Kael ' thas Sunstrider Kael ' thas " Kael " Sunstrider was a senior member of the Kirin Tor and the Prince of Quel ' Thalas , the last of the Sunstrider dynasty . After the fall of Quel ' Thalas , Kael ' thas led what remained of his people in the service of the Alliance . Striving to placate his people ' s addiction to magic , he later covertly allied with Illidan Stormrage , the Naga and the Burning Legion . He was branded a traitor after his allegiance with the Legion was revealed . Kael ' thas plotted to summon Kil ' jaeden through the Sunwell , but his plans were foiled by the Shattered Sun Offensive . He was defeated by their forces in Magisters ' Terrace . Kael ' thas is voiced by Quinton Flynn in " " and " " . Biography . Dalaran . Prince Kael ' thas was a powerful mage and member of the Six , the shadowy high council of the Kirin Tor . Prior to the Second War , he and the other members of the high council questioned Khadgar about the orcs and the events in Karazhan that led to the death of Medivh . During the Third War , with the Scourge invasion of Quel ' Thalas , he evacuated as many survivors as he could and burned many of the enchanted forests to spite the Scourge . He assumed command over the bulk of the surviving high elves ( " see the fall of Quel ' Thalas and Splintering " ) and renamed his followers blood elves in homage to their murdered brethren . He also managed to salvage the skull of his father , Anasterian , from the ruins of Quel ' Thalas , as well as the broken runeblade Felo ' melorn , which he later reforged . The Hunt for Illidan . Following the destruction of Silvermoon , Kael began to notice an emptiness within himself and his brethren , an insatiable hunger and disharmony . However , there was no time to deal with that , as Kael had other duties . Kael and his soldiers were stationed in the Silverpine Forest when a disturbance began to rile up the undead in and around Dalaran . They had begun to raid the outposts Kael had established , so he gathered up his forces to seek refuge in the relative safety on the other side of the River Arevass . As he was loading the supply wagons , he was met by two unexpected strangers , Maiev Shadowsong and Tyrande Whisperwind . These night elves had pursued Illidan Stormrage for three days across the sea . Kael guessed that perhaps Illidan was behind the disturbances at Dalaran , and when he told them his tale , Tyrande immediately offered her assistance , thinking that he could help them track down Illidan . Maiev believed it to be a waste of time , but reluctantly agreed . With the protection of the night elves and their Mountain Giant allies , Kael quickly made his way to Pyrewood Village to retrieve his buried supply caches . As they gathered more reinforcements , Maiev asked Kael where the rest of his brethren were , and he told them of the destruction of Quel ' Thalas . Tyrande empathized , but warned that vengeance and rage was not a pleasant road to walk . She also told him that one day he may lead his people to a better future . As they arrived in Pyrewood , the undead were lying in wait and ambushed the caravan . Kael , Maiev , Tyrande and their forces battled off the first attackers , but as the second wave advanced , they realized that the caravan would never survive another assault . Maiev and Kael rushed the caravan across the bridge , while Tyrande stayed to fend off the undead alone . As she called upon the powers of Elune to protect her , the bridge fell away , and Tyrande was swept down the river . Kael wanted to pursue her , but Maiev stopped him , saying that she was a warrior and knew the risks . Maiev then demanded that Kael honour their bargain , and help her capture Illidan . Kael and Maiev tracked Illidan to Dalaran , where Kael ' s scouts found him performing a strange ritual with a mysterious gem . Malfurion came and told them that Illidan ' s spell was using the Eye of Sargeras to break Northrend apart . Immediately , they advanced upon his location , while Kael defended their bases from the voracious undead . When Illidan ' s spell was interrupted , he explained that he was trying to defeat the undead , their common enemy . He had meant to destroy The Lich King at Icecrown Citadel . Malfurion refused to listen to his brother and condemned him for his part in Tyrande ' s death . Kael , perplexed , suggested that it was premature to assume she was dead , as she was only swept downriver , and was vehemently silenced by Maiev , who had told the Archdruid that his beloved had been " torn apart " . Malfurion , furious that he had been tricked , left Maiev entangled in vines while he and Illidan set off to save Tyrande . Maiev eventually freed herself and set off in pursuit , while Kael ' thas was left in the ruins of Dalaran . The Rise of the Blood Elves . Kael found the Grand Marshal Garithos at Dalaran , who dismissed his story of the night elves as a fanciful excuse . Garithos , Kael ' s commanding officer , harbored a poorly - hidden disdain for all non - human races . Garithos informed Kael that a strikeforce was encroaching on Dalaran , and that he was going to head them off at the mountains . Kael was quick to volunteer his assistance , but Garithos had other plans . He explained that a second force was believed to be approaching from the east , and that the arcane observatories needed repairs so that they could be used to spot them . Kael did as ordered , but when he came to Lordamere Lake , he found the shipyard ruined , and had no route across the water . Lady Vashj , a naga witch , soon arrived to offer her aid , citing their common ancestry . Vashj gave him boats , which Kael used to ferry his troops to the outlying observatories . When Garithos returned from the front , he condemned Kael for consorting with the naga , despite the prince ' s assurances that they were not a threat to the Alliance . Garithos warned Kael that he would not tolerate treason before leaving Kael to keep things in line at Dalaran . An emissary sent by Garithos arrived the next day with further orders , reporting that the observatories had detected an undead force in the west . Kael was to defeat them , though the emissary told him that Garithos had recalled all non - elven soldiers to the front line . Kael was left with only his fellow elves to aid him , and the undead were quick to overtake the outposts across the river . Once again , Lady Vashj arrived with her naga , and though Kael was wary of accepting her offer , she insisted that without her help , he and his brethren would surely fall . Realizing that it would be impossible to survive without these reinforcements , Kael accepted . Together they defeated the undead . After the battle , Kael told Vashj about how his people felt an emptiness ever since Quel ' thalas was destroyed . Vashj explained to Kael that just like the naga , his people were addicted to magic . Without the Sunwell to give them a constant supply of magical energies , they would surely suffer a fatal withdrawal . Kael heard Garithos approaching , and bid Vashj to flee , but Garithos ' men saw the naga escaping and arrested Kael and his people for treason . Garithos smugly told Kael that he now had all the proof he needed to deal with him and the other elves as he felt they deserved , and he had them all imprisoned in the Dungeons of Dalaran . Vashj crept in through the sewers of the dungeons and freed Kael , then helped him free his brethren . Vashj promised him escape from his human oppressors through Kel ' Thuzad ' s interdimensional portal , where her master , Illidan , was waiting on the other side . As they neared the exit , Kael met his former comrade , Jailor Kassan , who he was forced to slay in order to escape . The group eventually left the dungeons , and Kael led his fellow elves into the portal for a mass evacuation . Garithos , intent on preventing them from escaping , sent hordes of suicide bombers to destroy the portal . Fortunately , several elf workers were discovering new towers , which Kael used to defeat the increasingly stronger mercenaries . After all the elves went through the portal , Kael and Vashj entered the portal and closed it . Kael found himself on the barren lands of the Hellfire Peninsula , and Vashj revealed that this Outland was once the orcish homeland of Draenor . They searched for Illidan for days , until Vashj caught a familiar scent on the winds . Maiev had captured Illidan and was escorting him back to her base in a prison wagon . Kael and Vashj ' s forces quickly rushed into the fray and battled Maiev ' s army in order to retrieve the unconscious Illidan and return him to their base , where they could undo the magical lock that kept him caged . Illidan was pleased with the tenacity of all his servants , new and old alike , and told them of the situation in Outland . To flee from his vexed master , Kil ' jaeden , Illidan had fled to Outland only to find it overrun by Magtheridon and his fel orc s , reinforced by demons arriving through Ner ' zhul ' s dimensional gates . Kael had hoped Illidan might be able to cure the blood elves of their addiction to magic , and asked if he could help them . Illidan sadly told him that there was no cure for their condition , but promised Kael that if he joined him , he would provide the blood elves with enough magical energies to keep their hunger sated forever . Upon hearing this , Kael pledged his loyalty to Illidan . The blood elf Rommath was sent to spread Illidan ' s message of a new homeland to Quel ' Thalas . Kael and Vashj protected Illidan as he went about closing the interdimensional gateways . Kael discovered a camp of draenei being assaulted by orcs , and lent them his aid . He was greeted by Akama , the Elder Sage , who offered his allegiance to Illidan . Finally , the time came to assault Magtheridon ' s Black Temple . Illidan , Kael , Vashj , and Akama all led their forces against Magtheridon ' s fortress , infiltrating it and finally defeating Magtheridon in his own throne room . As Illidan stood triumphant , Kil ' jaeden descended from the fiery sky and rebuked Illidan for his insolence in trying to hide . The demon gave him one last chance to save himself - destroy the Frozen Throne , or face his eternal wrath . The attack against the Lich King . Kael and his new allies returned to Northrend , where they were immediately met by Anub ' arak and his troublesome race . Though they kept them at bay , Illidan ' s forces slowly advanced on the Icecrown Glacier . Arthas soon arrived with his detachment of undead . Kael , who had known the prince in the time before the war , warned him that Illidan ' s forces were vast , and that Arthas would never make it to Icecrown in time to save the Lich King . When Arthas emerged from Azjol ' Nerub , it was a race against time to reach the Frozen Throne before Illidan could . As Arthas and Illidan struggled to activate the obelisks surrounding the glacier , and open the gates into the Frozen Throne , Kael ' thas and Lady Vashj did their best to interrupt Arthas in his struggle . Kael ' thas and Arthas faced off against each other in combat several times , but Kael ' s forces were pushed back by the Scourge , and Arthas was able to activate all four obelisks . Arthas and Illidan met in single combat at the base of the glacier , just before the gates , now wide - open . After fierce combat , Arthas managed to get the best of Illidan , and Illidan ' s twitching body was tossed to the ground . Kael and Vashj were left leaderless on the snowy slopes of Icecrown as Arthas claimed his destiny . Together they took Illidan ' s unconscious body with them as they fled back to Outland . World of Warcraft : The Burning Crusade . The remaining blood elves on Azeroth , now without support from the Alliance , are looking desperately to the Horde to help them reach Outland , where they can reunite with Kael ' thas and achieve the golden destiny he promised them . Kael ' thas resides in the Eye of Tempest Keep , his citadel in Outland , floating among the ethereal islands of the Netherstorm . He leads various groups of blood elves in Outland , who are in the service of Illidan , Lord of Outland . The skull of his father is still in his possession and is among the artifacts that the red and green dragonflight s thought would be needed to restore the Sunwell . He also has in his possession one of the Vials of Eternity , as did Vashj . Lately , Kael ' s loyalty to Illidan is beginning to crumble , and there are very few - even among his own people - who would wish to join with his new allies . . . An Unholy Alliance . The Scryers discovered that Kael ' thas had turned his back on Illidan and with the Burning Legion . Kael ' thas , aware of Illidan ' s insanity ( brought on by his defeat at the hands of Arthas Menethil at Icecrown , nearly four years earlier ) , " switched paymasters accordingly " according to Magister Theledorn . Kael ' s decision to ally himself with the Burning Legion not only led him to betray Illidan , but also the Horde and his own people - the many blood elf pilgrims and adventurers traveling from Azeroth . At Manaforge Ara , agents of the Burning Legion bearing orders from Kael mingle with his Sunfury servitors . The Scryers , recognizing that Kael ' s mad bid for power would lead the blood elven race to doom , continued to fight against Kael ' thas and his Sunfury fanatics in the hope of saving their people . The Cipher of Damnation . Through spying on the Earthen Ring and their activities in Shadowmoon Valley , Kael ' thas gained the knowledge of the Cipher of Damnation . The Cipher of Damnation was used by Gul ' dan to sunder the orcs ' connection to the spirits of the land , and may have been the same as ( or similar to ) the spell uttered by Thaurissan when he summoned the fiery destroyer Ragnaros to Azeroth . Khadgar and A ' dal discovered the plans of Kael ' thas , and requested help from any able - bodied adventurers to prevent Kael ' thas from ever using the Cipher of Damnation . Through their efforts the cipher was recovered , depriving Kael ' thas of a powerful weapon . These brave adventurers were granted the key to Tempest Keep , and sent to dispatch Kael ' thas himself . Defeated . When Kael ' thas is defeated he falls to the floor and can be looted . However , it turns out that he is not truly dead — he returns to shout out a warning to everyone in Shattrath City when the heroes turns in proof of his " demise " : The Sun King Comes Home . Despite his defeat in Tempest Keep , Kael ' thas survived the ordeal with the aid of Priestess Delrissa and continued to advance the plans of his dark masters . His appearance , however was changed : his skin was sickly pale , and a crystal was lodged in his chest , and one of his Verdant Sphere s is gone , having been taken by those who defeated him previously . Having collected the necessary energies from his manaforges in Netherstorm , Kael ' thas returned to Quel ' Thalas to reinvigorate the Sunwell - not as the source of his people ' s magic , but rather as the mystic portal that will allow him to summon his new master , Kil ' jaeden , much as the Well of Eternity was used to summon Sargeras ten millennia before . Kael ' thas made his return as the final boss of the 5 - man Magisters ' Terrace dungeon on the Isle of Quel ' Danas . Before settling in , he and his new felblood elves assaulted the Blood Knight headquarters in Silvermoon and captured the naaru M ' uru , the source of the Blood Knights ' holy magic , and took the weakened naaru to the Sunwell Plateau . This led the Blood Knight Order and its leader , Lady Liadrin , to break off ties with the House of Sunstrider and swear allegiance to the Sha ' tar and the Shattered Sun Offensive in an effort to take revenge on the treacherous Prince . Inside the Terrace , the blue dragon Kalecgos ( in his half - elf form ) provides a quest , , that involves killing Kael ' thas and taking his head in order to attune players to the heroic mode for Magisters ' Terrace . Personality . All he feels now is hatred for the undead that ravaged his homeland , rage for the Alliance he feels failed his people , desperation over his people ' s collective addiction to magic , and grief for his ravaged kingdom . However , he is proficient in siphoning magical energies from demons to feed his addiction and has taught his brethren to do the same . Lately his hunger for magic has clouded his judgment . Kael ' thas , though judged and seen as a madman , is merely a misguided leader , who will stop at nothing to save his people , even if that means the slaughter of his former followers and allies . Crowned ? Kael ' thas , as the last known surviving member of the Sunstrider dynasty , is the heir to the high elven crown but has yet to take it . Instead , he styles himself as the " Lord of the blood elves " . Royal status . There has been speculation as to whether or not Kael ' thas was ever officially crowned King of Quel ' Thalas . The blood elves in Silvermoon still refer to him as " Prince Kael ' thas " , as do certain members of his own forces ( Ambassador Solannas and Warden Mellichar , to name a few ) . However , the Burning Crusade brings the question to center stage , with two discoveries in the Draenei starting zones - one in Azuremyst Isle , and one in Bloodmyst Isle . On Azuremyst Isle , a set of orders were sent to Engineer " Spark " Overgrind , a gnome working with the Venture Co . to steal the Exodar . In discussion with the goblin Geezle , Overgrind asked the Venture camp leader if he knew what Kael ' thas did to people who failed him - implying that the gnome envoy was in fact a servitor of Kael ' thas . After killing Overgrind , draenei players discover a set of orders given to Overgrind in regards to stealing the Exodar , a component of Tempest Keep , back from the draenei . It makes several mentions of a " Master " and it is signed " King Sunstrider " . After Overgrind is confronted with the knowledge that he is a traitor to the Alliance , he cackles and confirms that he is a , asking the player " Does it frighten you to know that there are those that would serve the Legion with such devotion as to remain unwavering citizens of your pointless civilizations until called upon ? " Another indication that Kael ' thas officially took the throne is from a Sunhawk missive , found by draenei players on the bodies of blood elf spies in Bloodmyst Isle — translated so that it can be read by the player — before bringing it to Velen in the Exodar . It also mentions a " Master " and is signed by Kael ' thas himself . The missive details Kael ' thas ' plan to send reinforcements to the islands to retake the Exodar and bring it back to Tempest Keep . It begins with " Declaration from the Sun King " and reads in full : The " sun portal " in question is located near the crashed remnants of the Vector Coil in western Bloodmyst . The possibility also exists that Kael ' thas has been referring to himself as king without having ever been officially crowned . This is supported by the fact that the only references to Kael ' thas as king are made by himself , while everyone else calls him prince . The Prince and the Sorceress . Shrouded in rumor for years , the nature of Kael and Jaina ' s relationship was finally revealed in Kael ' s biography in the Warcraft Encyclopedia : Unrequited " A wizard of great skill and power , [ Kael ] became a high - ranking member of the Kirin Tor . His continuing magical studies brought him to the Violet Citadel , where he met Lady Jaina Proudmoore while she was still an apprentice . He was immediately drawn to the brilliant and lovely teenager , though the difference between their ages filled him with guilt and self - doubt . Eventually he courted her ; however , he had little success in winning her regard . She remained dedicated to her craft above all else . " " When rumors began to circulate that Jaina had given her heart to Prince Arthas Menethil , Kael ' thas was deeply grieved . In time Jaina and Arthas parted ways , but it was all too obvious to Kael ' thas that they still cherished feelings for one another . Kael ' thas and Jaina would never have more than an awkward friendship . " The love triangle of Arthas , Kael ' thas , and Jaina is fleshed out in the novel " " . Quotes . Sunwell Trailer . Kael ' thas narrates the trailer for " Fury of the Sunwell " , which is patch 2 . 4 . 0 . " It was called the Sunwell . . . " " A sacred fount of untold power , it saturated every fiber of our being . In the warmth of its glow , we thrived . . . until the shadow of death fell upon us . " " Only after the Sunwell ' s destruction did we realize how dependent we ' d become upon its magic , how much we needed to feed ! In the wake of our devastation , I named our people " sin ' dorei " - blood elves . My people turned to me for answers . I promised them a cure . Strangely , we found deliverance in the demon Illidan . Illidan offered new sources of arcane power , and so I joined him in Outland - pledging to return one day to lead our people to glory ! " " But Illidan ' s agenda was short - sighted . I grew impatient . In secret , I began harvesting what energies I could . I had a brief taste of TRUE power . . . before it was taken from me ! " " But . . . all is not lost . The Sunwell ' s essence endured , kept hidden by those who sought to protect it . Now , I have returned with the knowledge that sacrifices must be made before we can reclaim our birthright . I have forged a new alliance . Soon , the blessed rays of the Sunwell will shine once again , and usher into this world the one . . . who will deliver us all . " Magister ' s Terrace . " Don ' t look so smug ! I know what you ' re thinking , but Tempest Keep was merely a set back . Did you honestly believe I would trust the future to some blind , half - night elf mongrel ? Hahahaha . . . Oh no , no , no , he was merely an instrument , a stepping stone to a much larger plan ! It has all led to this . . . and this time , you will not interfere ! " A much more heated quote is heard upon his death : On Death : " My demise accomplishes nothing ! The master will have you ! You will drown in your own BLOOD ! ! THE WORLD SHALL BURN ! ! ! WAAARRGHH ! ! ! " The phrase " merely a setback " has become a common utterance by players discussing potential future dungeons and raids , often with the joking implication that Kael ' thas will somehow return . TCG . " Welcome … to the future . A pity you are too late to stop it . No one can stop me now ! Selama ashal ' anore ! "