Comments

Comment by Chickenbomb

I got this item today from Chromie's Scenario, and here's what was written, with all the grammar and cap (or lack thereof) copied as close as I could get it.

kill the dragon
kill the dragon
kill the
DRAGON

it's not a gnome, it's a DRAGON

not even a good dragon

SLAY THE DRAGON

crossed the timeways one too many times, didn't you? made a few enemies? maybe caused a paradox you couldn't reconcile?

the demons, the elementals, the humans and orcs... they're all on MY SIDE NOT YOURS

NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT, WHELP

Comment by Behodar

Did anyone else read the first few lines like Elmer Fudd?

Kill da dwagon, kill da dwagon...

Comment by Theodinus

Given that the handwriting is strangely familiar, and the word "Whelp" is used derogatorily at the end I'd like to speculate that this is written by Kairozdormu. The presence of Wrathion in the Obsidian Dragonshrine I think is a red herring since Black Dragon = Bad is the common trope and Wrathion is trying to break that pattern. Kairozdormu though has already demonstrated a willingness to tamper with timelines in uncertain ways, his own dragon form is a mature drake and not a "whelp" like Chromie's and he's also known to partner with lesser races to set up his complex plots. Such as uniting 8 simultaneous attacks chronosyncronous in an attempt to assassinate one of the most prolific bronze dragons still dedicated to their original purpose.

Comment by Mist2489

Curious, who could've written it? The "not even a good dragon" part makes me think that it's not even a dragon like Wrathion who wrote this.

Comment by KneezMz

Don't you think they're talking about Chromie?

Comment by Casn

First half of this message is written as an order, or alternatively, reminder to a writer himself. In both cases, writer is unlikely to be a dragon himself, because then 'dragon' would refer more to writer himself than to Chromie (and anyone should be able to tell how dumb is the sound of "kill the human" from mouth of a human).

"not even a good dragon" does mean that there might be some dragons that writer could consider 'good'. But then, this might mean anything. Properly shaped dragon, properly aligned dragon, properly dead dragon, as far as we know, anything could be "good".

"it's not a gnome, it's a DRAGON" might be relevant to order recipents (if order it is) that could be unwilling to pick on gnome, or reminder to writer, that at some point was not aware of true nature of Chromie.

Second half of this note is clearly directed to Chromie, and gives suggestions as to what might have caused that attack and who is behind it.

Paradox is pretty obvious, but whether it happened or is yet to happen, we do not know.

"the demons, the elementals, the humans and orcs... they're all on MY SIDE NOT YOURS" leaves out satyrs, void lords and undead. Satyrs and undead are both used by demons and void lords, so powers of void (including Old Gods, responsible for corruption of deathwing) are most likely culprit if we are to limit ourselves only to known threats.

But note is directed both to Chromie and to one that is to cause Chromie harm, so either those are orders that are likely to fall into Chromie hands, or just crazy ravings that were never meant to be read. Or Chromie is going the way of Nozdormu, going insane and trying to kill itself (which also explains familiar handwriting).

Comment by Azaram

Mildly annoyed that this came out of what was described as 'really good loot'... Curious as to who wrote it, but pretty sure it couldn't be 'me' (the player), as I've already seen Chromie as doing good...

Comment by guttar

Reminds me heavily of a line of conversation from the TV show Firefly, but after looking for a bit, I just can't find it.

crossed the timeways one too many times, didn't you? made a few enemies? maybe caused a paradox you couldn't reconcile?

But this bit, it just screams it at me..

Comment by ladynagini

This seems to be the item you get from the keepsake box when you haven't completed any of the four additional scenario's that open up on the summit of wyrmrest temple after you defeat each of the first four minibosses. This box normally contains an item to autocomplete or at least skip a significant portion of an as of yet uncompleted scenario. You can only get items to autocomplete a scenario if you have already completed at least once before.

Comment by Silin093

I read "IT'S A DRAGON" and immediately thought of Maximillian of Northshire

Comment by cephadex

So, below I have gone into a long discussion of my own speculation about this note and its possible writer; please feel free to skip this discussion entirely if you're not in the mood to read a very long post, hehe! ^^ Thank you!

(tl:dr: To me, it feels like "crossing the timeways one too many times" refers to the way that Chromie and the player together are crossing the timeways in this very scenario, in an attempt to stop the killer-- and in so doing they would create the paradox that Chromie could not reconcile, that would lead to the killer's existence or grudge.)

As far as trying to figure out who wants to kill Chromie (ie, who wrote the note), to me there are a couple of things that stand out here:

- the fact that the handwriting is "strangely familiar"

- the bit about "crossing the timeways one too many times" and "causing a paradox one couldn't reconcile."

First off, a few things to keep in mind: from Blizzard's perspective, clearly they wanted to create a mystery here that would keep players guessing. I think that sometimes they do this, even before they, themselves had completely figured out exactly what they want to do. (For example: I think that back in MoP when they had Wrathion eat the heart of the thunder king, go into a trance, and then say stuff about 'rebuilding the final titan,' they still hadn't figured out exactly what they wanted to do there, though they probably had a vague, general idea. I think that later they came up with the specific story about how the other titans wanted to awaken the world soul of Azeroth, ie the 'final titan,' who was prophesied to be immensely powerful. I think that while initially they probably had some vague idea of what they wanted to do there, they likely only came up with this specific story after the fact-- because otherwise I don't think they'd have used the term 'rebuild' (but rather something more like 'awaken,' or even just 'build').

(Incidentally: the reason that eating the heart of the thunder king would give Wrathion a vision of the titan Aman'thul is because the thunder king had absorbed a fragment of Aman'thul's soul, which was what had given him his thunder powers-- but I digress).

The reason I brought this up is because I think that any hints in this letter should probably be taken with a grain of salt, due to the possibility that perhaps Bliz themselves hadn't fully decided what they want to do here; or maybe they have, that's possible too.

The bit about the writing being 'strangely familiar' would of course refer to someone the player is familiar with-- which can include someone who as of yet doesn't seem relevant to this plot-- but who might become relevant to it at some later point/expansion. Remember that it's not beneath blizzard to come up with completely new lore that goes in a completely different direction from what they'd been doing. Of course, the juiciest way that this could turn out would be that the person wanting to kill Chromie is some other version of the player, like at a different point in time/different timeline, or Chromie herself, like an "infinite Chromie" (yes, I know there's speculation about Chromie possibly not being a 'her' due to the name 'Chronormu' -- but for simplicity I'm referring to her this way). But as we've seen, Bliz doesn't always write their stories in the 'juiciest' or most compelling way; sometimes instead they just spring something on you out of left field which can feel a tiny bit anticlimactic, haha.

Admittedly, the fact that in the note there's the line "it's not a gnome, it's a dragon" doesn't really fit with the "infinite chromie" idea, because it sounds like a revelation that the writer had, themselves (and ofc to Chromie this would not be a revelation); then again, there's that "rebuilding the final titan" bit, where the term 'rebuilding' also doesn't quite fit with the story Bliz ended up writing for that, haha. So, I wouldn't completely dismiss the possibility that Bliz still hadn't completely figured out what they want to do for the Chromie arc here, and that even while this hint doesn't fit with the 'infinite chromie' possibility, it doesn't necessarily mean they won't still go with something like that.Then again, I could be completely wrong here, and maybe this will end up as an important clue that will stay relevant in the actual revelation, haha! Then again, if the killer was another version of the player, then you'd expect that the player wouldn't have a big revelation that Chromie is actually a dragon, either-- I mean, the player has seen Chromie in her true form multiple times before.

But I suppose it's conceivable that there would be some other version of the player from some other timeline, who did not know that Chromie was a dragon and who then was shocked to discover this-- but I really don't feel like that's where Bliz going with this. This is mostly because I feel like what Bliz is doing here is that Chromie and the player's attempts to stop the killer in this very scenario is what ultimately leads to the killer's existence or actions. (Ie, this is 'the paradox she couldn't reconcile'). So even if the writer of the note had been some alternate version of the player, then I feel like it would be a version of the player who had been you up until events diverged in this scenario, by virtue of all the time-hopping. So they'd already have known quite well that Chromie was a dragon, for many years.

If anything, the line about how "it's not a gnome, it's a dragon" seems to me like its inclusion there by Blizzard was not there necessarily for the purpose of having the player rule Chromie out as the perp-- but rather that Bliz included it in order to emphasize to the player that the note must have been written in reference to Chromie. It could well be that whoever wrote the story hadn't even thought so far as to realize that Chromie herself would not be likely to write something like that: maybe they were so invested in putting in a clue that would ascertain to players the note must be about Chromie that they just put that in without thinking too much of it. (I mean, other bits of the story feel like they could have been better thought-out: would Chromie be so chill around Wrathion in this scenario? Last time they saw each other he'd knocked Anduin out and tied Chromie up-- oh, and he helped Garrosh escape-- you'd think she'd be more upset when she spoke to him now).

That said, on to another line in the note: I don't think that we should necessarily give too much weight to the bit about 'not even a good dragon,' because I think that this is meant to be a line given very intently from the writer's perspective-- as opposed to an overall evaluation of 'good versus evil' in the game (ex., in the way that players are 'good' and mobs are 'bad'). That is, clearly from the writer's perspective Chromie is 'bad,' and you've seen enough storylines where a mob we have to kill truly believes that they are in the right, especially when they've gone mad. What it really would mean is that Chromie had done something that to the writer was unforgivable-- keep in mind that the entire note and the scenario in general are very, very intimately personal to Chromie.

The bit about "causing a paradox one couldn't reconcile" feels to me very much like the paradox specified here was the one that led to the existence of the writer, or at least to their resentment of Chromie-- or perhaps that it led to Chromie becoming infinite and then deciding that the non-infinite Chromie was the bad one. Because this line just sounds to me very much like the sort of speech often given by bad guys at the time of revelation, about how the good guy was the one who had unwittingly led to the entire problem. We've seen already that infinite dragons in general believe that they are in the right, and that it's the bronze flight which is in the wrong.

Also, the line about the demons, elementals, and mortals (humans and orcs) strikes me in how it specifically juxtaposes the writer in direct opposition to Chromie ("my side, not yours"); that is, the fact that there's this direct comparison also makes me feel that the writer is in a way "equal and opposite to Chromie." It could be an "infinite Chromie," or it could be some storyline Bliz hasn't created yet. I don't feel like it fits that it would be some version of Kairoz (either way, Kairoz would be as unsurprised by the fact that Chromie is a dragon as Chromie would be herself-- so they're both equally unlikely to have written the line "it's not a gnome it's a dragon"). And yes, I know that Kairoz was slain by Garrosh and then re-slain by the players in WoD-- but there's always time travel.

I know that I keep coming back to this 'infinite Chromie' theory that I may well be completely wrong about-- but what really makes me feel that it's something like this is that in the plot itself, Chromie is presented as being so obviously unwitting and innocent, which to me feels like from Bliz's perspective this is meant to keep players stumped as to who could possibly be so completely bent against her-- and who could possibly think that such an obviously friendly, unwitting, quirky and funny, long-time familiar character could be so bad that they have it in for her like this-- it feels like it's supposed to be something shocking, and the last person you'd expect here would be that Chromie, herself, was the one out to kill another version of herself.

I mean, think of it this way: would Chromie be presented as being so obviously, profoundly unwitting if the culprit was anyone other than her? It feels like"crossing the timeways one too many times" refers to the way that Chromie and the player together are crossing the timeways in this very scenario, in an attempt to stop the killer-- and in so doing they would create the paradox that Chromie could not reconcile, that would lead to the killer's existence or grudge.

As for the kinds of enemies occupying each shrine: emerald shrine: emerald nightmare beings and demons; azure shrine: void aberrations; ruby shrine: liches/undead; obsidian shrine: undead and demons. While some of these seem to have a stronger correlation (ex., red dragons create life, so undead would be the antithesis of that), in general the only real significance I feel from this is the bit in the note referring to how "the demons, the elementals, and the mortals are all on the writer's side and not Chromie's." I know that the note doesn't include all of the mob types listed above, but I feel like it's not intended as an an exhaustive list necessarily, but rather that it just gives a general message that "a lot of different kinds of beings are on my side and not yours." One might try to make a correlation with the timeways Chromie had influenced before (ex., Culling of Strathholme, with the undead there)-- but I don't really feel a strong correlation there, if anything the specific types of mobs involved here don't feel to me like they correlate in quite good way with this.

Someone else mentioned on here that the "paradox" line reminds them a lot of something from the show Firefly; I've never watched this show but I wouldn't be surprised if that person is right, and that maybe Bliz is trying to fashion something in this arc after something from the show. Recently in the 2018 April Fools bit posted by Blizzard there was a line clearly referring to the show Firefly under the holy priest talents, so I wouldn't be surprised if at least someone who writes for them is into that show-- it's not inconceivable that someone there was inspired by it. Either way, I'd have to watch it to comment on that further, maybe it would help with speculation.

At the end of the day though, again take into consideration that sometimes the plot Blizzard gives us isn't as satisfying as what we might like in terms of how well it ties things together; sometimes indeed they spontaneously come up with something out of left field that feels like it had little to do with the hints they had given before. So really, despite the obvious hinting nature in the note, they might suddenly bring in something that feels like it doesn't really fit, if it helps them create an expansion or quest or dungeon they want players to go to. (Ex., "The writer of the note is Mary-Sue Wrynn, the half-sister it turns out Varian had that no one knew about, and she has beef with Chromie because reasons: here, go kill her in this five-man dungeon.")

Comment by acebdolon

Pretty sure it was written by you, the player:

1- the handwriting is jagged and frantic but strangely familiar, so not your normal handwriting which would be immediately apparent but the frantic handwriting of yourself after going insane from having to relive the same 15 minutes over and over again, Groundhog Day style, except worse since you don't get a whole day, only 15 minutes so not even enough time for decent nap.

2- when the note says 'it's not a gnome, it's a DRAGON' it is you convincing yourself that it's ok to kill Chromie because she not a helpless and adorable little gnome, but an incompetent dragon that trapped you into this mess, forcing you to help her over and over again without rest

3- there are only two people trapped in the time loop who could go insane from the unending time-loop and write such a note, so it must be your note since it's obviously not chromie's because she's a time-traveling dragon used to such things and not some weak-minded mortal susceptible to a mental breakdown.

4- Also, the ONLY people who are present in all 4 timeways and shrines, who knows exactly when to attack, and could coordinate the attack is you and chromie, and since she's obviously not the one who wrote the note or trying to kill herself, that leaves only YOU.

5- The main paradox that could be referred to here is that the person who killed her is trying to kill her because they got trapped in her time loop because she needed their help to save her from the person trying to kill her, but the only person who could possibly be able to kill her with 4 simultaneous yet unrelated attacks is someone trapped in a time-loop she created herself to stop that person from killing her.

6- If there was someone other than yourself plotting to kill chromie, there would be at least some indication of a plot, sure there were some things going on at the shrines but there is no evidence of anyone in particular organizing all 4 strikes to happen at the same time, and we should have found out who masterminded the whole thing before too long if there was indeed someone else masterminding the whole thing.

7- this explains why chromie can't go to a time 4 hours before she gets killed to try to prevent her death because at that point in the timeline there is enough time to find out no one is trying to kill her which would mean she wouldn't get killed at that time and therefor wouldn't need to ask for your help to keep her from getting killed so she never would've asked you in the first place. (again is there any hint of some mastermind killer who also has the power to stop her from jumping forward in time 4 hours before her death and not also use the same power prevent her from jumping forward in time to any point before her death?)

7- When you finally realize that after an endless number attempts of trying to figure out who is orchestrating the plot to kill chromie and finding no one but still manage to save her in all 8 instances and yet she is still asking you to help save her even though you already have and are still stuck in the loop, you realize that YOU are the only one capable of orchestrating all the attacks so your brain snaps as you realize that the only way to get out is if YOU organize the attacks on chromie because you can't be there to help save chromie if no one is mastermining the whole thing to kill her and since no one else is capable of doing this except yourself that doesn't leave you with any other choice. This is why you also have to go BACK in time but still DURING the loop so when you save her in the past you can also orchestrate it so her enemies know exactly when to strike in the future (but again only during this time-loop, because if they knew outside of the time loop then chromie would've been able to arrive 4 hours earlier and find evidence that there was a plot to kill her) so when you return to the future part of the loop you now have someone to save her from but now because you're insane you actaully want her to die so you over do it and arrange 4 attacks to happen at the same time, because one just isn't good enough, you really want to make your point, hence your frantic note. So you kill her over and over, but the loop continues because she won't stop the loop until you save her, so the only way to break the paradox is to both set up her death and then save her from it, except chromie can never know it was YOU who tried to kill her or she never would've gotten you to help to save her but she had to ask you since the only person capable of killing her is the person she needs to save her. So the loop FINALLY breaks but she can never know, no one can ever know, or the paradox would still be in effect, even you can't know it was you so your mind thankfully pulls itself out of the insanity leaving only the vaguest hint of the horrors you went through, and the only evidence is a single note written in jagged and frantic handwriting that seems strangely familiar and yet couldn't possibly be your own... and all is well until the next time you run into chromie and she asks for your help saving her again...

View in 3D Links

Quick Facts

Screenshots

Videos

Scribbled Ravings

Item Level 1
Binds when picked up

"The handwriting on the scroll is jagged and frantic, yet strangely familiar."
<Right Click to Read>

Sell Price: 1 12

Scribbled Ravings

Content

Related

Contribute