Grand Magister Rommath

Grand Magister Rommath
Title	Grand Magister, Archmage
Gender	Male
Race	Blood elf (Humanoid)
Character class	Archmage
Reaction	Alliance Horde
Affiliation	Quel'Thalas, Magisters, Horde
Former affiliation(s)	New Alliance, Kirin Tor; Illidan's forces (briefly)
Occupation	Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas; Herald of Prince Kael'thas (formerly)
Location	Sunfury Spire
Status	Alive
Mentor(s)	Kael'thas Sunstrider
Companion(s)	Lor'themar Theron, Halduron Brightwing, Lady Liadrin

Grand Magister Rommath
Sunfury Spire

"We will face any enemy without fear."

— Grand Magister Rommath

Grand Magister Rommath is the leader of all blood elven magisters on Azeroth, the grand magister of Quel'Thalas, and one of Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron's personal advisors, Ranger General Halduron Brightwing being another. Rommath was once a fiercely loyal servant of Kael'thas Sunstrider, fulfilling the prince's orders fervently and without question, though his rise to power in Quel'Thalas was concurrent with his prince's fall from grace on Outland.

Rommath was responsible for taking back much of Quel'Thals from the Scourge, the capital of Silvermoon included. As the prince's voice in Quel'Thalas, Rommath spread Illidan Stormrage's teachings—the siphoning of arcane magic—to improve the sin'dorei's formidability and help sate their magical addiction. Following the great betrayal of Kael'thas to the Burning Legion, Rommath ultimately remained loyal to his people over his prince, denouncing his fallen scion with the rest of the country. Rommath has retained his high rank and status at the political table of Quel'Thalas, though was left the most shattered of all after the events that transpired on the Isle of Quel'Danas. He is eager to build a brighter future for Quel'Thalas, and does not wish to see Regent Lord Theron follow in Kael's footsteps.

Biography

This section concerns content exclusive to the Warcraft novels or short stories.

As a high elf, Grand Magister Rommath was once a talented magus who studied and lived in Dalaran under the banner of the Kirin Tor, alongside Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider. His power was formidable enough to earn him the rank of archmage, a title shared by even some of the city's ruling council, though like most of the elves, Rommath was quick to return to his homeland after the Third War had reached its crux at Quel'Thalas.

Following the Scourge attack, the death of the elven monarch, the annihilation of the Sunwell and the near-destruction of Quel'Thalas, Prince Kael'thas proclaimed the high elves reborn as "blood elves," in honor of those who had perished during the undead onslaught. Rommath was part of Kael'thas Sunstrider's company of powerful sin'dorei magisters who travelled to serve the New Alliance, though came under the bigoted scrutiny of a highly racist human commander. The elves were eventually sentenced to death on the grounds of treason within the Dungeons of Dalaran, though the imprisoned blood elves were freed by Lady Vashj.

Rommath was personally disgusted by the apparent indifference the elves received from the surviving members of the Kirin Tor, who had allowed the likes of Garithos to unjustly slate the blood elves for an execution beneath the very city many of them had served as faithfully as they had Silvermoon. Rommath's bitterness towards them would not be softned, even several years later.

After Prince Kael'thas joined with Vashj's new master, Illidan Stormrage, Rommath travelled with the prince and his new allies into Outland, part of a contingent that included some of Quel'Thalas' most powerful individuals. While Kael'thas sought to secure a new homeland for his people, the majority of them had remained behind on Azeroth. Under the tutelage of Illidan, Kael'thas acquired radical new methods by which to sate the elves' ever-present magical addiction -- including the siphoning of magic from external sources, including demons. Heartened by their swift recovery, most of Kael'thas' group chose to stay in Outland and further their studies, but Rommath was sent back to Azeroth, bearing a message of hope for the blood elves still in Quel'Thalas. He relayed tales of a glorious promised land, spread the teachings of Illidan--teachings that Rommath smoothly attributed to Prince Kael'thas--and planted the notion that Kael'thas might one day return to lead his people to paradise.

The majority of the blood elves quickly adapted to this efficient new method, and the few rangers who opposed it were banished from Quel'Thalas by the new regent.

Rommath remained in Quel'Thalas to help rebuild and await the prince's return. Thanks to Rommath, the blood elves on Azeroth learned how to drain arcane magic and feed their addiction. As they returned to health, they praised their absent prince and dedicated themselves to learning more. Rommath and the new order of elven magi made great progress in tutoring their brethren to manipulate arcane energies. Soon the spires of Silvermoon City rose skyward once again, powered by volatile magics. The blood elves have even begun retaking portions of Eversong Woods. Emboldened by the promise of Kael'thas' return, the prince's weary people began to focus on regaining their strength and forging a new path into an uncertain future.

Burning Crusade

This section concerns content exclusive to The Burning Crusade.

Grand Magister Rommath remained in contact with his brethren in Outland, and gained knowledge of what was hinted to be uncorrupted orcs still active around Draenor. Lor'themar Theron used this connection as a bargaining chip during his negotiations with the reformed Horde under Warchief Thrall, which would ultimately lead to Quel'Thalas being accepted as an equal nation of its own. With their new alliance sealed, Rommath's magisters had any dissidents speaking out against the state quickly silenced. Rommath was also in touch with the forces stationed at the Ghostlands, who held out hope that the grand magister would send reinforcements to help hold the line against the Scourge soon, and instructed his magisters to study the Dead Scar for the possibility of reversing its taint. However, the corrupted land was deemed irrecoverable, and word reached the grand magister of its dark fate.

Rommath approved the creation of the Blood Knight order, which included the siphoning of the subdued naaru, M'uru, whom Kael'thas had sent back to Silvermoon for his peoples' use. This decision brought him into conflict with Halduron Brightwing, the leader of the Farstriders, who was deeply opposed to M'uru's exploitation. While Halduron was supportive of Lor'themar's decision to accept Forsaken aid, Rommath was more critical of Lady Sylvanas Windrunner's motives in doing so, a suspicion that would later be somewhat vindicated.

Despite the promising future that Kael'thas had planned for his people, the Prince would later pledge his loyalties to Kil'jaeden and the Burning Legion. Returning to Quel'Thalas in a mad bid to summon his new master, Kael'thas and his felboods briefly attacked Silvermoon to steal the imprisoned M'uru, and use the Sunwell on the Isle of Quel'Danas as a means to usher his new master into Azeroth.

Kael'thas was ultimately killed for his treachery, and Rommath's unwavering loyalty to Silvermoon throughout the ordeal earned him the unlikely respect of Ranger-General Halduron. However, Rommath himself was left shattered by this turn of events, and resolved not to simply stand on the sidelines while decisions are made to damn his people further.

In the Shadow of the Sun

This section concerns content exclusive to the Warcraft novels or short stories.

Following the betrayal of Prince Kael'thas, the fight has somewhat diminished from Grand Magister Rommath. Rommath, who had once fervently supported the prince in his plight, has been left the most cold and barren of all. After Archmage Aethas Sunreaver of the Council of Six announces his intention to visit Silvermoon City, Rommath flanks Lor'themar alongside Halduron to hear the Kirin Tor archmage's plea.

Rommath is unmoved by Aethas' revelations regarding Malygos the Spellweaver's apparent insanity and his war against mortal magic users, and instead criticizes Aethas regarding more personal matters - such as his affiliation with the Kirin Tor; mocking his attitude and making the assumption that an individual such as Archmage Modera must have sent him to beg for the magisters' assistance in her place; deigning that Aethas would not be making such nonsensical requests were he not on Modera's leash. During a bitter argument, Rommath cites the way the Kirin Tor had turned a blind eye to the sin'dorei's slated execution in the Dungeons of Dalaran - beneath the Violet Eye; the Kirin Tor's own city. Aethas rebukes the accusation with the notion that the Kirin Tor had nothing to do with Garithos' rampant racism and false accusations, though Rommath states that "nothing" is precisely the issue - that the blood elves would have been put to death while the Kirin Tor did nothing to intervene against such an injustice. Rommath assures Aethas none of the magisters will be assisting the Kirin Tor in their affairs, and that they can all rot in hell or Arthas' grasp for all he cares. Halduron curbs his chiding, though to little avail.

With Rommath's decision set in stone, he informs that the archmage that as the Grand Magister, only the regent lord can overrule his judgment. Their bitter exchange is silenced by Lor'themar at this point, who reminds Rommath that it is up to him to make the final decision. Despite his apparent neutrality in the matter, Lor'themar later finds himself in agreement with Rommath's disdain. It is revealed that Rommath had lived in Dalaran for a long while, and that despite his frequent arguments with Halduron (many pertaining to the Blood Knights and M'uru), the ranger general had developed a trust and respect for Rommath after the colossal events that transpired on the Sunwell Plateau.

Rommath derisively waves off Aethas' promises to keep the sin'dorei's interests protected within Dalaran, though leaves it at that. As Rommath turns to leave, Lor'themar takes note of his grand magister's increasingly strained facade. Though being as implacable as a mountain was the impression Rommath strived to give, the hollow sways in his steps and the lines of exhaustion that resettled upon his face betrayed the grand magister's might. He reitirates that Rommath's will truly had been tested by their prince's great betrayal.

After Lor'themar voices his intention to travel south in order to inform his former comrades of the Sunwell's current state, Rommath cannot fathom why he would do such a thing at this late juncture. He suggests Lor'themar take a Blood Knight regiment for protection, though does not press the matter when Lor'themar deigns that their presence would only incite. Rommath is not the least bit surprised to see how poorly the trip went, and does not even look Lor'themar in the eye upon his return.

Later, Rommath accompanies Lor'themar and Halduron to meet with the newly arrived Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. He is appalled to witness Sylvanas twist Lor'themar's arm to dedicate troops to the Northrend war effort, despite Sylvanas outright stating that the entire Horde would abandon them if they do not. Outraged, Rommath interjects, and throws Sylvanas' offers of aid back at her; accusing her of blackmail and holding their lands to ransom. Sylvanas does not waver in her conviction, and writes him off. As their cold discussion increases in ferocity, Lor'themar quickly puts an end to it and says his Thalassian farewells to a briefly attentive Sylvanas. She leaves without a word, as Rommath bristles in fury.

Unwilling to look the other way, Rommath confronts Lor'themar about his willingness to commit to such a war. Lor'themar reasons that they would lose both the Forsaken and the Horde's support if they do not assist, and would likely lose most of Quel'Thalas too. Rommath does not relent, however, and even puts forward the notion that the elves who had perished in order to protect Quel'Thalas would have preferred to die in vain, than have given their lives to watch the Regent Lord become a pawn. Lor'themar notes Rommath's increasingly desperate appearance, this probably being the first time he had lost poise and composure to this degree in years.

Lor'themar asserts his authority on the matter, and notes that if playing the pawn is required to keep Quel'Thalas safe, then he will gladly do so—and so will Rommath. Rommath simply states that another leader of the sin'dorei had once said the same thing to him, and that at the time, Rommath had not questioned him - he had considered him just. He states that they buried him on Quel'Danas, stunning Lor'themar. Rommath curtly leaves to inform Lady Liadrin of the Regent Lord's decision.

Aethas is later sent to confer with Rommath, though neither Lor'themar nor Archmage Sunreaver hide how well they expect that notion to end.

Wrath of the Lich King

Grand Magister Rommath observing the renewed Sunwell.

This section concerns content exclusive to Wrath of the Lich King.

Grand Magister Rommath plays a part in the restoration of the legendary Quel'Delar, and is seen at the restored Sunwell after heroes are permitted to cleanse the mighty blade in its holy waters by Ranger General Halduron Brightwing. Quel'Delar is submerged within the Sunwell as Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron, Captain Auric Sunchaser, and the grand magister himself observe it.

Though Lor'themar is somewhat skeptical of its authenticity, Rommath is certain of it. For a non-blood elf player, Lor'themar attempts to take the blade himself, thanking the adventurer for returning Quel'Delar to "its rightful owners." However, the blade knocks him across the room, slicing a large portion of his health off. Rommath holds the onlooking player in an ice tomb as the Sunwell guardians surround the player and Auric with weapons drawn, and Rommath demands to know the meaning behind this supposed treachery. Auric Sunchaser urges Rommath to call his guards off, informing him that Quel'Delar must decide on its own wielder, not the other way around. Rommath ultimately accepts his reasoning, and has the guardians return to their posts. He also instructs Auric to watch his tongue in this sacred place, after the captain refers to the regent lord as a "fool." Rommath then orders the player to take the restored Quel'Delar and begone, if it is truly not meant to be theirs.

For a blood elf player, things begin similarly, though Lor'themar merely observes the sword rather than make an attempt to claim it. Rommath gives words of support to the sin'dorei hero for their role in restoring the blade, referencing Quel'Delar's broken and abandoned state to Silvermoon following the betrayal of Kael'thas. He concurs with Lor'themar's own praise towards the player, and with Auric's deduction of why it had been returned to the children of Silvermoon at this hour—to avenge the destruction of Quel'Thalas and the Sunwell.

Rommath instructs the player to return to Archmage Aethas Sunreaver with the restored blade, and notes that the sin'dorei shall always rise up to face any foe.

Personality

Grand Magister Rommath is a highly talented, highly pragmatic master-magister and politician. With Rommath's somewhat cryptic assistance, Lor'themar was able to soundly seal the blood elves' alliance with the Horde, despite vocal concerns about the sin'dorei's capabilities from several of its existing members. Rommath held no qualms about his magisters using heavy handed, totalitarian methods to keep his country united. He has been noted as coming into conflict with the leader of the Farstriders, Halduron Brightwing, several times.

Rommath was one of Kael'thas Sunstrider's most staunchly loyal supporters. Upon travelling back to Quel'Thalas, Rommath quickly advocated the teachings spread by Illidan Stormrage, attributing it to Kael'thas. As such, when Kael'thas' true loyalties were unveiled, Rommath was shattered - perhaps more so than anyone in Quel'Thalas. Rommath has since undergone subtle changes, most notably being in regards to the future of the blood elven people. Having lost much of his composure, Rommath was strongly against committing the weathered sin'dorei to the Northrend war, to the point where he vocally condemned Lor'themar's decision to fight in it. Regardless, with the war going well, both Rommath and Lor'themar were later seen at the Sunwell alongside several of their high elven cousins.

Rommath holds a strong grudge against the Kirin Tor, stemming from his opinion that they had simply watched and waited as the sin'dorei were slated for execution at the hands of the New Alliance. As such, he appears to be at odds with Archmage Aethas Sunreaver, one of Dalaran's ruling council members, to the point where he flatly denies the aid of his magisters in anything pertaining to the Kirin Tor's welfare.

Abilities

• Fireball - Inflicts Fire damage to an enemy.
• Flamestrike - Calls down a pillar of flame, burning all enemies in a selected area and inflicting additional damage every 2 sec. for 8 sec.
• Molten Armor -Causes Fire damage when hit, increases your chance to critically hit with spells by 3%, and reduces the chance you are critically hit by 5%. Only one type of Armor spell can be active at any time. Lasts 10 min.

Quotes

• "Tell me, Archmage, did Modera send you with a statement before you left? Your words drip of her false diplomacy. At least she dares not set foot here herself. She has that much sense, I see."
• "They fear to face both Malygos and Arthas, and rightly so. They seek aid beyond their capacity -- and to whom they have always turned regarding matters of the arcane? Oh yes, to us. The humans of the Kirin Tor will swear up and down that you are indispensable to them, that your skills are invaluable. The moment you become inconvenient, you will be discarded. Ask them. They know. But not as well as I."
• "A false accusation, and a monumental betrayal. In Dalaran... beneath the ever-watchful Violet Eye."
• "These are the same people who happily turned their eyes away when Garithos sentenced us to death. They can all rot in hell. At least Arugal suffered a deserving fate."
• "It was you who pleaded to aid us in the first place! We never asked for your assistance; you gave it of your own free will! How can you call yourselves our allies in one breath and hold our lands for ransom in the next?"
• "So let it go! They would rather have died in vain than have given their lives just so you could turn into nothing more than the pawn of some... demon... in the name of their sacrifice! Do not fall to her threats. She will only use you."

• "Another leader of the sin'dorei once said something very similar to me, Lor'themar. I did not argue with him then; indeed, at the time, I thought him right. We buried him on Quel'Danas."

Quel'Delar

Grand Magister Rommath says: The regent speaks truly, <name>. Thalorien's sacrifice could not prevent the fall of this very Sunwell.
Grand Magister Rommath says: When you found the sword, it was broken and abandoned, much like Silvermoon after Kael'thas' betrayal.
Grand Magister Rommath says: Let Quel'Delar be a sign that we will never give up, that we will face any enemy without fear.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

• Following the revelations regarding Prince Kael'thas, it was widely speculated whether Rommath's loyalty to his Prince outweighed that of his love for his people. With the early release of the Magisters' Terrace, the final room in the encounter - named the "Grand Magister's Asylum" - strongly hinted that Rommath, the only known Grand Magister, could have played a role here. However, this was not the case, and Kael'thas himself used the asylum to make his final stand.
• Rommath's strong hatred for the Kirin Tor could suggest that he himself was part of Kael'thas' regiment that was sentenced to an unjust death by the New Alliance. By extension, this is supported by the fact that he was part of Kael's company in Outland, and a quote of his in regards to it - "Ask them. They know. But not as well as I." Furthermore, it was stated that Rommath himself had lived in Dalaran for a long while.
• The iconic emerald blood elven eye glint can, essentially, be laid at Rommath's doorstep; the blood elves as a whole had retained their regular eye colour before Rommath and his magi returned to spread the teachings of siphoning arcane power. This was likely due to at least some of them (perhaps Rommath included) actively dabbling in fel-power in addition to the publicly-endorsed arcane, thus spreading the glint in a similar and subtle vein to the orcs' skin switch.

Gallery

• 

  Grand Magister Rommath fanart.

Trivia

• Rommath wields a staff similar to the  [Staff of the Sun] from  [21G5] The Traitor's Destruction and the Sun-infused Focus Staff dropped by Kael'thas in Magisters' Terrace. He seems to wear a  [Blood Elf Bandit Mask] too, or at least one with the same model and colouring.
• Rommath's robe is of a unique design. It is somewhat similar to Kael'thas Sunstrider's, albeit without Kael's longcoat; Tae'thelan Bloodwatcher also wears a similar robe. Furthermore, Rommath has what appears to be runic tattoos on his arms.
  • Darkfallen Nobles in Icecrown Citadel also wear a similar robe, and the Silvermoon City Guardians sport at least the lower portion of it.
• Prior to Patch 3.2.0, Grand Magister Rommath had a 'unique' hair style that was considered to be a bug in his model, in that the style was actually the short hair used when a character wears a full helmet, normally not accessible. In Patch 3.2.0, he was given one of the new blood elf hair styles introduced in the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
• Prior to Patch 4.0.3a Rommath strangely lacked any form of magical or special abilities. Whether this was intentional or was merely overlooked by programmers was never found out. Regardless this led many players to jokingly call Rommath 'The Mage With No Magic' a few even go so far as to call him the 'Captain No-Shirt of Silvermoon', a vague reference to the fact that Rommath would probably fight better if he knew some sort of magic. This issue has since been addressed.
• At some point during the Cataclysm beta, datamined soundfiles began circulating the internet regarding Grand Magister Rommath. The content of this was a scripted dialogue between Rommath and Lor'themar; the Regent Lord confronting the Grand Magister with an incriminating document of some kind. After a curiously contradictary exchange with Lor'themar, the two did battle, though Rommath abandoned both this fight and Silvermoon. This event was ultimately never implemented in the game. All references to it were removed, and a minor character was given the role of "Twilight traitor" during the Twilight Highlands pre-quests instead. As such, it is possible that Rommath's supposed betrayal was simply a red herring to throw off dataminers, or that the writers decided not to take Rommath in that direction after all.
• Though his voice has remained the same as one of the standard blood elf males, when casting a spell or wielding his staff Rommath will use a different, more aggressive soundbyte to convey his actions. The voice in question seems to be his "voice actor" from the aforementioned event.
• During the Burning Crusade beta, one of Rommath's servants named Maltrake allowed teleportation to Silvermoon City.
• With the recent model updates for his compatriots Lor'themar Theron and Halduron Brightwing, Rommath is now the only member of the triumvirate that has yet to receive one.
• Rommath holds the rank of Archmage but refuses to bear the title, instead styling himself as the "Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas." He is the only individual known to hold this title.

Patch changes

• Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Updated with a variety of fire based attacks such as [Flamestrike], [Fireball] and [Molten Armor].
  
• Patch 3.3.0 (2009-12-08): Now also appears in the Sunwell.
  
• Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): Added.
  

External links

• Wowhead

Preceded by: Unknown

Position: Grand Magister of Quel'Thalas

Succeeded by: Incumbent

Preceded by: Kael'thas Sunstrider (Lord of the Blood Elves) Lor'themar Theron (Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas)

Position: As deputy to Lor'themar Theron Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas (with Halduron Brightwing)

Succeeded by: Incumbent