The topmost floor of the Violet Citadel.
Countless portraits of Dalaran's sages of old hung high on the walls.
Beneath these portraits, two powerful mages stood quietly... One was Antonidas, Speaker of the Council of Six, and the other was Archmage Modera, the Council's longest-serving member.
Both mages' gazes rested on the silver box beneath the portraits, which had stood there for thousands of years.
"Lord Antonidas!" Archmage Modera lifted the wards placed on the box, then picked it up, saying gravely, "The gem is right here!"
Antonidas carefully took the box, then cast an extremely complex spell before slowly opening it...
An enormous gem appeared before their eyes. It radiated a dazzling light, illuminating the entire room!
The "Eye of Dalaran."
That was the gem's name... It was perhaps the largest gem in all of Azeroth, and it contained an utterly terrifying amount of magical power.
With its power, the first Guardian, Alcuus, had banished the mighty Dreadlord Kasranathir to the Abyss; with its power, Norinthos, the Speaker of the Council of Six fourteen hundred years ago, had single-handedly held a terrifying flood dozens of meters high at bay beyond Cross Island.
This was an artifact, an artifact belonging to Dalaran.
Even in the thousands of years since its discovery, this artifact had only been used those two times.
Only Dalaran's successive true leaders, the Speakers of the Council of Six themselves, were qualified to use it.
And this time, Antonidas was preparing to bring the artifact into the light of day for a third time.
Carrying the artifact out of the citadel, Antonidas and Modera arrived at the Guardian's Hall, the very heart of Dalaran; the other four members of the Council of Six-Krasus, Kael'thas, Drenden, and Kel'Thuzad-were all waiting for them there.
"Are you ready?" Antonidas asked