Primal Incarnates

Primal Incarnates
Main leader	Iridikron
Secondary leaders	Fyrakk † Raszageth †
Formerly	Vyranoth
Race(s)	Proto-dragon
Base of operations	Unknown
Formerly	Harrowsdeep
Affiliation	Primalists
Status	Active

The Primal Incarnates are ancient proto-dragons who refused the gift of the titans and stand opposed to dragonkind, wishing to cleanse the world of the stain of the Pantheon. Analogous to the Aspects of the dragonflights, Raszageth the Storm-Eater, Iridikron the Stonescaled, Vyranoth the Frozenheart, and Fyrakk the Blazing lead a group of followers called the Primalists, who turned to the elements and became infused with their primal power.

Tensions arose between Primalists and dragonflights, eventually leading to a cataclysmic war that took place about 20,000 years ago. The dragons ultimately won and imprisoned Raszageth within the Froststone Vault in the Forbidden Reach, and the three others within the Vault of the Incarnates in Thaldraszus. This ancient, titanic prison is a raid in World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.

History

War of the Scaleborn

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

While the titans uplifted the Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights, a group of ancient proto-dragons refused their gift, believing that dragonkind should remain unchanged by Order magic and should instead choose to return to their roots and embrace their inherent elemental energies. Spurning the titans' interference, these rebels drank deep from the elemental powers of the planet and were reborn as the Primal Incarnates. Despite all the work that the Aspects and their dragonflights had accomplished since their creation, these "Primalist" proto-dragons demanded that Keeper Tyr be exiled from the dragons' new home. When the Aspects refused, it sowed the seeds of rebellion for the Primalists.

Iridikron was the one who discovered the method by which the proto-dragons could imbue themselves with elemental energies to become the Primal Incarnates, but he was not the first to do so. Fyrakk was the first to survive the process, and Iridikron then recruited Raszageth as the second without Fyrakk's consent. Iridikron was the third to become an Incarnate, after which he usurped control of the Primalists from Fyrakk. The final Incarnate to join was Vyranoth, who although she distrusted the titans, her friendship with Alexstrasza had convinced her to initially try and give the ordered dragons a chance despite her misgivings.

Neltharion was concerned about the festering schism between Primalists and dragonflights, but Alexstrasza dismissed his concerns, hoping to resolve the tensions through communication. Fearing conflict was coming, Neltharion created the dracthyr and prepared for war.

Neltharion didn't have enough time to perfect his creation. About 20,000 years ago Raszageth, the Storm-Eater, struck first at dragonkind by attacking the Forbidden Reach. With the Oathbinder broken, Neltharion lost control of the dracthyr, and resorted to submitting to the whispers of the Old Gods for the first time, using his newfound powers to banish Raszageth to the Froststone Vault. He then discarded the dracthyr and stashed them away in their creches where they were put in stasis indefinitely.

Vyranoth did not become an Incarnate until after Raszageth was imprisoned. Raszageth was her friend, and the news of her imprisonment combined with the revelation that the Aspects had been kidnapping proto-dragon eggs to infuse with Order magic, despite Alexstrasza promising Vyranoth that being ordered would never be forced on someone, were what finally convinced Vyranoth to join Iridikron.

A cataclysmic conflict ensued between Primalists and dragonflights known as the War of the Scaleborn. Vyranoth and Fyrakk were ever loyal to the Incarnate's ideals, but Iridikron truly embraced the war. At the end, he struck terrible bargains to keep their cause alive. Alexstrasza believes the other incarnates never knew the true depths of his depravity. Despite the Primalists' alliance with the djaradin to end the dragons' reign, the remaining Primal Incarnates were ultimately defeated, but Alexstrasza, having failed to restore peace between the two groups, still couldn't bear to kill them given they had once been as close as clutch-mates, and decided to imprison them instead, within the titanic Vault of the Incarnates.

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

20,000 years later, a group of Primalists, now visibly also consisting of mortal races having joined their cause, resurfaced and were led by Kurog Grimtotem to the Forbidden Reach where they freed Raszageth the Storm-Eater. She unleashed storms across the world's oceans, preventing travel to the Dragon Isles and indefinitely making the Reach inaccessible, and sent the Primalists to invade various points across the globe. She then set out to free her kin from the Vault of the Incarnates. The Aspects, realizing they would not be able to stop them after having given up their titan-gifted powers to defeat Deathwing, began searching for a way to get their powers back. Kalecgos also asked Khadgar to rally the mortal races against the oncoming threat.

After attacking the Ruby Life Pools and Vakthros, she succeeded in releasing her brethren from the Vault, but died in the process. Seeing how Raszageth's haste led to her downfall, Alexstrasza speculated that the Incarnates would retreat and gather their strengths first, and that Iridikron's mastery of the earth would harbor them in the meantime.

Fyrakk was eager to take revenge for their sister, but Iridikron did not want to rush in and believed they needed to even the scales with the Aspects first. The Incarnates adventured to the Forbidden Reach as the last echoes of Raszageth's storm faded, where they breached an ancient vault belonging to Neltharion and found a device that would give them the location of Aberrus, the Earth-Warder's secret laboratory. While they had no interest in the laboratory itself, they sought the molten fire that could be found below. Scalecommander Sarkareth and the Sundered Flame followed behind them secretly to claim Neltharion's legacy.

They found one of the hidden entry points to Zaralek Cavern right below Valdrakken, where they broke through the ground and sent Fyrakk down, blazing through the earth, to claim the elemental power below and wake the djaradin's Elders at the Zaqali Caldera. Fyrakk consumed the Shadowflame that powered Aberrus, despite the Black dragonflights attempts at stopping him, and woke the imprisoned djaradin elders, including their blacksmith Igira. Empowered by shadowflame, Fyrakk and his disciples unleashed havoc across the Dragon Isles, while the djaradin and Primalists began to gather suffused materials for a nefarious project.

Meanwhile, Iridikron had struck a deal with the infinite dragonflight, in exchange for taking him to the time of Galakrond's death, he would distract any interlopers who would try to stop them from corrupting Nozdormu into Murozond. Chromie and a party of adventurers traveled back in time and stopped him from draining Galakrond's corpse, however, this would allow the Infinites to bring about Murozond. Deciding to save her aspect instead, Chromie rewound time and focused their efforts on stopping Chrono-Lord Deios instead, allowing Iridikron to finish his mission. With Galakrond's essence absorbed into the Dark Heart, he disappeared into a void tear.

After Iridikron departed, he left the war against aspects in the hands of Fyrakk and Vyranoth. Fyrakk had set his sights on Amirdrassil, the nascent world tree, and struck a deal with the Druids of the Flame, in exchange for granting him access to the Emerald Dream, he would ensure their immortality. The influence of the shadowflame made Fyrakk crueler and more unhinged, causing a rift between him and Vyranoth. This culminated when Fyrakk revealed that he intended to corrupt Amirdrassil with shadowflame, which disgusted Vyranoth, and led to her warning Alexstrasza of her brother's plan. Igira forged  [Fyr'alath the Dreamrender] from the materials they collected and had it blessed by the Druids of the Flame, allowing Fyrakk and his army to enter the Dream. Vyranoth sided with the Aspects during Fyrakk's invasion, battling against him as he laid siege to the Wellspring Temple. Fyrakk was eventually able to bring down the barriers protecting the temple and entered the world tree. He was killed by adventurers with the aid of the Aspects at the heart of Amirdrassil, while Vyranoth was empowered by Azeroth and became an Aspect herself.

Some time after the death of Fyrakk and the blooming of Amirdrassil, Iridikron sent a message to Vyranoth, requesting a parlay alone with her. She agreed and met within the snowy mountains of Valdrakken, where he condemned her for abandoning the Primalists' war. However, Vyranoth countered that it was Iridikron who abandoned the war and Fyrakk to his death for some "trinket" that Neltharion left behind. The Stonescaled countered that the Dark Heart was no trinket and that it was now in the hands of the Harbinger, justifying his bargain in that he trusts the Void's hunger to remove the titan's stain from their world. Vyranoth, however, refused to be a part of his war any longer, leaving Iridikron disappointed and angered, stating that the Incarnates' bond was at an end. Before departing, Iridikron told Vyranoth that she would not see him again until the titans face their reckoning but warned her to stay out of his way.

Known

Name	Title	Description	Status
Fyrakk	The Blazing	Along with his brethren, he rejected the gift of the titans and turned to the elements instead, becoming an incarnation of fire. While every ounce as powerful as Iridikron, he lacks the discipline to focus that strength into singular goals and would be just as happy burning his own followers down as he would his enemies. While Iridikron always had his schemes, Fyrakk has only sought out power.	Deceased
Iridikron	The Stonescaled	Along with his brethren, he rejected the gift of the titans and turned to the elements instead, becoming an incarnation of the earth itself.	Alive
Raszageth	The Storm-Eater	Was one of the Primal Incarnates who led the Primalists. Along with her brethren, she rejected the gift of the titans and turned to the elements instead, becoming an incarnation of storm. She was the youngest of the four.	Deceased

Former members

Name	Title	Description	Status
Vyranoth	The Frozenheart	One of the four Primal Incarnates. Along with her brethren, she rejected the gift of the titans and turned to the elements instead, becoming an incarnation of frost. She joined the Aspects after Fyrakk's attack on the Emerald Dream and was empowered by Azeroth following her brother's defeat at Amirdrassil, alongside the Aspects proper.	Alive

Notes

• In an early pre-release interview, the Primal Incarnates were described as "followers of Galakrond" and "children of Galakrond [who believe that] dragons are the apex of creation [and] should be served by mortals, rather than the other way around." This has not been mentioned or alluded to since.
• The Incarnates started using visage forms after they saw ordered dragons start to use them to meet with mortals. But rather than do so to avoid scaring mortals as the ordered dragons did, the Incarnates made their elemental visages to move about enemy territory in smaller forms that would be harder to spot.
  • Raszageth is the only Incarnate whose visage form has never been shown.