abstract
| - Once a proud high elf warrior, Vyndrinar enjoyed a quiet life in the peaceful woods of Quel'Thalas. However, in the aftermath of the Third War, the elves were cut off from their source of magic, the Sunwell. After Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider pledged allegiance to Illidan Stormrage in order to grant his people a new source of magic, the elves sought to avenge their fallen brethren. An army of blood elves and high elves, Vyndrinar and his mother, Succoria, among them, went to Northrend in an attempt to destroy the Lich King, thereby avenging their fallen. After Arthas ultimately defeated Kael'Thas and his army, the expedition's few survivors were scattered across the frozen wastes. One by one, Arthas hunted down the remaining survivors, killing them and raising the most powerful ones into his service as Darkfallen of the San'layn. Vyndrinar and his mother were among the last the be turned, but they put up quite a fight against The Lich King. Succoria, a very powerful warlock was shown to be an extremely formidable opponent; though, she was ultimately slain. Vyndrinar, furious at the death of his mother, came at Arthas with all he had, but he too, faced the same fate as she. Arthas, somewhat impressed by their sheer force of will and strength, raised them into his service as well. Succoria was appointed a Noble, directly in service to the Blood-Queen Lana'thel herself. Vyndrinar was made a Commander, leading the Scourge forces from within the Crimson Hall of Icecrown Citadel. Their time in the Citadel came to be very beneficial; Succoria was taught to use blood magics, eventually becoming the Blood-Queen's head Vampire, known as the "White-Winged Death." Vyndrinar was instructed in the dark arts, including necrotic abilities as well as shadow spells, making him one of the most powerful death knights the Scourge had in their arsenal. As the assault on Icecrown Citadel began to take place, the San'layn stood ready in the Crimson Hall. As the first wave of warriors approached, the Darkfallen dispatched them with little difficulty; but as the attacks grew fiercer, the San'layn began to fall. Word eventually came that the Blood Prince Council had failed, and that the attack was to soon be brought to the Blood-Queen. Vyndrinar stationed his unit on the ramp leading up to the Queen; sure enough, the heroes of the Argent Crusade and Ebon Blade arrived. Vyndrinar and his men fought brutally, slaughtering many of the intruders, but a small group managed to break through their line. They engaged the Blood-Queen and her Vampires, including Succoria. Vyndrinar kept his eye on the group fighting the blood queen, determined not to let any other attackers join in. As the onslaught of attacks ceased, Vyndrinar and (what was left of) his unit hurried to assist the Blood-Queen, but they were too late. Many of her Vampires had died, and the Blood-Queen was quickly weakening. Succoria still fought hard, slaying many of the assaulters, but she was soon overwhelmed; three warriors attacked her at once, delivering powerful strikes to her back and chest. She fell to the ground, her blood pouring out onto the floor. Vyndrinar had seen everything; he roared in rage, mercilessly killing any warrior that approached him. Before he could reach his fallen mother, her soul rose from her body, flying towards Vyndrinar. Her soul entered his body, infusing him with all her power. Vyndrinar struggled as claws grew on his fingertips and his ears shortened. He held his face and took a few steps closer to his mother's corpse, stepping into the puddle of her blood. Suddenly, the blood rushed up his leg and into his wounds, healing them shut. He looked at his hands and raised his head with a devilish smirk, his eyes now glowing blood red. He rose his glaive and continued to slaughter the intruders, but his attempt to quell the attack was futile. The Blood-Queen, fell to the ground, dead. Vyndrinar looked to his other Darkfallen and gave the order to retreat. The remaining San'layn fled the Citadel, taking reprieve in the harsh snow of Icecrown. Vyndrinar was the highest ranking Darkfallen among those that remained, and thus was appointed the leader of the samll group. Taking his brethren to Scourgeholme, Vyndrinar began criticizing the Lich King's leadership, saying that he "cowered on his throne while the rest of us fought for our lives." After several hours of discussion, the San'layn came to a consensus: those former High Elves would attempt to rejoin either the Alliance of the Horde, but not under the San'layn name; that name held them as slaves, nothing more than Scourge filth. So, they would go by a new name... The Bloodshadow Dark Elves. With the Lich King's death, many of the Scourge forces found themselves 'unemployed;' some just regained control of their souls and had their memories returned. The latter was the case for Vyndrinar and his Dark Elves. Striking them all like a tidal wave, the Dark Elves were assaulted by visions of the atrocities they comitted. Vyndrinar saw these visions as even more of a reason to stray away from their past, and move on to a brighter future. Weeks past, and Vyndrinar, accompanied by two of his enforcers, was finally on his way to have an audience with King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind. As they approached the gate to the city, they were immediately halted by a small group of guards. Explaining that they only sought to have an audience with the king, the guards cautiously agreed to their request. As Vyndrinar and his enforcers walked through the city, they were taunted and heckled by the citizens. Ignoring these ignorant fools, Vyndrinar proceeded into the king's chamber. After giving him his story and explaining his situation, Vyndrinar was not only turned away, but threatened to leave by the king himself. Having failed to rejoin the Alliance, Vyndrinar began his journey to the Undercity. The Dark Elves rode for days on their cloven-hoofed steeds before they finally reached Tirisfal Glades. Once they arrived at the entrance to the Undercity, they were once again stopped by guards. Yet again, Vyndrinar explained that all he wanted was an audience with the Banshee Queen and his request was warily accepted. As he and his enforecers walked into Sylvanas' chamber, they bowed graciously. Vyndrinar reiterated what he had explained to King Varian, and although Sylvanas was much more composed than the king, she denied them access into the Horde, as did Lor'themar Theron of the Blood Elves. Vyndrinar and his Dark Elves, now with nowhere to go, no place in the world, were outraged. They hid out in an abandoned tower in the ruins of Lordaeron above the Undercity, a place that, to this very day, they call home. Vyndrinar vowed that both the Alliance and Horde would pay for their cruelty to the Dark Elves in their time of need. They rebuilt the inside of their tower in the image of the Crimson Halls in Icecrown, and practiced their dark magics in the confines of its walls. Every so often, a small group of Dark Elves will emerge from the tower in search of more refugees of the San'layn. Searching Horde and Alliance cities disguised as Death Knights, the survivors they did find were persuaded to come to Vyndrinar's tower. There, rallies were held in which Vyndrinar would deliver his speech ((see top of the page)), persuading his bretheren to join him. Setting his sights on the land northwest of the Eastern Plaguelands, Vyndrinar has continued to rebuild his race, now claiming to be a god among his people. Soon enough, the Bloodshadow Dark Elves will emerge from hiding, and the Son of Succoria, Prince Vyndrinar Bloodshadow, will leave nothing but blood-soaked corpses in his wake...
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