Some days ago I was at the Lion's Roar office when a gnome by the name of Albi Oilybrick, a member of the Dauntless Explorers, arrived saying they had news that will change our way to see and understand, I quote, “Azeroth and even the whole universe”. Hearing this I of course interviewed this gnome.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
So, Miss Oilybrick, what have you discovered that is so important?
Albi Oilybrick:
The Dragon Isles! They are real!
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
That is quite a discovery indeed, how did this expedition start and how did you find them? Where are these isles located, if you can share it?
Albi Oilybrick:
Our team has always been fascinated with myths, you see? Proving if they are real or not, and dragons are fascinating creatures, but these isles are even more interesting, because we know very little about them. So, we finally decided to get to it, our team divided in different areas: interviewing dragons, looking for clues in documents and maps, and finding any other person or clue to it.
Honestly, we didn’t get much information from dragons, many didn’t want to talk about it and that only made us more curious. Like, what are they hiding there? Is it a place for them to hide riches and gold? Is it something more sinister like a place for them to meet and make rituals or maybe to plan the conquering of the world? I know the aspects and different flights have helped and protected Azeroth many times, but do not be fooled! I personally believe they one day will rule us all with their charms, why would they use appearances that are so beautiful and those revealing clothes if not to seduce as all into submission? But ah, I digress. The few dragons that actually talked with us never went there, they didn’t even see the isles, but a few pointed to some possible locations.
With that information and that from documents and maps, we decided the most probable location, sadly I can’t reveal it… yet. But soon, soon hopefully. As you can imagine our guesses turned to be correct and after a long an arduous journey, using methods I can’t reveal yet, I’m afraid, we managed to get there.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
May I ask why you can’t reveal the location or even how you got there? I’m sure it was quite the adventure, and the community of explorers and adventurers will love to hear about it.
Albi Oilybrick:
I know, I know, and I understand. I would love to share it, really, but our team decided we need to explore them more first.
I personally found this an odd or greedy reason for a team of explorers but decided to keep going.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
Very well, in that case could you tell me more about what you saw in the isles?
Albi Oilybrick:
Ah well, I must confess it’s all a bit blurry due to some confidential incident. But I remember the isles were beautiful, they had so much green around! And we even saw some dragons… they were partying! Can you believe it? Dragons dancing, drinking and making a conga! I am not sure if it wasn’t all a distraction, so we didn’t ask questions or dig around for more information.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
I see… is there any picture or similar you took of the place?
Albi Oilybrick:
Sadly, no, the camera broke when a dragon “accidentally” stepped on it. I am still sure they are trying to hide things!
Since Miss Oilybrick didn’t have more to say, and given the amount of hidden information, as well as the strange description of the isles after some “incident”, that makes me speculate the team might not have had a clear mind at the moment, I decided to try to find some answers myself. Luckily, I happen to know a dragon, Sunyiu, the Dawnmistress of the Golden Path, some of you may know her from commenting on racing and pet battles in events. She is also a very wise individual, for what I have gathered, so I decided to ask her.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
A team of explorers claims to have discovered the Dragon Isles, what do you know about this place?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
Well; as a first, it should be established that the legends of the Dragon Isle are much, much older than most think. It is said that they span all the way back to the War of the Ancients - more than ten thousand years ago. As a result, many variations emerge - with a few throughlines; in the ancient days, there -supposedly- existed an order of Kaldorei; they lived in a settlement called Loreth'Aran - it is said that ruins of this old settlement exist on what today is known as the Bloodmyst Isles - also known as Silvergale by the Draenei. I can imagine that the interest in the whereabouts of the Dragon Isles come from two decidedly different angles.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
And which angles are those?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
I personally speculate that the Pandaren were interested in the Isles due their own connection to the Celestials; the divine beings that - by decree of Freya, the great Keeper of the Titan Legacy - were charged with protection of the continent of Pandaria. Pandaren, by simple historic precedence, are closer to the ancient progenitors than most give them credit for. ..and for the trolls? Well; I'm not much want for drifting into politics, but trolls and dragons have had their fair share of complicated encounters throughout history. Especially the Gurubashi tribe and the Atal'ai - Hakkari worshippers - painted some bloody chapters in draconic history. I refer here to the Temple of Atal'Hakkar, where the Green Flight suffered losses due to the corruptive nature of the dead blood god, Hakkar. Power, in short. It's what the Dragon Isles promise.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
And is there any speculation about the specific things one could find in the Isles?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
Oh, plenty; See, the elves of Loreth'Aran - allegedly blessed by Ysera, the Aspect of the Green Flight - were known to be riders and protectors of these Dragon Isles; whether it was -on- the Bloodmyst Isles or close by is still not certain, but what I've found suggests that it was a sort of... -home- for dragons. And, as you know-...where there are dragons, there is powerful draconic magic. Those are the traditional expectations - of course, there’s... other reasons, today, why dragonkind wishes to find the Dragon Isles.Article continues after the ad.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
Mind sharing those reasons?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
I was hoping I got the opportunity to, yes... Dragons are dying out. Almost all of the traditional flights are - slowly - but certainly, going extinct. In the wake of the last battle against Deathwing, the great aspects of the Red, the Green, the Blue and the Bronze dragonflight banded together - and they made a vast sacrifice to ensure victory; when the dust settled, a vast, magical affliction had permutated all members of those traditional flights; rendering 'us' unable to reproduce. Waha, yes, the eggs that existed already would still be able to hatch into new whelps, but no new viable eggs from these flights have been laid since.
It is, however, speculated that the Black Dragonflight - what little that remains of it - haven't been subject to this affliction, however. While there aren't many black dragons left on Azeroth - that we know of - only a few years ago, some very surprising rumours began to circulate; Islands not too far away from the Zandalar Isles were reported to have activity of black drakes and dragons - young ones; it's been hard to verify how many, and for what reason, but adventurers and mercenaries - that survived these encounters - spoke suggestions that these were-... well, 'young' dragons; newly hatched. What little discussion that has been on the topic among dragonkind have considered on the notion that the Dragon Isles might, just might, be a place where what remained of the black dragonflight has fled to - and where they can raise new children.
Understandably-... that's very interesting to anyone who wishes to reverse the affliction settled over the rest of the dragons. The Dragon Isles may be a vital clue in fighting back 'our' impending extinction. Now, it should be understood-... As a cultural norm, us over-sized lizards have a tendency to be... aeh... insular. Secretive. There's some serpents out there who would balk at even me speaking about this. There's still this... if you ask me, unsightly idea that dragons are -the- Titan-blessed protectors of Azeroth; that we - alone - carry that mantle. It's hogwash, of course, but, well... you know the legends and stories about dragons and their pride.
However, there is a new movement among dragons, too; dragonkin who've taken a big step back, and regarded our own situation with a more sober mind - and come to the simple, irrevocable, necessary conclusion: We need help. I, myself, champion a philosophical movement - the Constellar Mandate; a sort of-... draconic call-to-action, challenging old notions of dragons being -separate- from other races. Instead, it is my firm belief that the only way we will even -survive- in the future is through collaboration with the people - those belonging to other races too - around us. Another icon in the public eye, Lady Morigosa, the Grand Matriarch - champions her own movement for the same reasons; her speciality in draconic history in particular highlights why a new way of thinking -has- to be embraced by dragonkind if we want to-... well, be part of the future of Azeroth. It's why you see me being rather open with my nature - and why Lady Morigosa is, as well.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
Now, if you don’t mind me asking. What are the theories in terms of the location? You mentioned near the Bloodmyst Isle, any other possible place?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
Ah, waha! Well; that's where it gets tricky. The Ruins of Loreth'Aran are a -viable- guess for what was once the Dragon Isles-... though, it's also hotly contended; the ruins found there are decidedly of Kaldorei origin. It might - and this is personal speculation - just have been a sort of outpost - shifted northwards after the Great Sundering, on account of the 'Aran in its name sharing some similarities with other settlements in Darkshore. But, as I mentioned before, the sudden appearance of black drakes thousands of miles to the south - closer to the Zandalar Isles - caught, at the very least, me by surprise. Dragons can fly far and wide, waha, yes, but - were I to mount an expedition, and trust me, there are plans for that - I'd give the southern hemisphere of Azeroth a closer look. The problem is that there's so many still unexplored islands out in the Great Seas. And what worse, dragons are notorious for using obscuring magics to dissuade nosy people - and hide, of course. The last speculated areas are somewhere around the High Home of Quel'Thalas, but... well, it’s... less likely. Sin'dorei are very shrewd people - and they rather like knowing what's in their proverbial flower garden.
Gaedryel Ravenshade:
Now, when asked about the use of the Dragon Isles, the member of the expedition I interviewed said things that vary from to hide something, from gold to plans to control the world. Also, they claimed to see the dragons having a party. Would you like to comment on their theory and the actual use of the Isles?
Sunyiu - Lady of Lanterns:
Look, -gold- is obvious: It’s... when people say dragons are -greedy- according to the stories, it's not... entirely untrue. Though, I've met plenty of scalekin who are.. as docile as lambs and as humble as priests; It's the thing with us -we're still individuals. If we go by the trite and tested assumptions about the Black Dragons, world domination is Absolutely on the table......and you know; let’s put it like this: -Most- dragons I meet are very-.. -restrained-. Very -proper-, aloof, sticks in the mud, waha? What if the Dragon Isles was their -resort-, their place of -leisure- where they can -really- loosen up? A few -lava-baths-, cocktails served in barrels, dragon-races, -absolutely dragon-races- Hottest gossip 'flown in' from abroad. Of course, -officially-, I have to say that dragons' idea of -party- is sober discussion about -history- and -magic- and all sorts of -boring things-.. But between you and me and the readership, we're -just- as horrible as anyone else into vice and sin. (Laughs) or maybe I'm just projecting.