World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 (22 page)

Though Ravencrest’s forces initially suffered many defeats against the demons, the night elves did make gains. Malfurion himself delivered one of the most decisive early blows against the Legion and its Highborne allies. From the depths of the Emerald Dream, he unleashed his druidic magics upon Azshara’s trusted servant
Xavius, striking him down. Not only did this act destroy one of the Highborne’s most powerful sorcerers, but it also proved the incredible potential of druidic magic to Malfurion’s allies.

Illidan also became invaluable to the resistance. During one engagement, his courage and mastery of arcane magic allowed him to save Ravencrest’s life. For this selfless act, Illidan was appointed the commander’s personal sorcerer. He would later go on to lead the host of sorcerers that fought for the night elf resistance.

For her part, the priestess Tyrande emerged as one of the greatest members of the
Sisterhood of
Elune. Through her unbreakable faith in the benevolent Elune, she saved countless innocents from the marauding Legion. In time, Tyrande would become the high priestess of Elune, the revered leader of her sacred Sisterhood.

Yet despite the bravery with which the resistance fought, more and more demons spilled into Azeroth through the Highborne’s portals. The Legion also bolstered its numbers with a new breed of demon, born from denizens of Azeroth itself.

The first of these abominations was Xavius. Sargeras had warped the defeated Highborne’s body into a twisted demonic visage of jagged horns and cloven hooves. This new form became known as a
satyr, and it would mark Xavius as an eternal servant of the Legion. At Sargeras’s bidding, he set out to curse many of his fellow Highborne, transforming them into satyrs as well.

As the Legion’s numbers swelled and the war progressed, Malfurion realized that the night elves could not prevail alone. He convinced Tyrande and Illidan to accompany him to the tranquil
Moonglade near
Mount Hyjal, where they beseeched Cenarius for aid. The great demigod agreed to rally the mighty Wild Gods against the Legion, but they were unpredictable beings, unaccustomed to fighting as one.

Spurring them to action would take time … a luxury the night elves did not have.

W
hile Cenarius gathered the Wild Gods, Malfurion called on the mighty
Dragon Aspects to defend Azeroth. Led by
Alexstrasza the Life-Binder, the dragons convened at their ancient meeting ground of
Wyrmrest Temple to discuss how best to hold back the Legion’s invasion.

It was during one of these gatherings that
Neltharion the Earth-Warder proposed a solution. He convinced his fellow Aspects to sacrifice a portion of their power and infuse it into the
Dragon Soul, a singular artifact of his own design. The weapon, he claimed, would focus their powers and scour the Legion from the face of Azeroth.

Unbeknownst to the other Aspects, Neltharion had fallen prey to the whispers of the
Old Gods. Over the ages, the vile entities’ influence had tainted the bedrock surrounding their underground prisons. Neltharion’s innate ties to the earth made him uniquely susceptible to this evil. Darkness had gradually pervaded the Aspect’s once-great heart. His descent into torment and madness led him to create the Dragon Soul, although it would later be called by another, more fitting, name: the Demon Soul.

Amid a furious battle between the Legion and the night elf resistance, the five dragonflights made their final assault against the Legion. Working in unison with his comrades, Neltharion unleashed the full might of the empowered Dragon Soul and utterly decimated the Legion. Yet just as hope began to swell among the defenders, Neltharion turned the weapon against his own allies, night elf and dragon alike.

Neltharion’s brutal attack murdered nearly all of the blue dragonflight. Though the other dragons attempted to stop him, they were forced to flee. The night elves were also horrified and awestruck by the sudden betrayal. Eventually they, too, retreated from the battlefield to escape Neltharion’s wrath.

As the Dragon Soul’s energies flooded through him, Neltharion’s body began tearing apart. A raw power like the seething heart of a volcano engulfed his soul. Smoldering fissures wrenched open across Neltharion’s scaly hide. From these wounds, geysers of white-hot fire and magma burst forth. With a howl of rage, Neltharion finally withdrew from the engagement and disappeared into the skies.

Though Neltharion’s assault was short lived, it had changed the world forever. Single-handedly, he had shattered the unity and power of the great dragonflights. They would never be the same again.
Malygos, leader of the blue dragonflight, would suffer far more than any other Aspect. On seeing his followers die, he was driven mad with a grief that would linger for thousands and thousands of years.

Henceforth, Neltharion would be known as
Deathwing. His treachery would curse his own black dragonflight to a life of fear and seclusion. In the coming ages, they would find themselves hunted to the brink of extinction by the other flights due to Deathwing’s unforgivable betrayal.

D
eathwing’s betrayal struck a terrible blow to the night elves’ morale. And worse, Illidan had mysteriously vanished from their ranks. Many night elves feared for his life, but none of them could have imagined that the talented sorcerer had actually abandoned the resistance.

Illidan’s decision to strike out on his own stemmed from his relationship with Malfurion. The sorcerer had always lived in his brother’s shadow. Although Illidan had also studied under
Cenarius, he had lacked the patience to master druidism and instead had pursued arcane magic. Throughout the war, Illidan was driven by a fervent determination to rise above his brother and become a hero for his people.

Yet time and again, Malfurion’s deeds eclipsed Illidan’s own. This was no more apparent—and no more painful—than in the sorcerer’s desire to win the heart of
Tyrande Whisperwind. When Illidan finally summoned the courage to profess his love for her, the priestess rejected him. Illidan took this as a sign that Tyrande intended to choose Malfurion as her mate.

In the wake of this bitter rejection, dark thoughts plagued Illidan. Unbeknownst to the sorcerer, the
satyr
Xavius was subtly twisting his mind and fanning the flames of his despair.

Illidan’s mounting discontent ultimately led him to break from the night elf resistance. He set out to join the Legion, hoping to gain power unimaginable to any night elf. Once he did so, Illidan believed he would finally transcend Malfurion and prove to the world that he was capable of greatness.

Against all odds, Illidan secured an audience with
Sargeras himself. His plan, to steal the potent Dragon Soul, intrigued the fallen titan. So pleased was Sargeras that he granted Illidan exceptional power. He scarred the night elf’s body with fel tattoos and burned out his eyes, setting the hollows alight with otherworldly fire. Although excruciatingly painful, this final act gave Illidan the ability to see myriad forms of magic.

The newly empowered Illidan immediately set out to steal the Dragon Soul. During the course of this perilous quest, the wayward night elf would stumble across Deathwing and witness the Aspect’s ravaged and tormented form. To hold his broken body together, Deathwing had resorted to bolting adamantium plates to his spine.

T
HE
D
EFEAT OF
X
AVIUS

Malfurion finally vanquished Xavius during one of the later engagements of the war. With the aid of a brave young night elf named
Shandris Feathermoon, Malfurion trapped the satyr lord and warped his body and spirit into a gnarled oak tree. Xavius’s legacy, however, would persist on Azeroth. To this day, satyrs still roam the world, polluting nature with their foul magics
.

Ultimately, Illidan secured the Dragon Soul and delivered the artifact to the waiting
Highborne. They immediately used the weapon for the next phase of their plans. The Dragon Soul would prove vital to creating a massive gateway within the heart of the
Well of Eternity.

A gateway through which Sargeras himself could enter the world of Azeroth.

Illidan would later claim that his actions were for a noble cause, that he had joined the Legion to learn more about the demons and find a means to destroy them. Nonetheless, his foolhardy quest for greatness would haunt him like a specter, tarnishing his reputation forever after.