Know Your Lore #1: Kael'thas

What makes the man



Was a member of the Kirin Tor where he fell in love with Jaina.

His people were slaughtered by Arthas and the scourge.

Addicted to mana and magic.

Would make any sacrifice to cure his people of their addiction.

Allied with Illidan and later Kil'jaeden.

Born with a silver spoon

Prince Kael'thas was the son of Anasterian Sunstrider and the last of the Sunstrider Dynasty, a ruling family in the High Elven city of Quel'Thalas. He was a powerful mage and a member of the Council of Six, the mysterious sub-leaders of the Kirin Tor. Kael'thas quickly became infatuated with the young sorceress Jaina Proudmoore, but her attraction to Prince Arthas Menethil led to her turning him down. Her rejection and his inhumane views on the Orc internment camps led to him constantly butting heads with Antonidas, Jaina, and Arthas.

Rising from the ashes

During Arthas's scourge assault on Quel'thalas, the Sunwell, around 90% of the High Elven population and Kael'thas's father were lost. Kael'thas was informed of Arthas's treachery while he was in Dalaran and a saddened Jaina attempted to console him. He lashed out at her for choosing such a monster over him and left Dalaran to rejoin his people. When he arrived he oversaw the destruction of the now corrupted Sunwell and the three mooncrystals he used were turned into his iconic verdant spheres. He mourned over the loss of his father, thinking that he could never be the leader that he was. He claimed Anasterian the last king of Quel'Thalas and eventually came to be known as The Sun King. Calling his people the 'Blood Elves' Kael'thas joined the new Alliance in order to exact his vengeance on the Scourge.

Kael'thas and his new allies.

A desperate alliance

Kael'thas found little help for his people in the new Alliance. Under the command of the bigoted Grand Marshal Garithos, Kael'thas and his people were forced into manual labor and hopeless battles. Only with the help of Lady Vashj was he able to complete these degrading tasks. Garithos considered the Naga's help as an affront to the Alliance and had the Blood Elves put in jail. Once again with the help of the Naga, the blood elves were able to escape from the Dalaran Dungeons and traveled through a portal to Outlands. In the Hellfire Peninsula they searched for Illidan until they found him captured by Maiev Shadowsong, his former jailer. lllidan explained to his servants that he was fleeing from his master Kil'jaedan and that if the Blood Elves helped him, he would grant them enough magical energies to sate their hunger forever. With a group of broken Draenei led by Akama, the coalition assaulted Magtheridon's Black Temple and defeated him. Their victory was short lived, as Kil'jaeden descended and gave them an ultimatum: destroy the Frozen Throne or face his eternal wrath.

Kael'thas and his council at Tempest Keep.

Hunger drives him to the brink

After their defeat four years earlier at the Frozen Throne, Kael'thas took his people back to Outlands to find a new, more permanent home. He was drawn to the area known as Netherstorm due to the large traces of magic there. He destroyed a nearby Kirin Tor village with a mana bomb and claimed the citadel of Tempest Keep as his own. He defeated the inhabitants including a Naaru, a powerful being made of energy and light. After he ordered an attack on the city of Shattrath, many of his troops defected. Disgruntled and craving more powerful magics, Kael'thas entered into a secret alliance with Kil'jaeden, enticed by his offers of fel magic. After betraying both the Horde his people were allied to and the Illidari, Kael'thas began preparing for battle in tempest keep. He was eventually defeated by heroes of the Alliance and Horde and was presumed dead for a short time.

Merely a set back

After his defeat at Tempest Keep, Kael'thas returned as a mutated mess of his former self. A crystal had fused to his chest and his skin was a sickly pale. Empowered by demon blood and reinforced with demons themselves, Kael'thas's forces bunkered down in Magister's Terrace in preparation for his master's summoning. The Shattered Sun Offensive, a group formed to retake the ruins of the Sunwell, and heroes of the Horde and Alliance pushed through and claimed his head.

Although he is now known as a traitor to his people, his gruesome actions eventually did lead to a cure for his people's magic addiction. After the events of the Sunwell Plateau, the heart of a naaru was used to restore the well using a mixture of holy and arcane powers. Despite his actions, statues of him still remain in Silvermoon City, an homage to the last member of the once honorable Sunstrider Dynasty.

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