Lord Desdel Stareye was a noble who served as second-in-command to Lord Kur'talos Ravencrest, the initial commander of the night elf army that fought the first invasion of the Burning Legion. Secure in his aristocratic lineage, Desdel was proud of his high rank and, in the absence of armed conflict, had formed a high opinion of his combat abilities by the time the War of the Ancients began.
A Brief and Disastrous Career
When Kur'talos was assassinated by an agent of the queen, Desdel quickly assumed command of the army. To his shock, the invading demons proved far more difficult foes than he had anticipated. Desdel began to get the impression that the army he commanded had no faith in his tactics. Abandoning his polite attempts at diplomacy, Desdel did his best to make it clear that he expected both respect and obedience.
When the forces of the Legion began to retreat, Desdel triumphantly ordered the night elves to give chase. He was sure that his strategies had the Legion on the run. Instead, the demons unleashed a deadly trap, attacking the unsuspecting night elves from the air. Desdel watched helplessly as the demons began pouring containers of boiling red liquid over the night elf army. In seconds, hundreds of troops were injured, some mortally.
Captain Jarod Shadowsong rode to Desdel and asked for orders, but the panicked noble had none to give. Jarod caught sight of another group of demons hovering over Desdel, and so Jarod tried to pull Desdel out of the way. Infuriated at the upstart captain's lack of respect for superior rank and bloodline, Desdel ordered Jarod away on pain of imprisonment.
It was the last mistake Desdel would make. Jarod yanked his mount aside just in time to avoid an agonizing death. The demons turned over their container, and boiling liquid poured down on Desdel and his nearby companions. Desdel was burned to death in moments, his face maimed beyond recognition.
Not long after Desdel's death, Jarod became the new head of the night elf army.
