Elves in World of Warcraft cause chaos because they constantly create new wells. We reveal what the whole thing with the wells is all about.
“Always the same” is an accusation that many former WoW fans make against the game. And at least in some respects, that’s true, especially when it comes to elves and their wells. The Sunwell is a central point in the story of the upcoming expansion “Midnight” – and this has happened repeatedly.
The Sunwell plays a major role in the next addon:
If you take a look at the history of the elven races of Azeroth, it quickly becomes clear: This is a pattern. Because wells have always played a role in the past of the elves. And each time, they were almost responsible for the destruction of Azeroth.
The Well of Eternity
How was the well created? The Well of Eternity was created by the Titans – but not intentionally. Because when the Titans realized that Old Gods had taken root in Azeroth, Aman’Thul tried to forcibly remove one of these Old Gods – Y’Shaarj – and hurl it into the cosmos. But Y’Shaarj was so firmly connected to the planet that the extraction left a massive wound in the crust, from which the lifeblood of the planet flowed. The Titans healed this wound and thus created the Well of Eternity.
The Well of Eternity was the first major well on Azeroth. Although “well” is an understatement, as the Well of Eternity was a gigantic lake full of magical power. This power attracted the night elves and tempted them to use and explore magic. Queen Azshara built her capital, Zin-Azshari, on the shores of the well. Here lived a large part of the night elf population, especially the Highborne – mostly members of the nobility or magi and scholars who wanted to explore the well and its arcane magics.
What dangers did the Well of Eternity bring? Demons are attracted by the use of arcane magic. As more and more night elves used more power from the well, the Burning Legion’s attention fell on Azeroth. The demons managed to make contact with the elves and seduced them to seek even more power. For much more powerful than arcane magic is fel magic – often simply referred to as “Fel”. But this magic corrupts its users, making them even more susceptible to the demons.
Ultimately, Queen Azshara made contact with the leader of the Burning Legion. Instead of allowing herself to be enslaved by him, she saw something else in him: the perfect husband, who could rule the world alongside her.
To make this world perfect, she let demons flood into Azeroth, who were to kill everyone except for the Highborne, while simultaneously repurposing the well into a giant portal to summon Sargeras.
The resulting “War of the Ancients” affected nearly the entire world and resulted in the event that permanently harmed Azeroth. The Well of Eternity collapsed, and the power released shattered the previously existing mega-continent, creating the individual islands – the Eastern Kingdoms, Kalimdor, Northrend, Pandaria, and so on.
Where the Well of Eternity once stood, today there is still the Maelstrom. That is the great whirlpool in the middle of the sea. A memorial to what the wild magics of magical wells can do.
