Story of the Afterlife and Shadowlands - Who Touched Vol'jin's Spirit? - Lore Collab with Nobbel87

Wowhead Geposted 17.03.2019 um 18:09 von perculia

WarcraftStory of the Battle of Dazar'alorStory of Kul TirasAfterlife and the ShadowlandsWarcraftChronicles

Learn more about some characters and quests referencing the Shadowlands:

In the Death Knight Class Campaign, you create a new group of Four Horsemen, and one of the final steps, Anhäufungen der Qual, is to complete a series of missions taking you to the Shadowlands. This Class Hall campaign rewards , several artifact tints, and Deathlord's Battleplate armor.
Uuna is the spirit of a child, bound to an Ur'zul and then released into the Shadowlands. Players can complete a short questline to befriend Uuna and show her around the world in return for hugs. Check out our guide to get your very own Uuna, and read her descriptions of the Shadowlands.
Azuregos, an important NPC for the Blue Scepter Shard questline, was a formidable world boss in vanilla WoW. In Cataclysm, he's gone missing--until it's revealed he's traveled to the Shadowlands because he's in love with a Spirit Healer.
One of the shocking and poignant Cataclysm quests, Eine Vision aus der Vergangenheit, which revealed that Edwin VanCleef had a daughter and we'd been aiding her in disguise through Westfall, sent us to the Shadowlands to rewatch his death from vanilla WoW.
Kopfstück des Schattenrats, an artifact power item from Legion, references Gul'dan's deep connection to the Shadowlands.
Horde players venture to the Shadowlands in Der Fluch der Mepjila to help the loa Kimbul. In the past, Kimbul was attacked by the Naga, led by Summoner Mepjila, who cursed Kimbul's followers with eternal torment in the Shadowlands. In Battle for Azeroth, you help free Kimbul's followers and slay Mepjila.
In the final battle of Legion, Argus the Unmaker kills the entire raid going into the last phase. Players are temporarily in the Shadowlands, returning to the world of the living with the help of Eonar.
In Kerkermeister der Verdammten we learn that Icecrown is an anchor between Azeroth and the Shadowlands.
When the Darkmoon Faire is in town, you can purchase Tintenschwarzer Trank. In addition to creating a beautiful night-time effect for screenshots, this potion has the curious flavor text "Mix two parts crushed crickets, one part darkmoon squid ink, and three parts whispers from the Shadowlands." We've written extensively about the creepy elements of the Faire in Darkmoon Faire and the Old Gods.

Odyn and the Valkyr

A great spirit appeared to Odyn from this circle, billowing up from ethereal mists, shapeless, to surround the keeper in shadow. "What will you give," the spirit asked, "to peer beyond the veil of this world?"

Wise Odyn considered the wraith's question. "I have two eyes," he replied. "One to see in this world of mortals, and one to see into the realm of spirits." And with that, Odyn plucked his own eye from his head and presented it to the spirit. The spirit clasped his eye and swallowed it whole, and great Odyn saw. Seeing through this given eye, great Odyn saw the Shadowlands. He saw life, saw it even in the land of death, and he was satisfied that his Valarjar would live beyond the mortal realm.

And yet still he saw death. He saw souls in torment, and souls in anguish, and the husks of the dead lay all around him. He saw ghostly wraiths with no face, and others with no form, and all were made of death itself. And as he saw, even the great Odyn, master of the Halls of Valor, chosen of Aman'Thul, was afraid.

Odyn looked back into his world with his other eye. "What did you see, great Odyn?" Helya asked.

"I saw the answer," wise Odyn said. "For in life, there exists death, and in death, there can be life. But there are only beings of life and beings of death. My messengers must span both realms."

Learn more about Odyn:

Or very first collaboration with Nobbel, the Story of Odyn and Helya, covered the darker side of Odyn and Helya's unfinished story.
Several books related to the Warrior Order Hall, Skyhold, explore the story in Odyn of more detail. However, as they are located in his domain, and some parts of the story come from Odyn himself, they may include bias. You can read the entire contents of the books on Wowhead: Odyns Günstlinge and Die Legende des Odyn.
In Legion, acquiring Artifact Knowledge unlocked more chapters of Artifact Books, revealing more lore about Odyn and the Valajar. Read the full text on Warswords of the Valarjar, the Fury Artifact.
Players can also earn reputation with Valarjar in Legion for rewards like Sonnengeborene Val'kyr and Amulett der Schwelle des Todes.
The Halls of Valor was visited by players several different ways in Legion. First, Skyhold served as the Warrior Order Hall, unlocked through the early Artifact quests. Players can also prove their worth in the dungeon Halls of Valor and raid Die Prüfung der Tapferkeit. Here, Odyn asks us to defeat Helya as the final boss, but we may be duped as the Battle for Azeroth quest Ring der Riffe reveals Helya has returned and Valdemar laughs at our surprise, noting "You cannot kill death!"

Character Resurrection

Not again will a Wrynn prince watch a loved one die before him. "This is not our fate!" The young priest lifted his eyes and voice to the heavens, calling to the very heart of the cosmos for a source of divine power. Suddenly, liquid rays brighter than a thousand suns burst from Anduin's fingertips, penetrating the king's body and painting everything in a brilliant yellow glow. The guards gasped and stepped back, shielding their eyes as Varian's entire being was rocked by an influx of pure light. And at the center of it all was Anduin, holding his father close while a vortex of infinite beauty danced between them.

Learn more about some characters and items related to resurrection:

The Horde Darkshore Story rewards Brynjas Laterne, which turns all Spirit Healers into Val'kyr. In this questline, the concept of Forsaken and free will is called into question as several raised Night Elves formerly hated Sylvanas. The flavor text on this item, "It is said that only the most powerful can dominate the wills of the risen," implies that perhaps there is something more to the newly-risen Night Elves.
The story of Frostmourne appeared to end with the fall of Der Lichkönig, as Tirion Fordring shattered the weapon in the final phase of the encounter. However, in Legion, the shards of Frostmourne are found and turned into the Frost Death Knight Artifact, Blades of the Fallen Prince. By reading the artifact book, we learn about the tragic character progression of Arthas.
Calia Menethil is another character who returned--but not exactly how she was previously, as she instead desired to be undead. In the novel Before the Storm, Anduin, Alonsus Faol, and the naaru Saa'ra bring Calia back as a light-touched Undead, one raised by the Light, not Sylvanas' powers. "Light and dark. Forsaken priest and human priest. Together you shall bring her back as the Light and she herself would have her be."
You can find Hochinquisitorin Weißsträhne in the Scarlet Monastery dungeon as the final boss, using Mass Resurrection to resurrects all fallen Scarlet Judicators.

Hell in "Edge of Night"Wrath of the Lich King

Here she was, her spirit once again feeling whole, only to feel it suffer. To feel once more, only to feel abject pain. Cold. Hopelessness. There were others in the darkness. Things she didn't recognize, because nothing so terrible could exist in the world of the living. Claws tore at her, but she had no mouth with which to scream. Eyes looked at her, but she couldn't look back. Even Arthas’ spirit was there. If any part of Sylvanas's soul were not at that moment torn and tormented, she might have even felt—for the first time—the slightest glimmer of pity for him. In the grand landscape of all the world's suffering and all the evils of the infinite, the Lich King was… insignificant. This was to be her eternity: the endless void, the dark, unknown realm of anguish.

Warcraft

His time has passed, but fear not young one, for this crusader shall not taste death. In life, Bridenbrad was the bearer of great deeds. Now, in passing, he shall taste only paradise.

Learn more about these events in Wrath:

Experience the Crusader Bridenbrad quests starting from Eine Erzählung von Heldenmut in Icecrown and ending with Licht im Dunkeln.
Read the full Sylvanas Windrunner short story "Edge of Night" on the official WoW site.
Leading up to Sylvanas in Icecrown Citadel, Horde players pursued the Lich King alongside her in the dungeons Die Seelenschmiede, Die Grube von Saron, and Hallen der Reflexion. Upon the completion of Schattengram, one of the gifts you receive is Sylvanas' Spieluhr and the the dialogue tied to the quest Sylvanas' Rache is a direct lead-in to the short story.
Saronite, used extensively by the Lich King and the Scourge, originates as the blood of Old God Yogg-Saron. We see General Vezax in Ulduar summon a Saronitanimus and in the quest Vom Saronit abhängig, we see the destructive, maddening properties in the Saronite Mines. Sylvanas seeks out the Saronite spikes as a way to end her state of Undeath, which leads to speculations that the Old Gods may have additional involvement in the visions of hell and torment she was presented with.
The fall alone couldn't kill her: her animate flesh was nigh indestructible. But the spikes, the hardened blood of an Old God, they not only would tear the body apart but would obliterate the soul as well.

Sylvanas and HelyaLegion

In the Story of Odyn and Helya we discuss the deal between Sylvanas and Helya, witnessed in Eine verzweifelte Bitte. You can experience the story for yourself by playing through the Legion zone of Sturmheim, which you'll need anyway for achievements like Vrykultstatus and Legion Pathfinder. As the deal is still unclear, and Helya may return in Ring der Riffe, perhaps this story will be revisited.
Helya's story does not end after Stormheim; Odyn wants us to defeat her as the final boss in the Die Prüfung der Tapferkeit raid. While this raid is short, it's still worth going back to farm for the Chosen Dead transmog sets. Odyn is a troubling character, and we recently wrote about the parallels to proving ourselves as his champion, vs accidentally proving ourselves as N'Zoth's champion in the Crucible of Storms.
The lore of Sylvanas is too expansive to cover in this one article, but you can read all about her in the Lore of Sylvanas Windrunner article. While the faction conflict was not at the forefront of Legion, we see her usher in a new era of war in Battle for Azeroth, first burning Teldrassil to secure a victory in Kalimdor and then blighting Lordaeron to prevent Alliance victory.
A point of concern for Sylvanas, as Battle for Azeroth continues, is the concept of free will and the Forsaken. We learn in the Horde War Campaign, following defeat at Dazar'alor, that she resurrects Derek Proudmoore (Die Rückkehr von Derek Prachtmeer) with plans to brainwash him and order him to assassinate his family. His clear discomfort, coupled with the resurrection of Night Elves at Darkshore, make us question how much agency these new Forsaken have. Following the arrest of Baine in 8.1.5, all the Horde faction leaders react to Sylvanas' actions, with even Lilian Voss concerned about free will: "We Forsaken are raised with free will. That's what separates us from the Scourge. Sylvanas Windrunner used to take pride in that distinction. But after all I have seen in this war, I must wonder if that still holds true."
Throughout Battle for Azeroth, parallels between Sylvanas and Arthas have been made, hinting that Sylvanas appears to be following the footsteps of that which she once hated. In addition to possibly raising Forsaken against their will, the Teldrassil cinematic contrasted the destruction of Teldrassil and Delaryn's death with Arthas destroying her own homeland and her tragic end. Then in the ending Lordaeron cinematic, numerous camera angles hearken back to the Throne Room cinematic in Warcraft III. We've analyzed the pre-patch parallels in more detail in Sylvanas' Motivation and Parallels to Arthas in the BFA Pre-Patch.
Sylvanas may also be running out of time with her Val'kyr, as she has three left, the number previously needed to resurrect in Cataclysm. So far one Val'kyr was lost as part of her pact to return from hell, then three in Cataclysm when she was shot, another at the Battle for Andorhal, and most recently, Brynja was killed by the newly-empowered Tyrande in the 8.1 Darkshore Story.

Resurrection in LegionLegion

Read more about these characters from Legion and where some other types of creatures go when they die:

In the Uuna secret questline, we learn that her parents have gone to the Light. After she's rescued, she can go with the Light as well, but gets permission to stay with us a bit longer to see the world.
The Emerald Nightmare was Legion's first raid, still notable in BFA for Il'gynoth's relevant whispers, When Xavius is defeated, players witness the purified Emerald Dream, which you can see screenshots of in the Xavius guide. In addition to all the characters alluded to above, the instanced Emerald Dream allows you to capture the Traumwelpling battle pet. Yet deep in the Dream you will still find a Überbleibsel der Leere.
In the Demon Hunter starting zone quest Auftritt der Illidari: Die Shivarra, we have the choice to sacrifice ourselves or kill Sevis. Should we die, Illidan will whisper to us "Interesting. Like me, you have an immortal demon soul. You cannot truly die. Instead, your soul will make its way to the Twisting Nether. There, you will wait until you can find a suitable body to inhabit." However, Illidan's soul was taken out of the Twisting Nether and safeguarded in Helheim, as we discover in Seelenprisma der Illidari. Once we retrieve Illidan's soul, the story continues in the Nighthold Raid, the home of the Nightborne in Suramar, as we fight Gul'dan and interfere with his own plans to bring back Illidan. The rituals going awry lead to the secret Mythic-only phase, The Demon Within.
As discussed in the sections above in this article, the noble Vrykul were sent to the Halls of Valor, under the watch of Odyn. In Legion, we explore that story in more detail through the questing zone Sturmheim, dungeon Halls of Valor, and raid Die Prüfung der Tapferkeit. An interesting side-quest involves Eyir, the leader of the Valarjar Val'kyr, and Sigryn, daughter of God-King Skovald. She resisted the influence of fel, unlike her father, but in the process of claiming her rightful place as Queen, she learns in Unbeantwortete Fragen that Odyn ordered her family assassinated. Succumbing to the fel, she is bent on revenge--so we intervene in Zorn der Gottkönigin, one of the now-removed artifact challenges, and she is successfully cleansed of the fel.
As we've seen with Ragnaros returning in Cataclysm, defeated elementals are sent back to the Elemental Plane upon defeat. In the Dark Iron Recruitment Scenario, we learn a group of cultists is trying to bring Ragnaros back yet again. The Island Expedition quest Elementarkern also tells us that the Elemental Plane is in a state of flux, with the lesser lords potentially looking to overthrow their rulers.

Shadows of the WarchiefLegionBattle for Azeroth

“The spirits have granted me clarity. A vision. They whisper a name. Many will not understand. But you must step out of the shadows and lead. You must be...warchief...”

“There was a presence. Something moving in the shadows. Something powerful.”
“I remember it taking me somewhere, but the memory of where is hidden from me. To keep me from sharing the truth.” “The truth that it might not be the loa who wanted sylvanas to be warchief, but something far more powerful.”

“Why would me want da Banshee Queen in charge? Nonononon. Sure, I be all for war and death, but dat Sylvanas... she be tippin’ da scales too far. Balance be important! Besides, dat one got a nasty habit of keepin’ what she kills. No, ya warchief be no friend to ol’ Bwonsamdi. ”

This Vol'jin questline, which starts with Weisheit des Kriegshäuptlings, is available to Horde players that have completed the following:

Patch 8.0 and 8.1 of the Horde War Campaign
Exalted with the Zandalari Empire
Defeated Jaina Proudmoore for Die Schlacht von Dazar'alor
Completed the previous Vol'jin questlines for Geister mit Euch in Uldir

If you are unfamiliar with the actions that prompted the leaders to seek out Vol'jin, check out our Horde War Campaign guide. Following the defeat at Dazar'alor, Sylvanas had the plan to resurrect Derek Proudmoore, twisting his mind to then assassinate his family.

In Patch 8.1.5, we saw the outcome of Sylvanas' plan, as Baine frees Derek and returns him to Jaina, who is initially wary and senses a trap. We've analyzed the complexities of this cinematic in our Derek and Jaina Proudmoore Reunion Cinematic article, including Jaina and Baine's past friendship, the significance of "Daughter of the Sea," the possibility that Derek is still turned, hints that he could ally with Calia Menethil, and Baine linking the Earthmother and Azeroth.

Who Whispered to Vol'jin and Brought Him Back?

Battle for Azeroth, unlike Legion, does not have a clear endgame plot or final boss. At this point, many possibilities are open as to who told Vol'jin to appoint Sylvanas as Warchief, and brought him back. Here's a few more words on each possible theory.

Bwonsamdi's boss is a mystery, but as the Vol'jin questline presents the Lich King as a rival instead of a boss, it's likely not him. One potential theory is that Mueh'zala, the Loa of Death in the children's book Traveler: The Spiral Path, is the boss. As he wants to "feast on all of Azeroth," perhaps he simply looks forward to more souls as a result of the destruction caused by a warmongering leader. In the Zandalari Unlock Questline, we see that Bwonsamdi still craves the Warchief's spirit, and what better way to put Sylvanas in harm's way than by appointing her to Warchief, a dangerous position that saw the last two rulers recently deceased. The line about losing a spirit in the past could then refer to Sylvanas leaving hell after "Edge of Night."

Even though the Old Gods appear to distrust Sylvanas in the "Three Sisters" comic, as the Void urges Alleria to kill her, some upcoming story hints point towards Sylvanas being very interested in Xal'atath, Blade of the Black Empire. BlizzCon 2018 heightened the speculation connecting Sylvanas to the Old Gods, between a slide of Sylvanas wielding Xal'atath and the WoW Q&A stating that Sylvanas makes Garrosh look like an amateur.

Datamined broadcast text of Sylvanas reacting to Xal'atath has strong echoes to the whispers of the Old Gods as well. Perhaps the Old Gods hope to use Sylvanas, encouraging her to weaken both factions as they plot their grand return. Presenting her with a hellish vision of the afterlife, powered by the saronite of the Old Gods, would play into the idea that Sylvanas was tricked into leaving the afterlife, now incredibly paranoid about avoiding hell which then drives her current path of destruction. But Sylvanas could also be using the power of the Old Gods to benefit her quest to master death, possibly aiming to travel to the Shadowlands with the goal to irrevocably change it, eradicating the chance she could once again die and end up in hell.

With the strong presence of N'Zoth in the Crucible of Storms raid, we've written about the Old Gods pretty frequently recently: Price of Power - Relics within the Crucible of Storms, N'Zoth Wants Us to Win, Hearthstone's Whispers of the Old Gods Expansion in BFA, Darkmoon Faire and the Old Gods, Dragonflights of the Old Gods, Shadreen the Ethereal Watcher and the Master She Serves.

The third angle, that of Sargeras responsible for the whispers, was explained pretty well by Nobbel in the video. The post-Legion world is a disaster, with all signs pointing to Azeroth dying and the world on the verge of collapse. Sargeras, from the start, has wanted to destroy the planet to save it from corruption. There were hints in Legion that the Old Gods were gaining strength, for example the Sterndeuter Etraeus encounter predicts a Void-infested world:

Star Augur Etraeus yells: Is that not enough? Must I show you the true horror of our reality?
Star Augur Etraeus yells: Very well... witness what I have seen, and TREMBLE!
Star Augur Etraeus yells: These are the beings who will devour the future you so futilely fight to protect!
Star Augur Etraeus yells: Avatars of non-existence... knowing nothing but hunger.