Illidan is imprisoned

Full History

The War of the Ancients left night-elven society with the memory of an empire destroyed through a gateway of its own making. Illidan Stormrage had fought in that war, but his attachment to arcane power set him increasingly apart from Malfurion and the leaders who chose to restrain its use. By taking preserved water from the old Well to Mount Hyjal, he created another concentration of power capable of attracting the attention of the Legion.

For the surviving kaldorei, that was more than a personal disagreement over magical practice. Their greatest cities were gone, their continent shattered, and their people were rebuilding amid the consequences of Azshara's choices. Illidan's creation of a second Well appeared to reopen the very danger that had brought their world to ruin. The night elves imprisoned him rather than allowing him to continue his experiments outside their control.

His long confinement became a defining separation within the Stormrage family. Malfurion devoted himself to druidic guardianship, while Illidan remained under the watch of his jailers. During the Third War, however, the return of the Burning Legion placed the kaldorei under renewed threat. Tyrande Whisperwind freed Illidan in the hope that his power could be used against the invaders, despite Malfurion's opposition.

The release did not resolve the old conflict. Illidan consumed the power of the Skull of Gul'dan and defeated the dreadlord Tichondrius, but his transformation confirmed his willingness to wield the forces his people feared. He was again rejected by the night-elven alliance. His imprisonment after the Sundering therefore foreshadowed the pattern of his later history: decisive interventions against demonic enemies accompanied by choices that estranged him from the people he claimed to defend.