"Yes! Azeroth is currently experiencing disasters everywhere," Galen continued, his voice firm. "In recent days, I have coordinated the Cenarion Circle and the Sisters of Elune to provide disaster relief for the earthquakes and tsunamis in various places. I have finally freed up my hands to deal with the invasion of the Firelands. Shandris, it's your turn to speak!"
Though Galen Remar now stood as the undisputed leader of the night elves, he had not drastically altered their societal structure. The night elves remained a theocracy. The Cenarion Circle continued its work, primarily guided by Fandral and Broll, while the priests of the Temple of the Moon found their leadership in the combined efforts of Shandris and Maiev.
Shandris Feathermoon stepped forward, her movements precise and respectful, bowing to the assembled Wild Gods. "I have already assembled the sentinels and druid forces at various key points on Mount Hyjal," she announced, her voice clear and unwavering. "All roads leading down the mountain have been sealed, ensuring the safety of this sacred area. To ensure everything is foolproof, General Vashj'ir and I will jointly guard the east and west passes."
Galen then laid out his audacious plan. "My idea is very simple. Shandris will lead the army to hold back the fire elementals, creating a defensive line here. Meanwhile, I will organize an elite team to directly raid the Firelands and kill Ragnaros on his throne!"
The assembled demigods understood the profound implications. An elemental killed in its native plane had no chance of resurrection; its essence was extinguished forever. With this grim knowledge, they offered no objections to Galen's daring strategy.
"Next, let me introduce the information we have gathered," Fandral Staghelm continued, picking up seamlessly from his mentor. "We have also found crucial allies in this fight: the Dark Iron dwarves and the shamans of the Earthen Ring. From them, we have learned much about the fiery heart of the elemental plane."
The Archdruid opened his palm, and a shimmering memory stone activated, projecting a vivid image into the air.
The first image to appear was a monstrous spider, its chitinous body covered in molten magma. "This is Beth'tilac, the Crag Mother of the Widowmakers," Fandral explained, his voice grave. "She guards the western reaches of the Firelands. She and her grotesque offspring sustain themselves by draining the magma and flames from the remnants of other fire elementals. She is a cruel and vicious hunter, a predator of the molten depths."
The image shifted, replaced by a colossal lava giant, its form a churning mass of molten rock and searing heat. "This is Lord Rhyolith, who sits in the Flame Mountains in the east of the Firelands," Fandral continued. "He originated from the primordial flames that birthed Azeroth itself. It is said he is one of the oldest elemental creatures within the Firelands. This behemoth is highly valued by Ragnaros and is responsible for forging new elementals within the Firelands. His heart seethes with an ancient hatred for the Titans, making him one of the most chaotic elemental demigods among Ragnaros's guardians."
The scene changed again, revealing a host of serpentine, humanoid figures, their forms wreathed in flames. "Next are the elemental guardian armies of the Firelands: the Flamewakers," Fandral elaborated. "They are ubiquitous throughout the Firelands, a species personally created by Ragnaros himself. It is rumored they were modeled after the sea creature naga. Like those naga, the Flamewakers are also cruel and cunning creatures."
The mention of the naga caused a ripple of unease through the gathering. Even the ancient Wild Gods remembered Queen Azshara, whose arrogance and betrayal had plunged Azeroth into the devastating War of the Ancients.
Fandral paused, a moment of silence hanging in the air, before a new image solidified. "The most noteworthy of the Flamewakers is Shannox, Ragnaros's chief huntsman. He and his two hounds, Riphide and Rageface, are responsible for patrolling the entirety of the Firelands, ensuring no unauthorized entry."
"Finally," Fandral concluded, the image settling on a towering, armored figure of pure flame, "we have Gatekeeper Baleroc. If we are to enter Ragnaros's inner sanctum, Sulfuron Keep, we must first defeat Baleroc, who stands guard at the entrance to the Sulfuron Bridge. This formidable entity rose to fame in the elemental wars of ancient Azeroth and is a truly powerful fire elemental warrior!"
As time wore on, the very air around Mount Hyjal grew heavy, the temperature climbing relentlessly.
Galen had meticulously integrated the assembled Sentinel forces and the Druids of the Teron into a unified fighting force: the Hyjal Guardians Legion. Fandral Staghelm was appointed its formidable Legion Commander, with Shandris Feathermoon and Vashj'ir serving as his capable assistants. Broll Bearmantle was entrusted by Galen with the vital role of Quartermaster, responsible for coordinating the entire Legion's immense logistical needs.
With each passing day, the animals inhabiting the sacred mountain grew increasingly agitated. No matter how diligently Cenarius's offspring, including the gentle Mylune and her little deer sisters, attempted to soothe them, their efforts proved futile. Their distress was a palpable sign of the encroaching threat.
Subsequently, small, inexplicable volcanic eruptions began to scar the landscape, spewing forth torrents of fire elementals that immediately ignited the surrounding forests. Fortunately, the night elf army, strategically positioned across Mount Hyjal, was prepared. They moved with swift precision, extinguishing the elemental threats and dousing the nascent fires, preventing what could have been catastrophic losses.
This was no mere natural phenomenon. Fandral, ever vigilant, discerned a sinister, unseen force at play: the Twilight's Hammer. They had infiltrated Mount Hyjal, their dark magic obscuring the vision of Sentinel scouts and storm druids, secretly fanning the flames of the elemental invasion. When they burned the earth, they ensured that not a single living plant remained in the ashes, a chilling act of preparation for the full-scale invasion of the Firelands.
Thankfully, Mount Hyjal was not without its natural allies. The druids appealed to the ethereal Faerie Dragons that danced around Nordrassil. These shimmering creatures, with their innate ability to pierce illusions, aided the Hyjal Guardians in seeing through the enemy's deceptions and cleansing the insidious agents lurking in the shadows.
The night elves' stringent defenses proved highly successful, but everyone knew this was merely the prelude. The true crisis loomed, drawing closer with each passing moment. The night elf civilians, who had initially resisted leaving their beloved Mount Hyjal, were now forcibly, but without complaint, relocated to the relative safety of Ashenvale. Galen had personally explained the dire reason for the Fire Lord's invasion, ensuring their understanding.
The reason Ragnaros sought to connect the Firelands to Mount Hyjal was simple: the spatial barrier in this particular area was more fragile than anywhere else on Azeroth. This vulnerability was a direct consequence of the cataclysmic explosion years prior, the immense energy unleashed to obliterate Archimonde having left the space around the World Tree Nordrassil's valley incredibly delicate, easily breached with minimal external force.
In truth, the Fire Lord's ultimate desire was to raise his kingdom to Blackrock Mountain, not only to incinerate the treacherous Dark Iron dwarves and their kingdom but also to merge the Firelands with the Molten Core, thereby exponentially amplifying his fiery power. However, Aegwynn's desperate sealing of the rift in the Molten Core all those years ago had been a definitive act, leaving Ragnaros no hope of ever returning to that domain.
By July of the twenty-third year of the Dark Portal, the hottest time of year across the Eastern and Western continents, the temperature on Mount Hyjal had soared to an unprecedented 60 degrees Celsius, a historical anomaly for the night elves.
"Mentor," Fandral voiced his concern, his usual impatience tempered by respect. He had spent days battling infernos, his nerves frayed. "If such high temperatures persist, I fear our forests will not survive!"
"Be calm, Fandral." Galen moved to the temple window, gazing out towards the southern foothills of Mount Hyjal. "Notify them immediately. Elemental activity at the Shrine of Malorne is unusually active. I suspect Ragnaros will choose that place as the connection point between the Firelands and Azeroth. The moment the Firelands manifest, launch the full army to block it."
Fandral's eyes gleamed with fierce excitement. "Ah ha! Those damned fire elementals, they're finally here! I can't wait to start killing!" He clenched his fists, then unconsciously ran a hand across his forehead, where two facial markings were drawn with special paint.
Galen glanced sideways, a faint chuckle in his heart. Fandral believed his secret was safe, but the tale of his singed eyebrows, a casualty of a recent elemental skirmish, had already spread throughout the night elf high command.
"Go now. Tell Shandris and Vashj'ir that I expect no fire elementals to breach Ashenvale. Otherwise, they can join Maiev and Fandral in purifying the desert!"
"No problem! I will warn them."
Fandral departed, energized by the command. Galen, meanwhile, moved to assemble his elite demigod strike team, awaiting the imminent eruption of the Firelands.
The members of this formidable Wild God Strike Team included the fierce wolf god Goldrinn, the powerful wild boar demigod Agamaggan, the steadfast bear demigod Ursol, the agile panther demigod Ashamane, and finally, Galen himself.
Other revered figures like the Sky Mother Aviana, the eagle demigod Ohn'ahra, the nature demigod Cenarius, and the ancient turtle demigod Tortolla were excluded from this direct assault due to their less offensive combat capabilities. As for Ursoc, his combat role overlapped with Agamaggan's, and Galen saw no need for two primary "meat shields."
Cenarius watched, astonished, at the demigods' unusual obedience. Even Ursoc, who had been politely sidelined, accepted the decision without complaint. Cenarius knew that even he, with all his ancient wisdom and prestige, could not command such unwavering loyalty. During the War of the Ancients, it was only the overwhelming threat of the Burning Legion that had compelled the Wild Gods to temporarily unite under the resistance's banner. Even then, Agamaggan had charged ahead, and the bear brothers had fought largely independently.
For this, Cenarius could only sigh, acknowledging that his "little disciple" had truly surpassed him. A new generation, indeed, was rising to lead.
From the southern foothills of Mount Hyjal, hundreds of fiery meteors erupted, streaking across the sky in a terrifying, incandescent shower. "It's here!" Galen murmured, his gaze fixed on the Temple of Malorne's peak, where colossal fireballs clawed their way from the earth. This was the cataclysmic fusion of the Firelands and Azeroth's fragile barrier, the culmination of a long, tense wait. Ragnaros, the Firelord, could hold back no longer.
For days, the night elf sentinels and the war druids of the Cenarion Circle had been on a knife's edge, every moment anticipating the Firelands' invasion. Yet, the presence of their beloved leader and the formidable Wild Gods instilled a profound confidence in the soldiers. Even Galen Stormblade himself felt a surge of impatience. With Skywall pacified, the Firelands were next, followed by the looming threats of Deepholm and the Abyssal Maw. Fully armed, his nearly three-meter frame clad in the imposing Nordrassil set, Galen cut a majestic figure. Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker hung at his waist, and the Earthscale Bulwark rested securely on his back. Behind him, the elite Wild God strike team—Goldrinn the White Wolf, Agamaggan the Wild Boar, Ursol the Great Bear, and Ashamane the Panther—stood ready.
Boom!
A deluge of fireballs slammed into the landscape, incinerating everything flammable. Fortunately, anticipating Ragnaros's chosen invasion point, Galen had ordered Fandral Staghelm to create a firebreak, isolating the southern foothills of Mount Hyjal from the north. However, the next moment, Fandral watched in horror as the fireballs not only burned but melted the very ground and rocks into churning magma, which then began to spread relentlessly north, east, and west. Trees caught in its path hissed, then vanished in a burst of inferno. The night elves, having long abandoned arcane and elemental magic in favor of Elune's divine arts and nature magic, found themselves tragically outmatched by the raw, unbridled power of fire. Yet, this loss was deemed acceptable. Once Ragnaros and the Firelands were purged, the druids could replant a new forest in mere minutes.
"Rumble!"
With an explosion that tore through the clouds, a colossal fissure ripped open on the southern foothills of Mount Hyjal. Amidst a geyser of erupting magma, the passage to the Firelands slowly, agonizingly, squeezed its way into Azeroth's reality.
Poof!
A soft, almost inaudible hum, perceptible only to Galen, marked the moment. It was a whisper from the world itself, signifying the complete, terrifying connection of the Firelands to Azeroth. A towering spire, forged of molten rock and searing flame, slowly ascended from the magma: the Sulfuron Spire, the highest edifice in Ragnaros's infernal palace.
"Minions of the Firelands, attack! Burn everything in this world! Fire will purify everything! Nothing can stop the coming of the flames!"
As Ragnaros's thunderous proclamation echoed, the Fire Elemental army poured forth from the Sulfuron Spire in a frantic, unstoppable torrent. This infernal host included pure fire elementals, firestorm elementals (a terrifying fusion of fire and wind), torrent of flame elementals (a brutal combination of fire and earth), and packs of snarling lava hounds. Alongside them, countless Twilight's Hammer cultists, their deceptive illusions shed, joined the elemental onslaught, reveling in the destruction of sacred Mount Hyjal.
From the vantage point of the Temple of Malorne, the once-lush southern foothills of Mount Hyjal had vanished. With the Sulfuron Spire as its epicenter, the surrounding landscape had transformed into a molten purgatory. From the east, stretching to Whisper Gulch, and west, reaching the outskirts of Essina's Enclave and even the Duskhaven Lake (where Tortolla resided), scorched earth, charred soil, and blackened rock walls now dominated the horizon. The entire southern line of Mount Hyjal had been consumed by the Twilight's Hammer and the Fire Elementals.
At this critical juncture, Fandral Staghelm transformed into a storm crow, rushing to Galen's side. He was there to confirm the next phase of their plan. Galen gazed deeply at his disciple, whom he had allowed to develop freely, a stark contrast to his original destiny. In the unaltered timeline, Fandral would have replaced Exoroth, the manager who perished in the Molten Core, becoming the new manager of the Firelands, guarding the courtyard of Sulfuron Keep for Ragnaros. Because of Galen's intervention, Fandral's fate had been rewritten. He had not lost his beloved son and granddaughter; instead, he continued to serve as the marshal of the night elf army, his family thriving. Given the night elf race's deep-seated aversion to arcane energy and elemental spells, Fandral would likely never embrace flame druidism in this new reality. The terrifying forms of the flame panther and poison scorpion would never grace the stage of Azeroth.
Amidst these myriad thoughts, Galen spoke to Fandral: "The following is up to you, Fandral. Go forth and show your talents!"
"Yes! Teacher! I will definitely not let you down!" Fandral, his heart pounding with anticipation, had been waiting for these words. He turned, transforming once more into a storm crow, and soared towards the front lines.
In the valley northwest of the Firelands, where the temple of the turtle demigod Tortolla once stood, the landscape had become a scorched scar. The old turtle and his descendants had been forced to retreat to the more distant Duskhaven Lake. When Fandral landed here, Tortolla immediately crawled out of the lake with an uncharacteristic urgency.
"Druid, has Galen Stormblade issued the order to attack?"
"The time has come. The mentor has allowed us to advance into the Firelands!" Though Fandral didn't fully grasp Tortolla's eagerness, he patiently replied.
"That's good, I will immediately summon my descendants!" Without waiting for Fandral's reaction, the turtle demigod plunged back into Duskhaven Lake.
Fandral, a little bewildered, turned to Maiev, who stood silently in the corner. "Ms. Maiev, what's wrong with Lord Tortolla? He's so eager today; it doesn't match his slow and leisurely character."
"Telope was captured by the Twilight cultists," Maiev's cold voice emerged from beneath her owl-shaped helmet. Telope, Tortolla's eldest son, possessed pure blood. Though he hadn't ascended to demigod status, his racial advantages had allowed him to remain with the night elves on Mount Hyjal for thousands of years. His rescue was paramount, as his prolonged captivity would undoubtedly affect the morale of the night elf army.
Fandral paused, then quickly regained his composure, issuing the command for the night elf army to advance into the Firelands.
The army's initial assault proceeded smoothly. The fire elemental forces on the periphery were relatively weak, primarily composed of low-intelligence secondary fire elementals and ordinary scorching fire imps. Under the leadership of Claw Druid Shawn Moonclaw and Broll Bearmantle, the night elf army advanced steadily. With the crucial assistance of ample moonwell water, they swiftly occupied the Flame Scar on the east side of Duskhaven Lake.
Fandral, emboldened by their success, pressed the attack. Under his command, the army pushed deep into the core of the Firelands. However, their rapid advance proved to be their undoing. At a critical moment, the leaders of the local Twilight cultists—the two-headed ogre Gargar and the Twilight Dragon Mother Ceth'ella—launched a devastating flanking maneuver with their reinforcements, severing the night elf army's supply lines. By this point, the skies above the Firelands swarmed with countless Twilight whelps, while the ground teemed with ogres and faceless ones, vile servants of the Old Gods. This forced Fandral to order a tactical retreat back to the Flame Scar to regroup.
The night elf army's first assault on the Firelands had failed, a direct consequence of their commander's impatience and underestimation of the enemy. Fandral was consumed by annoyance. After painful reflection, he adjusted his mentality, dispatching a vast network of scouts to thoroughly re-investigate the enemy's positions and strengths.
Not long after, at Fandral's summons, Skycaller Omurom arrived with a host of raptor druids at the Molten Front. Simultaneously, Emerald Dragon Princess Mylune led the Emerald Dragonflight in a sweeping aerial assault against the Twilight whelps. The battle raged not only in the skies but also on the ground, where Maiev Shadowsong personally led her Shadow Watchers into the fray on the Molten Front.
A new hunt had begun.