My WoW Journey

Queen Sylvanas Windrunner

Sylvanas was a member of the prominent Windrunner family of the High Elves. Her siblings were Alleria, Vereesa, and at least two other brothers. Her family lived at Windrunner Spire in the tranquil forests of Quel’Thalas. Sylvanas joined the rangers and eventually became their leader, rising to the rank of Ranger-General of Silvermoon, military leader of all High Elven forces.

During the Third War, Arthas led a Scourge army into Sylvanas‘ homeland, Quel’Thalas, in order to use the Sunwell’s powerful magic as a means to raise the fallen necromancer Kel’Thuzad. Sylvanas valiantly fought against the Scourge, but Arthas managed to defeat her in battle. Instead of allowing Sylvanas to die a quick death, however, Arthas ripped the Ranger-General’s soul from her body. He then converted her soul into a banshee and forced Sylvanas to assist the Scourge as they defiled Quel’Thalas and slaughtered many of the kingdom’s inhabitants.

Sylvanas later regained her freedom following Illidan’s assault on the Frozen Throne. Illidan’s attack had widened an existing crack in the throne, this weakened the Lich King’s control over some of the Scourge. Sensing that she was no longer chained to the will of her dark master, Sylvanas reclaimed her body and plotted to avenge her death. She nearly achieved this goal when a group of banshees loyal to Sylvanas led Arthas into an ambush. During the attack Sylvanas paralyzed her nemesis with a poisoned arrow, but Kel’Thuzad intervened and saved Arthas.

Following the assassination attempt, Arthas journeyed to Northrend and merged with the Lich King. Meanwhile, Sylvanas gathered other renegade Undead, now known as the Forsaken, and established the Undercity beneath the ruins of Lordaeron’s capital. With the Forsaken under her command, Sylvanas went to war against the Scourge and eventually joined the Horde. This partnership benefited both parties: the Forsaken’s relatively small forces required assistance in their offensive against the Lich King, and the Horde desired a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Recently Sylvanas dealt with an uprising by a group of Demons and rebel Forsaken led by the Dreadlord Varimathras and Grand Apothecary Putress. During a joint Horde and Alliance attack on the Wrath Gate in Northrend, Putress unleashed a new plague that killed friend and foe alike, and Varimathras and his loyalists seized the Undercity. Sylvanas defeated her enemies and retook the Undercity soon afterward, a victory that was possible only due to assistance from the Horde.

Under her leadership, the Forsaken have managed to not only fend off the Scourge, but also the Scarlet Crusade. She has mastery of leadership, military strategy, and the bow. She is also adept at Demon magic, having the ability to drain life, create skeletons, and use mind control. Sylvanas is the best archer on Azeroth, she claimed she could hit a flying bird in the eye. She wields Sunstrider’s Longbow, once owned by Dath’Remar Sunstrider, it was passed on to Sylvanas when she became Ranger-General.

Despite setbacks and distractions, Sylvanas remains focused on her end goal, revenge. Now that the Forsaken and the Horde are beginning their assault on the Lich King’s fortress, Sylvanas believes that her destiny is close at hand.

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.

Other Horde Pendant Posts

1. Orc Crest - Icon of Battle	4. Anathema/Benediction Staff
2. Blood Elf Pendant	5. Phantom Blade
3. Banner of the Horde	6. Brain Hacker

The next piece of Wowjewellery I had made was the Icon of Torment which is the Crest for the Forsaken Undead, this was to immortalise my Undead Rogue who I had many happy times with in World of Warcraft Battlegrounds.

The Forsaken are humanoids transformed into the Undead, with all the powers associated with the Scourge. They serve the Banshee Queen Sylvanas, looking up to her as their saviour for delivering them from the Lich King’s dominance.

When the Lich King’s power weakened during the events surrounding the Frozen Throne, Sylvanas managed to free herself from Prince Arthas grasp. She also freed many other Undead as well, and recruited powerful allies from the Burning Legion and the surrounding Ogre clans.

Sylvanas then defeated the attempt by the three Dreadlords, Balnazzar, Varimathras, and Detheroc to regain control over the Undead forces in Lordaeron, killing two and forcing the third Varimathras into her service in exchange for sparing his life. Sylvanas named her new force the Forsaken and pronounced herself Queen, and the Undead established their capital in the labyrinthine crypts beneath Lordaeron’s capital city. Their sprawling subterranean realm is called Undercity.

The Icon of Torment symbolizes the Undead leader Sylvanas Windrunner - the “shattered face”, the worn arrows, the tears and the raven on the shield are all symbols of the Forsaken Undead.

The Undead are represented by worn, breaking chains in the Crest of the Horde.