Sylvanas Windrunner

A character in the Warcraft series. Sylvanas is an undead High Elf Ranger general. In undeath, she becomes the first Dark Ranger. She was the founder and leader of the Forsaken a group of undead who broke away from the mind control of the The Lich King. She was the leader of the Forsaken until the end of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. She was briefly Warcief of the Horde from the beginning of World of Warcraft: Legion until the end of Battle for Azeroth. She is the middle sister of Alleria Windrunner who is the oldest and Vereesa Windrunner who is the youngest. She is the aunt of Arator Windrunner. In both life and undeath, she is a close friend and strongly implied love interest of Nathanos Blightcaller.

During the events of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Sylvanas as Ranger General attempted to defend her homeland of Quel'Thalas against the Scourge led by Arthas Menethil. She and her High Elf army ultimately failed to stop the Scourge and Sylvanas was killed and raised in undeath as a Banshee by Arthas himself.

During the events of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Arthas returns to Lordaeron after a brief hiatus and declares that he shall rule it as a new Undead kingdom in service of the Lich King Ner'zhul. Sylvanas under his mind control and Kel'Thuzad a loyal subject of his, attempt to retake Lordaeron from the factions of the Scourge still controlled by demons. They also have to contend with the few living humans still in the region under the provisional control of Othmar Garithos. Arthas power starts to wane as a result of Illidan assaulting the Frozen Throne with the Eye of Sargeras earlier in the expansion. In this moment of weakness, some of the Scourge under the Lich King's mind control start to break free including Sylvanas. She uses the opportunity to make a deal with the demons in the region to try and kill Arthas. He escapes the trap they set for him and sets off for Northrend to deal with the problem of the Lich King and him by extension losing their power.

Sylvanas forms the Forsaken in opposition to the Scourge controlled by the Lich King and starts taking parts of Lordaeron for herself. Which puts her immediately at odds with the demons she just allied with Against Arthas. They attempt to stop her, but she captures one of them Varimathras and she uses the knowledge he has of his fellow Dreadlords to eliminate the demonic-controlled Scourge in the area. She also uses Banshees to mind control Garithos and the largest group of living residents of the area to work for her against the demons. She wins the fights in the general area of Lordaeron and declares the city now called Undercity, the capital of her new Forsaken-controlled territory.

Before the events of World of Warcraft Sylvanas and her Forsaken join the Horde out of necessity since the living humans of the Alliance will not accept an undead-controlled Lordaeron. Before World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade as a former High Elf, she is a strong voice in favor of the inclusion of the Blood Elves into the Horde. In World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King she is betrayed by Varimathras and a cabal of undead loyal to him at the Wraithgate. She and other members of the Horde kill him and squash his coup attempt. Like many other story significant characters during this expansion Sylvanas is a part of the push against Arthas and is present at the Icecrown Citadel raid. Canonically she is not part of the group that kills him and feeling a general emptiness with his death, she decides to commit suicide on a whim. However, she makes a deal in the moments of true death that she experiences that feel horrible for her, and she returns with the power of Val'kyr allies on her side. Which gives her the ability to raise new undead and keep the Forsaken growing.

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm the Forsaken army with renewed investment from the rest of the Horde under Garrosh starts attacking the last big human civilization in the area of Lordaeron just slightly south of the Undercity at the edge of the Forsaken-controlled Silverpine Forest, Gilneas. They break the Greymane wall protecting the city of Gilneas and an all-out war between Sylvanas' Forsaken and Greymane's Gilnean Worgen ensues. The Worgen join the Alliance and the fight between them intensifies. The ultimate conclusion is that the Forsaken win and the Worgen are forced to flee their home city.

In World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Sylvanas is one of the last faction leaders of the Horde to join the coup against Garrosh. In Legion, she becomes the Warchief of the Horde at the request of the then-current Warchief Vol'jin who dies shortly after. Slyvanas has more fights with Greymane during Legion and the result is that he has a small victory during one fight. Sylvanas and her sisters reunite for the first time in decades in between Legion and the subsequent expansion.

Slyvanas starts off World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth with the Burning of Teldrassil, the world tree where the majority of the Night Elves lived. Killing and wounding thousands of them in the process. In retaliation, the Alliance under the command of Anduin Wrynn attacks the Undercity. Only it was a trap and Slyvanas bombed her own city which plagued the surrounding area and destroyed the ruined capital of Lordaeron and the Undercity below it. As other events unfold in the expansion, Sylvanas intensifies the war between the Horde and the Alliance. To the point that members of the Horde start to question her leadership in the same way that they did Garrosh a few years before. Varok Saurfang challenges her to a Mak'gora and is easily killed by Sylvanas, but the way in which she defeats him reveals her evil intentions and lack of respect for traditions. As a result of this, she leaves the Horde in anger. As Warchief of the horde she is replaced by a council of the current faction leaders. As ruler of the Forsaken she is eventually replaced by a group of prominent Forsaken which include Lilian Voss and Calia Menethil called the Desolate Council.