Kith'ix
 Kith'ix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Race | C'Thrax (Aberration) |
| Level | 70 Elite |
| Resource | Mana |
| Reaction | Alliance Horde |
| 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 from Ulduar. Zakajz was killed in the battle, but Kith'ix survived 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 killed by the Amani tribe in the spot where the city of Zul'Aman was later built.
Biography
Black Empire
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.[1]
Battle with Tyr
After Tyr and his allies stole the Discs of Norgannon from Ulduar, the traitorous keeper Loken excavated the tombs of Kith'ix and Zakajz and sent them to slay Tyr and reclaim the discs. The C'Thraxxi sensed Yogg-Saron's influence on Loken's mind and readily obeyed.[1] Kith'ix and Zakajz slipped past Tyr's ally Yrgrim[2] and headed south, eventually overtaking Tyr and his allies in the land 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, holy, and shadow energy ripping through the glade. In the end, knowing that he and his foes were evenly matched, Tyr sacrificed all of his remaining power and life force in a massive explosion of arcane and holy energy that killed Zakajz and nearly killed Kith'ix.[1][3][4] Though gravely wounded, Kith'ix survived and blindly fled southwest[1] before collapsing at the base of the Zandalar Mountains and falling into a deep hibernation. The loa who inhabited the area reeled from its presence and buried the C'Thrax beneath the earth so that no other creature would disturb it.[5]
Azj'Aqir and the trolls
- Main article: Aqir and Troll War
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. It remained undisturbed for thousands of years, but eventually the sentient dagger Xal'atath led the troll Zan'do and his followers to the mound. Believing the creature to be a powerful loa, Zan'do and his followers performed blood rituals to awaken the creature, ending with Zan'do plunging Xal'atath into its hide. Kith'ix rumbled to life and slaughtered the trolls who'd revived it.[5][6]
Knowing it would please the Old Gods to see the trolls' civilization annihilated, Kith'ix reached out with its mind and found the aqir, who had hidden deep underground since the fall of the Black Empire. The C'Thrax rallied the insectoids to reclaim the surface of Azeroth once more. While Kith'ix recovered, the aqir constructed the vast subterranean empire of Azj'Aqir. When the time was right, Kith'ix led the aqir out of their tunnels to sweep across the land. The aqir were unlike anything the trolls had ever faced, and numerous smaller troll tribes were destroyed by the insectoids.[5] Kith'ix itself used Xal'atath's full power to weaken the trolls with pestilence and visions of death.[6] As the aqir approached the Zandalar Mountains, the Zandalari trolls united the tribes into the Empire of Zul to destroy the attackers. Priests summoned the loa, who fought alongside the trolls, ripped through the aqiri ranks, and managed to wound Kith'ix.[5]
The aqir were forced to retreat, and the gravely wounded Kith'ix fled northeast with its closest aqiri followers to recover while the rest of the insectoids continued the war. The Zandalari sent the most ambitious troll tribes to hunt down the aqir and establish new strongholds across Kalimdor. 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.[5]
Abilities
- During
[70] Tyr's Fall
Corrupted Dominion — Channeled. Creates an area of corrupted ground under the caster, inflicting Shadow damage to all enemies every 1 sec for 10 sec.
Notes and trivia
- The quest [70] Tyr's Fall portrays Kith'ix's battle with Tyr differently from earlier sources. Instead of Tyr battling Kith'ix and Zakajz simultaneously while his allies escape and Kith'ix escaping only after Tyr and Zakajz's deaths, Tyr fights Kith'ix together with Archaedas and Ironaya until the C'Thrax retreats, after which Tyr goes to battle Zakajz alone.
- It is possible that Kith'ix was originally intended to be used in Mythrax's place. 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.[7]
- Ironically, when Kith'ix did appear in-game during [70] Tyr's Fall, he did not use this model.
[Obsidian Statue of Kith'ix] can be looted from Treasure Piles after defeating Opulence in the Battle of Dazar'alor.
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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- As it 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.[8][9]
- In the Warcraft RPG, a deity called Ula-Tek, presumed to be connected to the Old Gods, was 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.
Patch changes
Patch 10.1.0 (2023-05-02): Added.
References
- ^ a b c d World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 62 - 63
- ^ Libram of Ancient Kings: Truthguard
- ^ Libram of Ancient Kings: The Silver Hand
- ^ [70] Reforging the Tyr's Guard: Travard says: He gathered all the Light within him and unleashed it at the C'thraxxi, destroying him. But Tyr perished as well.
- ^ a b c d e World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 72 - 73
- ^ a b Word of the Conclave: Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire
- ^ The Lost Codex 2018-11-03. Blizzcon 2018 Interview: Alex Afrasiabi & Patrick Dawson - Story and Systems | The Lost Codex. YouTube. Retrieved on 2018-11-03.
- ^ Hex Lord Malacrass
- ^ Hex Lord Malacrass (BC Classic)
External links
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