Origins / Background

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

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.