 Vereesa Windrunner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | Ranger General of the Silver Covenant |
| Gender | Female |
| Race | High elf (Humanoid) |
| Class | Ranger |
| Reaction | Alliance Horde |
| Affiliation(s) | Silver Covenant, Dalaran, Kirin Tor Offensive, Alliance |
| Former affiliation(s) | Kingdom of Quel'Thalas |
| Occupation | Ambassador, Leader of the Silver Covenant, Alliance Assault Leader |
| Location |
 The Violet Citadel, Dalaran Ghostlands, Quel'Thalas  Pandaria |
| Status | Alive |
| Relative(s) | Rhonin (husband), Giramar and Galadin (sons), Alleria, Sylvanas, Lirath (siblings), Zendarin (cousin), Arator (nephew) |
Vereesa Windrunner is an elven ranger who fought throughout the Third War. She is the youngest sister of Alleria and Sylvanas, widow of Rhonin Redhair, and mother of Giramar and Galadin. Nearly all of Vereesa's extended family were killed by orcs in the Second War and in Prince Arthas's invasion of Quel'Thalas. Both of her sisters can be considered "alive" because Sylvanas still lives, albeit not technically "among the living", and Alleria Windrunner is likely still alive, but her whereabouts are not known.
Vereesa leads the Silver Covenant, a militant core of high elves that rejected the admission of blood elves into the Kirin Tor and have took it upon themselves to serve as a military deterrent for any potential Horde uprising. She styles herself as the "Ranger General of the Silver Covenant", her own version of the Ranger General of Silvermoon.
Background
History
Vereesa in Day of the Dragon.
Vereesa is a member of the prominent Windrunner family of the high elves. Her elder sisters Alleria and Sylvanas were a ranger captain and ranger general of Silvermoon City, respectively. She has at least three other brothers, one of whom was named Lirath. Her family lived at Windrunner Spire in the tranquil forests of Quel'Thalas.
Tides of Darkness
When Quel'Thalas' forest began mysteriously to burn, Vereesa alongside Alleria were attacked by forest trolls. Fortunately, they were rescued by Sylvanas and her rangers.
Day of the Dragon
The young Vereesa was inducted into the entry ranks of the Farstriders some time before the Second War, rising to become among the best of her training group. More than one of her tutors scolded her for her reckless attitude and fighting style, derogatorily comparing her impatience to that of a human's.[1] She did not take an active part in the Second War itself, presumably due to a lack of experience, and had neither seen nor battled a troll until her foray into Grim Batol.[2]
Following in Alleria's footsteps, Vereesa too became a ranger. To her disgust, her first major assignment did not involve hunting down the orcs that had been trapped on the planet Azeroth in the wake of the Dark Portal's destruction. Instead, she was asked to escort a human wizard named Rhonin to Hasic, one of the eastern ports of Lordaeron. She accomplished her mission only to discover that there were no ships available to take Rhonin to his ultimate destination: Khaz Modan.
Rhonin claimed that his mission was minor and only required him to observe the orc presence in Khaz Modan. Yet he remained unusually determined to fulfill it. He even appealed to a group of Wildhammer dwarves, asking them to fly him to Khaz Modan on one of their gryphons. At first the dwarves refused, for they trusted humans little and wizards even less. Yet Vereesa had grown fond of Rhonin, and she suspected that his mission was more important than he wanted to admit. Appealing to the dwarves, she persuaded them to fly both her and Rhonin to Khaz Modan. Although Rhonin was separated from her along the flight, she tracked him all the way to Grim Batol, which was a Horde stronghold under the leadership of Nekros Skullcrusher.
Using a magical artifact known as the Demon Soul, Nekros had managed to enslave Alexstrasza and, through her, most of the red dragonflight. Thus, Korialstrasz had sent Rhonin to Grim Batol with instructions to free Alexstrasza. Disguised as a mage named Krasus, Korialstrasz did not truly hope that Rhonin would be able to liberate the Dragonqueen. Rather, Korialstrasz hoped to trick the Horde into believing that a full-scale invasion was about to occur. While the Horde evacuated Grim Batol, Korialstrasz planned to strike and free his queen. His plan backfired when the massive black dragon Deathwing unexpectedly showed up and began stealing Alexstrasza's eggs. In fact, Deathwing had helped Rhonin reach Grim Batol precisely for that reason: the insane Dragon Aspect wanted to bolster his own failing flight by kidnapping Alexstrasza's children and raising them as his own. However, the other Dragon Aspects arrived to stop Deathwing. With the help of Vereesa and a group of dwarves, Rhonin took the Demon Soul from Nekros and managed to destroy it. Their powers fully restored, Alexstrasza and the other Aspects attacked Deathwing and forced him to flee. Deathwing has not been seen since that time.
Not long after their adventure, Vereesa and Rhonin were married.
War of the Ancients Trilogy
Following the success of the mission, Vereesa was asked to act as an Alliance Ambassador by King Terenas and the Kirin Tor. She and Rhonin were tasked with touring the Alliance and reminding everyone that there were other threats in the world besides orcs that would have to be faced sooner or later. Along with Rhonin and Krasus, Vereesa was among the few well-known survivors of the Scourge that destroyed Lordaeron, Dalaran, and Quel'Thalas after the corruption of Prince Arthas.
The rest of her family was not so lucky. They were one of the hardest hit by the Scourge invasion into Quel'Thalas.[3] Sylvanas was killed by Arthas and raised as a banshee in his service, later becoming Banshee Queen of the Forsaken.[4][3] The sisters' grandfather had to battle his own son, their uncle, after he was turned into an undead. A younger brother was torn to pieces by their older brother who was then himself burned with the rest of the Scourge by elven resistance fighters.[3]
While she and her husband, Rhonin, were preparing for the birth of their twin offspring, Giramar and Galadin, Rhonin was once again summoned by Krasus for help. As a reward for Rhonin's courage, Nozdormu allowed Rhonin to return to Vereesa at the moment she went into labor to ensure he would not miss a moment of the twins' lives. Nozdormu also offered the children the friendship of the bronze dragonflight. A human named Jalia assisted in the birth.[3]
Night of the Dragon
At one time, Vereesa was close to her cousin Zendarin Windrunner: an ambitious young elf whose difficulty fitting the mold of high elven society was similar to that of Vereesa's own. After the rise of the blood elves, Zendarin took well to the dark teachings of Kael'thas Sunstrider and forsook their traditions; as did the bulk of their kind who's withdrawals from the Sunwell's power were too much to bear. Having suffered from her own magical withdrawal, Vereesa reflected that she too may have joined them, had it not been for Rhonin's support which helped her to recuperate. After the birth of her sons, her love for her children was enough to distract her from the pangs of addiction and loss.[5]
Zendarin, now a blood elf who had always hated humans, tried to kidnap her children as he believed the offspring of a high elf and a human mage would have a lot of magic power.[6] He failed in this attempt.
She appears again in the novel Night of the Dragon, where she braved the depths of Grim Batol, seeking revenge on Zendarin. Zendarin sought to steal the Demon Soul (possibly as an alternate magic source having failed to take Dargonax, or as a secondary objective), the foul creation of Deathwing that had been destroyed by Rhonin years earlier. He would have pulled it off if not for Vereesa's intervention, which resulted in the destruction of the Demon Soul — and of Zendarin himself — when the stolen staff of the Naaru touched the artifact.[7] Vereesa also assists Iridi, a draenei priestess, in destroying Dargonax, as redemption for Zendarin's murder of Iridi's comrade.
Wrath of the Lich King
Vereesa in the Violet Citadel.
Vereesa is located in the Violet Citadel of Dalaran along with Rhonin, Archmage Aethas Sunreaver, and Archmage Modera. She is the leader of the Silver Covenant, a militant group of high elves who oppose the inclusion of blood elves in the Kirin Tor. She is involved in the Quel'delar quest chain: The champions of the Silver Covenant will fight the forces of the Scourge in the Frozen Halls and its Sunreaver counterpart in Dalaran to restore the magical blade Quel'Delar from its defiled state by the Blood-Queen Lana'thel. She appears as part of the Silver Covenant faction within Dalaran, and is hostile to Horde players as a result. She will not attack, cannot be attacked, and cannot be interacted with.
Ultimately, Vereesa's opposition to the blood elves' readmission to the Kirin Tor was doomed to failure: Vereesa herself held no political sway within Dalaran, and the Sunreavers were able to overcome their opposition into the Kirin Tor.[8]
Stormrage
Vereesa was caught in by the Emerald Nightmare. She later attended the wedding of Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind, two old friends and comrades of her husband, along with their twin boys.[9]
Cataclysm
Vereesa is called upon by the ranger-general of Silvermoon, Halduron Brightwing, to help address the threat of a revitalized troll empire brewing in Zul'Aman. She travels to Quel'Thalas, and meets with Brightwing alongside the Darkspear Chieftain, Vol'jin.
Her presence is not well received in the upper echelons of Silvermoon City, and Lor'themar Theron sends a messenger to demand to know why she holds presence in Quel'Thalas. A frustrated Vereesa mentions that Quel'Thalas is as much her home as it is his, and that she will not see it fall to their ancient enemy. Halduron states that he had personally invited her to supplement his own Farstriders, as it would take time to recall enough of them. The two ranger-generals along with Vol'jin discuss their plans for battle.
Tides of War
When Jaina Proudmoore called for aid to defend Theramore Isle against an overwhelming attack by the Horde, Vereesa came with her husband Rhonin to help. However, after the battle, she was informed that the blood elf Thalen Songweaver, a Horde traitor within the Kirin Tor, had been rescued during the attack. After coordinating with Shandris Feathermoon and her sentinels, Vereesa took a scouting party west into Dustwallow Marsh to look for him, and so was not present when Garrosh Hellscream used a mana bomb to destroy Theramore and all its inhabitants, including Rhonin. Vereesa returned to Dalaran to mourn, and accompanied Jaina to plead the Council of Six to take action against Orgrimmar in retaliation for Rhonin's death. She later appeared with her children at Rhonin's memorial service.[10]
Landfall
Silver Covenant agents acting under Vereesa's orders.
Vereesa led the Silver Covenant in aiding the Kirin Tor and Alliance forces' purge of the Horde from Dalaran after Jaina Proudmoore discovered that Sunreavers helped Garrosh Hellscream steal the 
[Divine Bell] by using Dalaran portals to infiltrate Darnassus. The Silver Covenant was instrumental in preventing the Sunreavers from escaping and neutralizing any Horde insurrections or Sunreaver sympathizers who were aiding and abetting their resistance to incarceration.
She is directly involved in the following quests:
- Quest:Jaina's Resolution
- Quest:Nowhere to Run (Dalaran)
- Quest:Nowhere to Hide
- Quest:Sewer Cleaning
- Quest:Unfair Trade (Dalaran)
- Quest:Cashing Out
- Quest:What Had To Be Done
Rise of the Thunder King
Vereesa Windrunner on the isle of Thunder
Vereesa is stationed near the Shado-Pan Garrison, where she will accompany members of the Alliance to Lady Jaina Proudmoore's flagship, The Seabolt, on the Isle of Thunder. Vereesa is part of the Kirin Tor Offensive, serving as a secondary leader. Vereesa expresses concern with the Horde presence on the isle, fearful that the world at large will suffer should they get their hands on the source of Lei Shen's power. She is also eager to avenge the death of her husband.
Vereesa will also appear within the Violet Rise when the base is established.
She is involved in the following quests:
- Quest:Thunder Calls (Alliance)
- Quest:The Storm Gathers (Alliance)
- Quest:The Shuddering Moor (Alliance)
- Quest:The Zandalari Colossus (Alliance)
Vereesa eventually accompanies Jaina to the Bloodied Crossing, and does battle with the mogu forces in the area. After the battle against Shan Bu is won, Vereesa is present when Jaina and Lor'themar face off in the courtyard. United by sharing an unlikely enemy, Jaina and the regent lord come to an agreement, though Vereesa is uneager to retreat, stating that they killed her husband. Jaina tells her that fighting here won't bring him back.
Siege of Orgrimmar
Vereesa accompanies King Varian Wrynn's force to seize Bladefist Bay from Hellscream's forces, and takes part in the Galakras encounter. During the battle Vereesa wears a new outfit that more closely resembles her artwork.
War Crimes
Vereesa accompanied Jaina to the trial of Garrosh Hellscream. Embittered by the loss of her husband and fuelled by vengeance, Vereesa desired the death sentence to be passed on the former warchief. As the trial continued, however, it became increasingly apparent to Vereesa that he may yet escape this fate and face life imprisonment instead, with even the possibility of acquittance. Unwilling to let this happen, Vereesa reached out to her sister, Sylvanas, and arranged a meeting at Windrunner Spire. Vereesa asked Sylvanas to provide her with a potent, untraceable poison she could use to murder Garrosh, which Sylvanas agreed to consider. While the sisters were wary of each other at first, they rekindled a surprisingly positive bond over the course of their meetings, as they reflected on their childhoods, their deceased loved ones, and the lives they'd both left behind.
As the sisters continued to plot and bond, Vereesa came to doubt what she had left in the Alliance. Noting this, Sylvanas made her an offer: Vereesa could join her in the Horde, and co-rule with her. She could rise to a position of great power, with the ability to shape things as the Windrunners saw fit. Seeing what they were about to accomplish in killing Garrosh (something both the Horde and Alliance had failed to do), Vereesa agreed to consider the offer.
The following court day, Vereesa was forced to witness Rhonin's last moments in Theramore through the Vision of Time leaving her in tears. Fuelled with anger and grief at seeing her husband's selfless sacrifice for her, she left for Tirisfal Glades, where she met with Sylvanas, who had provided the poison - a particularly potent strain, that would no doubt give Garrosh a painful end. She had chosen Tirisfal over the Ghostlands to become better acquainted with where she would soon be living; though dark, she believed the glades had a certain beauty. Vereesa's increasing affinity for her soon-to-be home pleased her sister greatly, though Sylvanas had not given her the full story: the Forsaken would never accept a living ruler, so she planned to give Vereesa a painless death and resurrect her as a powerful banshee, like her, so that the two could rule together forever.
Vereesa integrated herself into the temple's kitchens, giving her access to Garrosh's food. Putting aside all reluctance, she succeeded in lacing his meal with the poison, and left to reflect on what now awaited her. On the cusp of joining her sister in the Horde, however, Vereesa began to have her doubts. On one hand, she looked forward to ruling alongside her sister and having access to Silvermoon again, though her time with the cook Mu-Lam (and then a meeting with Anduin Wrynn) made her think of her boys back home in Dalaran. Knowing they would have no place in the Undercity, Vereesa left for Dalaran to be with them, promising never to consider leaving them again. She sent a letter to Sylvanas to tell her of this. Her decision was a blow to Sylvanas, who had greatly lowered her defenses around her sister.
Before leaving, Vereesa told Anduin of her plot to poison Garrosh, leaving the warchief's fate in the prince's hands. Ultimately, Anduin chose to rescue him, though kept Vereesa's secret.
Locations
| Notable appearances | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Level range | Health range |
| Dalaran | ?? | 13,945,000 |
| Ghostlands | ?? | 82,994,000 |
| Townlong Steppes | ?? | 436,136,992 |
| Isle of Thunder | ?? | 87,227,400 |
| Quest:The Fall of Shan Bu | ?? | 393,940,992 |
| Siege of Orgrimmar | 93 | 87,227,400 |
Personality
At first, Vereesa was unaware of Sylvanas' fate.[3] However, when she learned of her fate, Vereesa mourned her sister and was enraged when her cousin Zendarin recklessly called Sylvanas a Banshee.[11]
Richard Knaak has stated in an interview that he considers Vereesa as having animosity towards the blood elves, courtesy of her partnership with Rhonin and having pride in high elf traditions. This can be seen in Night of the Dragon and in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, though it is also possibly due in part to her cousin's actions.
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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- She appears to hold a mutual animosity with the regent lord of Quel'Thalas, Lor'themar Theron, referring to him as a 'coward' before being chided for it by Halduron. Exactly where this stems from is unclear, considering Lor'themar himself has been generally tolerant of his high elven cousins since the Sunwell was restored, perhaps implying a personal grudge between the two. Ironically, the closest thing to personal interaction the two have had was surprisingly courteous.[12]
Quotes
- "With my bow, I have shot orcs dead at a hundred yards. I have battled trolls, demons, and more. I have nearly traveled the length and breadth of Azeroth...yes my love, I think I can handle the situation until Jalia arrives."
- "One should not speak of taint who has taken to draining the foul magic of demons."
- "Use your eyes and call me not by so accursed a name as that, draenei!"
- Meeting with Halduron and Vol'jin
Vereesa, Halduron, and Vol'jin outside Zul'Aman.
- Silvermoon Messenger says: I bring word from the Regent Lord of Silvermoon.
- Silvermoon Messenger says: Lord Lor'themar demands an explanation for the presence of this... exile in our lands.
- Vereesa Windrunner says: Quel'Thalas is as much my home as it is yours and I would not see it fall to our ancient enemy. Now, you tell your cowardly regent --
- Halduron Brightwing says: Vereesa, please!
- Halduron Brightwing says: She is here at my invitation, courier. Most of my Farstriders are away and cannot be recalled easily. Vereesa's rangers know the land and are experienced combatants.
- Silvermoon Messenger says: Lord Lor'themar does not concur with your reasoning, ranger-general. You have no authority to invite this --
- Halduron Brightwing says: I am the commander of Silvermoon's defenses and I will seek assistance as I deem necessary!
- Halduron Brightwing says: Now, Chieftain Vol'jin, before we were so rudely interrupted, you were telling us of the Zandalari's plans.
- Vol'jin says: Dat I was. Da Zandalari called a meeting 'o all da troll tribes includin' da Darkspears.
- Vol'jin says: King Rastakhan, he be plannin' to unite da troll tribes under his Zandalari.
- Vereesa Windrunner says: Including the Amani?
- Vol'jin says: Da Amani, da Gurubashi, all 'o dem. He be dispatchin' emissaries to every tribe.
- Halduron Bringwing says: My scouts have reported nothing but quiet outside Zul'Aman.
- Vol'jin says: Dey be holed up inside da ruined city, regroupin'.
- Vol'jin says: Rastakhan be callin' me his brother, but da Horde be our true brothers. We gotta stop him before he can sweet-talk the others into joinin' his empire.
- Vereesa Windrunner says: So how are we going to deal with this alliance between the Amani and the Zandalari?
- Halduron Brightwing says: We must prevent it from occurring in the first place.
- Vol'jin says: Dat be da plan. My men be infiltratin' the city and learnin' what dey can about da new Zandalari warlord.
- Vereesa Windrunner says: Halduron, we should combine our forces and make preperations to act on reports from the Darkspear scouts.
- Halduron Brightwing says: Agreed. Messenger, you may carry word of our plans back to Lord Lor'themar, but make it clear that I will not tolerate any further interference.
- Greeting
- Never forget Theramore.
- We will fight to the bitter end.
- This is a monstrous war.
- Yes?
- Irritated
- You do not want to prod me right now.
- Farewell
Violet Rise, Isle of Thunder
Enemies litter this isle, both old and new. We will not gain a foot of ground here without spilling blood for it.
Trivia
- Vereesa's Sunreaver equivalent during the Isle of Thunder conflict is Scout Captain Elsia. Both serve the same roles during the quests and scenarios they are involved in.
- Vereesa's mount is a [Silver Covenant Hippogryph].
- Currently, she is using a bow that looks exactly like the [Ironfeather Longbow]. She used a different one in past patches.
- Vereesa's new outfit for the Galakras encounter was her original beta model in Wrath of the Lich King.
- Vereesa's nickname back home was "Little Moon," while Sylvanas's was "Lady Moon." These nicknames were given to them by a young Alleria, who teased them for their hair colours (silvery and pale-blond, respectively) in contrast to the golden locks of Alleria and Lirath, who were the "suns" of the family.[12]
- She's voiced by Courtenay Taylor.
Gallery
Windrunner Spire, Vereesa Windrunner's former home.
Vereesa during the Purge of Dalaran.
Vereesa during the Siege of Orgrimmar.
Patch changes
- Patch 3.0.3 (2008-11-04): Added.
References
- ^ Day of the Dragon, 66
- ^ Day of the Dragon, 253
- ^ a b c d e The Well of Eternity, 16-17
- ^ Manual of Monsters, 186
- ^ Night of the Dragon, 155
- ^ Night of the Dragon, 110, 113
- ^ Night of the Dragon
- ^ Tides of War
- ^ Stormrage, 396
- ^ Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War
- ^ Night of the Dragon, 184
- ^ a b War Crimes
Sources
- Book: Tides of Darkness
- Book: Day of the Dragon
- Book: The Well of Eternity
- Book: The Sundering
- Book: Night of the Dragon
External links
| Preceded by: None |
Position: Leader of the Silver Covenant |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
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