Halduron Brightwing


 * "This is a great day for all of Quel'Thalas and the sin'dorei."
 * — Halduron Brightwing

Halduron Brightwing is a level ?? elite blood elf found within the Sunfury Spire of Silvermoon City. He serves under Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron as the Ranger-General of Silvermoon, and is both the blood elves' military commander on Azeroth and the leader of the Farstriders.

As of Patch 3.3, Brightwing will also appear at the entrance of the Sunwell during the quests to restore the fabled sword Quel'Delar.

Halduron will also briefly relocate to the Ghostlands as of Patch 4.1.0.

Second War
Halduron, a high elven Farstrider, served his country faithfully as the Amani trolls - emboldened by their alliance with the Old Horde - attacked Quel'Thalas directly. Halduron, disguised as an elderly cloaked man leaning on a staff for support, was stalked by a troll named Ter'lij and his war-party. However, Halduron sheds his disguise and quickly turned the tables on his opponents, cutting them down with his longsword and impaling Ter'lij mid-air with a spear. He was approached by Alleria Windrunner, a friend of his, who had convinced King Anasterian to mobilize his forces against the invaders. She instructed him to join up with her sister, Ranger-General Sylvanas, and waylay the enemy forces in the forest. Halduron and his company swiftly departed, and joined up with his comrade Lor'themar Theron's ranger company too.

Third War
During the Scourge invasion, Ranger General Sylvanas was slain by the merciless Prince Arthas, and a void was left -- leaving the high elven Farstriders without a leader. After Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider returned to Quel'Thalas, destroyed the corrupted Sunwell and renamed the survivors "blood elves," Halduron Brightwing became the Ranger-general of Silvermoon and the leader of the Farstriders in the absence of Sylvanas. Halduron's longtime friend, Lor'themar Theron, was named the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas around this time. Lor'themar and Halduron continued to safeguard the Scourge-infested elven homeland from further threats, and sought to find a cure for the sin'dorei's magic addiction within the borders of Quel'Thalas.

The Sunwell
After Kael'thas Sunstrider renamed the high elven race "blood elves" in honor of their fallen brethren, he joined with the New Alliance to battle the Scourge threat running rampant throughout Lordaeron. Halduron and his old friend Lor'themar were instructed to remain behind in the shattered Quel'Thalas, and attempt to find a cure for their people, fresh from the Sunwell's destruction. Halduron and Lor'themar coordinated guerilla attacks against the Scourge remnants within Quel'Thalas, with varying success.

At some point, Dar'Khan Drathir pursued the current avatar of the Sunwell, a woman named Anveena Teague, to the elven homeland. Lor'themar and Halduron learned of this, and resolved to avenge the Sunwell's destruction by killing the treacherous Dar'Khan. In a conversation with Halduron, Lor'themar reveals that Dar'Khan had befriended him in order to use his knowledge of Quel'Thalas' defenses against their people, after he betrayed them to Arthas himself. Halduron ambushed Dar'Khan as he taunted Lor'themar about his role in their homeland's destruction, though both Halduron and Lor'themar were pushed back after Dar'Khan raised undead high elves against them.

Halduron later discovers the presence of none other than Sylvanas Windrunner, his predecessor, active in Quel'Thalas. He and Lor'themar find and take Kalecgos and his companions captive, though they ultimately join forces after Kalecgos reveals their plight and Tyrigosa reveals her dragon form. Halduron witnesses the apparent destruction of Dar'Khan at the hands of a reinvigorated Anveena.

Halduron also gained knowledge of Anveena's status as the Sunwell's mortal avatar, and she was put under the blood elves' protection at an undisclosed location in Quel'Thalas.

Burning Crusade
Following Grand Magister Rommath's return and the reclamation of Quel'Thalas, Halduron ruled the Farstriders and served as the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. During this time, he was supportive of Lor'themar's decisions to keep the nation safe, such as allying with the Forsaken to protect the southern Ghostlands. Halduron was opposed to the creation of the Blood Knights, and indeed shared Warchief Thrall and High Chieftain Cairne's deep concerns about the maltreatment of M'uru, which led him into several arguments with Rommath, who himself was a strong supporter of the Blood Knights.

Halduron and Rommath would come to harsh words on many matters, though Halduron came to develop a respect and trust for his compatriot after Rommath remained loyal to Silvermoon following the devastating betrayal of Kael'thas.

With the elven scion no more, Halduron urged the regent lord to take a more royal and prestigious role in Quel'Thalas, though Lor'themar was consistently opposed to this notion.

At some point following the reclamation of the Sunwell, Halduron obtained a legendary elven bow.

In the Shadow of the Sun


Shortly after the great betrayal of Kael'thas Sunstrider, Lor'themar receives numerous letters from one Archmage Aethas Sunreaver, desiring an audience. His pleas being ignored, Aethas finally simply announces his intention to visit Silvermoon City, a notion which Halduron takes mild amusement in.

As Halduron, Lor'themar and Rommath await Aethas' arrival, Halduron hands Lor'themar a tabard -- the royal Sunstrider seal across its chest. Lor'themar refuses to take it, noting that he is the Regent Lord, not the King -- to which Halduron replies that he may as well be.

Following Aethas and Rommath's strong disagreement regarding the Kirin Tor and Malygos, Lor'themar retires to his chambers. Halduron soon joins him, and the two old friends discuss what should be done. Halduron again references Lor'themar's attitude to that of a King's, though Lor'themar remains silent.

Several days later, Lor'themar prepares for his journey south of the Ghostlands, against Halduron's advice. Knowing that he can't stop him, Halduron settles for ensuring Lor'themar has an adequate escort.

Halduron, Rommath and Aethas later await Lor'themar's return, and Aethas briefly inquires about how his journey to the High Elf lodge went. Aethas also speaks of the disapproval the few quel'dorei within the Kirin Tor give the sin'dorei, and Halduron is visibly irritated at the mention of Vereesa's name.

Later that afternoon, Lor'themar informs Halduron of the full picture -- that the High Elves of Quel'Lithien had come under attack from Horde agents in the name of Nathanos Blightcaller, and that the quel'dorei of the lodge had outright declined any assistance from the sin'dorei. Halduron notes that it was to be expected, especially considering Lor'themar had banished them from Quel'Thalas prior. Lor'themar reasons that he could not lead a nation divided, and that at any rate, the killed rangers were as much Halduron's company as they were his.

Halduron briefly questions whether or not the Dark Lady would know of Nathanos' onslaught, though retracts the statement upon wondering whether or not she would even care.

Following Sylvanas' visit to Sunfury Spire, and Lor'themar's conflict with Rommath in regards to a war in Northrend, Halduron formally asks what the Regent Lord's orders are. Having resolved to commit to the war effort, Lor'themar instructs him to contact the Farstrider lodges, and inform them of what has been decided.

Halduron simply nods, and gives Lor'themar a glance he cannot quite read.

Wrath of the Lich King


Halduron plays a role in the quest to restore the legendary elven blade Quel'Delar, having travelled to the Isle of Quel'Danas to oversee and inspect the renewed Sunwell's defenses. He now controls access to the Sunwell, and learns of Myralion Sunblaze and Caladis Brightspear's quest to see the blade restored. Halduron is initially skeptical of whether the blade is truly ready to accept another owner, and reiterates the fate of the blade's original owner, Thalorien Dawnseeker, a valiant high elf who gave his life to buy the Sunwell's defenders time to prepare for the Scourge assault. Halduron sends heroes to his resting place, and allows them to enter the Sunwell once the spirit of Thalorien offers them his blessing.

For Horde agents, he urges them not to be intertwined in Lor'themar Theron and Grand Magister Rommath's political scheming within, and to instead remain focused on the task at hand. For Alliance agents, Halduron warns them that they are guests in the most sacred place known to the people of Quel'Thalas, and to behave accordingly.

Cataclysm
After the leadership of the Zandalari declared the united troll empire reborn, Halduron left to do battle with the reinvigorated Amani empire brewing in Zul'Aman. He makes an appearance on the outskirts of Zul'Aman, meeting with his Farstrider Troll Hunters, the Darkspear Chieftain Vol'jin, and Vereesa Windrunner. He is approached by a Silvermoon Messenger, who conveys Regent Lord Lor'themar's demand to know why Vereesa had entered their lands. Halduron reveals that many of his Farstriders are unavailable, and that he had personally invited Vereesa and her rangers to help address the new Zul'Aman threat. The messenger mentions that Lor'themar does not agree with the sentiment, and that Halduron has no authority to do so, though Halduron dismisses it as necessary - his role as Quel'Thalas' ranger-general allowing him to seek aid wherever needed to keep his homeland safe.

Vol'jin explains that the Zandalari are seeking to create a new troll empire, reaching out to all of the troll tribes, including the Amani and his own Darkspear tribe -- the likes of which would be a grave threat if not immediately dealt with. Halduron and Vereesa resolve to join forces, their Farstriders and rangers lending aid to Vol'jin's plight.

Quests
With patch 3.3, he will be involved in the following quests:

Personality
Halduron Brightwing, as the leader of the Farstriders and the Ranger-general of Silvermoon, represents the side of Quel'Thalas typically associated with its high elven roots. Halduron is a natural ranger, a Quel'Thalas patriot, and a level-headed military leader, demonstrating none of the more sin'dorei supremacist views shared by many of his compatriots. He is more than willing to put typical elven prejudice aside, and is highly respectful to members of the wider Horde.

Halduron is close friends with the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas, Lor'themar Theron, and the two have been closely allied since their early days as rangers. Halduron appears to be Lor'themar's primary confidant, and is a strong supporter of Lor'themar taking on a more prestigious role befitting the nation's leader - even giving him the Sunstrider royal colours to better convey this. Halduron has likened his attitude to that of a King's numerous times. Their friendship seems to have been somewhat strained, as Halduron was not particularly enthusiastic about Lor'themar's decision to commit to the Northrend war, and even warned members of the Horde not to be taken in by Lor'themar and Rommath's "political scheming."

Like Auric Sunchaser, Halduron does not appear to consider the divide between the sin'dorei and the quel'dorei to be particularly large, and both have referred to the race collectively as "children of Silvermoon." With most of his Farstriders away, Halduron was more than content with calling upon Vereesa Windrunner and her rangers to assist he and Vol'jin in dealing with the new Zandalari empire; his reasoning being simply that Vereesa knows the land as well as anyone. He again came into conflict with Lor'themar regarding this decision, though Halduron does silence Vereesa after she refers to the Regent Lord as a "coward."

As expected of Quel'Thalas' Ranger General, Halduron is a master of combat (both melee and ranged) and wields a variety of weapons, including spears, swords, daggers and bows, with effortless prowess. He has been seen wielding a longspear in tandem with his longsword, using both of their strengths to dispose of larger groups of enemies.

Appearance
Halduron is described as a handsome-looking elf with narrow features, more often than not cloaked and with his bow and blades at his side. During his battles in the Ghostlands, Halduron was draped in a mixture of cloth and mail; his bow nestled atop his cloak and his chest covered by a large sin'dorei phoenix emblem. His hair is long, blonde and slicked, parted at the front, and further parted into two large bangs for his debut in World of Warcraft.

His initial outfit in World of Warcraft was a simplified version of the Farstrider attire; green and yellow leather with two daggers and a bow. His model update for Patch 4.1.0 showed Halduron donning a more exquisite outfit - dark blue mails and shedding his humble bow for Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury.

Halduron also wears a unique headband unavailable to players, studded with an engraved bird emblem (presumably, a phoenix) extending its wings at its center.

Quotes

 * "Did you think we could not sense you befouling our forest? You are not welcome here, creature, and you will not be suffered to live."
 * "You are in charge, you know. There is no one else to take your place."
 * "I never approved of that business with M'uru, or the formation of the Blood Knights, no, but that is behind us now."
 * "I daresay you sound less like a ranger and more like a king every day, Lor'themar."
 * "By all means, you shouldn't be going at all. I thought for sure you'd give up this silly notion when Aethas decided to drop by. But I can see that nothing I could say will stop you, so you're at least going to take an escort. Don't argue."
 * "Funny, that. Sylvanas was always championing him. Kae- er, some... were not so keen on letting a human train with the Farstriders. Myself included."
 * "We always knew it was a risk to trust the Forsaken, but who else would fight for Quel'Thalas at all?"

Zul'Aman

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Speculation



 * Though once considered close friends, it appears that Lor'themar and Halduron have had various disagreements since their ascension to the upper echelons of Quel'Thalas' leadership. Halduron, while not openly opposed to the Northrend campaign, does not seem to have agreed with Lor'themar's motivations for committing to it. During the quest to restore Quel'Delar, Halduron urges agents of the Horde not to be taken in by the Regent Lord's "political scheming" -- a strange way to refer to one's best friend and direct superior. Despite this, he was quick to halt Vereesa's vocal lashing towards Lor'themar, perhaps implying the Ranger-General is forced to mediate between the two.
 * It was stated that Lor'themar was second-in-command to Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner during the second war, though Halduron himself was chosen to succeed the role after Sylvanas' downfall. As such, there appeared to be some skewed logic behind this reasoning, though with Lor'themar's ascension to Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas, this disconnect seems resolved.

Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury
Halduron's model update following Patch 4.1.0 granted him a new bow, the legendary Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury. This is curious in that no NPC besides Brightwing has been seen with the largely enigmatic weapon, suggesting the Ranger-General himself is wielding Thori'dal. Considering its status as a legendary elven weapon, and Halduron's status as Quel'Thalas' Ranger General, this seems highly likely, thus making Halduron one of the two lore characters to wield an obtainable legendary weapon - along with Illidan Stormrage. Regardless, there is very little known about the bow itself and its origins.

Trivia

 * Despite being the leader of the Farstriders, a blood elven group known for its icy attitude to outsiders (and often, a fierce hatred for trolls), Halduron is highly respectful to both his Darkspear allies, and Chieftain Vol'jin.
 * Though he is classified as a ?? (boss) type character, Halduron has a miniscule amount of mana proportional to his level. However, none of his abilities deplete his mana bar -- perhaps implying that he has an unseen focus resource.
 * Halduron is wearing the tier 5 Rift Stalker Armor from the Burning Crusade.
 * Halduron has been described as being a bloodthistle user; interestingly, with "practiced ease."
 * There seems to be some slight disparity with Halduron's eye colour. His eyes in Sunfury Spire appear to be a slightly darker shade of jade than the typical blood elven green; not quite blue but visibly darker than the verdant green of most sin'dorei. It could be due to the darker lighting of the spire, though both Lor'themar and Rommath along with the Royal Guards retain their perfect green glint within it. However, Halduron's appearances in the Sunwell and the Ghostlands portray him with perfect green eyes not dissimilar to his compatriots, suggesting that the former could have been a graphical oversight.
 * According to the (non-canon) RPG guide, Halduron was elected by the Farstriders to become the new Ranger General shortly after Sylvanas' downfall. According to the Warcraft Encyclopedia, Lor'themar was "named" the regent lord by Kael'thas, and Halduron simply "became" the new Ranger General around this time. This appears to be consistent with the RPG books' depiction of events.