Sylvanas Windrunner Sylvanas Windrunner ( " the Dark Lady , Queen of the Forsaken " ) is the former Ranger - General of Silvermoon . She currently serves as leader of the Forsaken faction of undead and Warchief of the Horde after the Battle on the Broken Shore . She is the middle sister of Alleria and Vereesa Windrunner . When Arthas Menethil and the Scourge came to Quel ' Thalas for the Sunwell , Sylvanas attempted to defend her homeland . After fighting and losing at every turn to his forces , Arthas killed her . In revenge for her stubbornness , he severed her soul from her body , forcing her to serve him and aid him in the destruction of her beloved city . During the time when the Lich King was losing grasp on his undead minions , Sylvanas gained her free will and plotted against him in Lordaeron with the help of the Nathrezim . After her assassination attempt failed , she turned her attention to claiming Lordaeron for herself . She bent the dreadlord , Varimathras , to her will and , with the help of the human remnants led by lord Garithos , killed Balnazzar and Detheroc . With the death of the dreadlords and Garithos , together with the disbanding of the human remnants , Sylvanas was able to claim Lordaeron and made her home under the former Capital City , naming it " The Undercity . " Biography . Ranger - General of Silvermoon . Sylvanas is a member of the prominent Windrunner family of the high elves . Her siblings are Alleria , Vereesa , and at least two brothers ( one named Lirath and the other possibly named Sylvos ) . Her family lived at Windrunner Spire in the tranquil forests of Quel ' Thalas . Sylvanas joined the ranger s and eventually became their leader , rising to the rank of Ranger - General of Silvermoon , military leader of all high elven forces . The Second War . During the Second War , the high elves initially sent only token support to the Alliance , though Sylvanas ' older sister , Alleria , took her squad of rangers as well . Soon after , the forests of Quel ' Thalas mysteriously began to burn . Sylvanas and her rangers set out to discover the cause when she came across both her sisters being chased by a band of forest trolls , which they quickly dispatched . Alleria alerted Sylvanas of the coming orcish Horde , and that it was they who were burning Quel ' Thalas with dragon fire . Sylvanas and her rangers raced to meet the Horde to trap them against the Alliance forces under the command of the paladin , Turalyon . The battle took many turns , but ultimately the Horde abandoned Quel ' Thalas . Sylvanas stayed behind to hunt down any remaining orcs . Shortly after , the Horde was defeated , the Dark Portal was destroyed , and the Second War had ended . Invasion of the Undead Scourge . After the high elves withdrew from the Alliance , Sylvanas and her Rangers were the primary guard against any would - be attackers on Silvermoon . Despite the odd forest troll , murloc , or gnoll every now and then , Sylvanas saw little action , and a peaceful tranquillity descended upon the forests . She remained ever vigilant , knowing that this peace — however refreshing — was tenuous at best . Her fears were soon realized when Arthas , the betrayer of Lordaeron , arrived unexpectedly on the doorstep of Quel ' Thalas with a horde of undead at his back . He attacked outlying villages and Sylvanas and her Ranger Corps moved against him . His superior numbers and tireless warriors always kept her in a state of retreat . Arthas continued relentlessly towards the Elfgate , killing every elf who got in his way . Finally , despite Sylvanas ' best efforts , he breached the Outer Elfgate . Sylvanas ordered the corps to immediately fall back to the Inner Gate , which was only passable with the use of the Key of the Three Moons , assembled from the Mooncrystals hidden within the forest . Sylvanas destroyed the bridge leading to the Inner Gate to stay his advance . Despite her valiant efforts , Arthas managed to recover the Key of the Three Moons and destroyed the Inner Elfgate . Nothing stood in his way to Silvermoon . Death . Sylvanas gathered her forces to warn Silvermoon , but Arthas blocked her passage at every turn , murdering every runner she tried to get through . Sylvanas continued the resistance , but eventually was targeted . Arthas ' s army overran her base of operations and the death knight singled her out in the heat of battle . The two dueled , and Sylvanas was cut down . The Banshee Queen . The official story given by the high elves of Silvermoon had the Ranger - General perishing valiantly in battle against the undead Scourge in the defense of Quel ' Thalas , with her body burned to ashes in the fire that had devastated half the capital . The true story was quite different . Sylvanas was not killed , but captured . Barely clinging to life , she was brought before Arthas . She struggled , saying she deserved a clean death , but Arthas , having had to fight her every step of the way , responded by telling her after what she had put him through , the last thing he would give her was that peace . He desecrated her spirit , corrupting her body and soul , and brought her back as a whirlwind of torment and hatred . Thus , she became the first of the high elven banshees . Sylvanas , now undead , was a complete and total slave to the Lich King . She aided him in assaulting Silvermoon in order to secure the legendary Sunwell for the Scourge . Her mangled body was sealed in an iron coffin by Arthas as a way to further torture the ranger . Sylvanas became one of Arthas ' primary generals . She remained behind in Lordaeron with Kel ' Thuzad under the watchful eye of the dreadlords , who had been stationed in Lordaeron to protect it in the name of the Burning Legion . At some point during this time , Sylvanas succeeded in using her abilities as a banshee to repossess her corpse , becoming a corporeal undead creature . She learned of Archimonde ' s defeat at the Battle of Mount Hyjal from Kel ' Thuzad , keeping the information from the dreadlords . Varimathras , Detheroc , and Balnazzar , the three prime dreadlords overseeing Lordaeron , were convening under Sylvanas ' watchful eye when Arthas stormed into the stronghold , fresh from his journey to Kalimdor . He informed them of the Legion ' s failure and his intentions to take control of the Scourge . The dreadlords fled , outraged but unwilling to risk their lives by battling the new King of Lordaeron . Arthas approached his servants and ordered that Lordaeron be purged of all life as a tribute to Ner ' zhul . Kel ' Thuzad informed him that human refugees had begun to flee from the outer villages . Should they escape into the mountain passes , they would be impossible to track . Arthas stationed himself and his two generals at the three possible escape routes . Each leading detachments of undead troops , they took great pains to ensure that few , if any , made it past their blockade to safety . Despite the efforts of the paladin , Dagren the Orcslayer , and his companions , Sylvanas led her banshees in the destruction of all the remaining villages in her area , slaughtering any human trying to escape . Finally , she , Arthas , and Kel ' Thuzad arrived at the central headquarters of the paladins and killed them all in a vicious battle , annihilating the last of the civilian presence in Lordaeron . The Dark Lady . Around this time , the weakened Ner ' zhul began to lose control of the minds of Sylvanas and a number of banshees . She kept this discovery from Arthas and Kel ' Thuzad while continuing to serve . The dreadlords contacted Sylvanas and explained that they knew the cause and arranged a secret meeting with her . They told her that Ner ' zhul ' s — and by extension Arthas ' — powers were diminishing . The nathrezim intended to use this opportunity to seize control of Lordaeron . Sylvanas tentatively agreed to assist , but under the condition that her aid would be provided on her own terms . The dreadlords planned on killing Arthas within the capital , but Sylvanas created a contingency plan in the case of his escape . She arranged for her banshees to feign allegiance and escort him to a place in the woods where she would be waiting for him . After Arthas survived the dreadlords ' ambush and escaped the capital , Sylvanas ' loyal sisters saw him to the arranged place and then killed his bodyguards . Hiding in the shadows , she struck Arthas with a venomous , paralyzing arrow she had crafted . Arthas , furious at her betrayal , demanded that she finish him . She refused , intending to make him suffer as he had made her suffer in undeath . She was about to begin her grisly work when Kel ' Thuzad intervened , killing her banshees and chasing her off . In her physical body , she realized that the natural world would never respond to her wishes again . Angered , she turned to the arts that were becoming more and more natural to her : necromancy . She altered her elven ranger teachings into a new form . Thus the dark ranger s were born . Mistress of the Forsaken . Arthas left for Northrend , having been summoned by the Lich King , and Kel ' Thuzad went into hiding . Sylvanas and her sisters were freed , but she was still troubled . Though free from Ner ' zhul , she and the other free - willed loyalists remained monstrous abominations in appearance . Varimathras invited the banshee to join him and his brothers in their new order . Sylvanas was not so quick to relinquish what freedom she had just gained . She told him that her assistance was enough and demanded to be left alone . He ominously warned that those who were not part of this new land would be cast aside , and that she had best not vex the new rulers of the Plaguelands . Sylvanas was adamant . As Varimathras departed , she sensed an attack was imminent . With only her banshees and some lesser undead to serve her , she was certain that she would soon fall . She needed to acquire an army . Scouting the outer wilderness , Sylvanas found a plethora of creatures who would serve her well , and with her banshees at her disposal , they would have little choice in the matter . She sent out her banshees to possess Mug ' thol , the leader of the local ogres ; the Bandit Lord , Blackthorn ; the gnoll ruler , Snarlmane ; and the Murloc Puddle Lord . Those she did not possess were killed . With so many new allies , Varimathras fell before her . He begged for his life , saying that he could serve her well . He knew his brothers ' tactics and where their bases were located . Sylvanas knew trusting such an insidious creature was a risk , but felt she could control him enough for her purposes . With Varimathras ' assistance , they moved against Detheroc ' s forces . Detheroc had acquired a human puppet , Garithos , and his men , using them for protection . Sylvanas had his scouts possessed and then infiltrated his base while their guard was down . As they slept , she swept through the twin bases and slaughtered any before her , and not even the raising of the alarm could stop her . She disabled the humans and ravaged Detheroc ' s forces , eventually coming to the dreadlord himself , killing him swiftly . With the dreadlord dead , Garithos was freed from his mental control . Though she saw him as arrogant and foolish , she felt he could be of use . She lied and promised to relinquish control of the Capital to him if he helped her kill Balnazzar . Garithos attacked from the rear entrance to the city as Sylvanas and Varimathras came from the front . As they moved into the city , Sylvanas found caches of items left by the Lordaeron royals and used them to further the assault . Despite the dreadlord ' s demonic allies , Balnazzar ' s forces were destroyed . As a final test of loyalty , Sylvanas demanded that Varimathras kill Balnazzar . Varimathras froze , saying that it was forbidden for one nathrezim to kill another . When she refused to rescind the order , Varimathras obeyed . Varimathras was not so reluctant when Sylvanas ordered him to do the same to Garithos . With their enemies dead , Sylvanas made a proclamation to Varimathras . They would rule the Plaguelands as the Forsaken and would stake out their own destiny , where none would get in their way . Reports claim Sylvanas moves to and from Northrend ; it is unknown if she is scouting for a possible attack on the Lich King or if she has darker plans . There are rumors she may also be setting up a Forsaken city . In any case , she remains an enigmatic figure , her motivations unknown even to her most trusted advisers . The Sunwell . Sylvanas traveled to Quel ' Thalas , encountering the traitor Dar ' Khan . She confronted him in the ruins of Silvermoon , aiding Kalecgos in stopping the traitor from claiming the Sunwell ' s energies . Though she was initially unsuccessful , she distracted Dar ' Khan long enough for Anveena to regain her power and vaporize him . Sylvanas agreed to keep Anveena ' s identity a secret in the interest of preventing Arthas from gaining the Sunwell ' s power . In World of Warcraft . She rules over the Forsaken from Undercity . Her goal is to one day take vengeance upon Arthas and find lasting freedom for her cursed people . She sends promising warriors to train under her champion , Nathanos Blightcaller . Lady Sylvanas Windrunner is a level ? ? faction leader located in the Royal Quarter in the Undercity . Hallow ' s End . Sylvanas also appears in the Hallow ' s End celebration , talking about the Forsaken ' s freedom . There she still uses her first high elf model ( Which never left the Beta version of Wrath of the Lich King , ) and her old statistic . In The Burning Crusade . In death , Sylvanas still considers herself one of the foremost protectors of Quel ' Thalas , and repeatedly offers assistance in the form of supplies and troops to the blood elves . This may be due in some part to the fact that the Dark Lady still grieves over her failure to protect Quel ' Thalas from the Scourge invasion during the Third War , when she fell in battle . Though the blood elves initially declined most of Sylvanas ' offers , fearing a trick , the beleaguered elves eventually allowed Sylvanas to station Forsaken soldiers in their lands , most prominently in the village of Tranquillien . Sylvanas played a large part in convincing Thrall to accept the blood elves into the Horde . In Wrath of the Lich King . Sylvanas Windrunner ' s appearance was updated for patch 3 . 0 . 2 . Her prior model was a female night elf . Her model is now almost unique ; Alexstrasza ' s humanoid model is very similar . One of the new Forsaken camps in Northrend is New Agamand . It is here the plague the Royal Apothecary Society developed to combat the Scourge was tested , as indicated from this section of the Howling Fjord background on the official site : " On the eastern shore , the Forsaken have arrived , carrying a plague of their own to unleash upon the Lich King . Queen Sylvanas has been methodically and patiently overseeing the formulation of this contagion for several years , and the time has come at last to test its effectiveness against the Scourge . " Battle for the Undercity . As the combined Horde and Alliance forces began their assault upon Angrathar the Wrathgate , an uprising broke out within the Undercity . Varimathras and hordes of his demonic brethren overran the city , slaying all those who would not submit to their dark rule . Sylvanas claims she nearly died in the coup , but managed to escape with a number of loyalists to Orgrimmar . Determined not to allow the dreadlords a foothold in Horde territory , Thrall and Sylvanas planned an immediate counter - attack . In the midst of their planning , Jaina Proudmoore arrived with terrible news : in the wake of Bolvar Fordragon ' s death , Varian Wrynn had ordered an assault on the Undercity to bring Putress to justice and liberate Lordaeron for the Alliance . Sylvanas returned to the Undercity at the head of a Horde army , determined to retake her city . Along with Thrall and Vol ' jin , she led the assault , a cry for her people upon her lips . In the Throne Room , Sylvanas fought and finally slew Varimathras , retaking her throne . How much power remains in her hands is currently unknown , as Thrall has sent Kor ' kron elites to the Undercity to watch the Forsaken . The Frozen Halls . Sylvanas led Horde forces to the Frozen Halls inside Icecrown Citadel to confront the Lich King , intending to gain her vengeance for the destruction of Quel ' Thalas and her damnation into undeath . Upon reaching his private chambers in the Halls of Reflection and standing so close to Frostmourne , Sylvanas felt the pain of her death renewed . She attempted to commune with the spirits within the sword , hoping that " salvation lies within " . At that point , the spirit of Uther the Lightbringer appeared , warning her that the Lich King was on his way and of the foolishness of attempting to defeat him there . He revealed that even if Arthas were to be destroyed , someone must take his place as master of the Scourge , lest the undead wash across the world like locusts . To defeat the Lich King , Uther said , he must be destroyed at the place he was created : The Frozen Throne . The Lich King arrived and reclaimed his blade , banishing the soul of Uther within it . He summoned Falric and Marwyn , his two top lieutenants , to kill the intruders . While her escorts ( the players ) battled the pair and the ghosts they summoned , Sylvanas and Dark Ranger Loralen gave chase as the Lich King fled to his inner sanctum . Upon defeating the death knights and their ghostly allies , the party found Loralen dead in the hallway and the sounds of battle coming from the chamber before them . Sylvanas and the Lich King were engaged in combat . Realizing he was too powerful to confront , as Uther had warned , Sylvanas and her escorts fled , breaking through the ice walls and packs of undead minions the Lich King summoned to slow their progress . As they reached the outside and came upon a dead end , they resolved themselves to dying in battle . However , the gunship " Orgrim ' s Hammer " arrived on scene to rescue them . As they fled the Halls of Reflection , Sylvanas realized the Lich King ' s powers had increased tenfold ; to defeat him , a mighty army was needed , one greater than even the Horde could muster . Fall of the Lich King . With the death of the Lich King , an adventurer bearing found a containing various items , among them a vial of blood . The adventurer brought the vial to Sylvanas , waiting in Light ' s Hammer . In Cataclysm . Sylvanas was ordered to move south into Gilneas , because the Horde wanted a port in northern Lordaeron . She had been resorting to increasingly unscrupulous tactics ever since the Wrathgate . Despite orders from the new Warchief , Garrosh Hellscream , to cease production of the Forsaken Blight that was used by Putress , she continued to use it against her enemies , including in the invasion of Gilneas and against the town of Southshore in Hillsbrad . She also conscripted the val ' kyr , the ascended vrykul women who once served the Lich King , using them to raise dead enemies as Forsaken as a solution to the undead not being able to procreate . During the Invasion of Gilneas , the tide turned against Sylvanas , and she used her dark powers to stun everyone in the immediate area . Aiming a poisoned arrow at Genn Greymane , she fired , intending to fell the worgen leader . His son , Liam , jumped in front of the bowshot , saving his father from certain doom . As Sylvanas fled , Liam died with the knowledge that the city had been freed from Forsaken control . While fighting the Gilneas Liberation Front in Silverpine Forest , Sylvanas arranged for the resurrection of Lord Godfrey . After Godfrey captured Lorna Crowley and delivered her to Sylvanas , she headed towards the shattered Greymane Wall to give Darius Crowley a choice : surrender the Gilneas Liberation Front or Lorna would become one of the Forsaken . Darius decides to surrender and Sylvanas allows him to leave with his daughter and his men . Shortly afterward , Sylvanas is killed by Godfrey , who quickly fled to Shadowfang Keep . High Warlord Cromush orders the val ' kyr , Agatha , Arthura , and Daschla , to raise her . The three sacrificed themselves to give Sylvanas life once more . This convinced Sylvanas beyond a shadow of a doubt that the val ' kyr were the future of the Forsaken . During the Battle for Andorhal Sylvanas disguised herself as Lindsay Ravensun . After the Alliance was defeated , she confronted Koltira about his truce with Thassarian , scolds him for his weakness . A portal to the Undercity was opened and Koltira was pulled through by a hooked chain , Sylvanas intending to purge him of his compassion for Thassarian and make him more of a servant of the Horde - more specifically , a servant of Sylvanas and the Forsaken . Some have wondered if something has changed within Sylvanas due to her extreme behavior in the recent battles against the Alliance . A forsaken apothecary even leaves the forsaken and joins the Argent Crusade at Plaguewood Tower . He says that " I used to admire her , but something ' s changed within her . She ' s not herself anymore " . Whether something has happened to her is unknown , but many members of the Horde and Alliance have noticed her acting differently . Mists of Pandaria : Siege of Orgrimmar . In the second section of the Siege of Orgrimmar on Heroic raid difficulty ( as the Horde ) you see a small conversation between Sylvanas and Lor ' themar . The summary of the conversation is Sylvanas makes a " joke " that she desires to raise the blood elves as Forsaken so they may fight again , to which Lor ' themar responds by threatening the Banshee Queen to not touch his fallen warriors . Also , after the cinematic following Garrosh ' s defeat in the SoO raid ( as Horde ) , you can speak to the Banshee Queen who explains she has no loyalty for the new Troll Warchief , Vol ' jin , but respects him for what he has accomplished and is eager to see what will come of his leadership . Lastly , as Alliance , you may speak to Varian , who exclaims that halting Sylvanas ' s forces will be a large goal of Alliance efforts in retaking Gilneas . War Crimes . After the Siege of Orgrimmar , Sylvanas and other Horde leaders were summoned to the Temple of the White Tiger to witness the judgement of Garrosh Hellscream . Sylvanas was initially displeased at the idea of a trial rather than an execution , and opposed the appointment of Baine Bloodhoof as Hellscream ' s defender . When Baine ' s defense of Hellscream proved better than the Banshee Queen would like , she accused him of being an " Alliance sympathizer " , prompting the tauren chieftain to somewhat aggressively , albeit calmly , deny her claim while grabbing her upper arms . Vereesa Windrunner , noticing her sister ' s mutual hatred for Garrosh , anonymously summoned her to Windrunner Spire to plot the assassination of the tyrannical former Warchief . Concocting a new , untraceable poison with her Forsaken subjects , she and Vereesa planned to lace Hellscream ' s last meal with it . In the meantime , Vereesa entertained the idea of joining her sister in leadership of the Forsaken despite the fact that it would require her to abandon her children . Sylvanas realized that the Forsaken would not accept a living creature into their leadership and decided she would murder Vereesa so that her " Little Moon " could be reborn at her side as an undead . At the last moment , Vereesa relented and informed Anduin Wrynn of the poison in Hellscream ' s food . Despite Garrosh ' s hateful words and remorseless attitude , the prince saved the imprisoned orc ' s life . After learning of the plan ' s failure , the Banshee Queen rampaged through the wilderness , angrily killing any wildlife unfortunate enough to get in her way and proclaiming that she would never attempt to love again . In Warlords of Draenor . When the Dark Lady asked for volunteers to make the trek into Draenor , Dark Ranger Velonara answered without hesitation . Any opportunity to please the Dark Lady was worth the risk . Sylvanas also sent the mage , Vivianne , to assist the commander on Draenor and to retrieve samples of the Infested for study . Benjamin Gibb also performed reconnaissance for the Dark Lady in Admiral Taylor ' s garrison . In Legion . During the battle of the Broken Shore , Sylvanas and her Dark Rangers joined the other Horde forces in allying with the Alliance to fight off the invasion of the Burning Legion . She and the Horde protected the flank while the Alliance confronted Gul ' dan . During the ensuing battle , Warchief Vol ' jin was mortally wounded . He asked Sylvanas not to allow the Horde to perish there , and she made the tough decision to abandon the Alliance forces , calling for a retreat . Back in Orgrimmar , Vol ' jin , on his deathbed , asked to see Sylvanas . He told her that he had never trusted her , but that the spirits had given him clarity . With his dying breath he told her that she would succeed him as Warchief of the Horde . She accepted his will and rallied the Horde forces at Orgrimmar , who swore an oath of allegience to her . Now Warchief , she rules over the Horde from the Undercity . Tactics during boss fight . Battling the Dark Lady in the Royal Quarter can prove disastrous if certain steps are not taken by raid members . Quotes . Sound files . / script PlaySoundFile ( " Sound \ \ Creature \ \ SylvanasWindrunner \ \ SylvanasWindrunnerAggro01 . wav " )