Purpose

The Attendants creating the Arbiter's sigil through their faith in the Purpose.

“The will of the Arbiter is mysterious to all.”

— Chain of the Purpose-Bound

The Purpose is the guiding principle of the Shadowlands, and the reason the Attendants exist in Oribos. It is the belief that the infinite realms of the Shadowlands follow a grand pattern laid out by the Arbiter in her infinite wisdom and her creators. Although the Attendants record where all souls are sent, only the Purpose may "reveal whether the threads of a soul will rejoin the tapestry of an individual existence." According to Fatescribe Roh-Tahl, just as Oribos is the heart of the Shadowlands, so the Purpose keeps the realms of Death in balance. Everything happens through the Purpose, as it guides them and shows them the path. All beings in the endless cycle serve the Purpose, even those who do so unknowingly or unwillingly.

Following the event that caused the Arbiter to cease her judgments, it was Tal-Inara who insisted that the Purpose was the reason for the unprecedented arrival of living beings within the realms of Death. With the death of Zovaal the Jailer and the ascension of a Pelagos as the new Arbiter, the Shadowlands returned to its great Purpose.

Attendants

Every decision that guides the Attendants of Oribos follows the Purpose, and they trust it implicitly. It also decides what path each Attendant follows in Oribos: Caretaker, Scholar, or Protector. In fact, each attendant was designed to fulfill their part of the Purpose within their intended path and station, each mirroring a facet of the Arbiter's ancient form. From her hands and mind, to her visions, and even to her Honored Voice.

During the war against the Jailer, they had to adapt their perspective in order to serve the Purpose in a new way. Some claimed that all souls flowing to the Maw must have been a part of the Purpose. However, some Attendants began to question their faith in the Purpose as they could not understand why the souls were flowing there. Some thought it was just a confusing change in its nature, or that it might actually be interference.

The Attendants preserve the visions that the twisting strands of fate reveal to them in service of the Purpose. As the Arbiter's fatescribe, it is Fatescribe Roh-Tahl's duty to observe the strands of destiny that the Purpose lays before them. During their journey, Roh-Tahl offered the Maw Walkers his help to understand the choice that the Purpose has set before them. Restorer Kah-Soon serve the Purpose by repairing and bringing order to that which is broken.

Covenants

Each covenant is vital to the Shadowlands, and though they often seem at odds with one another, this too is part of the Purpose, as it depends on the success of their efforts.

The sacred purpose of the kyrian is to ferry mortal souls across the veil into the Shadowlands, they served the Purpose by ensuring a steady supply of anima for all the realms. Among them, the Watchers are able to weigh that soul by peering into its existence and judge whether it is their time. They see and know things that weigh heavy in their mind; and this role is only for the strong of heart who can endure with the Purpose in mind at all times. The Bearers perform the vital task of bearing souls across the Veil to Oribos. They see countless worlds beyond the Shadowlands and encounter beings of all shapes and sizes that will be carried to Oribos to serve the Purpose.

Brokers

It seems that the brokers are not in agreement with the Purpose. According to Ba'vol, the Purpose is utter nonsense, and the attendants are so blinded by devotion that you could drop stewards on their heads and say the Purpose told you to do so, and they'd ramble on about it being a mysterious portent of some grand destiny. During his quest to find Zereth Mortis, Firim mentioned in his journal that the attendants were muddle-minded and myopic with their Purpose.

Notes and trivia

•  [Understanding the Purpose] is a guide that repetitiously touches on the unwavering commitment to the broad concept of the Purpose.
• In order to withstand the drastic will of the Purpose, Tal-Inara had to examine the Maw Walkers' anima to determine if they were strong enough.
• In service of the great Purpose, desertwing hunters were designed to fill distant skies of forgotten realms of the Shadowlands.
• In  [The Archivists' Catalog], the attendant Archivist Roh-Suir wrote some notes concerning the Purpose:
  • Seeing all the realms of the Shadowlands at once reminded him of the grandeur of the Purpose and his infinitesimal part within it.
  • He wondered if it wouldn't be in the interest of the Purpose if everyone could understand each other using the same language.
  • When he asked Roh-Senara about the nature of violence in the Purpose, she told him that it was a mystery he would have to unravel on his own.
  • As he was always guided by the Purpose since his creation, he sometimes asked himself if mortals are frustrated by the ambiguity of their existence.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

The Purpose may have been created by the First Ones.

See also

•  [Bound with Purpose]
•  [Choosing Your Purpose]
•  [Treatise on Patterns in the Purpose]