Blizzard Entertainment released the third animated short in the Shadowlands Afterlives series this afternoon. Each animated short focuses on introducing one of the four covenants players who will be tasked with aiding in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. Through these we learn a bit of what has happened prior to our arrival into the Shadowlands. This week’s short introduced Ardenweald, the home of the Night Fae and tells the story of Ara’lon, a grove keeper.
The short opens with the death of Ursoc. Players know that during the events of World of Warcraft: Legion, the ancient guardian was corrupted by Xavius and a raid boss within the Emerald Nightmare. The short shows us that after dying and being released from this nightmare, Ursoc returns to Ardenweald to be reborn again. It is here that he falls under the protection of Ara’lon. He is determined to protect not only Ursoc’s soul, but the others in his grove through the seasons. He vows to the Winter Queen to protect them with his life.
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The Shadowlands Afterlives’ Ardenweald short jumps forward in time. Here, we learn that things have not gone well in the grove. Ara’lon is struggling to continue to provide nourishment to his souls. One afternoon, a group of Sylvar come to collect the souls. In an attempt to protect his grove, Ara’lon fights back against these scavengers. However, he learns soon enough that the Sylvar aren’t there on their own but on behalf of the Winter Queen. Of course, this angers Ara’lon as he believes that the Winter Queen has lost faith in his abilities to protect his grove.
She appears and shares with Ara’lon that Ardenweald is dying and they need all the help they can get. She has enacted the Wild Hunt in an attempt to save her people. They seek Ara’lon’s support, but she knows he is true of heart and will allow him to make his own decision. After a short moment, he agrees to join her and using his staff he absorbs the soul of Ursoc. In the end, The Shadowlands Afterlives Ardenweald short comes to a close with Ara’lon joining the Winter Queen and vowing to join her in the hunt to protect their home.
Yet again, the team behind the series has brought me to tears. The short is beautiful in everything from the story, to the musical score, to the overall visuals. It opened with the death of Ursoc, which as a Druid really pulled at my heartstrings. Reliving his death a second time is something I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do. It also opens our eyes to just how hard the different covenants within the Shadowlands are struggling. I really cannot wait to see how we are going to help bring Ardenweald back to its former glory.
The final Shadowlands Afterlives animated short will release Thursday, September 17, 2020. This will focus on the fourth covenant Revendreth. For a full list of the team behind the animated shorts, you can read up on it here. We can’t wait to see how they tie all of the animated shorts together in the end. Let us know if this new animated short had you crying rivers of tears as well!
Who I Am: A nerd by the strictest definition. I enjoy diving straight into my favorite fandoms without a care in the world. I live on video/board games, fantasy movies and TV, and all things geeky.
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