Eternal

This article is about the classification used in the Warcraft RPG. For the rulers of the Shadowlands in canonical lore, see Eternal Ones.

This article contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Eternals are Azeroth's immortal beings. These demigods and demigods-like beings are immortals with nearly divine powers. Eternals are conduits to divine power for several faiths; these include the titans, Elune, the Ancient Guardians including Cenarius, Ursoc and Ursol, Malorne, Agamaggan, Aviana, Queen Azshara and Lord Xavius, the voodoo Loa spirits, the Elemental Lords and the Old Gods, etc. Eternal is the term used for many of the gods, goddesses, demigods, deities, divinities, and other revered beings who have interacted in Azeroth's history and molded the world.

The Eternals and even the goddess Elune share residence on the Material Plane of Azeroth with mortal beings. Only the titans remain as creatures who may originate from a place beyond the known planes.

Background

Eternals are the divine-like beings of Azeroth and the other planes, who shape the large arcs of history for good and ill. Many beings transcend the bounds of mortal power and play key roles in the world’s long history, either obvious or subtle. These beings are known as eternals. Wielding godlike powers, they battle to destroy or save the world, to disrupt or cultivate life upon Azeroth (and elsewhere).

These are beings known only in legends to the peoples of Azeroth. Yet they are beings who have shaped not only the course of history in the world of Azeroth, but often the world itself: the Elemental Lords, ruling over planes of pure power and awaiting the time when they will once again serve the banished Old Gods; the Titans, whom the dwarves believe created Azeroth and many of its races; the great and powerful dragons who watch over the titans’ creation; the moon goddess Elune, and the demigod-like beings She created to protect and guide the creatures of the land. They are the ancient powers. While mortals fight wars to lay claim to villages and kingdoms, the powers wage a perpetual struggle to determine who will dominate the whole of the universe, with Azeroth the nearest battlefield. Though rarely seen, the influence of the ancient powers is ever-present. It is known that They wrought Azeroth from pure chaos and formed it into the world it is today.

Most of the divine beings of Azeroth (known as eternals) are distant entities. They exist to assist those caught in the conflicts of a cruel, violent world. Never directly intervening in the affairs of the world, They use divine magic as a proxy. With their many healing and protective spells, practitioners of divine magic are at the vanguard of the Gods’ efforts to ensure Their peoples' survival. Priests whisper prayers to evoke power from beings such as Elune the Moon Goddess. Shadow hunters invoke the names of dark Gods (loa), ancient powers whose legends are stained in cruelty and bloodshed, but who are also capable of benevolence when appeased. For example a shadow hunter might venture onto grounds consecrated to the Old Gods and spill his own blood to entice the forces of primeval cruelty to come and visit their worst afflictions upon him.

The ancient powers rule supreme in their particular bastions, unsurpassed in power, knowledge and ability. Each also possesses its own personality and agenda, which has led each to interact with mortals in its own way. In some cases, an ancient power may take an interest in a hero early in her life. The powers have an innate understanding of prophecy and divination surpassing that of mortals, and they are often aware of a hero’s fate long before the hero takes her first steps onto the path of adventure. A power may send monsters to kill a nascent hero years before she has an opportunity to meddle in the power’s schemes, or it may subtly assist her by quietly guiding her toward allies, information or hidden artifacts that will help her achieve her destiny. When unable to act or unwilling to show their hands, the ancient powers use mortal heroes and villains as agents to further their own agendas — Sargeras used Azshara as his servant in an attempt to open the Well of Eternity, and the human wizard Rhonin was the cat's-paw of the dragons during the Second War. Heroes may be approached by an ancient power and asked to undertake a quest. They must take care when serving an Eternal, however, as completing a task for a power may mean incredible reward in thanks for a service well performed — or utter destruction as the Eternal hides its tracks.

A number of the eternals died during the War of the Ancients. This doesn’t, however, mean that those powers can have no influence in later eras. Many of the fallen powers still have followers 10,000 years later, such as the furbolg who follow in the path of the long-dead ursine demigods Ursoc and Ursol. Further, though written history says they perished, can eternals who possess the special quality of immortality truly die? Perhaps a "fallen" eternal simply sleeps away centuries while his wounds heal...

Eternals usually only appear before mortals only when they have truly earned the audience through their actions, such as by performing a great service to the eternal or by making a formidable stand against its plans. The tangled web of relationships among the eternals means that a favor performed for one may be a slight to several others.

Ancient powers operate not just on levels of power far above mortals, but also on a vastly different time scale: the youngest have lived a hundred mortal lifetimes, and their goals can lay millennia away. Events of the mortal world may be more than meaningless in the larger scope of history to Eternals. For those who are asked to undertake a mission on behalf of an Eternal, the Eternal may be unable or simply unwilling to explain the reasons behind the task to "mere mortals" who cannot possibly comprehend. The immortal lifespan of Eternals allows them to collect on debts from many decades previous, and they hold grudges much longer. For example; the great dragon Neltharion spent a lifetime disguised as a human noble, infiltrating the royal courts of Lordaeron and consolidating power in order to avenge himself upon the other dragon Aspects.

History of the Eternals

Below is a brief history covering eternals from the earliest known accounts to the present.

The Dawn of History

Most of the ancient powers were encountered during Azeroth's earliest days. It was the golden age of the powers, the dragons and Elune's servants watched over the young world, Elemental Lords thought the untamed land as comfortable as their home plane. Legends claim that the world's creators still lurked in the shadows finishing the details of their creation.

The Shattered World

In the aftermath of the War of the Ancients and the sundering of the world, the Burning Legion was forced off Azeroth. Azshara vanished, and the dragons went into hiding. Even the elementals retreated, and thousands of years would passed before mortal spellcasters discovered how to summon them back across the planar boundaries. Though the eternals who survived were largely unseen for almost 10,000 years, they were occasionally encountered. The eternals were humbled by Azshara's bold attempt to rise to their level of power, and remained reserved and distrustful of both mortals who sought them out and mortals whom they employed.

Current Age

Seers and scholars maintain that the Horde's arrival through the Dark Portal heralded the return of the ancient powers to mortal events. In the years since, the great dragons and the Elemental Lords have involved themselves in the war, and both Cenarius and Sargeras have returned. As the dwarves delve deeper into the lost secrets of the Titans, some have wondered whether the Titans ever truly left. Some have found they have unwittingly been drawn into or run afoul of the schemes of a returned eternal. The Eternals appear to have recovered from any uncertainty they suffered during their millennia of retreat, however, and those who seek them out do so at their own risk. Nearly every eternal has followers in the current age, from the worshippers of Elune among the night elves to the demon cults that revere the Burning Legion.

List of known Eternals

Ancient Guardians

The Ancient Guardians of the night elves are treated like deities. Primal spirits of the natural world when it was young, they personify its most distinct and most powerful qualities.

• Agamaggan
• Aviana
• Cenarius
• Malorne
• Ursoc
• Ursol

Dragon Aspects

Long ago charged by the titans to watch over the world, the Dragon Aspects have seen and participated in nearly all the great events of Azeroth's history. The Aspects, however, act in the world only when necessary; otherwise, they stay mostly removed from the mundane turning of days and seasons, focusing instead on leading their respective dragonflights.

• Alexstrasza the Life-Binder
• Malygos the Spell-Weaver
• Neltharion (Deathwing) the Earth-Warder
• Nozdormu the Timeless One
• Ysera the Dreamer

Elemental Lords

Former servants of the evil Old Gods, the Elemental Lords once ruled Azeroth. Yet when the titans defeated the Old Gods, they banished the Elemental Lords and all elementals to a planar prison known now as the Elemental Plane.

• Al'Akir the Windlord
• Neptulon the Tidehunter
• Ragnaros the Firelord
• Therazane the Stonemother

Elune

Elune the Goddess of the Moon is the only true goddess in the world, and the most powerful Eternal in Azeroth. In the world's infancy, she protected all living things and allowed them the chance to grow and thrive. Whenever she found violence, she would cast her calming influ- ence across the land so that peace and healing might be given another chance to thrive.

Lords of the Burning Legion

The Burning Legion is undoubtedly potent and some of its leaders possess demigod-like power. Those who worship demons draw terrible divine magic from their dark faith. Most demons are not eternals as Sargeras, Archimonde, and Kil'jaeden are the only confirmed exceptions.

• Sargeras the Fallen Titan
• Kil'jaeden the Deceiver
• Archimonde the Defiler

Old Gods

The Old Gods were the evil rulers of Azeroth before being defeated by the titans. They were the masters of the Elemental Lords.

• C'Thun
• Ula-tek - A serpent goddess, believed to be a old god.

Titans

Very little is known about the titans save for scraps the dwarves have unearthed and some vague night elf folklore. Few scholars actually believe the mighty demigods even existed. Legend holds that the great ones shaped the land when the world was young, then left the world to its own devices. There are two presumed types of titan, the stronger, smarter, more agile Aesir, and the tougher but less powerful Vanir. One scholar has postulated that there are other subspecies of titans. No titans have ever been spotted, and it is believed that they live among the stars where they continue to this day shaping new worlds.

• Aman'Thul the High Father
• Eonar the Lifebinder
• Norgannon the Lorekeeper
• Khaz'goroth the Shaper
• Golganneth the Thunderer
• Aggramar the Avenger

Loas

Loa spirits are more powerful than the elementals, but not as powerful as gods. All trolls worship a pantheon of primal forces; a sacred animal represents each aspect of the pantheon.

Mortals

These are mortals that have been claimed to be Eternals.

• Medivh
• Lord Xavius
• Queen Azshara

Notes

• Any dragon, elemental, fey, humanoid, monstrous humanoid, outsider, or undead could potentially become an eternal.
• The term "eternal" was coined by Bob Fitch and Chris Metzen because “immortal” didn’t feel right and “divine” also felt a bit awkward, although it was used in Warcraft III for units such as Cenarius (Whitewolf Quarterly, Fall 2004).
• Note that in the RPG game, contacting an eternal is the same as an Outer Plane demigod for the purpose of the Contact Other Plane ability. No beings are generally more powerful than eternals in the Warcraft universe, so making contact with a "lesser deity" or anything more powerful than a demigod is impossible.