Project Lore

Blizzard has been surprisingly forthcoming with information on future content as of late. Normally so quiet about what's on the horizon, they seem to have broken their vow of silence either in an attempt to cut off data-miners at the pass or to simply engage their fans in a more direct way than they have in the past. Whatever the reason might be, we all win in the end. Sylvanas, as envisioned by Blizzard artist Glenn Rane. As a continuation of this campaign, Blizzard has opened up a Character Biography page for those Heroes and Villains most closely associated with the events soon to transpire at Icecrown Citadel. The first two chronicled are Lady Sylvanas Windrunner and Jaina Proudmoore. Who knew that Arthas was so popular with the girlies? Sure, he was something of a pretty-boy before he turned into the Lich King, but with his whiny attitude and bad judgment skills, I'm surprised that he ever got as far as he did! Despite my misgivings, it's obvious that these two lovely ladies have a huge stake in Arthas' fate. Surely, Sylvanas would love to notch an arrow right between his cold, unliving eyes. After all, he did turn her into a Banshee and force her to commit atrocities against her own people. Jaina, on the other hand... she's a strong woman, and had the will to shy away from her one-time friend when he started to walk the path of darkness, but will Miss Proudmoore be able to resist the opportunity to redeem him? We could see quite the moral struggle between these two atop Icecrown Citadel. So, if you need a refresher course on either character, be sure to hop on over to the bio page and check them out. Though most of the information itself isn't new to people who keep up with the lore, each entry details their vital stats, tells you what games or media they've appeared in (novels and comics are included), along with a short summary that shows you how they are associated with the Lich King. It's worth a quick perusal and I'm sure they'll be adding more bios as Blizzard ramps up to the release of Patch 3.3. Personally, I'd like to hear a little bit more about the lesser known characters -- perhaps those that we'll meet within the Citadel itself. What characters would you like to see detailed, readers?

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Proverb is a twice-weekly column discussing the lore of Warcraft. It is spoiler heavy for all Warcraft games, novels, and other media. Comment on this post or send a tweet to @Heartbourne and let us know what you would like to see in future columns!

Statue of Alleria Windrunner in Stormwind

If you have not done so already, be sure to read part 1! "May my sisters realize their full potential, the name Windrunner known as result of their deeds." - Alleria Windrunner After many losing battles, the Horde grew more and more desperate. While the Alliance Expedition was successful in recovering the Book of Medivh, the orcish warlocks continued to open portals to new worlds, and this reckless act began to tear Draenor apart. Much of the Alliance Expedition quickly shut the Dark Portal with the Book of Medivh while they remained in Draenor. The few heroes that remained in Draenor, including Alleria, Turalyon, and Khadgar, leapt into the Twisting Nether as Draenor was engulfed in its final fiery cataclysm. They eventually returned to the planet's remains, now known as Draenor. Alleria nor Turalyon have been seen since and while presumed alive, it is not certain. Their son, Arator, ventured into the Outlands when the Dark Portal was recently reopened by Lord Kazzak and the Alliance and Horde pursued Illidan. He talks of seeking his father, but makes no mention of wanting to find Alleria. It could be that Alleria shunned him after his birth, as half-elves are looked down upon. This would also explain why he is never discussed in the lore, even when Alleria and Turalyon's relationship is explored in detail. Khadgar lamented their absence with his wish in the Dalaran fountain.

Sylvanas locked in thought (fanart)

During the third war and the destruction of Quel'thalas (see the previous Proverb post), Sylvanas was killed defending Silvermoon from the Scourge. Arthas raised her as a banshee, and she eventually returned to her body. She retained her ranger skills and added to them her new skills in necromancy. This style of combat led to the future rise of Dark Rangers. After the Burning Legion's defeat at the Battle for Mount Hyjal, Sylvanas was free from the control of Arthas and Ner'zhul, and struck up deals with the Dreadlord Varimathas to retake as much control of the local undead in Lordaeron as possible. Her new faction of undead became known as the Forsaken, and she became their queen, known as the Dark Lady. She vows vengeance on Arthas and will stop at nothing until he is dead. She was instrumental in bringing the blood elves into the Horde; she reached out to the blood elves and even stationed troops in the Ghostlands to assist them before they official joined the Horde. With Alleria missing and Sylvanas killed and reanimated, Vereesa is the only remaining known "living" Windrunner sister. When Kael'thas defected to the blood elves, Vereesa was with Rhonin and stayed a high elf. However, one of her cousins, Zendarin Windrunner (who turned to blood elf), allied with the Black Dragonflight, specifically Sintharia, with the intention of helping them create the Twilight Dragonflight, which may have been a great source of magic for him to feed upon. As a non-dragon, he could wield the Demon Soul. He kidnapped Vereesa's children, Galadin and Giramar, as he believed half-elves to have the potential to wield great power. Vereesa recovered her children, killed Zendarin, and destroyed the Demon Soul. Vereesa continues to despise the blood elves, and leads the Silver Covenant, which opposes the admission of blood elves into the Kirin Tor (see previous Proverb post). Blood elf players can recover the necklace that Alleria gave to Sylvanas in a low level quest. Upon returning it to her, she states that, "You thought this would amuse me? Do you think I long for a time before I was the queen of the Forsaken? Like you, it means nothing to me, and Alleria Windrunner is a long dead memory!" and sings the old folk song Lament of the Highborne, revised to lament the fall of Quel'thalas to the Scourge and the state of the blood elves:

Thalassian	Common	Sylvanas sings the Lament of the Highborne
Anar'alah, Anar'alah belore Sin'dorei Shindu fallah na Sin'dorei Anar'alah Shindu Sin'dorei Shindu fallah na Sin'dorei Anar'alah belore Shindu Sin'dorei Shindu fallah na Sin'dorei Anar'alah belore Belore	By the light, by the light of the sun Children of the blood Our enemies are breaking through Children of the blood By the light Failing children of the blood They are breaking through O' children of the blood By the light of the sun Failing children of the blood They are breaking through O' children of the blood By the light of the sun The sun

Sylvanas' wish in the Dalaran fountain from long ago reads: "I hope my sisters and I can grow up and get married together." This coin appears to be very old. With the destruction of Arthas imminent in patch 3.3, I wonder what role Sylvanas will play. No one wants Arthas dead more than her, and with all the work put into her model and voice as of late, I can't imagine she will stay in the Undercity during his defeat. After Arthas' death and the Cataclysm, I wonder what goals she will hold. Vereesa will likely stay in Dalaran, and we have heard that Northrend will not be heavily affected by the Cataclysm, so I doubt her role will largely change. Alleria is still missing, and it is possible she will reveal herself at some point. However, it may be that she traveled to some other world via the portals in Outland and will show up in a future expansion that explores some demon world. What do you think? Which is your favorite of the sisters, and what will their future hold?

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Proverb is a twice-weekly column discussing the lore of Warcraft. It is spoiler heavy for all Warcraft games, novels, and other media. Comment on this post or send a tweet to @Heartbourne and let us know what you would like to see in future columns!

Sylvanas Windrunner, Dark Ranger

The Windrunner sisters are the three most prominent members of the high elf Windrunner family. The eldest sister, Alleria, has been missing since she ventured into Draenor (now known as Outland) during the Second War. The youngest sister, Vereesa, is currently the leader of the Silver Covenant and wife to Rhonin (leader of the Kirin Tor), and the middle sister, Sylvanas, was raised as a banshee by Arthas and currently leads the Forsaken (the undead faction allied with the Horde). The sisters were very close and have a tragic history. The Windrunner family resided in Windrunner Spire in Eversong Forest, currently known as the Ghostlands. During the Second War, King Anasterian Sunstrider sent Alleria Windrunner and a small group of high elven rangers to aid the Alliance. Alleria was one of the greatest elven rangers and her skills were invaluable to the Alliance. Alleria had quickly gained a strong distaste for the orcs and was one of the few high elves who believed that they would be a threat to the high elves and not just the humans. She devoted her rangers to the Alliance during her excursion to join the Alliance at Southshore.

Vereesa Windrunner

Meanwhile, Vereesa Windrunner was tasked with escorting the human mage Rhonin to the port of Hasic. They had some strange encounters along the way that led them to the Battle of Grim Batol. The details of their journey can be read in the novel Day of the Dragon. The Second War was brutal. The Horde managed to push as far north as the borders of Quel'thalas. Sylvanas discovered jungle trolls burning the forests and attacking her rangers, which she quickly terminated. Sylvanas got word from Alleria that there was a massive army of orcs headed their way, and this was quickly relayed to Anasterian. It was at this point that Anasterian admitted that the trolls were involved with the orcs and he fully dedicated the high elves to the cause of the Alliance and defeat of the Horde. Alleria and the Alliance quickly returned to defend Silvermoon. Alleria fought along sight her sister Sylvanas and their good friend Lor'themar Theron. Sylvanas was perhaps the most skilled ranger of the high elves, hence her position of Ranger-General of Quel'thalas. The high elves repelled the invasion of the Horde, but it was at a great loss, especially to the Windrunners. Eighteen of their kind died, including Lirath Windrunner, younger brother to the sisters. On that day, Alleria's hatred of the orcs intensified, and she would forever view them as savage beasts that must be exterminated at all costs. Her despair led her into the arms of the Paladin Turalyon, with whom she likely had an affair. Shortly after, the iconic battle of Grim Batol occured. Vereesa Windrunner was instrumental in freeing the dragon queen Alexstrasza and draining of the power of the Demon Soul, which was enchanted by the Dragon Aspects so that it could never be used by dragonkind again. This was the turning point of the Second War, and the orcs began to be rounded up and placed into the internment camps.

Statue of Alleria Windrunner in Stormwind

Following the Second War, Anasterian and the high elves would have little to do with the Alliance. Vereesa and Rhonin were tasked with touring the various nation of the Alliance and reminding the nations to stay together, as there would be threats besides the orcs in the future. The pair fell in love, and eventually had twins,  Galadin and Giramar. Half elven child births often fail, as do twins, and as such their healthy arrival into the world was viewed as very fortunate. The Alliance sent military forces through the Dark Portal to Draenor to retrieve the Book of Medivh to seal the Dark Portal once and for all, as well as stop the orcs from opening portals into new worlds to continue their bloodthirsty campaign. Alleria and her rangers continued their own mission to exterminate the orcs. It is unclear as to precisely when Alleria gave birth to her and Turalyon's son, Arator. It seems to be retconned, and the current story is that Arator was already a child when the Alliance ventured through the Dark Portal. Before departing, Alleria split the necklace she inherited from her parents into three pieces, and sent a piece of it to each of her sisters. She kept the emerald for herself and sent the ruby to Vereesa, while she sent Sylvannas the sapphire. Continue on to part 2!

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I ran across this artistic presentation on Friday. I didn't stick around to see its completion

If you happen to be my mother, then you noticed that I didn't post on Friday.   I wasn't being lazy, or basking in the glorious amount of sunlight that Philadelphia had that day.  No, I was having bones forcibly extracted from my skull because they failed to know their place (in my mouth).  These so called "wisdom teeth" forced me to miss a day's worth of work, writing, and cleaning and put me through a substantial amount of discomfort and annoyance.  The chemicals that I was pumped full for the early morning procedure lasted until around noon, at which time the gang of four started to beat on my nerve endings until the experience became too unbearable to sleep through.  I rolled over and grabbed Arthas: Rise of the Lich King.  I made it through two pages before I returned to kicking my legs in frustration. I've always been intrigued by the studies showing that video games help hospital patients (and everyone else) deal with pain and the stress of their illnesses, such as transfusions or chemotherapy.  With that in mind, and a little coaxing from my girlfriend, I fired up the computer and dove into Azeroth with reckless abandon.  One, two, three, a half dozen hours passed me by as I continued to crush heroic after heroic.  I wouldn't claim that the pain had vanished, I still felt it, but with my brain utterly distracted by DPS maximization, group creation, fishing, or dailies, it was pushed by the wayside.  Thanks to my brain's limited capacity, the synapses continued to fire, but no one was home to receive delivery. No, it wasn't just my Wolverine-like healing abilities taking over.  I didn't even realize the positive effects of my "self medication" until the next morning where I awoke in agony, despite that fact that I went to bed feeling relatively well.  I broke down and took the prescribed pain medication before I went back to my previous method of recovery.  Once again, the hours passed and I was able to ignore the hardcore drugs in favor of GTA: Chinatown Wars, Demigod and a ton more of World of Warcraft. In an odd twist, the pain actually helped Solidsamm substantially.  During the course of the hazy weekend he bagged close to twenty achievements, hundreds of gold, leveled his fishing and cooking, participated in some new (to him) heroics, gained thousands of Kirin Tor rep, downed Kel'Thuzad for the first time and lost a collected 5 rolls on needed rogue loot.  The little gnome managed all of this will keeping me, his driver, off the hard medication.  Quite a weekend. The pain still remains as of today, but it is tolerable so long as I don't try to chew, speak on the phone long, laugh loudly or yawn.  Perhaps I am milking it a bit.  Hey, when else in your life do you get a perfectly reasonable excuse to drink milkshakes 3-4 times a day?  Now I know what I will be doing if I ever break a bone.  I feel a twang of pain...back to Azeroth.

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Via Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA)

Championing, all the kids are doing it now, so why aren't you?  Championing is the fun way to gain reputation with a few select factions in Wrath of the Lich King.  With Championing, you can go from Friendly to Exalted in a matter of minutes, instead of weeks.  No longer will you have to wait for mobs to respawn or fight with other aggressive characters when you wish to mind your own business.  Yes folks, Championing is the way of the future, the easiest, most convenient way to become best friends with a faction that previously despised the ground you walked on.  Championing - the new hotness. Championing offers players an easier way to farm reputation, but you can only Champion certain classes.  However, every player who wishes to have the best head enchant available needs to Champion at least one faction.  Before we get into those factions, allow me to explain the process before I drop the C-word for the tenth time.  The new reputation mechanic enables players to run any level 80 dungeon while still gaining reputation for a chosen faction.  This is accomplished by wearing a faction-specific tabard that can be acquired when your toon reaches Friendly with the select Northrend posse.  Mages get it a tad easier, the wielders of physics breaking magic can obtain the Kirin Tor Tabard at the incredibly low rank of Level 1. Four Champion-able factions and their associated head enchantment: The Argent Crusade - Stamina & Defense Rating Kirin Tor - Spell Power & Critical Strike Rating Knights of the Ebon Blade - Attack Power & Critical Strike Rating The Wyrmrest Accord - Spell Power & Mana Per 5 Seconds Blizzard's mechanic allows players to break the monotonous cycle of grinding dailies for every faction, but we can't escape it completely.  Aside from a new way to gain status among our peers, the hidden benefit is that Championing will - at least theoretically - open up more people to a selection of instances.  The ability to gain Ebon Blade rep in any Heroic means that SolidSamm won't have to grind the same instance like he did in The Burning Crusade's day.  This opens up the possibility of my rogue joining any instance group that is looking for DPS (read: none).  Choice is good. The above aside, there really is no "guide" to Championing.  Simply hit Friendly with whatever faction you need, grab the tabard from their vendor and you are on your way.  As a side note, if you fail to don one of the faction tabards, your toon's Northrend rep (Alliance Vanguard/Horde Expedition) will be raised instead. SolidSamm is working on his AP/Crit Arcanum as you read this, but don't forget to look at the other items the factions of to offer.  The little ankle biter will replace his Ebon Blade tabard with the Kirin Tor's in an effort to lower the high price of their sexy ring.  Who's colors are you sporting? On a more hardcore note, how many of you have taken the time to score the Championing achievement?  Serious props if you have.

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MMO-Champion has been bringing the thunder this morning with tons of news that has been cascading out of the public test realm. With a build of patch 3.1 live on the PTR, players have been given the first full look at an almost overwhelming number of changes and additions to the World of Warcraft. Big, drool-worthy news for Paladins, Priests, Druids, and Shaman is that a legendary One Handed Mace looks like it will be making its way to those classes' hands eventually. The classes mentioned will have the ability to collect 40 Fragments of Val'anyr and combine them, creating Shattered Fragments of Val'anyr, which begins a quest, eventually rewarding Val'anyr, Gavel of the Ancient Kings. Here's to hoping there's a version which certain enhancement shaman might be able to use. Players have also discovered that inscribed versions of the Kirin Tor rings (the ones that cost 8000g and teleport you to Dalaran) are available for an additional 1000g. These rings will be item level 213 and require the original ring to purchase. Finally, MMO-Champion revealed that new mounts and pets are being added into WoW, including Mimiron's Head, which summons and dismisses a rideable mechanical gnome head! This thing reminds me of Bowser's clown faced aircraft from Super Mario World. A full list of the pets and mounts can be found below. New Pets

• Spring Rabbit - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Spring Rabbit.
• Plump Turkey - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Plump Turkey.
• Teldrassil Sproutling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Teldrassil Sproutling.
• Tirisfal Batling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Tirisfal batling.
• Dun Morogh Cub - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Dun Morogh Cub.
• Durotar Scorpion - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Durotar scorpion.
• Alarming Clockbot - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Alarming Clockbot.
• Elwynn Lamb - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Elwynn lamb.
• Mulgore Hatchling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Mulgore hatchling.
• Ammen Vale Lashling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Ammen Vale lashling.
• Strand Crawler - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Darkspear Strand crawler.
• Enchanted Broom - Right Click to summon and dismiss your enchanted broom.
• Argent Squire - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Argent Crusade squire.
• Mechanopeep - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Mechanopeep.
• Argent Gruntling - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Argent Crusade gruntling.
• Curious Gorloc Hatchling - Right Click to call or shoo away a Curious Gorloc Hatchling.
• Curious Wolvar Pup - Right Click to call or shoo away a Curious Wolvar Pup.
• Gorloc Orphan - Right Click to summon and dismiss the orphan you've agreed to look after for Children's Week.
• Wolvar Orphan - Right Click to summon and dismiss the orphan you've agreed to look after for Children's Week.
• Murkimus the Gladiator - Right Click to summon and dismiss Murkimus the Gladiator.
• Sen'jin Fetish - Right Click to summon and dismiss your Sen'jin fetish.

New Mounts

• Aquatic Riding Ray - Summons and dismisses an Aquatic Riding Ray. This is an aquatic mount.
• Swift Stormwind Steed - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Stormwind Steed. This is a very fast mount.
• Great Azuremyst Elekk - Summons and dismisses a rideable Great Azuremyst Elekk. This is a very fast mount.
• Swift Darnassian Mistsaber - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Darnassian Mistaber. This is a very fast mount.
• Swift Silvermoon Hawkstrider - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Silvermoon Hawkstrider. This is a very fast mount.
• Great Mulgore Kodo - Summons and dismisses a rideable Great Mulgore Kodo. This is a very fast mount.
• Turbostrider - Summons and dismisses a rideable Turbostrider. This is a very fast mount.
• Swift Ironforge Ram - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Ironforge Ram. This is a very fast mount.
• Swift Sen'jin Raptor - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Sen'jin Raptor. This is a very fast mount.
• Forsaken Warhorse - Summons and dismisses a rideable Forsaken Warhorse. This is a very fast mount.
• Swift Orgrimmar Wolf - Summons and dismisses a rideable Swift Orgrimmar Wolf. This is a very fast mount.

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Via Wikipedia

Some of you may have noticed a lack of a blog from me on Friday. No, I wasn't “Indisposed,” at least not in that sense. I decided to take a mini-vacation before the holidays for some early-season skiing in Westminster, MA. It was a wonderful time filled with friends, food, drink, falls and bruises. However, I went without a computer from Thursday evening until this morning, only checking my e-mail when I got home late last night. I am still recovering.

The freshly made and natural snow could not keep me from thinking about my favorite MMORPG. Some may call that addiction, but I call it “letting one's mind wander while on the chairlift.” Top on my mind was my lack of leveling, causing me to fall behind my guildmates a little further. Now that we have started doing Naxxramas, it actually means something to be behind. Lucky for me, I know those encounters from my Naxxramas 40-man days, so I am not completely clueless. Also, the instance is very easy.

After getting over my lack of dinging, I focused on more productive objectives, like faction grinding. I still haven't decided if I am gonna begin my faction grinds and Championing sessions right after I hit 80, or if I should switch off and focus on leveling my Priest. To continue contributing to my little guild I will probably begin Heroics, with raiding as they need me, and only play my healer during off hours or when needed by other members.

As I sat in the cold, I tried remember which factions I would need to work on the most. I came up with a rough idea of which factions I should do. The Alliance Vanguard will be my initial focus for the sexy dagger.  Although they don't have the best collection of items to offer, the design of Northrend has led me to quest for them substantially, thus it should not require much grinding. Due to my incessant need to prove my worth to factions, I already have gained enough reputation for the Kalu'ak's chest piece (just not the level requirement), but I will definitely come back to them for the epic fishing pole, and the vanity pet modeled after my favorite animal IRL.

While fighting off the blistering winds I couldn't recall who I should Champion for after I complete AV rep, Kirin Tor or the Frenzyheart Tribe. While the Frenzyheart Tribe have three pieces for a rogue, none of them are offered before revered, and the pants are not as beneficial as the item from the Kirin Tor. To top it off, the dagger from the wizard sect is acquired at honored, and is a great main hand for a Mutilate Rogue, making the decision easy once I looked into the specifics a second time.

It is hard to guess past that though. I expect to be doing Naxxramas before the holidays, and much of the Tier 7 gear will not be replaced by faction items. In the end, the stuff offered by the Argent Crusade, Wyrmrest Accord, Knights of Ebon Hold and Sons of Hodir will be used to fill in a few slots, or only for their enchantments.  Hopefully my Priest will get more use out of these other factions.

Anyone else have their Championing schedule mapped out?  Did you do it out of sheer boredom as well?

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