Shal'Aran



Shal'Aran is an underground ruin in Meredil in Suramar.

Withered avoid it, which makes it a good refuge for First Arcanist Thalyssra and a class leader when fleeing from a swarm of Withered crawling around Meredil. It is initially occupied by the banshee Keeper Selentia; after clearing Shal'Aran on Arcane Thirst, it becomes the staging ground for the fledging nightfallen rebellion against Grand Magistrix Elisande, led by Thalyssra.

Occupied by the resistance, Shal'Aran slowly comes to life, gradually filling with resistance sympathizers and refugees from all over Suramar, who also clear the debris and fill the chamber with their belongings, supplies, and decorations. Notably, Valewalker Farodin plants an arcan'dor on the central platform of Shal'Aran, which eventually grows to the point of bearing magical fruit capable of curing the nightborne's addiction to the Nightwell.

Inhabitants

 * (after The Only Way Out is Through)
 * (after Close Enough)
 * (after Kel'danath's Legacy)
 * (after Lingering on the Edge)
 * (after Feeding Shal'Aran)
 * (after The Valewalker's Burden)
 * (after Eminent Grow-main)
 * The Moon Guard (after Last Stand of the Moon Guard):
 * (after Feathersong's Redemption)
 * (after Friends With Benefits)
 * (after Friends On the Outside and later after Sign of the Dusk Lily)
 * (after Friends On the Outside)
 * (after Wasted Potential)
 * (after And They Will Tremble)
 * (after Giving It All We've Got and until All In)
 * (after Wasted Potential)
 * (after And They Will Tremble)
 * (after Giving It All We've Got and until All In)

Portals
Once you finish Oculeth’s quests he comes with you to Shal’aran where he becomes your Chief Telemancer. After which the player can unlock more portals from other locations in Suramar to Shal'Aran.

Speculation
Shal'Aran's original purpose, before it was abandoned and later repurposed by the resistance, is unclear. It was obviously meant as a nexus of arcane energies, as every other known leyline feed in the wilds of Suramar feeds it. Thalyssra had no knowledge of the place before taking refuge there, and during Shal'Aran (quest), she is puzzled by what could have required such power: "A weapon, perhaps?"

It is possible that Shal'Aran was always meant to house an arcan'dor. Its layout is nearly identical to the Shattered Locus in Falanaar, which has a failed arcan'dor in the middle; furthermore, when planting the seed on The Valewalker's Burden, it is described to fit with a satisfying click. It is as if the seed and the central platform were meant for each other all along. Also, Selentia and her minions are described as "keepers", and while it is a generic term recurring in Warcraft lore, it is among other things known to refer to the elves of Farodin's order. Finally, the broken "pillar" in the center, seen when first entering Shal'Aran and fighting Selentia, looks suspiciously like a stump; the remains of a felled arcan'dor, perhaps?

This is further confirmed by the stump being called "hubmanatree_dead" in the game files, hubmanatree being the name used for the arcan'dor. Most notably, there are statues of open arcan'dor seeds used as decoration around the central platform.

One possible interpretation of the evidence is that the keepers originally planned to plant at least two arcan'dors, one in Falanaar and one in Shal'Aran. Perhaps Selentia was in charge of the Shal'Aran arcan'dor, like Farodin watched over the one in Falanaar. However, at some point, the tree in Shal'Aran was destroyed, possibly as a direct response to the tragedy of the Shattered Locus, so that Shal'Aran would be spared the same fate. Selentia then continued to watch over the ruins, even in undeath.

The roots of a third mana tree can be found under Suramar City in Nal'tira's Lair where Nal'tira is fought, but the tree can not be seen.

Shal'Aran