The splitting and restructuring of ancient Kalimdor lasted for over a month. Finally, the energy released by the explosion of the Well of Eternity began to slow, the frequent earthquakes gradually weakened, and eventually, they vanished entirely.
The peoples of various races who had sought refuge on Mount Hyjal still felt a sense of unreality regarding the new world following the cataclysm. At least, in the vicinity of the holy Mount Hyjal, not much had changed.
However, after his body recovered, Andreas went out to scout the situation with Fandral. The land to the west of Ashenvale Forest had completely disappeared, replaced by an endless ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Suramar and the Seat of the Sky, which were supposed to be located nearby, were nowhere to be seen. In their place were vast expanses of temple ruins along the western coast of Ashenvale. In the center of the ocean, where the Well of Eternity once stood, a Great Whirlpool had formed. Its violent gales and currents made it impossible for Andreas and Fandral to approach further.
The Sundering had cost the Night Elf Empire a vast amount of its territory. However, the Night Elves, whose strength was greatly diminished after the civil war, could no longer control such vast lands anyway.
With Mount Hyjal as the center, refugees from all directions crowded the holy mountain where the Wild Gods resided, packing it to capacity. Zin-Azshari, the original capital of the empire, had almost entirely sunk, leaving behind a massive, sunken bay.
The towns and villages near the capital region resurfaced after being washed by the sea, presenting a desolate landscape of ruins that made Fandral and Andreas sigh with emotion as they witnessed it.
As the phenomena accompanying the cataclysm subsided, Malfurion and the others realized belatedly that Rhonin and Krasus had mysteriously vanished along with Broxigar's body. Coincidentally, the Pandaren, who had come from Pandaria to assist, also took their leave of the temporary governing council.
With the continent of Kalimdor torn apart, the Ley Line coordinates preserved by the Arcanists were mostly unusable. To return to Pandaria, which had split off from the main continent, the Pandaren had to travel to the coast and set sail.
"A calling?"
"Yes, we can all feel it. Pandaria is calling to us, its wandering children, from the far south."
Before leaving, the Pandaren said some cryptic things that the others couldn't quite understand. Andreas was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, but then he understood the "stream of consciousness" explanation.
It seems Shaohao has successfully sealed the Sha, turning himself into the mists that shroud all of Pandaria. No wonder they feel someone calling; that must be Shaohao's final will.
As the commander-in-chief of the coalition, Jarod, though he didn't fully understand the Pandaren's meaning, sent off these determined allies with gratitude and blessings.
After the Pandaren departed, the Tauren followed suit, intending to return to Highmountain to begin their new lives. During the great war, Huln Highmountain—wielding the artifact Eagle Spear—had won the unanimous respect of the various clans through his fierce battlefield performance and powerful charisma.
To end the inefficient political system of the multi-clan voting process, Huln decided to unite the major clans into a more cohesive Tauren tribe. However, Huln's vision did not go entirely smoothly. The Woodhoof clan, one of the five major clans, was the first to cause complications.
The Woodhoof clan, who were very close to Cenarius, did not intend to return to Highmountain. They wanted to stay as close as possible to the forest demigod, following in the footsteps of their ancestors and continuing to listen to his teachings. After several failed attempts at persuasion, Huln finally expressed understanding for the Woodhoof clan's decision. Both sides promised to maintain long-term contact, and the Highmountain tribes parted ways with the Woodhoof clan and its subordinate clans for the time being.
In Andreas's memory, there seemed to be no "Woodhoof" Tauren clan ten thousand years later. But when the subordinate clans were mentioned, he immediately showed a look of realization.
Bloodhoof, Runetotem, and Grimtotem—these three were the most famous medium-sized clans under the Woodhoof umbrella. Smaller ones included Stonehoof, Ragetotem, Sunwalker, and others, all of which were familiar clan names in the future.
So the Woodhoof clan was the predecessor of the Kalimdor Tauren. To think that the Woodhoof clan, as the sovereign, didn't survive until ten thousand years later.
After bidding farewell to the allies who had helped banish the Burning Legion, the Night Elf race also began to prepare for their new post-war life. Once the war ended, the massive scale of the resistance army became quite cumbersome.
Having lost the Well of Eternity, the crown jewel of the Night Elf Empire, the survivors had to adapt to a new world and a new way of life. First and foremost, food was an unavoidable issue. Keeping too many soldiers gathered together would continuously consume vast amounts of rations. Both Malfurion and Tyrande were inclined to have the warriors return to their homes.
However, moving against those who had performed meritorious service right after the war ended was morally difficult. This point had left the two of them looking worried during recent council meetings.
The observant Jarod noticed their concerns. As one of the greatest heroes of the War of the Ancients, Jarod had a significant flaw in his character—he always undervalued himself. Though born of humility, Jarod's personality caused him to instinctively make unnecessary concessions when facing non-critical issues.
Preoccupied with many matters, Malfurion and Tyrande did not notice Jarod's shifting mindset. To ensure a sufficient food supply for their people, Malfurion had recently teamed up with high-ranking members of the Druidic sect to work through the night on researching and improving grain seeds.
Tyrande was equally busy. High Priestess Dejahna had kept her promise, resignedly handing over the position of High Priestess to Tyrande after the war, before leaving Mount Hyjal for a quiet life of seclusion with a few loyal followers.
Though Tyrande had performed great deeds during the assault on Zin-Azshari, as a newly appointed official, she needed to put in more effort to gain the recognition of the majority of the Sisterhood.
...
"This land... it should be beyond saving, right?"
In the form of a golden eagle, Andreas flapped his wings and hovered in mid-air. Beside him was a violet-colored Stormcrow. The land beneath them was barren and desolate; the lack of vitality in the soil was almost visible to the naked eye, forming a sharp contrast with the lush Ashenvale Forest to the north.
Fandral sighed with emotion. "The Central Wilds. This place was once a prosperous area as well. I didn't expect it to be ruined to this extent after a single war."
The Central Wilds—this region would be known to players in the future by a much more familiar name: The Barrens. This was once the site of Sen'lallos, one of the six major cities of the Night Elves.
Due to the saturation of Fel blood from a large number of dead demons, the originally vibrant Central Wilds had turned into this wretched state. Sen'lallos was no longer fit for habitation, and its residents had moved en masse to Ashenvale Forest during the Sundering.
"In any case, our scouting mission ends here for now."
Returning to his humanoid form, Andreas sketched out the current state of the Barrens on his map. Since the maps of ancient Kalimdor were now obsolete, drawing new ones was imperative.
During this time, Andreas and Fandral had scouted the regions near Mount Hyjal one after another. Aside from the Night Elf residential areas, they included the freezing Winterspring, the ruins of the Zin-Azshari capital region scattered with debris, the Stonetalon Mountains filled with red stone, and the final stop was the Barrens before them.
At that moment, a black raven flew in from the direction of Ashenvale, turning into a leather-clad Night Elf upon landing. Fandral, standing with his arms crossed, frowned immediately upon seeing the man's panicked state.
"What's wrong? Try to keep it brief."
"Yes! The Archdruid's brother, Illidan, is at the summit of Mount Hyjal. Using vials of water he secretly took from the Well of Eternity, he has created a new font of power! The people are arguing incessantly over this, and a large-scale conflict could break out at any moment!"
"What?!"