After the druids and their allies thwarted the invasion of Hyjal by the Twilight's Hammer and Ragnaros, an air of peace settled on the sacred mountain. As new growth bloomed across the region, members of the Earthen Ring and Cenarion Circle, along with the noble Dragon Aspects, convened at the ancient World Tree of Nordrassil. Among the gathered heroes were the legendary archdruid Malfurion Stormrage, the former Horde warchief and accomplished shaman Thrall, and his strong-willed companion, Aggra. Together, this illustrious assemblage was to unite its wondrous powers and restore the World Tree for the good of Azeroth.

Yet this auspicious event ended in tragedy. The details are still unclear, but word has spread that an incredibly powerful Twilight's Hammer agent, shrouded to hide his identity, interrupted the ceremony and struck down Thrall with dark magics... casting his spirit into the four domains of the Elemental Plane. If these terrible rumors hold true, the Earthen Ring -- indeed, all of Azeroth -- has potentially lost one of its greatest champions.

...Is this the end of the Son of Durotan?

In patch 4.2, level-85 characters will have the opportunity to answer this question and more.

While even the Aspects concede that Thrall may be lost to the elements forever, there is one who still believes that he can be saved from this bleak fate. Aggra, a powerful shaman in her own right, will call upon you to assist her as she travels to the ends of the earth and beyond -- to Skywall, the Abyssal Maw, Deepholm, and Firelands -- to rescue her beloved from an eternity of torment.

Thrall is no ordinary mortal, though, and this will be no ordinary quest. You will not only have to face the denizens of the elemental planes, but the very essence of Thrall himself and everything that has shaped him into the orc he is today. Before you can return his spirit to the natural world, you must overcome his doubts, his willfulness, his desires, and his rage -- for it is these aspects that bind him to his elemental cage.

Are you up for this challenge? Can you break Thrall from his elemental bonds and ensure the restoration of the World Tree? The fate of the world, and one of its foremost heroes, hangs in the balance.