Alexandros’s death rocked the paladins. Some of them suspected that a dark force had taken hold of Saidan Dathrohan and his closest followers, but they could not prove it. Their suspicions created divisions between the paladins. The holy warriors splintered into two separate factions: the Argent Dawn and the Scarlet Crusade.
The Argent Dawn held true to the tenets of the Light, but its counterpart did not. Balnazzar retained control over the Scarlet Crusade. It was just the army he had been searching for, and it soon became synonymous with corruption and extremism.
North of Lordaeron, the repercussions of the Sunwell’s destruction continued to unfold. When Kael’thas Sunstrider and his people destroyed the Sunwell, the massive explosion did not destroy its power. The fount’s energies scattered across the land. The red dragon Korialstrasz discovered this unprotected magic, and he was deeply concerned that it would draw the attention of differing factions and ignite a conflict.
His fears were proved correct. Malygos, the Aspect of Magic, sensed the presence of the Sunwell’s energies. He dispatched one of his servants, the blue dragon Kalecgos, to investigate just how far the power had spread. The Lich King also felt the ripples of energy cascading from the fount. He ordered Dar’Khan Drathir, the traitor who had delivered Quel’Thalas to the Scourge, to collect this power in the name of the Frozen Throne.
Korialstrasz scoured the ravaged lands around Silvermoon City and gathered every scrap of power he could. Knowing that time was short, he molded a human avatar named Anveena Teague and imbued her with the Sunwell’s energy. He gave her false memories and even created an illusion of a human family for her. He hoped that she would escape the notice of anyone hunting the Sunwell’s might. Anveena had no idea what she was, nor did she know that dark forces would do anything to claim her power.
Kalecgos and Dar’Khan soon encountered Anveena, but her true nature remained hidden from them for quite some time. Eventually, Dar’Khan unraveled the truth and abducted her, taking her to the site of the ruined Sunwell to siphon the power from her. Kalecgos and Korialstrasz each gave chase, but they found Anveena too late. Dar’Khan had already begun to take the power of the Sunwell for himself.
Using his newfound might, Dar’Khan took control of Korialstrasz and forced him to battle Kalecgos. When all seemed lost, Anveena finally awakened to her true potential. She realized that the power of the Sunwell was within her. She was capable of wielding it herself.
Anveena turned her full fury on Dar’Khan Drathir and defeated him.
After the dust of battle had settled, Anveena Teague remained in Quel’Thalas under the protection of Lor’themar Theron, one of the blood elves’ highest-ranking rangers. Kalecgos stayed with her, living under the guise of a half-elf named Kalec. For years, he personally watched over her and kept her presence a secret from the world at large.
Far from Quel’Thalas, Garona was on the hunt.
She had hounded Cho’gall and his Twilight’s Hammer cultists across southern Kalimdor, slowly whittling away at their numbers. Her prey was cunning, but so was she. Garona gave no quarter to her foes. She vowed not to stop killing until she had sunk her daggers into Cho’gall’s heart.
Garona’s persistence infuriated Cho’gall. She struck from the shadows, disappearing as soon as she’d slain one of his cultists. Cho’gall set traps and laid ambushes for Garona, but she always escaped them. As the days wore on, the Old Gods’ whispers thundered in his mind. They were angry—he was taking too long to deal with the meddlesome assassin.
Deep within the dense rain forests of Feralas, Cho’gall found a way to draw Garona out of hiding. At great risk to himself, he sent away his cultists and waited for the huntress. He knew she wanted him dead, and he knew she would never pass up the opportunity to face him, especially when he was without the protection of his followers.
Just as expected, Garona struck. The ogre mage and the half-orc assassin grappled in the misty wilds. Garona gravely wounded Cho’gall, but it was not enough to defeat him.
Cho’gall bested the assassin in combat and brought her under his dominion. Long ago, the Shadow Council had woven mental shackles around Garona’s mind, making her into their unwilling servant. The human archmage Khadgar had unraveled these bonds and given the half-orc freedom. Yet Cho’gall knew how to remake them. He forged new mental shackles and transformed Garona into his pet. His assassin.
With Garona under his control, Cho’gall returned to his original quest to awaken the Old Gods. He took what remained of his Twilight’s Hammer cultists and ventured into the sun-scorched desert of Silithus. Cho’gall sensed an Old God somewhere beneath the golden sands. He felt the entity calling to him, its power stirring in his veins.
And he heard its name whispered in his mind: C’Thun.
HORDE AND ALLIANCE FORCES ASSAULT AHN’QIRAJ
The Third War had unleashed terrible damage upon the night elves. Their World Tree, Nordrassil, had protected them for thousands of years, but now its enchantments were gone. The night elves would be subject to disease and aging. The damage to Nordrassil also made it more difficult for druids to enter the mystical Emerald Dream.
Archdruid Fandral Staghelm believed he had a solution. He proposed planting a new World Tree, one that would restore the night elves’ immortality. He had attempted a similar feat thousands of years ago, when he had planted the World Tree known as Andrassil. That had ended in failure, but Fandral had learned from his mistakes. More importantly, he felt there was no choice but to act.
Malfurion Stormrage rejected his plan. He remembered Fandral’s last attempt to plant a World Tree. Corruption had taken hold in Andrassil and spread throughout the land, driving innocent creatures to madness. Malfurion and other druids had been forced to fell the great tree, which they renamed Vordrassil. Its dead stump was a cold reminder of the danger of meddling with powers that only the Dragon Aspects could wield.
Fandral seethed with rage. In his eyes, Malfurion was refusing to take bold steps to ensure the future of their people. Fandral dreamed of what could be possible with the power of a revitalized World Tree, and he secretly hoped to resurrect his fallen son, Valstann Staghelm. Malfurion was an obstacle to that goal.
One night, while Malfurion slept in his barrow den, Fandral Staghelm ambushed him, plunging the druid into a deep coma and trapping his spirit within the depths of the Emerald Dream.
When Malfurion did not wake, other druids searched the Dream for his spirit, but they could not find it. At first, that was not cause for serious concern. Malfurion had spent millennia within the Emerald Dream before, and after the destruction of the Third War, there was much to be done to restore the druids’ connection with the ethereal realm and nature itself. It was easy to assume he was engrossed in important work.
In Malfurion’s absence, Fandral Staghelm took control of the druids of the Cenarion Circle and led them to the coastal region of Darkshore, where they joined together to plant a new World Tree. The druids named it Teldrassil, or “Crown of the Earth.” It soared high over the ocean, its trunk so large that it resembled an island. Fandral had indeed learned from his errors in planting Vordrassil. This new World Tree was bright, powerful, and apparently uncorrupted. Brimming with hope, the night elves established a city, Darnassus, among the World Tree’s massive boughs.
THE NIGHTMARE’S SERVANT
The corruption of Teldrassil was largely the work of Fandral Staghelm, but he was guided by dark forces. He had fallen under the sway of Xavius.
In the War of the Ancients, Xavius had served as Queen Azshara’s trusted advisor until Malfurion Stormrage had struck him down. Like many of Azshara’s inner circle, he now obeyed the will of the Old Gods. Xavius, who had become known as the Nightmare Lord, planned to spread the Nightmare far and wide, even beyond the borders of the Emerald Dream.
Xavius had won Fandral to his cause by exploiting the night elf’s
sorrow. The Nightmare Lord tricked him into believing his fallen son, Valstann Staghelm, was still alive. Xavius used a false visage of the long-dead elf to speak to Fandral, guiding his actions and convincing him to infect the World Tree Teldrassil with the Nightmare’s touch.
Xavius’s influence would gradually drive Fandral to madness.
Unfortunately, Fandral’s decision to create the tree without the Dragon Aspects’ help proved to be a terrible mistake. Without their blessings, Teldrassil was vulnerable to the dark influence of the Emerald Nightmare.
From the heart of the Emerald Dream, the Nightmare reached out to Teldrassil. Before long, it seeped into the World Tree’s essence.
Fandral went to great lengths to hide the emerging darkness from the rest of the night elves. It was easy enough to keep the others occupied. Satyr and furbolg raiders were igniting small conflicts across night elven territory, and the Horde had established new nations south of Ashenvale. The faction had allied with the night elves against the Burning Legion in the Third War, but not long before that, they had been fierce enemies.
Trust would be a long time coming, if it ever came at all.
ORGRIMMAR UNDER CONSTRUCTION
A great weight had been lifted from Warchief Thrall’s heart. He and his people had defended Azeroth against the Burning Legion, their former master. The crimes of the first Horde could never be erased, but the recent battles stood as proof that the orcs deserved to make a home for themselves on this world.
Shortly after the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Thrall led his people to a desolate desert region along the eastern coast of Kalimdor. He named the land Durotar, after his late father, Durotan.
The Horde soon forged a capital in Durotar. Thrall named the stronghold Orgrimmar in honor of his friend, the former warchief Orgrim Doomhammer, who had taught him that the Horde could become something greater than a weapon. Though Orgrimmar would serve as the Horde’s capital, some of the faction’s other members settled in different areas. The Darkspear trolls carved out a home to the south, on the Echo Isles. To the west, the tauren built a permanent settlement called Thunder Bluff, nestled amid the verdant grasslands of Mulgore.
Durotar stood in stark contrast to the lush plains of Mulgore. It was a rugged area, and the orcs’ first years there were filled with hardship. Thrall considered those difficult times to be penance for the damage that the orcs had wrought on this world decades ago.
The settling of Durotar drew the attention of Rexxar, an old beastmaster who had invaded Azeroth alongside the first Horde. He had later abandoned the army after growing disgusted with what it had become. For years, he had lived alone, learning how to survive and thrive in Azeroth’s wilds. Thrall’s Horde seemed like a force of pride and honor, and Rexxar cautiously joined the orcs in their new home.
As the Horde built its nations, some of their former allies in the Third War moved farther south. The Alliance refugees, led by Jaina Proudmoore, settled in Dustwallow Marsh and established a seaside city named Theramore Isle.
Jaina and Thrall continued to communicate, and their uneasy truce developed into something more permanent. Both leaders declared that they would respect the other’s territory and refrain from any acts of aggression.
Though the Horde and the humans of Theramore Isle maintained peace for years, it did not last. Yet it was not Warchief Thrall or Jaina Proudmoore who reignited war.
A massive Alliance naval armada arrived on the shores of Kalimdor. It was led by Jaina’s father, Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. The fleet immediately launched attacks against the orcs and nearby troll settlements. Admiral Proudmoore had fought in the Second War, and he had even lost a son to the Horde. He had no intention of letting the creatures who had nearly destroyed the human kingdoms regain their strength. His goal was nothing less than extermination.
Thrall hoped to make peace with the humans and convince them that his new Horde was not like the one of old that had decimated the Eastern Kingdoms. Yet he never had the chance to make his plea.
Admiral Proudmoore dispatched assassins disguised as “emissaries” from Theramore to lure Thrall into a trap and end his life. The ruse failed, and war became inevitable. Thrall rallied the orcs, the Darkspear trolls, the tauren, and even the nearby Stonemaul ogre clan for battle.
Time was not on their side. Despite the impassioned urging of his daughter, Jaina, Admiral Proudmoore had taken over Theramore and now had control of both the sea and a defensible city. If given time to fortify his position, he would be able to launch strikes across Kalimdor with impunity.
The Horde’s armies traveled to Theramore and quietly reached out to Jaina. Thrall asked her to do the impossible: let the Horde into Theramore so they could kill her father. Otherwise, Daelin Proudmoore would extinguish the Horde forevermore.
Unlike her father, Jaina knew that Thrall’s Horde was different from its predecessor. She had seen proof of that with her own eyes. She had stood alongside the Horde against the Burning Legion and witnessed the valor and honor of its soldiers. They wanted the same thing she and many of her followers did: an end to the cycle of hatred between the Horde and the Alliance.
She saw the bloodshed between the factions as a distraction. The Scourge and other threats still lingered on Azeroth. The world’s noble races needed to be united in strength to focus on their true enemies. She had tried to convince her father of that, but he refused to listen.
Devastated by the seemingly impossible choice, Jaina stood aside, asking only that the Horde spare as many of her people as they could. The armies of the Horde assaulted Theramore and cut their way through the city.
Rexxar himself inflicted the mortal blow on Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. He was no stranger to how blind prejudice and hatred could darken the hearts of good soldiers. He had seen that fate befall many members of the old Horde. He urged Jaina Proudmoore to remember her father for the proud warrior he had been, not for the person he had become.
The Horde left the city in Jaina’s hands after the deed was done. Most of the survivors of Daelin’s fleet sailed back to the Eastern Kingdoms.
THE ANGER OF KUL TIRAS
Not only was Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore a military commander, but he was also ruler of the human nation of Kul Tiras. His people cried out for vengeance for his death, but the rest of the Alliance did not seek it. The plague of undeath in Lordaeron had already left the Alliance reeling, and its other leaders had little pity for Daelin Proudmoore, who had launched a war of aggression on his own authority.
In fury, the people of Kul Tiras isolated themselves from the rest of the Alliance. But their anger was not focused on King Varian Wrynn or any of the other Alliance leaders. Instead, they grew to hate Jaina Proudmoore, the daughter who had betrayed her family.
Following the battle, Rexxar decided not to remain with the Horde. He had grown accustomed to hunting alone, and he returned to the wilds, where he felt at peace. However, he made it clear that he would fight to defend the Horde whenever it needed him.
Across the sea from Kalimdor, Queen Sylvanas Windrunner and her Forsaken were beset by enemies on all sides. The Scarlet Crusade did not care that these undead had reclaimed their wills from the Lich King; the fanatical sect had vowed to eradicate them no matter what.
Sylvanas reached out to her former people in Quel’Thalas, asking them for sanctuary. She had given her life to protect them, and she expected something in return for her sacrifice. Yet her request was refused. The blood elves feared the undead and treated them as monsters.
Growing more and more desperate, she sent ambassadors to both the Alliance and the Horde. Her emissaries to the Alliance never returned. Sylvanas suspected they hadn’t survived long enough even to make it past the gates of Stormwind City.
The first sign of hope came from an unexpected place: the tauren. An archdruid named Hamuul Runetotem looked past the undead’s monstro
us exterior and believed that they could be redeemed and revived—perhaps not physically, but spiritually. He brought the Forsaken ambassadors to meet with Cairne Bloodhoof, high chieftain of the tauren tribes, and Cairne agreed that the undead should be given a chance to thrive.
Thrall invited Sylvanas Windrunner to Orgrimmar. He had sympathy for her followers—the orcs had once been corrupted as well, and that had been a hard legacy to overcome—but he also recognized the strategic value of the Forsaken. They lived in the ruins of Lordaeron. The city would be a valuable foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms should the Alliance ever provoke war again.
More importantly, the Scourge had not been eradicated; it had been only temporarily defeated. The Horde needed every ally it could find to protect its lands from the Lich King’s undead army.
After much consideration, Thrall made his decision. The Forsaken were allowed into the Horde.
Throughout the Third War, the savage troggs had besieged the gnomes of Gnomeregan. Over time, the gnomes had slowly lost ground in their own home.
Clever solutions could not solve the problem of the troggs’ overwhelming numbers. They eventually dug around the gnomes’ defenses and breached Gnomeregan’s engineering quarters. Not only did this cut off the gnomes from their best inventions, but it also placed unstable materials and machines into the hands of creatures that could not understand how dangerous they were. It was only a matter of time before a mistake would lead to the wholesale destruction of the city.
World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume 3 Page 13