Just spitballing, but something to consider is that the dreadlords might have changed their plan’s execution at some point. Being a bunch of cunning infiltrators doesn’t mean absolutely everything they do necessarily goes according to plan the first time around. After all, Enemy Infiltration - Preface doesn’t explicitly say how they intended to fracture the titanic Pantheon. It’s possible goading demons into attacking reordered worlds (and creating more demons themselves toward that purpose) was their original attempt to break the unity of the titans by producing an active threat to their mission, only for the titans to simply assign Sargeras and then Aggramar to deal with it. Sargeras and Aggramar proved extremely effective at neutralizing demonic incursions, so the rest of the Pantheon was able to continue ordering worlds unabated.
Perhaps leading the dreadlords to adjust their strategy and point the Void at Sargeras instead. Which could explain how some like Ulthalesh might refuse to join the Legion; dreadlords imprisoned on Mardum from their time instigating “random” demonic attacks could have been cut off from the rest. Meaning upon Sargeras approaching Mardum to demand their fealty with a bunch of their brethren in tow, they could legit think that the other dreadlords had truly defected to either Order under Sargeras or Disorder from the fel, unaware that the demonically corrupted nathrezim submitting to the fallen titan was really all part of the new plan.
Kotick is the CEO of Activision and has zero hand in Warcraft. Chilton was game lead and Ion Hazzikostas’ predecessor, not narrative lead. Chris Metzen was creative director until Afrasiabi was creative director, and Afrasiabi was effectively in charge of WoW story after WotLK. Steve Danuser is the closest thing to a creative director right now, as far as WoW is concerned.
Most of the inconsistent and jarring shifts in characters and narrative since BfA is likely due to Danuser taking up the reins while Afrasiabi was politely told to leave through the back door. Can’t know for certain, but I think it is at least true to some extent.
Kosak apparently was behind Garrosh’s story in MoP.
Originally Vol’jin was simply going to lay low following Broken Shore but once Kosak switched to Hearthstone Afrasiabi wasted no time in killing him off so that Sylvanas could become Warchief crudely turning BfA into MoP 2.
If Kosak hadn’t switched to Hearthstone then the Banshee Queen’s fate might have been different forcing Afrasiabi to attempt a different plan for Shadowlands before he and Kosak got fired.
Well, the BfA that we thought we were getting in the cinematic looked appealing. Would have been nice to read what the original plan was before the ruination that was BfA → SL’s metaplot.
Kosak not switching to Hearthstone might very well have resulted in Genn Greymane assaulting Undercity first followed by Teldrassil burning.
Afrasiabi personally writing Sylvanas since WoW’s beginnings means that Sylvanas’s statements(so similar to her statements after killing Saurfang) during https://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Sylvanas%27_Vengeance as well as her statements of having associates remove Koltira’s weakness were probably planned as foreshadowing for Shadowlands but Kosak’s Short Story derailed that and made Sylvanas’s joining the Jailer confusing.
Both are gone and Danuser is stuck with the train wreck resulting from their contradicting views.
Kosak was brought in because Flintlocke’s Guide to Azeroth was so popular! His sudden appointment to a high position was a derailing element to WoW to say the least and his switching to Hearthstone derailed it even further!
One thing to note: WoW’s story always calms down when the Game acclimates to the sudden change in Lore development.
MoP was an acclimate to Kosak’s arrival. Legion was an acclimate to Tom Chilton’s sudden delving into AUs aside from Sylvanas’s story in Azsuna and Argus which most certainly happened as a result of Kosak switching to Hearthstone allowing Afrasiabi control over the reigns.
Once WoW acclimates to Danuser it will stabilize somewhat.
That is merely the Nathrezim opinion that they can trick the light, which is missing that being Lightbound literally connects you to the light and its will. We know that Alleria’s Etheral mentor spared him once because he saw a unique fate for him, and I doubt yellow flavored betrayer would be enough to get an Etheral’s interest. Its far more likely Lortharaxin will double cross the Natherzim where Denathrius’ plan backfired due to underestimating the other cosmic powers.
Not to mention we already know that the Natherzim’s attempt to infiltrate the light ended badly and was the cause of the light attacking Revendreth.
Ember ward wasnt the result of the Naaru/light finding spies among their rank, they attacked it in retaliation from dark magic and experiment Sire Denathrius and his nathrezim where conducting in the ember ward though.
The “experiment” thing was speculated in-game prior to 9.1. With the revelations about the dreadlords, it’s been clarified by certain characters who knew their origin that the Light’s attack was in response to a nathrezim infiltration going wrong.
That said, since getting “exiled” has apparently played into their (and Denathrius’) plans, it’s possible the infiltration being discovered wasn’t by accident at all, but rather was engineered to create a smokescreen and justification for the nathrezim to distance themselves from Denathrius so their continuing subversive activities abroad wouldn’t cast further suspicion on him.
Well, Prince Renathal basically explain it was a dark magic and experimentation complex, that caught the Light’s attention for the unholy experiment going on and that basically why it got cursed by the light and destroyed.
One could assume the option of dark magic rituals not working as hoped,denathrius turned to more covert operations instead.
Balnazzar was permanently killed in service to the Burning Legion at the end of the priest/paladin campaigns in Legion, as Netherlight Temple is within the Twisting Nether. Which if both Balnazzar and Varimathras defected to the Legion, it gives new context to the threat to flay Detheroc if he doesn’t secure that unknown asset.
Either all three brothers defected and Detheroc is trying to scheme his way back into Denathrius’ good graces, Detheroc is paying for his brothers defections, or his brothers were casualties of acting as Legion agents with Varimathras being tortured for his failures and Balnazzar being outright ordered to attack Netherlight Temple by one of the Legion bosses… and the threat to Detheroc was simply to keep him in line out of that vague sense of fear that the deaths of his brothers, could trigger Detheroc to turn against Denathrius since his family died for the master’s schemes.
His final words were something along the lines of “You’ve not seen the last of me! I will destroy you all.” like some cheesy 80’s cartoon villain.
Detheroc is mentioned in the encrypted messages was he not? something about how he will pay for his failure or something. He seems still part of the operation. The only reason why I think Varimathras truly defected was because Xal’atath says that he “backed the wrong side and lost” If Balnazzar and Lothraxion were working together to lure the PC Priest/Paladin to lead them to the Netherlight Temple, she got empowerment out of it, then she would be in on the Dreadlords plans.
Varimathras becomes increasingly anti-Sylvanas and even goes so far as to again try and manpulate the Horde and Alliance against her in Legion by planting seeds of doubt in the Horde that she took the mantle of Warchief by force, which we know is not true, it was Mueh’zala’s whisper. Varimathras was trying to work against the Jailer by planting seeds of doubt in us against Sylvanas. If the Dreadlords are working for the jailer on behalf of Death than the simple answer is Varimathras is the traitor not Lothraxxion.
A few posts ago I linked direct quotes from Renathal that directly states that one of the dreadlords “incursions” was discovered and as a result, the Light attacked Revendreth. How you managed to ignore those is beyond me if you have been following this thread.
Because dreadlords they discovered covertly in their midst aren’t the same thing as one they captured and forcibly converted to their cause.
Plus most of the universe seemed to have bought the narrative of the dreadlords being legitimately cast off by Denathrius, meaning everyone’s spent the past several eons believing that they’d become demons in their exile and were just doing demon things for their own reasons until Sargeras claimed them.
Possibly aside from the Void - who can’t always reliably differentiate actual truth from all of the “truths” they see - nobody else seems to have known that their original mission never stopped, and that their exile was less a punishment than a way to drop off everyone’s radar, perceived as defeated, stripped of relevance and reduced to just another demonic race randomly spreading chaos from the Twisting Nether.
The Light attacked Revendreth due to an incursion being discovered. This is confirmed by the accounts of Ren’thal and Z’rali, who were both present at the conflict and on opposite sides. Quote;
Z’rali:
“We came seeking justice. Retribution. To answer an affront committed upon the Light itself.
Our numbers were vast. Uncountable. Every heart burning with righteous fury.
Many fell. But not before we unleashed a fire that our enemies could not endure. The seething scar of our vengeance still lingers in the firmament.
I lay broken on the battlefield. Until the unseen ones found me. Preserved me. To serve as a vessel for their Sire’s rage.
But I endured. I knew the Light had a destiny. For me. And for your kind as well, mortal.”
Ren’thal
"Countless ages ago, just after the first venthyr were sired, Denathrius unveiled another creation. The nathrezim.
Forged to be the ultimate infiltrators, they bore the influence of Death into the realms of our rivals… as well as the worlds of the living. Despite their subtlety, one of these incursions was discovered. In response, the full wrath of the Light fell upon Revendreth, setting ablaze the ward once held by the nathrezim.
The armies of Maldraxxus did not rise up to defend us, so the Stonewright carved her Stone Legion to strike back against the Light. Once the naaru were routed, the Stonewright turned her anger upon the nathrezim, blaming them for the loss of so many of her children."
(relevant sentences in bold for emphasis)
Z’rali refers to the Nathrezim using the Venthyr term “unseen guests”, Ren’thal affirms that the Light’s retaliatory strike was limited to the Nathrezim’s holdings - the Naaru didn’t try to destroy all of Revendreth or even Castle Nathria, and why else would the Stonewright blame the Nathrezim for the loss of her children?
The experiments happened after Z’rali was captured and because she was the reason for the experiments.