The Maw bombardment operation was scheduled to last just three days. From deployment to completion, there would be no downtime; the pressure was relentless.
Led by Rowan, the Maw Reconnaissance Force entered the Shadowlands through the shadow gate in Northrend's Icecrown Citadel.
This journey into the Maw differed from their last. Rowan's party did not pass through Oribos's Ancient Engine and Anima Riptide to reach the hub of the Shadowlands.
All the Anima Riptides connecting the realms had failed. When the team entered an Anima Riptide passage, turbulent currents threw them off course.
Under arcane protection, every member of the team entered the Maw.
Flames burned across the sky, and the shadows of death were everywhere.
A biting wind swept over them. Everywhere they looked, vicious, brutal Twisted Constructs roamed.
This was the world of the dead. Every Guardian and Archmage who entered the Maw felt the oppressive force of the Underworld.
An invisible pressure bore down on the Archmages' souls, forcibly afflicting them with a mental suppression debuff.
Mental suppression came with a variety of negative effects. It could affect a caster's casting speed, reduce the power of their spells, or even impair their accuracy.
The veteran Guardians, and even Khadgar, tried to temporarily suppress the debuff with Mental Fortification as soon as they sensed it.
But that terrifying pressure was like a tumor rooted deep in their souls. They could neither escape it nor remove it.
Fortunately, the Guardians were veterans who had weathered great crises. They quickly adjusted and created a shared Energy Resonance Field, expanding their collective casting range and using greater overall output to reduce their margin for error.
According to Al'Dimor's compiled intelligence on the Maw, anyone from the World of the Living, or any newly arrived soul, would immediately attract the Jailer's attention