The Winter Queen is essentially playing God in the absence of the Arbiter. Her role in the Shadowlands is she’s the guardian over Ardenweald and she gets to decide who gets to reincarnate into new life.
Bwonsamdi speaks about her role in the Shadowlands and maybe even refering to Ardenweald as the Wheel of Death. Loa who have passed like Hir’eek, Dragons like Y’Sera and Wild Gods all get blessed into recreation. But it seems like recreation is a privilege only awarded to the gods in a way to continue to cycle through power and control over the mortal races.
“Death brings life, The great wheel turns, slowly, yes, over eons, but it turns. Bodies decay and new life springs from it all things that seem eternal end, then rise to find new purpose. […] There is a harmony to things. In time, we, too must embrace the end, the long, deep slumber. And without us? Our followers find strength in new things, in themselves, or new beliefs. They grieve, they grow . And when the veil of dreaming lifts, the eternal and great beings climb on the wheel once more, bound to it, and slowly, ever so slowly the wheel spins.” Bwonsamdi Shadows Rising pg. 228-229
We don’t know much about the story but we know that Bwonsamdi is working with the Winter Queen. She’s responsible for all the Loa and thier journey through reincarnation and rebirth. But a Loa spirit is missing at that missing Loa spirit is likely Rezan, the Loa Bwonsamdi usurped to become Loa of Kings. Apparently Bwonsamdi has made a deal with another influencial Loa spirit but we don’t know the extent of this deal of why he would be making deals at all. Bwonsamdi’s goals are mysterious we only know that he has recruited someone (possibly the player character) to reclaim souls sent to the Maw for his own gain against Mueh'zala. It seems like there is already a sided conflict brewing in the Shadowlands.
It’s unclear as to why Bwomsamdi needs souls or why any Loa need souls for that matter. What is gathered through Zandalari lore is the more tributes a Loa has the more souls he/she has but for what purpose? do these souls convert into power? early in BFA, Bwonsamdi demanded that Talanji bring him Sylvanas’s head so that he could have her soul and all the souls under her. It seems like some souls are worth more than others. Some anima is worth more than others and Sylvanas’s anima is a prize. The text was later reworked in later patches to have Bwonsamdi ask for the soul of a Warchief instead of Sylvanas’s soul specifically.
This change seemed to be made after Blizzard saw the popularity of Bwonsamdi and changed his story. I strongly believe he was positioned to be a villian in the narrative before Blizzard realized that he was popular and he was changed to a more benvevolent tickster god. Shadows Rising did a lot of white wash his previous underhanded deal made to subjugate Talanji against her will. The book ended with Talanji having enough leverage to amend the deal to give her more agency in the situation because of player backlash. The point is the story is constantly changing even after release so it’s hard to say definitively where they are going with the story.
While it seems on the surface that Bwonsamdi and the Winter Queen are on the right side of the fight there is still some datamined text that show some hints as to what may be going on. When we first meet Bwonsamdi in BfA he’s a bit distraught because he’s lost the soul of Vol’jin, you are given Vol’jin’s urn and asked to track down his spirit to return to Bwonsamdi. Vol’jin’s spirit was interfered with before he could land in the Shadowlands. After a bit of pointlessly running around you find out that Vol’jin was mysteriously “touched by Valor” whatever that means and you eventually find out that he’s got the spirit of a Loa inside of him. (now this is possibly a point where we double back and point out that Rezan’s spirit is missing and Rezan died shortly before bringing Vol’jin’s ashes to Bwonsamdi) Whatever power intervened did so because it did NOT want Bwonsamdi to get the spirit of a Warchief (because that’s what Vol’jin was, the soul he was desiring most.)
It seems like there is a powerplay going on within the heirarchy of the Loa. Mueh’zala, the Loa of Death who seems to be on top, was the one who is working with the Jailer. It was him who whispered to Vol’jin to make Sylvanas Warchief. The powers of the Maw kept this fact hidden from Vol’jin. When Vo’jin undergoes a vision type quest to relive his final moments he seems to be assulted by minions of the Maw who ask him to challenge his opinion.
Now there is only implication that Mueh’zala is working with the Jailer because he is aligned with Sylvanas, It would make sense that the Jailer would want Sylvanas as Warchief to cause as much damage and send as many souls to the Maw as possible to benefit the Jailer and herself, and her epilogue text supports this. But I would like to remind you the reader that Mueh’zala also has an ancient connection to the Old Gods, Loa have an ancient connection to the Old Gods as well. Mueh’zala previously was only named once by name in lore, he’s obscure. His name was mentioned in the Tanaris troll dungeon Zul’Farak, There were Three tablets combining to make the Tablet of Theka. This tablet was important to the Sandfury Trolls because it spoke of prophesy.
Ueetay no Mueh'zala God of Death, Father of Sleep, Son of Time, the Night’s Friend.
The night’s friend doesn’t mean much in context unless the Night is supposed to be a connection to the Night Fae, maybe this is a hint of his connection to the Winter Queen. Another notable thing about the Tablets is they also mention Shadra. The Spider Loa that was consumed by Yazma, who was responsible for Rezan’s death.. it calls her the lover of Death, implying that Shadra and Mueh’zala are possibly working together for the same goal or were working for the same goal when they were working for Zul. We know that Zul was working for the Old Gods.
The primitive trolls worshiped the minions of the Black Empire long before the rise of Loa, the earliest Loa was presumed to have been Mueh’zala, an agent of Yogg-Saron. its important to note that Mueh’zala wasn’t always described as looking like a troll, a;though he is now depicted as a troll, he was once described as a shape shifting black mass or pure shadow, it sounds very similar to the shadows that have been obstructing the “truth” could mueh’zala be hinding the presence of Old Gods in the Shadowlands, could he be hiding the Old God involvement in naming Sylvanas Warchief? Perhaps Mueh’zala is a facet of Yogg-Saron himself as he is self described as ‘The Fiend of many faces’
Yogg-Saron consuming energy from the Shadowlands through anima could explain why he was powerful enough to break out of his own prison and corrupt World Trees all over Azeroth.
Illgynoth says in one of his encounters: “ Before the last shadow falls, the Father of Sleep shall savor his feast.”
There is an interesting datamined *****SPOILER***** (UNDERCUT)
Interested in the potential benefits that might come from plumbing the depths of the Maw, Cartel Ve planned an exploratory venture into the dark realm. The expedition, overseen by Ve’nari, was a success. However, Ve’nari had her fellow cartel members killed to ensure she alone would have sole access to both the Maw Walkers and the Maw’s resources (8, 132).
Cartel Ve and Cartel Ta are rivals (8, 29).
It is loosely implied that the Brokers altered their demeanor, if not also their appearances, to look friendly and appealing to mortals. They refer to their outward form as their “encounter suits” (9).
Chapter One: Rites of the Dead on Azeroth
After a night elf has died, they are ritually cleansed in pools of moonlit water. Kaldorei priestesses deftly weave arcane and nature magic together to mend the dead body in preparation for a final viewing. Throughout this process, the priestesses sing songs in their temples honoring the deceased’s achievements and sacrifices in life. The deceased is then covered in a burial shroud, placed on a bier, and brought to a grove of trees where a druid magically ensconces the corpse in various plants so it can be returned to nature (13).
Some night elves form a strong enough bond to nature that even after their death, they remain tethered to the mortal realm as a wisp [Quest: Wisp in the Willows]. This phenomenon may, however, be in part due to the intervention of the elven moon goddess, Elune (13).
At some point in the past, Trade Prince Donais died and passed on to Revendreth (14).
During goblin funerals, it is customary to read off a list of all the assets the deceased held in life (14).
The Kul Tirans choose not to bury their people, believing instead that the fallen should be given to the sea [Quest: Lost, Not Forgotten, Item: Soggy Treasure Map]. An artifact called the “Dead Ringer” is a crucial part of these Kul Tiran funerary rites. In ringing the bell, it is believed the deceased’s soul is able to rise above the depths as their body sinks beneath the waves (17).
Mourners traditionally release star moss – a magical flower notable for its sensitivity to feelings of loss – into the ocean during Kul Tiran funerals [Quest: Here In Spirit], (17).
Cairne’s wife lingered in the mortal world as a spirit after her passing to keep watch over her bondmate and son. It is unclear why she was not brought to the Shadowlands by the Kyrian. That said, it is known that Kyrian cannot take the souls of those who are tethered by a sufficiently powerful force to their plane of origin (18).
Tauren, not unlike orcs, construct large funeral pyres to cremate their fallen on. The ashes of their fallen are scattered to the winds, at which point it is believed they rejoin the Earth Mother (18).
Tauren heroes are buried at Red Rocks in Mulgore. According to the tauren, the sacred nature of Red Rocks and other burial sites enables the spirits of the dead to briefly cross the Veil and talk to the living – something which the Brokers are highly skeptical actually occurs, given the design of the Shadowlands (18).
Chapter Two: Entering the Shadowlands
A mortal soul accumulates anima through its deeds and experiences in life. As a result, anima varies from soul to soul (24, 30).
The Brokers have been unable to catalogue every single afterlife in the Shadowlands, for there are too many to count (27).
The origins of the Maw are unknown to even the Brokers. According to a member of Cartel Ta, it seems the Maw’s origins have all but been “purged from the annals of history” (29).
The elemental forces of spirit and decay may or may not have an influence on how much anima a soul produces in their lifetime (31).
Chapter Three: Oribos
Various Broker cartels financed expeditions to find and stake proprietary claim on Oribos. It was eventually discovered – perhaps accidentally – by an Au cartel navigator (35).
The coiled serpent, thought to embody the infinite cycle, is a well-known symbol of the First Ones (36).
The Brokers believe that Oribos was built explicitly for the judgement of souls well before the first mortal soul ever arrived in the Eternal City (38).
On the other hand, the Arbiter’s attendants claim that the Arbiter chose to judge souls in Oribos of her own volition, which contradicts the Brokers’ theory (38).
Old, worn records seem to suggest that there was a time when the Arbiter was not as benevolent as she is made out to be today (38). Of course, that is because the Jailer formerly held the role of Arbiter before he was imprisoned in the Maw [NPC: The Primus Dialogue].
The attendants of Oribos are broken up into three groups: the Hands of the Arbiter, the scholars, and the protectors (41-42).
The Hands of the Arbiter, the largest group of attendants, are responsible for maintaining the functions and stability of Oribos (41).
The protectors make up the smallest selection of attendants. The highest position a protector can ascend to is the Shield of the Arbiter (42).
Legend has it that at least one Fatescribe can affect the destinies of living mortals (42).
The Brokers are aware there is a rumor that claims they were once another race of beings who shunned their original name and form (43).
Within Oribos, the Au Cartel is responsible for supplying resources to mortals seeking to build up their own trade skills. Cartel Ta, on the other hand, is popular for selling unusual and uncommon items of value (44).
Chapter Four: Ardenweald
Ardenweald’s celestial trees act as the primary means of anima distribution across the realm (50).
Druids, hunters, and shaman all have such a deep connection to nature that they are usually sent to Ardenweald upon their death (50).
One’s soulshape form mirrors the true nature of their bond with the wilds (51).
Though most Wild Gods take on the form of animals in Ardenweald, it is notable that Cenarius retains a largely humanoid appearance. While it is unclear exactly why, it was hinted at that he receives preferential treatment from the ruler of Ardenweald – perhaps because he is her nephew (53).
To save Ysera, the Winter Queen permanently sacrificed a portion of her own essence (54).
Elune, the Winter Queen’s sister, is presumed to be a part of a “Pantheon of Life” (56).
A full assembly of the Wild Hunt is rare, perhaps because the Hunt’s troops are usually needed as caretakers, stewards, and protectors in each of Ardenweald’s individual groves (58).
Though the Winter Queen is technically the ruler of Ardenweald, governance of the night fae falls to a council known as the Court of Night. Their members include the late Droman Krelnor, Lord Renard, Lady Moonberry, Droman Aliothe, and Droman Tashmur (59).
The tree-like appearance of the tirnenn is likely because they were the first fae to emerge in Ardenweald. They can alter the forests at will (59).
Tirna Achiad, the Heart of the Forest, is supposedly the very first tree the Winter Queen cultivated in her realm (60).
Sylvar typically function as Ardenweald’s crafters and tenders. The Vorkai, on the other hand, stand as the protectors of the realm (60).
It is said that the faeries of the Night Fae are nearly as skilled as the Brokers in the art of illusion (60).
Chapter Five: Bastion
The Light-Bearers of Fanlin’Deskor – a planet long since destroyed by the Burning Legion – were typically sent to Bastion by the Arbiter [Short Story: Velen: Prophet’s Lesson], (69).
Kyrian “Watchers” primarily operate in the mortal realm. True to their name, Watchers observe souls to determine if it is their time to move on to the Shadowlands or if there is some force still tethering them to the mortal plane (77).
Once a Watcher has dictated it is a mortal’s time to move on, a Kyrian Bearer is responsible for carrying the deceased’s soul to Oribos (77).
The Forsworn inadvertently turn a darker, purple-ish hue that reflects the personal turmoil they feel within themselves (80).
While the Forsworn have only recently appeared in great number in Bastion, they are not a new phenomenon. Some aspirants in the past did fail to ascend and became Forsworn, though they were something of a rarity. Even more uncommonly, aspirants ultimately unable to find their way back to the path would be exiled from Bastion and re-judged by the Arbiter so they could be sent to another afterlife (80).
Stewards keep mementos of their small achievements just in case they happen to forget any of their accomplishments (81).
The device Kyrian use to soul bond bears a striking resemblance to First Ones artifacts (86).
Chapter Six: Revendreth
When the drought started, Sire Denathrius used the spires of Revendreth to siphon ambient anima and add it to his hidden stores within Castle Nathria. It said that he was the “architect” of the drought (95).
Sinfall tower is where Denathrius first founded the Court of Harvesters (102).
Surprisingly, the walls of Sinfall withstood the Light’s bombardment in the Ember Ward. Rumor has it that this is because the defenses Denathrius implemented to contain the powers within Sinfall were so strong they kept even the Light at bay (102).
The Venthyr’s unique ability to wend through the shadows is considered translocation magic (105).
Chapter Seven: Maldraxxus
The Primus has the power to alter the landscape of Maldraxxus. Supposedly, he shaped the realm so it would serve as an ideal training ground for the ultimate army (112).
Each of the five houses embodies one of the five traits of the ideal champion of Death (114).
According to legend, the only losses the Primus ever suffered were intentional (116).
The Primus, an expert in runes and runic power, created the language of Domination expressly to bind the Jailer within the Maw (116, 120).
Each symbol in the Primus’ runic language represents a specific word tied to the foundations of Maldraxxus and its five houses. These could consist of anything from simple commands to necromantic energy manipulation and be used to imbue weapons with dark power or as a focus of binding magic, among other things (118).
Death Knights emblazon their weapons with these runes of domination, though it is unclear how they ever came to learn Runeforging when it originated in the Shadowlands (118).
The Jailer’s true name is said to hold dark power, which is why he is often referred to as the “Banished One” or “the Jailer” in official records (120).
It is theorized that the Jailer learned to harness the Primus’ power of Domination for himself and ultimately used it to break his prison (121).
Information exchanged in soulbinding does not completely fade, even if one of the bondmates should perish (126).
Chapter Eight: The Maw
Many afterlives dedicated to the temporary punishment of souls exist, not just Revendreth (132).
Before the Arbiter was broken, very few souls were ever sent directly to the Maw. If they indicated that they had even the slightest chance of atoning for their sins, they were sent to Revendreth (132).
Cartel Ta’s archives contain no accounts of the Jailer’s appearance or his purpose beyond overseeing the souls in the Maw (135).
It is pointed out how odd it is that a Waystone – a form of translocation – was placed in a realm explicitly meant to be inescapable. The Brokers consider two theories: the first asserts that the Waystone was intended as a failsafe in case any souls should arrive in the Maw that were not meant to be there. The second, on the other hand, claims the First Ones foresaw the coming of the Maw Walkers and placed the Waystone there for their inevitable arrival (141).
Despite the numerous deaths he endured, Kel’Thuzad was never actually judged by the Arbiter until his final death during the war against the Lich King (142).
One Broker believes the Arbiter’s judgement of Kel’Thuzad may have been manipulated to ensure he ended up in Maldraxxus, where he could further the Jailer’s schemes (142).
As the troll death deity, Mueh’zala once demanded his followers perform brutal displays of worship. His needs were so extreme that he continued to thrive upon their fear and despair after they died, preventing them from passing on to the rest of the Shadowlands (144).
However, troll civilization eventually outgrew Mueh’zala’s interest in cruelty and death. Determined not to fade into obscurity, the loa of death extended an offer to one of his priests, a troll named Bwonsamdi: in exchange for becoming Mueh’zala’s successor, Bwonsamdi was to deliver a regular tribute to the loa, thereby ensuring Mueh’zala would always have the worship he craved (145).
When the Arbiter broke, Bwonsamdi tethered the souls of dead trolls to his Necropolis to prevent them from passing on to the Maw and empowering the Jailer. Mueh’zala, who had been in league with the Jailer for some time, was enraged at this and attacked Bwonsamdi in the Other Side (145).
Mueh’zala brokered the deal with Odyn in which the titan-forged Keeper gave his eye to peer into the Shadowlands (145).
Chapter Nine: The First Ones and the Grand Design
The Brokers set out from their realm of origin upon great barge cities to discover the truths of the First Ones (149).
Other heretofore unknown First Ones realms include places like Baraneth and Nirem-Ahn. While the mortals know little about these realms, it seems the Brokers have already been to them (149, 151).
Cartel Al outbid Cartel Ta on leading the expedition to seek out the Sepulcher of the First Ones (151).
The First Ones were the progenitors of all realities and Pantheons (151).
The language of the Titans uses the same word for “created” and “Ordered” (154).
“Zereth” – first heard in the name of the First Ones realm, Zereth Mortis – translates to either “keystone” or “cornerstone” [NPC: Tal-Galan Dialogue], (160).
Epilogue
Ta’lora, a Broker of Cartel Ta, has put forth the suggestion that their cartel should expand their market to the mortal plane to overcome the achievements of their rivals in Cartel Ve (163).
Arenka heard Bwonsamdi would be in Ardenweald somewhere, and as a dutiful Darkspear she wants to see how he’s dealing with the drought - though so far she’s not seen hide or hair of the loa, and the place makes her kind of uneasy.
