The portals we can see throughout Outland have existed in the canon since WarCraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. That game was about Ner’zhul sending the death knight Teron Gorefiend and his dark riders through the dark portal with a special mission: to find four artifacts of power from the lands of Azeroth.
The four artifacts were:
- The Eye of Dalaran
- The Scepter of Sargeras
- The Skull of Gul’dan
- The Book of Medivh
With these items of power, Ner’zhul embarked on his quest to open several portals leading to other worlds to give the orcs new lands to conquer. The Alliance, however, sent Khadgar, Turalyon, Alleria Windrunner, Danath Trollbane and Kurdran Wildhammer along with a small army to invade Draenor.
Ner’zhul managed to open the portals, but something went wrong. The portals began to tear the planet Draenor apart. From the debris all that remains is scattered lands floating in the Twisting Nether. The known pieces of land are known nowadays as Outland. (More below)
What We Do Know
Turalyon and Alleria were last seen in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal (the RTS game expansion, originally released on April 30, 1996). They followed Khadgar through one of the portals created by Ner’zhul.
This is a quote straight from the final cinematics of that game:
Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal
Human Campaign, Cinematic Finale
“As the flames die to embers and the arcane energies that once bound two worlds slowly fade, the Dark Portal crumbles into dust as its powers subside and dissolve. The finality of what has been done here becomes manifest. The moment is shattered as volcanoes erupt in fiery fury as the earth begins to shake beneath your feet. The world of Draenor is dying …
Khadgar motions toward the remaining rifts created by Ner’zhul and beckons you to follow him. The warriors of Azeroth under your command gaze upon the rifts with uncertainty – but to remain would be suicide. Knowing that their beloved Azeroth is safe from harm, they gather up weapons and wounded companions alike as you lead them into the swirling, unknown reaches of the Twisting Nether.”
Cinematic Video
World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal
On June 12, 2008, Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Star Books released World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal
In this novelization of the original Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, there were a few retcons such as Gruul helping Khadgar on his quest to defeat a common enemy: Deathwing.
The Deathwing’s Lair Isle east of Shadowmoon Valley is where Kurdran Wildhammer was to be sacrificed in the game.
However, in the novelization, it seems the lair was moved to (presumably) Gorgrond; or at least the battle where Deathwing was defeated was moved to Grogrond. Just to name a few.
Toward the final pages of the novel, the quote above from the RTS game is similarly described:
”Khadgar had always suspected they wouldn’t survive this, but he was fiercely grateful they’d been able to close the portal and save their world. And he was equally grateful that if they had to die—which, he mused wryly, all men did—it would be here, together, fighting side by side as they always had. A faint glimmer caught his eye. He blinked. No, it was there—a ripple in the fabric of space and time. Another rift. Another world. One that, perhaps, wasn’t shuddering in its death throes. “There!” he yelled as loudly as he could, pointing at the rift. “We go through there! It’s the only chance we’ve got!” Turalyon and Alleria looked at one another. Khadgar couldn’t hear what they said over the deafening noises of a world shaking itself to pieces, but he saw them hold each other for a moment before, hands joined, they turned to the rift.”
Right after that sentence, we finally get to see what that rift led to. Khadgar, Turalyon, Alleria, Kurdran, Danath and their remaining forces stepped through the rift — escaping the destruction of Draenor, and arrived into Outland — as seen in Chapter 28. The rift basically moved them a short time into the future where all that remained was Outland. They were confused and describe the mountains and the sea east of the Dark Portal were no more. All that, was now an abyss. They describe the red sky had been replaced by ripples and flashes of light. The sky we see in Outland.
As they arrived into this new landscape, Khadgar says to them:
“The damage has sundered reality as we know it,” Khadgar continued. “Gravity, space, perhaps even time itself no longer function properly here.”
Right after this, they traveled to Honor Hold. That’s the last place we can tell from a canon lore perspective to be the last place where Turalyon and Alleria were seen.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
On January 15, 2007, Blizzard Entertainment launched the first World of Warcraft expansion. Khadgar re-appeared once more in the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion. He could be found in the center chamber of Shattrath City alongside A’dal the naaru. Khadgar doesn’t reveal much about their whereabouts ever since Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. This is what Khadgar tells you when you meet him in Shattrath City:
The naaru are wise beyond our understanding. I’ve learned more from A’dal in the last five months than all the years I spent in the libraries of Dalaran.
(I’ve heard your name spoken only in whispers, mage. Who are you?)
I am Khadgar, former apprentice to the fallen Guardian, Medivh. I’m sure you’ve heard his name before.
It was I who discovered that Medivh had been possessed by the Evil One, Sargeras – and that he had opened the Dark Portal between this world and Azeroth. Though I honored my Master, I was forced to slay him and put his tortured soul to rest.
(Go on, please)
I fought alongside Lord Anduin Lothar as we drove the Horde from our lands on Azeroth. As the heir of Medivh’s legacy, I could do no less.
When the call finally came to invade this grim world – and put an end to the orcs’ evil forever – I stepped forward along with my friends Turalyon, Alleria, Danath and Kurdran.
(I see.)
My comrades and I called ourselves the Sons of Lothar – in honor of the greatest, most selfless man we ever knew. We gave our all to defeat Ner’zhul and end his madness.
As this doomed world fell apart around us, we shattered the Dark Portal to prevent any further harm befalling our beloved Azeroth.
(What did you do then?)
Trapped in this broken wasteland, we did our best to survive. Over time we sensed that a new evil was closing in around us from the Twisting Nether. More foul than the dark orcs – it was the Burning Legion itself that sought to take hold of this … Outland.
(What happened next?)
While my comrades held the line against the encroaching darkness, I used my magic to reach out into the Great Dark Beyond. There, I sensed beings of immense Light – of unfathomable purity.
It was A’dal and his naaru I had found. It was nothing short of a … miracle.
(I see.)
[Khadgar grins to himself.]
I convinced A’dal and his brethren to return here with me. I believe that only their power can drive the Legion from this universe. But as you will no doubt find – their power must first live in our hearts.
To combat the darkness, we must become beacons of their eternal Light.
In the Burning Crusade expansion, we also meet Arator the Redeemer, a young human-high-elf hybrid, son of Turalyon and Alleria. After Lord Kazzak reopened the Dark Portal, the Alliance sent an expedition into Outland. Arator the Redeemer came with them and reached Honor Hold to ask questions about his parents. It seems Arator grew up in Azeroth while their parents were stranded in Draenor.
The novel reveals Khadgar sent a young dwarf on a gryphon to go through the Dark Portal before he destroyed it, to send a letter and documents to the Alliance informing them what happened in their expedition. So as time went by, Arator began to research all he could about his parents’ fate. Arator knows Turalyon is alive. He seems to have precognitive senses in the shape of dreams or visions. He can see his father Turalyon’s body crushed. The sky is red (like Draenor’s). The Burning Legion around them. Arator kneels in that dream to hear Turalyon’s voice, but he can’t understand the words. That’s all what Arator says about his dream.
When the player talks to Arator the Redeemer, he says the following:
I was only an infant when my father was deployed to this wasteland. All that I have ever known of him is what others have told me. Do your dreams change, (name)? Mine do not. I have one dream: A crimson skyline envelops me as Legion, numbering beyond comprehension, battle in the distance. I kneel before the body of a man, presumably my father, and weep. As he is gasping for air, his body wholly crushed, he whispers something. Despite every effort, I am unable to hear what he is trying to tell me.
I recommend reading World of Warcraft: Chronicles of War
Not only can you read more about Khadgar, Medivh, Kurdran, Danath, Turalyon and Alleria in this collection; but also a primer into Draenor before the Dark Portal was opened. That alone is worthwhile to those who wish to learn about Warlords of Draenor’s people and locations.
Those who have read The Last Guardian might remember young Khadgar’s vision of the future where he sees his older self with long white beard. Khadgar described the sky in Chapter 2 … “brilliant sky the color of fresh blood”. Garona later confirmed to Khadgar that Draenor has a crimson sky. That kinda matches with Arator’s dream of where he gets to find his father Turalyon. Except, there is no red sky in Outland anymore … one can see the Twisting Nether instead with ripples and flashes of light. So either this red sky is another world (not Draenor or Outland); or at some point in the near future Arathor will find Turalyon in Draenor’s past.
Garona: “We call our world Draenor. It is a savage world, filled with badlands and bluffs and hardscrabble vegetation. Inhospitable and stormy …”
Khadgar: “And it has a red sky.”
Considering Turalyon and Alleria disappeared in Outland, where the sky is full of ripples and lights, it is interesting that Arator can see a vision of his father where the sky is red. As red as that of Draenor. What if Turalyon and Alleria are in Kansas no more? I’ll discuss this shortly after I show you some more details of what we know about Turalyon and Alleria.
There is some flavor dialogues going on at the Honor Hold Inn:
Father Malgor Devidicus: Shay, what’sh your deal anywaysh? Are you shome kind of elf or shomethin? You look shorta familiar.
Arator the Redeemer: I am Arator, son of Turalyon and Alleria. So yes, Father, I am “shome” kind of elf: half-elf to be precise.
(Father Malgor Devidicus’s face turns white. Sobriety seems to have set in rather quickly.)
Father Malgor Devidicus: By the Light! So this is why you look familiar. Is this fate? Destiny, perhaps? Arator, your father and I were the best of friends. It is I who kept him in good health… Oh the battles we fought… And…
(Father Malgor Devidicus clears his throat.)
Father Malgor Devidicus says: And… the battle we lost. I…I’m sorry, Arator. It was my fault…
(Father Malgor Devidicus begins to sob.)
Father Malgor Devidicus: Quickly, Sid. Fill my tankard. Make the memories fade…
Sid Limbardi: Oh brother… Listen, he’s gonna be here crying like a baby for another five hours. If you’re really the son of Turalyon, go speak with Trollbane. He’s in the keep – top floor.
Arator the Redeemer: Thank you, Sid. Keep an eye on him; he is my only link to my mother and father, and I’d like to see him sober.
It seems Father Malgor Devidicus, Turalyon and Alleria were battling enemies. He doesn’t say where exactly that battle took place in. Or how long ago, nor if they survived. Malgor has lived with guilt ever since they lost that battle. It is clear he returned to Honor Hold without Turalyon and Alleria, and many might have lost their lives in that mission. Malgor thinks it is his fault that battle was lost.
It is not clear what Malgor did or didn’t do to cause the loss of that battle. However, he is a priest. One could assume it had to do with the Light abandoning him at a crucial moment, forcing him into a position of not being able to heal his comrades. Maybe even abandoning his team, and fleeing for his life. It’s all assumption. Right?
Here is some more info from Danath Trollbane when Arator the Redeemer walks inside the Honor Hold Barracks:
Force Commander Danath Trollbane: As I live and breathe! “Little” Arator? Is that you?
Arator the Redeemer: Aye, Commander; but I am little no more. I have come to find my father. Have you any news to his whereabouts? I know he still lives. I have seen it in my dreams.
(Force Commander Danath Trollbane looks at Arator grimly.)
Danath: I am afraid that I do not, Arator. I have not seen or heard from your father in 15 years. We had long since presumed him dead. But know this: I did all that was in my power to find him. From the bounds of Hellfire to the ravages of Nagrand, we searched… All for naught. If I could give my own life to bring Turalyon back, I would do so a thousand times over. I… I am sorry.
Arator the Redeemer: As long as he remains unfound, I will search. I know that he lives. And I know that I must find him. I am thankful for what you have done, Commander. As my father called upon you, a brother in arms, know that you may call upon me. I am at your service, my Lord. Farewell, Commander. I will be staying at the inn, should you require my services.
So now we have a time-frame of when Turalyon and Alleria disappeared. They disappeared 15 years ago. This was long before Illidan arrived. That means the Burning Legion and Magtheridon were in Outland. Back then, the portals Ner’zhul opened were wide-open … allowing the Burning Legion to use Outland as their hub to assault other worlds through those portals.
Malgor lost a battle … but he doesn’t say if this was a battle against the remaining orcs, other species like the Arakkoa, the Ogres, the Gronn, or the Burning Legion itself.
Danath searched all of Hellfire Peninsula, maybe Terokkar and Nagrand. Considering the Allerian Stronghold is in Terokkar Forest — it might be possible the lost battle was fought in any of these two locations.
I’m curious that Danath searched all of Nagrand, too. Especially, because there is a portal in Nagrand. If you were to search for Turalyon and Alleria in all these areas, and you can’t find him — it might be because they are in Outland no more? Unlikely, but possible.
There is another quote from Danath that makes me ponder a bit, too. Some slight information that Malgor didn’t mention.
The men and women of Honor Hold have shed such blood and have lost their youth in this monstrous land … and yet, they still hold their spirits high!
Now, you and your cohorts from Azeroth can help us turn the tide. You give us hope that we may one day return to our homelands.
(Tell me of the Sons of Lothar.)
Many years ago, my men and I followed the wizard Khadgar and the paladin Turalyon to this world. Our sole aim was to annihilate the orcs and their vile kin. Yet something went terribly wrong in the final hours of our war.
Ultimately, this dark world was ripped asunder – and my dear friends were lost to the void.
(More)
We, the Sons of Lothar, have remained here ever since — fighting … dying… praying that a day like today would come – a day when the Portal would open and our brothers would come to deliver us home.
Overjoyed as we are, duty still calls. There is much to be done before we can depart this world and take our rest.
When Danath tells Arator that his dear friends were lost to the void — he is not very detailed on who he is referring to. Is he talking about the friends he left behind in Azeroth? Was a group of soldiers stranded on a chunk of landmass? Or is he referring to Turalyon and Alleria?
There was actually a chunk of landmass that got separated from Draenor before Khadgar closed the Dark Portal. There were soldiers in that chunk that floated off into the sky (as described in the Beyond the Dark Portal novelization).
What if he was referring to Turalyon and Alleria then? How does that fit with Malgor’s version of the story? Maybe they fell off the edge of Terokkar Forest or Nagrand and fell into the abyss?
I know our characters die when we keep flying into the abyss in Outland, but that’s gameplay mechanics. What happens when a Warcraft character falls into the Twisting Nether? Hard to say. Khadgar described this when they teleported into Outland: “The damage has sundered reality as we know it. Gravity, space, perhaps even time itself no longer function properly here.”
So let’s not say Turalyon and Alleria fell from the edge of Outland during a battle. Maybe they fought the Burning Legion near the portal of Nagrand (Twilight Ridge). If they had been captured, they would have been taken through the portal, or decided to escape through the portal if they were against the wall, surrounded by demons. That could explain why they were never found.
So on that thought … we do know that these portals opened by Ner’zhul not only lead to other worlds in terms of the plane of Space. Those portals also led into planes of time. It is through one such portal that Khadgar and the Alliance Expedition arrive into Outland (time-jumped into a short time into the future of Draenor). Thus other portals of Ner’zhul in Outland might lead to the past or the future; while other portals might lead into other worlds.
Khadgar: “The damage has sundered reality as we know it. Gravity, space, perhaps even time itself no longer function properly here.”
Turalyon and Alleria might be stranded somewhen in time, rather than somewhere. Stranded in a savage-savage world… a parallel timeline … Warlords of Draenor.
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Launch Event: Chris Metzen
Many might not have watched the World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Launch Event livestream on September 25, 2012. Let me recap it for you, for that was the stage upon where Warlords of Draenor might have something in store for us lore fans. I watched that livestream back then, and reported about it. Chris Metzen said Turalyon and Alleria would appear in the next expansion after Mists of Pandaria. This was long before Blizzard Entertainment announced the existence of Warlords of Draenor. Now don’t take my word for it. Not at all, lore bro … and sis. How about you watch the Launch Event livestream (VOD) yourself to listen Chris Metzen say so? Jump the video to 2:11:00
Will Turalyon and Alleria forever be MIA? (Missing in Action)
Metzen: How many know who Turalyon and Alleria are? That’s good. That’s very good. Ah, this question comes up all the time. Do we have plans for these two characters? I am very happy to say we absolutely do.
To my knowledge — I’m pretty sure they are not showing up in Mists of Pandaria. However, (what can I say outloud?) in terms of what is coming next, you are going to need their help. So, you would look forward for them showing up.
Now re-absorb everything I have theorycrafted in this article, and meditate on Metzen’s words. Could the idea have been scrapped later when the developers were discussing what the next expansion would be? Totally. That’s how iterative jam sessions go. It’s there today, tomorrow it’s gone. Maybe a future expansion. The fact is now you got that itch in the back of your mind.
There is so much we still do not know about Warlords of Draenor. So much to explore once Alpha and Beta opens its doors.
