Dungeons - Ulduar

This article is a copy of "Dungeons - Ulduar", an official article by Blizzard Entertainment. It's about dungeons and raid of Ulduar implemented in the game.
The original article, formerly located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/dungeons/wrath-ulduar.xml, did not survive the overhaul of the World of Warcraft Official Website.
==Dungeons - Ulduar==
===Halls of Stone===
For ages, the mortal races of Azeroth have sought to uncover the origins of their existence. Tirelessly scouring the far reaches of the world, many have spent their entire lives chasing the ghosts of the past.
Nestled among the frigid cliffs of the Storm Peaks, a recently discovered titan city known as Ulduar might finally expose the secrets of Azeroth's puzzling history.
Legendary explorer Brann Bronzebeard spent countless hours piecing together clues about the mysterious city while combing through artifacts scattered across the region. He deduced that a titan library might lie within one wing of the complex: the Halls of Stone. If so, the archive could prove to be his greatest discovery to date.
However, in his attempts to access the library, Brann encountered foul creatures roaming the Halls of Stone. Infused with evil and shaped from iron, crazed dwarves had seized control of the city and spread throughout the Storm Peaks. To Brann's disgust, they had even turned their weapons on Ulduar, tunneling through its walls and carving out monstrous crystal giants from the very heart of the mountains surrounding the city.
The source of these destructive iron dwarves is said to be the Forge of Wills, an incredible titan device capable of creating life itself. Rumored to have fallen into the hands of the maddened vrykul Sjonnir the Ironshaper, the forge has unleashed unthinkable evil upon Ulduar and the Storm Peaks.
If wrested from its vile operator, the titan machine could be used to purge the dark presence that has taken hold of the city, but a powerful evil watches over the Halls of Stone, ensuring that Sjonnir and the forge continue their work undisturbed.
The forge is heavily guarded by impenetrable constructs and savage monsters awakened by the iron dwarves' ceaseless tunneling, and so securing control of it will be a formidable task. Yet if the chaotic iron legions overrunning the city are not stopped soon, priceless information within the Halls of Stone may be destroyed and lost... forever. 
===Halls of Lightning===
Upon departing Azeroth, the titans entrusted loyal protectors to safeguard the city of Ulduar. From atop the snowy mountains of the Storm Peaks, these guardians watched over the enigmatic halls of the complex as history unfolded outside its walls. Designated supreme among these guardians was Keeper Loken, but with the power of the titan city in his hands, he turned to darkness.
Repudiating his oaths and unraveling the delicate plans of his masters, the treacherous protector turned ally against ally, breaking pacts long held by the ancient races of the Storm Peaks. His deceitful schemes swept through Ulduar and afflicted the city's other protectors. Amassing a powerful force of iron dwarves, the fallen watcher ravaged the surrounding area, striking down any who opposed his dark will.
From his throne within the Halls of Lightning, Loken continues his unabated assault, brooding over a celestial image of the world.
Ulduar's loyal builders, the earthen, are struggling against the corrupted watcher, and they warn that Loken has acquired the allegiance of ferocious allies to bolster the ranks of his iron minions. While vrykul bristling with runic energy prowl the corridors of the Halls of Lightning, fierce elementals swarm around blistering forges, tirelessly churning out new followers.
Only putting an end to Loken's reign will ensure the safety of Azeroth. Although the arrival of Horde and Alliance forces has chipped away at the evil gripping the region, the true key to victory may lie with the beings long deceived by Loken's trickery, scattered among embittered enclaves throughout the Storm Peaks.
Loken's brother, Thorim, wanders grief-stricken outside Ulduar. If he can be convinced of his brother's betrayal, he may turn the tide of battle in favor of the earthen and other heroes fighting to reclaim the city.
Yet as powerful as Loken is, there have been whispers of an even greater evil at work behind the fall of Ulduar. Perhaps only with Loken's last breath will the truth be revealed.
===Ulduar===
Since discovering Ulduar in the Storm Peaks, adventurers have journeyed to the magnificent titan city in hopes of unearthing its relics and learning the secrets of the past. Yet they are not fully aware of the purpose behind Ulduar's imposing edifice. It is not merely a repository of artifacts and titan research, but also a prison.
Long ago, the titans encountered a race of horrifying aberrations known as the Old Gods. Their destructive powers threatened to unravel Azeroth, eliminating all life and order. Alerted by this danger to their central tenets, the titans went to war against the Old Gods. Ultimately the titans used their prowess in architecture and construction to imprison their foes deep underground. The Old God of death, Yogg-Saron, was shackled in the depths of Ulduar and placed under the watch of mighty guardians – Loken, Hodir, Thorim, Freya, and Mimiron. They pledged to keep the monstrosity contained there for all eternity. The watchers of Ulduar endured their vigil with fortitude, but the Old God's insidious whispering could not be ignored forever.
With time, the prison's head guardian, Loken, succumbed to the will of Yogg-Saron. Betraying his allies, he seized control of the city and began directing its forces toward deadly new ends. Armies of iron dwarves destroyed the titan safeguards in the Storm Peaks, leaving all of Northrend exposed to the growing danger. Several regions have already felt the corrupting presence of Loken's servants, complicating the war against the Lich King.
Faced with the peril of Yogg-Saron's imminent freedom, a band of mortals has established a staging ground outside of Ulduar. They are preparing to launch a sweeping assault on the city, and they have called on Azeroth's mightiest heroes for aid. Overcoming the legions of iron minions and the towering defenses at Ulduar's entrance would take tremendous strength, but even that may not be enough to conquer the madness that dwells below.
Having turned the minds of its former captors, Yogg-Saron is preparing to exert its full power. With vast iron armies to command, the Old God is nearly ready to break its last bonds. It draws ever closer to annihilating the titans' creations and sinking the world into primitive chaos.
The preservation of Azeroth depends on Yogg-Saron's defeat, but the fall of Ulduar has other grave repercussions. A silent observer has arrived within the city to survey all of the damage that has occurred on the planet since the titans' departure. His cold logic will determine whether the world will be spared or destroyed.
Only Azeroth's heroes can alter the final judgment, for despite their many conflicts and transgressions, their resolve to confront evil in all of its manifestations has earned them the right to determine their ultimate fate.
Category:Wrath of the Lich King