WARNING: WoW: Forever story spoilers in this post!
Who are the Skyborne?
The story of Zephras Isle first starts with the story of its native race: the Skyborne. Despite their appearance as high elves, the Skyborne are actually descended from a group called the Shen'drelar, the Highborne night elves of Eldre'thalas. Most players will know Eldre'thalas as its modern name: Dire Maul.
Like most of the Highborne mages of that era, the Shen'drelar suffered from magical addiction thanks to their connection to the Well of Eternity. In the wake of its destruction during the Sundering, the Highborne were all left without a source of magic to sustain them. Under the guidance of their leader, Prince Tortheldrin, the Shen'drelar planned to summon a demon into Eldre'thalas, with the goal of siphoning its magic and sating their addiction.
Not all of the Shen'drelar supported this plan, however. Some among them believed that summoning a demon would draw the Burning Legion back to Azeroth, and opposed Tortheldrin's summoning attempt. For their actions, Tortheldrin declared the rebel Highborne as enemies, forcing them to build ships and flee across the sea. Unlike their Highborne cousins who would one day settle in Quel'thalas, the rebel Shen'drelar did not sail to the lands of the Eastern Kingdoms to make their home. Instead, they found a more unique form of escape from Kalimdor: the elemental spirits.
With Tortheldrin's forces still pursuing them, the rebels managed to land on a landmass inhabited by wind spirits. After making a bargain with the elves, the wind spirits raised the landmass up from the ocean and transported it into the Elemental Plane of Air, Skywall. Thanks to the creation of magical wards, the landmass was hidden away within Skywall, protecting them from being noticed by the other native spirits of the Elemental Planes.
Over time, the rebels would come to call themselves the Shen'dorei, the hidden people, and denote themselves as a culture of Skyborne elves. Alongside the wind spirits, their culture thrived in seclusion for 10,000 years across multiple floating islands, including their home, Zephras Isle.
Trouble in Zephras Isle
In the story of WoW: Forever, the modern story of Zephras Isle begins with a conundrum: the wind spirits are missing. Without their elemental allies, their connection to the magics of Skywall has faded, along with many of the elemental resources powering their society across Zephras Isle. To make matters worse, contact with the other Skyborne islands has ceased entirely, and the wards keeping their home afloat and hidden are beginning to fail.
At this point, the player experience in the starting zone begins. As a newly come-of-age Skyborne elf, we are called to Thendal Village to begin our journey. While we start out with typical chores for a vanilla starting zone, we quickly learn about a recent nuisance that has popped up since the spirits' disappearance: the Al'Aketh.
Centered around the belief that their only path forward is to serve the elemental lord of Skywall, Al'Akir, the Al'Aketh are the primary threat we face across Zephras Isle. After investigating their actions in other nearby villages, we learn that under the leadership of High Priestess Lorthuna, the Al'Aketh have been disabling the protective wards around the island in an attempt to contact Al'Akir and his minions in Skywall.
In addition to the hostile Al'Aketh, the players also encounter two distinct groups of friendly Skyborne, each with their own methods of solving the ongoing problem of the missing wind spirits. At the character creation screen, you choose allegiance to one of the two factions. For the Horde, you ally with the Windshapers, while for the Alliance, you ally with the High Order... and that choice grants a very different questing experience.
The Horde's Windshapers
As a Horde Skyborne, the player is a member of the Windshapers, a subset of the Skyborne who possess a unique connection to the elements called Skysight. As descendants of the original elves who bonded with the wind spirits, the Windshapers act as the spiritual leaders of the Skyborne, including their role as Shamans.
Led by their Grand Skyseer Ayessa Dawnsinger, the ultimate goal of the Windshapers is to maintain their current way of life. Having sworn a sacred oath to repay their debts to the wind spirits for their aid, the Windshapers seek to uncover the mystery surrounding their sudden disappearance and restore their society to how it used to be. To do that, they aim to hone their shamanistic powers and reach out further into the Elemental Planes in pursuit of their airy allies.
In pursuit of those goals, they found the presence of other shamans peering into Skywall from a realm beyond their own: Azeroth. Led by Muln Earthfury, those shamans of the then Tauren-centric Earthen Ring have offered the Skyborne a home in Kalimdor, where they promise to teach the Windshapers how to master their innate elemental abilities.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: As you know, our way of life is in grave danger. Since the elementals vanished, our people have been in a state of steady decline.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: The Al'Aketh are a symptom of this. In many ways they are a dark mirror into the hearts of the Windshapers. Many of us believe that we are to blame for the spirits leaving us.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: Whatever the cause, we need to find a solution quickly before we tear ourselves apart. Tell me, what do you know of Kalimdor?
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: The cradle of our people is now part of an even larger world known as "Azeroth". There are those on Azeroth possessing a skysight so strong that they can pierce the heavens themselves to see beyond.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: Shamans, much like myself, but orders of magnitude more powerful. This power and their knowledge of the elemental planes is the key to our survival.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: In my own clumsy searching through the planes for signs of our elemental benefactors, I stumbled upon them...
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: An entire order of visionaries just like the Windshapers called The Earthen Ring. One of their leaders, a shaman named Muln Earthfury, has shown me much.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: I have seen the way. We must return to Kalimdor, confer with this Earthen Ring. They will help us master the skysight so that we may call our elemental patrons back home.
The Alliance's High Order
As an Alliance Skyborne, the player is a member of the High Order, descendants of the original Highborne nobles who rebelled against Prince Tortheldrin in Eldre'thalas. Due to their Highborne heritage, the High Order have kept the ancient Mage traditions of their people alive for millennia, believing it a necessary counterbalance to their people's reliance on the wind spirits.
Led by their Supreme Magister Elaadrin Evengale, the purpose of the High Order is to gather the knowledge necessary to sustain their home on their own. With the absence of the wind spirits, the High Order believes that it is vital to gain self-reliance in order to wield the powers that keep Zephras Isle safe, rather than simply wait for the spirits to return. As a result, they have returned to their ancient arcane heritage and aim to relearn their Highborne traditions so that their home can stay afloat without the aid of the elementals.
In order to reclaim their heritage, the High Order have contacted a group of mages on Azeroth known as the Kirin Tor. Led by the Council of Six, the mages of Dalaran have agreed to welcome the Skyborne to the Eastern Kingdoms and teach them responsible ways to wield arcane magic and reclaim their lost history.
Elaadrin Evengale says: If you've spoken with Rathril and he sent you to see me, you are no doubt aware of the perils we find ourselves in.
Elaadrin Evengale says: The High Order seeks to find a pragmatic and enlightened solution to our current crisis.
Elaadrin Evengale says: One that does not rely upon divine intervention from external forces. We seek to master our own destiny for the first time since we've arrived in Skywall.
Elaadrin Evengale says: Since we left our homes in Kalimdor, the world has grown. They call it "Azeroth" now, and it's a massive, vibrant world.
Elaadrin Evengale says: Recently we discovered a way to use our magic to carve a "keyhole" of sorts to peer through the planes to learn much of Azeroth.
Elaadrin Evengale says: When we peered through that keyhole, someone else peered back-- members of a magical order much like our own, called the Kirin Tor. We have learned much from them.
Elaadrin Evengale says: The elementals who brought us here are gone. Any feats used to maintain our homes can be replicated with Highborne magic, but our powers have grown weak in Skywall.
Elaadrin Evengale says: Some among us must leave this plane of existence. We must travel to Azeroth to rediscover what we've lost, and bring that knowledge back as a tool to save our home.
Elaadrin Evengale says: The Kirin Tor have graciously agreed to receive us as their guests, and we will need their help if we are to succeed.
Faction Conflict in the Skyborne
With such disparate goals in saving their home, it is no surprise that the High Order and the Windshapers butt heads over their ideologies, even before the Horde and Alliance come into the picture.
In the Alliance questing experience, the High Order's attempts to analyze and understand the shifting nature of the elemental sites across Zephras Isle cause them to come to blows with the Windshapers, who refuse to allow the High Order to defile their sacred places in the highlands. In the Horde questing experience, it is discovered that the High Order is not only tinkering with Windshaper constructs in an attempt to understand them, but also attempting to make peace with the Al'Aketh -- a peace that ends in ruin when the player Windshaper gets involved.
While their ultimate goal of protecting Zephras Isle is the same, both Ayessa and Elaadrin are already too deep in their beliefs to find any kind of common ground, especially now that blood has been shed. Even with the barest attempt at diplomacy, a scripted interaction at each of their hubs makes it clear that the Windshapers and High Order will not see eye to eye any time soon.
High Order Messenger says: Ayessa Dawnsinger. The Supreme Magister of the High Order awaits your reply to his inquiry.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: Inquiry? You mean his thinly veiled threat? You go back and tell Elaadrin that if he has something to say, he can come and speak to me himself.
High Order Messenger says: Skyseer, need I remind you that High Order blood has been spilled? We would have those responsible answer for this crime.
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: Oh that's rich, little mage. What of the Windshapers that your agent killed in the highlands? Who will answer for them?
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: No one? I thought not. You go tell Elaadrin that the only thing keeping me from marching my shamans over and tossing you petty charlatans off the side of this island is the current crisis.
High Order Messenger says: But Skyseer, this is...
Ayessa Dawnsinger says: It's 'Grand Skyseer' to you, mage. Now leave. Run along back to your master before I truly lose my patience.
High Order Messenger says: Supreme Magister, the Grand Skyseer would hear nothing of our grievance and in fact, reiterated her threat to us.
Elaadrin Evengale says: She dares make threats against us after her lackeys massacre our people in the highlands?
Elaadrin Evengale says: I don't know who is more dangerous, the Al'Aketh, or the sky-cursed Windshapers! So be it. If she is not willing to resolve this with civility, we will not hesitate once the current crisis is over.
Elaadrin Evengale says: For now, spread the word to our people. Be on your guard around Windshapers. We didn't start this fight, but once the cult is dealt with, we will be ready to end it.
High Order Messenger says: At once, Supreme Magister!
Ongoing Skyborne Story in Forever
Despite the deep divisions between High Order and Windshapers, they both agree on one thing: the goals of the Al'Aketh will bring Zephras Isle to ruin. Begrudgingly, the two orders come together to fight the Al'Aketh cult in their temples in order to stop Lorthuna from bringing down the wards.
By the time we reach Lorthuna, however, she reveals that the wards have already been disabled, and finishes her ritual to summon Rohash, the Lord of the East Wind. Her arrogance ultimately causes her to be swatted away by the elemental baron, but we are saved by the timely arrival of the Kirin Tor and Earthen Ring, who manage to place Rohash at a standstill. As he departs, however, he promises that Al'Akir will arrive to destroy their way of life on Zephras Isle at some point in the future.
With no choice but to pursue their respective paths to save their land, the High Order and Windshapers both begin the process of departing Zephras Isle for their new homes on Azeroth. Thanks to magical skycutters able to traverse between realms, the player finally arrives on Azeroth to begin their journey amidst the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.
With the Alliance hub in Dalaran and the Horde hub in Mulgore, the Skyborne story currently promises to see more of their factions arrive on Azeroth in the coming days, likely setting up future story with both factions. Both the Kirin Tor and the Earthen Ring are previously unexplored factions during the vanilla era, and the introduction of new elven allies to both factions is certain to change their course dramatically.
What stories are you hoping to see with the Windshapers and High Order going forward? How do you think they might cause clashes between Alliance and Horde in the expected classic fashion? Let us know!
