Heralds of Ysgelyn

The **Heralds of Ysgelyn** are a group of four powerful nature spirits that were awakened by the South Sea Exchange Trading Company once the Miasmic Rot sources were destroyed on Rot Fortress Island.

Other than serving the ancient, primal spirit, Ysgelyn, their motives are larger unknown. However, they are stated to be enemies of another primordial power, Bydron, and currently act as Ysgelyn's representatives and champions on material plane of Azeroth. They are also believed to have once been living mortals, demonstrated by the spirit Firbellow having a particularly thick Amani Troll accent and having deep knowledge of Trollish Loa.

It is known that the spirits are not particularly bound to Rot Fortress Island, as demonstrated by the Herald Cleverspruce able to move to Ynys Bywydmaen and several other locations.

The Heralds are said to have a fifth Herald: Krozun, the Devilsaur, and the greatest of their number. However, Krozun fell to the corruption of the Bydronyth and the Miasmic Rot.

## Firbellow

**Firbellow** was the first Herald who was reborn, having been awakened by **Tur'ri**. He takes the form of a tall, noble-statured plant humanoid.

It is known that he was once a Amani Troll and that Smolders-his-Thorns is his sibling, making him approximately ten-thousand years old. He is also a deeply rigid and prickly individual, choosing not to speak Common to Tiwakanuwae when addressing her -- only speaking in Zandalari.

He was able to sense the powers of the Trollish Loa among the three others who had gathered, managing to guess Hakal'di and Barz'vuk's patron loa, although having struggled with Tur'ri's. He seemed to be able to use soul magic to create Lifeseeds; little else is known about his powers or abilities.

Firbellow was present at the creation of the Bloodstone Amulet and the first sealing of the Lockway. It is also believed he directly participated in R'kham's War.

## Cleverspruce

**Cleverspruce** was the second Herald who was reborn, having been awakened by Hakal'di (whom they affectionately call "Id'lakah"). They take the form small plant being.

Cleverspruce's origins and age are currently unknown. They seem to be non-binary or even genderless, accepting both 'he/him', 'she/her', and 'they/them'. The spirit is also known as the most playful and childlike of the four Heralds and speaks sentences almost inversely or otherwise speaking in riddles. Cleverspruce seems to be favored by Ysgelyn as the spirit works quite often as a guide, courier, and her eyes in the world wider world.

Childlike and playful as they are, Cleverspruce should not be underestimated; they seem to have the ability to manifest themselves anywhere in soil that is connected to the deeper earth. They have also been known to bypass magical wards and alarms without triggering them. Finally, they seem to be able to create acorns that grant powerful boons once eaten.

## Quietmaple

**Quietmaple** was the third Herald who was reborn, having been awakened by Tiwakanuwae. He takes the form of an elder treant.

Quietmaple's origins are currently unknown, but is believed to be the oldest of the four Heralds. He seems to speak slowly and methodically, needing ample amount of time to think about each word that comes from his mouth. According to Cleverspruce, the ancient treant is the most wise of the four Heralds but also the most sleepy.

Although Quietmaple has not yet demonstrated any abilities, his aura carries with him a power that latently detected by the four members of the South Sea Exchange. He was able to sprout out of the sheer stone of Lighthouse on Rot Fortress Island and when his 'feet' reached the dirt, his presence seemed to cure the Miasmic Rot within and enrich the nutrients of the soil.

He seems to have some connection to the Night Elves of old, knowing Malorne and Cenarius by name.

## Elmroar

**Elmroar** was the fourth Herald who was reborn, having been awakened by Barz'vuk. He takes the form of a plant-like Magnataur.

Elmroar's origins and age are currently unknown. Elmroar was the most direct and and sensibly spoken of the four Heralds. He does not seem to brim with potent magical energy, leading to the belief that Elmroar represents the martial spirit of the wilds. He wields a long glaive made many centuries beforehand from enchanted bark and stone. His hide is made of stern, hardened, enchanted bark that could shrug off blows from normal weapons.

Of the four spirits, Elmroar seems to be the most respected of his peers -- no spirit has a single bad word to say about Elmroar and the spirit seems to carry himself with a noble, fierce presence.

## Krozun

Hailed as the mightiest agent of Ysgelyn's Heralds, **Krozun** is an uplifted Devilsaur that became the guardian and protector of Rot Fortress Island while it was still called Dun'Quazar. Easily considered more than three thousand years old as legends speak of Krozun being present on the island before it was settled by the ancient Stromic Highlanders and Amani Forest Trolls of yore, Krozun was blessed by the Derwython and Amani Spirit-Callers several times over, calling Ysgelyn to make Krozun her long-lived agent. Additionally, Krozun was giving the blessing of the dying Obsidian Dragon, Ygasion.

While Krozun was just animal, she understood her task -- laying a final clutch of eggs that Ysgelyn made go dormant, putting them in a living stasis for when Krozun might eventually die and fall against the waning twilight of Ysgelyn's power on Azeroth. Krozun had a singular duty -- to guard the Voidwell, the entrance into a pocket dimension of R'kham's creation, containing his fortress.

Even as the Stromic Highlanders and Amani fell into the Troll Wars and Dun'Quazar was abandoned and Krozun's memory faded, the **Eternal Devilsaur** continued her watch. However, as Ysgelyn and her followers had predicted, Krozun would not be able to stand forever and although reinforced by Derwython having fled persecution by the Order of the Blazing Dawn during the Derwython Shadow War, Krozun fell to the combined might of Bronwyn's Mutineers and a Bydronyth coven.

Lord and Lady Rot both sought to corrupt Ysgelyn's mighty champion and thus, with the power of a Bloodstone Shard, combined the soul and blood magic with their own fetid Decay magics of the Miasmic Rot, turning Krozun into a champion of Bydron. However, despite their corruption, the Lord and Lady Rot were never able to fully control Krozun -- issuing commands to the Eternal Devilsaur were frequently ignored, but the Bydronyth and Mutineers were content with being ignored rather than attacked.

At some point later, Krozun's dormant eggs became a source of Ysgelyn's power, protecting Krozun's lair from the likes of the Miasmic Rot corruption that spread over Dun'Quazar, now Rot Fortress Island. However, these dormant eggs were later destroyed by Faedriel Ashspear, Greagoir Cadwell, and Sasha Kalling. While ignorant of their purpose, Ysgelyn's power was enough to lay a curse upon the three -- two of three managed overcome the curse by briefly becoming Ysgelyn's agents.

The destruction of Krozun's eggs caused Krozun to go berserk and lose the final grasp of control over herself that she might have had. However, the Bydronyth still could not exert any control -- the Eternal Devilsaur having simply become feral once again.

The powers of Krozun are seemingly many -- Ygasion blessed it with a Flaming Breath, Ysgelyn enhanced Krozun's strength and lifespan, and enough Trolls and Humans have worshipped Krozun in the past to give Krozun a near Loa-like state. These aspects were all corrupted by the Miasmic Rot, likely turning them into Decay-empowered magics. Scouts and Guardians of the Council of the Five Branches report something within Krozun during her attacks on their patrols of the island, as well...