Corruption spreads: Dessecus

In the aftermath of Archimonde's demonic invasion of Azeroth, many regions were left badly scarred and tainted by the Legion's twisted presence. One such region is Felwood. Once part of the vast, ancient forest of Ashenvale covering the slopes of Mount Hyjal, site of the world tree Nordrassil, the forest that is today Felwood was tainted by the Legion and even today remains a stronghold for demonic forces, such as the secretive Shadow Council. Virtually every form of life in Felwood today is tainted.

Today's entry is about Dessecus.



Corrupted nature

Dessecus is a rare elite elemental found inside Inrontree Cavern in northern Felwood, in Kalimdor.



Dessecus can, as far as I have been able to determine, always be found in the exact same spot inside the cave. If you enter and quickly drop down, there is a large circular chamber on the lower level rather close to the entrance. Dessecus can be found here, attended by a number of regular Warpwood elementals.



Visually, Dessecus is not very different from the other elementals in the area. However, he hits very hard in comparison and has a lot of health. In addition he can summon a small thunderstorm on top of attackers making them take even more damage while fighting. This makes him a dangerous enemy. If you plan to attack him, make absolutely sure you clean out the lesser elementals first, as you will want room to maneuver if needed. He has no unique drops, providing only the standard uncommon quality drop.



The model that nature elementals use is usually referred to as the "Bog beast". This model is very frequently used in classic World of Warcraft, and you can find it from starter zones all the way up to the upper 50's areas of Azeroth. After Classic, the model has received somewhat less exposure. The basic movement pattern and physique for bog beasts is shared with a couple of other creature models, such as dire trolls and wights. Tellingly, you can recognize their idle animation where they swing around, dangling their arms.



When seen up close, and especially when increased in size, the bog beast model looks rather dated. It's somewhat blocky and undetailed, and the odd coloration chosen for the Felwood elementals does not help. It's one of those models that holds a lot of nostalgia for me (having leveled through Teldrassil many times as a newbie) but could do with an overhaul.

What we know

In the Warcraft universe, bog beasts and the many other creatures using the same model (such as Timberlings) are classified as elementals. However, in the Warcraft RPG they are described as ambulatory plants. The main difference would be that these creatures are not summoned from any of the elemental planes of the WoW cosmology, but rather "native" creatures.



The elementals of Felwood were not immune to the corruption spread by the demons and their minions, and have been infected by fel energies. Even the fire elementals show this corruption, and the plant beasts are no exception. They are hostile and dangerous, and the Cenarion Circle consider them beyond saving. Their sap is suspected to hold clues to helping other forms of life in the twisted forest, though, and since Deseccus will drop a piece of Blood Amber for the quest, he is probably just as badly corrupted as the rest.



Dessecus' power probably means it is an elder among the elementals, a creature that had lived in this forest for a long time before the demonic taint spread. This would probably also explain why it has powers beyond those of the other creatures, like summoning lightning. Like the treants nearby in Irontree Woods, these bog beasts were probably once peaceful creatures, and their loss to fel taint is truly a sad thing.



Next time you're questing in Felwood, take a moment to consider how destructive the Legion truly is, if their mere presence can cause deep scars in an area and cause the creatures there to become dangerous beasts that have to be put down. Regardless of the corruption, Irontree Woods is a wonderfully designed area and well worth visiting if you have the time.

Who knows? Maybe in Cataclysm the efforts of the Cenarion druids have shown results.

Until next time.

~Dragonshade