Varian's compass
Varian's compass is a compass that was gifted to Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind, by his son, Anduin Wrynn. The exterior is made of brass and inlaid with intricate filigree, with a lid featuring a lion's head. Set into the lid is a miniature portrait of Anduin as a child.[1] The compass holds deep personal meaning to Anduin.[2][3]
History
Anduin had the compass crafted for Varian's birthday a few months before the discovery of Pandaria.[1]
Varian brought the compass with him aboard the gunship Lion's Oath during the Battle for Broken Shore. When the gunship crashed into the sea at the start of the battle, the compass fell out of the king's satchel and sank into the Forlorn Depths,[4] where it remained while Varian fought in the battle and was ultimately killed by Gul'dan.[5]
When adventurers returned to the Broken Shore, an Alliance hero found the battered compass at the bottom of the sea. Its glass face had been shattered, its needle bent, and its paint waterlogged, but the portrait was still recognizable as Anduin. The adventurer brought the trinket back to Anduin in Stormwind Keep. He realized that he hadn't had time to mourn Varian and thanked the hero for returning the compass, saying that it served as a reminder of how much he missed his father.[1] The event sent Anduin into a deep melancholy[6] which only ended when the adventurer accompanied him on a journey to help him accept the duties of a king.[7] Anduin subsequently kept the compass in his private quarters in Stormwind Keep, alongside the box holding his mother's engagement and wedding rings.[2]
Anduin carried the compass with him into the Shadowlands, where he was Dominated by the Jailer and forced to serve him. Prior to the Jailer's attack on the Crucible, Anduin secretly used the Light to enchant the compass, imbuing it with a memory of a conversation between him and Sylvanas Windrunner in which he expressed a final message to his friends: that he hoped they would remember him the way he'd been, not what Sylvanas and the Jailer had made him become. After the Jailer destroyed the Arbiter in the Crucible, he opened a portal to Zereth Mortis and commanded Anduin to follow him. Anduin managed to resist the Jailer's control just enough to drop the compass on the ground before he disappeared through the gateway, allowing Jaina Proudmoore to pick it up. She and Thrall brought the item back to Keeper's Respite, where she, Bolvar, and a Maw Walker magically examined it and unlocked the memory. This caused them to realize that some part of Anduin was still free of the Jailer's Domination and that there was still hope of saving him.[3]
In World of Warcraft
- The
[Battered Trinket] is looted from the object of the same name in the Broken Shore's Forlorn Depths and starts the 
[45] A Found Memento questline. - The Enchanted Compass appears in Keeper's Respite in Korthia for
[60] A Symbol of Hope, in the last chapter of the Chains of Domination campaign.
Notes
- The compass first appeared in the Legion cinematic trailer. At the time, the artists intended the item to be a family heirloom passed down from Varian's father, King Llane Wrynn. The cinematic model therefore features the initials "L.W.",[8] although this is only visible in one brief shot of the cinematic. In patch 7.2, the origin was retconned into Anduin having ordered it made for Varian's birthday.[1] However, the compass' in-game model in patch 9.1, which is closely based on the Legion cinematic version, still features the inscription "L.W.". This could be reconciled by the fact that Anduin's full name is "Anduin Llane Wrynn", but if so, this leaves the question of why his full initials aren't included.
- During the making of the Legion cinematic, the artists initially thought about having the portrait of Anduin be a monochromatic metal etching in the lid. However, when they saw the shot of Varian looking at the portrait, they realized that it needed to be more of a colorful focal point and reenvisioned it as a miniature oil painting like those that one would find in an antique pocket watch or amulet.[8]
- A
[Varian's Compass] item was added in the Legion beta but never made available.
Gallery
The compass lid in the Legion cinematic. Note the "L.W." initials (turned upside-down in this shot).
The compass sinking into the sea in the Legion cinematic.
The Battered Trinket in-game.
Anduin holding the compass in his left hand (PC Gamer cover artwork).
The compass left behind in the Sanctum of Domination end cinematic.
The Enchanted Compass in-game.
References
- ^ a b c d [45] A Found Memento
- ^ a b Before the Storm, chapter 5, pg. 44 - 45
- ^ a b [60] A Symbol of Hope
- ^ Azeroth's Last Hope
- ^ [10-45] The Battle for Broken Shore
- ^ [45] Consoling the King
- ^ [45] The King's Path
- ^ a b Blizzcon 2015 - WoW Cinematics - Road to Legion (14:40 - 15:50). YouTube. Retrieved on 2022-02-12. (MMO-Champion transcript)