Timeline
Years Between the First War
and The Cataclysm

The following timeline covers events that have happened between the First War (Warcraft I: Orcs and Humans) and the Cataclysm (World of Warcraft: Cataclysm). Years given are approximated.

Timeline entries are marked as either |Warcraft Lore| or |Netherbane Lore|. The former are entries that are from various official sources (websites, books, etc.), and because of this, some of it may become out-of-date as the story of Warcraft evolves. The latter entries are pieces of lore directly from the Netherbane's history.

~6 YEARS After THE First War
Tides of Darkness

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

Orcs give chase to refugees fleeing north to the kingdom of Lordaeron. Second War begins. 

~8 YEARS AFTER THE First War
Through the Dark Portal

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

A band of heroes, including Khadgar, General Turalyon, and Alleria Windrunner, cross through the Dark Portal onto the world of Draenor. Ner'zhul opens multiple portals on that world, which shatters the realm into what is now known as Outland. The Dark Portal is sealed to prevent the destruction from leaping to Azeroth.

Ner'zhul, fleeing into the Twisting Nether, is captured by the demon lord, Kil'jaeden, and is stripped of his body and reformed into the entity that would become the Lich King.

Back on Azeroth, the red dragon queen, Alexstrazsa, is freed by Rhonin and Krasus. 

Thrall, the lost child of the Frostwolf Chieftain, Durotan, and his mate, Draka, escapes his enslavement and eventually becomes Warchief of the new Horde. 

~20 YEARS AFTER THE First War
Reign of Chaos

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

The Guardian, Medivh, returns, cleansed by his mother from the taint of the Legion lord, Sargeras. He warns each of the faction leaders of the coming storm, but has limited success. The orcish warchief, Thrall, is one of the few to heed Medivh's warning and takes his orcs across the Great Sea to the forgotten land of Kalimdor.

Meanwhile, the Lich King, Ner'zhul, who was cast across the Twisting Nether to Azeroth by Kil'jaeden, begins to spread his plague across northern Lordaeron. Prince Arthas Menethil, fighting the encroaching plague, takes up arms against the growing undead army. But the madness of war becomes too much for him, and he eventually falls prey to the runeblade, Frostmourne, becoming a death knight of the Lich King himself. After returning to Lordaeron and slaying his father, Arthas then slaughters his way to the kingdom of Quel'thalas, and uses the high elven font of power, the Sunwell, to resurrect Kel'thuzad, a former necromaner now turned lich. The kingdoms of Lordaeron and Quel'thalas lay in ruins.

Arthas then moves to the magical kingdom of Dalaran, where he uses the Book of Medivh to open a portal for the demon lord, Archimonde. With Arthas's help, the Burning Legion destroys Dalaran and invades Azeroth in force a second time. They quickly move across the sea to Kalimdor, seeking out the power of the second Well of Eternity.

Malfurion Stormrage is awakened from his long druidic slumber to defend his lands. Tyrande Whisperwind, high priestess of the night elven people, also frees Malfurion's brother, Illidan Stormrage, from his imprisonment by killing the Watchers who keep him guarded. It is believed that Illidan's skills as a demon hunter would be necessary in the upcoming battles. Illidan is then lead to Felwood, where he seeks out the Skull of Gul'dan to gain more power against his demonic adversaries. 

|Netherbane Lore| Araatris Orphaned

A young girl named Araatris Valryss, who was out of her home city of Dalaran at the time of the invasion, is orphaned upon the city's destruction. Fleeing into the surrounding forests, she encounters a demon who attacks her. She is blinded in one eye, but manages to escape deeper into the woods, where she barely manages to survive for the subsequent years.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Tharion's Atonement

As the Third War's intensity increases on Kalimdor, Tharion Greyseer and the other fully bound students of Eraelan Netherbane set out to fight the invading Burning Legion. They meet with other demon hunters from different mentors, but regardless of the source of their abilities, they all fight with an intensity unseen during the 10,000 year seclusion of the night elven people.

Tharion, invigorated by the chance to fight true Burning Legion demons as opposed to the weakened stragglers that still skulked about Ashenvale, met his adversaries on the front lines. He unleashed all the skills that he was taught, but came to the frightening realization that these demons were of a truly different breed than the ones he had preyed upon during training.

He discovered how savage the Burning Legion was, and Tharion's survival skills were put to the test at every turn. In the end, however, Tharion emerged victorious each time, if not battered from the combat. 

|WARCRAFT LORE| The Sacrifice of Nordrassil

An uneasy truce between the Horde and the surviving Alliance of Lordaeron is formed to battle the powerful demons. The Burning Legion is defeated at the huge battle of Mount Hyjal as Archimonde is destroyed by the World Tree, Nordrassil, when it unleashes its power in a grand sacrifice.

The human survivors of Lordaeron settle on the coast of the land known as the Barrens, in a city called Theramore. The orcs build their home in a land Thrall names Durotar, in honor of his father, Durotan. The night elves, having lost their immortality due to the sacrifice of Nordrassil, begin rebuilding their lands and their forests. The Third War ends. 

|NETHERBANE LORE| Eraelan's Disappearance

Upon the end of the Third War, Tharion returns to Netherbane's camp in Forest Song, only to find it completely destroyed and his shan'do missing. Gathering up what few important items still remained in the camp's ruins, Tharion sets off to find out what happened to his mentor. 

~21 YEARS AFTER THE First War
The Frozen Throne

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

The demon lord, Kil'jaeden, instructs Illidan to assault the Lich King in Northrend. Illidan, exiled from his people for consuming power from the Skull of Gul'dan, agrees. He raises the Naga from their slumber beneath the waves and attempts to cast a powerful spell against Icecrown, the fortress of the Lich King in Northrend. He is confronted by his brother, Malfurion, once again. Afraid Illidan is up to no good, Malfurion interrupts his brother's spell, which causes the assault on Icecrown to fail.

Illidan, afraid of the consequences of his failure, flees to Outland. The pitlord, Magtheridon, current ruler of the Black Temple, is defeated and chained beneath Hellfire Citadel, and Illidan takes his place atop the Black Temple. The demonlord, Kil'jaeden, confronts Illidan and commands him to strike Icecrown again. Not wanting to incur the wrath of the current leader of the Burning Legion, Illidan agrees and returns to Azeroth, traveling to Northrend personally.

The death knight, Arthas, rushes to the aide of his master and defends the Lich King at the base of Icecrown Glacier, severely wounding Illidan in one-on-one combat. Arthas then ascends Icecrown, shatters the Frozen Throne, and don's Ner'zhul's armor, fusing himself with the orc's transformed spirit and becoming the new Lich King. 

|Warcraft Lore| The Illidari

Illidan and his allies, the naga, Lady Vashj, and the blood elf, Kael'thas Sunstrider, retreat to the Black Temple to recover from their defeat. It is here where Illidan begins his grand plans to strike back at Kil'jaeden and the Burning Legion. Sealing off the portals of Outland to further hinder the Legion's incursions into that broken world, Illidan consolidates his power into a fledgling army. It is also at this time when Illidan calls out to other demon hunters on Outland and Azeroth to join him. Both night elves and blood elves who seek to defeat the Burning Legion answer his call.

The Illidari are formed.

~22 YEARS AFTER THE First War
Crown of the Earth

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

Malfurion Stormrage returns to slumber in the Emerald Dream to honor the pact with the green dragon matron, Ysera. He once again leaves Tyrande Whisperwind in charge of the night elven people, and a druid named Fandral Staghelm takes over the Cenarion Circle to become Archdruid in Malfurion's place.

In an attempt to regain their immortality, Archdruid Staghelm plants another seed just off the coast of Darkshore and, with the help of the Cenarion Circle, helps it to grow to immense proportions. He names this tree Teldrassil or “Crown of the Earth." He has the new night elven capital city of Darnassus built upon the great boughs of this new world tree.

Fandral attempts to get the dragonflights to bless Teldrassil as they did the now-sacrificed Nordrassil, but they refuse. Because of this refusal, Teldrassil begins a slow descent into corruption. 

~23 YEARS AFTER THE First War
The Sunwell

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

In the remains of the human kingdom of Lordaeron, a blue dragon named Kalecgos is sent on a mission to discover the source of a strange magical power. He encounters the young human woman, Anveena, and the two immediately become hunted by Dar'khan Drathir, the elf responsible for allowing Arthas passage into Quel'thalas during the Third War.

The two are able to escape from Dar'khan, and eventually discover the truth—Anveena is the surviving essence of the destroyed Sunwell, and is the key to reigniting the powers of the high elven source of magic.

With help from the remaining blood elf leadership in the ruins of Quel'thalas, Kalecgos and Anveena defeat the traitor, Dar'khan. Anveena is hidden away in the forests, guarded from those who would seek to use her for darker purposes. 

~25 YEARS AFTER THE First War
Age of Heroes

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

A new breed of heroes step forward from the ashes of the Third War, fighting against the growing threats on all fronts. Old hatreds spark anew, and new ones begin to crumble the foundation of the uneasy peace. 

|NETHERBANE LORE| Vyrella

Tharion hears that Teldrassil is quickly becoming the hub for young night elves to train and develop their skills. Believing that he may be able to find information regarding his search for Eraelan's fate, he travels to Teldrassil.

It is atop the massive tree that Tharion meets Vyrella, a young huntress training to become a warden—replacements for those who died during the Third War and the aftermath. The two of them begin to travel together, one showing the other the merits and detriments to their specific paths, Tharion displaying his skills of survival, and Vyrella gloating over her superior aim with her bow.

It is not long before the two vow themselves to each other. 

|NETHERBANE LORE| Felborne

Tharion's demonic binding begins to weaken his mind. He starts to fall to the corruption of the fel energies, hearing voices in his head. He is unable to tell whether these voices are real or imagined. Vyrella tries to assist, but she knows little about demon hunter training and thus is powerless. As Tharion's condition degenerates, Vyrella vanishes, leaving Tharion to handle the fel corruption alone.

Unable to handle the screaming madness in his mind, Tharion feels compelled towards the center of Duskwood, one of the few ancient shrines leftover from before the Sundering. It is here that Tharion collapses into unconsciousness.

How much time passed is unknown, but it was at least four days before Tharion returned once more. He told the tale of seeing his mentor, Eraelan Netherbane, in a realm far from this world. Tharion also spoke of a re-binding ritual that quelled the maddening voices in his head. Finally, Tharion also revealed his new weapon, a glowing sword known as Felborne.

What is known only by Eraelan, however, is that the blade is from Zevash, dating back to Tharion's first post-binding hunt. Eraelan used the blade in Tharion's re-binding ritual, pulling the demonic essence out of the demon hunter and placing it into the weapon itself. This infusion of fel energy paired with the lingering essence of the terrible fel lord created a new demonic consciousness within the blade. Eraelan had dubbed this consciousness “Felborne" to reflect the corrupted nature of the entity's genesis.

Tharion is shocked to discover that Felborne is able to exert a measure of its will upon others, manifesting a cold whispering voice in the minds of those willing to listen.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Rook Gyrmantle Revelation of the Ashen

Tharion encounters a kaldorei woman who is well practiced in rune magic. She calls herself “Rook", and seeks Tharion's help in tracking down a betrayer to her cause. Rook and Tharion never quite become allies, but essentially agree to not become enemies. They assist each other when it is mutually beneficial.

Tharion entreats Eraelor Nightbane, Eraelan's youngest brother, to assist Rook in seeking out the identity of a druid who betrayer her. Eraelor reveals his participation in a group known as The Ashen, a sect of the Cenarion Circle focused on keeping watch on night elves who stray from the path of Cenarius or Elune. Eraelor agrees to help.

The revelations brought on by the information given by The Ashen allow Rook to seek out Wintermar, the runeblade responsible for her troubles. Instead of destroying the weapon, Rook takes it as her own, believing to have found a way to avoid the corrupting influence of the weapon.

She was wrong.

Tharion was able to track Rook down in the deep snows of Dun Morogh. While it was obvious that Rook still held a measure of her own will, her corruption was becoming evident. She told him to kill her, and upon Tharion's hesitation, Rook struck. The battle between the two was fierce but swift, with Felborne prevailing over Wintermar.

Surprised at his sadness at Rook's death, Tharion buried her in the snows and further hid Wintermar away somewhere in the world. To this day only Tharion knows the location of the runeblade. 

|NETHERBANE LORE| Xythael

Xythael, a stray kaldorei priestess who was discovered by Tharion and Vyrella months previously, begins to hunt closely with the Greyseer. She claims possession of a demon, and her fragile mental state earns Tharion's sympathy. The two form a bond strengthened by their mutual fight against demonic corruption. It is not long before the bond transcends that of a mere hunting companion.

During an encounter on the steps of the Stormwind Cathedral of the Light, Xythael reveals her true nature to Tharion—she is an eredar spirit possessing the body of a night elf priestess. No trace of the original priestess remains, claims the demon. Tharion reveals that he suspected as much, but stayed his hand due to the fact that Xythael never posed a threat to him purposefully. Xythael further reveals that her mission was to hunt Tharion, but had unexpectedly developed feelings for the demon hunter. It is suspected that not ALL traces of the original priestess, who was named Arkale Nithradia, had been obliterated, and that the emotions came from a merging of the Xythael entity and Arkale's original soul.

Tharion agrees not to kill Xythael, and the two continue to fight side by side against the forces of the Burning Legion.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Elithe Lightstroke and Zymeth's Deception

As Tharion continues his hunts in the Eastern Kingdoms, he meets a human hunter of demons named Elithe Lightstroke. Elithe, physically weakened from a lifetime of sickness, was unable to follow the more martial path traditional to demon hunters. Instead, Elithe chose to develop his skills as a spellcaster.

Elithe speaks to Tharion about his patron, an eredar from the Twisting Nether known as Zymeth. Leader of the “House of Gis," Zymeth was said to be fighting against the Burning Legion as well. Elithe, believing the demon to be a strong ally, gave his loyalties willingly to Zymeth and the House of Gis.

Elithe requests the assistance of Tharion and Xythael in a ritual to summon Zymeth to the world. The two reluctantly agree, with Tharion's agreement being on the condition that Zymeth be destroyed if he proves a threat. Elithe, assured of the demon's altruism, accepts Tharion's condition.

As the ritual commences, Tharion's fears are justified. Elithe is knocked unconscious and Zymeth enters the world and bears down on Tharion and Xythael. The two fight back against the eredar, who boasts about the success of his deception. After an intense battle, Zymeth is killed and his spirit trapped inside a staff, which is given back to Elithe for safe-keeping. Elithe, crushed at the revelation, keep close watch over the staff, swearing to not be so easily fooled again.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Daeloth

Tharion retreats to Kalimdor to recoup from the battle with Zymeth, and Xythael remains in Stormwind, curious about the House of Gis and their true motives. During an investigation, Xythael feels a presence watching her every move. She travels to Kalimdor to meet with Tharion once again, uncertain of who or what pursued.

Tharion, who holds a sacred place of meditation near one of the waterfalls off of Teldrassil, knows nothing about Xythael's return. But in the peace of his meditation he is suddenly smothered by an overwhelming mass of fel energy. As Tharion breaks from his meditation, he discovers a massive pit lord barreling its way through the trees towards him. Tharion is defly able to evade the crippling attacks from the huge demon, but does not get away unscathed. The demon, who appears to be merely toying with the demon hunter, names himself Daeloth. A warning is given, and the pit lord then vanishes, leaving its stench—and a beaten Greyseer—in its wake.

Xythael is shocked to learn of the attack, and warns Tharion that this 'Daeloth' was also perhaps the entity which had been watching her in Stormwind. The two suddenly realize that a greater threat has appeared in the world, and it was specifically targeting them.

As the weeks pass, the pair encounter Daeloth repeatedly. They discover his ability to take the form of a night elf, which makes avoiding the demon even more difficult. During this time they discover that Daeloth was sent by Sraath to Azeroth to hunt Xythael for her failure to perform her task of killing the Greyseer. Tharion approaches one of his few allies within the Cenarion Circle, a rebellious druid named Faeroh Moonreign. Faeroh agrees to assist the Greyseer and Xythael against this new threat. 

Eventually, the group is able to lure Daeloth to a confrontation once more atop Teldrassil, where Faeroh is able to exert a better control over the elements of nature. During the battle, Tharion gains the upper hand by unlocking the power hidden deep within Felborne and severs Daeloth's arm. The demon, wounded heavily by the encounter, retreats into hiding for months. Faeroh Moonreign retrieves Daeloth's weapon, a heavy axe, and locks it away so the pit lord cannot retrieve it.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Eraelan's Return, Elaia's Resurrection

It is only a few weeks after Daeloth's defeat that Tharion encounters a ghostly image of his mentor, Eraelan Netherbane, deep within the forests of Kalimdor. The image warns him that Daeloth was but a mere distraction, that the true threat is Sraath, attempting to seek vengeance against Eraelan and anything related to the Netherbane that betrayed him millennia ago.

Eraelan further reveals that it was Sraath that took him during the Third War, having sent Daeloth through during the Legion's invasion to destroy Netherbane's camp. He claims that Sraath had him bound to a prison within the Twisting Nether, but that he was able to escape shortly after giving Felborne to Tharion.

Eraelan admits to being on Azeroth once again, deep in hiding to protect himself from Sraath's rampage. He then tells Tharion than an old acquaintance will return once more to threaten everything, and that the Greyseer should prepare himself and his allies. Then, as quickly as he appeared, Eraelan vanishes.

Tharion takes the warning to heart and passes it along to those close to him. But it is soon revealed that the threat has already arrived. Tharion is dumbstruck when he realizes that it is Elaia, the young kal'dorei woman he killed millenia ago during training. Sraath had taken her preserved soul and body and twisted them both to his needs. Elaia was now a hunter of hunters under Sraath's wing, and she was hunting everyone attached to Eraelan and Tharion alike.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Xythael's Madness

Xythael, who becomes the target of the brunt of Elaia's psychological attacks over the succeeding weeks, begins to hover at the edge of sanity. Desperate to find a way to defeat the former demon hunter, Xythael tracks down Daeloth, who was still wounded from the previous encounter which cost him his arm.

Daeloth agrees to help Xythael under one condition: bring Eraelan Netherbane out of hiding and return him to Sraath. In her madness, Xythael agrees to the pit lord's demand. She is able to find and lure Eraelan Netherbane from his place of hiding. It is too late when he realizes the trap. Daeloth strikes, consuming the body and soul of Tharion's former mentor. The infusion of power allows Daeloth to magically regenerate his arm.

Before departing into the world, Daeloth reveals to Xythael that three hidden dreadlords in the guise of humans keep Elaia's soul bound to Azeroth. They are required, since the nature of her very persistence defies conventional reality. Daeloth tells Xythael the names of the three and where they had been sent.

Appeased by the exchange, Xythael begins her hunt of these dreadlords.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Walkabout, Felborne Sundered

Xythael succeeds in her hunts, defeating the most powerful of the three dreadlords that keep Elaia bound to the world. But her bloodlust is no longer so easily satiated, and she disappears into the wilds with madness in her eyes.

Tharion encounters Elaia one final time at the House of Gathering, the structure within Darnassus where the demon hunters met. Unbeknownst to him, she has been severely weakened, her soul no longer anchored steadily to the churning currents that stream between the veil of worlds. They fight for the second time, and Tharion is the easy victor. Unfortunately, in her death throes, the magic binding Elaia to Azeroth bursts. Tharion's link to Felborne is broken, and the sudden silence brings Tharion to his knees.

Unable to cope with the drastic change, Tharion leaves Teldrassil and goes “walkabout." He travels the depths of Kalimdor in meditation, to find a way to cope with the lack of Felborne's presence in his mind.

|NETHERBANE LORE| The Netherbane School

After nearly a month spent wandering the forests of Ashenvale and Darkshore, Tharion returns from his self-imposed walkabout and reforms his allies under the banner of the Netherbane school of demon hunting. He chooses to teach others who wish to walk the path in order to prevent a repeat of the events with Elaia and Daeloth, and he names the methods after his mentor as a reminder of how far Eraelan went, and how far the Netherbane itself should never go.

Tharion also learns of Xythael's madness and disappearance, and Daeloth's return to power. Thus, he begins to actively seek out those folk who approached him in the past about walking the path of the demon hunter, and the Netherbane school as it is known today is officially formed.

It is during the succeeding months that a young kal'dorei demonslayer known as Fethas Ravenmoon requests to be taught by Tharion. She, along with Rutarin Firestar, Taldarion Duskmantle, and Elishtar Fangblade, form the earliest of the Netherbane students.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Sraath the Reborn

Sraath, tired of his minions failing, devises a plan to re-enter Azeroth himself. Since his resurrection, he gained the ability to create fragments of his soul and place those fragments into lesser vessels. This allows him to have fully loyal minions who can travel to places where Sraath cannot yet enter. He creates four of these “Sraathi" entities and sends them to Azeroth to prepare a ritual of summoning.

Tharion and the Netherbane learn of these entities and begin their hunts. The students, however, are inexperienced, and they are unable to stop to summoning ritual. Sraath—once known as Sraath the Eclipse, now known as Sraath the Reborn—returns yet again to the world of Azeroth.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Daeloth Strikes Back

As Sraath returns to the world, Daeloth finds his old master and returns to him. Sraath, disappointed by Daeloth's multiple failures, but pleased that he subdued Eraelan Netherbane, sends Daeloth out to prove himself once again. He tasks the pit lord with retrieving his ancient axe, which Faeroh Moonreign placed on display at the new Netherbane Site of Lessons deep within Ashenvale forest. Daeloth happily agrees, and Sraath infuses his minion with a newfound strength.

Daeloth arrives at the Site of Lessons and finds only Taldarion Duskmantle there, meditating. The young student is defiant in the face of the greater foe as Daeloth attacks. Taldarion is brought to the brink of death, and Daeloth pins him to the stone wall where the pit lord's axe once hung as a sign to the Greyseer.

Taldarion is rescued and nursed back to health as Fethas vows to kill the pit lord in any way she can.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Sraath Defeated, Daeloth Bound

Weeks later the preparations are completed. Taldarion has recovered from his injuries and goes into meditation to reflect on his defeat and how to learn from it. Tharion assists Fethas in designing a trap for Daeloth. Tharion chooses to confront Sraath directly, and Fethas chooses to lure Daeloth into the trap herself.

Sraath proves to be more powerful than Tharion expected, and the battle is harsh and bloody. Sraath's ancient weapon, Starsunder, shatters Felborne easily. Tharion, beaten, is only able to recover a small fragment of the blade before falling unconscious. Luckily, Taldarion sensed the danger and appears to pull Tharion away from the rampaging demon before the deathblow is dealt. Sraath, in his anger, draws all his power back unto himself and retreats to his old lair somewhere in southern Kalimdor.

Meanwhile, Fethas battles Daeloth at the foot of mount Hyjal, in the forests of Darkshore. The pit lord is exceedingly strong for her as well, but she is able to lure him into the trap created by her and Tharion. As Daeloth steps into the binding circle, Sraath draws all his power back unto himself, leaving the pit lord a relatively weakened husk unexpectedly. Fethas deals the killing blow to the weakened demon and binds his soul to her own. She collapses amidst the circle, unable to fully contain the raging soul of the demon.

The recovery is long for all involved. Tharion spends months after healing seeking out the remaining shards of Felborne, but finds few. Fethas, meanwhile, does her best to quell the rampaging pit lord now bound into her spirit.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Birth of the Shatterhoof Tribe

As Sraath retreats to his ancient lair in southern Kalimdor, he encounters an isolated tribe of tauren known as the Sunderhoof tribe. Taking a disguise similar to the tauren, Sraath approaches the tribe and begins to exert his will over the chieftain, eventually leading the entire tribe into a ritual that binds them to the doom lord.

Renaming themselves the “Shatterhoof" tribe, these “fel tauren" are fully loyal to Sraath, and they act as his eyes and ears in other parts of the world.

~26 YEARS AFTER THE First War
The Burning Crusade

|WARCRAFT LORE| 

Draenei refugees, lead by the Prophet Velen, crash on the world of Azeroth in the satellite structure of the Tempest Keep known as The Exodar. Draenei make Azeroth their new home. The Dark Portal is re-opened and the Burning Legion attempts another invasion, this time from the shattered world of Outland. Brave adventurers from all races cross over onto the remains of Draenor to stop the Legion's deadly Burning Crusade. 

|NETHERBANE LORE| Fethas's Duality, Birth of Shatterbound

Still struggling to contain the demonic spirit within her soul, Fethas begins to show signs of a split personality. She was successful in keeping Daeloth's influence out of her everyday persona, but discovered rather quickly that the demon's influence exerted itself over her when she angered. Tharion, recognizing this, inscribed runic tattoos upon her body in an attempt to separate the demon's influence from Fethas herself.

Taldarion, meanwhile, completes his meditations regarding his defeat at the hands of Daeloth and learns finally that he needs to accept the multiple bindings that lurk within him. Because of this revelation, Tharion gives Taldarion the new name of Shatterbound, to reflect his understanding that he must unify the demons churning within him before he can regain his footing as a demon hunter.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Gamahn Ashvine, Jadilith Ravenmoon

It is shortly after Daeloth's binding that Fethas's older brother, Jadilith Ravenmoon, appears once more after being lost since the Third War. He claims to be working for a “Druid of the Flame" known as Gamahn Ashvine. Gamahn himself speaks as if he knows both Fethas and Jadilith quite well, and the unnerving truth about his involvement in Fethas's past is revealed.

Gamahn tells Fethas that she is the result of an experiment, the child of two kaldorei parents with whom Gamahn worked to develop a warrior against the Burning Legion. Gamahn reveals that he experimented with Eraelan Netherbane sporadically, trying to find a way to alleviate the aversion to fel magics that most night elves had. Fethas and Jadilith were one of the many results of this research.

The revelation pushed Fethas over the edge, and she willfully gave in to Daeloth's rage as she killed Gamahn. Jadilith fled into the wilds once more.

It was not long after that Eraelor appeared and told Fethas that Gamahn Ashvine was dubbed “dangerous" by The Ashen, and they had been working against him and his efforts. Fethas's actions were considered a little too direct for their tastes, but they did not punish her. Afterall, Gamahn's death was one less person they needed to keep watch over.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Eraelan Netherbane's Immortality

Unknown to either Fethas or Tharion at the time, Eraelan Netherbane's spirit persisted even after being consumed by Daeloth. What Eraelan did not fully reveal to anyone was how much 'soulcrafting' he learned from Sraath prior to Netherbane's betrayal. Because of this, Eraelan's soul remained intact even after Daeloth was bound to Fethas.

Sraath, still lurking somewhere in southern Kalimdor, discovered this as well after one of his Shatterhoof minions did battle with Fethas. The information was communicated to the doom lord, who began to orchestrate a plan to remove Eraelan's soul and destroy it once and for all.

An emissary is sent north, disguised as Tharion, to meet Fethas in an attempt to lure her into a trap. It succeeds, as Fethas is captured by Sraath's minions and a ritual is performed in an attempt to remove Eraelan's spirit from her. The ritual leaves her scarred and battered, but the extraction is successful as Eraelan's spirit is trapped within a specially crafted crystal. Tharion finds Fethas and proceeds to eliminate the demons still remaining.

Jadilith Ravenmoon, having wandered since leaving the employ of the mad druid, Gamahn Ashvine, is captured by Sraath's minions by chance. Hearing about the recent capture and ritual of his sister, Jadilith steals the crystal and escapes, seeking out Fethas after he does so. She and Tharion bring Jadilith to safety from Sraath's minions, and Fethas is charged with keeping the crystal with Eraelan's soul safe.

|NETHERBANE LORE| Eraelan's Resurrection

Tharion discusses options for disposal of the crystal with his allies, and a human named Calithos suggests locking it away in The Vault, a place of null magic where terrible beings of great power. Fethas meets a man who claims to have access to the Vault, and she gives him the crystal in an attempt to rid the world of Eraelan Netherbane.

Unfortunately, the man's intentions were deceptive, and he takes the crystal for his own purposes. It is believed that Eraelan strikes a deal with this man, and is provided with a fresh body in which to inhabit. Thus, Eraelan Netherbane was reborn into the world fully once again.

~27 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST WAR
THE Wrath of the Lich King

|Netherbane Lore| The Long Massacre

Moontreader, a priest of Umbra, follower of the night elven cult that believed in Elune's dark side, is possesed by a dreadlord named Xonath. Xonath uses Moontreader to resurrect dead heroes from the very graves around Kalimdor. This new undead army, known as 'The Risen', begins to terrorize Ashenvale forest and the surrounding areas.

Only through the efforts of Tharion Greyseer, Taldarion Shatterbound, and the rest of the Netherbane is Xonath finally confronted and defeated.

~28 YEARS AFTER THE First War
The Cataclysm

|Warcraft Lore|

The corrupted dragon aspect of earth, Neltharion, now known as Deathwing, breaks the world as he returns from the elemental planes. Azeoth is shattered as the Twilight's Hammer Cult attempts to bring about the Hour of Twilight.