9.1: Chains of Domination

 With the start of Blizzcon, we have the trailer for 9.1, entitled "Kingsmourne," (which I guess means my "Shalamourne" name only lasted a day).

The trailer has a brief recap of what's going on in the end of the Torghast quests, but we get some real new developments:

So, um, that just happened.

We see Elysian Hold, the headquarters of the Kyrian. The Archon is discussing the fall of Denathrius and the needed efforts to restore the Shadowlands when Kleia arrives with good news: a benevolent king from Azeroth has arrived to lend aid.

Already, my alarm bells are going off. A living king coming to Bastion could mean someone like Genn Greymane or... hold on, I guess there really aren't that many kings left. Danath Trollbane counts, right?

But no, it's pretty obvious that it's Anduin, which... is worrying. Because Anduin's trapped in the Maw, isn't he? Getting turned by the Jailer and Sylvanas to do their bidding?

And we're not the only ones worried: we see Uther being taken away by his guards (presumably after some supervised meeting in the Hold before he goes back to his heavenly jail cell) and when he looks at Anduin, he looks utterly disturbed. He reaches to the wound in his soul where Arthas stabbed him, and it's obvious that from the look on his face, for a split second, he's convinced that Arthas is walking by him.

It's not Arthas, though. It's Anduin. Parallels between Arthas and Anduin have been a running motif in a lot of the cutscenes we've gotten over the past few years. In many ways, Anduin is what Arthas should have been. But now, well...

Anduin approaches the Archon and requests that she give him one of a set of keys. The pretense slips away swiftly: the Archon realizes that the person speaking to her is not the one who is meant to inhabit that body. She demands that the Jailer release his grip on Anduin's soul, but before any of the nearby Kyrian can act, Anduin pulls out his new mourneblade, chains the defending Kyrian guards just as the Jailer did to Thrall, Baine, and Jaina, and dives toward her, stabbing her through the chest, the sword drinking her soul and also, presumably, the key - which takes the form of an ethereal version of the Kyrian covenant symbol.

Anduin has also transformed, his skin pale and showing age lines, and his eyes glowing blue while his hair is sapped of color. It is, in fact, almost exactly the sort of transformation between the key art for Arthas representing him in Warcraft III, first when he was a paladin, and then as a death knight.

But Anduin, momentarily, snaps out of it. With his sword still buried in the Archon's chest, the color returns to him and he looks mortified at what has just transpired. But then, the runes on his armor glow again, and the cruel smile returns to his face.

We see him arrive at the Jailer's and Sylvanas' side as he produces the Rune he took to the Jailer, who now pulls a massive landmass down into the Maw with his chains.

So, there we go: the domination of Anduin is complete, and they've turned him into a weapon against the covenants. Furthermore, that's another of the Eternal Ones down - and in fact, might be the first two truly die, as Sire Denathrius is still sort of alive within his sword and the Primus is only missing (and possibly is the Runecarver.)

Things are not looking good, despite our recent victory in Castle Nathria.