Skyborne

Origins / Background

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The Skyborne are the descendants of the people of Eldre'Thalas, the Highborne city we now know as Dire Maul. Their ancestors were magisters and night elf citizens both.

The Purge

Prince Tortheldrin of Eldre'Thalas ran a project with demon-powered crystals, and it ended in a bloody purge. A group of scholars, led by a masked rebel named Shal'nan, stood against him. When the purge came, they fled west.

They did not flee alone. Wind spirits lifted part of an island into the sky and carried the exiles with them. That island became Zephras Isle, in Skywall, the elemental plane of air.

Thousands of Years

The Skyborne lived in Skywall for a very long time. The wind spirits protected them, and the people built their lives around the island. Shal'nan eventually gave up leadership and handed the island to a council of elders.

Two Heritages

• The High Order descends from the Highborne magisters, and wants to recover their arcane traditions.
• The Windshapers descend from the night elf citizens, and keep closer to the elements.

They share a name and a past. They do not share a view of the future.

What They Look Like

Skyborne are lighter, more agile and more slender than their night elf ancestors, and look a little like high elves. Their eyes can twinkle with a hint of magic. (That is Highborne ancestry, if you were wondering.)

And then there is the Sky-Touched Blessing. Some Skyborne children are born with bright blue skin. By the time the Skyborne came back to Azeroth, about three in ten of the children on the islands had it. Blue skin is common among Windshapers. Many High Order members have warmer skin tones. Nobody fully understands why.

Recent History

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The Spirits Vanish

A few years before the Skyborne returned to Azeroth, the wind spirits vanished. We do not know why. Without them, the pylons that hold the islands in the sky began to fail, and the islands started to break apart.

Isolation

Contact between the islands was lost. Zephras Isle held on, but Anvilas, Siroccas, Shen'dramar and New Eldre'naar went silent. Nobody on Zephras Isle knows what became of them.

The Al'Aketh

A cult devoted to Al'Akir the Windlord rose in the chaos. Its members shave their heads and wear grey robes, and its leader is High Priestess Lorthuna. On Zephras Isle they hold shrines and ruins, and they fight both orders. [Game · Quest: Havoc in the Highlands]

Two Orders at Odds

The High Order and the Windshapers have clashed over sacred sites, ley lines and the death of a magister. Their apprentices fight in the Shen'dar Highlands. [Game · Quest: Meddlesome Mages] [Game · Quest: A Magical Affront]

But when the Al'Aketh threaten the island, both swear to Valennia Stormfist's cause. [Game · Quest: In Service of Zephras]

Joining the Alliance and the Horde

When their work on the island is done, the Skyborne leave. The High Order go to the Alliance by portal to Stormwind or by skycutter to Dalaran. The Windshapers go to the Horde, reporting to Thrall in Orgrimmar or sailing to Mulgore. [Game · Quest: Welcome to Azeroth] [Game · Quest: The Magical City of Dalaran] [Game · Quest: The Earthen Ring]

The High Order's base is reported to be the Sky Enclave, in the Violet Citadel of Dalaran. The Windshapers keep their home on Zephras Isle, in the Shen'dar Highlands.

The Fate of Zephras

The island is not safe. The anchor pylons are failing, and nobody knows how long it will last. [Game · Quest: The Fate of Zephras] [Game · Quest: The Anchors of Zephras]

Culture, Society & Daily Life

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Government

The Skyborne are governed by a Council of Elders, chosen by vote. Talaanis Shadowsong is High Elder of Zephras Isle. Valennia Stormfist is the island's Peacekeeper Captain. [Game · Quest: The Fate of Zephras]

Daily Life

• Crab is a common meal on Zephras Isle.
• Stormapples grow on the island's farms.
• Clothcraft is common, and hippogryph feathers are a favorite adornment.
• Heirlooms are given at coming of age, recovered after death and kept in a communal collection.

Death

When a Skyborne dies, their ashes are scattered to the winds.

Language and Names

The Skyborne speak Darnassian, Common and Orcish. Greetings often invoke the winds. Many names have doubled letters (Elaadrin, Ayessa, Talaanis), and surnames often relate to sun or dawn, like the Quel'Thalas names.

Skysight

Some Skyborne have a gift called skysight, a way to commune with the elemental spirits. It appears to be fading. A Skyborne near an elementally touched person may feel a static prickle on the skin.

Did You Know?

A Skyborne can glide down from a high place for about ten seconds, with control over where they land. They call it Walk on Air. Please do not use it to dodge every fight.

Faith & Religion

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Shamanism

The Skyborne do not have a church. Their faith is shamanism, the practice of speaking with the elemental spirits. For the Windshapers it is the center of their lives. [Game · Quest: Embracing the Elements]

Arcane Magic

The High Order practice arcane magic, drawing power from ley lines. Those ley lines are now breaking the surface of the islands. Read Ley Line is a High Order gift, and it works best near a line.

Druidism

Druidism is rare among the Skyborne. Their druids follow Urs'endris, the Great Windborne Bear Spirit.

The Al'Aketh

The Al'Aketh worship Al'Akir the Windlord, and they are the Skyborne's enemy. Do not confuse their faith with the Windshapers'. The Windshapers speak with the winds. The Al'Aketh serve a single, hungry one.

No Priests

The Skyborne cannot be Priests, Paladins or Warlocks. The wiki ties that to their dislike of organized religion, and to the cult.

Skyborne Lands

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Zephras Isle

The home island, in Skywall. It holds the town of Valanaar, Thendal Grove, the Shen'dar Highlands, the Gustberry Lowlands, Shadowgale Forest and the Shrine of Akir. See the Zephras Isle page.

Valanaar

The main town and the Skyborne capital. Two airships dock here, one for the Alliance and one for the Horde.

The Lost Islands

• Anvilas
• Siroccas
• Shen'dramar
• New Eldre'naar

Contact with these islands is lost. We do not know what is on them.

Dalaran

The High Order's reported base, the Sky Enclave in the Violet Citadel. See the Dalaran page.

Stormwind, Orgrimmar and Mulgore

The doors to the Alliance and the Horde. Alliance Skyborne arrive in Stormwind. Horde Skyborne arrive in Orgrimmar or at Skywatcher Plateau in Mulgore.

Organizations & Notable Skyborne

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Everything about the Skyborne is new in Forever. Details come from Blizzard announcements, the community wiki and beta data, and may change.

Organizations

• The High Order. Mages and magisters of the Alliance. [Game · Quest: The High Order]
• The Windshapers. Shamans and skyseers of the Horde. [Game · Quest: The Windshapers]
• The Council of Elders. The island's government.
• The Peacekeepers. Valennia Stormfist's guard.
• The Al'Aketh. The enemy cult.

Notable Skyborne

• Shal'nan, the masked rebel who led the exiles. Missing.
• Talaanis Shadowsong, High Elder of Zephras Isle. [Game · Quest: The Fate of Zephras]
• Valennia Stormfist, Peacekeeper Captain. [Game · Quest: In Service of Zephras]
• Elaadrin Evengale, Supreme Magister of the High Order. [Game · Quest: What Comes Next]
• Ayessa Dawnsinger, Grand Skyseer of the Windshapers. [Game · Quest: What Comes Next]
• Rathiril Sunlance of the High Order. [Game · Quest: The High Order]
• Illaya Amberwind of the Windshapers. [Game · Quest: The Windshapers]
• High Priestess Lorthuna, leader of the Al'Aketh.

More to come soon.

How to Roleplay

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Everything about the Skyborne is new in Forever. Details come from Blizzard announcements, the community wiki and beta data, and may change.

Character Ideas

• A High Order apprentice, newly arrived in Stormwind.
• A Windshaper skyseer, trying to reach the spirits.
• A peacekeeper who fought the Al'Aketh.
• A child of the Sky-Touched Blessing, with blue skin.
• A survivor from one of the lost islands.

Rules of Thumb

• Do not play Shal'nan, Talaanis, Elaadrin or Ayessa. They belong to the world.
• Pick an order and own it. The High Order and the Windshapers are rivals, and that is good for roleplay.
• Your character has just come down from the sky. The soil, the crowds and the weather are all new.
• Do not make every Skyborne blue-skinned. About three in ten is the number. Please keep that in mind.
• Do not give your Skyborne a Priest, Paladin or Warlock class. They cannot be those.
• There is a lot we do not know. Stay close to what the island shows us, and check the Forever pages.

Classes in Character

• Warrior: a peacekeeper of Zephras Isle.
• Hunter: a stalker of the sky islands.
• Rogue: a quiet one, used to small spaces.
• Druid: a follower of Urs'endris, the Great Windborne Bear Spirit.
• Mage: a magister of the High Order (Alliance).
• Shaman: a Windshaper skyseer (Horde).

More to come soon.