Kith'ix

Kith'ix
Race	C'Thrax
Affiliation(s)	Old Gods' forces, Black Empire, Azj'Aqir
Location	Buried under Zul'Aman
Status	Deceased

Kith'ix was a powerful C'Thraxxi general of the Old Gods. Alongside Zakajz the Corruptor, it was freed from its titan-forged prison by Keeper Loken and sent to battle Keeper Tyr after the latter stole the Discs of Norgannon. Unlike Zakajz, Kith'ix survived the battle with Tyr and came to rest near the Zandalar Mountains. It was reawakened thousands of years later and rallied the insectoid aqir into founding the empire of Azj'Aqir and waging war on the trolls, until it was defeated by the Amani tribe in the spot where the city of Zul'Aman was later built.

Biography

During the reign of the Black Empire, Kith'ix and Zakajz served as the empire's most ruthless and cunning C'Thraxxi generals. When the empire fell, they and other n'raqi were sealed away in underground chambers by the keepers.

After Tyr and his allies stole the Discs of Norgannon from Ulduar, the traitorous keeper Loken unearthed the tombs of Kith'ix and Zakajz and sent them to slay Tyr and reclaim the discs. Sensing Yogg-Saron's influence on Loken's mind, the two readily obeyed the keeper. Kith'ix and Zakazj overtook Tyr and his allies in the lands that would become the Tirisfal Glades. Fearing for his allies' lives, Tyr chose to hold off the C'Thraxxi alone so his companions could escape. The C'Thraxxi grappled with Tyr for six days and nights, torrents of arcane and shadow energy ripping through the glade. In the end, Tyr sacrificed all of his remaining power and life force in a blinding explosion of arcane energy that killed Zakajz and nearly killed Kith'ix. Despite being gravely wounded, Kith'ix survived and blindly fled southwest before collapsing at the base of the Zandalar Mountains and falling into a deep hibernation. Reeling from its presence, the loa inhabiting the area buried Kith'ix beneath the earth so that no other creature would disturb it.

Kith'ix's resting place, which appeared as a small mound of blackened stone, was forbidden by the Zandalar tribe's witch doctors and priests. The loa warned the tribes' mystics of severe consequences should they disturb the black stones. Though it remained undisturbed for thousands of years, eventually the sentient dagger Xal'atath led the troll Zan'do and his followers to the forbidden mound, where they discovered that it was not rock but the hide of some monstrous creature. Believing it to be an undiscovered loa so powerful that the other spirits were afraid of it, they performed profane rituals—offering blood sacrifices and plunging Xal'atath into its hide—to awaken the C'Thraxxi general from his slumber. Kith'ix brutally slaughtered the trolls in recompense.

Knowing it would please the Old Gods to see the trolls' civilization annihilated, Kith'ix reached out with his mind and found the aqir, who had hidden deep underground since the fall of the Black Empire. The C'Thrax rallied the insectoid swarms to reclaim the surface of Azeroth once more. As both Kith'ix and the aqir expanded their power, they constructed a vast subterranean empire known as Azj'Aqir. When Kith'ix judged their strength sufficient, he led them out of their tunnels to sweep across the land. Though the trolls were formidable foes, the aqir were unlike anything they had ever faced. Many smaller tribes were completely consumed by the swarms. Kith'ix himself proved an extremely powerful foe as well, unleashing the dark powers of Xal'atath upon the trolls. However, the Zandalari rallied the tribes against this new foe and summoned the loa to fight by their side, tearing through the aqiri ranks and even wounding Kith'ix.

The aqir were forced to retreat and the gravely wounded Kith'ix fled to the northeast with its closest aqiri followers to regain its strength while the rest of the insectoids continued the war against the trolls. Unwilling to leave their enemies unchecked, the Zandalari sent the most ambitious tribes to hunt down the aqir and establish new strongholds across Azeroth. The Amani tribe tracked Kith'ix's trail far to the northeastern woodlands, cutting through an unending mass of aqiri guardians. In a final battle, the entire tribe launched a suicidal attack on Kith'ix and its remaining minions. Only a tiny fraction of the Amani survived, but the C'Thrax succumbed to its hunters. Atop the site where they had killed Kith'ix, the trolls established a settlement which would one day grow into the temple city of Zul'Aman. With the C'Thrax gone, the aqir no longer fought with as much ferocity and the war—which continued for several more centuries—shifted dramatically in the trolls' favor.

Notes and trivia

• The C'Thrax model used by Mythrax in Battle for Azeroth is named "kith'ix.m2" in the files. In an ArtStation post by character artist Kenny McBride, who designed Mythrax's model, Mythrax's image file is also labeled kithix.
  • Aside from the model name, Mythrax also shares a number of striking similarities with Kith'ix. They were both powerful C'Thraxxi who invaded Zandalar with armies of Old God minions in ancient times before being defeated (by loa or by trolls aided by loa) and subsequently buried under large troll structures. They both wielded sentient weapons with similar names (Xal'atath and Xalzaix), and the structures under which they were buried are also named very similarly (Zul'Aman and Atul'Aman). Despite this, however, Mythrax was never mentioned to be related to Kith'ix in any way until it was confirmed at BlizzCon 2018 that Mythrax's invasion of Vol'dun occurred during the Aqir and Troll War, in which Mythrax served as general. It is possible that Kith'ix was originally intended to be used in Mythrax's place.
•  [Obsidian Statue of Kith'ix] can be looted from Treasure Piles after defeating Opulence in the Battle of Dazar'alor.

Speculation

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.

• As he is buried under Zul'Aman and was once thought to be a loa, Kith'ix may be the source of the darker essence that Hex Lord Malacrass bound within himself.
• In the Warcraft RPG, a deity called Ula-Tek, presumed to be connected to the Old Gods, was being worshiped in the Zul'Aman area called the Shrine of Ula'Tek. Given their connections to Zul'Aman and to the Old Gods, it could be speculated that Kith'ix replaced (or was at least partially inspired by) Ula'Tek in canon.