Timeline
Before the Alliance expeditionThree Relics for Another World
Ner’zhul sought a future beyond a ruined Draenor. His forces reopened the Dark Portal with the Skull of Gul’dan, then entered Azeroth to obtain tools for a different set of gateways.
The targets were the Book of Medivh, the Eye of Dalaran and the Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras. Together with a coming celestial alignment, they offered the means to reach other worlds.
The Alliance learned that the raids were preparations for further invasions. Khadgar joined the expedition through the portal to stop the plan at its source. The defenders of Azeroth were now advancing into the homeland of the enemy.
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The Dragon and the Skull
Following the stolen relics forced the expedition to divide. Ner’zhul had handed the Skull of Gul’dan to Deathwing, separating it from the book the pursuers also needed. Khadgar, Turalyon and Alleria went after the dragon.
In the lands that would become part of Outland, the dragon’s brood had enemies of its own. The expedition found an opportunity in that conflict. Khadgar could not simply overpower Deathwing, but he could interfere with the armor holding the dragon’s damaged body together.
The resulting pain forced Deathwing to retreat and left the skull behind. Possessing it brought temptation as well as a practical advantage. Khadgar rejected its offer of power and returned to the urgent work of stopping the portals.
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The Shattering of Draenor
Khadgar and the expedition reached Ner’zhul too late to prevent the ritual. The Book of Medivh, Eye of Dalaran and Jeweled Scepter had served their purpose. Portals opened across Draenor, but their instability began tearing the world apart.
Ner’zhul escaped through a rift, abandoning those behind him. Khadgar recovered the book and used its knowledge with the Skull of Gul’dan to close the Dark Portal. The expedition stayed beyond it so the catastrophe would not spread into Azeroth.
The survivors endured the upheaval and returned to a shattered landscape: Outland. Their sacrifice had protected their home while cutting them off from it. On Azeroth, those who did not know they had survived remembered the missing expedition as heroes lost beyond the gate.
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The Price of the Skull
In Felwood, Illidan encountered an unexpected guide. Arthas, already a death knight, pointed him toward the Skull of Gul’dan. The Legion was using the relic’s power, and taking it would give Illidan the means to challenge Tichondrius.
Illidan chose to absorb that power. His body changed, taking on the wings, horns and hooves of a demon. With his new strength he destroyed Tichondrius, dealing a serious blow to the invasion. Arthas had helped turn one of the Legion’s weapons against its own commander.
For Illidan, victory proved the value of his methods. Malfurion saw the transformation as another surrender to corruption and banished him. The brothers agreed that the demons had to be stopped; they could not agree on what could be sacrificed to do it.
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An Eye Turned North
Kil’jaeden demanded the destruction of Ner’zhul, whose disobedience had made the Lich King a threat to his former master. Illidan accepted the task. The memories taken from the Skull gave him a route to a weapon powerful enough to attempt it.
With Vashj’s naga, Illidan entered the Tomb of Sargeras and claimed the Eye. Maiev followed him inside, but his escape left her companions trapped in the collapsing tomb. Her pursuit became inseparable from those losses.
At Dalaran, Illidan directed the Eye’s power toward Icecrown. The ritual threatened the land around the Frozen Throne as well as its prisoner. Malfurion, Maiev and Kael’thas intervened before the attack could finish. The artifact was destroyed and Illidan’s promise to Kil’jaeden remained unfulfilled.
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