Was it time to pull the plug on some realms? I can understand the reasoning for this, and I suspect that with some servers, Blizz could no longer continue to justify keeping a server online for only a handful of people. It's bad publicity for a MMO to start shutting down servers, so if our former dead realms were finally buried, it was pretty crafty of Blizz to partition destination realms for refugees, so characters got to keep their last names even after marrying.
Realms formerly of the Phoenix datacenters have been moved to Chicago and LA datacenters, some realms have experienced issues such as lost characters or mail, and then there's an interesting development with armories.
This seems to be the case for every batch of connected realms. When you pull up the armory of a character on a connected realm, the realm listed in the url is the character's original realm. If you view the url for the armory's character portrait, their character is designated as being from a different realm within that batch, unless it's the realm the other realms in that batch are redirecting to, and it's always the same realm within that batch.
If your WoW forum avatar is cloaked in shadows, like mine, check and see what the url for the avatar is, and that seems to explain why the avatar is missing. My avatar is trying to take a snapshot of Skrit from his original realm Azshara, but Skrit's armory picture is hosted on Azgalor now. So if your character has been ghosted for some time, it could be because the forum avatar is trying to take a snapshot of an armory picture that no longer exists.
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...avatar/5-0.jpg
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/5-0.jpg
If you copy the url and correct your character's new realm designation, you can view your avatar. Here's my dashing portrait, after changing Azshara to Azgalor-- http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...avatar/5-0.jpg
Aegwynn, Daggerspine, Gurubashi, and Hakkar
Daggerspine redirects to Aegwynn
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...Toxinzs/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/6-0.jpg
Gurubashi redirects to Aegwynn
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...C3%AFth/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-1.jpg
Hakkar redirects to Aegwynn
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...%C3%AEc/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/4-1.jpg
Aggramar and Fizzcrank
Fizzcrank redirects to Aggramar
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...vmachin/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-0.jpg
Akama and Dragonmaw
Akama redirects to Dragonmaw
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...a/Xukie/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/26-1.jpg
Andorhal, Scilla, and Ursin
Andorhal now redirects to Ursin
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte.../Xanril/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../class/6-0.jpg
Scilla now redirects to Ursin
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...ustnana/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/1-1.jpg
Anetheron, Magtheridon, and Ysondre
Anetheron redirects to Magtheridon
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...ron/Lap/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-1.jpg
Ysondre is redirecting to Magtheridon
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...olyomen/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../class/6-0.jpg
Anub’arak, Chromaggus, Crushridge, Garithos, Nathrezim, and Smolderthorn
Anub'arak redirects to Chromaggus
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...caldust/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../class/6-0.jpg
Crushridge redirects to Chromaggus
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...ndotbro/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/7-0.jpg
Garithos redirects to Chromaggus
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...Demiano/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/6-0.jpg
Nathrezim redirects to Chromaggus
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...knocker/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/6-0.jpg
Smolderthorn redirects to Chromaggus
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...Etation/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-0.jpg
Arygos and Llane
Arygos redirects to Llane
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...Feldark/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/7-1.jpg
Auchindoun and Laughing Skull
Auchindoun redirects to Laughing Skull
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...n/Birra/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-0.jpg
Azshara and Azgalor
Azshara redirects to Azgalor
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte.../Zirion/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/1-0.jpg
Balnazzar, Gorgonnash, The Forgotten Coast, and Warsong
Balnazzar redirects to Warsong
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...rmunche/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/26-0.jpg
Gorgonnash redirects to Warsong
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...nwithme/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-1.jpg
The Forgotten Coast redirects to Warsong
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...csgopoo/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/2-0.jpg
Black Dragonflight, Gul'dan, and Skullcrusher
Black Dragonflight redirects to Skullcrusher
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...ltotems/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/26-0.jpg
Gul'dan redirects to Skullcrusher
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...n/Beeps/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/6-0.jpg
Blackhand and Galakrond
Galakrond redirects to Blackhand
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...Maurkas/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/1-0.jpg
Blackwing Lair, Dethecus, Detheroc, Lethon, and Haomarush
Blackwing Lair redirects to Detheroc
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...idsauce/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/6-0.jpg
Dethecus redirects to Detheroc
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte.../Atrius/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/9-0.jpg
Lethon redirects to Detheroc
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...ysdream/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/10-1.jpg
Haomarush redirects to Detheroc
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...egsmash/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u.../race/26-1.jpg
Blood Furnace and Mannoroth
Blood Furnace redirects to Mannoroth
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/characte...mfuhrer/simple
http://us.battle.net/static-render/u...n/race/2-1.jpg