War of the Ancients

At the height of the ancient Kaldorei Empire, Queen Azshara and her elite caste of sorcerers, the Highborne, relentlessly drew upon the vast arcane depths of the Well of Eternity. Their reckless manipulation sent massive ripples into the Great Dark Beyond, attracting Sargeras, the master of the Burning Legion. Entranced by promises of ultimate power and perfection, Azshara and her advisor Xavius opened a trans-dimensional rift within the Well. Legions of felhounds, felguard, doomguard, and monstrous commanders poured into the capital city of Zin-Azshari, slaughtering all non-Highborne and beginning their crusade to purge the world of life.

Horrified by the slaughter, night elves outside the Highborne caste rallied to resist. The resistance was led by remarkable heroes: the first mortal druid Malfurion Stormrage, the devout priestess of Elune Tyrande Whisperwind, and Malfurion's gifted brother Illidan. Together they gathered the common night elves into a desperate frontline against the Legion's onslaught.

The war escalated to world-shattering proportions when the demigod Cenarius rallied the ancient Wild Gods and dragonflights into the fray. Determined to stop Sargeras himself from stepping foot onto Azeroth, Malfurion and the resistance made a desperate push to collapse the portal over the Well of Eternity. Their desperate gambit succeeded in casting the demonic host back into the Twisting Nether, but the strain proved too great. The Well violently imploded, triggering the Great Sundering that shattered Kalimdor into separate continents and flooded the center of the world, birthing the Great Sea and forever marking Kaldorei culture.