Air elemental

Air elementals
	; A Stormwatcher in Hearthstone.
Faction/Affiliation	Varies
Racial capital	Throne of the Four Winds
Racial leader(s)	Thunderaan
Formerly	Al'Akir †
Homeworld	Skywall (Elemental Plane)
Language(s)	Kalimag
Average height	Varies

Air elementals (or wind elementals)^[1]^[2]^[3] are elemental creatures made of air, wind, storms, and weather. On Azeroth, their domain on the Elemental Plane is known as Skywall, and they were formerly led by Al'Akir the Windlord, later succeeded by the Windlord Thunderaan. Not all air elementals are minions of the elemental lords and princes, some are minions of the elemental spirits of Outland.

History

Ordering of Azeroth

Skywall, the domain of the air elementals in the Elemental Plane.

To keep Azeroth safe from these threats, the titans imprisoned the Old Gods underground and banished the savage elementals to the titan-constructed Elemental Plane, a secure dominion where the elementals could dwell without harming Azeroth. Four domains were created within this primordial realm to serve as ideal environments for each type of elemental. One of the Elemental Plane's domains, a realm of lightning and wind known as the Skywall, is home to the Air elementals. With the elementals' departure, nature calmed, and the world settled into a peaceful harmony.^[4]

Elemental Sundering

But, no matter each lord got to rule over his own realm, the different elementals kept fighting for supremacy and expansion, one of the worst of those battles becoming known as the Elemental Sundering, where Thunderaan the Wind Seeker, an elemental prince of air, was betrayed by Garr and Geddon, the lieutenants of Ragnaros the Firelord, elemental lord of fire, who consumed most of Thunderaan's essence, and stored what little remained of it within a talisman of elemental binding, which was shattered in two flawless pieces, assigned to his lieutenants.^[5]

Elemental Unrest

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Imperean, a typical air elemental.

Immediately prior to the Shattering, the Elemental Lords discovered a way to break through their prison and send their armies into major cities throughout Azeroth.^[6] Al'Akir ordered his lieutenant and herald, Prince Sarsarun, to collaborate with the Twilight Hammer in their invasions of Stormwind City and Thunder Bluff as part of the Elemental Unrest world event. These city assaults were then rebuffed by their defenders as Varian Wrynn and Cairne Bloodhoof led the charge against Sarsarun's hideout in the Ahn'Qiraj Terrace.^[7] This was the first major loss for Al'Akir since Prince Thunderaan's defeat at mortal hands years ago and revealed the Windlord's new allegiance with Deathwing.

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Following Deathwing's Shattering of the World Pillar in Deepholm and his destructive re-emergence into Azeroth, the Elemental Plane collided with the physical realm and resulted in drastic geographical upheaval, causing chaotic elementals to pour out into the world of Azeroth. Allied with Deathwing, their air elementals assault the recently discovered desert of Uldum, threatening to overrun the world once again.Siamat was sent by Al'Akir at the behest of Deathwing to the Neferset tol'vir to cure them of the Curse of Flesh in exchange for their loyalty. After becoming exhausted from converting the population of Neferset into their stoney bodies, the Neferset turned on him, trapping him within the tower at the center of their lost city. After slaying the leaders of the city, adventurers accidentally freed Siamat. He was then defeated within the crumbled ruins of the tower that imprisoned him.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

With Al'akir's demise, the air elementals descended into civil war. The majority of the air elementals of Skywall took part in the conflict, each attempting to show that they were powerful and intelligent enough to succeed Al'akir. The battle raged on for months with no true victor in sight, until a djinn named Typhinius showed himself. He had recovered the Fists of the Heavens, legendary fist weapons that were infused with the essence of Al'akir himself. With brute force alone, he was able to bring the air elementals' civil war to an end, crowning himself as the new lord of Skywall. The war in the Skywall had caused more damage than Typhinius realized. It would take time for the air elementals to regain their strength and prepare for a full offensive.^[8]

However, the Fists were chaotic and their power could not be contained by a soul that did not seek harmony or balance. It took everything he had to keep the Fists from splitting him apart, let alone keep his mind sane. When the Burning Legion launched their third invasion, Typhinius, in this maddened state, attempted to launch an assault on Uldum and finish was his predecessor started. Despite the pleas of his fellow elementals to stay his hand and wait until they had recovered from the civil war, Typhinius forced the weakened elemental forces into battle with the Ramkahen. The war was short and the elementals were crushed, the Fists' strength alone not being enough to win. Defeated and maddened, Typhinius retreated to the Vortex Pinnacle.^[8] He was summarily killed by Li Li Stormstout and the monk Grandmaster, who took the Fists for themselves.

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

During the Tempest Unleashed, many air elementals were summoned alongside the Unbridled Storm Lord to cause chaos across the Northern Barrens, Un'Goro Crater, and the Badlands.^[9]^[10] After the reawakening of the Dragon Isles, hostile air elementals were among the enemies encountered there. A number of them were also called forth by the Primalists, who summoned them as their reinforcements through elemental gateways linked to Skywall.^[11]

Notable

First elemental lord of air, Al'Akir.

Second elemental lord of air, Thunderaan.

Name	Role	Status	Location
Thunderaan	Current windlord, ruler of all air elementals	Alive	Various
Al'Akir	Former windlord and ruler of all air elementals	Deceased	Throne of the Four Winds
Aeranas	Once ruled over the eastern winds of Outland but was imprisoned by Avruu	Alive	Haal'eshi Gorge, Hellfire Peninsula
Cyclonas	Sees everything that happens in Skywall	Alive	Bluff of the South Wind, Uldum
Cyclonian	Summoned by Bath'rah the Windwatcher	Removed	Alterac Mountains
Imperean	Attempting to stop the conflict between Simmer and Churn	Alive	Ruins of Eldra'nath, Borean Tundra
Prince Sarsarun	Herald of Al'Akir	Alive	Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj (Elemental Unrest)
Susurrus	Mentor of draenei shaman	Alive	Wildwind Peak, Azuremyst Isle
The Vortex	Ally of the Earthen Ring	Alive	Thunder Peak, Ashenvale
The Windreaver	Leader of air elementals in Silithus during the elemental invasions	Removed	Silithus
Whrrrl	Worshipped by the Galak centaur in Thousand Needles	Killable	Splithoof Heights, Thousand Needles
Zakkaru	Spawn of Makkari, guardian of Sang'thraze	Killable	Tanaris

Types

Djinn
Lightning revenant
Elemental dragons - mysterious creatures that inhabit Skywall, their origin is unknown.
Unbound air elemental
- Bound air elemental

As a mount

[Farseer's Raging Tempest] is a reward from the shaman quest [45] Gathering of the Storms.

As a companion pet

[Binding of Cyclarus] is a rare drop from Cyclarus in Darkshore.
[Breezy Essence] is a rare drop from Conclave of Wind in Throne of the Four Winds.
[Primal Stormling] was a reward from [10-60] A Primal Threat, or purchased for 250 from vendors during Tempest Unleashed.
[Stormwrath] is a rare drop from Prince Vortran in Nazjatar.
Tiny Twisters can be captured in pet battles in Arathi Highlands.
[Zephyr's Call] is a rare drop from Al'Akir in Throne of the Four Winds.

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Air elementals, the violent and territorial monarchs of the skies, favor mountaintops and other high places for their lairs. These creatures appear as crackling clouds with two glowing yellow orbs for eyes. Two columns of mist shot through with lightning extend from the cloud-like giant arms, each one encircled with blue metal bracers. They seek to effect change in the world (for example, erosion via wind). Air elementals create whirlwinds to suck up their enemies and also blind them with dust storms. Air elementals are the fastest and most agile of the elementals, moving with silent grace. An air elemental uses its special attacks whenever possible. It engulfs smaller opponents in its whirlwind first; if the elemental sees no opponent small enough to affect, it targets combatants with its dustcloud before engaging in melee.^[12] They speak Auran.