bronze Dragonflight was put in charge of guarding the timelines, with the ability to manipulate them and see every single one. Despite Nozdormu losing most of his power to defeat Deathwing with the other Aspects, his Dragonflight still guarded the timelines and found ways to operate them.

Kairoz was one of these Bronze Dragons who found another way to operate the timelines, and it’s assumed he abused it for a certain third party (more on that later).

Kairoz and his Dragonflight are anomalies because they’re able to actually influence and control the flow of time. That is exactly why the Bronze Dragonflight normally has to be exceedingly careful when tampering with any form of time. Whatever these dragons do may change the actual course of history, and though the overarching fate itself for all life forms will remain the same, their actions can alter the actual events leading up to said fate.

I believe Garrosh was still meant to die. If our besmirched Warchief hadn’t been picked up by Kairoz, I believe he would have, again, been redeemed down the line in some way, shape, or form, and still die eventually. However, since Kairoz abused his ability upon the time ways and introduced Garrosh to a time way where he’s not meant to exist, Garrosh himself became an anomaly with the ability to ALTER the history and lives of in this alternative timeline.

Easier explanation: since Garrosh was put where he wasn’t supposed to be belong by an outside force, he gained the ability to freely manipulate other people’s lives, though their fates will remain the same.

Let’s look at some examples, courtesy of the actual Warlords upon Draenor:

Grommash:

-Dies in our timeline vs. Mannoroth

-Kills Mannoroth in both timelines

-About to die in the SAME exact fashion he dies in our timeline, but was saved by an anomaly (Garrosh)

-Still destined to die (considering he’s the final boss of the expansion, we’ll theorize he dies)

-Considering there are Burning Legion influences in the final raid, it might be foreshadowing that Grommash, once more, succumbs to drinking Fel Blood

Blackhand:

-Dies in both timelines

-Killed by Orgrim Doommhammer in our timeline

-Massive warfront leader in both timelines

-Killed by adventurers (STILL ENDS UP DYING, regardless of whether or not Orgrim did the action)

Gul’dan:

-Dies in our timeline against a Horde of demons and “Sargeras”

-Falls to Burning Legion corruption in both timelines

-Even after the Iron Horde’s contact with the Legion is broken, Gul’dan STILL continues to communicate and strategize with them

Ner’zhul:

-“Dies” in both timelines

-Becomes a master of the undead in both timelines

-Transcends his physical form in both time lines

Orgrim Doomhammer:

-Dies in both timelines

-Wishes to liberate the orcs and free the innocent in BOTH timelines

Kargath:

-Dies in both timelines

-Loses his “bladefist” when dying in both timelines

-Falls under another person’s leadership in both timelines

The similarities between each timeline and the actual fates of these characters are too similar to simply dismiss. The fact is this: these people, EVERY person whose lives Garrosh altered by coming to this alternate timeline, are still meant to die. Their fates are sealed; it doesn’t matter how that fate is reached, as long as it is fulfilled.

Now, despite all this, you’re most likely wondering, “What does this have to do with the Burning Legion”?

Well, that’s where it gets a bit crazy, so I’m going to explain this next part bit by bit for the revelation to sort of sink in:

Since Garrosh is introduced to a timeline where he’s not supposed to exist, he gained the ability, again, to alter the lives and history of those present in said timeline, but unable to alter their actual fates.

The Orcs never invade Azeroth, thus the First War never happens. The First War was a plan set in motion by Medivh and the Burning Legion.

Because of Garrosh’s involvement, the Burning Legion has lost one of their prized Generals and their more manipulative means of invading Azeroth.

Because of Garrosh’s involvement, all the lives meant to be lost during the First War are never lost.

Because the First War never happened, all these lives still have to be lost in some way, shape, or form.

Do you understand what I’m implying? I’ll spell it out for you:

The lives upon Azeroth, and even Draenor, that were meant to be forfeit to the First War are never lost. The timelines, since “time is a flat circle”, must rectify itself to retain this perfect, circular, infinite loop.



Garrosh may have prevented the First War, but will all those lives still have to be lost in some way, shape, or form?

Picture courtesy of UdonCrew

Due to the work of Garrosh as an anomaly, time itself has introduced a multitude of tools to rectify itself.

And what tools would those be?

Us and the alternative timeline’s Burning Legion.

A huge misconstrued point in my last piece (link the Burning Legion article here) was that “Warlords of Draenor” is THE Burning Legion expansion (ending with us slaying Sargeras, Kil’jaeden, etc.). I didn’t mean that as the case.

More-so, I meant that the Burning Legion will have a massive influence on the expansion, much more than we were expecting, and may even be setting the stage for a massive Burning Legion themed expansion.

This evidence, this theory supports that and even goes as far as to prove an imminent Burning Legion invasion if this is truly how time works within “World of Warcraft”. The timeline we inhabit during “Warlords of Draenor” is moving rapidly to rectify itself due to the damage inflicted by its invading anomalies (Garrosh, Kairoz). Because of Garrosh and Kairoz’s selfish intentions (whatever Kairoz’s true endgame was/is remains a mystery), time is trying to repair itself with any means it can.

This has been part one of a two part article. Check out Part Two next week when we cover:

“Time is a Flat Circle”: Part Two – Wrathion, Kairoz, and the future of Warcraft