Excessive use of the Well attracts Sargeras

Full History

The Well of Eternity was central to the political power and magical achievements of Queen Azshara's empire. The privileged Highborne drew upon it for works of increasing magnitude, expanding the practice of arcane magic far beyond its earlier uses. Those workings did not remain hidden from the wider cosmos. The energies associated with the Well caught the attention of Sargeras, master of the Burning Legion, who sought entry into Azeroth.

Azshara's adviser Xavius played a prominent part in the court's developing contact with the Legion. Within the capital, the Highborne organized the magical means to open a passage strong enough for demons to cross. Their activity turned the empire's greatest resource into a vulnerability. A magical achievement that looked to the court like a path to greater power was also a means for a hostile army to reach the world.

The danger escalated as demons began entering Kalimdor. The invasion devastated lands and peoples long protected by the apparent stability of the empire. Resistance gathered around Malfurion Stormrage, Tyrande Whisperwind, Kur'talos Ravencrest, and later Jarod Shadowsong. The struggle was not simply against an external force arriving without cause: it was also a contest over the decisions of an imperial elite whose use of magic had opened the way.

The climax came at the Well itself. Efforts to prevent Sargeras from passing fully into Azeroth led to the failure of the portal and the implosion of the Well. The Sundering destroyed the old geography of Kalimdor and the empire sustained by its power. Among the night-elven survivors, those events formed the background for a new order that restricted arcane practice. The lesson of the Highborne's invitation endured long after the Legion was driven back.