The Life and Times of High Exarch Turalyon
While we discussed his partner Alleria in the TWW lead up, we haven’t actually talked about Turalyon all that much. He will be a central character in Midnight, and he’s very interesting for a number of reasons. Most notably, he’s become a bit of a dividing figure among the player base in recent years. I can’t settle the debate on either end, but I can at least write up a biography of the life and times of the High Exarch. I’ll also add my personal read of his story at the end. As a reminder, I find it important to differentiate between “this was solid writing” and “I agree with this character’s choices.” After all, it’s very easy for me to project my own decision making on to a Paladin who’s been fighting an atemporal war in the Twisting Nether for a thousand years. Without further ado, a recap of one of our most famous heroes.
The Makings of a Legend
“CAN YOU GUYS SHUT UP FOR A SECOND”
Turalyon had clear protagonist aura from the start of his life. His parents, of Lordaeron nobility, died when he was still an infant, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all the anime I watch, it’s that dead parents=protagonist. He was raised by the Church of the Holy Light, eventually becoming a Priest to find a sense of purpose in the Light. After a few years of service in the clergy, Turalyon had become highly respected in Lordaeron as a compassionate, honorable Priest.
Around the time of the Second War, Turalyon was present at a meeting of the Council of Seven Nations (the ruling body of the human kingdoms at this time, precursor to the Alliance of Lordaeron) after the destruction of Stormwind. He brought forth the orphaned Varian Wrynn and called the kings to focus on the threat of the invading Horde, reminding them what happened to Stormwind and the Wrynn family. In one of my favorite character moments of his, he reminded the lords of the human kingdoms that if they didn’t unite to defend Azeroth from the Horde, they would be remembered for being “too proud to put aside political ambitions,” as lords such as Genn Greymane focused on their own regional interests rather than the collective good. His rousing speech won over many hearts and minds at that summit.
Due to his excellence in the clergy and his natural authority, Alonsus Faol asked Turalyon to become one of the first Paladins of the Silver Hand (along with folks like Uther). Turalyon took to combat as a Paladin with ease, becoming a skilled war hero, healer, and pillar of strength for the Alliance. At this time, Anduin Lothar took to Turalyon, choosing him to be his squire and lieutenant. He became close with Khadgar and Alleria during this time, forming three of our famed Sons of Lothar.
The Light’s Wrath
imagine looking this good with a broken ass sword
As the Second War progressed, the Alliance forced the Horde to retreat to Blackrock Spire. In the ensuing siege, both Turalyon and Anduin Lothar lost their fight with Orgrim Doomhammer. While Turalyon was just knocked away, Lothar met his end on the Doomhammer. Lothar’s death ignited the Light within Turalyon, unleashing its power on the Orcs around him. This display of power, along with his status as Lothar’s lieutenant, led to Turalyon assuming control of the armies of the Alliance. At this time, Turalyon became much more vengeful, Lothar’s death steering his campaign against the Horde. He cornered the Horde by the Dark Portal in the Black Morass (you’ll recognize that from Caverns of Time) and called on his friend Khadgar to blow up the Dark Portal so the Orcs couldn’t return.
After ending the Second War, Turalyon directed his efforts toward rebuilding the Eastern Kingdoms. He secured Varian’s place on the throne of Stormwind, oversaw the Deeprun Tram’s construction, and brought Stormwind’s displaced citizens back to their homes. During this period of time, Alleria and Turalyon had a son, Arator. To answer a commonly asked question, Turalyon and Alleria are actually not married! They addressed their lack of a union in the recent Blood Ties novel. If you want to see how that ended, check out the book.
“arator i haven’t seen you since you were a baby but it’s time i lecture you from millions of miles away”
Turalyon and Khadgar had a feeling the Horde would be back (Dadgar really has a knack for knowing when the bad guys are actually defeated). Two years later, the Dark Portal opened again. This time, the invasion was driven by Ner’zhul, a far more ruthless and reckless leader of the Horde. He was once again driven by the Legion’s malice, but had access to a much scarier magic with the Skull of Gul’dan’s power and a conjuration spell that would open endless gateways for the Horde to pillage. After a Naaru appeared in visions to him, Turalyon decided to put an end to the Horde for good by going through to the other side of the portal and defeating the Orcs on their homeworld. Alleria’s sister Vereesa came down to the Blasted Lands, said goodbye to Alleria and Turalyon, and took their son Arator to raise him on Azeroth. Alleria, Turalyon, Khadgar, Kurdran Wildhammer, Danath Trollbane, and other heroes went through the Portal and started fighting the Horde on Draenor.
The Alliance Expedition fought long and hard on Draenor, traversing many of the zones we saw in Warlords, until they reached the Black Temple where Ner’zhul was completing his conjuration spell. The Horde leader and his followers escaped through one of the portals, but more kept opening all across Draenor. Khadgar knew that the amount of portals spawning would tear Draenor to pieces, and that Azeroth would feel part of the shock because the Dark Portal was still open. The Expedition remained on the Draenor side of the portal and fought to close it from their side, ultimately succeeding and ending up stranded on the dead husk now known as Outland.
A Thousand Years of War, Relationship Struggles, and Buffs
“not our best date night idea” “not our worst either!”
Isolated and far from home, the Expedition fought through some of the collapsing rifts, one of which cut Turalyon and Alleria off from their allies. Danath Trollbane and Khadgar felt the loss of their friends deeply, assuming the worst. However, Turalyon and Alleria survived, rescued by Lothraxion (the Light Nathrezim from Argus). They met Xe’ra, the Prime Naaru, who informed them that they would be major factors in the war against the Legion. They accepted her invitation to join the Army of the Light in the Twisting Nether, finding sanctuary aboard the Xenedar. Since time flows differently in the nether, Alleria and Turalyon lived through more than 500 years in just two Azerothian decades. During their training and stay on the Xenedar, Xe’ra infused Turalyon with Light, granting him immortality and making him a Lightforged.
A thousand years of war is a long time to have relationship difficulties. Alleria and Turalyon faced their toughest test yet as she became more familiar with the Void’s influence. Where Xe’ra spoke to Turalyon, Alleria did not understand the Light. She heard voices from the Void for many years, eventually receiving information on a crucial objective for the Army of the Light. She and Turalyon went after it, eventually facing near defeat, when the Void erupted out of Alleria and saved them. When Turalyon reached out to touch her, his mere presence reacted to the shadow and split the two of them apart. They split up, Alleria leaving through a voidgate, reminding Turalyon she was not his enemy.
lothraxion you have been and will always be sus. always.
Turalyon returned to the Xenedar, finding solace in his place in the Army, eventually rising to be a High Exarch over the next 500 years. When Turalyon and Lothraxion were attacked by the same assassin who went after them after Draenor’s destruction, Alleria saved them this time. Out of love, Turalyon told her to leave, knowing Xe’ra would not accept Alleria’s use of the Void. Alleria stood her ground, but when Xe’ra arrived, even after Turalyon pled for mercy and showed the Naaru Alleria’s heroic deeds, she declined his plea, imprisoning and punishing Alleria for going against the Light. Turalyon, dismayed that he couldn’t spare her from Xe’ra’s judgment, tried to remain calm in the knowledge that he and Alleria would always fight for each other.
After many long battles, the situation became more dire for the Army of the Light. Turalyon recorded a message within Light’s Heart and sent it into the great dark, hoping it would find Azeroth. This would eventually become the falling star quest from Legion, where we would see Turalyon’s message and him on screen in WoW for the first time.
A Hero Returns, Family Drama and All
turalyon why are your eyes glowing lightbound mister stay with me
Khadgar reunited with his long lost friends on Argus, as we, the player character, and Prophet Velen found the Xenedar, Turalyon, and Alleria. The High Exarch wasted no time in bringing Illidan Stormrage to Xe’ra, as Illidan was key to Xe’ra’s prophecy of victory. Unfortunately for the Prime Naaru, Illidan is Illidan, and he refused to be Lightbound, destroying Xe’ra in everyone’s favorite cinematic. Turalyon erupted in rage at Illidan before calming down and continuing his campaign on Argus. In this cinematic, we see a (still contested) moment where Turalyon’s brown eyes glow with the Light as Xe’ra arrives. Jury’s still out on if that’s Xe’ra doing something with Lightbound in the room or just the reflection of her giant ass crystal chandelier body, but people still talk about it.
everyone may have one (1) pass to call turalyon zaddy
We were victorious on Argus, with High Exarch Turalyon accompanying us in Antorus and doing what he does best: murdering demons. He and Alleria had brief time to chat with Arator on the Vindicaar, and this is when they both realized they have no idea how to be parents or talk to their child. Honestly? Real. He discussed his eagerness to return to Azeroth, nervous yet excited to see Stormwind again. He had a lot of awkward and tense reunions, one of which was with the now Forsaken Alonsus Faol. Turalyon was initially shocked and paranoid of Faol, deriding the appearance of an Undead in his mentor’s body. However, Faol demonstrated that the Light still dwelt within him and Turalyon apologized. This would become a common theme for many of Turalyon’s reunions on Azeroth: it turns out 1,000 nether years and 20+ Azerothian years changes a lot of things, challenging Turalyon’s assumptions about his world. This is the part of the story where I started lovingly calling him a boomer: he is, but thankfully he still fights for good. He also advocated for the admission of the Lightforged Draenei into the Alliance, noting the Draenei already finding a home within the Alliance.
Throughout the Fourth War, Turalyon of course fought for the Alliance. He displayed some old hatreds of Horde races during this conflict, as well as new hatreds for former allies who sided with the Horde. A famous example of this trait is with Liadrin in Stromgarde, whom Turalyon deems a “misguided Paladin of the Horde.” I’ll have more to say on what I think of his words and behaviors later, but I think it’s important to his story to highlight where his demeanor is at each time. In A Thousand Years of War, we see a nervous, paranoid, and heartbroken Turalyon, not an authoritative, assured, and occasionally judgmental commander. Upon returning to familiar Azeroth, Turalyon settled back into some of his old behaviors and thoughts, such as singular hatred of the Horde. Like I said, more to say later. He and the Alliance forces succeeded in reclaiming Stromgarde during the conflict.
BEING IN CHARGE ISN’T GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH!! RUN AWAY!!! I LIKE YOU MORE AS A BATTLE HERO!
After the Fourth War, an uneasy armistice between the Horde and the Alliance dictated Azeroth’s political landscape. Unfortunately, the very well-adjusted Anduin Wrynn was kidnapped by the Mawsworn. Since he had become popular in Stormwind with the nobles, Turalyon was chosen to lead Stormwind as regent while Anduin was absent. He remarked on how reclaiming Stromgarde could lead to reclaiming more of the Alliance’s former territories, another return to familiar behaviors. There were many conversations between Shadowlands and TWW where various Alliance leaders had to tell Turalyon to remember that he was a regent, supervising administrative affairs while Anduin was absent, as characters such as Genn Greymane and Mathias Shaw had to remind Turalyon that he was not the king. As a natural leader, it makes sense that Turalyon would overstep his authority after being away for so long. Thankfully, he did not launch any military offensives against old enemies during this time.
Alleria and Turalyon again dealt with relationship troubles, this time taking some time apart to focus on their own work. While Turalyon sat on the throne of Stormwind, Alleria preferred to work as a hunter, taking individual missions throughout the years. The two struggled to maintain many parts of the delicate balance between them, as always, struggling with their diametrically opposed nature as a hero of the Light and wielder of the Void, but also with the Windrunner family’s everpresent nature in Azeroth’s challenges. Would this family ever not have some form of drama going on, or was that simply their legacy?
Current Affairs: My Girlfriend Left Me and My Son Hates Me, AMA
can you imagine every instance of your relationship problems the player character is just there off to the side? “ily, whose side are you on?” “sorry raid time!”
Most recently, Turalyon joined us on Khaz Algar, maintaining a competitive rivalry with Gey’arah for training new recruits, reuniting with Alleria, and championing the Light in Hallowfall. He wasn’t necessarily a lead character in TWW, but he fought with us as always. He and Alleria reaffirmed their commitment to each other as friends, allies, and partners, with her pledging to always return to him.
After the initial fight on Khaz Algar but before the events on K’aresh, Alleria and Turalyon worked with Arator to fight some recent pockets of Legion presence in Felsoul Hold. During this mission, the family tried to interact as a family would, struggling to find things in common, when and how to parent, and how to remain partners. It was uh, awkward to say the least, especially when Alleria and Turalyon started talking about the fact that they’ve never gotten married. After thinking they cleared out Felsoul Hold, Turalyon decided it was time and proposed to Alleria, very cutely having Khadgar as his best man and Danath and Kurdran as his wedding party with Arator officiating.
my girlfriend left me at the altar but i can still kill demons
However, the demon they thought they had bested attacked their wedding ceremony, interrupting the festivities, driving the couple to combat, where they both employed their strongest cosmic forms. This led to their attacks against the demons being ineffective, the presence of one’s Light and Void getting in the way. Arator demanded his parents decide if they could truly be together, and in a real heartbreaker, where Turalyon said yes, Alleria returned his ring, fearful of the Light, and for the first time, he wondered whether she would return to him. We’re not sure if they broke up, but she definitely said marriage is off the table. And they still have a kid. Awkward!
As a commander of the Army of the Light, Turalyon will be one of our lead characters at the Sunwell in Midnight, as seen in promotional materials. His longtime rock, Alleria, is no longer at his side, hunting Void forces in her own way and away from the Light’s judgmental gaze. Turalyon enters one of his most important battles off balance, uncertain of his lifetime of commitment to Alleria and where his actual place is.
oh no they’re hot!
What do I think of Turalyon?
Like most of our heroes in Warcraft, Turalyon is a complicated guy. I’ve landed on a positive opinion of him, even though he does have his moments where I wanna smack him upside the head. It’s clear that he’s motivated by a sense of good, what is just, and defending his home above all else. While that initially just meant the Alliance’s territories, he has a broad definition of home that includes everyone on Azeroth. Early Turalyon is the least complicated Turalyon, as he united the Alliance lords to fight for each other instead of their own goals. He experienced a horrible personal loss when Anduin Lothar died, choosing to rise in his place and fight for his fallen friend even harder. At this time, the Horde was under the Legion’s blood curse which amounted to mind control, making them both victims and perpetrators, so it’s understandable why Turalyon would fight them as invaders. He would sadly go on to hold onto that hatred for many years, even after the blood curse was broken and the Horde became the community of outcasts we know and love today. Thankfully, he never had a hand in any of the atrocities some Human lords committed against the Orcs, such as Blackmoore and Proudmoore.
xe’ra….you bitch….
I completely understand where Turalyon’s coming from in A Thousand Years of War. Firstly, the sacrifice he and the other Sons of Lothar made to close the portal from the other side is…biblical. We can’t really grasp the magnitude of what they did that day, as Azeroth would’ve been deep fried without their intervention. To then survive and be separated from your allies must have been a brutal path. He starts to lose me when he gets more and more committed to Xe’ra, but that’s easy to say as an audience member. I sympathize with his gravitation toward the Light, especially as the Light on Azeroth is basically depicted as good unless you’re the Scarlet Crusade. He couldn’t necessarily have known that Xe’ra was lawful to a fault when he joined her, simply seeing the Naaru who reached out to him in the Second War and a being composed of the force he wielded. If I’m Turalyon, I see Xe’ra go “yeah we’re gonna blow up the Legion” and I go “yup I’ll be on your side!” I also understand his heartbreak at Alleria’s decision to wield the Void, and it’s again easy for me as an audience member to want him to be more open-minded. Thankfully, he never stopped loving her and promising to fight at her side. I hate Xe’ra’s guts, and while Turalyon did try to both get Alleria to leave and change Xe’ra’s mind about her, Alleria’s imprisonment always makes me sad. Xe’ra sucks. I understand why he wouldn’t leave the Army, and am glad he was conflicted about what happened, as it wouldn’t be smart to make an enemy of Xe’ra at that time.
My major criticisms of Turalyon come from BFA and Shadowlands, which could just be those two expansions being messes. I think he acted very arrogant when he became the regent of Stormwind, and I hate the idea of the Alliance starting wars by Stromgarde to “reclaim” their former territories. Displaced Forsaken live in Lordaeron now-we don’t accomplish anything by reclaiming those territories and displacing the Forsaken again. The Alliance has plenty of territory. I also didn’t like how he was written in conversations with Genn and Shaw, coming off as extremely pompous in a position of authority. As I said, seems like a BFA/SL thing as he didn’t sound like a dickwad in TWW. I’m glad we dropped that “Alliance reclaiming Lordaeron” thread-let’s leave that for Forsaken pls-and I don’t like how he spoke to Liadrin in Stromgarde, but I get it, Sylvanas was villain batted at the time and the Blood Elves did stay with the Horde for a bit. Ugh. I hate BFA. To quote Khadgar at the end of Legion, “I can’t watch y’all fight each other again.” And he’s so real for that. Turalyon take notes!!
i miss the beard so much
I agree that all of Turalyon’s decisions have been with the goal of serving the greater good, whether that be for Azeroth, for the cosmos, for his dear Alleria, or for his son. I’ll never criticize him and Alleria for leaving Arator to close the Dark Portal-they saved all of us-and I also understand Arator’s feelings of abandonment. I’ll never criticize Turalyon being wary of Alleria’s Void powers, but I’ll always support Alleria’s willingness to achieve victory with any weapon at her disposal. I think there are a lot of interesting places where Turalyon can still go. For example, I’d like to see him have to reckon with his own nature as a wrathful fighter. He has absolutely displayed the capabilities to be blinded by the Light before, such as in Legion, and I hope he can walk back from zealotry, unlike some other Lightbound (Yrel….). The only two moments where I’ve genuinely been worried about his position are in the Illidan cinematic and after Blood Ties, because Alleria decided they couldn’t be together in marriage. I’d also like to see him consider his role as a father and mentor: does he actually have a place as a mentor to Arator, or does he need to let his son do his own thing? Does he actually have a place in Azerothian ruling, or has he been away too long? Like I said earlier, he’s a boomer, but he is on our side. Sometimes you just have to nudge him to not say dumb shit. I also just think he and Alleria have earned retirement after Worldsoul, like Malfurion and Tyrande in Dragonflight.
While I previously had expressed that I wanted to see a Turalyon boss fight in Worldsoul and was excited to punch him in the face, I think I’ve pivoted more toward wanting to see him reckon with his own areas for growth and remain on our side. Midnight is interested in making Azeroth’s heroes ask if the Light is unilaterally good, and we’ve already seen that it isn’t. Much like our real world, an excess of faith can warp perceptions and cause people to do things that don’t serve anything other than the concept of religion. So I don’t wanna beat him up to 0% HP, but I do want to whack him a few times and tell him to get his head out of his ass. After all, we are indebted to him for our world two times over now, but that debt shouldn’t mean we don’t get to guide ourselves. The Light may be the faith of some, but it isn’t a roadmap to Azeroth’s future.
The High Exarch will return in World of Warcraft Midnight next week, Thursday 2/26 for early access, or Monday 3/2 for global launch.
