Lore’d of the Hearth(Stone): The Moon Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind

HERE YA ARE! BACK FROM YOUR ADVENTURES? The hearth is lit and you have a deck of virtual cards at your disposal, but who is that wonderful hero who holds your fate? Are you a Penniless Paladin, a Worth Opponent or a Mediocre Monk? Come join us as we investigate the beginnings, and ends, of Warcraft’s finest in Lore’d of the (Hearth)Stone

Title Cont. : AKA Lil’ Miss Plays With Your Emotions AKA Miss Toys with Demon Hunters; AKA Miss My Husband Doesn’t Know That I Love His Brother Too; AKA Miss I Have No Idea What I’m Doing Oh Look My Husband Is Awake!

tyrand_whisperwind_promo_animation  Artist from Blizzard

Yes Tyrande Whisperwind goes by many different names, and most of them were made up by Staghelm in the solitude of his tree house in Darnassus long before he went cray cray and spontaneously combusted (Which according to WordPress is misspelled but then again so is the actual word WordPress).

Welcome back! Yeah, that’s the greeting you get unfortunately. As per every time I start one of these, I light up the old hearth, and write whatever it is the innkeeper says. This time, welcome back was the only greeting I got. I haven’t played Hearthstone in over four months, and that’s the kind of greeting I get? I’m going to open my personal vendetta on Dwarves for the next few weeks to mull it over, but enough about me. Let’s talk about the great and wonderful lady of the moon or who desperately wishes she was, Moon Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind!

“Tyrande has no idea how to lead our people!”, Oh shut up you dead hippy! Now as I ponder why my denial kept me from seeing the foreshadowing of Tirion Fordring’s death from just looking at Tirion’s card mechanics, I set my sights on another hero who has been very prominent in Legion’s story. Although every time she speaks she stirs memories of High School days when it was likely that women of her caliber would use such tactics on young aspiring men. Okay, I think I’ve called her out on what she is enough. Let’s just get this over with.

First introduced in Warcraft III, Tyrande was the main protagonist of the Night Elf campaign leading up to the final defense against Archimonde at Hyjal, but aside from what we learn in the games, Tyrande has had more than her fair share of highlights within the realm of Azeroth, near over 10000 years worth. She predates the War of the Ancients as well, growing up with Malfurion and Illidan Stormrage, and over the course of that time she cannot decide who she loves more until Illidan basically shows that he’s kind of a murder in the mass quantities kind, but also she kind of still has a thing for bad boys post Illidan’s incarceration. I want to focus however, on Tyrande’s feats and not her backstabbing love story in which she basically creates the man who will threaten the entire world one day. So in the interest in time, we will save the War of the Ancients for another day and look at her campaign in the third war. In order I do this, I thought maybe I’d go back through the Night Elf Campaign of “Reign of Chaos” to refresh myself on the story itself.

Tyrande Whisperwind was at best strong in her faith with the Goddess Elune. Her path taken had many triumphs but left many of her emotional ties fragile with the ones she cared for most in her life which were the Stormrage brothers Malfurian and Illidan. She watched them both mature into very powerful individuals, and both of them sought to win her heart.

tyrande_tryingtobe_galadriel Artist: Eva Widermann

Now skipping forward quite a good few millennia, to come upon the first unification of the Orcs and Humans. With this alliance, Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, and Cairne Bloodhoof, sought out to defeat and free Grommash Hellscream from the grip of Mannoroth‘s bloodpact that the foul pit lord held tightly onto.  With a quick one, two punch, Grom was stored in one of Jaina’s magic crystals and cleanse of the demonic blood rage that filled his heart. Now freed of the Pit Lord’s corruption, Grom and Thrall ventured fourth to cleanse his demon taint from the land, and finally free the Orcs of their Fel engorged handlers for good. Sadly though, with Mannoroth’s fall so came with him Grommash Hellscream, as the Orc of Warsong would sacrifice himself for his Warchief and the growing Horde.

With Mannoroth dead, and the mourning of Grommash complete, the heroes of Orcs and Humans looked forward to Ashenvale to cleanse any demonic threat that still loomed deep within the forest. Little did they know that a wise Night Elf Moon Priestess and her kin, watched them carefully. Still clinging to the memory of the loss of Cenarius, the Tyrande and her Night Elves would seek answers from the invaders from the Eastern Kingdoms. With the help of Shandris Feathermoon, Tyrande rallies her nearby sentinel sisters and confront the trespassers. Unfortunately almost as soon as she does so, the moment for answers is lost when in stomps in Archimonde and his Doom Guard. Shandris and her sentinels dispersed only moments before his the Demon Lord’s arrival, leaving only a few to guard the helpless Moon Priestess. Those few that remained held their ground only to be laid to an uneasy demise by the vengeful demons, protecting Tyrande with their lives. With the death of her sisters, Tyrande is able to use the forest around her and melt into the shadows, disappearing entirely, slipping away from her brutish pursuers. Archimonde curses and spreads his forces out to bring Tyrande out of hiding.

With great haste, Tyrande makes her way to what is to to be believed the Night Elf village known as Astranaar, where Shandris and her Sentinels were sent. Barely escaping a fate worse than death, Shandris and her kin are saved by the Moonpriestess and a group of straggling Night Elf sisters who come plowing through the Undead’s defenses, laying the restless back to rest. There is no doubt in Tyrande’s mind now, she decides that the Druids must be awakened from the Emerald Dream to help combat the incoming threat to their world. Shandris and Tyrande, gather what forces they have and make foot toward Moonglade where deep within the burrows of the glade surrounding the World Tree, does her beloved and the rest of the Druids sleep, defending the perfect world of the Dream. With the Scourge hot on their tail, Tyrande just barely manages to retrieve the Horn of Cenarius. With the sound of its call awakening the Arch Druid Malfurion Stormrage, he senses the land decaying around him and summons the ancient protectors of old, a army of treents basically, and lays waste the Scourge in pursue of stopping his love.

With Malfurion’s help, the three banded their forces together in hopes to awaken the sleeping druids of the Claw and Talon. After thwarting, a group of Satyrs guarding the barrow dens of the Druid of the Talon, Malfurion blew the horn of Cenarius and quickly the Druids of the Talon answered his call. Without respite the Night Elves made way to the Barrow Deeps far bellow Mount Hyjal to awaken the remaining brothers of the Druid of the Claw. There deep within the sealed caverns a secret hidden away from the Moonpriestess lay in wait for a time of 10,000 years, hoping to finally prove to be worthy of redemption. Illidan Stormrage, twin brother of Malfurion, was imprisoned after the War of the Ancients because of his dabbling with the Fel to stop the legion’s original invasion. When Tyrande caught wind of this, she thought how he could be invaluable to their effort to stop the Legion once again from invading Azeroth and despite Malfurion’s requests not to free Illidan, Tyrande basically does what she wants because basically her goddess don’t fly the same way as the druids. As Malfurion goes to blow the horn on the Druids of the Claw, Tyrande successfully frees many Night Elves being held captive by the Wardens of the Grove, Illidan included. When they first meet after 10,000 years, Illidan’s heart sings a hopeful hymn, but as soon as they escape Illidan’s redemption is thrown into the dumpster as he is tempted by the Death Knight Arthas, to destroy a demonic artifact called the Skull of Gul’dan. However instead he absorbs its power for Tyrande, but shes all like “EW GROSS I HATE YOU!” Then proceeds to bang Malfurion. Click this link for a basic summary of what happens from a Youtuber named Nixxom who is given all credit for the banging.

tyrande_whisperwind234 Couldn’t find Artist’s name, however it is at the bottom right of the portrait. Sadly I can’t read it.

After Illidan basically becomes Edgelord Supreme and runs away crying to his deep dark spiraling depression that is the Black Temple, the rest of our heroes that are actually there to STOP AZEROTH FROM BLOWING UP INTO A GIANT DEMON OLD GOD HYBRID MAYBE, are summoned together on a mountaintop suddenly for some reason. Those included are the heroes Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall Metzen, Malfurion Stormrage, and the Moonpriestess herself Tyrande Whisperwind. There suddenly as they all tell each other that Red and Blue are the same, a flying raven comes in who identifies himself as Medivh and tells everyone how silly he was for letting all the Orcs and Demons in to Azeroth during the time of the first war. He goes on to tell them how its up to them to stop Archimonde, then flies away not at all explaining how exactly they’re to stop the Burning Legion, but hey at least he’s sorry.

Finally, as the Burning Legion makes its march upon the World Tree, and victory almost within his grasp, Archimonde does not see the folly that he so obviously should have not overlooked, as hundreds of thousands of tiny little Whisps descend upon him at once and all use they’re self destruct ability, yes that is exactly the reason as to why whisps have this ability in game, and blue his space goat ass back to the Twisting Nether, *COUGH* RETCON *COUGH.

So there you have it! All of the tasty goodness that comes from Tyrande’s terrible ex girlfriend brain, is mostly the reason we still have problems now. Good job Tyrande.wowscrnshot_100916_162422

About braybraybraylinhal 25 Articles
I've been in the industry for 8 years come March 9th, 2016, and I've seen the evolution of it on the front lines, if you will, via the retail side of things. I've always had a knack for writing, anything that I find of interest that is, and I hope to one day establish myself as such. Boring, professional stuff, aside. I do enjoy me some vidja games and nothing does my enjoyment better than when that said vidja game has a big whole extra scoop of lore to create the conspiracy theory of what might come next in the series. It's all a big mystery, and the story and the things that go on in between, help expand our very imaginations from the new beginnings to the epic sagas. More to share later, included the possible addition of my Xbox Live tag, which you'll be able to follow all my latest exploits, and for those of you that have already seen me roaming the lands of the World of Warcraft, from the future or the past, I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry.