Zephras Isle

An island of the shen'dorei, anchored by wind spirits in Skywall, the elemental plane of air. It's the Skyborne's starting zone for levels 1 to 12, and when you arrive it's coming apart.

Where: In Skywall, the elemental plane of air
Levels: 1 to 12 (Skyborne starting zone)
Factions: High Order, Windshapers, Nightclaw Druids
Map: Zephras Isle

On the map

Areas the client names in Zephras Isle: Bandit Hideout, East Pylon Watchtower, Fairweather Stables, Falaath Village, Gustberry Lowlands, Nightclaw Cavern, Overlook Standing Stones, Rise of Spirits, Rohashi Spires, Ruins of Ban'aethal, Sanctum of Storms, Shadowgale Forest, Shen'dar Highlands, Shen'dar Village, Shriekling Den, Shrine of Akir, Skywall, Thendal Cave, Thendal Grove, Thendal Standing Stones, Thendal Village, Valanaar, Valanaar Skydocks, West Pylon Watchtower, Windfield Orchard, Windsong Lake, Windsong Standing Stones.

What it is

Zephras Isle is the Skyborne's home: an island that the wind spirits held in place in Skywall for thousands of years. Its architecture mixes the elegance of the Highborne with elemental stone and air. Blizzard calls it Forever's "unexpected" addition: a surprise, but a self-contained one.

On Zephras Isle, you’ll begin an elemental skybound starting experience from levels 1 through 12, blending Classic Warcraft aesthetics with architecture inspired by Skywall.
Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever What's Next Panel Recap (Blizzard)

The crisis

The wind spirits that protected the island have vanished. The pylons that hold Zephras together are failing, communities are cut off from each other and parts of the island are falling into ruin and darkness. The client's map shows two pylon watchtowers, east and west, and standing stones at Windsong, the Overlook and Thendal.

The air spirits that once protected the island have vanished, ancient structures are beginning to fail, communities are becoming isolated, and the Skyborne are divided over what comes next.
Blizzard: WoW: Forever Meet the New Skyborne (Blizzard)

Who's there

The Windshapers (Horde): the island's shamanic spiritual leaders, who want the spirits back. See factions.
The High Order (Alliance): descendants of the Highborne scholars, who want the Skyborne to stand alone through arcane magic.
The Nightclaw Druids: secretive druids of the Shadowgale Forest, loyal to neither. Blizzard's beta notes place druids in Nightclaw Cavern.
The Al'Aketh: a third group named by Blizzard as vying for control of the isle. Nothing more is known.
Named NPCs: Blizzard's beta notes mention Belathaan Brightwish near the Shrine of Akir and Lorthuna, in the Windshapers' quest "A Firm Response".

Places on the isle

The client names the villages of Shen'dar, Thendal and Falaath, the Shen'dar Highlands, Windsong Lake, the Gustberry Lowlands and Windfield Orchard, the Rohashi Spires, the Shrine of Akir, the Sanctum of Storms, Valanaar and its skydocks, the dark Shadowgale Forest with the Nightclaw Cavern, the Ruins of Ban'aethal and a place called the Rise of Spirits. The full list is below, and the map shows where they are.

Speculation: The client lists Skywall as an area of Zephras Isle. Whether you can see or visit more of Skywall itself isn't known.

For roleplayers

Every Skyborne starts here, so every Skyborne has a village, a family and an opinion about the crisis. Decide yours before you leave.
Valanaar and its skydocks suggest the Skyborne travel by air: a natural first scene for a character leaving home.
The Shadowgale Forest is the island's dark, secret heart. A character who went in and came back changed makes a good mystery.
Non-Skyborne characters can't start here; for them, a Skyborne's stories about the isle are all they'll know.