Legends of Warcraft #16: Dalaran and Tirisfal

July 8, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Legends of Warcraft" series — Legends #16. The prehistory of Warcraft in order, from the creation of the universe to the last Guardian of Tirisfal. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

Dalaran was born from the first generation of human mages. After the Troll Wars, the mages of Arathor moved north, away from the rules of Strom, and founded a city of their own. Uncontrolled magic drew demons, and the mages and the elves secretly created the Council of Tirisfal to choose a single Guardian, a mage with enough power to face them.

The mages leave Strom

The hundred mages trained by the elves had apprentices, who had apprentices of their own. Within a few generations, Arathor had many mages, and the city of Strom did not like what they were doing. Magic was frightening, and the mages felt watched.

A group of them left for the north, for the lands that are now Lordaeron, and there they founded Dalaran, a city-state where magic was free.

The magic that draws demons

That freedom came at a cost. The mages of Dalaran used magic carelessly, and heavy use of arcane magic weakens the veil between worlds. The demons of the Burning Legion, who live in the Twisting Nether, are drawn to it like insects to light.

Demons began to appear in the region. The city was ruled by the most powerful mages, the Magocrats. The Kirin Tor came later, as the order that catalogued all human magic, and over time it came to rule Dalaran.

The Council of Tirisfal

The elves of Quel'Thalas, who understood magic better than anyone, asked the humans to limit their use of magic. The Magocrats refused, and humans and elves made a secret pact.

They met in the glades of Tirisfal, and that is why the group was named the Council of Tirisfal. The decision was to choose a single mage to receive the combined powers of the Council and hunt demons on behalf of everyone. That mage would be the Guardian of Tirisfal.

The first Guardian was Alodi. Others came after him, and each one trained a successor. The order worked for a long time, with one simple rule: the Guardian had enormous power, but answered to the Council.

The problem with giving power to one person

The Guardian system had a weakness. A single mage with that much power could, one day, decide to stop obeying the Council. That is what happened with the most famous Guardian of all, Aegwynn, and her son, Medivh, was the last Guardian. That story is in episode 19 and episode 21.

Dalaran throughout history

In the Second War, Dalaran is part of the Alliance of Lordaeron.
In Warcraft 3, Arthas and Kel'Thuzad lay siege to the city and Archimonde destroys it.
In WotLK, the Kirin Tor rebuilds Dalaran and flies it to Northrend.
In Legion, the city moves to the Broken Isles.
In The War Within, Dalaran is destroyed by Xal'atath.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who it is | |------|--------| | Dalaran | The city-state of the human mages, on the shores of Lordamere Lake, in Lordaeron. | | Kirin Tor | The council of mages that rules Dalaran. | | Council of Tirisfal | The secret pact between human mages and elves to fight demons. | | Alodi | The first Guardian of Tirisfal. | | Aegwynn | The most powerful Guardian, who defied the Council. | | Medivh | Aegwynn's son and the last Guardian. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Dalaran, in Crystalsong Forest: the neutral capital of WotLK, seat of the Kirin Tor.
Violet Hold: the Kirin Tor's magical prison, inside Dalaran.
Alterac Mountains: the ruins of the original Dalaran, covered by a violet dome.
Tirisfal Glades: the glades where the Council met, today the land of the Forsaken.