We take a long look at one of the most important characters in World of Warcraft: the human mage Jaina Proudmoore.
In World of Warcraft, there are many NPCs with extensive backstories. Not all of them can be fully experienced in the game, and particularly regarding some protagonists of the main story, this is especially frustrating. In light of the many theories about the next expansion, we shed light on the background story of one of Warcraft’s most beloved characters: Jaina Proudmoore.
The cover image is from the artist TamplierPainter (Link to DeviantArt account).
“Feels good” – The male crush Jaina
Jaina Proudmoore is the youngest child of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, the former ruler of the island nation Kul Tiras. From an early age, she developed a passion for magic and, above all, for the stories surrounding Aegwynn, the Guardian of Tirisfal.
When it turned out that Jaina also possessed magical talent, she was sent to Dalaran for training. She became the pupil of Archmage Antonidas and was thus one of the few female mages trained in Dalaran – female mages were mocked and feared for various reasons at that time.
In Dalaran, she also first came into contact with the prince of the blood elves, Kael’Thas Sunstrider. He fell in love with her but was consumed by doubts – after all, he was several centuries old and she was only a few decades.
Also in Dalaran, Jaina had her first contact with the human prince Arthas Menethil, who had to visit the city of mages repeatedly due to his royal heritage. A friendship developed that later blossomed into love. However, Arthas ended the relationship because it was not “the right time”. The idea was that Jaina could focus on her studies more. Although she was hurt by the decision, there was no contradiction.
“I am not a warrior” – The purging of Stratholme
Only with the outbreak of the plague at the beginning of the Third War (Warcraft III) did Jaina and Arthas meet again. Jaina was to accompany the prince and find out for Archmage Antonidas whether the plague had a magical origin. The joint journey rekindled the romance between the two – albeit briefly.
As more and more cities were ravaged by the plague and their inhabitants turned into undead servants of the Scourge, the two began to slowly drift apart. While Jaina wanted to isolate the infected from the rest of the people to find a cure, Prince Arthas chose a different path.
After Arthas ensured that the city of Stratholme was infected with the plague and the inhabitants were showing initial symptoms, he decided to cleanse the entire city – almost all the inhabitants were executed in the process.
Jaina decided to no longer follow Arthas down this path; she separated from him. Jaina heeded the words of the Guardian Medivh that she should “lead her people westward to the forgotten land of Kalimdor.” And that is exactly what she did.
“It’s getting a bit creepy here” – The defense of Hyjal
Upon arriving in Kalimdor, Jaina did not find the promised land but much territory controlled by the orcs. She took a stand in the Stonetalon Mountains and tried to defend herself against the orcs led by Grom Hellscream, who had succumbed to a blood frenzy under the influence of demonic blood. Ultimately, Jaina’s troops were defeated, and she fled with a small expedition into the mountains where she met the Tauren Cairne Bloodhoof and the Orc Thrall.
Before a fight could break out, Medivh revealed himself and explained that the races needed to cooperate because they were not “the real enemy”. The cooperation hung by a thread, and there was no real trust between the forces. Nevertheless, Jaina helped Thrall capture Grom’s essence and free him from the demonic influence.
Afterward, trust grew, but there was no time for a breather. Attacks by the undead and night elves continually caused conflicts. Only after a vision from Thrall were he and Jaina able to locate the leaders of the night elves, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage,. Once again, Medivh explained to all participants that they needed to cooperate to stop the Burning Legion, which was on the verge of invasion.
Together, the races successfully defended Hyjal against the Burning Legion – as seen in this cinematic from Warcraft III:
How Jaina’s life unfolded after the war can be found on the second page.
