Through Fields of Flame

Quest Giver: Ceristrasz — ridge east of the Ruby Dragonshrine [~52, 50]

Turn-in: Ceristrasz (same NPC)

Objective: Enter the Ruby Dragonshrine through one of the northern or southern passes, kill 6 Frigid Necromancers and eliminate the source of the corruption under the shrine (Dahlia Suntouch). Return to Ceristrasz.

Quick Facts

• Kill Requirements: 6 Frigid Necromancers + 1 “Ruby Corruption Cleansed” (Dahlia Suntouch, banshee boss under the shrine tree)
• Location: Ruby Dragonshrine interior [~47, 48], then beneath the central tree [~48, 49-50]
• Chain Position: 12th quest in the ley line investigation chain. Follows Return to the Earth. Leads to The Steward of Wyrmrest Temple.
• Bonus Drop: Ruby Brooch starts the side quest The Fate of the Ruby Dragonshrine. Don’t forget to loot Dahlia’s body.

Walkthrough

Ceristrasz calls this his “one final task” and the one that will turn the tide. He needs you to do two things: kill the necromancers fueling the Scourge onslaught, and find whatever is corrupting the shrine from beneath.

He doesn’t know what the corruption source is. You’re about to find out.

Part 1: Kill 6 Frigid Necromancers

• Enter the shrine through the north [~47, 40] or south passes, avoiding the east/southeast canyons where the Heated Battle plays out.
• Frigid Necromancers are scattered around the shrine interior, particularly around the central tree. You can go clockwise around the edge of the shrine after killing Dahlia to find a good cluster of them.
• These are standard mobs, not elite. Kill 6 as you work your way to/from the tree.

Part 2: Eliminate the Source of Corruption (Dahlia Suntouch)

• The corruption source is not the death knight you’ll see wandering the shrine. Duke Vallenhal (the named death knight) is a common trap. Duke Vallenhal is the objective for a completely separate quest (In Service of the Unholy, given by Koltira Deathweaver at Agmar’s Hammer).
• Look for the entrance to a small cave beneath the central tree. The entrance is on the southeast side at approximately [48, 49-50]. It’s easy to miss because players tend to look for cave openings in the surrounding hills, not in the tree mound itself. 
• Inside you’ll find Dahlia Suntouch, now a banshee. She’s visible from the cave entrance.

Fighting Dahlia

• Dahlia is the former keeper of the Ruby Dragonshrine, a high elf who served Alexstrasza. She was killed by Orbaz Bloodbane, a death knight who fled to the Scourge after the Battle for Light’s Hope Chapel, and raised as an undead banshee to corrupt the very shrine she once protected.
• Her abilities include: Banshee Curse (reduces hit chance by 40% for 10 sec), Banshee Screech (4 sec silence + disarm AoE), and Banshee Wail (Shadow damage). Melee classes should be aware of the Screech disarm, and casters should watch for the silence. She’s not particularly difficult as a solo fight.
• Loot her body. She drops the Ruby Brooch, the insignia of her position as shrine keeper. Picking it up starts The Fate of the Ruby Dragonshrine, which sends you to deliver the brooch to Krasus at Wyrmrest Temple. Missing this loot means missing an extra quest with 350 Wyrmrest Accord reputation.

Dahlia’s Death Scene

• After killing the banshee, the Remnant of Dahlia Suntouch appears as a freed spirit and delivers four lines of dialogue before fading away. This is one of the most poignant moments in the Dragonblight quest experience:
  • She reveals she kept the shrine under Alexstrasza’s blessing “for longer than I can remember,” suggesting she may have been dragonsworn and granted extended life.
  • She names her killer: “that damned deathknight… Bloodbane,” and spits on the ground at his name.
  • She provides intelligence: “The Lich King is stretching his hand far now… fearlessly treading on the most sacred land of all the flights. He intends to force us to action.”
  • She accepts her fate with dignity: “My time is done… I offered myself to Alexstrasza in life, but I have nothing left to offer in death.”
  • She thanks you for freeing her and calls you a hero before fading away.

Turning In

• Return to Ceristrasz on the ridge. His reaction is devastating: “Dahlia… they turned her?” He didn’t know. He’s been sending you into the shrine to fight the Scourge, and he only now learns that the corruption source was someone he knew and respected. He adds: “If they can corrupt a being of her devotion, it does not bode well for the rest of the young races.”

Tips

• Enter at [49, 44] for least resistance. This northern approach has the lightest mob density on the way to the tree.
• Kill Necromancers on the way out. You can clear Dahlia first (completing the harder objective), then pick off Necromancers as you exit the shrine. Going clockwise around the shrine edge after Dahlia is efficient for finding clusters.
• Don’t forget the Ruby Brooch. This is easy to overlook if you’re focused on getting out of the hostile shrine. Loot Dahlia before leaving the cave. The side quest it starts (The Fate of the Ruby Dragonshrine) is a short delivery to Krasus at Wyrmrest with a nice reputation reward.

Lore Context

This quest resolves the mystery established in Heated Battle, where Ceristrasz mentioned that the shrine’s keeper Dahlia Suntouch was “nowhere to be found.” Now you discover the awful truth: she wasn’t missing; she was the weapon being used against the shrine she swore to protect.

Orbaz Bloodbane is a recurring villain from the Death Knight starting experience. He was one of three death knights sent behind Scarlet Crusade lines alongside Thassarian and Koltira Deathweaver.

When the other death knights broke free from the Lich King’s control at Light’s Hope Chapel, Orbaz was the one who fled back to the Scourge. Players who created a Death Knight alt would recognize his name immediately. Originally, Orbaz was physically present at the Ruby Dragonshrine during alpha/beta, but he was replaced by Duke Vallenhal so Orbaz could serve a larger role in Icecrown, where he’s ultimately killed during The Fate of Bloodbane.

The quest title is widely believed to be a reference to Dragonforce’s song “Through the Fire and Flames.” 

Ceristrasz’s completion dialogue introduces a chilling implication: if the Scourge can corrupt someone as devoted as Dahlia, who served Alexstrasza for what may have been centuries, then no mortal is safe.

This foreshadows the Lich King’s strategy of turning the most loyal servants against their masters, a pattern repeated throughout Northrend.

Cross-Expansion Connection

• The Ruby Brooch side quest leads to Krasus (Korialstrasz in dragon form), Alexstrasza’s prime consort and one of the most significant red dragons in Warcraft lore. He calls it “my Ruby Brooch,” confirming it was his personal insignia entrusted to Dahlia. Krasus features prominently in the Warcraft novel series and tragically sacrifices himself during Cataclysm to prevent the corruption of the red dragonflight’s eggs at Wyrmrest Temple.
• Orbaz Bloodbane’s story concludes in Icecrown, where the Knights of the Ebon Blade send players to destroy his Host of Suffering death knight order. Highlord Darion Mograine himself leads the final assault. Justice for Dahlia comes, but not until much later.

Explore Dragonblight’s hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Dragonblight Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.