The aqir were a race of incredibly evil, expansionistic insects who battled the troll empires for thousands of years. Eventually, the great Azj'Aqir civilizaion split in half, with Azjol-Nerub in the north, and Ahn'Qiraj in the south. The night elves were able to contain the qiraji for many years until they were awakened again by the Old God C'thun.