#vereesa windrunner

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This story is bound to be the most controversial story that comes out of this book because many people will not agree with the direction this story takes, but personally, I love this story. Not only does it present something I already know about one of my favorite characters, it also presents hope for this characters future in this franchise. This story is what I would consider to be the Heart and Soul (no pun intended) of the Folk and Fairytales book. It’s a story about grief, and family and love, and it presents the question “how far would you go to save someone you love?” There’s similarities to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which has the moral of “be patient and keep faith” which is a beautiful message and one Sylvanas Loyalists really need to hear right now.

Sister is Another Word for Always - By Catherynne M. Valente

Vereesa describes the day she knew her sister Sylvanas died, because she felt a hole opening up in her chest. “a chasm deep and dark, a blue crack through which every freezing bladed wind could blow until they made a song of marrow and loss. The song was her last breath leaving the green world forever.” Veressa staggered to her knees when she learned that her sister had been murdered. Her sister was Courage, because courage is what killed her.
Veressa dreams of a memory of her childhood, of her sister. She dreams of the two girls playing on the banks of a river back in Quel’thalas. “my sister dances up ahead of me, fearless through the long grass. Wild and white roses and crimson bloodthistle lick at her bare feet.” Veressa asks her sister to wait, because she is still little. Sylvanas does wait, and then she says “let me show you something” and she becomes quiet, an peaceful and she pulls a baby mithril-head trout out of the water. “Is it magic?” Veressa asks? “Gentleness only” Sylvanas replies. The fish gasps for air in Sylvanas’s palm, but it doesn’t try to escape, because finding itself surrounded by love, is better than being alive. Veressa urges Sylvanas to let go of the fish, she does and it dashes away. Sylvanas looses her footing on the slippery rocks and Vereesa is quick to catch her and the dream vanishes away with child Sylvanas running fearlessly into the direction of the bright sun.
But the dream does not sate Veressa’s grief, it’s just a painful reminder that her home and her sister are gone. Vereesa carries a mantle of grief, she wasn’t there to save her sister, and so she wanders aimlessly in a pilgrimage until she comes to a mountain, her grief has made her tired and she finds respite at a cemetery where she finds a statue of two elven women, one with her head in her hands, named Regret and the other looking with resolve named Acceptance, Veressa sees nothing but her sister. Veressa breaks down and cries, and she’s greeted by a blind Kyrian named Elomia, who asks her why she weeps, Veressa had planed many things to say but all she could muster was a shaky “I want my sister back.” Elomia replies “I am moved, and when blind judgement is moved, all doors of possibility open. You seek your sister Courage? very well: Go and find her.” opening up a portal to the Shadowlands through the Statue of Regret. Elomia gives Vereesa a warning, that her sister must choose to leave of her own will and that Vereesa must not touch her sister until she is free of the Shadowlands, only then can Courage be returned to the living.
Veressa finds her self in Ardenweald, where she imagines she’d find her sister, but the ground opens up and finds herself in the Maw. Veressa is taken aback, she’s no fool but she knows her sister doesn’t belong here, in the Maw but she presses on asking anything and everything in the cursed place, “Have you seen my sister, Courage?” but the stones replied “You will find no courage here, beyond the mask of virtue!” She asked the sky but they replied “Courage is banished here, beyond the shield of hope.”
She made for the Tower of the Damned until she began to give up hope. Suddenly a shadow appeared behind her, a shadow that radiated unnatural heat, a shadow that ate Light. Veressa feebly asks the Jailer of the Damned “Have you seen my sister, Courage?” and the Jailer replied, “You will not find her here.” Veressa says, “I know.” and “She could never be here.” the Jailer mocks her with “Not yet.” and as he turns to leave Veressa in her sorrow something flickers in his hand and then it springs forth and becomes alive swimming in Vereesa’s direction, a shimmering and blinking little fish, like the little trout. Vereesa chases it through the River of Souls, until she remembers how her sister had caught the trout with gentleness and so Veressa calms herself, the shimmering soul turns it’s direction and heads straight for Vereesa. remembering not to touch it she catches it in her hood. The soul then turns into her sister. Courage asks how Vereesa was able to find and catch her soul and Vereesa replies “it was love.” Courage reaches out to hug her sister but Vereesa warns her “Not yet!” they must first flee the Shadowlands and the Jailer’s realm. Veressa urges the soul of her sister to follow her. Everywhere Courage’s soul walks a trail of wild white roses and glowing bloodthistle blooms in the Maw.
When they are close to where Vereesa had entered the Maw, they discovered the jailer blocking the path of escape. “Let us go!” Veressa begged the jailer, but he only replied, “You may go, but thatmay not” pointing to the small image of Courage. “But she’s my sister.” pleaded Veressa. “A piece of her perhaps, but it is not for you.” The Jailer, raises his mace and swings at the pair but he doesn’t aim for Vereesa but instead brings his mace down through the vision of her sister. Courage looks pained for a moment, like she had been struck in the heart. She stumbles and Vereesa instinctively reaches out to catch her when she falls. They realize too late that the simple touch was enough to doom Courage forever, she cannot return. The Jailer looms amused over the pair, Veressa suddenly aware of what he’s done. “Why?” she cries, “Why give me a chance? why give her to me only to take her back?” The Jailer tells Veressa that this test wasn’t for Veressa, it was so that he could show his little fish how family always fails. Veressa sees her sister, gasping for air like the little fish, “let me go” she says. “I cannot” Veressa replies. “He is wrong. He will always be wrong.” Veressa could feel the cold blue hands of Elomia pulling her back to the land of the living and she sees her Sister turn back into a shimmering little fish of a soul and back the the Jailer. Veressa thinks , No we can’t part like this, this isn’t the right ending. this story is broken. It ends with everything put right again. it has to.
Vereesa returns through a portal through the statue named Acceptance. But then the statue of the elves is gone, replaced with some nondescript statue of some horned female, and the memory of her trip to the Shadowlands, was just that, a quickly fading memory, and soon it is gone.

art by: Zoltan Boros

#world of warcraft folk and fairytales #spoilers #vereesa windrunner #sylvanas windrunner

@wowloreaddict

Sun, 23 May 2021 10:43:06

Verath and Lireesa Windrunner

Sylvanas’s father, Lord Verath Windrunner, was King Anasterian’s chief advisor (9, 122).
Though nobles, the Windrunners did not usually throw lavish parties like their kinsmen. Instead, they preferred to host small gatherings (9).
The position of ranger-general was passed down through the Windrunner family for thousands of years (21). Before Lireesa became ranger-general, her mother Alleria held the position (11).
Due to their status, the Windrunners were free to wander Sunfury Spire and Magisters’ Terrace at any time (105).
After the Second War broke out, King Anasterian asked Lord Verath to travel as ambassador to Lordaeron City and learn about the danger the Horde posed. Lireesa, reluctant to let her husband go alone, accompanied him (109).
Both Verath and Lireesa were ambushed and killed in Eastweald before they ever made it to Lordaeron City (117, 122). Unfortunately, their corpses were picked so clean by scavengers it was difficult to tell who had killed them, though the elves initially blamed their ancient enemy, the Amani (119). It was later revealed that it had been the orcs, working in concert with the trolls (127, 131).
Sylvanas brought evidence of the Horde’s involvement in her parents’ deaths before King Anasterian. Much to her surprise, he burned it, citing a reluctance to put the quel’dorei at risk when they were already well protected. She was sworn to secrecy regarding her discovery (133).
Though the elder Windrunners did not survive the trek to Lordaeron, their equine steeds made it back to Windrunner Spire mostly unharmed (130).
Verath and Lireesa’s bodies were treated with a slight bit of illusion magic, covered in ceremonial palls, and set to lie in state for an entire day so those who wished could pay their respects to the fallen (134, 157)
The Windrunners’ colors are brown and gold (126).

Alleria Windrunner

Alleria took after her mother, Lireesa, in both appearance and manner (10).
Alleria was named after her grandmother (11).
When Alleria came of age to start training with the Farstriders, Lireesa bestowed a formal test on her. In front of her future peers, Alleria was tasked with hunting and killing a lynx using just a single arrow before the day’s end. She was permitted a knife with which to skin the lynx as proof, though Lireesa explicitly warned her daughter not to use it to kill the animal (11).
After growing bored waiting for Alleria to complete her trial, Sylvanas ventured out into the forest, only to find the lynx chasing after her sister. Seeing that Alleria had tried and failed to fell the lynx using both her arrow and knife, Sylvanas slew the lynx herself with one of her arrows (16-17).
While Alleria technically failed the test, it is worth noting that it would not have affected her entry to the Farstriders given she was to inherit the position of ranger-general regardless. As Verath told Sylvanas afterward, the test was more about Alleria proving her mettle and skills to her future peers so they would accept her position as one born of merit rather than privilege (22).
Feeling smothered by her mother’s strict expectations for her, Alleria told Lireesa many years later that she did not want to become the next ranger-general. On top of that, she also declared she was taking a small contingent of Farstriders and leaving Quel’Thalas to adventure across Azeroth (72-73). Perhaps embarrassed by this turn of events, Lireesa publicly informed the elven rangers that she was sending Alleria off so the Farstriders could “reclaim the meaning of their name” and explore the world beyond their borders (75).
Sylvanas, as the next eldest child, took up Alleria’s place as second-in-line (74-75).
Prior to Alleria’s departure from Quel’Thalas, Lireesa gifted her daughter with an ornate necklace. It was set with three gemstones - a ruby, sapphire, and emerald - each meant to symbolize one of the Windrunner daughters. The chain holding them all together represented Lirath, their brother (81). At some point, Alleria broke down the necklace and gave each of her sisters a piece (258).

Lirath Windrunner

Lireesa went into labor with Lirath the day of Alleria’s test, weeks before the baby was due (25).
Both Vereesa and Lirath’s names were amalgams of their parents’ names (28).
Lirath was quite the musical prodigy. He demonstrated exceptional skill with instruments such as the flute, pipes, mandolin, and harp. Lirath was also known for his beautiful singing voice, as well (29-30).
Though skilled with instruments, the young elf was rather clumsy when it came to weapons (42).
Lirath impressed Lord Saltheril so much with his musical talents that the noble had him perform regularly at his parties (32).
Just six months after his debut, Lirath was invited to perform for Prince Kael’thas. Given that the prince spent most of his time in Dalaran and hardly ever ventured to Silvermoon City, this was seen as an exceptionally high honor (33).
At Prince Kael’thas’ behest, Lirath eventually moved to the Artists’ Quarters in Silvermoon City and began a formal apprenticeship (55). Some time later, he officially became the royal musician, making him the youngest ever to have received the title (76).
The denizens of Windrunner Village were all killed during the orcs’ invasion of Quel’Thalas during the Second War. Among the casualties was Lirath (159-161).
Lirath was buried beside his parents. Though the Windrunners held a public funeral for their parents, Lirath’s was much more intimate and private (166).

Sylvanas Windrunner, the Ranger

Sylvanas was named for the woodlands of Quel’Thalas (53).
Sylvanas named her hawkstrider ‘Snap’ (21).
The young ranger did not particularly like Silvermoon City and showed remarkable disdain for court politics as a child (23).
She was banned from Lord Saltheril’s parties after an unfortunate incident in which she snuck into one and spiked some glasses of punch with numbing woundwood powder to get back at young nobles who were insulting her brother (45-47).
Sylvanas, Lor’themar, and Halduron spent so much time together in and out of archery practice that they became known as “the Trio” (54).
She once accidentally spilled wine on Prince Kael’thas at a Remembrance ball (62).
Lireesa took Sylvanas to an Amani territory marker when she was a child and warned her that the trolls were their enemy (91).
Sylvanas and Nathanos shared their first kiss atop Sungraze Peak, only a day before she found out her parents had been killed (115).

Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen

As a banshee, Sylvanas could only see the world in shades of black and white (180). Upon reuniting with her body, she was able to see in color once again (194).
Sylvanas struggled to remember much about herself and her life after Arthas raised her into undeath (180, 182).
Sylvanas’ body was magically preserved and locked away in Deatholme, where it was guarded under the watchful eye of Dar’Khan (193).
The arrow Sylvanas used to paralyze Arthas was coated in a mixture of woundwood and troll poison (195, 196). It was also fletched with some of the Dark Eagle’s feathers (197).
Just before Sylvanas began tormenting the paralyzed Arthas, the shade of a young human girl appeared and distracted her long enough for Kel’Thuzad to intervene (198).
As undead, Sylvanas remarked that she was unable to feel emotions like joy, passion, or love (218, 226, 273). Later, though, she admitted the truth to herself: she was actually unable to let go of those feelings (344).
Seeking protection for the Forsaken, Sylvanas initially made moves to join the Alliance. The Banshee Queen handpicked four of her undead to send as emissaries: one from Southshore, two from Lordaeron City, and one from Stormwind - Sarias Colton - who had a living sister in the city. All had been soldiers in life and were so well preserved in death they almost looked as if they could pass for living. Unfortunately, the emissaries were killed on sight before they ever had a chance to parley with the Alliance (232, 233).
With no choice but to turn to the very people that had massacred her family, Sylvanas sent spies and eventually emissaries to the Horde after learning they had come a long way from their murderous past. Cairne Bloodhoof was the first to welcome her, inviting her to visit Thunder Bluff (235).
Sylvanas met with Thrall, Cairne, and Hamuul in the taurens’ capital city. After she pleaded her case for the Forsaken, all parties formally agreed that the undead could join the Horde (240).
Sylvanas brokered an allegiance between the blood elves and the Horde a year later for three reasons: 1) to use them as more “arrows” against Arthas, 2) to strengthen her position in the Horde by bringing them another useful ally, and 3) out of a sense of loyalty to her former people (245, 247).
Lor’themar initially refused Sylvanas’ offer, afraid that the Horde had done too much harm for the elves to see them as allies. Months later, however, he capitulated and agreed to a meeting between emissaries with one stipulation: that it happen in Quel’Thalas. Cairne, Thrall, Vol’jin, and Sylvanas all attended (248, 249). The meeting took place at Farstrider Enclave in what is now known as the Ghostlands (250).
Sylvanas gave Putress leave to experiment with and concoct a weapon powerful enough to kill the Lich King (214-216). She informed him that if they ever had the slightest chance at destroying the Lich King, he was to deploy the blight. That said, Putress utilized the weapon at the Wrath Gate without her knowledge or explicit approval (263, 268).
Though the Banshee Queen did not orchestrate the events at the Wrath Gate, she believed that all of the sacrifices would have been worth it if Arthas had died (270).
Sylvanas was initially against the idea of experimenting on Forsaken, but Putress convinced her it was much easier than capturing one of the Scourge. She agreed to his terms, so long as the Forsaken in question were criminals and deserving of such a fate (261).

Sylvanas Windrunner, Harbinger of Death

According to the Jailer, the Arbiter sent Sylvanas to the Maw upon her death at Icecrown (287). She was enraged to discover that the Arbiter judged beings far more monstrous than her, like Zul’jin, worthy of redemption while she had been condemned to the Maw (293).
When Sylvanas asked the Jailer’s Val’kyr if they saw any souls reunited with their loved ones in the Shadowlands, they said no (297).
The Jailer told Sylvanas she’d know he was not deceiving her after she experienced five signs to come: 1) the return of a fiery darkness, 2) her ascension to leadership, 3) a blade piercing the world, 4) the blood of the world, and 5) the toppling of a king and shattering of the sky itself (301).
While the Banshee Queen believed what the Jailer told her was true, she had not yet decided as of Warlords of Draenor if she was willing to take the final step and fully commit to his cause (314).
Sylvanas noted Anduin resembled her younger brother in appearance, but it was really his mannerisms and inherent gentleness that reminded her of Lirath (323, 365, 368).
Sylvanas chose to pull the Horde forces back at the Broken Shore in order to save them, as continuing to fight would have surely doomed both the Horde and Alliance (325, 334). Even though this technically meant betraying her newfound allies in the Alliance, it was a risk she considered worth taking (334).
Sylvanas finally decided to accept the Jailer’s offer and join forces with him after Vol’jin’s untimely demise (326). That said, she continued to harbor some slight doubts for a time (339).
Sylvanas sought out Saurfang as an ally, believing that he would be amenable to the Jailer’s goals in time (331, 354).
As part of her first official assignment under Zovaal, Sylvanas was responsible for meeting with Helya and procuring an item from her known as a Soulcage. With it, she was supposed to compel Eyir into delivering the souls under her command to Helya, who was to then give them to the Jailer (332).
After the breaking of the Arbiter and the redirection of all incoming souls to the Maw, Mal’Ganis came to the Banshee Queen and told her of Zovaal’s new mission for her: to kill as many as possible (339).

Nathanos Marris

Nathanos Marris, a ranger captain from Lordaeron, was sent to Quel’Thalas sometime early in the Second War. He’d been tasked with studying the Amani trolls - given concerns that they were cooperating with the Horde - and bringing his findings to King Anasterian Sunstrider (94).
While out on a routine patrol, Sylvanas and Lor’themar were saved from an Amani ambush by Nathanos’ expert marksmanship skills (93).
After delivering his findings to the king, Nathanos was given leave to explore Silvermoon City with one stipulation: that he be accompanied by a Farstrider. Sylvanas herself rose to the occasion (97).
After he was freed from the Scourge’s thrall, Nathanos experienced long periods of forgetfulness where he could not remember who he had been in life (224, 226).
Though she carried the secret of her deal with the Jailer for some time, Sylvanas eventually told Nathanos the truth shortly into the events of Warlords of Draenor (314).

Quel’Thalas & the Quel’dorei

The high elves used to be wary of a rather large and dangerous springpaw lynx nicknamed “Mauler”. Rumor has it that the creature actually developed a taste for elven flesh (17).
King Anasterian bestowed quel’dorei steeds upon those of high rank or exceptional distinction. Both Verath and Lireesa Windrunner were given one each: Parley and Arrowflight respectively (21).
On the topic of whether Silvermoon City was predominantly red or blue before the Third War, Sylvanas once commented it was “very crimson” (23).
There are fireflies in Quel’Thalas (24).
The quel’dorei celebrate the anniversary of the trolls’ defeat in the Troll Wars every year. As part of this ‘Remembrance’ celebration, the nobles host a ball (31, 55).
There’s a species of bird indigenous to Quel’Thalas known as the Thalassian red songbird (40).
Aeriah Sunfire wrote volumes five through seven of the troll histories. His grandfather, Sunfire the Elder, wrote volumes one through four (52).
Sylvanas assumed much of her extended family was dead, likely killed in the Horde’s attack on Windrunner Village during the Second War (212).
Three scions of the Salonar house - Belaria, Aravan, and Rendis - also perished at Windrunner Village (159).
It took months after Arthas’ invasion for the blood elves to gather all the bodies of the fallen and burn them (202).

The Farstriders

The Farstriders were considered above commoners purely on the basis of their skill and athleticism, though they were not strictly nobility (9).
The position of ranger-general is one of the only hereditary positions in quel’dorei society, next to the monarchy itself. It is traditionally passed from the ranger-general to their eldest child (11, 21).
During the inauguration of a ranger-general, it is customary to ask all Farstriders present if they will follow and support the new ranger-general (141).
Once sworn in, the new ranger-general is expected to prepare a small meal and offer it to every member of the Farstriders. This is a symbolic way of showing that the ranger-general will care for all those they are to lead into battle (144).
Lor’themar Theron was a full-fledged Farstrider by the time Sylvanas was old enough to earn her own bow (14).
Lor’themar usually stepped in for Lireesa when she was unable to attend to Farstrider matters (34).
The leaves of the woundwood tree have certain properties that, when dried and mixed with liquid, form a numbing paste. Farstriders usually kept some on hand to use as an anesthetic in case of injury, though Sylvanas later mixed it with troll poison to paralyze Arthas (46, 195-196).
The Farstriders maintained routine patrols near Amani territory in times of peace as tradition, a formality, and sometimes even as punishment (90).
Lor’themar, the highest-ranking Farstrider next to Sylvanas herself, was responsible for swearing Sylvanas in as ranger-general (140).
Most all Farstriders have heard the tale of the “Battle of Seven Arrows,” a conflict in which a small group of elven rangers fended off some of the Amani’s finest warriors. The trolls, normally pacified, launched a surprise attack on a lone elven village. Though they would have been enough to pose a threat by themselves, the Amani commanded a terrifying beast twisted by magic known as the “Dark Eagle”. Lireesa Windrunner’s unit, which numbered just seven, was the nearest to the trolls and moved to intercept them. Though the rangers fought hard, they went through most of their arrows in no time. With just one arrow left herself, Lireesa turned to her six companions and asked each of them for one of theirs before ordering them to fall back while she stayed behind to face the trolls alone. Mere moments later, the elves saw Lireesa running toward them - no Dark Eagle in sight. She had felled it with the seven remaining arrows at her disposal: two for the eyes, one for its throat, and four for its heart. Her strike was so successful, not a single elf lost their life that day (140-141).
Nothing in the Farstrider code technically stated that one had to be a high elf to join the rangers. This allowed Sylvanas to make Nathanos a Farstrider, though her decision was met with much resistance from her peers (147).

Miscellaneous

Both dark rangers and San’layn are considered Darkfallen (184).
Dark rangers’ bodies, not unlike that of death knights’, are magically resistant to decay as a result of the way they are raised (192).
The Jailer spirited both Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination out of the Shadowlands with the help of secret allies. He wanted them on Azeroth so as to anchor the power of death to the young world soul (288-289).
A race of serpentine, lava-dwelling creatures called aells live somewhere in the cosmos. In their culture, consuming their mates when they are near death is considered a supreme act of love (296-297).

@warcraft-lore-archives

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 20:01:20

Editor’s Note:“Some of the tales you’ll encounter here may be rooted in canon, or they may be another traveler just telling a tall tale.”

Eyes of the Earth Mother

Though the Earth Mother heard the whispers of the Old Gods, she could not be swayed by them (13).
Pregnant, the Earth Mother sought a place away from the Old Gods’ corruptive influence to give birth to her children. Unable to find such a place, however, she decided to shape the world and, in doing so, create her own safe haven (14).
All of Azeroth’s lands, waters, and even the elements themselves came forth at this moment. They were suffused with enough of the Earth Mother’s essence so soon after their inception that they kept the Old Gods’ powers at bay (14).
The Earth Mother gave birth to twins: first An’she, a beacon of life and warmth, then came Mu’sha, who was to bring rest, tranquility, and healing. The elements called them the “sun” and the “moon” (15).
Eventually, both An’she and Mu’sha developed connections with the elements. An’she found himself able to wield the light and warmth of fire while Mu’sha maintained some control over the tides and winds (15-16).
The twins even went so far as to use the elements to create weapons to spar with. Mu’sha opted for a bow and arrow, whereas An’she’s weapon of choice was a set of blades (16).
To keep her children safe from the Old Gods’ ever-present influence while she slept, the Earth Mother took both An’she and Mu’sha up into her eyes. Their power was so great that she had to keep one eye open at all times (16).
This, however, meant that Azeroth no longer received An’she’s warmth or Mu’sha’s guidance of the wind while the Earth Mother rested. Cold slowly spread across the land and blizzards raged until she finally woke again (18).
The Earth Mother’s cycle between periods of sleep and awakening would come to form the basis of the seasons as we know them, with her time of work the summer and her time of rest the winter (18).
As the twins grew in power, they developed the ability to bring on the change of seasons at will, though they took care to do it slowly and give the world time to adjust. As the Earth Mother rested, An’she and Mu’sha continued to tend to Azeroth from behind her eyes (19).
After waking at one point, the Earth Mother found that there was new life walking the earth. Plucking wheat from the plains to sprinkle over them, the Earth Mother called them “Shu’halo,” - the tauren (19).
Just as the Earth Mother taught her children, both An’she and Mu’sha taught the Shu’halo in the ways of the elements and caring for the land (20).
When the Earth Mother next slept, however, the Old Gods extended their influence to the tauren, causing them to grow violent and turn on their own kind (20).
Saddened to see the tauren fall to such corruption, the Earth Mother shed a single tear. She realized that the land was no longer able to hold the Old Gods’ power at bay, meaning anything it touched could be corrupted (21).
Knowing that she was not safe for her children anymore because of her own connection to the land, the Earth Mother removed An’she and Mu’sha from her eyes and laid down in despair (21-22).
The single tear that the Earth Mother had shed became a blue baby, later named “Lo’sho,” or the Blue Child (22, 24).
Seeking to put an end to the Old Gods after what they had done to the tauren and the despair they instilled in their mother, An’she and Mu’sha fought against some of the eldritch beings’ manifestations. During the battle, An’she was wounded grievously. Though Mu’sha sought to heal him with wind and water, he continued to bleed (24).
The Earth Mother, stirred by her distant children’s dismay, eventually found her way to them. She urged them to take Lo’sho and go to the heavens so they could protect Azeroth from above, while the Earth Mother chose to root herself in the earth and prevent the Old Gods from ever claiming her children (26-27).
Mu’sha, the moon, continues to follow An’she closely across the sky so she can keep tending to his wounds (26).

One Small Tuskarr

The tuskarr etch their clan and family symbols into their tusks. Though this is customary, some do engrave other symbols - such as marks indicating deeds of great distinction - into their tusks as well (32, 36).
The catch master, who weighs the tuskarr’s catches, has a counting staff adorned with cords in the colors of each of the clan’s active fishermen. In accordance with how big a tuskarr’s haul of fish is, the catch master ties a single knot or more into their respective cord. These knots can be traded for tools, weapons, and coins, among other things (32-33).
A single knot is customary for those who meet basic requirements, while additional knots are allotted to those who catch more (33).
One can also earn knots from other tasks, such as fine embroidery, though they do so at a much slower rate than those who fish (38).
Food is shared equally among the tuskarr (33).
The tuskarr perform nomadic journeys that take them to various kalu’ak towns. While the fishers take their own boats, most of the mothers, adolescents, and children trek across the ice (34).
Fishing practices are passed down from parent to child. Though it is unclear if that is “law,” some of the tuskarr refuse to teach others to fish if they are not their own blood, going so far as to withhold information about the currents and places fish gather (36).
Tuskarr sometimes dye their moustaches (36).
It never gets fully dark in Northrend (38).
Oacha’noa is the tuskarr’s deity of both the sea and wisdom. Her symbol is that of a kraken (39).
The spearhead on most tuskarr weapons is made of sharpened bone (42).
A type of manta ray known as the stargazer can be found in Northrend’s waters (44).
The tuskarr can survive in water so cold it would kill other races native to Azeroth in mere minutes (45).
The tuskarr typically fly kites for fun, though they have been known to use them to send signals to others at great distances (48).

Lay Down My Bones

According to Vulpera beliefs, the first of their kind was born from the magic of the desert. Though they are a nomadic people, an old tale about an artifact called the Wailing Bone claims the desert calls their bodies back to where they began when they die. To ensure they find their way back, the vulpera follow the Wailing Bone (55-56).
Once one of their own has passed, it is customary for the next of kin to carry the bone at the head of the caravan while the vulpera wander in search of the proper place to bury them. The journey may take anywhere from days to weeks, but when the Wailing Bone begins to cry, the vulpera know they have found their loved one’s final resting place (56, 61).
A poem is carved into the Wailing Bone: “Wander, roam; bring me home, / Down paths at my behest; / Among the stones, lay down my bones, / So I, at last, may rest”. Few can read the script it is written in, but most all vulpera can recite it from heart (54).
Two vulpera, frustrated at their inability to find their elder’s final resting place, neglected their duty and left his corpse in a river in the hopes that it would bring him there for them. Refusing to obey the Wailing Bone caused it to crack. From that night on, the vulpera of the caravan found themselves cursed for failing to heed the Wailing Bone (62, 65).
Cracking under the pressure of the curse, the two negligent vulpera ultimately died gruesome deaths at each other’s hands. One of their bones was made into the next Wailing Bone (65).
A caravan always needs a Wailing Bone (65).

The Uninvited Guest

One goblin adage goes like so: “Every great goblin invention was born from necessity, bubble gum, or an accident” (69).
The goblins have a nursery rhyme: “In the dark of night and bright of day, / Keep in your hand a tossaway. / Guard your fortune, mind your greed, / Or else the Uninvited Guest will feed” (70).
The Uninvited Guest is a goblin boogeyman of sorts who is attracted by greed so egregious it offends even the dead. It is incorporeal, invisible, and has the ability to move through walls (76).
The Uninvited Guest feeds off of greed, but it can never be satisfied. It will latch onto its host like an invisible parasite to feed, inciting strange charitable behavior in them until they have given away all of their earthly possessions (76-79).
A “tossaway” is a shiny gold-painted coin stamped with the face of the very first trade prince. These fake coins get their name from the way goblins quite literally toss them away in a symbolically superstitious act to protect themselves and their fortunes from the Uninvited Guest (70, 74).
Tossaways were invented by Slixi Boompowder, the wife of one of the former trade princes of the Steamwheedle Cartel, after her own run-in with the Uninvited Guest. She only escaped from it because she distracted it with actual gold galleons, which inspired her to create the tossaways (83).
Legend has it that the Uninvited Guest still roams Azeroth to this day, looking to feed off of hapless greedy goblins (84).
Klaxz Boompowder was one of the former trade princes of the Steamwheedle Cartel. His rival was Rikter Hogsnozzle, the trade prince of the Bilgewater Cartel (70-71).
Tradition dictates that goblins are buried with their most valuable possessions so they can enjoy them at the Everlasting Party, the goblin afterlife. They are then given burial gifts by other goblins from their own riches, though most goblins are too greedy to truly part with anything important (73).
Once the coffin is sealed, goblins dance on top of it to usher the deceased on to the Everlasting Party (75).
Prominent goblins typically serve as pallbearers while goblins contractually obligated to serve as pack mules carry the rear (75).
The goblins used to employ golden galleons as their form of currency, but it fell out of fashion. Nowadays, they are incredibly rare and expensive (74-75).
Trolls have a tale about an invisible evil that sucks the souls from living beings and leaves them mad. It can only be seen in the light of a full moon (80).

Sister is Another Word For Always

Vereesa felt Sylvanas’ death at the hands of Arthas the moment it happened (89-90).
Sylvanas’ eyes were gray as a high elf (91).
In the midst of her sorrow at her sister’s death, Vereesa sought many escapes. At first she tried to sleep, but when rest and forgetfulness would not come, she embarked on a journey across deserts and forests with little in the way of proper food or nourishment except that which she found (90, 93).
It is very possible Vereesa perished at some point on this journey, for she came across a spirit healer, though she was told it was not yet her time. The spirit healer offered Vereesa a deal: if she could bring her the willing soul of Sylvanas without ever touching her, the spirit healer would restore her to life (96-97).
When Sylvanas first died at the hands of Arthas, it seems as though the Arbiter sent her to Ardenweald (98-99).
After she struggles to locate her sister in Ardenweald, Vereesa is inadvertently pulled into the Maw. There, she still has difficulty finding her, and is told by the Jailer that Sylvanas is not there - at least, not yet. He then urges her to leave, telling her she does not belong there (99, 102-103).
Eventually, Vereesa spots a silver glimmer she knows to be Sylvanas, though it is only a fragment of her soul (103-104).
Before she can escape with the soul of her sister, the Jailer stops Vereesa and inadvertently tricks her into touching Sylvanas, rendering her deal with the spirit healer null and void (106).
At the end of this journey, Vereesa awakes at the foot of a statue, her memory of the experience hazy (109).

The Paladin’s Beast

Uther is originally from Stratholme (117).
Introduced as a fable beloved by the princelings and princesses of Lordaeron, the Paladin’s Beast is a tale that follows a young Uther as he finds himself in a mysterious and unfamiliar land. Determined to prove himself and bring back a prize to his fellow paladins, Uther joins a tournament put on by a foreign kingdom despite the protests of its princess. Though he is a strong warrior, she insists the beast of the tournament kills every knight who challenges it. Still, Uther refuses to back down, confident that his faith in the Light will give him the strength he needs to prevail. However, the princess’ words hold true, as every knight who goes to fight the beast before him perishes. When it is his turn, Uther decides to stay his hammer rather than fight, remembering the princess’ words. The beast withdraws, defeated by his act of compassion. It is revealed afterward as Uther goes for his prize that the princess actually was the beast all along, cursed to fight in the tournament for disobeying her father and breaking the royal lineage. She casts a spell on Uther, making it so that when he returns to Lordaeron, he will not remember anything of who she was or his experience there until the day he finds himself in a fiery field. Though the fable ends there, it is said that Uther dreamt of the silver kingdom and its princess for many years to come. It was not until his final moments, trying to fell a beast with weapons rather than compassion, that he would fully remember the princess and her story (111-127).

For Lies and Liberty

Most undead do not get all of their memories back immediately once they are raised (or given free will). It takes time and encouragement (133-134).
On the long-standing issue of whether or not undead have ichor or blood running through their veins, it appears one Jeremiah Pall still has blood in his body, though it has stopped moving on account of his still heart (134).
The story of the “Fearless Flyer” - a man known as Captain Whitney - is famous among some of the Alliance forces. According to the man himself, Whitney and his outfit had been fighting orcs for months to no avail when he hatched a bold plan to launch himself by catapult into their camp and take them by surprise, hence the nickname the “Fearless Flyer”. This story, unfortunately, turned out to be nothing but hyperbole. As it stands, a drunk Whitney accidentally got tangled up in nets, fell in the catapult, and was unceremoniously flung into the orcish camp. Believing themselves to be under attack, the orcs retaliated and killed most of the unsuspecting humans while Captain Whitney hid (136, 142).

Stones, Moss, and Tears

Though female elves traditionally mark their faces after they have achieved a rite of passage, they can continue to add embellishments to commemorate any further deeds (155).
At least one kaldorei lorekeeper was charged with knowing the name of every Sentinel and recording details of their more noteworthy battles (156).
The Bloomblade druids were one of the oldest, unbroken lines of night elf druids (158).
A species of insect known as glowmoths migrate through Mount Hyjal every autumn (164).

The Embrace

The White Lady and the Sun were charged with keeping watch over Azeroth as it dreamed (171, 176).
Though she loved the people of Azeroth dearly, the White Lady found herself growing lonely and in want of a family (173).
The moon cycles are thought to be the White Lady turning away and hiding her face in her sorrow, though she would always look back upon Azeroth to watch over it (174).
It is said that the White Lady loved Azeroth and its denizens so much that a child - the Blue Child - was born of that love (174-175).
The Blue Child, ever curious, began asking the White Lady questions about the mortals that weighed on her heart, as she could not answer (176).
One night the White Lady woke up to find the Blue Child gone. Unable to find her, she swore off her charge until the Blue Child was returned to her (177-178).
Without her guidance, the planet sped up and the tides ceased. The White Lady was only convinced to return to her duty after the Sun urged her, telling her the Blue Child might return if she had the moonlight to guide her (178).
The White Lady began to glow even more brightly over time in the hopes that her child would see, her light quickly growing to rival that of the Sun’s. This, too, caused problems, for crops burned and navigators could not see the stars to travel by (179).
Upon seeing the terrible effect this was having on Azeroth’s denizens, the White Lady dimmed her light and retreated (181).
The Blue Child ultimately returned from her long travels to her mother. They embraced in the sky, creating a beautiful eclipse (182).
Ever curious, the Blue Child was bound to grow restless again and leave for the stars, but the White Lady knew she would always return (183).
When the moon turns red, it is a sign of her anger (177).

Why the Mermaids Left Boralus

Back when Kul Tiras was still a Gilnean colony, Boralus had hardly any walls or structures protecting it from the wind or sea. More often than not, when the Great Sea churned at the city’s edge, it took houses, ships, and even men down into its depths. So many would drown in these incidents that those remaining covered them with weighted nets, causing them to sink to the seafloor (187-188, 190).
Many of the roads out of Boralus flooded during great storms, making it deadly to try to leave the city on foot or by ship (198).
The Kul Tirans declined to build a seawall for fear that it would have done nothing and also because repairing it after a storm would have been just as dangerous as the storms themselves (188).
Most of Boralus’ early inhabitants were seamen of some sort, whether fishers, sea priests, sailors, or pearl-divers (188).
During storms, the tidesages would act as a makeshift seawall and use their power to cut the waves before they made it deeper into the harbor (199).
Mermaids appeared quite openly near Boralus in its early days. Though they lived much deeper than most could naturally dive, they liked to sit on the rocks and watch ships go by, among other things. Most lived in temples beneath the sea that belonged to Kul Tiras’ former inhabitants (189, 191).
According to superstition, sighting a mermaid was bad luck and presaged many inauspicious things including a doomed voyage, a brutal winter, and poor fishing. They were also seen as the harbingers of storms (189-190).
Tidesages were (and still are) always the first and last to disembark from a ship. As a result, they usually went down with their ships (191).
The tidesages’ unrivaled dedication, combined with the frequency of drownings and shipwrecks, often meant they died young (191).
Mermaids are spawned from eggs and leave no corpses when they die (191, 203).
The mermaids had very little understanding of the Kul Tirans’ mistrust towards them (191).
Mermaids have some power over the rocks and water - granted to them by the Tidemother from birth -, but they use it sparingly because it is finite. Once a mermaid runs out of magic, they die. As a result, mermaids can live up to five hundred years (192).
Mermaids consider sirens lazy and murlocs deplorable (192).
According to legend, the bubble seaweed in Boralus Harbor is actually discarded pearls. A mermaid by the name of Halia fell in love with a tidesage and kept secretly gifting them to her as a token of her affection. The tidesage, Ery, was far too pragmatic for such a gift and dumped the pearls back in the water every time (195).
The mermaids believe that the Tidemother will give tails to those who slit their feet from toes to heels and walk into the harbor at dawn (197).
According to legend, Boralus’ great stone seawall was formed through the combined efforts of dozens of mermaids and one lone tidesage. A virulent tempest had come upon Boralus one day, taking men and ships alike with it. Though the city’s tidesages gathered to push back the waves, all but one were lost to the storm over the course of five long days. The last remaining tidesage, Ery, persisted despite her exhaustion while the mermaid Halia, too afraid to watch her lover perish, began using her own magic to craft a seawall. Though the storm repeatedly broke it down, her fellow mermaids joined her, ultimately expending their magic and sacrificing themselves to raise a wall so grand it towered over even the mightiest of ships and waves. Ery herself nearly died after this, though Halia saved her by invoking the Tidemother. She cut Ery’s feet from toes to heels and dragged her into the harbor, performing the ritual necessary for her transformation into a mermaid (198-203).
All but one of the mermaids - Ery notwithstanding - perished to save Boralus, which is why none are seen there today (204-205).
As a result, the sailors of Boralus now see mermaids as a symbol of the highest honor, good luck, and sacrifice (205).
During calm sunsets when the red of the sky is reflected in the harbor, sailors refer to it as “Ery’s blood,” after the tidesage who fought the storm so valiantly. Ery’s blood is a sign of good weather to come (205).

The Courageous Kobold and the Wickless Candle

Kobolds tell a sleep-time story (209).
Kobold families live together in caves. They have their own nests, but congregate in common areas for stories, among other things (210).
Some time ago, the Whiskersnoot kobold tunnels crumbled, submerging the Whiskersnoots in total darkness. They lived like that for generations, having decided it was no longer safe to dig higher after the cave-in. This spawned a saying: “Never pick above your snout, else the darkness snuff you out!” (210-211).
Granny Whiskersnoot, however, dug just a little bit upward every day until one day she broke through to a light above. She intended to lead the other kobolds to it, but could never find her way back through the tunnels again. It wasn’t until her granddaughter persisted in finding it that they made their way back above ground (211, 222).
The kobolds think of the sun as a “Wickless Candle” (211).

Visage Day

On a dragon’s Visage Day, they choose what mortal form they will take. This is significant, as it shows the Aspects trust them to adopt the guise of one of the mortal races and walk among them. It is the dragons’ hope that through choosing a form to embody and relate to mortals, the more mortals can understand dragons in turn (228, 234).
Onyxia, on the other hand, maintains dragons choose visages that allow them to control the mortals (241).
In accordance with tradition, the Visage Day ceremony occurs on the uppermost level of Wyrmrest Temple. Each of the Aspects are usually present for members of their own dragonflight, though Alexstrasza herself has been known to officiate on occasion. It is also customary for each flight to send emissaries (243).
During the ceremony, all attendant dragons take their own mortal forms in honor of the dragon whose Visage Day it is (245).
Before they publicly choose their form, the dragon in question traditionally makes a proclamation (245).
The Visage Day ceremony can be delayed (244).
Nozdormu has helped many bronze dragons prepare for their own Visage Day (230).
When Nozdormu sits in the sands at the heart of the Bronze Dragonshine, intricate patterns form around him (233).
Both Kalecgos and Chromie performed a short incantation to assume their mortal forms, though Nozdormu did not appear to need to (234, 236, 246).
Kalecgos says that he chose a half-elf form - which he calls a “blend of mortal worlds” - in order to symbolize his own attempt to blend together the dragon and human worlds (237).
Onyxia, on the other hand, opted to take the form of a beautiful human woman to better manipulate mortals (241).
The dragons often go by nicknames in their mortal forms because they find their full names sound too formal to humans (238).
The drakonid were fashioned by the dragons to be helpful and loyal (238).
The black dragonflight practices how best to inflict pain (239).

@warcraft-lore-archives

Fri, 28 May 2021 18:54:22

Sylvanas: I hate you ALL! I have hated you for millennia!

Sylvanas: Except you, Vereesa.

Vereesa:Thanks.

Sylvanas: I merely wish to put you in a jail.

Sylvanas: And fill up the jail with acid.

Sylvanas: Once for everytime you made a catty remark, or asked to speak to the manager, or qualified yourself in every conversation about ANYTHING by saying “What would I know? My husband’s only an archmage of the Kirin Tor.”

Sylvanas:Then, at the end of a thousand years, you would say

Sylvanas: “Sylvanas, I have learned not to do any of these things because I HATED the acid you put on me”

Sylvanas: And I would say

Sylvanas: “That is why I did it, Little Moon.”

Sylvanas: “I did it for you.”

Sylvanas: “And for Quel’thalas.”

Sylvanas: I often think about this.

#source harrow the ninth #sylvanas windrunner #vereesa windrunner