# Darn World of Warcrack...I mean Warcraft.



## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

I tore myself away from that addictive game over two years ago but with the new expansion coming out soon, I hear my Draenei Death Knight calling me from the virtual world. Sigh, I'll never get any writing done if I succumb to the call of the wild MMORPG!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

If you want to be even more inspired to come back just search for Totalhalibut's videos on youtube


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## Frank Martin (Jun 25, 2010)

Warcrack is a good name for it.  If you write fantasy stuff the game may be good inspiration.  If you are write drawing room mysteries, then not so much.     

Edit: Ok, I see you write 'paranormal'.  Then maybe WOW would help, or turn you into a Heroic Fantasy writer.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Never got into WOW myself, but spent 7 years with EQ..
And today's banner for this thread is showing WOW gold sellers to me. rofl.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

I played EQ for several years back in the day...I remember playing it when it first came out. That game changed a lot over the years and I met some great friends on there. It was way too addicting though and I'm glad I never got into WoW. My sister did though, and actually met her current boyfriend through there!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The things they're doing in this expansion are pretty insane.  Not only are they adding an entire underwater area that looks at least as big as Outland, but they're redoing all of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor not only to allow flying but totally sending everything into upheaval.  There really seems to be nothing that's off limits and it looks like they're really moving away from the Horde/Alliance working together thing to make them bitter enemies finally.  I'd post more but I don't wanna spoil things for anyone who is hoping to not be spoiled.  But seriously, check out some of Totalhalibut's Youtube stuff if you don't mind a few spoilers.  It's not just a good look at a lot of the new areas, but he's really entertaining while he does it.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

The only thing I know about wow comes from Youtube videos.
WoW -Roflmao, she's to fat for me, the internet is for..., and a couple others.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I have so far avoided ever playing this, mainly for fear of the addiction (and the expense). I played World War II Online for a couple years until I finally got burnt out, and I spent way too much time on it for my own good.


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## Sean Sweeney (Apr 17, 2010)

I have to admit, even though I'm a fantasy author, I've never played WOW. I've read one of the books, but that's all. I'm not a video gamer at all, and my kids, when I have them, won't go near them: I'd rather kids read books than play video games.


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

John Fitch V said:


> I have to admit, even though I'm a fantasy author, I've never played WOW. I've read one of the books, but that's all. I'm not a video gamer at all, and my kids, when I have them, won't go near them: I'd rather kids read books than play video games.


I find some video games incredibly inspiring (why do you think so much fan fiction gets written about them?). They can include beautiful stories that I occasionally find much more immersive than books, because you are acting out the part of one of the characters, seeing exactly what's happening (and they all require a lot of reading, too). However, WoW is not one of these games.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

World of Warcraft is pretty inspiring and really quite amazing to me when I stop to think about it. Sure, a lot of people come in just because it's an MMO and they want to quest and kill stuff, but what keeps me coming back is the lore. I'm a history geek anyway, and the lore they've developed for this game is pretty awe inspiring, especially considering it began back in 1994 when having a story behind your video game wasn't the norm. And not only do you get the lore, but you get involved in it and things really change. Nothing is static and nothing is sacred, I think Cataclysm is going to prove the latter of those. Take a look at http://www.wowwiki.com/Lore if you want to read a good story. I've heard of universities offering classes in WoW lore, that's how complex it is... and it really does mirror lessons learned in our own history.

A lot of games like this are pretty static, but with the last expansion Blizzard created a phenomenon known as phased content. What this basically does is allow you to go into an area, do some quests, and permanently change how your character sees that area. This does mean that other characters who haven't done it yet will see a different version of the area than you, but it's really the best I've seen something like this implemented. And Blizzard has taken all of the stuff they've learned in the 5 years since its release and applied it to just about everything in the game. They aren't letting old "vanilla" content languish, this next expansion is basically a rewrite of the entire vanilla game experience from the ground up.

But seriously, if you haven't been sucked in by the beautiful world and intriguing storyline, then you really haven't given the game a fair shake. And it's also very easy for new gamers to pick up. I've got my parents playing it and am on the verge of my grandfather trying it. In fact, my mom plays it a heck of a lot more than me. I've tried other MMOs and there's a reason why WoW is number one. Being the most popular, it of course takes a lot of flack, but I think it's earned its spot and it's going to be hard to take it down. If you want to see old Azeroth before it's completely changed then I'd wager you have at most three months to do so, but they -are- making the new player experience a lot better in the next expansion as well so it's hard to say when would be a better time to pick it up for the first time. If you do take the plunge, come onto the Feathermoon server and I'll do my best to help you out


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## ◄ Jess ► (Apr 21, 2010)

In response to Scheherazade, WOW. I never knew there was a story behind WoW, honestly. I thought it was a simple "go get me 10 bear hides and come back" kind of game. Like I said, I never really got into it. Thanks for the link!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Yup, there's a lot of pretty serious lore going on behind everything.  They're really good at keeping things realistic, though there is some retconning of course.  It's hard to expect -everything- they laid out over 15 years ago to still fit into what they want to accomplish now, especially when it began as a single-player experience and turned into all of this.  Thrall is probably one of the more fun characters to start with in terms of getting your feet wet with the lore.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

This is actually a better page to start on since the Lore section seems a bit haphazard right now. This is a timeline including official and unofficial sources along with books. Looks like it goes as far as Cataclysm even.

http://www.wowwiki.com/Timeline_(unofficial)

In terms of World of Warcraft as it is at present, we're between "The Black Dragonflight invades the Ruby Sanctum" and "Gnomes retake Gnomeregan's surface" down at the bottom with a lot of the information for the future events culled from what we know from the Cataclysm Beta along with posts and panels by the creators. It's really an interesting read if you can get through it all.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Okay... it's lots of stuff to read so I'm going to try and condense it a bit if anyone is interested.  My source is the wiki, so credit is given where it's due... here's the first bits.  It's nice for me to go through and read it again too 

The beginnings of the universe are still a mystery, but it is believed that either a catastrophic explosion or a single all-powerful entity created the first glimmers of life.  A race of metalic-skinned Titans explored the universe upon its birth and began shaping each planet they came across, setting the worlds into motion and giving the newly formed races the tools they needed to maintain their works.  An ethereal dimension of chaotic magic existed beyond these worlds, a place known as the Twisting Nether which was full of demonic beings who want nothing more than to destroy all life.

The Pantheon of the Titans elected a great bronze warrior named Sargeras to act as a first line of defense against the demons of the Twisting Nether.  For eons he traveled the universe, destroying any demons who made it in from the nether.  Two races of these demons existed.  The Eredar, a race of demonic warlocks and sorcerers who destroyed worlds and twisted their inhabitants into demons who served them, and the Natherezim, a race of vampiric demons (dreadlords) who possessed worlds and manipulated their inhabitants to fight one another.

Doubt and despair began to take over Sargeras as he was exposed to more and more of these demonic hordes and he lost fait in everything.  As he went mad and left his post with the Titans, he began to blame the Titans themselves for all that was wrong in the universe and set about to undo everything they had done in order to fix it.  He released the Eredar and Nathrezim that he had conquered free and they served him.  Two champions were chosen from their ranks, Kil'jaeden the deceiver whose job it was to recruit dark races to Sargeras's ranks and Archimonde the Defiler who led the armies into battle.

Kiljaeden enslaved the dreadlords and made Tichondrius the Darkener his first in command.  Archimonde took Mannoroth the Destructor as his head of command.  This army was to be known as The Burning Legion and it is still unclear how many worlds were consumed in their Burning Crusade across the universe.  The Burning Crusade might sound familiar, it's what the first WoW expansion was all about.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The Titans were not aware of any of this and continued to populate worlds, finally coming upon the world we now know as Azeroth.  The world was full of hostile elementals who followed evil beings known as the Old Gods, but the Titans waged war upon them and their four gods were chained beneath the surface of the world.  These four gods are Ragnaros the Firelord, Therazane the Stonemother, Al'Akir the Windlord and Neptulon the Tidehunter.  The elementals were banished to the Abyssal Plane and nature reclaimed Azeroth in their absence.  The Titans then created a number of races to inhabit the world, the Earthen who were the forebears of the Dwarves and the Sea Giants who lifted the land from the sea floor.  At the center of the single continent which they named Kalimdor, "land of eternal starlight", they created the Well of Eternity as a font of life for the world.

Before leaving, the Titans charged the Dragonflights with the task of watching over the world.  Although there were many dragonflights, only five were chosen as watchers for Kalimdor.  Nozdormu, a bronze dragon, was given part of the power of Aman'Thul, the Highfather of the Pantheon.  He became known as the timeless one.  Eonar, the Titan patron of life, gave some of her power to Alexstrasza, the leader of the red dragonflight.  She worked to guard all living creatures and was known as the Life-Binder.  Eonar also blessed Ysera, the leader of the green dragonflight and Alexstrasza's younger sister.  She fell into a trance and created a realm known as the Emerald Dream from which she guarded the wilds of the world.

Norgannon, the Titan of lore and magic, gave the leader of the blue dragonflight, Malygos, the power he needed to become the guardian of magic and the arcane.  Khaz'foroth, the Titan forger of the world, gave some of his power to Nelthation, the leader of the black dragonflight, and he took dominion over the earth itself.  The Titans then left, and wouldn't you know it... here comes Sargeras hot on their heels.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

After a while a race of primitive nocturnal humanoids made their way to the edges of the Well of Eternity, drawn by its energies they built homes on its dores.  They became strong and wise and nearly immortal from the powers of the well and adopted the name Kaldorei, children of the stars.  This race would later be known as the night elves and worshipped the moon goddess Elune.  The night elves began to explore the world and met Cenarius, a demigod of the primordial forestlands.  He liked the night elves and spent time teaching them about the world.  In time their influence spread and with it came their queen, Azshara.

Azshara built immense temples and halls along the shores of the Well of Eternity, quelling other elves from the ranks of her people to become her servitors who she called the Quel'dorei, of the Highborne.  The Highborne were envied by the other night elves and spent their time learning to manipulate the energy of the well.  They stumbled across a primitive magic and Azshara began to use it recklessly against the warnings of Cenarius and other night elf scholars.  The Highborne and their queen began to change as the power corrupted them and a young scholar named Malfurion Stormrage was the first to notice and worry what this would mean for the future of his race.

Malfurion was right... the use of the Highbornes' magic called out into the Great Dark Beyond and was felt by Sargeras.  He gathered his Burning Legion and set off toward Azeroth with Archimonde and Mannoroth leading the charge.  Azshara was mad for power and was easily convinced to allow Sargeras entrance into the world, opening a swirling portal within the Well of Eternity itself.  The Legion invaded hard and fast, crushing the temples of the night elves and slaughtering any who stood in their way.  Demonic felhounds and doomguards ravaged the land and the warriors of the Kaldorei rushed to defend their homes.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Malfurion Stormrage was angry at the power hungry upperclass Highborne, especially since his brother Illidan Stormrage was one of their ranks.  Malfurion convinced his brother Illidan to join him along with a young priests Tyrande in a quest to find Cenarius.  The two brothers both loved Tyrande, but her heart belongs to Malfurion... of course Illidan resented him for this.  Illidan also had trouble with withdrawal from the power of the well, but restrained himself long enough to help the two find Cenarius in the Moonglades of Mount Hyjal.  Cenarius set out to warn the dragonflights and enlist their aid.  The flights, led by Alexstrasza, agreed and set off to engage the demonic legion.

Cenarius also called an army of ancient treants to clash with the Burning Legion, but it soon became obvious that they would not be defeated in physical combat alone.  Still Azshara, ever delusional, waited in her palace for the arrival of Sargera and his promises of power.  She gathered her Highborne to create another gateway as the battle continued across Kalimdor.  As if this wasn't bad enough, Neltharion, the black dragonflight leader of the earth, went insane during the battle.  He split apart and rage boiled from his core as he turned to fight against the other dragons and drive all five dragonflights from the battle... he renamed himself Deathwing and he is the cause of the Cataclysm coming up.

The dragonflights never truly recovered from this betrayal and Malfurion's allies were now outnumbered and barely survived the pitched battle.  He set out to destroy the Well of Eternity, convinced that it was the demons' link to Azeroth while also knowing it was the link to their immortality and magic.  Tyrande agreed and convinced the others to storm the temple and find a way to destroy the well.  Illidan didn't agree, knowing the destruction of the well meant losing his magic.  He set out to warn the Highborne of the plan.

Malfurion and company stormed the temple as Azshara was in the final incantation to open the portal for Sargeras.  Sargeras himself could be seen moving toward the unstable vortex as Malfurion moved in to attack.  Azshara was prepared because of Illidan's betrayal and they were nearly all slaughtered immediately as she turned her powers against them.  Tyrande fell trying to attack Azshara from behind which sent Malfurion into a murderous rage.  Meanwhile along the shores of the well, Illidan set to filling vials with sacred water from the well.

Malfurion and Azshara battled and sent the summoning spell wildly out of control, exploding the vortex in the well which set off a chain of events that sundered the very world.  The well buckled in on itself and collapsed, creating a a swirling vortex in the center of what used to be Kalimdor known as the Maelstrom.  80% of Kalimdor has been blasted apart, but somehow Azshara and the Highborne survived, dragged down into the sea where they were cursed and transformed to become a race of serpentine, aquatic humanoids known as the naga.  They built a new city at the bottom of the Maelstrom known as Nazjatar, lying dormant for over 10,000 years as they rebuilt their power.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The handful of night elves that survived the sundering along with Malfurion, Tyrande and Cenarius made crude rafts and headed for the only land they could see.  Sargeras and the Burning Legion had been vanquished, but the cost was ripping Kalmidor into pieces.  Some other Highborne survived and were not pulled to the bottom of the sea, making their way to land with the other night elves.  As they hit land they saw that Mount Hyjal had survived the catatrophe, so they set to the slopes of the holy mountain to establish a new home.  It was then that they realized the lake at its summit had been fouled by magic.

Illidan also survived the sundering and actually beat the other night elves to the summit of Mount Hyjal.  It was him who had befouled the lake with his vials from the Well of Eternity... creating a new Well of Eterntiy.  Illidan was shocked when his brother was angry at his actions.  Malfurion, realizing what a threat Illidan was, had him sealed in an underground prison with a young warden named Maiev Shadowsong set as his jailor.  The night elves left the new well alone but resolved never to use magic again, instead turning to the arts of druidism that they would use to help regrow the lands ravaged in the Sundering.

The night elves worked for years to rebuild and in time the dragons came back to observe what they had done.  Alexstrasza (red), Ysera (green) and Nozdormu (bronze) came down upon Mount Hyjal and were greeted by Malfurion, telling them how Illidan had created the new Well of Eternity.  The dragons weren't too happy about this, saying that as long as the well remained then they would be a target of the Burning Legion.  They made a pact then and there to keep the well safe.  Alexstrasza helped see to this by placing an acorn into the waters of the well, the acorn blooming into an immense world tree known as Nordrassil, crown of the heavens.  Nozdormu then placed an enchantment on the tree that meant the night elves would be immortal so long as it stood and Ysera enchanted it further by linking it to the Emerald Dream.  The druids were from then on bound to the World Tree and the Emerald Dream, vowing to sleep for centuries at a time so that they could roam Ysera's dreamworld.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

And both WOW & EQ had their basis in old RPG desktop games like D&D. (which I grew up with.)


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The night elves expanded through the centuries into a forest of their creation that came to be known as Ashenvale.  Creatures that were abundant before the sundering began to come forth again and flourish as the night elves healed the land and everything was at peace.  The Highborne grew restless as this continues, suffering from the withdrawal of their magics and tempted by the energy of the new Well of Eternity.  Dath'Remar, their leader, mocked the night elf druids, but Malfurion and the others dismissed them and told the Highborne that the use of magic would be punishable by death.  Tempting fate, the Highborne and their leader began a magical assault on Ashenvale.

Not wanting to kill so many of their own kind, the druids instead exiled the Highborne and Dath'Remar to the seas.  The Highborne were actually exultant at this, eager to establish their own homeland.  They eventually set shore upon a land to the east that would become known as Lordaeron where they wanted to build their own kingdom of magic, Quel'Thalas.  The Highborne landed in the Tirisfal Glades and founded a settlement there.  Dath'Remar took the name Sunstrider to distance himself from the night elves even further.  Many of the Highborne began to go mad and the high elves, thinking some evil lurked beneath the ground, packed up and moved north.

With the exile of the Highborne, the druids turned back to their druiding ways, preparing for the hibernation time they had promised Ysera.  Tyrande, now a high priestess of Elune, begged Malfurion not to go, but he was honor bound and off he went.  Tyrande assembled a fighting force of night elf women known as the Sentinels to protect Kalimdor from danger as the men were all in hibernation.  Cenarius and his songs, the Keepers of the Grove, still stood watch on nearby Mount Hyjal and helped the Sentinels.  Cenarius' daughters the dryads also began to come out into the open more frequently.

Meanwhile, in Lordaeron... many of the high elves died on the journey, proving they were no longer immortal or immune to the elements.  Their skin also paled and they grew smaller in stature.  Along the journey they also ran into new creatures, not least among them begin the humans and the viscious forest trolls of Zul'Aman.  The elves developed a deep hatred for the trolls and killed them on sight as they journeyed, finally founding Quel'Thalas in the deep northern forests of the continent.  This also happened to be the site of an ancient troll city... so the battle began.

The high elves fought off the trolls, dinally defeating the trolls who outnumbered them ten to one.  They then masked their land with a protective barrier so that they did not attract the Burning Legion with their use of magic.  The runestone markers of this barrier not only held it in place but served to frighten the susicious trolls away as well.  Quel'Thalas finally became the shining jewel of the high elves who then founded the Convocation of Silvermoon to rule over it with the Sunstriders wielding most of the political power.  The high elves used magic flagrantly for everything from sweeping floors to interior design elements, living peacefully within their new kingdom for nearly 4,000 years.  Then the trolls decided they wanted it back and laid siege.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

As the high elves fought the trolls, the nomadic humans of Lordaeron fought among each other in an attempt to consolidate their own tribal bands.  They raided each other's settlements for a long time before one tribe, known as the Arathi, saw the threat of the trolls and sought to band all of the tribes together.  Over the next six years the Arathi defeated their rival tribes, offering them peace and equality to win the loyalty of their former enemies (Rome anyone?)  As they grew so did their confidence, so they built a huge fortress along the southern reaches of Lordaeron and named it Strom, the capital of their new nation known as Arathor.  Thoradin, the king of Arathor, knew of the plight of the elves but did not want to risk their own safety to help them.  Finally some beaten ambassadors arrived in Strom from Quel'Thalas, informing them of the fall of Quel'Thalas.  The elves agreed to teach the humans magic in exchange for their help.

The humans were clumsy in their handling of magic, but possessed a natural affinity for it.  Only 100 men were taught the ways of magic before the high elves left with the armies of Thoradin to battle the trolls.  The two forces met at the foot of the Alterac Mountains and battled for days.  Finally when the timing was right the elves and humans mages unleashed a powerful magical assault on the trolls and their ranks broke as they attempted to flee.  Thoradin's army ran them down and slaughtered every single one, a defeat that the trolls would never recover from.  The high elves pledged their friendship to the bloodline of Thoradin and his homeland then set off to rebuild their own.

The humans prospered but did not expand under Thoradin who feared they would splinter into tribes again if they did so.  The 100 magi also continued to practice magic in greater detail, passing their powers and secrets on to a newer generation who did not share their views on restraint, using the magic for personal gain.  With Thoradin's death the empire began to grow and expand with the magicians making it possible for new city-states to be constructed in the dangerous wilderness.  But even as their powers grew, they also began to withdraw from a society that they held no respect for.

A second city-state known as Dalaran was founded near Strom where many of the wizards began to congregate in the pursuit of their studies.  The citizens tolerated the magicians because it helped the economy, but the fabric of reality around the city began to weaken and tear the more they wielded their magic.  It was the magicians of Dalaran who caught the attention of the Burning Crusade once again, sending demons into the city.  The attack was relatively weak, but the confusion and chaos that ensued was held tightly under wraps.  The peasantry of Dalaran began to suspect and revolution began to sweep the streets.  The magicians turned to the high elves for help, fearing the peasants would revolt and take action against them.

The elves sent their mightiest wizards in response to hearing of demons in Dalaran.  The Council of Silvermoon then made a secret pact with the lords of Dalaran, telling them the history of ancient Kalimdor and the Burning Legion.  It was then that the human mages proposed imbuing a single mortal champion with their collective powers to fight against the Legion.  Thus was born the secret sect of the Guardians of Tirisfal.  Only a single guardian could exist at one time and their powers were so great that they could single-handedly take on the Legion wherever they were found.  All of this was kept secret from everyone else.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Strom was still the hub of Arathor, but other city-states arose.  Gilneas, Alterac and Kul Tiras were the first to show up, all with their own customs but unified under Strom.  Dalaran became the center of learning for mages and the lords of Dalaran founded the Kirin Tor, a sect charged with cataloguing and researching spells and magic items.  Gilneas and Alterac developed armies that explored south into Khaz Modan, running into the ancient race of dwarves in their subterrannean city, Ironforge.  The humans and dwarves had a common bond in storytelling and metal smithing, battle and engineering and became fast friends.  Kul Tiras was founded on a large island to the south and became a prosperous fishing city, developing a mighty fleet of merchant vessels.

The lords of Strom began to move their estates to the north of Lordaeron, prefering the lush lands to the arid ones of the south.  Though they wanted to leave, they insisted that Strom not be abandoned, angering the citizens who also wished to move.  And so the ancient city was abandoned and they built a new city-state that they named Lordaeron.  Some citizens who refused to leave Strom traveled south, settling into a land they named Azeroth in a fertile valley where they founded the kingdom of Stormwind.  Others stayed to protect Strom and it became Stromgarde.  The empire of Arathor had disintegrated as the bands of humans split up, finally ending Thoradin's vision of unified humanity.

The seven human nations continued with politics and rivalries as the Guardians kept ever vigilant watch.  Aegwynn was chosen as one of the last guardians of the ages, and while she continues to hunt down the demons she questioned the authority of the male-dominated Council of Tirisfal.  She wished to prove herself and push past the debates of the council which often meant she chose valor over wisdom in many situations.  As she grew more powerful she became aware of demons in the icy northern continent of Northrend.  She found the demons there hunting down one of the last dragonflights and draining them of their power.  Aegwynn helped the dragons drive them away, but even as the last demon was vanquished a mighty storm erupted in the sky and there was Sargeras with a message that he the time of Tirisfal was coming to an end.

Aegwynn attacked the avatar of the god, destroying his physical shell with ease.  She then locked the husk of his body in one of the ancient halls of Kalimdor that had collapsed to the bottom of the sea when the Well of Eternity had collapsed and the world was sundered.  This was all according to Sargeras's plan and she has inadvertantly sealed the fate of the world.  Sargeras had transfered his spirit into her body, remaining cloaked in the dark recesses of her soul.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Meanwhile, the dwarves of Ironforge found that their society was outgrowing their mountain cities.  The Bronzebeard clan, ruled by Thane Madoran Bronzebeard, had ties to the high king and were defenders of Ironforege.  The Wildhammer clan, ruled by Than Khardos Wildhammer, inhabited the foothills at the base of the mountain and sought more control within the city itself.  The Dark Iron clan, ruled by the Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan, hid within the shadows under the mountain and plotted against both other clans.  The unsteady peace between the clans was shattered when High King Anvilmar passed away from old age.  The three clans went to war for control of Ironforge witht he Bronzebeards finally banishing the other two clans.

The Wildhammer traveled north past the gates of Dun Algaz and founded a kingdom within the peak of Grim Batol.  The Dark Irons, on the other hand, vowed revenge against Ironforge and founded a city within the Redridge Mountains named Thaurissan after their leader.  Despite prospering, Thaurissan and his wife, Modgud, continued attacked against both Irongforge and Grim Batol.  They very nearly defeated both of them, but Madoran Bronzebeard led his clan to a decisive victory and the Dark Irons fled.  Modguds' army used shadow magic to frighten the Wildhammers and assaulted Grim Batol, but Khardros slew the sorceress Modgud and the Dark Irons fled.  The two clans then joined forces to destroy the Dark Irons once and for all.  Thaurissan attempted to summon a minion to ensure his victory... oops.

He summoned Ragnaros the Firelord, the immortal elemental fire lord that had been banished beneath the earth by the Titans thousands of years before.  His rebirth shattered the Redridge Mountains and created a volcano known as Blackrock Spire in their center, bordered on one side by the Searing Gorge and on the other by the Burning Steppes.  Thaurissan was killed by his own summons and his Dark Iron dwarves were enslaved by Ragnaros.  They remain within Blackrock Spire to this day and Ragnaros was one of the first raid bosses in Vanilla WoW.  Sounds like he's probably making a comeback with Cataclysm as well.

The other dwarf clans turned tail and fled, returning to their respective homes.  The death of Modgud had left an evil stain on Grim Batol, however, and it had become uninhabitable for the Wildhammer Clan.  Bronzebeard offered them homes along the borders of Ironforge but the Wildhammers refused.  They moved north to Lordaeron and settled in the Hinterlands at Aerie Peak where they can still be found today, bonding and training the gryphons of the area for use all over the Eastern Kingdoms.  The dwarves wanted to retain relations with the Wildhammers so they built the Thandol Span, a massive bridge connecting Khaz Modan and Kharados.  The Wildhammers were forever changed by the horrors of Grim Batol, choosing to live above ground instead of within the mountain.

.... and I'm not even halfway through the timeline.  If anyone is interested I'll continue, but for now I'm taking a break!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Nobody seems too interested but whatever, this is a good excuse to brush up on it for myself  So far the Titans have created the universe and their protector went insane and wanted to kill all. Some of the night elves on Kalimdor went power mad and attracted the Burning Legion who sundered the land, splitting it into pieces and creating the Maelstrom. The high elves were banished and ran into trolls and humans while the night elves settled in Mt. Hyjal and healed Kalimdor as druids. The humans learned magic from the high elves then split up and formed disparate kingdoms, some encountering dwarves who had their own infighting among the three clans. One clan was silly enough to summon Ragnaros, the fire lord, creating a volcano that scarred land in the middle of the Eastern Kingdoms. Now we get to witness... the rise of the Horde. This is basically a reader's digest version of the lore at http://www.wowwiki.com/Timeline_(unofficial) so definitely read that instead if you want more detail.

Kil'jaeden, you'll remember him as one of Sargeras's top two folks in the Burning Legion whose main job it was to gather troops, was plotting a second invasion of Azeroth. He figured they needed a new force to help ensure victory this time and discovered the world of Draenor, home of the shamanistic Orc clans and peaceful Draenei. The orcs and draenei were peaceful, the former hunting for sport while the draenei built cities among the cliffs and peaks. Kil'jaeden saw that the orcs were susceptible to his corruption, so he enthralled Ner'zhul, their elder shaman. He used Ner'zhul to spread battle lust and savagery through the clans, but Ner'zhul resisted at the last moment when Kil'jaeden wanted them to give themselves over completely to war.

Kil'jaeden looked for another orc weak enough to twist to his ways and found that in Ner'zhuls apprentice, Gul'dan. He promised the young orc power and Gul'dan eagerly learned demon magic and became one of the most powerful warlocks in history. He spread his teachings and the orcs moved from their shamanistic ways, learning instead to use this new power to summon demons. Kil'jaeden helped Gul'dan to found the Shadow Council, a sect that manipulated all the clans and spread the dark magic through their members. The beautiful land of Draenor began to be tinged with the dark magic, leaving barren red soil as the demonic energy killed the world and the orcs became more and more aggressive.

As the clans reveled in combat and war, some of the chieftains still opposed what was going on. One of these, Durotan of the Frostwolf clan, called out a warning but nobody listened. Grom Hellscream, the chieftain of the Warsong Clan, rallied the orcs and supported their new life of warfare. Knowing the orcs were nearly ready, Kil'jaeden had the Shadow Council summon Mannoroth and convinced them to drink the demon's blood to make them invincible. All of the clans chiefs except for Durotan did this and thus became slaves of the Burning Legion, extending the subjugation to their clans as well.

The orcs were consumed by bloodlust and Gul'dan united the clans into a single horde, trying to stop chieftains like Orgrim Doomhammer and Grom Hellscream from fighting for supremacy. Gul'dan also set up a puppet warchief, Blackhand the Destroyer, and under his command the orcs tested their might against the Draenei. The orcs nearly killed them all in a few months with only scattered survivors evading the horde. Kil'jaeden knew the orcs were ready and they were hungry for more foes upon which to test their might. Sargeras agreed that the time had come for a second invasion of Azeroth.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Aegwynn, the guardian of Azeroth appointed by the Council of Tirisfal, believed she had defeated Sargeras and continued to guard the world from his minions for nearly 900 years.  The Council told Aegwynn to come to Dalaran so that a new guardian could be chosen, but she still distrusted them and decided to choose one on her own.  She went to Stormwind and found a human magician named Nielas Aran and had him bear her a son.  She named the boy Medivh, keeper of secrets, but while the child had gotten traits from both his mother and father, he was also possessed by the taint of Sargeras who has possessed Aegwynn so many years before.  Medivh was left to grow up and train in Stormwind while Aegwynn prepared, becoming a powerful magician and adventuring with his friends: Llane, the prince of Stormwind, and Anduin Lothar, one of the last of the Arathi.

Medivh reached a the age of 14 and the powers within him awakened, clashing with Sargeras.  He fell into a catatonic state for many years, awakening into adulthood and finding that his friends had become reagents of Stormwind.  Sargeras all this time was twisting Medivh's thoughts and emotions, using the new Guardian of Azeroth to finally see fruition in his plan for a second attack.  King Lland and Anduin Lothar noticed the darkening of their friend, but they could not imagine just how bad that darkness would affect them in the coming years.

Sargeras further tempted Gul'dan with great power if he led his orcs into Azeroth, using Medivh to tell the orc that he would become a living god if he found the undersea tomb in which Aegwynn had trapped his body a thousand years before.  Gul'dan agreed and the invasion began.  Medivh and the warlocks of the Shadow Council opened a dimensional gateway known as the Dark Portal that was large enough for the armies of the orcs to pass through.  Durotan still spoke out against these actions, claiming their new ways as warlocks were destroying their shamanistic orcish spirits.  Gul'dan could not risk killing Durotan since he was so popular, so instead he exiled him and the Frostwolf Clan into the far reaches of Azeroth.  (Players can participate in the opening of the portal in WoW through a quest given by The Keepers of Time.)

The orcs set up a base of operations in the Black Morass, a swampy area to the east of Stormwind.  As they explored their new world they came into immediate contact with the humans of Stormwind and after a few years Gul'dan felt that they had learned enough to strike against the humans once and for all.  The horde launched an attack on Stormwind.  Internal conflicts hampered both armies.  King Llane felt the orcs were weak and simply held his position in Stormwind while Sir Anduin Lothar felt the fight needed to be taken to the orcs themselves.  He followed his instincts against the will of his king and stormed Medivh's tower-fortress, Karazhan, with the help of Medivh's apprentice, Khadgar.  They killed Medivh, banishing Sargeras's spirit to the abyss, allowing Medivh's pure spirit to live on and wander the astral plane.

The Horde continued their dominance of Stormwind and their victory drew near.  Orgrim Doomhammer began to see that Durotan was right about the corruption of the orcs when Durotan returned to warn him again of Gul'dan's treachery.  Gul'dan, finally having enough, had his assassins kill Durotan and his family, leaving only their infant son alive.  The baby orc was found by a human officer named Aedelas Blackmoore and taken as a slave.  This young orc would come to be known as Thrall, the greated leader the orcs would ever know.  Orgrim was pretty angry at Durotan's death and killed Blackhand, wanting to release the orcs from their corruption.  He laid siege to Stormwind and the kingdom fell.  Llane himself was assassinated by Garona, an assassin of the Shadow Council.  Lothar and his warriors returned from Karazhan to find Stormwind taken by the orcs, so they went into hiding... swearing to reclaim their homes at any cost.

This is where Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the first game, comes in.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

King Terenas of Lordaeron figured another invasion was immenant, so he gathered Turalyon and archmage Khadgar to lead an expedition through the Dark Portal.  They went into Draenor and clashed with the orc clans, but even with the help of the high elf Alleria Windrunner, the dwarf Kurdran Wildhammer, and Danath Trollbane, they couldn't stop Ner'zhul's plan.  He opened the portals which began to tear apart Draenor.  Turalyon's forces fled as Draenor buckled in on itself and Grom Hellscream along with Kilrogg Deadeye also made a run for it, returning to Azeroth.  Turalyon and Khadgar stayed behind in Draenor, sacrificing themselves to destroy the Dark Portal from the inside.  Ner'zhul escaped through one of his conjured portals as Draenor was shattered.

Ner'zhul didn't make it to Azeroth, finding himself in the Twisting Nether instead where Kil'jaeden awaited him.  Kil'jaeden had sworn vengeance for Ner'zhul's defiance and slowly tore the shaman apart, keeping his spirit alive and intact.  Kil'jaeden needed a new army since his orcs failed, one that would not fight with each other as the orcs had.  He gave Ner'zhul a final chance to serve, a chance he took without thought.  He placed the shaman's spirit in a block of diamond hard ice and the orc shaman's spirit began to expand its consciousness ten thousand-fold.  He became a spectral being of unfathomable power... he became the Lich King.  Ner'zhul's loyal followers were also transformed by these energies, their bodies torn and sundered into an army of spectral liches.

Kil'jaeden sent Ner'zhul back to Azeroth to spread a plague of death and terror to snuff out the humans once and for all.  Those who died of the plague would arise to become one of Ner'zhul's soldiers as undead.  If he was successful, Kil'jaeden promised the former orc a new body and freedom from his curse.  Kil'jaeden still did not trust Ner'zhul and kept him trapped in the ice even as he was sent back to Azeroth and trapped on the continent of Northrend, sending dreadlords to watch over the prison with Tichondrius in their lead.  This prison came to be known as the Frozen Throne from which Ner'zhul reached out and enslaved the minds of the ice trolls and wendigo that inhabited Northrend.

Ner'zhul explored with his mind and found a human settlement on the edges of Dragonblight in Northrend and decided this was a good target on which to test his new plague.  He sent this plague straight into the human village and within three days every villager was dead and arisen as a zombified corpse.  With each new undead follower Ner'zhul became more powerful, so over the following months he brought every human in Northrend under his control, bolstering his undead army for their true test.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Meanwhile, the orcs were fighting for their survival outside of the destroyed Dark Portal.  Grom Hellscream and his Warsong clan evaded capture, but Deadeye and the Bleeding Hollow orcs were placed in internment camps.  The Dragonmaw clan led by the warlock Nekros still roamed free north of Khaz Modean, still in possession of the Demon Soul they were using to control Alexstrasza.  He built his army in secret within the cursed Wildhammer stronghold of Grim Batol, hoping to destroy the Alliance and reestablish the power of the Horde.  He failed when a group of humans led by the mage Rhonin destroyed the Demon Soul and released the red dragonqueen from Nekros' command.  Alexstrasza was none too happen and her dragons tore Grim Batl apart, incenerating the orcs.  The survivors were rounded up and thrown into the internment camps and the orcs were once and for all defeated.

The orcs expanded in the camps and King Terenas was forced to levy a tax so that new camps could be constructed.  This new tax sparked the already restless human nations.  Meanwhile the orcs in the camps began to change, losing their bloodlust and becoming lethargic.  Many thought it was some sort of orcish diseased, but Archmage Antonidas of Dalaran believed that the orcs, having been corrupted by powers before their invasion, were suffering from withdrawal of the warlock magic that made them into fearsome warriors.  Aedelas Blackmoore, the chief warden of the camps, took one of the orcs and raised him, teaching him battle tactics and philosophy, going so far as to train him as a gladiator to fight for him.  This orc was Thrall, and the corrupt warden seemed bent on crafting him into a weapon.

Thrall was strong and quick-witted, growing and learning about his people who he had never met due to his isolation with Blackmoore.  Doomhammer escaped and had gone into hiding and there were rumors of a clan of orcs still evading the Alliance.  Thrall decided to escape to find more of his kind, visitng the internment camps to only be dismayed by the lethargy of his kind.  Disappointed, he set out to find Grom Hellscream.  Hellscream still led his Warsong clan against the oppression of the humans, but he could never find a way to rouse any orcs he captured from their lethargic stupor.  Thrall was inspired by Hellscream and developed a strong empathy for the Horde and its warrior traditions.  (Players can help Thrall escape with a quest from the Keepers of Time.)

He sought the truth of his origins and set off to find the Frostwolf clan, learning that Gul'dan has exiled them early during the First War.  On his way he learned that he was the son and heir of Durotan, the former chieftain of the Frostwolves.  He studied under Drek'Thar, a wise orc shaman, and became a powerful one in his own right to take his rightful place as chieftain of the Frostwolves and then set off to free the enslaved orcs in the internment camp.  Along the way they found Doomhammer and he returned to Durnholde, Blacmoore's prison-fortress, and laid siege to it and the internment camps.  Doomhammer fell during the battle, but the orcs were freed.  Thrall took up Doomhammer's warhammer and donned his armor, proclaiming himself the new warchief of the Horde.  The clever orc, taught by a human, was able to thwart the Alliance and they swore to never become slaves again.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Meanwhile, Ner'zhul was still building his army in Northrend and had erected a great citadel above above the Icecrown Glacier manned by his legions of undead.  One empire in Northrend still stymied his efforts, however, the subterranean kingdom of the Azjol-Nerub, a race of humanoid spiders who were out to end the Lich King's dominance of Northrend.  The Nerubians were immune to his plague and his telepathy and commanded vast forces in a huge underground network that allowed for hit and run tactics on the Lich King's strongholds.  Ner'zhul eventually defeated them through attrition and destroyed their underground temples.  Ner'zhul was then able to raise thei corpses of the spider-warriors and bend them to his will, taking their architectural style for his own fortresses.  He then reached his mind out to the lands of the humans to the south, seeking any dark minds that would listen.

The Archmage of Dalaran, Kel'Thuzad, heard the Lich King's call.  He was a senior member of the Kirin Tor, the ruling council of Dalaran, and was considered a maverick due to his studies of the forbidden arts of necromancy.  So it is not surprising that he sought to commune with the Lich King, wishing to learn all he could.  He abandoned the Kirin Tor and left Dalaran then traveled to Northrend where he saw the destruction wrought by the Lich King... something he grew to admire and want a part in himself.  H reached Icecrown and entered the dark citadel, prostrating himself before the Frozen Throne to offer his soul to the dark lord.

The Lich King promised him immortality in exchange for his obedience and Kel'Thuzad accepted his first mission: go into the world of men and found a religion to worship the Lich King.  He returned to Lordaeron in disguise and used his fortune to gather a group of like-minded people which he called the Cult of the Damned, promising his acolytes social equality and eternal life.  He found many volunteers among the disinfranchised population of Lordaeron and the Lich King made final preparations for an assault against the humans, placing the plague into plague-cauldrons which he transported to Lordaeron to hide within the villages of the cult.  These cauldrons were plague-generators that sent the plague across the farmlands of Lordaeron.

Much of Lordaeron was contaminated immediately, the citizens dying and then rising as the Lich King's undead slaves.  Kel'Thuzad looked upon this growing army and named it the Scourge, planning to send them marching upon the gates of Lordaeron to scour humanity from the face of the world.  The Alliance leaders were unaware of this and began bickering over territory.  King Terenas has begun to rebuild Stormwind which levied even more taxes that led many faction leaders, especially Genn Greymane of Gilneas, to believe they would be better off seceding from the Alliance.

The high elves of Silvermoon also rescinded their allegiance, blaming the humans for the destruction of their forests in the Second War.  As Silvermoon seceded, so too did Gilneas and Stromgarde.  The Alliance was falling apart, but King Terenas could still count on Admiral Proudmoore of Kul Tiras and the young king Varian Wrynn of Stormwind.  The wizards of the Kirin Tor also pledged Dalaran's loyalty to the rule of Tereans as did the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard, vowing a debt of honor to the alliance for liberating Khaz Modan.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

This is where the events of Warcraft III begin, and much like our own history... we now have video of some of the events which I can link to later or you can just search Youtube.  Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned struck their first blow upon Lordaeron by releasing the plague.  Uther and his paladins investigated the infected areas hoping to stop the plague, but it continued to spread and destroy the Alliance.  As the undead ravaged the land, Teranas' son Prince Arthas took up the fight against the Scourge.  He killed Kel'Thuzad, but the undead continued to grow with every soldier hat died.  Arthas began to lose his own humanity as he took more extreme measures to defeat the undead legions.  This culminated in Arthas's siege of Stratholme where the plague had not yet killed the inhabitants.  Arthas, against the better judgment of both Jaina Proudmoore and Lord Uther, locked the city down and slaughtered the still human villagers to every last man, woman and child, wanting to get to them before the plague.

This is when Jaina and Uther turned against him and he lost himself, his anger leading him to track down Mal'Ganis, a demon in Stratholme, in Northrend.  He tracked the source of the plague to Northrend along with Mal'Ganis and sought to destroy it, but instead fell to the Lich King's will.  Meeting up with an expedition led by Muradin Bronzebeard, the brother of the king of Ironforge, the two forces tracked down the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne.  Muradin warned Arthas against it, but he wielded it anyway (Muradin falling in the process) and Arthas was granted great power, but the blade also stole his soul which transformed him into a death knight.  Arthas returned to lead the Scourge against his own kingdom, murdering his own father and crushing Lordaeron.

Arthas was still haunted by Kel'Thuzad even after defeating his enemies, the ghost telling Arthas that he needed to be revived for the next phase of the Lich King's plan.  Arthas needed to bring his remains to the Sunwell hidden within the high elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas.  The invaded Silvermoon and ran up against Sylvanas Windrunner, the Ranger-General, but she was defeated and raised by Arthas as a banshee.  He got Kel'Thuzad to the Sunwell and brought him back as a sorcerous lich, ressurected as a far more powerful behing that he was before.  The Scourge killed every high elf in Quel'Thalas before turning to march on Dalaran to obtain the spellbook of Medivh which they would use to summon Archimonde from the Twisting Nether so that he could begin the Burning Legion's third and final invasion.

They could not be stopped and stole the spellbook, calling Archimonde back to Azeroth.  Kil'jaeden ordered Archimonde and his demons to head to Nordrassil, the World Tree protecting the Well of Eternity atop Mount Hyjal.  A prophet began to appear to the mortal races which turned out to be the cleansed spirit of Medivh, returned from the beyond to redeem himself.  He urged the Horde and Alliance to band together, but they refused, so he was forced to deal with each faction separately.  These campaigns play out separately in Warcraft III.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

The orcs, led by Thrall, journeyed across the Barrens of Kalimdor where they befriended Cairne Bloodhoof, the leader of the tauren warriors.  Many of the orcs began to succumb to the demon blood once more, Grom Hellscream betraying the horde and rushing off to lay waste to the night elf Sentinels in the forest of Ashenvale, even managing to kill Cenarius and corrup the forests.  Hellscream ultimately redeemed himself by helping Thrall defeat Mannoroth, the demon whose blood the orcs first consumed, finally freeind the orcs from their blood-curse.

The night elves fought the Burning Legion as Medivh continued to try to get the Alliance and Horde to cooperate, Tyrande and her Sentinels battling tirelessly to save Ashenvale.  She realized she needed the help of the slumbering druids and set out to awaken them.  She called upon Malfurion Stormrage who helped her drive back the Legion and Scourge.  Malfurion set out to release more hibernating druids and stumbled across the prison of his brother, Illidan, in the process.  He thought Illidan would help them and so Tyrande set him free, and though he did help for a bit, he eventually fled.

Finally Thrall, the orc warchief, and Jaina Proudmoore, the leader of the humans in Kalimdor, were convinced by Medivh to band together.  The night elves also agreed to unite with them in an effort to save the World Tree which the Burning Legion still marched upon.  Thrall and Jaina also had a bit of a love interest going on, so that helped.  Malfurion managed to unleash the World Tree's primal fury and destroyed Archimonds, severing the Burning Legion's anchor to the Well of Eternity.  The battle shook the continent of Kalimdor to its roots and the Legion crumbled.  (Players can participate in this Battle for Mount Hyjal through a quest from the Keepers of Time.)

Illidan, meanwhile, had been consumed by a powerful artifact he stumbled across... the Skull of Gul'dan.  Using the skull's powers, he developed demonic features and gained some of Gul'dan's memories.  Kil'jaeden confronted the former high elf and, sensing that Ner'zhul was growing beyong his control, offered Illidan untold power and a place among the lord of the Burning Legion if he would go to Northrend and destroy the Lich King.  Illidan agreed and sought a might artifact to help him in the task, the remains of Sargeras.  He called upon the naga, former Highborne, to help him and Lady Vashj helped him reach the Broken Isles where Sargeras' Tomb was located.

Meanwhile, Illidan's jailor, Maiev Shadowsong, was hunting him down.  He managed to claim the Eye of Sargeras despite her efforts and traveled with it to Dalaran where he used the city's powerful ley lines to cast a destructive spell against the Lich King's citadel.  He managed to shatter the Lich King's defenses but was interrupted at the very last moment as Malfurion and Tyrande arrived to assist Maiev in his capture.  Illidan knew Kil'jaeden would be angry at his failure so he fled to the Outlands, what remained of the shattered world of Draenor.  Tyrande and Malfurion returned to Ashenvale, but Maiev followed Illidan, determined to capture him.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

This is where the Warcraft III expansion, The Frozen Throne, takes over.  The undead had transformed Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas into plaguelands with only a few pockets of Alliance forces resisting.  One group of high elves was led by Prince Kael'thas, the last of the Sunstriders.  He grew wary of the Alliance and in honor of their fallen people he renamed themselves Blood Elves.  The fought the Scourge but suffered from their loss of the Sunwell.  Kael'thas was desperate and joined with Illidan and the naga to find a new source of magic to feed on.  The Alliance condemned the blood elves as traitors for this.  Kael'thas and his people followed Lady Vashj to Outland to help fight Maiev who had captured Illidan.  They managed to defeat her and free Illidan again, gathering forces in a base in Outland to strike against the Lich King again.

Ner'zhul new Kil'jaeden was out to destroy him and he was quickly losing power due to the destructive spell Illidan had cast before.  He was desperate to save himself and thus called Arthas to his side.  Arthas had been involved at the time in a civil war for Lordaeron.  Sylvanas Wyndrunner, the banshee queen, staged a coup and fought for control of the undead.  Arthas left the war in the hands of Kel'Thuzad as he traveled back to Northrend.  Sylvanas' rebel undead were known as the Forsaken, and they eventually claimed Lordaeron as their own, creating a safe haven beneath the wrecked city where Sylvanas vowed to defeat the Scourge.  When Arthas reached Northrend he found Illidan and the blood elves waiting for him.  He raced to reach the Frozen Throne before him, and he did, using Frostmourne to shatter the throne and don the armor of the Lich King.  Ner'zhul and Arthas fused into a single being, rising as the new and immortal Lich King.  Illidan fled back to Outland.

The mortals found themselves victorious but at a price with a shattered world to heal and grudges to bury.  An uneasy truce began between the Alliance and the Horde.  Thrall led his orcs to Kalimdor where the founded Orgrimmar in Durotar, a land named for Thrall's father.  They were aided by the tauren and the trolls of the Darkspear tribe.  The remaining Alliance forces led by Jaina Proudmoore settled in southern Kalimdor off the coast of Dustwallow marsh where they built the port city of Theramore.

The peace between the two factions did not last long as a massive Alliance fleet arrived in Kalimdor led by Jaina's father, Daeling Proudmoore.  He was a staunch enemy of the Horde and could not stand for the truce, determined to destroy Durotar before the orcs could settle there.  Jaina chose to help Thrall against her father, and Admiral Proudmoore died in the battle before she could reconcile with him.  For her loyalty the orcs allowed Jaina to return home to Theramore.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

This is more or less where World of Warcraft begins.  There is still an uneasy truce between Thrall and Jaina which keeps Horde and Alliance from being constantly at each other's throats, though there is still animosity.  Players find themselves traveling to the plaguelands to fight the Scourge, to Blackrock Spire to take on Ragnaros, to Stratholme to defeat the undead that have taken over the destroyed city, and all manner of other things.  The Horde and Alliance working together was further enforced with the release of the first expansion, the Burning Crusade, which opened up the Outland and allowed for players to be Blood Elves or Draenei.  Though they are enemies they were forced to work together against Illidan and the Burning Legion.  The second and most recent expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, opened up Northrend where players went to battle the Lich King (Arthas/Ner'zuhl) and the Scourge as well as the undead Nerubian forces raised by the Lich King and delving into the secrets of the Titans.  Players could also now play as death knights, a new class, that have fought off the will of the Lich King.

One would think with the Lich King defeated that things could return to normal, but that's where Cataclysm comes in.  Gilneas, one of the lands that seceded from the Alliance, was isolated behind the massive Greymane Wall, but the land was cursed by Worgen who turned nearly all of its inhabitants into savage beasts.  With the help of a sort of elixir if I'm to understand it right, these turned inhabitants found a way to live with the curse.  We will apparently get a lot more lore not only on the worgen, but also on goblin society and the gnomes who get very little mention up till now despite being a prominent race since the very beginning of WoW.

The Cataclysm is basically another sundering caused by Deathwing making his return to Azeroth from his home in the depths of Deepholm.  You'll recall that Deathwing was the leader of the black dragonflight who went insane and fought against the other dragons.  His release is shattering the world, tearing apart the barrens, releasing elemental lords from beneath the earth to destroy cities, overflowing Thousand Needles and just basically tearing the world we know now apart.  Political upheaval also ensues as the world is shattered and many races are bound and determined to take advantage of the conflict.  They Greymane wall crumbles which introduces the Worgen as a new race for the Alliance, and Kezan, an island once inhabited by trolls but now peopled by goblins, is all but destroyed which forces the goblins living on it to flee to become the new Horde race.

Not only do we have Deathwing to contend with in this expansion, but we're apparently going to go up against Lady Vashj and her naga in Vashj'ir, an underwater area south of the Maelstrom.  As if this wasn't enough, the gnomes will take back their homeland of Gnomeregan and the Trolls will take back The Lost Isles, both races having to share starting zones now with other races.  We're also finally entering Uldum where the secrets of the Titans are kept and catching glimpses of parts of the Skywall, one of the four domains of the Elemental Plane.  Still not enough?  We're also getting treated to an updated in Blackrock Spire.

Every single Vanilla area in the game is changing, the quests are being completely redesigned from the ground up, beloved areas are being destroyed while some despised ones are being given a new breath of life.  Blizzard is taking everything they've learned about making the game better in the last five years and applying it to all of the old world content.  So hopefully new players won't just think WoW means collecting 10 hides and they'll get to see the lore right from the very beginning.  Something also happens on the hordeside that sends the Alliance and Horde into all out war, almost every zone is contested between the two instead of some being inherently Alliance and some only Horde, the plaguelands are finally being taken back from the Scourge and life is flourishing there again... it's really an immense expansion that I'm really excited for.  Everything is changing and it all looks really intriguing.

See?  WoW totally has lore!  A ton of it.  This is really just scraping the surface, you can dig deeper into pretty much every battle and race and area discussed here and I didn't even delve into quite a few of them at all.  I'm stopping now before I get to the point of needing to start breaking it into a bunch of different threads.  Hopefully at least one person reads it and enjoys it, if not I at least enjoyed the refresher course for myself.  Thanks for humoring me!


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Nicely done.  Now I can toss in a few sensible comments to the home schooled teens that play when they corner me and start chatting at our park days.  

I played Diablo years ago and enjoyed it a lot, but dropped it when I had to leave my character in dire situations when my baby cried.  Too frustrating.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Heh, WoW is nice like that because you're usually not too far from relative safety, and once you learn to fly it's even easier... just park yourself 20 feet off the ground.  That's one of the reasons I like it so much I think, you can just as easily go in and play for a half an hour as get lost in it for hours if you let yourself.  I played things like EverQuest and Final Fantasy XI where it takes you a half hour (or more in the case of the latter) just to get ready to go out and quest.  WoW doesn't do that to you thankfully.  They've really streamlined the experience for casual players while still delivering content for the hardcore group.


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Good to know.  I've often thought that game makers would sell more games to parents if they made saving easier.  I know as a mom I'd prefer to buy my daughter a game she can save at any time rather than one that she has to complete a level.  It would cause a lot fewer tears if 5 minutes really was enough to finish.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Even though you -can- put it down, kids will still make excuses as to why they can't.  But yeah, unless you're in an instanced dungeon, you pretty much have no reason not to be able to log out whenever.  It is better to log out in a rest area, and sometimes they can be a bit of a walk away, but most times you'll have your hearthstone up and can get their instantly.  It's when you're in groups questing and you feel bad abandoning them that it can be hard to shut it off at a moment's notice.

The instanced dungeons I mentioned are basically areas that a group of 5 or more players has all to themselves and they have an obvious beginning and an end.  If you log out of one of those the group will likely replace you and finish it without you.  I guess it would be comparable to seeing a movie in a theater verses just flipping channels on the television if I had to try to come up with an analogy.  You are in an enclosed space with a group to which that one film is specifically being shown while other groups are watching the same film in other enclosed areas.  You either sit through for the whole thing or you miss your movie and have to join another group later and watch from the beginning.  Beyond that, yeah... your game is saved whenever you log and there's usually not many reasons not to be able to except just plain not wanting to.


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

When my last time card ran out, I told myself I was just going to let it expire ....

That was two days ago and I just bought a new card yesterday.

Hi, I'm Valmore Daniels, and I'm a Warcraft addict ....


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

Valmore Daniels said:


> When my last time card ran out, I told myself I was just going to let it expire ....
> 
> That was two days ago and I just bought a new card yesterday.
> 
> Hi, I'm Valmore Daniels, and I'm a Warcraft addict ....


lol, 

I'm thinking of being the Horde this time around. I never made a troll or orc. My Alliance girls are up there though, I have a 74 Hunter and 72 Death Knight. Love them.


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## Valmore Daniels (Jul 12, 2010)

Farthest I ever got on horde was 40 Mage.  And even alliance, I can only play Mage or Warlock.  I've got five lvl 80 Mages and 1 lvl 80 Lock.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Horde can be a lot of fun.  I daresay their lore is quite a bit more interesting than the Alliance side... they certainly get more interaction with their leaders than we do anyway, at least until recently with Varian Wrynn showing up again.  My highest horde is a troll shaman, she's a lot of fun, but I'm mostly an Alliance player.  It's hard to say whether you should wait or go for it now and see the old stuff before it's new again.  The new troll starting area in Cataclysm looks pretty amazing.

I started as a Dwarf Priest, I wanted to be a Gnome Priest but they weren't available.  Now they will be though... 5 years too late!  Then I rolled my Gnome Rogue and got really into PVP, like almost a GM into PVP.  My computer died when I was about a week away from getting it.  That one week with now WoW set me back about two months so I decided I was happy enough being a Marshal.  Then I rolled my Night Elf Druid... I'm a bit of an altaholic, but my Druid became my main and I did a lot of raiding.

I did Molten Core and Blackwing Lair on my rogue and pretty much everything else on my druid.  It -can- get to be a bit like a job sometimes, which is why I stopped the raiding during Ice Crown Citadel.  Of course now I feel myself being called back into it with the new Cataclysm raids, but they also seem to be a little more casual friendly.  No... I'm not addicted at all.  I always spend all night writing up background information on things I'm not addicted to.

My mom is far more addicted.  She got to the point that her two accounts were full of characters.  Not just full on a realm, full to the point she couldn't even make new ones on empty realms.


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

I got my mage to about 25 then I was too frustrated with her, she was super squishy. I really liked the druid but got bored after about level 30. Death Knights are just too awesome, there was almost no challenge there. I think that's when I quit. Maybe now with the expansion and new scenery, I'll be wowed again.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Mages are really tough.  You get really good at running away after a while or you just die a lot.  Actually, even if you get good at running you die a lot.  I've leveled just about everything to at least 40 and I think mages were most definitely the squishiest of the bunch.  Druids can actually be pretty tough to level too.  You gave up on yours right about the time they start getting a lot better.  The class I had the most trouble with was warrior, though.  I've heard a lot of people say shamans are good for starting out, but they have totems which can get pretty confusing for new players.  The nice thing about shamans is they can heal, melee -and- cast so you kind of get to find what works for you best and go with it.  Druids are like that as well but far more specialized in each area.  Being able to heal yourself is really nice though, I -really- miss it when I'm playing my rogue and mage.  Paladin might be a good starter class as well for that very reason, it's about all my sister will play.

But yeah, you definitely can't just play a couple classes and decide you don't like the game.  There is a very different play style for each of them, you just need to find the one that suits you.  Druids are kind of hard to level, but once you get past 60 and 70 they're pretty amazing.  Priests are actually one of the better leveling classes if you go with shadow talents.  Cataclsym is supposed to make it easier for healing classes to level, so maybe having to do things like level your priest as a shadow priest then switch to holy when you get higher will be a thing of the past.  I leveled my priest holy back when leveling as a holy priest was apparently an insane thing to do, but I didn't know any better and did it just fine.

WoW apparently has a lot of problems with player retention in terms of people trying and not signing up, so they're really doing their best to improve that level 1 to 60 experience.  That's what makes recommending it to a new player hard.  On the one hand they're going to miss all the vanilla content if they don't play right now, but on the other the game is liable to be a heck of a lot more fun in a few months and they might find they enjoy the leveling experience more.  But like I said, anyone wanting to try it I am more than happy to try and help them out.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Here's a nice video showing one of the more changed areas... be warned of many spoilers within! But you also get to see some of the nice new water and light effects... it's not as evident as in his Stranglethorn Vale video, but this zone has more fun changes than that one does. This is Ashenvale and Darkshore. Again, major spoilers so do not click if you do not want to be spoiled.


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