Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects

Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects is a World of Warcraft novel by Christie Golden. Basically a follow-up to her earlier The Shattering Prelude to Cataclysm, the book follows the titular ex-Warchief as he struggles with his inner demons, while at the same time the Twilight's Hammer plots to destroy all life on Azeroth, starting with the dragons.

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Tropes used in Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects include:

• Absolute Xenophobe: Arygos, proud son of the genocidal Blue Aspect Malygos, hates everyone who isn't a blue dragon, and even wanted to kill Thrall just for being in the Nexus even though he was a on a mission from the other aspects. Of course, it later turns out that he had aligned himself with the Twilight's Hammer.
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Wyrmrest Temmple is taken early on and not reclaimed until the climax.
• Alternate Universe: Thrall visits an alternate timeline in the Caverns of Time, where his early death was the point of divergence. Aedelas Blackmoore from this timeline, here usurper king of Lordaeron, is recruited by the Infinite Dragonflight to kill Thrall.
• Arc Words: ...Kind of. "All that matters is this moment," while only said once or twice in the book, has been repeated by Nozdormu at least twice more in the World of Warcraft game.
• Awesome Moment of Crowning: Kalecgos as new Blue Aspect
• Badass in Distress: Kirygosa is kepr in captivity under a Shock Collar, but eventually escapes and fights in the final battle.
• BFS: Fleshrender.
• Big Bad: Deathwing.
• Bigger Bad: The Old Gods.
• Cain and Abel: Arygos and Kirygosa, an accomplice to and prisoner of Twilight's Hammer, respectively
• The Chains of Commanding: Kalecgos is wary about becoming Blue Aspect, and this enables him to become friends with Thrall, who also had to become Warchief after Doomhammer's death, and realizes that he has been bound by that role.
• Dangerously Genre Savvy: Deathwing. He refuses to rest until he has proof that Thrall the one who has a chance to defeat him is dead. and no, falling off a high cliff does not count.
• The Dragon: The Twilight Father is this to Deathwing, and Chromatus is a more literal one once he is awakened.
• Eleventh-Hour Superpower: Thrall receives powers similar to the Aspect of Earth's to coordinate the Aspects against Chromatus
• For Want of a Nail: In the alternate timeline Thrall visits he died young. This leads to Aedelas Blackmoore switching to a better plan, sobering up, killing Orgrim Doomhammer at Blackrock Spire with his mercenaries, and then striking a deal with the orcs in order to usurp the throne of Lordaeron.
• Future Me Scares Me: Nozdormu, being the Aspect of Time, has seen that he will some day, in some timeline start the Infinite Dragonflight. He isn't very fond of that idea.
• Heroic BSOD: Alexstrasza goes into one after she finds out Korialstrasz was responsible for the destruction of the sanctuaries and all eggs within. She gets better when Thrall reveals that he did it to stop the Twilight corruption (see Heroic Sacrifice below).
• Heroic Sacrifice: Korialstrasz/Krasus sacrifices himself to destroy the Wyrmrest sanctuaries and all the corrupted dragon eggs.
• Hero-Killer: The colossal chromatic dragon Chromatus was bred by Nefarian with this very purpose. In addition, alternate universe Blackmoore is this to Thrall.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Arygos, through the head.
• In Spite of a Nail In the alternate timeline, Thrall notes that Taretha and Blackmoore are fundamentally the same people be remembers even if their lives are very different.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: The Twilight Father tells Arygos he should have done this to Thrall after he says too many were watching for him to kill him.
• Meaningful Name: Thrall sees his name as symbolic of the forces he has beem a slave to all his life.
• The Mole: The Twilight Father is a respected member of human society. Specifically, Archbishop Benedictus.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Fleshrender, Blackmoore's weapon of choice. Thrall calls him out on how such a brutish name shows his true lack of sophistication.
• Not the Fall That Kills You: Apparently, you can fall from large heights and only get slightly wounded if you land in snow.
• Off with His Head: Desharin by Blackmoore
• Omnicidal Maniac: The Twilight's Hammer cult's defining trait.
• Only Mostly Dead: Chromatus was defeated, but the dragons still don't know how to actually make him DEAD-dead. They keep him in an arcane prison until they figure it out.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Thrall gives one to Blackmoore.
• Shock Collar: Used on Kirygosa.
• Sinister Minister: Archbishop Benedictus has betrayed the Light in favor of the Twilight's Hammer.
• Smug Snake: The Twilight Father.
• Spanner in the Works: Thrall royally fucks up the Twilight Hammer's plan. Though it is partially subverted in that Deathwing is aware of the threat he poses and has made Thrall the top of his hit list
• The End of the World as We Know It: The Hour of Twilight, when all life (except the twilight dragons) will be extinguished and the Old Gods will have won. Fortunately, it is so far only a prophecy.
• Tin Tyrant: Alternate Universe Aedelas Blackmoore usurped the throne of Lordaeron, and was then sent by the Infinite Dragonflight to hunt down Thrall. He wears a suit of black armor that incorporates pieces of the Doomhammer armor.
• Villainous Breakdown: Arygos and the Twilight Father as their plans go awry.
• Villains Want Mercy:A defeated Blackmoore begs Thrall for his life, but he refuses to spare him. The Twilight Father asks Deathwing for another chance, and gets it.
• Wham! Line

Nozdormu: You asked me how I knew the infinite dragonflight was behind Blackmoore'sss creation and liberation. I know this because... I ssssent him after you.
Archbishop Benedictus: Thank you, my lord.

• You Can't Fight Fate: Thrall realizes his parents are going to be killed, but can't save them lest he cause a Temporal Paradox
• You Have Failed Me...: Subverted. Deathwing is really annoyed, but he still sees the Twilight Father as a useful mole and teleports him back to Stormwind instead of letting the dragons find him.
  • Played straight with Arygos, whom Blackmoore kills after his failure to become Aspect. Kirygosa thinks it's You Have Outlived Your Usefulness, but the Twilight Father says otherwise.