The Real King of Stormwind
In vanilla, the throne of Stormwind was held by a ten-year-old boy, Anduin Wrynn, with Lady Katrana Prestor at his side. His father, King Varian, had vanished. The Missing Diplomat questline started to tell the story and then stopped, and players went looking for the real king themselves.
The king on Alcaz Island
Varian was abducted by the Defias while travelling in secret to Theramore, and held on Alcaz Island off Theramore Isle. The Missing Diplomat quest chain follows the trail and then ends abruptly. Explorers who swam to the island found the king in its underground cells. He did nothing, but he was there, until patch 1.9 removed him so that Dr. Weavil could take his place for the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj world event.
Alcaz Island · Nathor Azeroth
The return of the king
The game never finished The Missing Diplomat. Instead, Varian's story was told in the World of Warcraft comic series, where he fought as the gladiator Lo'Gosh, and the real king returned to Stormwind's throne in game with Wrath of the Lich King in 2008. He ruled until his death on the Broken Shore at the start of Legion.
King Varian Wrynn's forgotten past · Turbotarzan
Alcaz Island in WoW Forever
The island gets a second chance in World of Warcraft: Forever, launching on 4 November 2026: it becomes the Alcaz Island Prison dungeon, for levels 48 to 53, where naga have overrun the prison and its Defias Brotherhood inmates.
Mira Duskwood is the pen name of the Lost WOW editorial team. Mira writes the secret walkthroughs and the history of the lost areas, and keeps them up to date when a patch changes something.
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