The Second Well of Eternity
How was the well created? After the Burning Legion was repelled and Azeroth lay in ruins, the victorious night elves swore to banish arcane magic from their lives. There must never be such a great accumulation of magical power again, so as not to attract the Burning Legion once more.
But Illidan Stormrage, who stood on Azshara’s side before the war, had stored seven vials of water from the well. Because he stood against Azshara and the demons in the final battle, he was allowed to continue living freely.
But Illidan ignored the new rules. Without the Well of Eternity, the night elves lost their immortality and the allure of arcane magic was strong. So Illidan poured three of the vials at the top of Mount Hyjal into a small lake – and thereby created the second Well of Eternity.
The reaction was immediate: Illidan was punished for this act – he was to spend the rest of his life locked in a dungeon. Although it turned out to be “only” 10,000 years, it was a punishment that would shape him forever.
Since the created well could no longer be destroyed, it was later blessed by Nozdormu, the dragon aspect of time. This restored the immortality of the night elves as long as they remained near Hyjal and the World Tree Nordrassil growing there.
What dangers did the second Well of Eternity bring? Even though the second Well of Eternity potentially brought the same dangers as the first, there were more safety measures in place. The World Tree Nordrassil was meant to serve multiple functions: on the one hand, it prevented the power of the well from growing over time, and on the other hand, it ensured that the power of the well could not be misused.
But as the night elves feared many millennia ago, the well attracted the Burning Legion once again. The Third War (that is, Warcraft III) tells the story of the Legion’s attack. After the undead Scourge had caused great damage, it ensured that the first major demons came to Azeroth. Archimonde, one of Sargeras’ top generals, wanted to destroy the World Tree Nordrassil to then use the Well of Eternity as a portal to bring Sargeras into the world.
Through the united forces of the peoples of Azeroth, this was averted – although a high price was paid, for the night elves lost their immortality once again.
