 Apexis | |
|---|---|
 An Apexis golem within Apexis ruins | |
| Race(s) |
 Arakkoa |
| Base of operations | Unknown |
| Theater of operations | Spires of Arak, Blade's Edge Mountains |
| Status | Vanished |
- "The Apexis had every advantage, and yet they vanished. What could have happened?"
- — Darkscryer Raastok[1]
The Apexis were an ancient and now-extinct arakkoan civilization that attained a height of power during the Age of Order before abruptly vanishing.[2] They were a glorious empire of the sun that ruled vast territories alongside the ogre empire centuries ago.[3]
They had their own language.[4] They were winged, and unlike the Adherents of Rukhmar that would emerge much later, the Apexis arakkoa did not partake in the barbaric practice of throwing outcasts and heretics into the Sethekk Hollow in order to afflict them with the curse of Sethe.[5]
Background
This civilization resided in the Spires of Arak, as well as Vortex Summit in the region now called Blade's Edge Mountains.
It is unknown what happened to them, although some say that the Apexis Guardians turned against their masters.[6] Their name lives on in the Apexis Crystals and Apexis Shards, which can be found all over Draenor. Apexis Monuments, with four smaller relics surrounding them, are set in a number of places on the plateau. Apexis ruins also seem to surround the Outcast city of Skettis, as well as locations within Arak like the Nest of the Ravenspeakers and Lost Veil Anzu.
The legacy of the Apexis lies preserved in ancient chambers beneath Arak. Legions of dormant constructs; crystals flush with solar energy; magical techniques lost to the ages - the Apexis left behind caches of immense power.[1] Apexis technology consists of machines powered by solar energy — energy which itself has been imbued with magic.[7] The Apexis Cores are the heart of Apexis technology - solar energy condensed into a resin crystal.[8] The Adherents of Rukhmar scour Draenor for artifacts left behind by this ancient society and use their technology in their war against the Arakkoa Outcasts. They claim it is given to them by the will of Rukhmar, but in truth they stumbled upon locations like the Apexis Excavation on accident.[9] Apexis artifacts are capable of enhancing a being's intelligence simply by sheer proximity, as evidenced by the ogres of Ogri'la and the saberon shaman Leorajh.
The Apexis had blueprints for a flying "Temple in the Sky", but it is unclear if they ever actually built it.[10] If the Temple in the Sky was built, that may be where they vanished to.
The ogres of Ogri'la seek to gain an understanding of the Apexis relics and wish to benefit from the observations of the adventurers who give their aid to Ogri'la.
At the end of the Adherents of Rukhmar's genocidal campaign, both high and cursed arakkoa came to realize that the Apexis had known that having light and darkness in equal measure was natural. Only together could the arakkoa survive whatever the future held for them,[11] leading to the creation of the Order of the Awakened.
Notes
- The name "Apexis" is derived from "apex", meaning "top, peak, summit" or the moment of greatest success and expansion.
