Darkfallen Darkfallen are a unique faction of undead blood elf in service to the Scourge that were raised as undead following Illidan ' s failed assault on the Frozen Throne . Introduction . The Darkfallen are a faction of San ' Layn , under the command of the . They are a recent addition to the Scourge army , introduced after Arthas ' second visit to Northrend . The greatest concentrations of darkfallen are located in the Temple City of En ' kilah in northeastern Borean Tundra , and in the Crimson Hall inside Icecrown Citadel ; these are also the only places where unnamed darkfallen appear . History . In the aftermath of the Third War , the blood elves were cut off from their source of magic , the Sunwell . Desperate for aid , their prince Kael ' thas Sunstrider pledged allegiance to Illidan Stormrage who granted them a new source of magic . Together with their new allies , the blood elves went to Northrend in an attempt to destroy the Lich King , seeking to avenge their fallen brethren . The blood elves were defeated by Arthas , who raised the most powerful ones into his service as darkfallen of the San ' layn . Most of the surviving blood elves returned to Outland with Kael ' thas , but a handful were lost and scattered in the frozen wastes of Northrend , where they were hunted down and slaughtered by Arthas . One of these survivors was Lana ' thel . Although she wielded the draconic blade Quel ' Delar , she was no match for the power of Frostmourne and was overwhelmed . The Lich King chose Lana ' thel to serve him in undeath as the queen of the San ' layn . The darkfallen now oversee the Scourge ' s operations throughout Azeroth , with their masters residing in The Crimson Hall . Appearance . Darkfallen mostly retain the builds of their still - living kin . However , unlike blood elves , their flesh appears necrotic and , though universally pale , ranges from fleshy pinks and red to gray and light green , and they tend to have either white , blond or dark hair . Their eyes have white , green , blue or black glows . Some Darkfallen have clawed fingers and ears more closely resembling those of a bat ; in addition , one ( Lana ' thel ) has developed wings and horns . Culture . The darkfallen are skilled in a variety of magic schools , often make use of vampiric skills that involve blood , and have even demonstrated some shape - shifting abilities . They are vampiric in nature , especially in the case of the Blood Princes , who are known to consume the flesh , blood , and souls of their victims . Darkfallen , most of the times , dress in red , orange and black garments , similar to their living cousins , the blood elves . They have assimilated the Scourge shared culture , and contributed with their own , which can be seen in the decoration of the Crimson Hall , inside the Icecrown Citadel . They are often found in strongholds of other Scourge - affiliated races alongside with its local leadership , or in command of Scourge bases or operations across Northrend . The San ' layn . The San ' layn is the Race that make up the Darkfallen faction of the Scourge . They oversee the Scourge ' s operations throughout Azeroth , acting as agents , leaders , or ambassadors . The faction holds an important position amongst the Scourge offensive , with its members , most of the times , performing important tasks on the behalf of the Lich King . They possess two main bases of operations across Northrend : the Temple City of En ' kilah and the Crimson Hall . The Temple City of En ' kilah serves as the command center of the Scourge in the Borean Tundra , with the necropolis Naxxanar floating above the city where Prince Valanar , the overlord of the operation , lives . The Crimson Hall is the headquarters and home of the San ' layn , located inside the Icecrown Citadel , and is the place where the most powerful San ' layn can be found . Blood - Queen Lana ' thel holds the leading position in the San ' layn hierarchy . The Blood princes , especially the Blood Prince Council , are the second in the chain of command of the faction , often recieving direct orders from the Lich King himself . Notable darkfallen . < onlyinclude > < / onlyinclude > Trivia . Bestiary . Though the Darkfallen are listed in the World of Warcraft : Wrath of the Lich King Bestiary , their entry was never added . Vampire inspiration . " " includes two pieces of concept art for the race ; the first , titled " High Elf Nosferatu " , is clearly inspired by from the classic German silent film " " , while the second depicts what appears to be a high elf with stitched - together flesh , dressed in elegant armor and wielding wing - like arrays of shields across his arms , which double as weapon racks , holding a number of blades . The darkfallen , specifically the Princes , appear to be strongly inspired by the portrayals of vampires in both film and fiction , having bat - like ears , wearing cloaks with high collars and masks with fang patterns over their mouths . They also display mannerisms and characteristics strongly associated with the classic vampires of film and fiction , such as portrayal of , and even have voice acting with a similar accent . Additional references have also been made to the " " series of video games by . Vrykul origin . Early reports ( of unknown accuracy ) about the WotLK Alpha implied that what is now the darkfallen were vrykul wearing the Malefic Raiment . Later , but before they got their current model , they were changed to elves wearing the Malefic Raiment . Chris Metzen said at BlizzCon 2007 that the vrykul were vampiric , something that is not visited in - game . It may be that the darkfallen were the vampiric vrykul , but the idea that they were vrykul was scrapped . Speculation . It is believed that the word " " San ' layn " " is possibly Thalassian for " " Darkfallen " " .