Kvaldir

The kvaldir (sometimes capitalized, and pronounced KUH-vall-deer), also known as sea vrykul,Upon the Scene of Battle are the spiritsWorld of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 58 of fearsome vrykul warriors or seafaring raiders who roam the seas raiding ships and coastal settlements. Working for Helya, the kvaldir raid the coasts and pull souls to Helheim, thus robbing Odyn of potential champions.Scavenging the Shallows The spirits of those dishonorable warriors spend eternity in Helheim locked in an endless futile battle, always seeking glory but never able to attain it.An Unworthy Task
The tuskarr call the kvaldir tuk-hariq, meaning "walkers of the fog" in their language.Karuk's Oath They also refer to the kvaldir as sons of the mist.Preparing for the Worst
==Background==
===Ancient history===
Working with Loken, Helya used her magic to seal off the Halls of Valor, keeping Odyn and his Valarjar trapped for ages in vengeance for Odyn turning her into a val'kyr against her will. Now liberated from her life of servitude, Helya forged a new home for herself and other Val'kyr. She created her refuge below the Halls of Valor, binding it to Azeroth's great seas. The ocean mists soon coiled up to envelop Helya's domain and shroud it from sight. Known as Helheim, this realm would become the final destination of many vrykul spirits after death.
Yet the darkness that had long festered in Helya's heart transformed Helheim into a place of nightmare and shadow. The souls of the dead vrykul who arrived there soon found themselves turned into vengeful wraithlike like beings. These cursed spirits were known as the kvaldir. They become one with the ocean mists, bound to the ebb and flow of the tides. The eternal fire of malice and anguish that burned in their souls would drive the kvaldir to raid and plunder the shores of Kalimdor for eternity.
Other kvaldir came into being when one vrykul tribe particularly struggled against a terrible malaise that ravaged its people. Combating this affliction, named the curse of flesh, all but consumed the tribe. After exhausting all natural attempts, the tribe sought the aid of its priestesses. These women plumbed the world of spirits for answers, but they found only Helya lying in wait. Their ritual went horribly wrong, as Helya further corrupted those that sought freedom from their curse. These eternally vengeful beings would later join the kvaldirAsk CDev - Round 4 Answers and are known as the Kvaldir tribe.WoW Blog/Stormheim The kvaldir drag the souls of the unworthy and dishonorable to Helheim for Helya.
===Wrath of the Lich King===
The vrykul had a burial ground in Howling Fjord called Shield Hill, and at some point just prior to the war against the Lich King, the pirates of the Northsea Freebooters happened upon the graveyard and stole several artifacts from several graves - graves of very important vrykul that had perished years before. The angry spirits of the disturbed graves were left howling for vengeance.Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 94
The theft was discovered by the tuskarr, who were unfortunate enough to have several hunters approach the area due to the strange activity of the restless spirits of the dead.The Dead Rise! As for the pirates, they've been hiding out and dealing with troubles of their own, as the artifacts they've stolen have proven to be far more trouble than their apparent worth. According to "Silvermoon" Harry at Scalawag Point, everyone among the Northsea Freebooters who had come into touch with these artifacts has ended up dead, missing or both. The Frozen Heart of Isuldof drove their captain "Mad" Jonah Sterling insane, and the latter hid in a cavern near the pirate cove, having assigned a bear to guard the artifact. The Staff of Storm's Fury had much the same effect on a crew member named Abdul the Insane, who held the staff on a ship at Iskaal. The giant Sorlof was holding The Shield of the Aesirites, and the only way to retrieve it was to gain the trust of the now-undead crew of the Sister Mercy and help them defeat the giant. As for the Ancient Armor of the Kvaldir, the armor was to be brought to Scalawag Point when the ship was attacked by Forsaken. The Forsaken boarded the ship and killed everyone aboard, looting everything of value until a small army of undead Kvaldir appeared and murdered the Forsaken. The ghosts of Kvaldir quickly overran the ship and now guard the armor from further tampering.
All of these items were retrieved, and the plan of the tuskarr was to simply return the artifacts to their proper resting places. After all, if the spirits were angry at the loss of the items, surely returning them would appease the ghosts and cease the attacks upon anyone who ventured to Shield Hill. But the results of their plan did not play out as expected as the offering came too late.
The theft triggered the reappearance of the Kvaldir along the coasts of Northrend, including those located in Borean Tundra. But the Kvaldir didn't start their vengeance with the tuskarr - they started with the naga, and the sheer scope of their planned revenge for the stolen goods was far larger than anyone could've imagined. A naga priestess in Riplash named Veehja explained that five hundred years ago Queen Azshara imprisoned a being named Leviroth in the waters below. Now the Kvaldir seek to undo our queen's work by sacrificing naga and later on tuskarr. The Kvaldir were trying to free the kraken and presumably use it on the naga of Riplash, or on the tuskarr of the coast, or possibly on any living things that happen to be standing in the way.
About the time the Warsong Offensive marched the bulk of their forces off for the assault on Icecrown, the kvaldir attacked and nearly razed the buildings of Garrosh's Landing, the Horde port in the Borean Tundra.Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 95
According to Muradin Bronzebeard, if the kvaldir hadn't been pushed back by adventurers, Valiance Keep would have no doubt been their next target.
Far in the upper reaches of Northrend, north of the newly constructed Argent Tournament, lies the fishing village of Tualiq. This small tuskarr village was also attacked by the Kvaldir and was quickly overrun,Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 131 the bodies of slain Tualiq villagers littering the icy beaches. Led by Drottinn Hrothgar, they recently took over a tuskarr village on an island off the northern coast of Icecrown and renamed it Hrothgar's Landing. It is now a mist-shrouded staging point from which they launch attacks against Silver Covenant and Sunreavers' ships in the waters between the island and Icecrown. The Kvaldir seem to have one motive in mind - to summon another kraken from the depths of the Northrend seas, in order to obtain their vengeance. Adventurers can kill the summoners that seek to use the kraken, and they can kill the kraken itself from above, riding hippogryphs and hurling spears at the attacking creature. The ships of the Silver Covenant and Sunreavers fought the kvaldir back from Icecrown's main shore and had to slay the kraken they kept summoning, with the help of adventurers.Get Kraken!
===The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm===
Alleged "Kvaldir" attacked Cairne Bloodhoof and Horde forces when they were packing up to leave Warsong Hold, but these Kvaldir were actually just normal vrykul in costumes using the mist as a cover.The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, pg. 20 - 21
===Cataclysm===
The Kvaldir make an appearance in the Shimmering Expanse of Vashj'ir. They appear mainly in flashback quest chains beginning with Visions of the Past: The Invasion of Vashj'ir. They were led by a general known as Varkul the UnrelentingNot Soon Forgotten and were fighting Queen Azshara's naga, who wanted the city of Vashj'ir but mostly the Crucible of Nazsharin from them.Stolen Property In a series of quests in Vashj'ir, players take on the role of a naga battlemaiden who witnesses and helps with the summoning of Ozumat. However, the sunken city of Vashj'ir is being overrun by kvaldir, who seem intent on wiping the naga out entirely. During the battle, the Kvaldir managed to steal the artifact that was to be used for the summoning ritual of Ozumat. The naga battlemaiden has to retrieve the artifact so that Ozumat may be summoned and so the Kvaldir can be summarily wiped out. Some remnants of the kvaldir force can still be seen at Biel'aran Ridge.
===Legion===
With the entrance to Helheim located in Stormheim, the Kvaldir are extremely prevalent in the area, especially at Tideskorn Harbor.
After Helya is killed, the eternally cursed kvaldir continue to be loyal to her and only answer to her voice. However, the Valarjar recovered Helya's horn and blow it to call on the Kvaldir and force them to obey.Helya's Horn (quest) The Valarjar use the Kvaldir against the Burning Legion on the Broken Shore.Kvaldir on Call
===Exploring Azeroth===
Following the war against the Jailer, the brothers Bronzebeard visited Northrend after many years and notably reported the activities of the kvaldir on the frozen continent.
In the Borean Tundra, the Skadir kvaldir were still summoning their blasted mists in the Riplash Ruins, which makes it hard to get a look at the ruins, and that the entire area would be a treasure trove for night elf archaeology if it weren't for the kvaldir. At Garrosh's Landing, the kvaldir there were still in control of the port, where all they could see from a distance was mist and more mist. 
The former tuskarr capital Kaskala was reported as still under the control of the kvaldir,Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 101 however, those who took control of the tuskarr village Pal'ea have been repelled by the surviving citizens, who started rebuilding their village, making it bigger than before.Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 105
In Icecrown, Kvaldir Deepcallers are still bringing up krakens to attack any ship that tries to pass through the Sea Reaver's Run, the strait between Northrend and the Hrothgar's Landing.
==Appearance and nature==
The tuskarr think they are the angered spirits of slain vrykul. They believe that the mists enable them to manifest.The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, 17
Kvaldir can apparently breathe underwater. Fathom-Lord Zin'jatar calls them "rotting". Soon after, Varkul the Unrelenting says "Kvaldir never die".
While mostly similar in appearance to vrykul, these creatures are covered in green scales, barnacles, and seaweed. The kvaldir typically reside deep in the ocean, where their corporeal forms would be crushed if their mistweaving magics didn't hold off the ravages of the depths. Although they remain flesh and blood in life, their deaths result in a backlash of mistweaving energies, quickly dissolving the kvaldir's body into mist. All that remains are patches of sea growth that had accumulated on their bodies and, of course, any loot they were carrying.Ask CDev - Round 2 Answers
Kvaldir skulls are as strong as rock.Visions of the Past: The Invasion of Vashj'ir
The rope that the kvaldir use is described as oily and coarse, quite unlike normal rope.Coil of Kvaldir Rope It may or may not be braided with hair.Unfurling Plan
The Helarjar are the kvaldir equivalent to the Valarjar vrykul.
==Notable==
Name	Role 	Status	Location
 	The Sea Reaver, king of the seas 	 	Hrothgar's Landing
 	Leader of the Skadir 	 	Riplash Strand, Borean Tundra
 	Enemy of the naga invading Vashj'ir 	 	Shimmering Expanse
 	Manipulates the mists at Hrothgar's Landing 	 	Mistcaller's Cave, Hrothgar's Landing
 	Lieutenant who directed the attack against Pal'ea 	 	Warsong Jetty, Borean Tundra
 	Fearsome raider renowned for raiding and capturing ships	 	Bor's Fury, Hrothgar's Landing
 	Intends to use the Trident of Naz'jan to wake Leviroth 	 	Riplash Ruins, Borean Tundra
 	General of the kvaldir forces in Vashj'ir 	 	Nar'shola Terrace, Shimmering Expanse
* Skolla
* Brinebeard
The following vrykul ghosts at Shield Hill in the Howling Fjord are also implied to be kvaldir:
*
*
*
*
==Named vessels==
* Naglfar
* Bor's Anvil
* Bor's Fury
* Bor's Hammer
* The Kur Drakkar
* The Serpent's Maw
==Trivia==
*They are known to smell terrible, which seems to be from the seaweed they wear.A Little Kelp From My Foes
*Patch 3.2.2 added a quest starting with the item Kvaldir Attack Plans, involving a series of devastating raids on Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms settlements. Many people would expect this arc to continue in the future, however, nothing has happened since then, meaning that this arc might have been aborted by Blizzard.
*They appear to be based on the recordings of Vikings having used mist as a way to mask their movements and create sneak attacks, which the kvaldir seem to excel at.
*They may be a reference to John Carpenter's which also features a race of raiders that are linked to a fog, much as the Kvaldir are linked to the mist.
==Speculation==
Some kvaldir might be allies of Neptulon directly or indirectly, since their conquest of Vashj'ir hindered the naga from summoning their faceless one allies and their ability to overthrow the Tidehunter. The kvaldir refer to Neptulon by name in Final Judgment.
==Gallery==
File:Drottinn Hrothgar.jpg|Male kvaldir in-game.
File:Helarjar Aspirant.jpg|Female kvaldir in-game.
File:Kvaldir concept art.jpg|Concept art
File:Kvaldir concept art 2.jpg|Concept art
File:Leoric Vrykul Kvaldir HotS.jpg|Kvaldir in Heroes of the Storm.
;Hearthstone
File:Sickly Grimewalker HS.jpg|
File:Soulburner Varia HS.jpg|
File:Cutlass Courier HS.jpg|
File:Kvaldir Raider HS.jpg|
File:Eulogizer HS.jpg|
File:Eulogizer (Forged) HS.jpg| (Forged version)
File:Injured Kvaldir.jpg|
File:Shadowtouched Kvaldir HS.jpg|
File:Sea Reaver.jpg|
File:Down with the Ship HS.jpg|
==See also==
*Bor
==References==