Alleria Windrunner

For Alleria Windrunner's Warcraft II statistics, see Alleria (Warcraft II).

Alleria Windrunner
Title	Ranger-Captain, Lady
Gender	Female
Race(s)	High elf
Class	Elven ranger
Affiliation(s)	Grand Army of the Light, Alliance Expedition, Sons of Lothar
Former affiliation(s)	Alliance of Lordaeron, Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Farstriders
Occupation	Ranger captain, Lead scout, Intelligence officer
Status	Alive
Relative(s)	Turalyon (lover), Arator (son), Lireesa Windrunner (mother), Sylvanas, Vereesa, Lirath (siblings), Rhonin (brother-in-law), Zendarin (cousin), Giramar, Galadin (nephews)
Companion(s)	Verana, Khadgar

"Your heart flew straight as any arrow upon the wind, sister. You were the brightest of our Order. You were the most beloved of our kin."

—Sylvanas Windrunner, sister to Alleria

Alleria Windrunner was a ranger-captain of Silvermoon who led her rangers under the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War. She was also the head scout of the Alliance Expedition to Draenor. Alleria and her lover Turalyon disappeared after the planet was torn apart and have not been heard from for many years.

Biography

Alleria Windrunner is the eldest of ranger-general Lireesa Windrunner's daughters, all three of whom have served Quel'Thalas and the Alliance with distinction. As well as her sisters Vereesa and Sylvanas, she also had a younger brother named Lirath. As the eldest child, Alleria was expected to succeed her mother as Silvermoon's ranger-general, but Alleria herself had little use for the expectations or traditions of the high elves. She instead focused on practical matters, and chose to become one of the Farstriders, a group of rangers that fought for her people all across Azeroth. Alleria's sister Sylvanas would one day rise to leadership in her stead. Alleria would go on to achieve the rank of a Farstrider ranger-captain.

Alleria always wore a necklace given to her by her parents, an exquisite piece containing an emerald, a ruby, and a sapphire. Alleria Windrunner first earned renown due to the sheer number of trolls that she slew in order to defend her people's homeland, Quel'Thalas, during the Troll Wars. With the help of humanity, the high elves ultimately prevailed against the trolls. She is also known to wield a sword with great skill.

Tides of Darkness

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

When the Horde invaded Lordaeron, Terenas Menethil, in the name of Anduin Lothar called upon the ancient debt the Sunstriders owed the Arathi bloodline. The ruling council of Quel'Thalas, seeing the Horde as more of an excuse to fulfill that debt than an actual threat, sent a small force of elves to assist the Alliance of Lordaeron. Alleria was one of the few in Quel'Thalas who believed that the Horde might pose a threat to the elves, and consequently chose to lead her rangers to Southshore to join the Alliance of Lordaeron, despite not being ordered to do so.

Alleria worked closely with Turalyon and Khadgar in the campaign to expel the orcs from Lordaeron. Upon learning that the Horde burned the borderlands of Quel'Thalas, Alleria led the Alliance army to the defense of Silvermoon City, briefly reuniting her with her sister Sylvanas and comrades Lor'themar Theron and Halduron Brightwing. With Lor'themar, she accompanied Turalyon to the Capital City which was already under siege. However, the Horde later gave up and began to run away to the south. Alleria and Lor'themar returned home. Though they were successful in repelling the Horde invasion, it came at a terrible cost: eighteen of her kin, including her younger brother, Lirath, were killed. Devastated, Alleria sought comfort in the arms of Turalyon (eventually becoming pregnant with Arator),^{[citation needed]}  but ultimately, she chose to dedicate herself to revenge.

Beyond the Dark Portal

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Alleria in the Beyond the Dark Portal manual.

Alleria in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.

To the horror of her friends, Alleria came to see the orcs as little more than vermin to be exterminated. Driven by grief and hatred, Alleria vowed that she would have vengeance. Her pursuit of revenge took her into human lands, where she led an elite cadre of rangers in hunting down renegade orcs of the Bleeding Hollow clan, who had been trapped on Azeroth after the end of the Second War. Two years after the end of the war, Alleria was present in Nethergarde where she learned from Khadgar that the portal's rift is widening and that the Alliance army is needed again. The archmage sent her to Stormwind to warn Turalyon. She reluctantly agreed to do that.

When the orcs rallied behind Ner'zhul and the death knights, Alleria agreed to lead her rangers beyond the Dark Portal into Draenor to exact vengeance for Quel'Thalas and stop the Horde once and for all. Before she left, she had her necklace melted down into three pieces. She kept the emerald for herself and sent the ruby to Vereesa and the sapphire to Sylvanas, using Verana, her lieutenant, as the emissary.

The Alliance reacted quickly to the renewed threat and sent an expedition through the portal to Draenor. Having achieved the rank of captain, Alleria was part of the expedition.

On Draenor, Alleria realized that there was more to the Alliance Expedition's struggle than her quest for vengeance. The final event that caused her to let go her hate and mourn for her loved ones was when Turaylon ordered her to stay back. Alleria found that she could not let go of the young human to his death and rekindled her relationship with Turalyon, much to the relief of their friends. Following the fall of Hellfire Citadel, Alleria sent most of her forces with Danath Trollbane, Talthressar and Kurdran Wildhammer to pursue Ner'zhul, but herself accompanied Khadgar and Turalyon to retrieve the Skull of Gul'dan from Deathwing. She later aided in defending Khadgar when he finally closed the last Dark Portal to Azeroth, after which Draenor itself was sundered in a fiery cataclysm, sacrificing her way home. Alleria, along with her surviving allies, entered a rift to a new world and avoided the destruction of Draenor.

After the damage that changed Draenor into Outland had been done, Alleria, Turalyon, Khadgar and the rest all returned to Honor Hold, which was still standing even after the chaos that had occurred on Draenor.

Given the low likelihood of their survival, Alleria and her comrades were presumed dead, killed in the line of duty. They are honored to this day for their sacrifice. A statue of Alleria has a prominent place in the Valley of Heroes, just inside the gates of Stormwind City.

Years later, the Dark Portal to Outland has been reopened. Khadgar, Danath Trollbane, and a few other heroes from the Alliance Expedition are alive and present, but neither Alleria nor Turaylon are anywhere to be found; leaving their current whereabouts a mystery.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

After years of fruitless research into her whereabouts, the first lead is presented in the form of a demon who, under torture from the Farstriders, claimed that Alleria was held captive by the Inquisitor demons on the Legion portal world of Niskara. Alleria's sister Vereesa, joining forces with the Farstriders, forms a team to track the elder Windrunner down and prevent the Legion from gaining her fabled weapon. Although her bow  [Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners] is recovered and claimed by the new soon-to-be leader of the Unseen Path, Alleria herself is nowhere to be found. Vereesa concludes that she must have escaped, and resolves to continue the search in the future.

Lothraxion says that he serves Alleria in the Grand Army of the Light. His use of present tense implies that she is still alive, or at least is as far as he knows.

Personality

Alleria in Shadows & Light.

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Alleria is a superb forest fighter who prefers solitude and travels with others only when forced to do so. She speaks infrequently and only in short sentences. She shows passion only where orcs are concerned, hunting them ruthlessly and without mercy. However, much of this personality dissolved when she rekindled her relationship with Turalyon. ^{[citation needed]} 

In battle Alleria travels in forests whenever possible and prefers to strike from hiding — especially when attacking orcs, who she believes have no honor and therefore can be killed in any way she sees fit. In battle, she uses her great speed and mobility to weave in and out of the fight, taking point blank shots with maximum efficiency. If forced into melee in a situation where she absolutely cannot fire her bow, she swings it as a quarterstaff. She wields no other weapons — Alleria's special composite bow was her father's, and she employs it exclusively.

Valley of Heroes Monument

Alleria's statue in Stormwind's Valley of Heroes.

Ranger Captain Alleria Windrunner

Renowned Troll Hunter of Quel'Thalas. Lead Scout and Intelligence Agent for the Alliance Expedition that marched into the orc homeworld of Draenor. Presumed deceased.

Your heart flew straight as any arrow upon the wind, sister. You were the brightest of our Order. You were the most beloved of our kin.

- Sylvanas Windrunner - Ranger General of Quel'Thalas

Quotes

For Alleria's Warcraft II quotes, see Quotes of Warcraft II#Alleria.

• "There is no problem. The Alliance wants every orc dead. So do I. We can work together on that."
• "I can't stay behind. Don't ask me to. I stayed behind the last time. I won't watch someone I love go to his death while I..." (Jumps into Turalyon's arms.)

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft trailer

"Many believe magic has maintained order in Quel'Thalas. My bow would say otherwise. One shot, one kill. This is how I preserve our realm. I am Alleria Windrunner. If you stand against me, you're just another target. And I never miss my mark."

• 

  Alleria hunting orcs during the Second War in her Hearthstone character trailer.

• 

  Alleria in her Hearthstone character trailer.

Trivia

• Alleria is the former wielder of  [Thas'dorah, Legacy of the Windrunners].
• In Ask CDev Round 2, Bashiok said the "missing" characters of the Warcraft universe (Calia Menethil, Turalyon, Alleria Windrunner, Med'an, Gallywix, etc.) have not been forgotten. "While we'd love to talk about these characters, doing so would spoil a number of the plots we have for Cataclysm and beyond. Believe us when we say that you will definitely hear about these characters when we're ready to talk about them!"
• Alleria is mentioned in one of the loading screen tips: "Nobody has seen Alleria or Turalyon in years". During Warlords of Draenor alpha, this tip was supplemented: "Nobody has seen Alleria or Turalyon in years. Still." During Legion it was changed again to "Nobody has seen Alleria or Turalyon in years... until now!"
• Blizzard revealed that Alleria's story would not continue in Mists of Pandaria. It was planned to be in the following expansion Warlords of Draenor, but during the WoW Q&A at BlizzCon 2013 it was stated they would not appear in Warlords of Draenor but the expansion after that, later announced as Legion.
• Sylvanas believes that Alleria is dead.
• Alleria's eye color is frequently described as a brilliant emerald-green, but her Hearthstone art depicts it as a light shade of cyan, greenish-blue.
  • This was likely changed due to the retcon involving elven eyes. Given that green is associated closely with the blood elves despite Alleria being a high elf, who are typically depicted with blue eyes, this was likely done to avoid confusion.
• Alleria mistook a member of the Convocation of Silvermoon for Dar'Khan.
• An Alliance stronghold in Outland bears her name, the Allerian Stronghold.

A card back themed after Alleria in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

• Horde players visiting Windrunner Spire in the Ghostlands can locate a  [necklace] intended for her sister Sylvanas. The Dark Lady rages in fury at the messenger, but succumbs to her memories (see Lament of the Highborne).
• In the Sunwell raid, an item called the  [Coif of Alleria] drops from Kil'jaeden.
• In Dalaran, one can find  [Alleria's Silver Coin] which reads, "May my sisters realize their full potential, the name Windrunner known as result of their deeds."
• Alleria is also referenced by  [Khadgar's Silver Coin], which reads "Turalyon and Alleria, wherever you are, may you be well."
• A Cowled Ranger sometimes visits the inn in your garrison and tasks you with finding high elf weaponry. Subsequently, she will reveal that she is looking for Alleria. The ranger theorizes that the Twisting Nether would bring her to the alternate Draenor. Whether the arrows indicate that is the case is unknown.
• The carrier Alleria's Valor is named after her.
• Alleria was mentioned on Durnholde Keep's bulletin board in the canceled game Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans.
• Two of the realms in World of Warcraft are named after Alleria. See Realm names and their place in Warcraft lore.
• Alleria is the alternate hero (player character) for the hunter class in Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and the second alternate hero to be revealed. Her flavor text reads: "The high elf Ranger Captain is a peerless archer. Ask any of the orcs she used for target practice."
  • She is voiced by Michele Morrow.
  • Purchasing Alleria also unlocks the Alleria card back. The flavor text reads: "When she wants to shoot an apple on your head, you don’t have to worry. Unless you're an orc."
• Alleria originally appeared during Quest:The Scion's Legacy alongside Turalyon, but she was cut during the Alpha stage. Curiously, she had a night elf model.
• All of the three Windrunner sisters ended up having a human mate, or at least being very close to one in the case of Sylvanas.

Age

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Alleria's brief entry in the Warcraft Encyclopedia mentions that she fought during the Troll Wars. This would make her at least 2,800 years old. Council of Silvermoon members are noted to be far older than Alleria and only some of them had participated in the Troll Wars. Other elves active during that period, such as the 3,000-year-old Anasterian, are described as the most elderly among their kind, with fittingly frail, wizened, and withered appearances. While Alleria is easily older than any of the humans she interacts with, she is still described as looking young, fit, and beautiful. Alleria's inclusion in the Troll Wars on the Warcraft Encyclopedia might have been a mistake on the writers' part.

Alternatively, the Warcraft Encyclopedia entry might not be referring to the actual Troll Wars of 2,800 years ago, but a more recent conflict with Zul'jin's trolls, making Alleria significantly younger. Zul'jin had been raiding the elves for years and had united many troll warparties. He had initially declined Doomhammer's invitation to join the Horde, but increasing tensions with the elves and their new human allies forced Zul'jin into allying with the orcs. Alleria and the other elven archers embroiled in this bloody conflict were descendents of their elder race. Day of the Dragon says that humanity had just finished dealing with the trolls when the orcs first came through the Dark Portal.

Gallery

• 

  A portrait of Alleria as seen in the canceled Warcraft Adventures.

• 

  Alleria's statue, as seen in the Cataclysm cinematic.

• 

  Lead Scout Alleria and the Alliance Expedition.

• 

  Statue of Alleria in Stormwind.

Videos

• Hearthstone: Alleria Trailer
• The Story of Alleria

See also

• Alleria (Warcraft II)

External links

Statue

• Wowhead
• WoWDB

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