My WoW Journey

Confirmed Blizzards Next Expansion

This will be the theme of the next expansion, Blizzard had filed a Trademark for the term Cataclysm only weeks before Blizzcon, as they did with Wrath of The Lich King, and at Blizzcon have confirmed this exciting new Expansion. This post gives some insight into the events around the Cataclysm or “Great Sundering”.

The Great Sundering

The Great Sundering, also referred to as the Cataclysm, was the event which reshaped Azeroth approximately 10,000 years ago at the end of the War of the Ancients. This event was caused by the destruction of the Well of Eternity and the devestation caused by A frustrated and angry Deathwing the Destroyer.

Prior to the Cataclysm, there was only one continent on Azeroth, which was Kalimdor. In the catastrophic explosion, the vast majority of the land mass was destroyed, leaving behind the major continents and scattered islands that we know today: Northrend, Kezan, the Eastern Kingdoms, and the remnant still referred to as Kalimdor.

When it was destroyed the site of the First Well of Eternity, originally located in the ancient Night Elf city of Zin-Azshari, became a swirling vortex of power known as the Maelstrom. It can be seen now as a large storm viewable in World of Warcraft on the world map where it sits between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms. Ship and zeppelin routes go out of their way to avoid the Maelstrom. It seems that the Maelstrom is slowly drawing the Broken Isles towards itself, and will ultimately destroy them completely. At the centre of the Maelstrom is a location known as the Eye. The empires of both the Makrura and Naga lie beneath it.

The Highborne Elves

10,000 years ago the Highborne, or Quel’dorei meaning “children of noble birth”, were the upper classes of the Kaldorei civilization and the favoured of Queen Azshara.
Originally the Highborne were a nameless caste of Night Elves who had unusual intelligence, strength, skills, or wealth and thus found favour with the ruling monarch. These powerful families became convinced that they were superior to the rest of their race, and so they began to call themselves the Highborne. As a member of the same caste, Queen Azshara made the term official. The Highborne were responsible for the War of the Ancients, and most of those Highborne who allied with the Demons and survived the war later became the Naga, while those that allied with the Kaldorei Resistance before the last battle of the war evolved into the modern High Elves.

Today, the Highborne are all but obsolete as they all became High Elves after they were exiled from Kalimdor. Even the High Elves are few in number because most survivors declared themselves Blood Elves after the Scourge invasion of the Third World of Warcraft War. One notable exception is the Shen’dralar, a holdout group against the Legion during the War of the Ancients. They were able to defend Eldre’Thalas (Dire Maul) but became isolated from the rest of Night Elf society.

The War of the Ancients

The Well of Eternity was a source of great power and the Highborne used their rank to restrict access to the magical Well of Eternity to only them selves. The access of the magic to the ruling caste began to split the Kaldorei nation, the Highborne were transformed by the magic into Night Elves with stronger magical abilities and greater understanding of how to use those skills. In contrast the other castes entirely foreswore the use of arcane magic and even built up great resistance against it as the centuries passed.

Azshara ordered the Highborne to search for the secrets of the Well of Eternity and reveal its true purpose in the world. The Highborne buried themselves in their work and studied the Well ceaselessly. Over time they developed the ability to manipulate and control the Well’s cosmic energies. The Highborne had stumbled upon primitive magic and although they agreed that magic was inherently dangerous if handled irresponsibly, Azshara and her Highborne began to practice their spell craft with reckless abandon. Cenarius and many wise Night Elf scholars warned of the dangers of toying with the clearly volatile arts of magic, but Azshara and her followers continued to expand their strengthening powers.

Eventually, the ever-more reckless use of magic by the Highborne and Azshara, led to slow corruption and addiction to the power it granted, and the ripples sent into the Twisting Nether attracted the attention of the dread forces of the Burning Legion. Sargeras felt the potent ripples and, sensing the limitless energies of the Well of Eternity, Sargeras was consumed by an insatiable hunger. The dark god and leader of the Burning Legion resolved to destroy Azeroth and claim these energies as his own.

Sargeras gathered his vast Burning Legion and made his way towards the unsuspecting world of Azeroth. The Legion was comprised of a million screaming Demons, all ripped from the far corners of the universe, and the Demons hungered for conquest. Sargeras’ lieutenants, Archimonde the Defiler and Mannoroth the Destructor, prepared their infernal minions to strike.

Sargeras seduced the Queen and the Highborne with the promise of unlimited magical power, and in return they agreed to grant the Legion entrance to Azeroth. Finally Azshara and the Highborne gave themselves over totally to magic’s corruption, they fell completely to the darkness and began to worship the Legion lord Sargeras as their god. Some, led by Xavius, gave themselves wholly over to the service of the Legion and were transformed by Fel magic into the Satyr.

To cement their pact, the Highborne agreed to open a portal within the depths of the Well of Eternity which would allow the armies of the Legion access to the world, this invasion would be followed by Sargeras himself. In the war that followed the Legion invasion millions died as the Demons, led by Archimonde, swarmed over the lands of Kalimdor and laid siege to the lesser Night Elves cities. Though the brave Kaldorei warriors rallied from the betrayal of their rulers and rushed to defend their ancient homeland, they were forced to give ground, inch by inch, before the fury of the Legion’s onslaught.

The Legion would probably have succeded in there annihalation of Azeroth if it wasn’t for the efforts of the Night Elf Malfurion Stormrage whose own brother, Illidan, practiced the Highborne magic’s. Illidan struggled to keep control of his nearly overwhelming hunger to tap the Well’s energies once again. However, with Tyrande’s patient support, he was able to restrain himself and help his brother find the reclusive Demigod Cenarius. Cenarius, who dwelt within the sacred Moonglades of the distant Mount Hyjal, agreed to help the Night Elves by finding the ancient dragons and enlisting their aid. The dragons, led by the great red leviathan, Alexstrasza, agreed to send their mighty flights to engage the Demons and their infernal masters.

Malfurion, convinced that the Well of Eternity was the Demons‘ link to the physical world, insisted that it should be destroyed. His companions, knowing that the Well was the source of their immortality and powers, were horrified by the notion. Yet Tyrande saw the wisdom of Malfurion’s theory, so she convinced Cenarius and their comrades to storm Azshara’s temple and find a way to shut the Well down for good. Knowing that the Well’s destruction would prevent him from ever wielding magic again, Illidan selfishly abandoned the group and set out to warn the Highborne of Malfurion’s plan.

Malfurion led his companions into the heart of Azshara’s temple. As they stormed into the main audience chamber, they found the Highborne in the midst of their final incantation. The communal spell had created a vortex of power within the Well’s depths and Sargeras’ shadow drew ever closer to the surface, Malfurion and his allies rushed to attack.

Azshara, having received Illidan’s warning, was prepared for them and nearly all of Malfurion’s followers fell before the mad queen’s powers. Tyrande herself suffered grievous wounds at their hands, and when Malfurion saw his love fall, he went into a murderous rage and resolved to end Azshara’s life. The ensuing battle between Malfurion and Azshara threw the Highborne’s carefully crafted spell into chaos. The unstable vortex within the Well’s depths exploded and ignited a catastrophic chain of events that would sunder the world forever. The massive explosion rocked the temple to its foundations and sent massive quakes ripping through the tortured earth. As the horrific battle between the Legion and the Night Elves raged around and above the ruined capital city, the Well of Eternity buckled in upon itself and collapsed.

The catastrophic explosion shattered the earth, killing many Highborne and sending those who survived to the sea floor where they were transformed into the serpentine Naga by the mysterious Old Gods.

Aftermath

Many Highborne did not meet their fate at the bottom of the sea. Some had betrayed their queen at the last minute, having realized the horrors she would unleash upon the world. These defectors had fled the capital city of Zin-Azshari, site of the Well, and were thereby spared when the Great Sundering tore Kalimdor apart. Others remained hidden away in far-flung strongholds such as Eldre’Thalas.

Those who had joined with the rest of their peoples fled the rising waters of the Great Sea, eventually arriving at the base of Mount Hyjal, where they helped to rebuild the Night Elven civilization in the newly reshaped world. They were not entirely welcome however as the Night Elves, who were now led by Malfurion, were suspicious of Queen Azshara’s former servants and were doubtful of their loyalty. However, without the Well to supply their magic, the Highborne were considered little threat, and were permitted to rejoin Night Elven society.

However, Illidan had managed to fill seven magical vials with water from the Well of Eternity before its destruction, and he poured three of the magical vials of water into the lake at the top of Mount Hyjal, creating a new Second Well of Eternity. When Malfurion discovered this insane act of his brother, Malfurion and the Demigod Cenarius imprisoned Illidan deep beneath Mount Hyjal. The new Well was completely absorbed by the growth of Nordrassil the World Tree, and its malevolent magic lost with the enchantments of the Aspects.

Many Highborne felt the pangs of their magical addiction and were tempted to use the power of the new Well of Eternity created by Illidan Stormrage. Though the use of arcane magic was forbidden on pain of death, the Highborne attempted to convince the Kaldorei of the power of magic by unleashing a magical storm upon Ashenvale. Their gambit failed, and the Highborne were exiled, the night elves mercifully refusing to execute any more of their brethren.

The exiled Highborne were led by Dath’Remar Sunstrider, and they set sail in hopes of finding a new land to call their own. Eventually the Highborne arrived in the land known today as Lordaeron, and there established their Kingdom of Quel’Thalas and crowned Dath’Remar their king. They abandoned the worship of the moon, adopting instead the sun, and became the High Elves. Dath’Remar had somehow acquired one of the remaining vials and, after founding their new homeland of Quel’Thalas, used it to create the Sunwell. After Quel’Thalas was destroyed by the Undead Scourge, a group of High Elves embraced their Highborne ancestry and resumed for the third time their reckless use of magic. Kael’thas Sunstrider renamed these people as the Blood Elves, and travelled to Outland to find a way to fuel their magical addiction. Those who did not travel with him remained behind and began to rebuild their shattered capital city of Silvermoon.

Illidan had not emptied all of his vials in creating the Second Well of Eternity (which is why the Aspects were able to enchant The World Tree with no interference). The last three vials were in Illidan’s possession, he gave one each to his lieutenants, Lady Vashj and Kael’thas. He holds the final vial himself, perhaps seeking to create a Well of Eternity in Outland to fuel his Blood Elves’ magical addiction.

The Third World of Warcraft War

The Third War was fought between the mortal races of Azeroth and the Burning Legion. Unlike the previous wars, the Third War took place across both the continents of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. It was during the Third War that the ancient Night Elves were reintroduced to the world.

The Birth of the Lich King

After their defeat in the Second War, the Horde’s Original Warchief, Ner’zhul was captured by Kil’jaeden. As punishment for his failure to defeat Azeroth, Ner’zhuls body was destroyed, and his spirit tortured until he agreed to serve the Legion again and this time deliver what the Orc Horde had failed to do, a broken Azeroth. To enable this Kil’jaeden had Ner’zhuls soul encased in a suit of armor and bound to the Frozen Throne, Kil’jaeden then hurled his creation towards Azeroth where it smashed into Icecrown Glacier. Thus the Lich King was born, and essentially the start of the Third World of Warcraft War.

Once on Azeroth, the Lich King started his creation of the Undead Scourge, his task was to use the Scourge to weaken the world to prepare the way for the Burning Legion. The Lich King used his powerful psychic abilities to enslave the local population and the Plague of Undeath that spread from the Frozen Throne transformed them into the Scourge, and with each soul he devoured the nourishment from this made the Lich King grow stronger.

The Nerubians of the ancient Kingdom of Azjul-Nerub were immune to the effects of the Undeath Plague but after a war lasting 10 years they were defeated and although immune to the Undeath their corpses were re-animated to serve the Scourge. During this period the Lich King established control over most of Northrend. He was then urged by the Dreadlords, sent by Kil’jaeden to watch over him, and in particular Dreadlord Tichondrius, to continue with the plan to prepare for the Invasion of the Burning Legion.

Attack on Lordaeron

The Lich King used his psychic powers to search Azeroth for any dark souls who would hear his call and summoned them to him. The Necromancer Kel’Thuzad, a once powerful mage of the Kirin’Tor, heard this call and with his thirst for power he was quickly ensnared by the Lich King and became the first of The Cult of the Damned, and along with the Dreadlord Mal’Ganis, he was instructed to take the Plague of Undeath to Lordaeron.

After months of preparation, Kel’Thuzad struck the first blow in the war by releasing the Undeath plague on Lordaeron. Despite the efforts of Lordaerons finest, including Uther Lightbringer, the plague continued to spread and many of Lordaeron’s northern most settlements were totally consumed. As the ranks of the Undead swept across Lordaeron, King Terenas‘ sent his only son, Prince Arthas Menethil, to take up the fight against the Scourge, this was the Lich King’s intention all along. Despite Arthas killing Kel’Thuzad the numbers of the Undead ranks grew ever larger with every soldier that fell defending the land. Frustrated by the seemingly unstoppable enemy, Arthas took increasingly extreme steps to drive them out eventually ordering the slaughter of everyone in Stratholme that had been infected by the plague to prevent Mal’Ganis from adding them to the army of the dead. This was the start of Arthas losing his hold on his humanity.

After Mal’Ganis made his escape from Stratholme, taunting Arthas to follow, Arthas tracked the plague’s source to Northrend. There he met his long-time friend, Muradin Bronzebeard, brother to the Dwarven King Magni, and with his help he found the legendary but cursed weapon Frostmourne which he hoped would help him combat the Scourge. Arthas, despite pleading from his friend to the contrary, took up the cursed Runeblade and although the sword did grant him great power, the cost was high: Muradin (or so Arthas believed) lay dead, and Arthas began to lose his soul. The curse of the sword made him more susceptible to the Lich Kings tremendous psychic powers and Arthas was transformed into the first and greatest of the Lich King’s Death Knights. Arthas under the influence of the Lich King exacted revenge upon Mal’Ganis, slaying him and thereby removing one of the Lich King’s more dangerous “jailers” and completing the unholy transformation. With his soul cast aside and his sanity shattered, Arthas led the Scourge against his own Kingdom of Lordaeron murdering his own father, King Terenas, and crushing Lordaeron, even Uther Lightbringer and the Order of the Silver Hand fell to the power of Arthas.

The Fall of Quel’Thalas

After the fall of Lordaeron, Arthas took the Scourge north towards the High Elf Kingdom of Quel’Thalas to resurrect Kel’Thuzad who was to carry out the summoning of Archimonde.

The High Elves stood no chance against this onslaught. Despite the mighty Elf gates, the destruction of an important bridge and many well trained rangers under the command of Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner causing some problems to their progress, the Scourge ploughed their way through Quel’Thalas’s defences on their way to Silvermoon. Before Sylvanas could warn Silvermoon of the Scourge invasion, her camp was raided and she was taken prisoner. Arthas tortured her and before giving her the peace of death, used his power to turn her into the first banshee, making her a slave to the Scourge. With its defences destroyed, the Scourge entered Silvermoon and slaughtered all the High Elves in the city. Arthas then continued on to the Isle of Quel’Danas and the Sunwell where he placed Kel’Thuzad’s remains in the enchanted waters, turning him into a Lich and corrupting the Sunwell. Arthas then had the Scourge kill the remaining High Elves of Quel’Thalas.

Archimonde The Defiler

With Kel’Thuzad revived the Scourge travelled south to Dalaran to obtain the Book of Medivh to use it to summon Archimonde to Azeroth. The Kirin’Tor used their most powerful magic, but failed in preventing the Scourge from stealing the spellbook. With it, Kel’Thuzad was able to summon Archimonde and the Burning Legion to Azeroth. Archimonde’s first order of business when entering the world was to single-handedly destroy Dalaran with his great power. He also took away control of the Scourge from the Lich King and gave it to Tichondrius.

The Night Elves and the Battle of Mount Hyjal

Archimonde and his Burning Legion ploughed through the nations of Lordaeron, devastating all. However, Tichondrius soon found that the Orcs were missing, having been warned by the spirit of Medivh, Thrall had taken the Orc tribes to Kalimdor. The Legion followed them across the sea, where they found not only the Orcs but also, the vile Night Elves who had banished them millennia before.

Archimonde, Mannoroth, and Tichondrius came up with a plot to re-enslave the Orcs and use them to destroy the Night Elves‘ demigod Cenarius. The plan was partially successful. Mannoroth corrupted Grom Hellscream and the Warsong Clan and drove them to slay Cenarius. However, Hellscream later broke free and sacrificed himself to destroy Mannoroth, thus severing the Legion’s control over the Orcs permanently. Despite Mannoroth’s death, Archimonde had achieved what he wanted - the destruction of Cenarius. He launched the invasion of Kalimdor and openly confronted his Night Elf enemies; his plan was to destroy Nordrassil, the World Tree at Mount Hyjal.

Despite no longer having control of the Undead the Lich King Ner’zhul still had plans to free himself. Using Arthas as his agent he manipulated Illidan by showing him the great power of the artefact the Skull of Gul’dan. Illidan took up the skull, which transformed him into a powerful Demon, and used its vast energies to destroy Tichondrius. Without support from Tichondrius, Archimonde’s attack on Mount Hyjal was greatly undermined.

Tyrande, leader of the Night Elf Sentinels, upon hearing of the Legions return knew she had to awaken Malfurion. Tyrande defeated the guardians of the Horn of Cenarius and used this to awaken Malfurion the Arch Druid leader of the Night Elf Druids. Immediately Malfurion knew what Archimonde was after and devised a plan to use the Horn of Cenarius to awaken the Druids of the Claw to help protect the World Tree and use the power of the World Tree itself to destroy Archimonde. To prepare for the Demons’ attack, three camps were built around Mount Hyjal. Archimonde and his forces first tore their way through the Human base, and then through the Orcs. With the two bases destroyed, Archimonde stormed through the Night Elf gate protecting the summit. With Archimonde at the World Tree, Malfurion used the Horn of Cenarius to call on the ancient spirits in the area to attack the Demon. In an instant, they detonated into a massive explosion that destroyed the Defiler, much of his Demon army with him, and the World Tree. The price for this defeat however was the Night Elves‘ immortality, but the Third War was over.

The Rise of Arthas

Kil’jaeden, angered by the defeat and the treachery of Ner’zhul, struck a deal with Illidan, now corrupted by the power of the Skull of Gul’dan, whereby, for destroying the Lich King, Illidan would receive untold powers. Illidan agreed and immediately set out to attack the Frozen Throne. The Lich King summoned Arthas to his aid, and despite being embroiled in a civil war in Lordaeron against the Undead led by the Banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, Arthas was forced to leave the uprising to be dealt with by his lieutenant Kel’Thuzad. This ended with victory for Sylvanas and the Forsaken Undead who then claimed the capital city Lordaeron as their home and renamed it The Undercity.

On reaching Northrend Arthas and his Undead Nerubian allies battled through the forces of Illidan to reach the doors of the Frozen Throne, where Arthas confronted and defeated Illidan. Arthas continued towards the Frozen Throne and his destiny, with voices sounding in his head Arthas reached the icy cask which encased the suit of armour, he then heard “Return the blade…complete the circle…release me from this prison!” and with one mighty blow shattered the icy prison and the Frozen Throne exploded and Ner’zhuls helm fell at Arthas’s feet. Arthas picked up the powerful artefact and placed it on his head, at that moment he heard Ner’zhuls voice say “now we are one” and Ner’zhuls and Arthas’s souls were merged into one of the most powerful entities on Azeroth.

Aftermath of Third war

The political scene of the current Azeroth was greatly influenced by the Third War. Under Warchief Thrall, the Orcs,Taurens, and Darkspear Trolls were brought together on Kalimdor to become the new Horde, to which the Forsaken and the Blood Elves would later join. A peace agreement was made between the Horde and the Alliance after the war, and Thrall has made it his job to ensure that nothing happens to break this already stressed pact.

Without Lordaeron, the rebuilt city of Stormwind became the base of the Alliance, with the Ironforge Dwarves becoming their closest geographical allies. The Gnomes of Gnomeregan had been unable to help in the Third War as they were dealing with a Trogg invasion of their city. In the end they were forced to flee Gnomeregan and their King Gelbin Mekkatorque settled in Ironforge with the Dwarves.

Due to the loss of their immortality, and having been exposed to the world outside their forests once more, the Night Elves decided they would have to make alliances with the wider world. Because of the animosity with the Orcs for killing Cenarius, the Night Elves in the end joined the Alliance.

The Third War left Lordaeron destroyed and the Night Elves mortal, and the High Elves almost driven to extinction. No large group of humans would ever regain control of Lordaeron.

Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider of the High Elves returned to his ruined city and renamed his people the Blood Elves in memory of their fallen comrades. The Blood Elves eventually retook much of Quel’Thalas, and eventually reactivated the power of the Sunwell.

After the war, Sylvanas broke free of the Lich King’s control, and formed the Forsaken. The Forsaken then took over the City of Lordaeron, making their home in its sewers, calling it the Undercity.

Blood Elf Mage

This World of Warcraft pendant was a one off made for a friend who had decided to make his main a Blood Elf mage although why he switched to the Horde I will never understand lol, probably so he could whip me in Battlegrounds:).

He had seen some of the WoW Crests I had made and thought it would be cool to have a Warcraft pendant for himself. This was made up from a drawing produced from a screen shot of his character the piece measures approx 2.5” inches long by 1.25” wide.

I have also added here, along with the picture of this Warcraft pendant, a brief summary of Warcraft Lore about the Blood Elves

The Blood Elves ( Sin’dorei - meaning “children of the blood”)

Some 10,000 years before the First War they were originally the Highborne Elves under the reign of the night elf Queen Azshara. Due to their reckless use of the power of the Well of Eternity they drew the attention of Sargeras and The Burning Legion and this started the War of the Ancients which ended with the destruction of the Well and the release of this power blasted Kalimdor apart. After this Great Sundering the surviving Highborne were exiled from Kalimdor and founded the Kingdom of Quel’Thalas in the Eastern Kingdoms and it was here they formed the Sunwell and called themselves High Elves.

During the Third War, most of the High Elves were eradicated and the Sunwell corrupted when Prince Arthas led his army of the Scourge against them. In remembrance of their fallen brethren, most of them renamed themselves the Blood Elves, or Sin’dorei, and swore to avenge their fallen race. Desperate for aid the Blood Elves allied with the Naga. This was seen as treachery by the Alliance and they were sentenced to death.

Blood Elves feel betrayed by the Alliance and are enemies of both humans and the Night Elves and their only real allies are the Naga although they do work with the Forsaken as they have the same goals.

With the promise of the return of Kael’thas, the Blood Elves have a renewed purpose; they have rebuilt the city of Silvermoon, and now focus on regaining their strength.