In the most recent update for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands players were finally able to fight the Jailer and bring an end to his plans. This concludes an expansion that has been rife with controversy and a villain that has been criticized throughout the player base. While his motivations are still not entirely clear, Shadowlands has finally given players more of an idea of who he was and how he became the infamous Jailer.
While the Jailer was introduced in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Blizzard has stated that his master plan started all the way back in Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos. Many fans were angered by this retcon, and the way the Jailer was written did not help players accept this notion. Now that he is dead, the fanbase is looking toward what is next and hoping that the game leaves the Shadowlands behind. Before the ninth expansion rolls around and the Jailer is forgotten, it would be nice to get a better picture of who he was and what he wanted to be.
Zovaal's Time as the Arbiter
The Jailer was once known as Zovaal, and he was created ages ago by the First Ones. Alongside the Winter Queen, Sir Denathrius, the Primus, and the Archon, Zovaal ruled as Arbiter. He had the responsibility of judging mortal souls and sending them to the appropriate afterlife. During this time, he became disillusioned with the First Ones design, and he foresaw a looming threat that would destroy everything if the cosmos was left divided. As such, he defied their will and went out to unite the cosmos once more.
Zovaal sought out the Sepulcher of the First Ones in hopes that he could claim all the Eternal Ones' sigils. The Primus led the rest of the Eternal Ones into battle against Zovaal, and they were able to beat him before he claimed his prize. Together, they banished him to the Maw and stripped him of his anima and his sigil, which they used to create a new Arbiter. The Primus created Domination magic and branded Zovaal with runes so that he could not escape.
Zovaal spent ages ruling the Maw and punishing sinful souls. Throughout his time there, he grew more malevolent and found a way to weaponize Domination magic. His allies of Sir Denathrius and the loa Mueh'zala continued to enact the Jailer's will in secret. As the years past, the Jailer became a simple story in Oribos and most had forgotten he ever existed.
The Jailer's Manipulations of Azeroth
The Primus noticed that the Jailer's influence was spreading from the Maw, so he left to investigate. After leaving his sigil in Korthia, the Primus arrived in the Maw and learned that the Jailer was in fact causing chaos. The Jailer used his chains to imprison the Primus and stripped him of his memories, turning him into the Runecarver and imprisoning him in Torghast.
The Jailer pulled various designs for his army from the Runecarver's mind. He also used the Runecarver to design Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination. Sir Denathrius sent the nathrezim with these items, and they disguised themselves as members of the Burning Legion. The nathrezim imprisoned the soul of Ner'zhul into these items, and they convinced the Burning Legion that the Lich King would be their servant. The Jailer wanted the Lich King to prepare Azeroth for his arrival, but Ner'zhul, Arthas, and Bolvar all defied his will.
An Alliance with Sylvanas Windrunner
Sylvanas Windrunner signed a pact with the Jailer, and she went to Icecrown Citadel to destroy the Helm of Domination which shattered the sky. The Jailer broke free of his chains and set his sights on the soul of Azeroth. Everyone believed that the Jailer's goal was different; Sylvanas thought he would break the cycle of death, Lady Moonberry thought he would plunge the Shadowlands into crushing despair, and Sir Denathrius thought that the Jailer would leave death as the only power in reality.
The Jailer tasked his Mawsworn kyrian to kidnap Anduin Wrynn, Jaina Proudmoore, Thrall, and Baine Bloodhoof. He personally oversaw their torture and took a special interest in Anduin. The heroes of Azeroth ventured into the Maw and were able to free the captors and fought their way to an eroded waystone. The Jailer confronted the heroes at the waystone and was able to recapture Anduin, Thrall, Jaina, and Baine while the heroes escaped.
After Sir Denathrius was defeated by the heroes, Sylvanas approached the Jailer about their next steps. The Jailer had just finished working on a new mourneblade called Kingsmourne. Sylvanas questioned him about whether they would save Denathrius, and the Jailer declared that every soul has its purpose and Denatrhius has fulfilled his. Sylvanas gave Kingsmourne to Anduin and the Jailer set his sights on Korthia.
Chains of Domination
The Jailer pulled forth the long-lost realm of Korthia in hopes that he could find the sigil of the Primus. With Anduin under the control of Kingsmourne, the Jailer sent him to Bastion to recover the sigil of the Archon. He then dispatched the Mawsworn, Sylvanas, and Anduin to Ardenweald to claim the sigil of the Winter Queen. He attempted to steal the sigil of the Arbiter as well, but the heroes of Azeroth were able to stop him, and they pursued him into Korthia.
The Jailer waited until the heroes of Azeroth claimed the sigil of the Primus, and he attacked them at the Runecarver's Oubliette. After a battle with the Primus, Anduin used Kingsmourne to sever the sigil from the Primus' body. With all but one sigil, the Jailer retreated and allowed the Primus to live. The heroes then confronted him in the Sanctum of Domination, where he sought to extend the Maw around Oribos.
After the Maw was extended, the Jailer headed to the Arbiter's chambers and broke through her defenses. He claimed her sigil which filled the large hole in his chest, and he gained a full set of armor. He opened a portal to Zereth Mortis, and before he walked through, he told those present what his true plan was. He did not seek to break the cycle of death like Sylvanas had belied, but he wanted to remake reality so that everyone would serve him. Sylvanas reacted by firing an arrow at him which he caught without bating an eye. The Jailer then gifted Sylvanas the missing part of her soul and left her to the mercy of the mortals.
The Jailer's Defeat in Zereth Mortis
The heroes of Azeroth pursued the Jailer into Zereth Mortis and prepared to confront him one final time. The Jailer's forces broke through to the Sepulcher of the First Ones and the heroes followed him in. The Jailer activated the Forge of Souls underneath Icecrown Citadel and began to draw Azerite from the soul of Azeroth to power the Machine of Orgination, which would allow him to remake reality.
The heroes were able to defeat the Jailer and stop his plan. He fell to his knees and watched as his armor dissolved. As this happened, he watched a flashback of the day the Eternal Ones stripped him of his power and banished him to the Maw. His body began to dissolve as well, and he returned to his original form of an Automa. As he died, he told the heroes that a divided cosmos would not survive what is to come.
Zovaal the Jailer, met his end at the hands of the heroes and the Shadowlands story was over. He was a controversial villain, but he has finally met his defeat. Players will find out what Zovaal was talking about eventually, probably when the next World of Warcraft expansion is revealed on April 19.
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