Legends of Warcraft #9: after the Sundering

July 2, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Legends of Warcraft" series — Legends #9. 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.

The world after the War of the Ancients was a different place. The Well of Eternity had imploded, the single continent had broken into pieces, and at the center of the world spun a giant whirlpool, the Maelstrom. The night elves who survived climbed Mount Hyjal to start over, and there they made three decisions that shape Warcraft to this day: imprison Illidan, plant a World Tree and send the druids to sleep in the Emerald Dream.

The Great Sundering

In the War of the Ancients, Queen Azshara and the Highborne tried to open the world to Sargeras using the Well of Eternity. The resistance of Malfurion, Tyrande and Illidan managed to disrupt the portal, but the Well couldn't hold. It imploded and took with it the night elf capital, Zin-Azshari.

The explosion shattered the continent. What had been a single land became several continents and islands: Kalimdor to the west, the Eastern Kingdoms to the east, Northrend to the north and, hidden by Emperor Shaohao's magical mist, Pandaria to the south. In the Well's place remained the Maelstrom, a whirlpool that never stopped spinning.

Azshara and the Highborne who were with her sank along with the city. At the bottom of the sea, they would become the naga.

Illidan's new Well

The survivors reached Mount Hyjal, in northern Kalimdor, and found a surprise. Illidan had kept vials of water from the Well of Eternity and poured them into a lake at the top of the mountain. A new Well of Eternity was born there.

For Illidan, magic was too much power to give up. For Malfurion, it was exactly what had drawn the Legion. Malfurion decided his brother had to be imprisoned. Illidan was locked in an underground prison, and the jailer Maiev Shadowsong and her Wardens began to guard him. He would stay imprisoned for ten thousand years, until Tyrande freed him in Warcraft 3.

Nordrassil and immortality

The new Well couldn't stay exposed. Three of the Dragon Aspects, Alexstrasza, Ysera and Nozdormu, planted Nordrassil over it, the first World Tree, which covered the Well with its own roots and protected it.

Each Aspect gave a gift to the tree and to the night elves:

Alexstrasza blessed the tree with the strength of life.
Ysera linked the tree to the Emerald Dream.
Nozdormu gave the night elves immortality, for as long as the tree stood.

The night elves swore never to use arcane magic again. The idea that elven magic is dangerous comes from this period, and this oath separates the night elves from the high elves to this day.

The druids and the Emerald Dream

Malfurion, the first druid, had learned druidism from the demigod Cenarius. After the war, he and the other druids made a pact with Ysera: they would spend long periods asleep, with their spirits in the Emerald Dream, the spirit realm that holds the original form of Azeroth.

While the druids slept, Tyrande Whisperwind, priestess of Elune, ruled the night elves with the Sentinels, the warriors who guarded the forests. Malfurion and Tyrande loved each other, but duty kept the two apart for millennia.

The War of the Satyr

Not every enemy vanished with the Sundering. The satyrs, elves who had been corrupted by fel magic during the war, kept attacking the forests of Kalimdor. The night elves spent centuries hunting them, and satyrs still appear today in Felwood, Ashenvale and Desolace.

What's left for the next episode

The night elves' peace had a crack. The Highborne who survived the Sundering did not accept the oath to give up arcane magic. That refusal would divide the elves forever.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who it is | |------|--------| | Malfurion Stormrage | The first druid, who had his brother imprisoned and went to sleep in the Emerald Dream. | | Illidan | Malfurion's twin, who created the new Well and was imprisoned for ten thousand years. | | Tyrande Whisperwind | The priestess of Elune, who ruled the elves while the druids slept. | | Maiev Shadowsong | Illidan's jailer, leader of the Wardens. | | Cenarius | The forest demigod who taught druidism to Malfurion. | | Nordrassil | The first World Tree, planted over the new Well on Mount Hyjal. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Mount Hyjal, in the Caverns of Time: the Hyjal Summit raid, where Nordrassil is attacked by Archimonde.
Felwood and Ashenvale: the satyrs, remnants of the corruption of the War of the Ancients.
Moonglade: the sanctuary of the Cenarion Circle druids, where player druids train.
Teldrassil: the tree the night elves plant after losing their immortality, without the Aspects' blessing.

Frequently asked questions

What was the Great Sundering?

It was the implosion of the Well of Eternity at the end of the War of the Ancients, which shattered the continent into several pieces and left the Maelstrom at the center of the world.

Why was Illidan imprisoned?

Because he created a new Well of Eternity on Mount Hyjal with vials from the original Well. Malfurion believed this would draw the Legion again.

Where does the night elves' immortality come from?

From Nordrassil, the World Tree. Nozdormu granted it for as long as the tree stood, and the elves lost it when the tree's energy was used against Archimonde.

"Legends of Warcraft" series

← Previous: Legends #8: The War of the Ancients Next → Legends #10: The split of the Elves