With the fall of Voldrun, the Vrykul's ambitions to march into the Grizzly Hills were completely thwarted.
Losing Gjalerbron, a vital sleeping ground, meant the Vrykul's reserve forces suffered heavy losses. Once the "adrenaline" shot provided by Loken wore off, the Dragonflayer Vrykul no longer had the strength to maintain control north of Skorn.
Andreas did not follow Nawaz's continued march southward. Thorim, now lost in a state of confusion, needed his "guidance" even more.
Thorim was currently caught in a profound contradiction. Because Loken held so much power and authority, Thorim instinctively resisted believing that his brother had long ago betrayed them and defected to the enemy.
After the departures of Odyn and Ra-den, Loken, the Keeper of Wisdom, had become the primary authority in Ulduar.
If Loken had fallen, it meant all of Ulduar had been under his dark rule for over ten thousand years. One could guess with their toes that the condition of the other Keepers likely wasn't much better.
Though Thorim was more accustomed to using his fists than his brain, it didn't mean he was truly a fool.
The body of the Keeper Mimiron had been destroyed ten thousand years ago in an accidental experimental failure. He now inhabited the body of a Mechagnome. Looking back now, Thorim realized that even that "accident" reeked of a conspiracy.
Andreas sighed and offered comfort. "Thorim, I know your heart is heavy, but what has happened cannot be undone. Loken has spent ten thousand years under Yogg-Saron's corruption; he is beyond saving."
"But what about you? What do you plan to do next? You don't intend to recklessly charge into Ulduar to rescue the other Keepers, do you? To be blunt, that would be seeking your own death."
Thorim remained silent for a long time before offering a bitter smile. "I actually did have that thought. But cooling down and thinking it over, relying on my strength alone, there truly is no possibility of success, just as you said."
Helplessly, Thorim sat down on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. Veranus, the Proto-Drake Broodmother, stayed loyally by his side. This rare, sapient dragon mother nuzzled Thorim's neck, trying to comfort her master.
Proto-drakes were savage and primitive beasts; sapient individuals were one in ten thousand.
Back when Tyr sought to kill Galakrond, the Father of Dragons, it took him a long time to find the five smartest and strongest individuals among the proto-drakes. They later became the five Great Dragon Aspects.
Thorim silently patted Veranus's massive head. "I plan to follow the path Tyr once took. I'll first visit the tomb of my old friend, then continue south to the Uldaman you mentioned to find Archaedas."
Andreas shook his head. "Regrettably, Uldaman is currently in a state of total lockdown. Until someone opens it from the inside, the entire bunker is inaccessible."
During these past two thousand years, Andreas had visited the Badlands where Uldaman was located.
However, the vaults of Uldaman had not yet been opened before the Gnomes and Earthen departed. Even knowing the general location of the palace, Andreas could not accurately pinpoint the coordinates of its entrance.
"Is that so..."
Thorim pondered for a moment. "Then I shall stay near Tyr's tomb for the time being. I have nowhere else to go anyway."
Thorim had completely broken ties with Loken; continuing to live in the Storm Peaks would be a foolish decision. Meeting up with Archaedas at Uldaman was the best choice, though he didn't know how long he would have to wait for the vaults to open.
Although Thorim's flight was similar to Tyr's, he did not hold the Discs of Norgannon—which recorded Loken's crimes—as Tyr once did.
When Thorim quietly returned to the Storm Peaks to gather his kin, Loken did not send his iron armies to attack him. Instead, he calmly allowed Thorim to take all the Frost Vrykul away.
Introduced by Andreas, Thorim first took his kin to Dragonblight. With Malygos himself seeing them off, they traveled to Tirisfal Glades in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Before leaving, Thorim gave Andreas a well-intentioned warning: "That sword-shaped weapon in your hand... I have a sense of familiarity with it that I cannot place. The nature of your power also makes me somewhat uneasy. I hope you can guard your heart and not let your mind be blinded by dark forces."
...
Alexstrasza sighed softly as she watched the Frost Vrykul slowly pass through the portal. "I never expected the Keeper of Wisdom to truly be corrupted by Yogg-Saron. This is the worst news we have heard in thousands of years."
In her humanoid form, Ysera's brow furrowed slightly. "Ulduar has completely fallen. Yogg-Saron's jailers have instead become accomplices in his escape. I fear the Beast of a Thousand Maws will be the first Old God to break free from the Keepers' seal."
That's not necessarily true. These Old Gods are all better than the next at causing trouble.
Andreas remembered that the first one to jump out and cause a scene was C'Thun, the God of a Thousand Eyes sealed in Silithus.
"Sigh..."
Alexstrasza looked northward helplessly. "The Keeper Prime Odyn and Loken issued bans one after another, prohibiting the Dragonflights from entering Ulduar. Even knowing Loken is under heavy suspicion, there is nothing we can do."
...
After repelling the Vrykul and Loken, the Drakkari Trolls on the northern front saw they couldn't break through Shandris's iron-wall-like defense. They tactfully withdrew their troops, and Andreas didn't get a chance to launch a sneak attack on them.
The Furbolgs of the Grizzly Hills had become completely detached after that internal strife years ago. They could no longer form a unified great tribe, and countless small to medium-sized clans were scattered throughout the hills, living their own cozy lives.
With external threats resolved, what remained were the internal ones.
After several years of discussion and experimentation, Fandral planted Andrassil, the Crown of the Snowfield, in the Echoing Valley of northern Moonshadow's Rest.
Using the Leyline adjustment permissions he obtained from Malygos, Andreas diverted the originally barren Leyline routes around the valley. With an ample supply of magic, Andrassil grew rapidly.
Under the guidance of Fandral and the Treant Druid Elerothe, Andrassil perfectly bypassed Yogg-Saron's prison, spreading its roots beneath southern Northrend.
The anomalies in Northrend finally ended, and the high-ranking officials of the Night Elf Republic, who had been focused on this, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Handing over the defense duties to Nawaz's Northrend Expeditionary Force, Andreas and Shandris returned to Astranaar with Celeste and a still-unsatisfied Leticia.
...
"You want to learn combat techniques?"
Andreas looked at the determined Aurora before him with surprise. "Are you sure? Haven't you always been repulsed by 'crude' fighting and killing?"
Aurora shook her head. "That was then, this is now. I used to think the stable life in the Night Elf Republic was a given, but after seeing more of the world this time, I realized how shallow I was."
"There is no such thing as a 'given' stable life. The peace in the rear is carved out by the blood of the soldiers on the front lines. The war with the Trolls and Vrykul this time is proof of that."
Andreas and Shandris glanced at each other, exchanging thoughts through their eyes.
"Since you put it that way, your mother and I won't stop you."
Andreas said solemnly, "But remember, once you've made your decision, do not give up halfway. We will not be soft-hearted in your training."
Aurora nodded firmly. "I know. Dad, you can go ahead and be tough. I don't want to just stand in the back and watch your backs as you struggle."
Andreas smiled and ruffled his daughter's hair. "Little girl... you still have a long way to go."
"Celeste will be responsible for your basic introduction. For now, continue training with her and Leticia. Once they confirm you are ready, I will formally take you onto the real battlefield."
Aurora gave a playful, non-traditional military salute. "Understood, Dad and Mom! Just you wait for my performance! After you see me you old folkes will retire!"
Shandris: "Hmm?! Who did you call 'old'?"
Aurora: "..."