Maiev pursues Illidan across the sea

Full History

Illidan Stormrage's imprisonment had lasted for millennia, and Maiev Shadowsong's service as a Warden was bound to the responsibility of preventing his escape. Tyrande's decision to release him during the Third War overturned that long guardianship. When Illidan left his people after consuming the Skull of Gul'dan, Maiev set out to pursue him. To her, the matter was not settled by his claims to have helped defeat the Legion: he remained a dangerous figure whose repeated use of forbidden power could threaten Azeroth.

The pursuit crossed the sea and led to islands associated with ancient ruins and the Tomb of Sargeras. Maiev confronted naga forces allied with Illidan and followed signs of a plan involving the Eye of Sargeras. The hunt proved more difficult than recapturing a fugitive because Illidan's allies and objectives extended far beyond night-elven territory. Each stage drew the Wardens deeper into conflict with enemies and magical powers tied to earlier disasters.

Malfurion and Tyrande became involved as the danger spread. Maiev's determination to recover her prisoner collided with the Stormrage brothers' history and with Tyrande's role in freeing Illidan. The effort to prevent the Eye's use mattered to a wider world, but it did not erase Maiev's personal and institutional commitment to seeing Illidan confined again.

Illidan escaped the immediate consequences of the hunt and continued toward the shattered remains of Draenor with new allies. Maiev's pursuit persisted, becoming one of the defining conflicts of the Frozen Throne story. It illustrates the aftermath of the Long Vigil: an institution created to contain a danger inherited from the War of the Ancients found itself chasing that danger through a world changed by the Third War, the Legion, and the rise of the Scourge.