The Grand (Admiral’s) Plan

Quest Giver: Item-started. The Note from the Grand Admiral drops from baggage trunks at Onslaught Harbor while doing the Intelligence Gathering daily.

Objective: Deliver the Note from the Grand Admiral to Lord-Commander Arete at Death’s Rise.

Quick Facts

• Type: One-time chain quest
• Location: Death’s Rise, Icecrown [19.5, 48.1]
• Chain Position: 1 of 4 in the Onslaught Harbor investigation chain. Followed by In Strict Confidence, Second Chances, and The Admiral Revealed.
• How to Obtain: Random drop from any baggage trunk at Onslaught Harbor. You must be on or have completed the Intelligence Gathering daily to have keys to open trunks.

Walkthrough

This quest starts itself. While opening trunks for the Intelligence Gathering daily, the Note from the Grand Admiral can appear alongside (or instead of) the normal intel documents. The drop rate is low, so it may take multiple days of running Intelligence Gathering before it appears.

Once you have the note, fly back to Death’s Rise and deliver it to Lord-Commander Arete.

Efficiency Tips

• Keep doing Intelligence Gathering daily until the note drops. This is the only way to access the trunks that contain it (unless you’re a rogue or blacksmith, see below).
• Rogues can pick the trunk locks without keys, letting them farm for the note independently of the daily.
• Blacksmiths can use Titanium Skeleton Keys as an alternative to mob-dropped keys.
• The note has its own drop chance from the trunks, separate from the intel documents, so a trunk that gives you a document can also give you the note.
• Don’t skip this chain. Even though Intelligence Gathering is tedious, this note is the gateway to the four-quest Onslaught Harbor investigation chain that leads to one of WotLK’s best villain reveals. It also counts toward the Icecrown zone achievement for Loremaster.

Lore & Secrets

What the Note Reveals

The quest description provides the note’s contents: Grand Admiral Westwind is confirmed to be somewhere on the island of Onslaught Harbor, keeping himself secluded. He writes of “a glorious day” when the Onslaught will destroy the Lich King and then “bring order to Azeroth,” revealing the full scope of his megalomania.

Arete’s reaction is telling. He’s genuinely surprised that Westwind is physically present at the harbor, snatching the letter from your hand and laughing at the admiral’s ambitions. His dismissive response sets the tone for the rest of the chain: the Ebon Blade views Westwind as a deluded fool, not a serious threat.

They’re wrong about the “deluded” part, but they don’t know that yet.

Chain Context

This kicks off the investigation into Westwind’s location, which escalates through interrogating Onslaught captains (In Strict Confidence), killing and soul-interrogating Archbishop Landgren (Second Chances), and finally confronting Westwind in the Hidden Hollow, where he reveals himself as the dreadlord Mal’Ganis (The Admiral Revealed).

This is a 5-player group quest chain from Second Chances onward.

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