Great roots
The great roots[1][2] of an immense, unnamed tree extend into several parts of northwestern Azj-Kahet. The secretive haranir are responsible for protecting them.[3] Their oaths forbid them from divulging any details about the subject to outsiders,[1][4] but Orweyna claims that the roots are "part of something much greater than you know".[5] The tree of which they are a part provides sustenance for many living things.[6] Wherever the roots stretch, they seem to create an abundance of wild vegetation and a sense of peace.[7][8]
The roots are most conspicuous in the Whispering Chasm near the border with Hallowfall, where they burst out of the western cavern walls, accompanied by a green glow, and wind their way down into the Ruptured Lake, having some time ago pierced the former lakebed and caused its water to drain away.[9][10] A population of "root ancients"[11] lived in the area before the lake's draining.[9] Past the Ruptured Lake, the roots continue running south along Azj-Kahet's western walls, cradling Wildcamp Or'lay before winding down into the Breathing Pit, where a tip of them have made contact with a pool of Black Blood.[5] Black Blood poses a grave threat to the roots,[3] and Orweyna fears that the nerubian excavations of the substance, such as in the Twitching Gorge, could allow the blood to spread and taint the roots.[12] One of the Black Blood-tainted creatures trapped in the Unseeming in the Maddening Deep is a Warped Sapling, who carries a "piece of root once belonging to a tree"[13] (and there are no other trees in Azj-Kahet).
Another portion of the roots penetrates east into the Wormlands, where a pack of cave borers, brought together by the nerubian Wormcaller Iz'tikrine,[14] threatened to consume them until adventurers worked with Greenspeaker Na'layro to stop them.[6]
Notes
- Players can fly near the top of the spiral-shaped root cluster above the Whispering Chasm for a Skyriding Glyph, but if they attempt to fly much higher, they will be stunned by a
Drowsy debuff, the screen will fade to green, and they will be transported back down to the bottom of the Ruptured Lake.
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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The haranir never outright name the tree in question, but it is almost certainly the legendary world tree Elun'Ahir, whose roots supposedly continued to flourish deep underground after its trunk was destroyed by Aman'Thul. This would make the haranir the "mysterious guardians" who dedicated their lives to protecting the roots.[15] The beta version of the quest 
[78-80] Boom or Blight explicitly referred to the roots as belonging to a world tree, but the description was changed before release. In addition, the roots' tendency to grow in spiral patterns and the aforementioned green glow and Drowsy debuff in the Whispering Chasm imply a connection to the Emerald Dream.
Gallery
A portion of the roots emerging above Livia's Patience.
The Whispering Chasm.
The roots growing through the Whispering Chasm down into the Ruptured Lake.
Wildcamp Or'lay nestled among the roots.
A partially-corrupted portion of the roots around the entrance to the Breathing Pit.
Orweyna and one of the roots in the "Shadows Beneath" cinematic.
Orweyna performing a ritual with the roots.
References
- ^ a b Orweyna quotes
- ^ [78-80] Boom or Blight
- ^ a b [78-80] Enemies Abound
- ^ [78-80] Leave No Trace
- ^ a b [78-80] Fear the Old Blood
- ^ a b [78-80] Boom or Blight
- ^ Ysabel Gleamgaard quotes
- ^ Margaret Glynnpray
- ^ a b [78-80] Ancient Respite
- ^ Bronze Timekeeper: Pit Plunge
- ^ [78-80] Tense Recovery
- ^ [78-80] Field Research
- ^
[Root Sliver]
- ^ [78-80] Intention vs Instinct
- ^
[The Legend of Elun'Ahir]