Guys there are more undead in Northrend than Sylvanas could ever handle, but its alot easier just to plunder a town and then raise the inhabitants than go to Northrend and risk pissing off an Eternal in control of an undead army that couldve easily wiped out Azeroth (and its implied that it still could.)
As for Illidan, he sped things up, but the separation of Frostmourne from the frozen throne wouldve accomplished the same thing in a bit longer, especially since the undead army had been handed over to the dreadlords and the Lich King essentially neutered by the Legion once they opened the portal for Archimonde.
Well, Illidan’s actions in freeing the Forsaken were inadvertent to his main aim of destroying the Lich King. How would anyone in the Forsaken know about his hand in it? And would it matter much next to Sylvanas’ actions in rallying and uniting the Forsaken to actually hold their own territory and fight back against the Dreadlords and the Scourge?
We have the benefit of near-omniscience in the setting. But characters in it don’t. Even characters who know of Illidan’s actions might not necessarily know the full effects they had. The Blood Elves might be in a position to tell the Forsaken of Illidan’s actions, but what indication do we have that the ones who were present for the battle with him made the connection that his actions weakened the Lich King’s control on them? Maybe they could hypothesize, but its not necessarily super clear to them.
Sylvanas does not know de wae. She is false idol. I spit on her. pa-tew
Also, inasmuch as Illidan did anything relevant, it was Illidan’s FAILURE that did that. If he’d actually accomplished what he wanted, Uther tells us later it would have ended with the entire world covered in darkness, all life extinguished by a rampaging Scourge. So Sylvanas and the Forsaken breaking free would actually fall on those who STOPPED Illidan, not on Ol’ Purple-nips like the OP keeps trying to claim.
Illidan wasn’t doing the Forsaken any favors, he was following Kiljaden’s orders to bring down Ner’zhul.
It was still Sylvannas who took the opportunity of the Lich King’s weakened state to free herself and her people from the Lich King’s domination. Yeah, she still does deserve the credit.
Illidan planned to destroy the Frozen Throne and end the Scourge, destroying much of Azeroth with his spell in the process.
Malfurion stopped him.
Nerzhul got hit by it and weakened.
Illidan, Malfurion, and Nerzhul know all about it. Who else even knew what happened? I guess it depends on who they told.
I never see any Forsaken mention Illlidan as a savior. His motives were unrelated - infact, Malfurion can take as much credit, if not more. I never hear anyone give him any credit for freeing the Forsaken.
If Malfurion never intervened, and Illidan succeeded - the Forsaken would not have existed. Who knows what effect an obliterated Frozen Throne could have had. It could have unleashed an Old God or opened a gateway to some Deathrealm. As well as flood much of Azeroth.
Malfurion foiling Illidan’s plan is what created the Forsaken.
I’ve never heard of anyone considering Sylvanas saved them from the Lich King. She was there in the aftermath, to lead them, to give them a home to go to. She saved them from a genocidal campaign from the humans, and other races who thought all undead should be killed.
But to your original point, no I don’t think any Forsaken know what directly caused the Lich King’s control to weaken, freeing them.
Any character can easily be made into a list of how many people they’ve “saved,” simply by rattling off all the segments of various butterfly effects. Just like that one DiF did with Sylvanas.
Well right after Illidan was done, Malfurion and Tyrande pretty much told him that he was done on Azeroth and he opened a portal to Outland with Maiev running into it in pursuit. And he’s not seen again on Azeroth until the events of Legion.
When Kael’thas brings Illidan’s method of reviving his stricken people, he takes all the credit himself and never mentions where he got it from. Which is probably just as well as I doubt his people would cotton to a solution from a “night elf mongrel”.
And as I’ve said before, Illidan wasn’t doing anyone else any favors, and Sylvannas had no knowledge of his actions at the time.
More importantly, even if he did, he wouldn’t care. Illidan is a majorly goal focused character whose concern for collateral effects or damage has waned steadily over time. When he had his fight with Arthas, his one concern was avoiding the wrath of the latest demon lord he had signed up with. He didn’t even bother to think of the possible side effects of the energy he was throwing against the Frozen Throne, or even if he did, he wold not have hesitated. That is why when he ultimately failed in his mission, he fled Azeroth entirely to seek refuge in Outland.
I’m sure they have to be aware that Sylvanas couldn’t have lifted the compulsion that most of them were under. I think they follow her for…
-Freeing those still unable to shake the domination.
-Organizing a people that had no nation, no direction or anything else
-Keeping the Scourge from killing them all
-Keeping the humans from killing them all
If anyone is really dead set on giving Illidan a questionalble credit for “saving the Forsaken”, you also have to pin him down for nearly destroying the world as the other side effect of what he was doing until Malfurion stopped him.
The Lich King’s weakening powers as a result of Illidan’s actions allowed the undead to liberate themselves from his shackle as shown with Sylvanas and her fledgling undead army and allowed the dreadlords Balnazzar, Detheroc, and Varimathras to enslave them under their own will over the Lich King’s. The subsequent clash and Sylvanas’s victory over the dreadlords is what allowed the Forsaken to grow and be free from enslavement.
There is nothing to suggest that Sylvanas (or anyone else) actually knows the role Illidan had. As a matter of fact the only time Sylvanas has even thought of Illidan was in the novel Arthas: Rise of the Lich King where she reflects on Arthas used Illidan to kill Tichondrius without alerting the Burning Legion to Scourge’s future betrayal.