Council of Six

Council of Six
The current members of the Council of Six.
Main leader	Khadgar
Secondary leaders	Archmage Modera  Archmage Ansirem  Archmage Karlain  Archmage Vargoth
Race(s)	Human
Formerly	Blood elf  High elf Red dragon Blue dragon
Character classes	Mage
Base of operations	None
Formerly	Chamber of the Air, Violet Citadel
Theater of operations	Dalaran
Affiliation	Kirin Tor, Magocracy of Dalaran
Formerly	Alliance, Alliance of Lordaeron
Status	Disbanded

The Council of Six, also known as the Six, the high council, the Dalaran Council, or the Ruling Council, was the name given to the Kirin Tor high council of Dalaran. These six individuals were the leaders of both the city and all territories under the control of Dalaran. The Six were usually the most senior, but not necessarily the most gifted. They were chosen by several means, magic but one of them.

History

Traditionally, the membership of the Council of Six was kept a strict secret to avoid any danger of bribery, blackmail, and other pressure. When someone met with the Council officially, it was always in a special, enchanted chamber, the Chamber of the Air, a room with no visible walls — the gray stone floor with its central diamond symbol stood beneath an open sky that shifted and changed rapidly, as if the time sped past within the chamber. The Six would be disguised to keep their identity a secret, which also gave them an air of mystery, and many of its members delighted in the confusion, making sure no one entered or exited the chamber without being bewildered as to where they had been and whom they had seen and often even what they had said and heard. Of course, in a city populated by magi, such efforts were not always successful, as Khadgar proved with little effort.

Since the reconstruction of Dalaran following the Third War, the Council of Six has chosen to abandon the secrecy of its members, and were officially led by Rhonin by the time of the war against the Lich King and Nexus War. Following the Cataclysm, when Dalaran was invited by the Alliance leaders to send a representative to their diplomatic meeting in Darnassus, the Council declined, citing its desire to retain its neutrality and continue to help bridge the gaps between the Alliance and the Horde. After Rhonin's sacrifice during the Attack on Theramore Isle, Jaina Proudmoore succeeded him as a member of the Council and the new leader of the Kirin Tor. At some point after Aethas Sunreaver and his Sunreavers were banished during the Purge of Dalaran, Archmage Vargoth joined the Council.

Near the beginning of the Burning Legion's third invasion, Khadgar called for a vote to have the Horde return to Dalaran. Jaina was vehemently opposed, especially after the events of the Broken Shore, but she was outnumbered with only Ansirem Runeweaver voting no alongside her. Jaina left Dalaran in anger and Khadgar became the council's leader. When the council next assembled, Kalecgos was seen as the sixth in Jaina's place. Most of the Council participated actively in the war against the Legion, with Modera and Kalecgos even joining the Tirisgarde themselves, empowering Artifact weapons and gifting the Violet Spellwing to adventurers who helped defeat Argus the Unmaker, an unprecedented victory which decisively ended their long campaign as well as the Burning Crusade.

After they briefly reunited in Dalaran shortly before the Fourth War, Kalecgos offered to allow Jaina to take his place on the Council, and while the two parted on good terms, she rejected his offer to rejoin their ranks, apparently still disagreeing with the Council's actions and reasoning.

During the war against the Primalists, archmages Khadgar, Kalecgos and Vargoth traveled to the Dragon Isles. Khadgar and Kalecgos focused their attentions on the Azure Span; attempting to unlock the secrets of the blue dragonflight and later reunite said flight. The two later joined the rest of the Aspects in fighting against the Primal Incarnates; specifically Raszageth, as they led the charge into the Vault of the Incarnates. Meanwhile, Vargoth travelled to Algeth'ar Academy, convening with several other academics such as Chief Telemancer Oculeth as they studied draconic knowledge. After regaining his Aspect powers, Kalec stepped down from the Council because the dragons needed his full attention more than Dalaran did. He was eventually replaced with Drenden, who had previously been on the Council during the Second and Third Wars.

However, Drenden had died at some point unbeknownst to the Kirin Tor, and it was Xal'atath who assumed his identity. Acting as the late archmage, she convinced the Council of Six to teleport the city to Khaz Algar and tricked adventurers into sabotaging Dalaran's arcane defenses by asking them to "strengthen" its wards with a wand of surreptitious shadow magic. Once they arrived above the Isle of Dorn, the Harbinger of the Void unleashed the nerubians of Azj-Kahet upon the city, and while the defenders were occupied by the invasion, she drained the city's magic into the Dark Heart before obliterating Dalaran entirely. Khadgar was thought to be killed when Xal'atath destroyed the city, but in truth transmuted himself into arcane energy and was trapped within the Dark Heart. He was eventually freed when Alleria damaged the relic, but was now bound to a wheelchair, crafted by Modera. The status of the other three archmages is currently unknown.

With Dalaran's destruction, Khadgar considered the Kirin Tor disbanded and mourned it.

After the mages gathered to pay homage to the victims of the destruction of Dalaran on the Isle of Dorn, Khadgar and Jaina proclaimed to start over with no council or rank. The mages would return to investigating, training, and advising, while being mobile and decentralized, with Jaina, Meryl, and Aethas as key figures.

Members

The Council of Six at the time of the third invasion of the Burning Legion.

Final

• Ansirem Runeweaver - Like Modera, he was on the council when Othmar Garithos condemned Prince Kael'thas following the Third War.
• Karlain - An alchemist and mage. Once at the mercy of his emotions, he has since become one of the most controlled and thoughtful members of the Kirin Tor.
• Khadgar - Formerly Medivh's apprentice, he was the member of the council that suggested appointing Jaina as their leader, following the events of the attack on Theramore. Leads the council since Jaina's departure, and spearheaded the Kirin Tor's efforts against the returned Burning Legion. Years later, he confronted Xal'atath when she came to destroy Dalaran using the Dark Heart, and managed to survive. Declared the Council of Six defunct as part of the Kirin Tor's restructuring.
• Modera - The longest-standing member, she became a member of the Council during the Second War.
• Vargoth - Leader of the first Kirin Tor expedition to Draenor during the Invasion of Draenor, has a retreat in the Violet Citadel.

Former

• Krasus - Humanoid form of Korialstrasz. Member during the Second War, but took his leave from the Council several years before the Third War to be with Alexstrasza.
• Unidentified heavyset man.
• Unidentified young woman, less experienced than the others.
• Kel'Thuzad - Expelled for practicing necromancy, then traveled to Northrend and formed the Cult of the Damned to serve the Lich King.
• Kael'thas Sunstrider - Prince of Quel'Thalas, member during the Second War. Withdrew from the Council to rally the survivors of his Scourged homeland shortly before Dalaran's fall.
• Antonidas - Leader of the Kirin Tor during the Second War. Absent after the war. Returned prior to Kel'Thuzad's expulsion until he was killed by Arthas Menethil.
• Rhonin - Leader of the Kirin Tor. Krasus's apprentice and friend. Sacrificed himself to save Vereesa Windrunner and Jaina Proudmoore from the destruction of Theramore Isle.
• Aethas Sunreaver - Leader of the Sunreavers, he secured a sanctuary for the Horde in Dalaran. Later expelled from the order by Jaina Proudmoore during the Purge of Dalaran. Eventually rejoined the Kirin Tor during the third invasion of the Burning Legion, but did not reclaim his seat on the Council. Survived the destruction of Dalaran, and is expected to play a key role in the new Kirin Tor at Jaina's recommendation.
• Jaina Proudmoore - Leader of the Kirin Tor following Rhonin's death. Committed the order to the Alliance during the Alliance-Horde war, but left the Council when her expulsion of the Horde was reversed. Reconciled with her former peers years later, and resolved to restructure the Kirin Tor alongside Khadgar and Aethas.
• Kalec - Current Aspect of the blue dragonflight, real name Kalecgos. Kalec joined the council after Jaina left and stepped down from the council after Amirdrassil's blossom on Azeroth.
• Drenden - Member after the Second War and in the years leading up to the Third War. Many years later he reappeared to replace Kalecgos, but was actually a disguise for Xal'atath who revealed that Drenden had been dead for years.

In the RPG

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

The council meets to discuss important issues and vote on matters — no single member holds sway, and the majority vote decides every issue. In case of a tie, the members reconvene a day later, during which interval each member considers his or her vote and all relevant information.

Notes

• Sometimes, the city's artisans need the approval of the Council for their inventions, such as was the case with the enchanters' Obliterum Forge during the third invasion of the Burning Legion.
• At some point, the arakkoa Erekem was sent to assassinate the members of the Six but was stopped and imprisoned by the mages of the Kirin Tor.
• During the early stages of Legion's alpha, Rommath was briefly seen in the Council but was later replaced by Kalecgos.
• Even after Vargoth is saved from Kathra'natir's control, he is still not present among the Council of Six in subsequent quests involving them such as  [45] The Council's Call.
• Most of the Council members, even Modera, with the exceptions of Khadgar (who is still widely regarded as an Alliance character) and Kalecgos who are friendly to both factions, appear to be friendly towards Alliance players and neutral to the Horde, although ironically Kalecgos has arguably helped Jaina and the Alliance against the Horde much more so than the other members, even being officially labeled as an Alliance character according to the Ultimate Visual Guide. Interestingly, the agendas of Modera and Ansirem, the Council's two longest-standing members, seem to diverge on faction politics: Modera allied herself with Aethas Sunreaver, worked to repair Dalaran's relations with Silvermoon, and twice supported the Kirin Tor's transition into neutrality; Ansirem appears rather to favor the Alliance, having voted against the Horde's readmission into the Kirin Tor and scrutinized Aethas's return to a greater degree than his peers.
• In-game, Kalecgos and Vargoth are Arcane Mages, Aethas favors Fire as a champion, Modera is a Frost Mage, Khadgar appears to specialize in all three schools (although possibly leaning towards Arcane), and their former leader Jaina Proudmoore appears to be a Frost Mage as well, although most of the Council members have been seen wielding magics from various schools.
• While the Kirin Tor eventually supplanted the Magocrats that established them, the origin of the Six as the then-secret rulers of Dalaran is unknown. It is presumed (and only presumed) that the Six ran the Kirin Tor before they ran the city.
• There is some ambiguity surrounding Kael'thas Sunstrider's departure from the Council, as well as its status following the Scourge attack. In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Kael'thas identified himself as Kirin Tor but acknowledged that the "old order" had passed. However, In the Shadow of the Sun established that Modera and Ansirem of the Six remained active in the ruins of Dalaran, and were alleged to have turned their eyes from Garithos' betrayal of Kael'thas and his troops. In Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, Kael'thas renounced his membership of the Kirin Tor to prioritize his duties as the Sunstrider heir, which calls his later invocation of that affiliation into question. Despite witnessing his withdrawal from the Council, Jaina once described Kael'thas as a traitor to the Kirin Tor, perhaps for his attack on Kirin'Var Village and Archmage Vargoth, who was added to the Council of Six under her tenure as leader.
• Antonidas bore the unique title "Grand Magus of the Kirin Tor," but this did not seem to denote leadership of the Council of Six; his three successors went by "Leader of the Kirin Tor."

Film universe

Main article: Kirin Tor (film universe)