"Those who do not stand with the Forsaken stand against them. And those who stand against the Forsaken will not stand long."

- Sylvanas Windrunner, The Banshee Queen

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"The Nexus is a paradise. I get to **** Arthas over and over again."

• In life, the high elf Sylvanas Windrunner was the renowned Ranger-General of Silvermoon, leader of the Farstrider rangers. During the Third War, she was slain by the ***** knight Arthas Menethil, who tore her soul from her body and converted it into a banshee. In time Sylvanas reclaimed her free will, gathering rogue undead into her Forsaken army. With Arthas finally destroyed, Sylvanas will do whatever is necessary to maintain her position, extend her existence, and perpetuate the Forsaken.
• As Ranger-General of Silvermoon, the high elf capital, Sylvanas Windrunner led her forces against the ***** knight Arthas Menethil, champion of the Lich King, during the Third War.
• Despite her strong resistance, the Scourge ripped through Quel’Thalas and she met defeat at the hands of Arthas. He denied her a clean ***** and instead transformed her soul into a banshee, forced to serve the Scourge.
• When the Lich King’s grasp wavered, Sylvanas regained her free will. She reclaimed her body, gathered those similarly free of the Lich King’s sway into her personal army, renaming them “Forsaken”, and established her base in the Undercity, beneath the Lordaeron ruins.
• Though she joined the Horde to help secure her kingdom, she wanted her vengeance: the ***** of Arthas, now the Lich King, for what he did to her and her people. When Tirion Fordring and heroes of Azeroth ****** Arthas, Sylvanas struggled with a lack of purpose now that her revenge was complete. She sought to end her undead state by destroying herself.
• However, she learned that her afterlife would be a ceaseless torment and, without her leadership, the Forsaken would be obliterated. Thus, she accepted a pact with the val’kyr, the Lich King’s former undead agents. This bonded their souls to hers, bolstering Forsaken ranks through the val’kyrs’ powers of undeath.
• The pact has kept Sylvanas in the realm of the living, but she is terrified of what awaits her in eternity. She considers her existence and her people to be entwined—she and the Forsaken will survive at any cost.
  

"What joy is there in this curse? What are we if not slaves to this torment?" –Sylvanas

“Lordaeron belongs to the Forsaken - always and forever.” –Sylvanas

Since the first appearance of the Sylvanas in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, many talented artists have sought to do justice to this dark ranger. Below are fifteen fantastic pieces of fan art featuring Sylvanas, which were submitted by talented artists from around the globe. You can find even more in World of Warcraft’s Sylvanas Fan Art Gallery.

"Sylvanas" by Jill-Wan	"Dark Lady Sylvanas Windrunner" by Dark-ONE-1

"Sylvanas Windrunner – Banshee Queen" Cosplay by Narga-Lifestream, Photo by JustMoolti

"Sylvanas - Fallen" by TheFirstAngel	"Sylvanas Windrunner" by jiguo liu (ofwoo)	"Sylvanas Windrunner" by Sendolarts	"Sylvanas" by Bamuth

"Dark Lady" by hujianing (朝圣者)

"Sylvanas Windrunner" by LeeJJ	"The Might of Sylvanas" by inxj

Sylvanas has had a heavy hand in Azeroth’s ongoing history, and if you’re interested in learning more about her, make sure to check out the following related content:

• Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Game – 2002)
• Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Game – 2003)
• World of Warcraft (Game – 2004
• The Well of Eternity (Novel – 2004)
• Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy Vol. #3: “Ghostlands” (Graphic Novel – 2007)
• Tides of Darkness (Novel – 2007)
• Warcraft Legends Vol. #3: “Crusader’s Blood” (Graphic Novel – 2009)
• Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (Novel – 2009)
• World of Warcraft: Official Magazine (2009)
• Stormrage (Novel – 2010)
• Edge of Night (Short Story – 2011)
• In the Shadow of the Sun (Short Story – 2011)
• Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War (Novel – 2012)
• War Crimes (Novel – 2014)
• Blood of the Highborne (Short Story – 2014)
• Sylvanas Windrunner (World of Warcraft Character Page)

You can also dive into some official art and concepts featuring Sylvanas below:

Arthas and Sylvanas, as seen in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos	Arthas and Sylvanas, as seen in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

Sylvanas’s evolution within the World of Warcraft

Sylvanas, as seen in the World of Warcraft	Sylvanas, as seen in the World of Warcraft