In World of Warcraft: Shadowlands there are many things to discover and numerous secrets that are not so obvious. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus has discovered one of them and was reminded of a hard scene from a past expansion.
What kind of NPC is this? It is about Kearnen the Blade. She is an Aranakk, one of the spider beings from the House of Eyes in Maldraxxus. She stands on the road to the fallen Necropolis at the edge and can be spoken to by players.
The House of Eyes are the spies of Maldraxxus, which includes Draka, as explained in her related “Afterlife” cinematic. This already suggests that Kearnen had something to do with espionage during her lifetime.
However, she has no greater significance, she serves no quest and has no known tasks. However, the name is likely to resonate particularly with rogue players and veterans. The name “Kearnen” should ring a bell there.
The fate of a famous NPC
Who is Kearnen the Blade? The NPC was known in earlier expansions as Amber Kearnen, an agent of SI:7, the intelligence service of Stormwind. There she helped players over numerous expansions and quests or gave them missions.
She is also a relatively important character in the story. As an agent, she does not appear frequently – that would be bad for her profession, where it is better to remain unrecognized. Alliance players might still know her from their early days. She once saved your life in Westfall.
She was also the “best friend” of SI:7 master spy Mathias Shaw, as he himself writes in the new book “World of Warcraft: The Eastern Kingdoms: Exploring Azeroth” (via wowhead).
What makes her special? Kearnen the Blade speaks only briefly with players – unless they are rogues. Now one single change ruined this class for me, but in my heart I am still a rogue. And as such, I encountered Kearnen.
If you speak to her as a blade twirler, you get a unique conversation option with her:
Conversation with Kearnen
Kearnen the Blade: “Wait… You… are from Azeroth. Tell me, did the Uncrowned receive my message?”
Respond with: Yes, I delivered it.
Kearnen the Blade: “Thank you… I am glad my last efforts were not in vain.”
This unique conversation option is a nod to WoW: Legion and to Kearnen’s mission during her lifetime, which was closely intertwined with the rogues.
A tragic end …
What was her fate? During the rogue campaign of Legion, Amber Kearnen dies. Only rogues actually notice this, for everyone else, she simply disappears.
The campaign tells the story of how the dreadlord Detheroc disguises himself as Mathias Shaw and infiltrates Stormwind and the Alliance. As a rogue, you are supposed to prevent this and free the real Shaw.
Kearnen is the first to uncover the disguise, and Detheroc (as Shaw) orders her elimination – successfully. Amber Kearnen is murdered by her own people and her “best friend”. She is found with a dagger in her back in her own blood.
For me, that was the saddest moment I have ever experienced in WoW. After all, I particularly worked closely with her as a rogue to protect the Alliance, perhaps even all of Azeroth from the Legion. Seeing her die this way hit me hard.
A small comfort now is that I could tell her that her mission has been completed – and that she has found a task in the afterlife. I would be very happy if she appears in a small rogue quest in the future.
The Shadowlands bring back memories
Why do we meet her again? The Shadowlands are the realm of the dead of Azeroth; accordingly, it is not surprising to encounter or help the dead here. We have summarized more about it here: What is the story of Shadowlands and what is it about?
Who else can I meet? Amber Kearnen is not the only notable NPC we meet again in Shadowlands. Uther and Draka are already prominent figures, but there are also some inconspicuous NPCs hiding there:
- “Captain” Crumble from the Deadmines
- Thassarian and Koltira Deathweaver
- Warrior hero Oro
- Mankrik’s wife, who finally appears after 16 years
- Dogmaster Loksey from the Scarlet Monastery
The list is not exhaustive, but we do not want to take away all the fun of discovering for yourselves. Which NPC have you already met that gave you a flashback or which would you like to see again? Let us know in the comments.
Shadowlands has been a lot of fun for me so far. The new features and the story are exactly what I want right now and what I wish for from WoW. You can learn more about it in the podcast on MeinMMO. There I talk with editor Leya Jankowski and GameStar community manager Marylin Marx about the many contents and whether starting WoW with Shadowlands after 16 years is still worth it.
