Uldaman. Galen found himself revisiting the ancient lands of Arathor. A slight sense of unfamiliarity washed over him. His previous travels were invariably in the company of Sylvanas or Alleria, or perhaps Valeera with her long, graceful legs. Why was he now alongside Aragorn? I am a paladin, that is true, but I am no pure and ascetic knight! This simply will not do; a change is needed!
The Uldaman of this visit bore little resemblance to the excavation site Galen had encountered two years prior. The messy dig at the entrance had vanished, replaced by a spacious square. The bronze gate no longer bore the marks of rust, diligently maintained by the earthen until it gleamed.
Ironaya greeted Galen at the dungeon's entrance. Unlike the often-slow reactions of the guardian dragons, this veteran Titan construct, one of the original nine, instantly recognized the Silver Hand warhammer held by Aragorn.
"This…" A look of reminiscence flickered in Ironaya's eyes. "This is the warhammer that Archaedas forged with Tyr's remaining arm so long ago…"
"Now that the Silver Hand warhammer and Tyr's secret letter have appeared simultaneously, perhaps we can finally find a way to resurrect Tyr!" Galen and Aragorn exchanged a significant glance, then Galen gestured for Ironaya to lead them deeper into Uldaman.
As they walked, Galen spoke. "Ironaya, we have indeed come regarding Tyr, but not because of the discoveries within Uldaman."
"Oh?" Ironaya paused, her stone face showing a hint of curiosity. "Is there something amiss with Ulduar?"
"No, it concerns me." Aragorn, sensing they had ventured far enough into the Titan facility to be beyond casual eavesdropping, held aloft the Silver Hand and once again activated his Tyr's Soul. "I am the reincarnation of Tyr. The Silver Hand has awakened my remnant soul!"
Boom! Ironaya's massive feet halted abruptly. Surprise and suspicion flickered across her stony features. Uldaman had just unearthed information left by Tyr, and now a being claiming to be his remnant soul appeared. Could this ally have been corrupted by the Old Gods in Northrend? Yet, the undeniable power of order emanating from Tyr's phantom resonated with an intense familiarity within her. Among all the guardians, Tyr was unique. His energy signature naturally aligned with the Holy Light, earning him the title of King of Order. He was the vanguard of the Titan guardians against the forces of evil, a veritable God of War! If he too… had succumbed… no, if he was also corrupted, what hope remained for this world? This thought sparked a flicker of desperate hope in Ironaya's sapphire eyes. "Tyr, is it truly you? How did you come to inhabit a human form?"
"It is I. To sever the grasp of the evil god, I chose self-destruction, perishing alongside them. Though I was fortunate enough to be reborn, my soul suffered grievous damage, and many memories are lost."
Ironaya listened to the familiar voice, her excitement growing. Just as she was about to speak, the ground trembled. "Tyr! Tyr! I sense Tyr's aura! Where is he?" Archaedas's booming voice echoed through Uldaman, and his dark, imposing form appeared in the passage. He instantly recognized the phantom of Tyr's soul. Unlike Ironaya, he and Tyr were among the nine great guardians. His Titan authority allowed him to directly sense the identical source of aura emanating from Aragorn. "It truly is you, Tyr! Welcome back!"
"It is I, old friend. Long has it been!" The three Titan creations then fell into reminiscing about bygone eras, while Galen took the opportunity to tour the newly renovated dungeon.
Numerous earthen were diligently at work, filling in the tunnels and mine shafts haphazardly excavated by the troggs. An earthen guide informed Galen that the violent, failed creations had been subdued by the King of Earth and resealed. They had now fully awakened the earthen army. Thanks to the troggs' extensive digging, the dungeon's size had doubled, and it was during this expansion that they had discovered the treasure left by Tyr. As for the nature of the treasure, the earthen guide was uncertain, stating that the King of Earth himself now personally guarded that particular cavern.
During the tour, Galen carefully assessed the strength of the earthen. The majority of the 300,000-strong army possessed only intermediate strength, with only a select few elites exhibiting advanced capabilities. Nevertheless, Uldaman's military might could easily overwhelm any secular nation, already comparable to the strength of the First Orcish Horde. Taking Lordaeron as an example, this human kingdom boasted a population exceeding two million before the orcish invasion, nearing three million before the Scourge's devastation. Yet, even with such numbers, their standing army numbered only around 100,000, with local militias in various provinces and villages bringing the total to a maximum of 150,000. A conscription rate of twenty to one was considered normal. During the Orc War, Stromgarde's conscription rate was significantly higher, drawing nearly 100,000 troops from a population of over 800,000. And even a 100,000-strong army was mostly of elementary strength. In the eyes of the Titan Guardians, such forces were mere cannon fodder, easily mass-produced with the simple press of a construction button!
Unfortunately, Loken possessed the Origin Forge. In addition to shaping the nascent senses of the nascent star-soul, it could also create new Titan constructs, imbuing rocks and metals with life using Azeroth's own essence. Rock vrykul, iron vrykul, earthen, Anubis giants, lion-human tovir, and mogu were all products of the Will Forge. Under the Old Gods' influence, Loken had constructed vast armies of iron dwarves and iron vrykul, deploying them to guard vital facilities throughout the Storm Peaks. This was the stark difference between a cheater and an ordinary player. Galen couldn't help but sigh.
At this moment, the earthen guide's body stiffened, as if summoned. He bowed to Galen. "Highlord, the King of Earth requests your presence!"
"Alright, lead the way!" After wandering for so long, Galen had become thoroughly disoriented. Without a guide, he had no hope of finding his way back. Under the earthen's guidance, Galen approached the Hall of Khaz'goroth, the booming voice of the King of Earth growing louder with each step