Eranikus

Eranikus was a green dragon of the green dragonflight, consort to Ysera and was among the greatest of the green dragons. Ysera gave him the task of guarding the Temple of Atal'Hakkar in the Swamp of Sorrows. However, Eranikus went insane not long after he entered the temple. Since then the trolls in the temple have dispatched a group to Zul'Gurub, and succeeded in summoning Hakkar into the world. Of all the green dragons, only Ysera herself was stronger than Eranikus.

The green wyrm eventually sacrificed himself to help Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind in the War Against the Nightmare, redeeming himself in death.

Background
Having been the dragon tied to the Idol of Remulos, it is said that the dragon roared loudly during the fight of Broll Bearmantle against Azgalor.

Temple of Atal'Hakkar
After Ysera, the Aspect of the Emerald Dream, had learned of the Atal'ai's plans to summon Hakkar the Soulflayer, she smashed the Temple of Atal'Hakkar below the marshes, attempting to destroy the trolls in order to stop their attempt to awaken the Soulflayer. The great Emerald Wyrm Eranikus was dispatched to deal with the Atal'ai priest, along with his friend Itharius, and four young drakes under his direct command: Dreamscythe, Weaver, Hazzas and Morphaz. Eranikus and Itharius destroyed Hakkar's physical manifestation and believed they had succeeded. However they had underestimated Hakkar and Eranikus succumbed to the same corruption which currently plagues the Emerald Dream. The Atal'ai survived, and resumed their efforts to awaken Hakkar.

In World of Warcraft, upon defeating the Shade of Eranikus in the Sunken Temple, a player character may receive the Essence of Eranikus. Eranikus asks you to cleanse his soul in the essence font but instead becomes trapped within the trinket, the Chained Essence of Eranikus. He begs you to release him by seeking out aid from the green dragonflight, and threatens to kill you if you don't. If you choose to give up the trinket it may be given to Itharius in the Swamp of Sorrows, who sends the player to Umbranse the Spiritspeaker, where the questline ends abruptly.

The Tyrant of the Dream
While the Sunken Temple questline has not been continued, Eranikus features prominently in the Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline.

The mortal races wish to open Ahn'Qiraj and put a rest to the Qiraji threat once and for all. In order to accomplish this the Scepter of the Shifting Sands must be recombined. One shard was entrusted a thousand years ago to Eranikus by the bronze wyrm Anachronos. The mortal champion is sent to the Sunken Temple to discover Eranikus' fate. Upon visiting a spectral form of Malfurion Stormrage near Eranikus' shade, the champion is sent to an ally of the Archdruid, and is instructed to gather shards of the nightmare from each portal to the emerald dream. He or she is then sent to Keeper Remulos in the Moonglade.

Keeper Remulos opens a portal into the heart of the Dream over Lake Elune'ara, from which Eranikus emerges. Eranikus, still under the control of the Old Gods, demands the body of Malfurion Stormrage. The champion and allies are asked to defend Keeper Remulos from dozens of Nightmare Phantasms, that have accompanied the fallen green to the mortal plane, until the arrival of High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind. As the phantasms are defeated, Eranikus lands himself and attacks the son of Cenarius. Eventually, Tyrande arrives with a half-dozen Priestesses of the Moon. Together they channel the powers of Elune in a prayer to redeem the cursed dragon.

Ceasing to fight, Eranikus changes into the form of a night elf — apologizing for all the harm he had wrought — and leaves to attempt to begin to make amends for his actions. He returns to Malfurion, Cenarius, and Ysera to continue the battle raging within the Emerald Dream.



World of Warcraft: The Comic
As a green dragon tied to the Idol of Remulos, Eranikus made an appearance battling against Broll and Lo'Gosh who were trying to obtain the idol from the Thistlefur furbolgs. During the battle, Lo'Gosh had to distract Eranikus as Broll entered the Emerald Dream where he regained his druid's powers and cleansed the idol. When Broll returned, Eranikus disappeared.

Stormrage
After being freed of the corruption of the Emerald Nightmare, Eranikus flew back to the Emerald Dream. However, when he felt the Nightmare calling to him again, he fled back to Azeroth for fear that he would again be corrupted. He hid in Ashenvale for many years until he was found by Lucan Foxblood, Tyrande Whisperwind, and Broll Bearmantle, who convinced him to transport them to Bough Shadow. There, they were attacked by Lethon, Emeriss and shadowy satyrs. The two dragons tried to corrupt him once again, but Alexstrasza came and the dragons were forced to leave. Though initially unwilling to help for fear of being corrupted again, he was eventually convinced to return to the Dream when Alexstrasza informed him that Ysera knew and understood why he turned back, and reassured him that she had not yet been taken by the Nightmare.

During the course of the War Against the Nightmare Ysera was captured, but when Eranikus learned she was still fighting against the corruption he went immediately to rescue her. As Malfurion aided in penetrating the barriers of her prison, Lethon appeared and attempted to corrupt Eranikus once more. As Eranikus's body was warped and twisted by the energies of the Nightmare, Lethon preached about a future where the walls of the Emerald Dream would break down, and the dragons of Nightmare would fly Azeroth's skies unimpeded. Unwilling to let that happen, Eranikus shifted them both into the unstable boundary between the Emerald Dream and Azeroth. Though Lethon tried desperately to draw upon the Nightmare's power, the chaotic energies between the two worlds tore him apart, unleashing the Nightmare's power in a fiery maelstrom. Eranikus made no attempt to avoid it, and was consumed.

Cataclysm
Despite Eranikus's death, his shade still remains within the Temple of Atal'Hakkar, where the Atal'ai priests have been further corrupting it with Hakkar's blood.

Shadowlands
When Ysera was being reborn inside a wildseed of Ardenweald, she received visions of those close to her. One of those visions was Eranikus, (simply called "Consort" in the quest) who apparently found his way back to the Emerald Dream. Eranikus appears to miss her dearly and looks forward to the day they can reunite in the dream.

Quotes from the trapped Eranikus

 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper
 * whisper

Transcript of Eranikus' redemption.



 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * bossemote
 * yell
 * yell
 * emote
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * emote
 * say
 * say
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * yell
 * bossemote
 * emote
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say
 * say

In the RPG
Eranikus' title was the Green and was classified as a green wyrm.

Speculation

 * While Itharius refers to him as brother, Eranikus called him old friend. Itharius is not listed as part of Ysera's family in the Ultimate Visual Guide so they are probably not literal brothers.