Level 3 – an Introduction to Lore.
Just me, or a strangely phallic choice of memorial?
The Shrine of Dath’Remar is one of the quests you receive on Sunstrider Isle as a newbie blood elf; you get it at the same time as the quest I discussed yesterday, where you have to collect the quest-giver’s belongings. This is a different kind of quest, though, as is apparent from the flavour text when you accept his task:
Day after day I stand here, watching, waiting. I’ve been accused of dwelling too much on our past, while my eyes look to the horizon. But it is my firm belief that each visitor to this island should honor those who have sacrificed all so that they may continue to do so.
Dath’remar Sunstrider was our first king. He led us here from Kalimdor through the Maelstrom.
Seek out his shrine to the west and do not return to me until you have read the plaque upon it in his honor.
The shrine lies up a hill to the north-west of the island – you have to battle your way through hordes of hostile mobs (who for some reason look a lot like mouldy broccoli) to get there. To complete the objective, there’s a small plaque on the front of the monument, which, when you click it, says:
Here lies the shrine of Dath’remar, a fitting tribute to a noble elf. Let all who gaze on this monument remember his sacrifice against the Scourge and his dedication to the cause of our continued survival. All who prosper in Quel’thalas do so thanks to him.
Quest complete. This is your first introduction, really, to the lore behind the Sin’dorei as a race. Granted, it doesn’t give you much more than the fact that Dath’remar Sunstrider led the elves from somewhere called Kalimdor across something called The Maelstrom until they landed in Quel’thalas, but that’s the whole point – it leaves you asking where Kalimdor is, what The Maelstrom is, why they chose here, why they left in the first place. If you find this interesting, you’re then free to look at the official WoW website (which is what I did when I finished the quest) or just google ‘Sin’dorei’ or ‘Dath’remar’ and see what happens. When you do that, you realise what a complex world Blizzard has created, and just how big the story of Azeroth and her races is. To illustrate that to the uninitiated, what follows is a (very) brief history of the Sin’dorei as a race.
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About ten thousand years ago, one of the three principle civilisations on Azeroth was that of the Night Elves. These nocturnal elves were ruled by Queen Azshara, a fiercely beautiful and proud leader. Under her rule, Kaldorei society was divided into two castes – the Kaldorei, or working class, and the Quel’dorei, or Highborne. Azshara, Highborne herself, favoured the Quel’dorei, but was still held in awe by her Kal’dorei subjects, because of her beauty and famed wisdom. Azshara was not impressed by their love and respect, and famously disparaged the Kaldorei as lesser beings. All Night Elves, Kaldorei and Quel’Dorei alike, also revered the Well of Eternity, a well of magic tapped into and used by the society as a part of every-day life.
Encouraged by Azshara, the Highborne began to use the Well of Eternity more and more frequently. Azshara, together with her chief advisor, Xavius, finally decided to purify Azeroth and make it perfect, at least in her eyes, using the power of the Well. This attracted the attention of Sargeras, a huge Dark Titan, who had helped create Azeroth, but had been driven insane by the chaos and disorder he saw in the universe. Sargeras entranced Xavius and finally Azshara herself, tricking her into making a portal, through which he planned to enter the world. While the portal was being opened, his Burning Legion, an army of demons and other monstrosities, entered the world at the city of Zin’Azshari, the capital city of the Kal’dorei civilisation. After the capital had been decimated, the second largest cultural centre, Suramar, was next in line; thousands of Kaldorei were slaughtered, while Azshara and the Highborne Quel’dorei laughed.
Certain Kal’dorei mustered a resistance; amongst these were Tyrande Whisperwind (the leader of the Night Elves in WoW). Along with the Stormrage brothers, Malfurion and Illidan, and three heroes from a future timeline, Tyrande destroyed the portal as it was about to open, an event which caused the Well of Eternity to explode. This cataclysm caused 80% of the landmass of Azeroth to sink below the sea, and created the two continents of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, plus the Northrend landmass we know of today.
After the horrific events (which became known as the War of the Ancients) the Highborne Quel’dorei were exiled by the newly-formed Kaldorei society, which reviled arcane magic in all forms. As such, 7,300 years ago Dath’remar led his exiled people across the ocean, striking land at what later became known as the Tirisfal Glades. The elves settled here for a time; however after a while something below the land began to drive them mad, and they headed north by sea, until they reached what would become known as Quel’thalas. Here they evolved as a result of being completely severed from the Well of Eternity, losing their immortality, their skin becoming pale peach instead of purple and their waking cycle being reversed, as well as shrinking slightly.
6800 years ago the Quel’dorei built a new Well of magic, the Sunwell, in their new homeland, using a phial of water from the Well of Eternity given to them by Illidan, who had turned traitor. The Sunwell was neccessary to satiate their hunger for magic, and helped them to construct a large, elaborate city, where magic supported the buildings and defended their lands via elfgates and runestones. Their society continued in this way for four thousand years, until they came under attack from the Amani trolls whom they had displaced when founding their homeland. The Troll Wars took such a toll on their people that they allied with the nearby human kingdom of Arathor, receiving military aid in return for instructing 100 humans in magic, which had previously been unknown to them. A thousand years later, when the human kingdoms of Gilneas and Alterac discovered dwarves in Ironforge to the south, the high elves became allied with the dwarves through the humans; this alliance was one of the principle catalysts to the dwarven War of the Three Hammers.
Peace continued for just under 3000 years, until the Second War, when the Orcish Old Horde came through the Dark Portal from the Outland and attacked the human kingdoms. An alliance was proposed between the seven human kingdoms, the Wildhammer and Ironforge dwarves, and the high elves, who participated only reluctantly under the leadership of Anasterian Sunstrider until the Orcish campaign in the North burned down the edges of the forests of Quel’thalas, destroying a protective runestone and slaughtering many Quel’dorei. This enraged Anasterian and he participated fully from that point, and eventually the Alliance triumphed.
However, the Quel’dorei king blamed the poor leadership of the humans for the deaths of his people, an attitude rejected by King Terenas of Lordaeron as foolish, pointing out as he did that many more elves would have died had human lives not been given to save Quel’thalas. Nevertheless, from this point the Quel’dorei all but withdrew from the Alliance, causing fractures in Quel’dorei society – the House Windrunner being a good example. Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Quel’thalas, supported Anasterian, but her two sisters, Vereesa and Alleria Windrunner, sided with the Alliance, and left Quel’thalas behind.
The Quel’dorei once more became reclusive for the next 15 years, until the Third War. Arthas Menethil, the son of King Terenas Menethil of Lordaeron, had been corrupted. In his desire to save his kingdom and people from a plague that was mysteriously killing them, he had allowed his mind to be clouded by rage, and the demon Mal’Ganis had taunted him and drawn him to the frozen continent of Northrend, where had been tempted into taking up the evil sword Frostmourne, which stole his soul and forced him to put on the crown of Nerz’hul, destroying his humanity and turning him into the undead Lich King. Granted huge power, he had returned to Lordaeron and murdered his father, and then proceeded, together with his undead army of Scourge (zombies and skeletons, mindless corpses of those he had killed and raised to fight in his service) to ravage Quel’thalas, murdering 90% of the Quel’dorei population, including Sylvanas Windrunner, whom he raised as a banshee to fight for him. The forests of the kingdom were decimated, with a huge swathe of death and destruction, known as the Dead Scar, being cut up the continent and finishing at Silvermoon City, the capital, which was half destroyed. The massacre was only stopped when Sylvanas, showing incredible strength, managed to overturn Arthas’ control of her mind and plot against him, finally stopping him with the aid of Varimathras, a Nazrethim (demon) overlord. Once Arthas was defeated Sylvanas was able to return to her body, but she left Quel’dorei society forever, taking up residence in the ruins of Lordaeron where she became queen of the Forsaken, the cadre of Scourge who had followed her in overthrowing their mind control.
Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider stepped into the breach. The Quel’dorei renamed themselves Sin’Dorei, or ‘children of the blood’ in Thalassian, and swore to avenge their fallen. However, the Sunwell, upon which all had been dependant, had been tainted during the siege and was no longer usable. The blood elves were unable to survive without their magic, and many became sick and died. Desperate, Kael’thas allied himself with the Naga, the remnants of Quel’dorei society led by Azshara, who had survived when she and her Quel’dorei sank under the sea and now existed as twisted aquatic creatures, crosses between elf and fish. When this alliance was discovered, the Sin’dorei were branded traitors, and Kael was imprisoned and almost killed in Dalaran city – he was rescued by Illidan, who took him to Outland and taught him how to siphon magical enemy from the Twisting Nether, a reality inbetween the fabric of Azerothian reality and the Elemental Plane, to which the Burning Legion had been banished. With this knowledge, the Sin’dorei were able to rebuild Silvermoon and Quel’thalas, which took the next two years – however, they altered physically, their eyes going from blue to green to reflect their addiction to Fel (or demonic) magic.
Many Blood Elves wished to rejoin Kael in the Outland, and were unable to rely on the Alliance to help them reach the Dark Portal and cross the ravaged continent once they arrived – they instead turned to the Orcish Horde, now free of their demonic corruption and living in Kalimdor, led by Thrall. Breaking their silence, the blood elves asked Sylvanas to vouch for them, and were accepted into the faction and welcomed also by the Tauren and Trolls. When the Dark Portal opened, many blood elves began to make their pilgrimage to join their Prince.
However, Kael’s actions began to seem more and more erratic, and slowly, secretly, they began to be questioned in Silvermoon. Meanwhile, in Shattrath a multicultural city in the Outland, rumours grew of a Sin’dorei army marching on the city. Preparations for war were made by the Aldor, a faction of Draenai at odds with Kael’thas, but A’dal, the Naaru (a being of pure Light and goodness) leader of the city, refused to allow anyone to attack. When the Sin’dorei arrived, led by a powerful magi named Voren’thal the Seer, they surprised everyone by throwing down their weapons and pledging alliegance to A’dal. When Kael unexpectedly appeared to have taken up residence Tempest Keep, a satellite spaceship that belonged previously to the Draenai, and began pumping huge amounts of magic out of the Twisting Nether, the rumours grew. Voicing suspicion of the Prince publicly in Silvermoon was punished with execution, but rumour continued – and was proved right, when it was revealed that rather than supporting Illidan as he claimed, Kael had been in contact with the Burning Legion and had captured a Naaru, M’uru, and imprisoned it in the Sunwell, where it was being used to summon Kil’Jaeden, Sargeras’ right-hand demon. It was also, shockingly for Sin’dorei society, revealed that the new-found ability of blood elves to channel the Light so that they could become Paladins (or Blood Knights) was in reality feeding off the captured Naaru, which had been held under Silvermoon City before being moved to the Sunwell and corrupted so that the demonic portal could be opened.
The Sunwell had to be destroyed, and was, with the Sin’dorei helping even though they knew it would plunge them back into the depths of magical addiction without respite. Kil’Jaeden was turned back, with M’uru sacrificing himself in the process. However, the Prophet Velen, the leader of the Draenai, a race of exiled Eredar, a race of which he had been one of three rulers (the other two, Archimonde and Kil’Jaeden, were corrupted by Sargeras and became his lieutenants), had become a member of the Alliance when Tempest Keep, his ship, was attacked by Kael’s forces, causing the escape section of the spaceship, The Exodar, to crash into Kalimdor. Velen was able to purify the Sunwell and did so despite Kael’s genocide against his people.
This was a year ago. Today, the Sin’dorei are in a state of disarray, and society is changing. They are now accepted members of the Horde, but retain more loyalty to Sylvanas than Thrall. It was revealed that M’uru knew of his fate, as did A’dal, and willingly accepted it; the leader of the Blood Knights, Lady Liadrin, has pledged loyalty to A’dal. The forests are recovering, although the land under the Dead Scar is completely desolate and incapable of supporting any life; the southern regions of the forests, known as the Charred Woods or Ghostlands, were burned and destroyed by the Elves themselves, to stop any further corruption, and the wildlife there is tainted by the Plague. Many blood elves have followed their Horde allies to Northrend, to take the fight to Arthas; these include the Sunreavers, a faction of Sin’dorei in Icecrown itself.
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All that is a brief summary of the lore of just one race. There are nine other races (currently, with two more to be added) in Warcraft, and innumerable other unplayable races (Titans, Old Gods, Naga, several Goblin factions, ogres, Murlocs, Pandaren, Dragon Aspects, elementals, many tribes of Troll, some kinds of dwarves, some kinds of gnomes are just a few) in existence, all of which also have lore of a similar depth and complexity behind them, as well as countless wars, disasters, captures, corruptions and triumphs concerning two or more races. As you can well imagine, that amount of history was something I’d only ever encountered in novels before this point. And that’s just up to the end of the Burning Crusade – every expansion furthers lore and extends the story.
I know I keep going on about Sonic, but really, it was the only gaming experience I had, and at every turn it was becoming clear that this was a kind of game on a totally different scale.
Okay, conclusion: lore is big. Why is that a part of my record of Farfalla in Azeroth? It’s not as if I was on an RP server, so none of this really mattered to my character. Well, that quest was my introduction to something that would become my favourite aspect of World of Warcraft – and it’s for that reason that I’m recording it here. It reminds me of a stage where I knew so much less about the game, and every new discovery was exciting. That happens again when an expansion comes out, but it never really matches being completely new to the game and entranced by the tiniest things. It also reminds me of the intricacy of the game – the smallest of things in WoW are related to much larger stories, and there’s detail everywhere. That was something that amazed me about the game when I began playing, and still does today, years later.
Incidentally, it was also my first introduction to what’s known as a ‘lorelol’, or in other words ‘Blizzard screwed up the lore here.’ Remember the inscription on the monument?
Here lies the shrine of Dath’remar, a fitting tribute to a noble elf. Let all who gaze on this monument remember his sacrifice against the Scourge and his dedication to the cause of our continued survival. All who prosper in Quel’thalas do so thanks to him.
Dath’remar fought the Scourge? Not unless that was one seriously long-lived Quel’dorei – he’d have had to have been about seven thousand years old. Quel’dorei live longer than humans, but nowhere near as long as that – they’re real pensioners when they’re two thousand. The age of Sin’dorei is less certain – some say the same as High Elves, others say Sin’dorei are old at 350. We see these mistakes through WoW a fair bit, either on purpose – where Blizzard changes the lore to fit something new they want to implement, as they did in the Burning Crusade with the introduction of the Draenai, who had been considered an evil race up to that point – or accidentally. Still, for lore that was considered secondary to the games, and which would be at least as big as Tolkein’s work when written down in one place, I don’t think they’re doing badly.
Wow, that’s a big old post today. Something much shorter tomorrow, promise.
~Farf
