A necromancer clad in tattered robes, with ethereal blue flames flickering in his eye sockets, stepped out from the shadows. He asked respectfully—he was one of the many undead servants resurrected and bound by Dar'Khan. Like his master, he had been transformed into a corpse-bound entity, or what some called "the undying."
"Of course. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Dar'Khan replied. "This is the power of the Sun itself. I sensed it the very moment I regained my freedom. If we can successfully seize this power, we will never have to fear the Lich King's forced control again."
Strictly speaking, Dar'Khan, much like Sylvanas and the one called Strongke (Stronge), belonged to the ranks of the Forsaken. He was an aged High Elf mage, one of those who, among the High Elf population, already had one foot in the grave. Unlike their cousins the Night Elves or the Nightborne, the High Elves—descended from the Highborne—had truly become mortal creatures. They no longer possessed eternal youth; they aged, fell ill, and died. Though their lifespan was dozens of times longer than other mortals, the day of their demise was inevitable.
The longer one lives, the more one fears death. Dar'Khan was no exception. When the Lich King's armies arrived, he saw his chance: by siding with the Lich King, he would become undead, but he would retain his consciousness and, crucially, avoid "death." Thus, he betrayed his country and his kin, all to obtain the power of immortality.
But reality had dealt him a harsh blow. He had indeed transitioned into undeath and lost the limit of a natural lifespan, but he had also lost his freedom. Though he retained his self-awareness, his mind was plagued by a single, eternal command: serve the Lich King, fight for the Great Lich King.
This continued until a few months ago, when he suddenly regained control over his body and the Lich King's voice vanished from his mind. In that moment, Dar'Khan achieved a semblance of freedom, though he lived in constant terror of the Lich King's retribution—fearing the day the master would reclaim his mind.
However, Dar'Khan did not choose to go to Stratholme to join Sylvanas or the Forsaken led by Strongke. He had an irreconcilable conflict with the Banshee Queen; unlike himself, who joined voluntarily, Sylvanas had been brutally murdered and transformed against her will. Meeting her would only result in his destruction. If the leader of the Forsaken were Strongke, there might be a chance.
Deviating from the original timeline, Dar'Khan planned to seize the Sunwell's power to make his body almost indistinguishable from the living. Only then would he seek out Strongke in Stratholme to join his faction. Under the protection of that Great Highlord Death Knight, he wouldn't need to fear the Banshee Queen's vengeance.
Dar'Khan was confident in his necromancy and his magical talent; among High Elves, he was a first-tier mage. Since becoming undead, he had acquired various Lich techniques. He even harbored ambitions of usurping the Death Knight Highlord's legacy for himself. As a mage, he looked down upon those Death Knights who played at melee combat; to him, they were merely war tools created by mages.
Magic was the only thing that stood above all. And the power of the Sunwell was paramount. He had felt it: ten days ago, the Sunwell had been reborn. This new Sunwell held unimaginable power. If he could obtain the essence of the old well, he could establish a link with the new one.
"Gather all mobile servants. We are going to 'welcome' this generous gift," Dar'Khan commanded. "This Sunwell energy is vital. But... be cautious. Send a few ghosts to scout first. See if there are traps around this energy, or... Guardians." He calmed down, his eyes gleaming with cunning.
The appearance of the Sunwell's essence at this time was suspicious; it was likely a trap. But even so, he could not resist the temptation. The key was to find out who set the trap and how strong they were. He shouldn't act rashly; perhaps he needed allies. There was a Dwarven Dragon-hunting team nearby with a group of mercenaries. Perhaps he could hide his identity and hire them to act as cannon fodder.
"Yes, Master." The necromancer bowed and merged into the darkness.
That night, several invisible ghosts crept toward the cottage where Rhodes and Jaina were resting. Inside, Rhodes sat with his eyes closed, his mental energy spreading out like invisible ripples. He had cast View Earth ahead of time. While it couldn't display a perfect map like in a game, it could sense the flow of life and death energy within a certain range—especially the magical vortex created by a powerful necromancer like Dar'Khan.
In Rhodes's vision, several red glowing dots were sneaking toward the room. A smirk played across his lips. Couldn't hold back for long, could you?
"Dar'Khan has noticed us," Rhodes said suddenly, opening his eyes and addressing the other three.
"As we expected. This mage is cautious; he's sending scouts to test our strength," Jaina noted, looking up.
"Great Son of the Light, just give the word and I will deal with them immediately," Finnall said, thrusting her mage-breaking weapon into the floor. Since getting her new gear, she was itching for a real opponent.
"Don't be silly, Sister Finnall," Anveena said with a smile. "We agreed—this Dar'Khan is my prey."
"Play however you like. I'm not that interested in this guy. I'm going upstairs to sleep," Jaina shrugged helplessly and headed up the stairs. The undead Blood Elf mage had no idea he was facing the top adventure party in all of Azeroth.
"Haha, the old man is careful. Let's not slip up later; everyone pretend to be ordinary adventurers. Anveena, especially you—don't let your Holy Light show, or you'll scare him off. I'll dress up as a common warrior, and Finnall, just play your usual Paladin self," Rhodes instructed.
Among the four, Finnall was the weakest, but even so, with her new armor and weapon, she was easily in the top 20 of the Silver Hand.
"As you wish, Great Son of the Light."
"Good! Nobody blow our cover." Rhodes nodded with satisfaction and lay down as if going to sleep.
Before long, several translucent ghosts drifted through the walls. They circled Anveena, sensing her intoxicating magical energy, then inspected Rhodes, Jaina, and Finnall. Under Rhodes's disguise magic, the three looked like mediocre human adventurers: a steady warrior (Rhodes), a young female mage (Jaina), and a devout but inexperienced Paladin (Finnall). This combination was perfectly normal for the ruins of Lordaeron.
Dar'Khan used his magic to borrow the ghosts' vision. He saw no flaws in Jaina or Rhodes. The Holy Light in Finnall was notable, however; she would be the primary threat to handle during the fight.
The ghosts circled a few more times and, finding no other powerful energy reactions besides Anveena's raw Arcane essence, they retreated to report to their master.
"...A girl who has just awakened an incredible Arcane potential, seemingly a remnant of the Sunwell... and three unremarkable guardians. The strongest is the female Paladin, likely at an Elite level. Nothing to fear," Dar'Khan analyzed the intel. "A girl who can't control her power and three common mercenaries... a perfect combination. Prepare to move. I want the girl alive. As for those three nuisances... dispose of them."
"By your command, Master. Shall we go now?"
"No, no! Not yet. I want to hire that Dwarven Dragon-hunting squad first." Caution was still his priority.
The next morning, Dar'Khan disguised himself as a human noble and met the Dwarven adventure team at a tavern near Tarren Mill. He gave them a tracking mission, claiming he had information on a dragon.
During the day, a blue dragon soared over the skies of Tarren Mill. From inside the house, Rhodes and Jaina watched it fly.
"A blue dragon from the Blue Dragonflight? Why are they here?" Jaina asked, confused.
"Blue dragons are masters of magic. Perhaps they sensed Anveena's energy. After all, she's been radiating Arcane power like a lighthouse for days," Rhodes shrugged.
Sometimes the timeline corrects itself. A certain "five-stack-of-war-trash" blue dragon had arrived after all. And a famous scene was about to occur: a majestic dragon being shot down and severely wounded by a dwarf with a musket.