Sign inWar of the Ancients
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The War of the Ancients was the first invasion of Azeroth by the Burning Legion, fought about ten thousand years before the events of World of Warcraft. Queen Azshara and her Highborne summoned the demons through the Well of Eternity, and a resistance of night elves, demigods and dragons fought them off. The war ended with the destruction of the Well and The Sundering of the world. Its ruins and ghosts are scattered across Classic's Kalimdor, from Darkshore to Azshara.
Background
In ancient times, Kalimdor was a single continent. At its center was the Well of Eternity, a lake of raw magic. The night elves settled around it and became masters of arcane magic. Their ruling class, the Highborne, served Queen Azshara from her capital, Zin-Azshari.
The Highborne's reckless use of the Well drew the attention of Sargeras. Azshara and her chief adviser, Lord Xavius, agreed to open a portal so that Sargeras could enter Azeroth, in exchange for power and a promise to "purify" the world of lesser races. Demons led by Hakkar the Houndmaster, Mannoroth and Archimonde poured through and began slaughtering the night elves outside the city.
The war
A resistance formed around a few key figures:
- Malfurion Stormrage, the first night elf druid, trained by the demigod Cenarius.
- Illidan Stormrage, Malfurion's twin brother, a sorcerer who fought the demons but craved more power.
- Tyrande Whisperwind, a priestess of the moon goddess Elune, loved by both brothers.
- Lord Kur'talos Ravencrest, a noble who led the night elf army until he was killed.
The demigods of the forest, including Cenarius and the Wild Gods, joined the fight, and the dragonflights came to help. Their help was betrayed: the black Aspect Neltharion gave the other Aspects a powerful artifact, the Dragon Soul, and then turned it against them. His betrayal broke the dragonflights and set him on the path to becoming Deathwing.
Malfurion realized that the Well was the Legion's doorway. He led an attack on Zin-Azshari to destroy it while the Highborne were trying to bring Sargeras through. The Well's collapse tore the land apart in The Sundering. Azshara and her Highborne were dragged under the sea, and the night elves who survived turned away from arcane magic.
Illidan, unwilling to give up arcane power, poured vials of the Well's water into a lake on Mount Hyjal and made a second Well. Malfurion had him imprisoned for it. The dragons planted the World Tree Nordrassil over the new well to keep it in check.
Where players see it in Classic
The war happened long before Classic, but its aftermath is everywhere in night elf lands.
Darkshore
The ruins along Darkshore belong to Highborne who lived there before the Sundering. In The Fall of Ameth'Aran, players read tablets in the ruins of Ameth'Aran (Ameth'Aran) that tell the city's fall, while ghosts of Highborne drift through its halls. The Bashal'Aran chain sends players to Bashal'Aran (Bashal'Aran), and Tools of the Highborne deals with Highborne relics.
In For Love Eternal, the night elf Cerellean Whiteclaw asks players to free the spirit of his love, Anaya Dawnrunner, who died at Ameth'Aran "in the aftermath of the battles at the Well of Eternity."
Ashenvale
In Ashenvale, the satyrs are descendants of Highborne who were twisted into demons. Xavius was the first of them, and the satyr camp of Xavian (Xavian) is named for him. A warlock quest, Heartswood, sends players to the ruins of Ordil'Aran, where two lovers who died together during the war left behind a tree known as the heartswood.
Azshara
The zone of Azshara holds the remains of the queen's empire. The Ruins of Eldarath are full of Highborne ghosts, and in Stealing Knowledge, Jediga at the Horde camp of Valormok wants tablets "named after Highborne wizards." At the Temple of Zin-Malor, players search for lore about the [Crystal of Zin-Malor], which Highborne at Lake Kel'Theril in Winterspring shattered in a failed ritual (The Ruins of Kel'Theril).
Dire Maul
Dire Maul is the old Highborne city of Eldre'Thalas. Its last residents, the Shen'dralar under Prince Tortheldrin, survived the Sundering by draining a demon, Immol'thar, for power. The dungeon is the clearest example in Classic of Highborne who never let go of arcane magic.
Mount Hyjal and Teldrassil
The Hyjal zone exists in Classic's data, but players cannot enter it. Night elf starting quests talk about Nordrassil: in Crown of the Earth, a druid in Shadowglen explains that the tree was weakened to defeat Archimonde at the end of the Third War, which is why the night elves planted Teldrassil.
Later history and retcons
The War of the Ancients is one of the most heavily revised parts of Warcraft lore:
- Warcraft III (2002) gave the first full version, through its manual and campaign.
- Richard A. Knaak's War of the Ancients trilogy (The Well of Eternity, The Demon Soul and The Sundering, 2004 to 2006) retold the war with time travelers, including the human mage Rhonin, the dragon Krasus and the orc Broxigar. It expanded Illidan's role and the Dragon Soul story.
- Cataclysm (2011) let players visit the war in the Well of Eternity dungeon.
- Legion (2016) and the Chronicle books revised the timeline, Azshara's motives and the Highborne city of Suramar, which survived the Sundering under a shield.
None of these changes alter what is in Classic, but older quest text sometimes uses details that later books reworked.
Sources
Categories: Lore