Rain fell without letup outside the tent, dense droplets pattering against the canvas. A campfire burned inside, with a roasted deer suspended above it. Fat dripped from the cooked meat into the flames, sizzling. Four elves sat around the fire. Three listened intently to the fourth, so absorbed that they paid no attention to the delicious food. The fourth elf held a bowl of wine in one hand and rhythmically gestured with the other, his movements rising and falling with his voice. The storyteller was Azar. It was as if he had returned to the lectern back on Earth, vividly recounting the story of the Mogu to his companions.
"Lei Shen was the son of a Mogu warlord who later became a great leader of the Mogu. Seeking to learn why the Titans had abandoned the Mogu thousands of years ago, he traveled far and wide. At last, in Kun-Lai Summit, he discovered the Titan Keeper Ra-den and his Mogu'shan Vaults. Lei Shen asked Ra-den why the Titans had abandoned the Mogu. Ra-den transported him to Thunder Isle and showed him a fragment of Aman'Thul's soul. He told Lei Shen that, in fact, when Sargeras first formed the Burning Legion, he had already killed the Titans of the Pantheon. The Titans who remained were merely fragments of Aman'Thul's soul. Ambitious Lei Shen ambushed Ra-den and seized his power. He returned to the Mogu'shan Vaults, obtained the Engine of Nalak'sha, reversed the Curse of Flesh, created the Mogu, who had bodies of stone to begin with, and began thousands of years of rule."
"Wait, dear uncle. That's a lot of information. Could you explain a few things?" Maiev was impatient.
"Go ahead and ask. A class where the students ask questions and get answers is a lively one." Azar took a sip of wine and replied casually.
"Who was Aman'Thul? Who was Sargeras? What did the Burning Legion do? And what was the Pantheon? How were the Titans and the Titan Keepers connected?"
"The Titans are guardians of order in the universe. When a world's world-soul matures to its fullest, it becomes a Titan. Titan Keepers are beings created by the Titans. When the Titans discovered that a world's world-soul had awakened, they would protect her and create Titan Keepers on that world. Their purpose was to guard the new Titan that was about to be born. The Titans granted the Keepers some of their own abilities and power. Ra-den, for example, possessed Aman'Thul's power over lightning. The Pantheon was made up of several Titans, much like our Council of Mages. Sargeras used to be a Titan, and the strongest of them in battle. But he fell and turned against the Titans. The Burning Legion was his band of underlings. Got it?" Saruman answered before Azar could. Azar gave him an approving look, as if to say, Good student. You did your homework in advance.
"How do you know so much?" Maiev asked, staring at Saruman in surprise.
"Being pretty is important for a girl, but having a well-read brain is important too." Saruman looked unbearably smug.
"What books? How come I don't know about them?"
"The Zandalari records. The mages have already organized them into a series called Origins of Azeroth. It's required reading at school. My main task is to verify and improve the series."
"Are you going to keep listening?" Azar asked lazily as he ate a piece of meat. He hated it when students in class took the discussion way off topic.
"Don't mind them. Please, go on," Falco said in his deep voice.
"To expand the territories of the Mogu Empire and the Zandalari Empire, Lei Shen and Zulasa invaded Uldum Oasis and tried to seize the Titan artifact, the Origination Device, from the Halls of Origination. Lei Shen told the Tol'vir, 'Submit to me or die.' In the end, the Tol'vir chose to resist him. When Lei Shen and Zulasa invaded the Halls of Origination, a suicide squad of Tol'vir activated the modified Origination Device. It killed Lei Shen and Zulasa instantly. Uldum was reshaped as well, and the oasis became a desert."
When he finished, he looked around at the three of them, as if to say, Question time. Go on, ask me something!
"I know who Zulasa was. He was the first ruler of the Zandalari! I know Uldum, too. It's in the north, in Drakkari territory. But who are the Tol'vir? Do you know, Saruman?"
"I don't know. They weren't mentioned in the books." Saruman looked to Azar, waiting for the teacher to explain.
"I don't know either. The books only say that they have feline heads and bodies like ours."
"If we get the chance, we should uncover these secrets ourselves." Once again, Falco summed things up.
"That's exactly what I think," Azar said seriously.
"The Mogu carried Lei Shen's body back to Kun-Lai Summit, hoping that one day they could use the Zandalari's power to resurrect him. But after Zulasa died, the Zandalari fell apart. And after Lei Shen died, the Mogu faced a revolt against their oppressors. A thousand years later, the Pandaren finally overthrew their rule."
"Your Highness, Prince, how do you view this part of history? Saruman begs you to enlighten him." As soon as he finished speaking, Saruman stood and bowed, then stepped aside. His words were solemn, and Falco and Maiev immediately understood. This was the gesture they had used most often when Azar first began teaching them. Yes, even now, with their status and knowledge so greatly advanced, Number 9 had not forgotten who he was. The elf before them had given him his opportunity. He had been the one to enlighten them.
"I'm glad you still remember all this. It shows that my efforts weren't wasted." He looked at the three of them fondly and nodded with satisfaction. Then he opened his arms and embraced them one by one before motioning for them to sit.
"Our people are thriving now. They live in peace and prosperity. Every civilization begins to advance once its people have solved the basic problem of survival. The Night Elves are no exception. They begin to ask three questions: Where did I come from? Why do I exist? Where am I going?"
"This part of history explains our Night Elf origins very well. It helps us understand where we stand in the long river of history..."
"I understand what you mean. The Zandalari underwent a great upheaval, and the Dark Trolls split away from them. Then turmoil arose among the Dark Trolls, and we split away from them. Perhaps we'll face problems of our own in the future, and split apart too."
"An excellent summary. We can learn from history and see the rise and fall of nations."
"What happened to the Mogu afterward?"
"According to the Zandalari records, the Mogu ushered in an era. It was in that era that order was introduced into the world we live in. They were creations of Ra-den, numerous in number, and their sole desire was to carry out their masters' will. That also explains why the Mogu had only two women. They were manufactured. According to the records, the Mogu personally shaped every mountain and valley in Pandaria. Every river, every lake, every mountaintop was built according to a sacred plan. The Mogu called their Titan master 'the Storm.' He was the guardian of the Mogu. The Mogu were an extension of his will: agents of order, naturally obedient and strong, charged with forging new worlds. Throughout the long river of history, the Mogu guarded the great creations of the Titans. From beginning to end, they obeyed their masters. From beginning to end, they were utterly obedient, standing vigilant for ten thousand years with hearts as steadfast as stone. Then came the era when their bodies of stone turned to flesh. No writings by the Mogu survived from that time. For them, the thought of breathing, bleeding, and even dying was a terrible reality they could hardly accept. Once they had bodies of flesh, all kinds of emotions and desires came with them: arrogance and greed, fear and anger. The Mogu were no longer united. They began fighting among themselves. Powerful Mogu warlords gathered their own followers, then began waging war against one another. Their battles turned the land to scorched earth and terrified the other mortal races. The Zandalari Wise called this period the 'War of the Hundred Kings.' We know what happened next: Lei Shen appeared. He unified the language, established a single currency, standardized weights and measures, and founded an empire. For the first time in history, the peoples of the land were united. The Troll nobility of the Zandalari and the Amani were also locked in conflict at the time. The Zandalari joined forces with Lei Shen, and together they built the solid foundations of an empire. After the Trolls rose to prominence, scholars—especially those of the Zandalari Empire—flocked to visit the First Dynasty. They were awed by the Mogu's achievements and power, and the alliance between the Troll Empire and the Mogu Empire grew stronger."
"So they went to investigate the source of the Curse of Flesh together, and died in Uldum?"
"Yes. After Lei Shen died, the Mogu fell into chaos. The Pandaren, Jinyu, and Hozen all began to rebel. The Pandaren rule that continent now."
"Jin'rokh is going to Thunder King Island? Does he want to resurrect Lei Shen? No, he doesn't have the power to do that. He must be a representative of some organization, right?" Falco said gravely.
"Then we should've killed him just now!" Maiev said excitedly.
"Everything under heaven has its own source. Let things take their natural course." Azar's words seemed to come out of nowhere. Only he knew that the Pandaren's rule was now at its height, and they had no chance of resurrecting Lei Shen. Let Jin'rokh go if he wanted to. Killing him now would serve no purpose; it would only harm their relationship with the Zandalari.
"All right, stop looking so glum. Don't forget our goal—to eat our way through every delicacy, see every beautiful sight, and listen to every tale! I hear the Pandaren are great cooks. The Mogu developed Pandaria, so the scenery must be one of a kind!"
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