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Khadgar's Blunders and Alleria's Dark Heart - A Cinematic Analysis
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由
DiscordianKitty
发表于
2024/05/03，12:52
Blizzard has released a new cinematic for Patch 10.2.7: Dark Heart, in which Khadgar sends his old friend, Alleria, after the mysterious Harbinger. But what does Alleria already know? We break it down below.
Azeroth's Visions: The Radiant Song
The scene opens with Jaina Proudmoore, Lord Admiral of the Kul Tiran, and Khadgar, leader of the Council of Six of the Kirin Tor. They are within the Chamber of the Guardian in Dalaran, and are discussing the voices that people all over Azeroth have been hearing recently - which we learn have been named the Radiant Song.
Jaina: My people are no strangers to voices from below. But this, the Radiant Song, is different.
Khadgar: It's being heard all across Azeroth. The council doesn't know what to make of it.
Jaina: There must be someone who does. I'll let you know what I find.
We first saw evidence of the Radiant Song in
the
War Within
announcement cinematic
, where Anduin and Thrall discussed how they have been hearing voices from an unknown source.
Of course, we know the source of the voice is Azeroth's World Soul. For some reason, no one on Azeroth seems to have worked this out, despite the fact that Magni Bronzebeard did not keep the existence of Azeroth's World Soul a secret. Khadgar appears to have requested Jaina's help in finding out more - while she may no longer be a member of the Council of Six herself, she is still a mage and close ally of Dalaran after all.
What Jaina does know is that this Radiant Voice is not the same as the voices that her people are used to hearing from below - a references to the Tidesages of Kul Tiras, who follow the voice of the Tidemother. It's unknown who the Tidemother is, exactly, but this does seem to confirm she can't be Azeroth. Around the time of
Battle for Azeroth
, the voices the Tidesages could hear changed, causing many to fall to the Void. While this is a crisis that has since been solved, the fact that Kul Tiran's "voices from below" once referenced the Void also suggests that Jaina - at least - doesn't hear any hint of the Void in the Radiant Song.
Alleria, and yet Alone
But, speaking of the Void... as Jaina leaves through a portal, Khadgar turns to greet a new arrival - Alleria Windrunner. Khadgar greets her warmly, asking after her family. Alleria's face falls, she begins to say she hasn't seen her family, explaining that she's keeping her distance from them.
Khadgar: Alleria. It's been too long, old friend.
Alleria: Good to see you, Khadgar. Doing well?
Khadgar: As well as can be expected. How's the family?
Alleria: I haven't... It's better if I keep my distance.
The warmth between Khadgar and Alleria is expected, as they are old friends and allies. They fought against the Horde together back during the Second War. Statues of them both stand at the entrance to Stormwind City, along with other members of the Sons of Lothar, an Alliance expedition who journeyed through the Dark Portal long ago. This group of heroes, which included Alleria's husband, Turalyon, sacrificed themselves to close the Dark Portal when a cataclysmic event tore Draenor apart and transformed it into Outland. Afterwards, Alleria and Turalyon were separated from Khadgar and their other allies, and it turned out they were recruited by the Army of Light, to help in the war against the
Legion
.
We found Khadgar again after the Dark Portal reopened in
The Burning Crusade
, but Alleria and Turalyon only returned during the events of
Legion
- Greatly transformed by their experiences. Turalyon, a Paladin, had become infused with Light, granting him many powers - including immortality. Alleria, meanwhile, had embraced the Void. However, the two remained committed to each other, and worked side-by-side for the Alliance during the events of
Battle for Azeroth
.
Currently, Turalyon is serving as regent of Stormwind in Anduin Wrynn's absence. Turalyon and Alleria's son, Arator, is a Paladin of the Silver Hand - devoted to the Light, like his father. In the upcoming collection of short stories,
The Voices Within
, at least one story will revolve around Alleria struggling to connect with her son.
Arator grew up without his parents, who disappeared when he was still a child, so their relationship is complicated to begin with - even without divides caused by the Void and the Light. However, it is a little surprising that Alleria is also keeping away from Turalyon, when the two have shown they still love and trust each other before - even during times when they couldn't touch each other due to the pain their conflicting powers caused.
Towards the end of the
Burning Crusade
, the visions of N'Zoth included a horrific vision of Stormwind - where Alleria, fully given over to the Void, murders both Turalyon and Arator. Perhaps the after-effects of this vision still linger, souring Alleria's relationship with her husband and son. And, now that Turalyon is ruler of Stormwind, it's possible everyone involved has decided it's safest that Alleria stay away - just to discourage that vision from ever coming true.
Alleria has one other living family member that we haven't yet mentioned - her sister, Vereesa. Alleria and Vereesa have spent time together since Alleria's return - and they even had a chance to catch up with their Undead sister, Sylvanas, during the events of
Shadowlands
. Unless something's changed, Vereesa lives in Dalaran with her twin sons... but if the Void is keeping Alleria away from her own husband and son, maybe it's reason enough to avoid her sister as well.
The Harbinger - How Much Does Alleria Know?
Khadgar falters a little, the chill of the Void's shadow dampening the warmth of their reunion. He clears his throat and forges ahead, onto business. He's called on Alleria to seek out the Dark Heart - the relic that we witnessed Iridikron retrieve in the Dawn of the Aspects dungeon. This relic resembles the Heart of Azeroth, but is filled with the Void. It has been described as similar in power to the Demon Soul, but even more ancient. Khadgar mentions that the relic is in the hands of someone called the Harbinger. At this point, he does not know who that is. Alleria's connection to the Void makes him believe she might be able to track the relic down.
Khadgar: Of course. The Void. That would be... Actually, your connection to the Void is why I asked you here. We still don't know what this Dark Heart relic is capable of. But we do know it's in the hands of someone called the Harbinger.
Alleria's reaction when Khadgar refers to the Harbinger is particularly interesting. Khadgar pauses, while the music in the background surges ominously. The camera switches to focus on Alleria in time for us to see that, before, she was listening to Khadgar, arms crossed, watching his face in concentration. As he says "the Harbinger", however, her reaction is immediate and seemingly involuntary. She uncrosses her arms and for the briefest moment, her eyes flick down, as if she's thinking quickly. Almost immediately, her eyes flick up again to Khadgar's face, but they're slightly narrower now, more focussed.
We know that the Harbinger is Xal'atath, and that she will be an important and dangerous villain in
The War Within
, but Alleria supposedly does not know this. However, her response to Khadgar's words isn't the passive response of someone absorbing information - it's far more like the active response of someone who knows more than they're letting on. Could Alleria recognize the title, the Harbinger? It's possible - we know, from
the
War Within
features trailer
, that Alleria's visions are different to those that the others are experiencing. In that trailer, Alleria can be seen arriving at and walking through Dalaran - no doubt for this very meeting. She claims that all she sees is the Shadow, taunting her from below. As she does, we see flashes of Xal'atath, holding the Dark Heart.
It is likely that, in this moment, Alleria is realizing that the woman she sees in her visions is the Harbinger. However, she doesn't choose to share this information with Khadgar. It is likely that Alleria also hasn't told anyone that her visions are not the same as the Radiant Song - not even her oldest friends.
Under the Void's Shadow
Whatever caused Alleria's reaction, the moment passes. She accepts the task, laughing lightly at how difficult it is, and commenting that she can use the distraction. While her demeanor is cheerful, there is a weight to her words. We've already seen that Alleria is estranged from her family and plagued by visions of shadow, and that she faces her struggles alone. Her connection to the Void means she is also besieged by whispers, the Void taking whatever painful emotions she has and trying to use them against her. Alleria must feel intensely alone, single-handedly holding her own against forces that dragons, titan Keepers, and even gods have fallen to. Almost everyone she's ever loved has been taken from her, and now she is separated from even her husband and son - the people she loves most - and she cannot even speak to one of her oldest friends about her problems. When she says she needs a distraction, she's not wrong.
Khadgar: Who they are and what they intend to do remains a mystery, which is why I need your help.
Alleria: To hunt down a dangerous foe we know nothing about? Honestly, I could use the distraction.
Despite all of this, Alleria's quip seems enough to cause Khadgar to forget all that's changed, and his foot flies merrily into his mouth for the second time. He makes a comment about her being still the same, despite the Void. There's another awkward pause as Alleria's face falls. Realizing that his words hurt, Khadgar's face falls as well, and he starts to stammer an apology, but Alleria brushes it off.
Alleria's decision to embrace the Void has officially been accepted by her friends, allies, and loved ones, but that doesn't make them comfortable with it. Throughout this exchange, though Khadgar is showing Alleria he trusts her enough to send her on this mission, his inherent discomfort with the Void can't help but show in his clumsy comments - and it's a sore point. It's Alleria's connection to the Void that is causing a rift between herself and her family. It's likely this connection that is causing her to have a different vision to the Radiant Song that others are experiencing. It's also this connection that keeps even her oldest friends wary, unable to fully trust her - which is no doubt the reason why she keeps the struggles she's having to herself.
Alleria leaves, promising that she will return with the Dark Heart - the very quest that sends Alleria into the
War Within
, and what has been described as her
"unique rivalry" with Xal'atath
. All that's left now is for us to see Alleria's transformation into her
War Within
look...
Khadgar: Same old Alleria, Void or no Void.
Alleria: ...
Khadgar: ... I didn't mean to...
Alleria: See you soon, Khadgar. Dark Heart in hand.
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