Blizzard has been steadily adding information to its patch 3.3 under development pages. Last week the team released information on The Frozen Halls five-player dungeon, and previews of The Frozen Throne raid dungeon and some of the Tier 10 models were added in the last few days. Now the European site has posted biographies of Queen Sylvanas Windrunner and Lady Jaina Proudmoore, two characters who will play major roles in Icecrown Citadel.

I'm sure most of you already know the backgrounds of Sylvanas and Jaina, but it's nice to get a refresher course before patch 3.3 goes live. You can even view lists of their major novel, comic, manga, and game appearances. Both of their profiles can be found after the jump.

Queen Sylvanas Windrunner

The Dark Lady, Sylvanas Windrunner, is no stranger to the Lich King's cruelty. During the Third War the death knight Arthas led a Scourge army into Sylvanas' homeland, Quel'Thalas, in order to use the Sunwell's powerful magic as a means to raise the fallen necromancer Kel'Thuzad into undeath. As the ranger-general of Silvermoon, Sylvanas valiantly fought against the Scourge, but Arthas managed to defeat her in battle. Instead of allowing Sylvanas to die a quick death, however, Arthas ripped the ranger-general's soul from her body. He then converted her soul into a banshee and forced Sylvanas to assist the Scourge as they defiled Quel'Thalas and slaughtered many of the kingdom's inhabitants.

Sylvanas later regained her freedom following Illidan Stormrage's assault on the Frozen Throne. Illidan's attack had widened an existing crack in the throne, thus weakening the Lich King's control over some of the Scourge. Sensing that she was no longer chained to the will of her dark master, Sylvanas reclaimed her body and plotted to avenge her death. She nearly achieved this goal when a group of banshees loyal to Sylvanas led Arthas into an ambush. During the attack Sylvanas paralyzed her nemesis with a poisoned arrow, but Kel'Thuzad intervened and saved Arthas. Following the assassination attempt, Arthas journeyed to Northrend and merged with the Lich King. Meanwhile, Sylvanas gathered other renegade undead ― now known as the Forsaken ― and established the Undercity beneath the ruins of Lordaeron's capital. With the Forsaken under her command, Sylvanas went to war against the Scourge and eventually joined the Horde. This partnership benefited both parties: the Forsaken's relatively small forces required assistance in their offensive against the Lich King, and the Horde desired a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Sylvanas has faced many challenges since attaining freedom from the Lich King. Although they're enemies of the Scourge, the Dark Lady and her subjects are constantly hunted by those who wish to destroy all undead. Even some of the Forsaken have been thorns in her side. Recently Sylvanas dealt with an uprising by a group of demons and rebel Forsaken led by the dreadlord Varimathras and Grand Apothecary Putress: during a joint Horde and Alliance attack on the Wrath Gate in Northrend, Putress unleashed a new plague that killed friend and foe alike, and Varimathras and his loyalists seized the Undercity. Sylvanas defeated her enemies and retook the Undercity soon afterward, a victory that was possible only due to assistance from the Horde. Yet some of the Dark Lady's allies believe that she was complicit in the treacherous Wrath Gate incident.

Despite these setbacks and distractions, Sylvanas remains focused on her end goal: revenge. Now that the Forsaken and the Horde have begun their assault on the Lich King's fortress, Sylvanas believes that her destiny is close at hand.

Fact Sheet

• Gender: Female
• Race: High elf (formerly), unique undead (currently)
• Occupations: Ranger-general of Silvermoon (formerly), Banshee Queen of the Forsaken (currently)
• Base of Operations: The Undercity
• Affiliation: Horde
• Abilities: Although Sylvanas has reclaimed her undead high elven body, she still retains the ability to shift in and out of her incorporeal banshee form at will. Sylvanas is also skilled at archery, an art she mastered as a high elf. To this day the bow remains Sylvanas' weapon of choice.
• Major Novel, Comic, Manga, and Game Appearances:
  • World of Warcraft: Tides of Darkness (Novel)
  • World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (Novel)
  • Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy volume 3 - Ghostlands (Manga)
  • Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Game)
  • Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Game)
  • World of Warcraft (Game)
  • World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Game)
  • World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Game)

Lady Jaina Proudmoore

As a young apprentice of the Kirin Tor, Jaina Proudmoore was heralded as a prodigy. Her mentor, the venerable archmage Antonidas, believed that the gifted sorceress would one day assume his mantle as the Kirin Tor's leader. Although Jaina was devoted to her rigorous studies of the arcane, she found herself in a romantic relationship with her childhood friend Prince Arthas Menethil, son of King Terenas II. Jaina and Arthas had strong feelings for each other, but they eventually parted ways to pursue their separate callings. Arthas was busy with his duties both as a paladin of the Silver Hand and as the heir to Lordaeron's throne, while Jaina was well on her way to becoming one of Azeroth's most powerful magi.

When the plague of undeath began ravaging Lordaeron, Jaina and Arthas were side by side once again. The talented sorceress worked with the prince to uncover the sinister plague's origins, and in the process she witnessed Arthas' unsuccessful attempts to stop the spread of undeath. Jaina was with Arthas at the outskirts of Stratholme when he made his terrible decision to cull the plague-infected city. Jaina, however, played no part in that murderous act. When the fall of Lordaeron to the Scourge seemed inevitable, Jaina led a group of Alliance survivors to Kalimdor in order to combat the Burning Legion. There Jaina's forces helped banish the Legion from Azeroth with the aid of the orcs and the night elves. This temporary alliance was made possible by the Prophet, a mysterious being who worked to unite the humans and the orcs against the Legion. Following the Legion's defeat, Jaina founded the stalwart port city of Theramore on Kalimdor's rugged eastern coast. She also maintained peace between her forces and the orcs with the help of Thrall. Due to Jaina's tireless work, Theramore remains a bastion of the Alliance in Kalimdor to this day.

Currently the Horde and the Alliance are engaged in an all-out war in Northrend against the Lich King, who had earlier merged with Arthas to become one being. The offensive is gaining momentum, and Jaina occasionally attempts to act as a mediator between the Horde and Alliance factions. Most recently she tried to quell a fiery encounter between King Varian Wrynn and Garrosh Hellscream when they were discussing the ominous discovery of an Old God under the titan city of Ulduar. Maintaining peace between the headstrong leaders of these two factions is not easy, but Jaina is dedicated to focusing their energies on defeating the Lich King. For Jaina this imperative is more than just her duty to defend her people: it is personal. Perhaps in her heart she believes that the Arthas she knew from her past still exists somewhere deep inside the Lich King, awaiting freedom.

Fact Sheet

• Gender: Female
• Race: Human
• Occupation: Ruler of Theramore
• Base of Operations: Theramore
• Affiliation: Alliance
• Abilities: As one of Azeroth's most gifted magi, Jaina commands an array of potent spells. These spells grant her the ability to teleport, summon water elementals, and unleash frigid blizzards upon her enemies. The true extent of Jaina's powers, however, goes far beyond the examples listed here.
• Major Novel, Comic, Manga, and Game Appearances:
  • World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred (Novel)
  • World of Warcraft: Arthas: Rise of the Lich King (Novel)
  • Warcraft monthly comic (Comic)
  • Warcraft: Legends volume 5, "Nightmares" (Manga)
  • Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (Game)
  • Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (Game)
  • World of Warcraft (Game)
  • World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Game)
  • World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Game)