A Thousand Years of War

Blizzard released another audio drama! This time it focuses on where Alleria and Turalyon have been. You can download the script or the MP3 Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.










Move over Tyrande and Malfurion. Step aside Durotan and Draka. With the release of Blizzard's latest audio drama A Thousand Years of War, we finally learn about where Ranger General Alleria Windrunner and her paladin companion High Exarch Turalyon have been.

If you're not familiar with their story, don't feel too bad. Despite having statues dedicated to them in Stormwind's Valley of Heroes, items and outposts named for them, and a grown son, the two have been MIA for the last 20 plus years of Azeroth's history. A Thousand Years of War catches us up on all that lost time.

But what were they doing before all that? And why is important that they make a return now? Let's get you caught up on their story of love and war before A Thousand Years of War catches you up on the rest.

Even if you don't know the details of these two lovebirds, you should be familiar with Alleria from her surname alone: Windrunner. The Windrunners are one of the oldest and most respected families of high elves, dating all the way back to the War of the Ancients. Alleria was foremost among her family, expected to succeed her mother Lireesa as the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. Instead, she chose to walk the path of the Farstriders--a group of high elves who roamed the whole of Azeroth protecting the interests of their people. Eventually, it would be Alleria's sister Sylvannas who would take the role of Silvermoon's Ranger General before the Scourge made her the Queen of the Forsaken.

It was during her time with the Farstriders that Alleria would first meet Turalyon, and from that fateful encounter they would be as inseparable as kobolds from candles.

Turalyon began his career as a priest. Through his talent, he was named as one of the original Knights of the Silver Hand, counting Uther Lightbringer and Tirion Fordring as comrades in arms. He was close friends with Archmage Khadgar and Danath Trollbane while being the lieutenant to Anduin Lothar. Where Alleria was related to some of the most important figures in Azeroth, Turalyon simply knew the rest.

Together, Turalyon and Alleria fought the orcish horde during and after the Second War, becoming close comrades and even closer friends. After a particularly devastating raid on Silvermoon City that saw a portion of the Windrunner family destroyed, Alleria sought comfort in her close friend, and the two became lovers shortly after that. It wasn't long before their son, Arator, was born of that union.

They fought battle after battle against the orcs, knowing little peace beyond each other. Their war eventually took them beyond the Dark Portal and into Draenor, hoping to stop the orc threat at the source.

But it was not to be.

The orc shaman and leader of the Horde, Ner'zhul, sought to escape defeat by opening portal after portal on Draenor, giving his Horde access to new and unspoiled worlds ripe for conquest. His powerful magic quickly became unstable and began to rip Draenor apart, sending the orcish armies into a panic and making them desperate to escape the splintering planet through the Dark Portal.

Alleria and Turalyon understood what they had to do. While they fought to keep the orcs on the Draenor side of the portal, Khadgar and his mages worked to close the portal for good, keeping Azeroth and all their loved ones shielded from Draenor's total destruction.

The ensuing chaos of Draenor's sundering into Outland ripped the pair from the world and they disappeared. When the Dark Portal opened again, Khadgar and the rest were found. Alleria and Turalyon were not. So where were they?

In the Twisting Nether, lost from space and time until they were found by the Mother of Light herself, the naaru Xe'ra.

A Thousand Years of War picks up here. It tells the story of Alleria and Turalyon's journey with the Grand Army of Light and how their new found powers could determine the fate of all life. They could even hold the key to defeating the Legion once and for all. I'm not going to spoil the specifics here, so check it out for yourself. And when you do, you'll see why theirs is one of the greatest love stories WoW ever told (that wasn't Illidan and his brooding).
This article was originally published in forum thread: Audio Drama - A Thousand Years of War: The Story of Alleria & Turalyon started by chaud View original post
Comments 90 Comments
  1. derpkitteh's Avatar
    turalyon's voice is so much better in this than in the game.
  1. Granyala's Avatar
    Very cool. Too bad they can't represent lore of that intensity in the game.
  1. Rageadon's Avatar
    Turalyon looks like Clint Eastwood
  1. Violent's Avatar
    SOOO DAMNED AWESOME!


    I assume everyone else caught the one about Illidan also? With the release of Legion.
  1. ohwell's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Knightsword View Post
    Still a better love story than Twilight.
    Except it isn't considering we've been in the TN several times and not experienced that. All this story does is show how much the writers don't know their own game.
  1. Violent's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ohwell View Post
    Except it isn't considering we've been in the TN several times and not experienced that. All this story does is show how much the writers don't know their own game.
    Stop bashing.

    Your TRUE opinion is that this is as bad a story as the Twilight movies?!

    Don't be facetious.
  1. Teri's Avatar
    Amazing Audio, really is a must listen addition on lore.
  1. ohwell's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Violent View Post
    Stop bashing.

    Your TRUE opinion is that this is as bad a story as the Twilight movies?!

    Don't be facetious.
    It's not bashing when I'm stating facts. We've been in the TN CANONICALLY several times and not experienced this. So to suddenly make it like this just to sound cool makes them awful. Hell I never brought up Twilight personally and have never read any of them, but I was only replying to the idiocy of claiming anything in WoW is a better love story than anything much less I doubt the inconsistencies of Twilight aren't there as much as WoW has much less WoW had a nerd who gained power at the the helm who would lie to get applause at Blizzcon.
  1. procne's Avatar
    I especially like the hints towards future expansion in the vision Alleria witnesses. So it looks like we indeed have 1 old god alive, despite what Blizzard has said some time ago
  1. kosridge's Avatar
    why are the audio files only 5 minutes long?
  1. Leenaleena's Avatar
    I wish the font wouldn't have changed within the .pdf file. Other than that, awesome story! I never played a hunter personally and only heard about their order campaign from others, but I love how the story here connects the dots within their campaign.
    Ever since 7.3 hit, I was disappointed with them both for abandoning their son, but the story/audiodrama made it a great deal more plausible and understandable. Alleria is fierce enough that it makes sense that she would rather fight another war than endanger her son and Turalyon is a good husband and follows her lead.
    Overall, Alleria is a total badass and my new favorite (Windrunner), Turalyon is cute and a decent companion for her. As odd as it sounds, imo it felt as if those two characters truly click; unlike most of the couples in the Blizz Universe. I only hope they will keep Alleria (and through her, Turalyon) around for quite some time.
  1. mojrer's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Wyviner View Post
    Clint Eastwood is rocking some nice armor.
    yea, he does look exactly like him.
    I almost hear "do u feel lucky, punk?"
  1. Arvandor's Avatar
    audio files? rly?..

    the new version of a trailer?

    i hope not..
  1. Teenage Graceland's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Dragore View Post
    it's officially Clint Eastwood 7.3 art
    It does look like Clint Eastwood. The audio is amazing though.

    Can't wait.
  1. Bathory's Avatar
    Just finished all three, man this one was good too. Tomb is still my fav, but this one did an excellent job. I hope more of these are planned for the future.

    Quote Originally Posted by kosridge View Post
    why are the audio files only 5 minutes long?
    First one is 36min, next 2 are 46min. Is your YT borked?
  1. cUbik's Avatar
    Listening to this was an amazing experience! Thank you, Blizzard!
  1. Violent's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ohwell View Post
    It's not bashing when I'm stating facts. We've been in the TN CANONICALLY several times and not experienced this. So to suddenly make it like this just to sound cool makes them awful. Hell I never brought up Twilight personally and have never read any of them, but I was only replying to the idiocy of claiming anything in WoW is a better love story than anything much less I doubt the inconsistencies of Twilight aren't there as much as WoW has much less WoW had a nerd who gained power at the the helm who would lie to get applause at Blizzcon.
    How is it a fact?

    And what the hell do you even mean by "TN"??

    I dunno wtf story you been following, but it is MUCH bigger than some "love story" between them 2.. Uh, hello, Jaina & Arthas??
  1. mmoc7f25e17046's Avatar
    So Turalyon is Clint Eastwood?
  1. Steelcryo's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by ohwell View Post
    Except it isn't considering we've been in the TN several times and not experienced that. All this story does is show how much the writers don't know their own game.
    Except it explains that in the story as well with the whole storm in the whirlpool bit. Different parts of the twisting nether experience time differently, just like different parts of the water move differently and other parts move even more differently when effected by chaotic forces. It's not all the same speed, in some parts time flows much quicker than in Azeroth, in other parts it's similar and I imagine in some parts it's even slower than it is in Azeroth. So they could spend 10 years in one area and only a month passes on Azeroth but in that same month another part of the TN could experience 100 years.
  1. OPLIX's Avatar
    Big drama show

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