Sylvanas Windrunner

There is a lot of information about Sylvanas and as someone who hasn't read the novels, I'm sure I could be missing some background (though perhaps one day when I have time, I'll rectify that). I'm going to try to bullet point some of her journey into supposedly 'morally grey' territory.

I am pretty out of date in updating this in much of anything for Shadowlands, but I'm caught up through 9.2. One day I will update this with the rest of the information. Today is not that day. It should be noted that there's a relatively noticeable change in Sylvanas' behaviour post events that take place in Shadowlands. I'm very open to playing her with these changes.

The full nitty-gritty can be read here.

• Sylvanas was originally a High Elf ranger and was 'slain' by Arthas Menethil during the invasion of the Scourge within Quel'thalas. In truth, she was turned into a banshee and inherited a wealth of otherworldly abilities, though was, for a time, a pawn who served Arthas and his armies.

• She became the queen of the Forsaken once she had regained her freedom from Arthas' will, establishing her own followers, others who had suffered similar fates to hers at the hands of Arthas. Eventually she threw in her allegiance with the Horde, then under the leadership of Warchief Thrall.

• During the events of the Burning Crusade, still attached deeply to her homeland and her people, Sylvanas played a pivotal role in convincing Thrall to accept the Sin'dorei into the Horde faction, and securing their efforts to move against the Lich King.

• During the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate, Sylvanas gave the order to the Royal Apothecary Society to unleash the plague they had been working on, a contagion that slayed not only members of the Scourge, but also the Horde and the Alliance as well. In spite of her own obsession with exacting vengeance on the Lich King, Sylvanas was not able to face him herself due to his magnitude of power.

• During the events of Cataclysm upon coming into contact with Genn Greymane and his ilk in Gilneas, Sylvanas resorted to using blight to gain control of the area, though later lost it to the 7th Legion. It was also during this time period that Sylvanas began to use the Val'kyr to raise the dead as members of the Forsaken in an effort to bolster the numbers of her people.

• During the events of Mists of Pandaria whilst Warchief Garrosh Hellscream became increasingly a threat to the Horde and to himself, Sylvanas took part in witnessing his judgement. Planning to poison him, she was betrayed by her younger sister (Vereesa), who informed Anduin of her scheme.

• During the events of Legion, then Warchief Vol'jin was critically injured following the battle at the Broken Shore, and prior to his passing made Sylvanas the Warchief in his stead. She went on to attempt capturing Eyir in Stormheim with the intentions of forcing her to make more Forsaken, but this plan was foiled by Genn.

• During the events of the War of the Thorns, Sylvanas made Kalimdor and Darnassus her targets in an effort to weaken the Alliance, one step in a variety that she had hoped to use to divide the peoples and put them in a weaker position that she might be able to eventually crush Stormwind. Teldrassil became her target, thinking it would be used by the Alliance to transfer and harbour Azerite, which she believed would become a useful implement in the times to come.

• When Malfurion was captured, she charged Saurfang with the order to finish him off, an order that was not fulfilled, and as an answer to Saurfang's failings, instead of securing Teldrassil as was part of her original plan, she gave the order to burn it and caused a nigh genocide of the Night Elves.

• During the Battle for Lordaeron, Sylvanas was confronted to answer for many of her prior actions, such as her increasing hatred for the living and the recklessness taken in using blight even against her own supporters in the Horde. Not for the first time, she used blight on Lordaeron during her confrontation with the Alliance, forced into retreat by Jaina, this turn of events leading to Lordaeron being utterly uninhabitable by the Forsaken.

• During the events of the Tides of War: Sylvanas recovered Derek Proudmoore's body and used one of her Val'kyr to resurrect him and use him against Jaina and Katherine Proudmoore. Loyalists and Anti-Loyalists get different storylines on Saurfang's escape from Stormwind, either to hunt him down to bring him back to Sylvanas, or to further assist him in continuing to hide his presence. Derek Proudmoore is rescued from Sylvanas by Baine Bloodhoof and Thomas Zelling, the latter killed by Nathanos. Sylvanas declares Baine a betrayer of the Horde and orders his arrest. Sylvanas obtains the artefact, Xal'atath.

• During the events of the Rise of Azshara: Baine is rescued by Jaina and MAthias Shaw, despite Sylvanas attempting to circumvent the attempt by way of Magister Hathorel. With the results of Baine's release and the actions during Tides of War regarding Saurfang, he challenged Sylvanas to Mak'gora outside the Gates of Orgrimmar. Although he struck Sylvanas across her right eye, she ultimately killed him, declaring that the Horde was nothing. She disappeared after, unaware that Lor'themar sent Farstriders to track her down and the SI:7 agents began to hunt for her and Nathanos as well.

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Personality-wise Sylvanas often presents the appearance of being straight forward, though in actuality is quite deceptive and always seems to be thinking about the bigger picture of things. I will also bullet point some things about her personality and her relationships with other characters that might be of interest. (I'm sure I'll add more here as I think about it.)

• Sylvanas is, first and foremost, incredibly self-interested. Although she originally voiced an undying support and interest in the well-being of the Forsaken (and at one point, the Sin'dorei, and likely the Quel'dorei), eventually that was called into question repeatedly, considering the number of times she was very willing to put them into harm's way.

• It has been implied that Sylvanas possesses some kind of romantic inclination for Nathanos Blightcaller and their history together certainly supports just such an implication, though in the turning of Sylvanas's behaviour, this can also be considered questionable. Nathanos appears to be staunchly supportive of her, however, and at times can be the only piece of sound reasoning that she listens to. The true nature of their relationship is ambiguous at best.

• Although close to her sisters when they were younger and while she was living, Sylvanas has had instances where her relationship with both has soured significantly. It could be said that Sylvanas had relied on them to offer her some kind of link to the living and having the change in those relationships for the worse may have only added to her disgruntlement for the living.

• A manipulative and cunning woman, Sylvanas is unabashed, unafraid, and seemingly lacking remorse for many of the actions that she has taken. She's often been painted as an antagonistic character rather than a sympathetic one, though perhaps once upon a time, it might have been feasible to understand her pains and hardships that she's overcome. Where once she might have possessed a sliver of humanity, it seems that time has twisted her into something else entirely.

• During the events of Shadowlands, we discover that Sylvanas was used by the Jailer (Zovaal) and when she refused to server him further, he returned a fragment of her 'self' that had been claimed by the Frostmourne when Arthas originally stabbed her. Following this, her eyes were restored to blue and she regained a fuller sense of 'self' after acknowledging that the Ranger-General Sylvanas and the Banshee Queen Sylvanas were the same people. Following this display, thanks to Uther's intervention, she expressed regret and remorse for the actions she'd taken previously under the guise of her Banshee Queen self, willing to face the consequences for her crimes.