The Curse of Flesh is a curse suffered by many titanic creations,[1] notably the dwarves. The curse changed the structure and appearance of these races from their original stony/metallic forms into the fleshy forms we know of today.[2]
The Curse of Flesh is revealed to have been created by the Old Gods early in Azeroth's history to "facilitate assimilation". The titans attempted to remove the Old Gods, but found that the Old God infestation had grown too severe to remove without completely destroying Azeroth. Instead they bound the Old Gods within Azeroth.[2]
Direct mentions of the Curse of Flesh
Brann Bronzebeard
A dialogue triggered by Brann Bronzebeard in Ulduar and Halls of Stone gives most of the details of the curse and the connection to the Old Gods.
Fizzcrank Fullthrottle
In the quest The Mechagnomes, a dialogue with Fizzcrank Fullthrottle details the removal of the curse from several gnomes by Gearmaster Mechazod which transformed the gnomes into "mechanical beings". The dialogue mentions that all creations of the titans eventually fell victim to it.
Sjonnir the Ironshaper
Sjonnir The Ironshaper mentions the curse when engaged.
Therazane
Therazane mentions the curse during her gossip text for the quest Quest:At the Stonemother's Call, while pointing that those afflicted with it killed her daughter, Theradras.
Siamat
In the quest Quest:Traitors!, Siamat transforms three Tol'vir into Onyx, saying "Your makers failed you... your race succumbed to the curse of flesh! Lord Deathwing's gift makes you perfect again!"
Felyae
"It's a condition that affects titan creations." "Th' titans fashioned their creatures with stone, mostly, or other mechanical means," she explained, "so they could carry out their assigned duties tae th' world without fear o' deterioratin' or gettin' weak. But there are beings o' great magic an' malice that hate th' titans, and they sabotaged these creations by turnin' their bodies tae flesh like th' other creatures o' Azeroth."
Indirect mentions of the Curse of Flesh
Discs of Norgannon
While the Lorekeeper's Knowledge in Uldaman doesn't mention the Curse of Flesh by name, it clearly refers to the same events that are later described by the Tribunal of Ages. Interestingly, this dialogue was written during the original World of Warcraft, indicating that either this plotline has been planned for many years or has been built out of existing lore.
Jotun
Jotun's title suggests that he is cursed, or bears a curse to others (which could be believed to be the Curse of Flesh).
Archavon
In Archavon's Log (before Patch 3.3.0), for the Day 1051213, Archavon wrote "Archavon wake up, notice face feel soft. Not important. Go back to sleep." This could hint that he was, more or less, affected by the Curse of Flesh.
General Bjarngrim
While General Bjarngrim in the Halls of Lightning does not directly utter the name of the curse, he does refer to it during the fight. His quotes imply that he compares himself with the player. Apparently, he also considers killing lifeforms affected by the curse to be the solution of removing it.
Lady Deathwhisper
In Icecrown Citadel, some of her dialogue states that the Curse of Flesh is a joke played by the Creators on their own creations. She also states that the sooner the cultists come to terms with the 'fact' that the Curse is a defect, the sooner they will come into a position to transcend it.
Afflicted races
Earthen/Dwarves
The Tribunal of Ages dialogue reveals that it was the curse that caused the transformation from stony earthen to fleshy dwarves while they were asleep in Uldaman.
Earth elementals/Fungal giants
The curse of flesh can effect the various earth elemental types within Deepholm. This causes them to turn into creatures akin to fungal giants.[3]
Giants
The titans created five types of giants: Fire, Ice, Sea, Storm and Stone. They have all been affected by the Curse of Flesh, but not to the same degree as the mortal races.[4]
Mechagnomes/Gnomes
If Gearmaster Mechazod is to be believed, prior to the curse, gnomes appeared as mechagnomes. Unaffected mechagnomes have been found in the Storm Peaks, maintaining the mechanical systems of the Titans.
Mogu
The mogu were initially stone creatures. Some were affected by the curse, turning them into flesh mogu.[5] Some time later they found a way to reverse the process.[6]
Tol'vir
The tol'vir of Uldum are a race of stone cat-centaur introduced in Cataclysm. The curse of flesh causes them to turn into the fleshy, wingless version of themselves. The process can be reverted by powerful beings such as Siamat, and is a some kind of a 'reward' for swearing allegiance to Deathwing.
Stone troggs/Troggs
The troggs too, were initially stone creatures. Like the Earthen, some were affected by the curse, turning them into fleshy troggs.
Vrykul/Humans
Vrykul were turned into humans by the Curse of Flesh.[4] The quests Quest:The Echo of Ymiron and Quest:Anguish of Nifflevar, show that some vrykul birthed humans, implying that the original vrykul were unaffected beyond partially losing the ability to produce more vrykul.
References
- ^ History on common tol'vir archaeology artifacts
- ^ a b Quotes from Tribunal of Ages
- ^ Quest:Gone Soft
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: The Magazine Issue 5
- ^ The Curse and the Silence
- ^ Quest:Echoes of the Titans