The Story of Illidan Stormrage with Nobbel87

The War of the Ancients

• The events of the War of the Ancients have been altered by time travel: The red dragon Korialstrasz (Krasus), the human Rhonin, and the orc Broxigar are sucked into a time anomaly that sends them back thousands of years.
• Queen Azshara has made contact with Sargeras and is working to bring him to Azeroth. Illidan, Malfurion, and Tyrande are young Night Elves. Illidan is struggling to find his destiny. Malfurion has started on the path of the druid, but Illidan has no patience for it.
• Broxigar is captured by the Highborne and placed in a cage. Tyrande, feeling sorry for him, gives him food. Illidan sees this and lashes out, thinking Tyrande is in danger. This makes Tyrande angry, which upsets Illidan even more.
• Malfurion’s training as a druid has given him dreams about the palace that make him suspicious. When he meets Broxigar, he realizes the truth to his dreams. Malfurion, Tyrande, and – at Tyrande’s request – Illidan work together to free Broxigar.
• After Broxigar’s escape, Lord Ravencrest recruits Illidan to the Moonguard to help with the orc’s recapture. Illidan earns high honor after saving Lord Ravencrest’s life from a Felhound attack.
• The Night Elves learn of the plot bringing demons into Azeroth from Malfurion but refuse to believe Azshara is responsible. Instead, they take up arms against her advisor Xavius and her Highborne in an attempt to “free” her.
• Azshara decides to use the Well of Eternity to empower Sargeras’ portal, cutting off most of the Night Elves from their source of magic. Rhonin is unaffected, and Illidan begins to see him as a mentor.
• Malfurion attempts to use the Dream to infiltrate the palace, but his spirit is captured by Xavius.
• Ravencrest’s Moonguard struggles against the demons. Illidan takes command and directs what magic they have into one powerful spell. His tactic is effective but reckless, causing Rhonin to worry about him.
• Krasus talks Malfurion into being able to escape, and then Malfurion, Krasus, Broxigar, and Tyrande defeat Xavius together. They manage to reopen the Well of Eternity and send the demons on a retreat. As a reward, Illidan is made captain of the Moonguard.

• Sargeras sends his lieutenant, Archimonde, to Azeroth. He also transforms the fallen Xavius into the first Satyr.
• The Aspects have created the Dragon Soul to fight the demon invasion, not knowing Neltharion has already given himself to the Old Gods.
• Illidan professes his love for Tyrande, but she has already chosen Malfurion. Xavius takes advantage of Illidan’s pain by whispering dark thoughts to him, like that he could have Tyrande if Malfurion dies. At first, Illidan rejects these thoughts, but the seed of doubt is placed.
• Illidan becomes more reckless until he kills some of his own people by mistake.
• The dragons arrive, and Neltharion uses the Dragon Soul on the demons before turning it on his fellow dragons. Using the artifact also damages him and he is forced to retreat. From this point on, Neltharion is known as Deathwing, and the Dragon Soul is known as the Demon Soul.
• Ravencrest gives command of the Moonguard to Rhonin, angering Illidan. Worse, while Malfurion faces Xavius in a fight, Illidan reaches out to his brother, right when Malfurion discovers Tyrande has chosen him.
• Angry and jealous, Illidan decides to look for his destiny with the Highborne, offering his services to Queen Azshara. He fights his way to the palace, killing demons with the twin blades of Azzinoth.
• Sargeras grants Illidan the powers of a Demon Hunter, granting Illidan new sight.
• Illidan is sent to collect the Demon Soul, which Malfurion is also after. Malfurion uses the Emerald Dream to find the Demon Soul, but Illidan manages to claim it and take it to Sargeras.
• Illidan is secretly working as a double agent. He plans to use the Demon Soul to turn the portal into a maelstrom that would suck all the demons out of the world.
• Some of the Highborne betray Azshara and join the resistance. Illidan reveals his plans to Tyrande.
• Illidan tries to go ahead with his plan but fails, and Sargeras nearly gets through. Broxigar sacrifices himself, becoming the first mortal to land a blow on Sargeras, to buy the others time.
• Malfurion and Illidan use the Demon Soul to close the portal together. The three survive the Sundering thanks to Ysera.
• Azshara makes a deal with N’Zoth, and she and her Highborne become Naga.
• The resistance, now led by Jarod Shadowsong, heads back to Hyjal, where Illidan uses a vial of water from the Well of Eternity to create a new Well. For this and his other crimes, the Night Elves sentence Illidan to imprisonment.
• Illidan warns that one day the Night Elves will need him again: someone who knows how the Legion works and how to stop them.

Warcraft III

• After ten thousand years, Illidan is proven right. The Legion returns.
• The Highborne who joined the resistance don’t want to give up arcane magic, which the Night Elves ban. So, they are exiled instead. The Highborne leader, Dath’Remar Sunstrider, steals one of the vials of water from the Well of Eternity that Illidan had collected. They build Quel’thalas and use the vial to create the Sunwell.
• Maiev Shadowsong guards Illidan for thousands of years. Those who join her in this duty become known as the Wardens.
• Malfurion becomes an Archdruid and starts to teach other night elf druids. Malfurion and the other druids are bound to the Emerald Dream and spend many thousands of years asleep. Malfurion wakes from time to time and visits Illidan in prison. Tyrande rules the Night Elves.
• Kil’jaeden sends the Lich King to weaken the world and get it ready for a new invasion. The Lich King recruits Kel´thuzad, who recruits Arthas. Lordaeron is hit by a plague, and Archimonde is summoned to our world.
• Archimonde sets his eyes on the world tree Nordrassil, to drain the tree of its powers. Not only would this weaken the night elves and take away their immortality, but it would also boost Archimonde´s power. The orcs had killed Cenarius, so it falls on Tyrande to wake Malfurion from the Emerald Dream. At Tyrande’s insistence, they also free Illidan. Maiev has been called away and is absent when Illidan is freed.
• Illidan’s Warglaives of Azzinoth had been displayed near his cell to taunt him, and he reclaims them. He still loves Tyrande and hates the Legion, so he goes out to do what he can.
• Arthas, still a Death Knight, tells Illidan about the skull of Gul’dan. The Lich King, Ner’zhul at the time, is secretly working to undermine the Legion, so he wants Illidan to absorb the skull’s power and take out the dreadlord Tichondrius, dealing a blow to the Legion’s invasion.
• Consuming the skull empowers Illidan but also makes him even more like a demon, giving him wings, horns, and hooves. Malfurion’s druid powers, meanwhile, also change him, giving him wings and antlers. Illidan beats Tichondrius, but Malfurion and Tyrande don’t approve of his actions, and Malfurion banishes Illidan.
• Malfurion and Tyrande team up with Thrall and Jaina to defeat Archimonde. It costs them the world tree Nordrassil and the Night Elves’ immortality, but it stops the Legion.
• Many months later, Illidan receives a visit from Kil’jaeden, commanding him to destroy the Lich King.

• To help accomplish this task, Illidan first wants the Eye of Sargeras, which is buried in the Tomb of Sargeras and would grant him more power. Illidan summons the Naga from the deep to ask for help. Led by Lady Vashj, and because it aligns with the will of the Old Gods – who hope to use Illidan to bring a new age of conflict to this world – they answer his call.
• Maiev finds out Illidan has been freed and resumes the hunt. She confronts him within the Tomb of Sargeras. Illidan sinks the tomb, hoping to trap Maiev inside, but she escapes.
• Tyrande and Malfurion arrive, and Tyrande tells Illidan she regrets releasing him, calling him a monster. Illidan still refuses to harm her and manages to escape.
• Malfurion stays behind to help heal the forests of Lordaeron while Tyrande and Maiev carry on pursuing Illidan. On their journey, they meet a group of Blood Elves led by Kael’thas Sunstrider, descendant of Dath’Remar.
• Tyrande offers to protect the caravan from the scourge, and in exchange, Kael’thas agrees to help in the search for Illidan. During an attack from the scourge, Tyrande is swept away by a river. Maiev and Kael’thas continue the search for Illidan.
• Malfurion senses the effects of Illidan’s spell on Icecrown. The land itself screams in turmoil. The spell won’t just kill the Lich King, it will destroy Northrend.
• Malfurion meets with Maiev, who tells him Tyrande was killed by the scourge. He joins the pursuit of Illidan, and they stop him from performing the spell to destroy the Lich King. Kael’thas overhears them saying Tyrande is dead, and he corrects them.
• Illidan and Malfurion find and rescue Tyrande. In return, Malfurion agrees to let Illidan go. Maiev doesn’t agree, and pursues Illidan, who, fearing Kil’jaeden’s wrath, flees to Outland. Kael’thas and Lady Vashj also follow Illidan to Outland. They free Illidan from Maiev, who had captured him, and imprison her instead.
• Illidan’s plan is to hide on Outland, and decides he may as well rule it as well. With the help of the broken former draenei Akuma, they liberate the planet from the demon Magtheridon.
• Kil’jaedin still finds Illidan, and gives him one last chance to destroy the Lich King.
• Arthas intends to claim the crown of the Lich King, and he and Illidan race to Icecrown. They meet outside the Frozen Throne, and Arthas, armed with Frostmourne, wins the battle. He leaves Illidan to die, but Lady Vashj and Kael’thas rescue him and take him back to Outland.

The Burning Crusade

• The Burning Crusade begins with the opening of the Dark Portal. The lore of this expansion is sometimes conflicting, and some of it has been retconned.
• In Hellfire Peninsula, we find the pit lord Magtheridon has been imprisoned and is being used to create fel orcs. These orcs follow Illidan’s orders. We manage to free and slay Magtheridon.
• In Zangermarsh, we find Lady Vashj and her Naga are still loyal to Illidan, and are working to drain all the waters from the marsh in order to control Outland’s waters and therefore its people. We kill Lady Vashj.
• In Netherstorm, we find Kael’thas Sunstrider has taken over Tempest Keep. Kael’thas is no longer loyal to Illidan, and is serving Kil’jaeden himself.
• In Shattrath City, we find the Naaru, along with two factions – the Aldor, a group of holy draenei, and the A’dal, a group of Blood Elves that were formerly loyal to Kael’thas, who abandoned him and joined the Naaru after being ordered to attack Shattrath.
• In Shadowmoon Valley, we meet the broken draenei Akama, and find that he guards Maiev, who is still a prisoner. Akama is unhappy with what Illidan has done to an ancient draenei temple, and conspires with Maeiv to betray him. We help make preparations for the battle, and finally are ready to assault the Black Temple.
• The Scryers, Aldor, and Naaru Xi’ra distract Illidan long enough for us to infiltrate the Black Temple with Maiev and Akama. We find Dragonmaw orcs and Netherwing drakes, as well as demons loyal to Illidan. Illidan has a font of power in the Temple similar to the Well of Eternity that the demons feed on, freeing them of their addiction to the Legion’s magic. Teron Gregory, the first Death Knight, has also joined Illidan for some reason.
• We finally face Illidan, and at the end of the fight, Maiev shows up to once again to finally claim her revenge, killing Illidan.
• Illidan has trained several blood and night elves to become Demon Hunters. At least one, the Demon Hunter Altruis the Sufferer, has defected, and organizes to have other Demon Hunters assassinated.
• The Demon Hunter Feronas is still loyal to Illidan. He journeys to Azeroth where we find him killing demons who have infiltrated the night elves in Felwood. He shows us a vision of how Illidan killed Tichondrius but was banished for his efforts. Illidan has always been divisive.

Illidan Novel & Legion

• The Illidan novel doesn’t change events, but gives a perspective on them. We learn that Illidan has always been devoted to defeating Sargeras, and will do whatever it takes, no matter the price. He even created the new Well of Eternity because he knew they might need its power to defeat the Legion, and for that was locked away for thousands of years.
• In Outland, Illidan prepares for his true war without knowing who to trust. He creates Demon Hunters for this purpose.
• Illidan’s Illidari work on locating and reaching the Legion’s home world of Argus.
• To set up portals to Argus, Illidan needs power. He plans to use the souls of draenei within Auchindoun. The desecration of their burial ground is what loses Illidan Akama’s support. Illidan also nearly dies in Auchindoun, and as a result is weakened when confronted by heroes at the Black Temple.
• Illidan keeps his plans secret until the end, knowing that Kil’jaeden the deceiver and his dreadlords could be behind every interaction. He is approached by a Naaru, who claims Illidan’s destiny is to defeat the Legion.
• Before confronting us, Illidan sends his Demon Hunters to the planet Mardum to collect the Sargerite Keystone, which acts as a skeleton key to all Legion worlds.
• The Demon Hunters retrieve the keystone but return to the Black Temple just in time to be imprisoned by Maiev.
• Due to his connection to demons, Illidan’s soul goes into the Twisting Nether while his body is imprisoned in the Vault of the Wardens.
• When the Legion returns, Maiev makes the decision to release the Demon Hunters. Illidan’s body is stolen by Gul’dan, but is retrieved later. Demon Hunters make contact with his soul, and he instructs them to recover the Sargerite Keystone from the Wardens.
• The Naaru Xe’ra makes contact with us, telling us about Illidan’s destiny. With Xe’ra’s help, we return Illidan’s soul to his body. This process involves glimpses into key moments from Illidan’s past.
• With Illidan at our side, we invade the Tomb of Sargeras. We push the Legion back, but Illidan insists we pursue them and deal with them once and for all. We use the Sargerite Keystone to open a rift between Azeroth and Argus. It’s time to invade the Legion’s home world.
• Despite the Naaru’s prophecy, Illidan rejects the Light’s blessing. When the Naaru Xe’ra tries to force it on him anyway, Illidan destroys Xe’ra.
• We learn Sargeras is using the World Soul of Argus to empower the Legion. We also discover the Titan pantheon has been captured and are being held and tortured. We free the Titans and defeat Argus. Finally, with the help of the Titans, Sargeras is imprisoned at the Seat of the Pantheon, and Illidan decides to stay behind and act as his jailer.