The Liberation of Alexstrasza

Full History

Grim Batol held Alexstrasza in magical captivity after the Second War, its halls still stained by the Horde's exploitation of the red dragonflight. The rescue chronicled in Day of the Dragon finally challenged the source of that bondage. Rhonin and his companions became involved in a struggle with consequences reaching back to the ancient betrayal of the Aspects. The destruction of the Demon Soul made the Dragonqueen's liberation possible.

The Dragonmaw clan had used the Queen's offspring as unwilling aerial warriors, relying on coercion and the power of an artifact associated with Deathwing's treachery. Mortal captors thus possessed leverage against an immortal guardian whose charge was the preservation of life. The rescue mission threatened not only a fortress but the structure of domination on which that captivity depended. The dragonflights' own interests converged with those of the unlikely mortals who helped expose the scheme.

When the Demon Soul broke, its hold on the dragons ended and Alexstrasza regained freedom. Grim Batol's history remained one of suffering, but the release altered the balance of power among the surviving Aspects. The episode should be kept distinct from later dungeon or raid events. Its enduring importance is the undoing of a weapon that had brought harm across ages, from the War of the Ancients to the battles of the Horde.