Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below (or e-mail us!), ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment!

Mizunie asks a couple of questions...

On the WotLK website, the designers talk about the "Scarlet Onslaught." Who are they and where did they come from?

The Scarlet Onslaught is the refounding of the Scarlet Crusade. Sometime after the events in Stratholme, Abbendis has taken complete command of the Crusade with a new band of lackies. She believes the Light has beckoned her to Northrend, so she rounds up every Crusader she has left and loads them on boats under the flag of the Scarlet Onslaught. There's other details to accompany this in Wrath, but they're way too cool for me to spoil this early.

Do we know anything on good ol' Deathwing?

Nope, not yet. I haven't seen much yet. It's possible we'll learn more in the Chamber of the Aspects raid zone coming in Wrath. It's been revealed that a Black Dragon is the boss inside there, though we don't know the details surrounding it yet.

Our good friend Boubouille over at MMO-Champion has posted pictures and stats of all the Legendary weapons found in the Kael'thas fight. Last week, we posted about that crazy axe, but it seems there's more-- seven weapons in total, and they're all amazing.

There's a shield that gives +40 defense and can shield the user for 100,000 damage. There's an uber dagger for rogues, and an awesome bow for hunters. There's even a staff that not only increases both spell damage and healing by 325, but also adds over 1000 attack power to Cat, Bear, Dire Bear, and Moonkin forms.

Nihilum is so far the only group to take on Kael'thas (and let us know about it), but they haven't spilled too much information about exactly how and why these weapons are used. We do know they're meant only for the encounter, and that when you die, the weapons disappear. But how and why they're obtained isn't quite clear yet-- I've heard the weapons are given to the raid when Kael's advisors are killed, but does that mean these weapons replace the raid's weapons or do they have to be looted and equipped? And what exactly is Kael doing during all of this that requires so much crazy power?

As of this writing, Nihilum hasn't yet downed Kael, so they're probably more concerned with going after him then telling us about it. But once they down him (I predicted this past weekend, but we haven't seen anything yet), maybe we'll get some clearer answers about what the encounter is actually like.

Nihilum has made it to see Kael'thas Sunstrider, the end boss in the 25-man raid The Eye (in Tempest Keep), and though they haven't downed him yet, they've come back to tell the tales.

First things first, there's a new Legendary in the game, a two-hand axe called Devastation, with a +50 crit, +150 attack power, and a speed buff of 50% and an attack speed buff of 20% as a chance on hit. Oh, and did I mention that it's got 158.1 DPS on it? I think I just did. I believe that makes it the highest DPS weapon in the game? Nope, there is at least one wand that goes higher (thanks readers! see comments below). The only thing I know of that's higher is Illidan's Twin Blades of Azzinoth, and those have only been seen on GMs so far.

There is a catch, however-- the axe can only be used during the fight with Kael'thas. As for the event itself, Nihilum says "the encounter seems very cool," and it looks like Kael comes with (at least) four adds-- his advisors Thaladred the Darkener, Master Engineer Telonicus, and Grand Astromancer Capernian and Lord Sanguinar.

No mention yet on how they're doing with the encounter, but I'd guess we might see a world first as early as this weekend.

[ via MMO-Champion ]