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Mythology of the Titans

Nobody knows exactly how the Universe began. Someone suggests that after a powerful cosmic explosion, endless worlds began to revolve in the Great Darkness - worlds in which a great diversity of life forms then arose. Others believe that the Universe in its modern form was created by a single omnipotent entity. Although the exact origin of the chaotic Universe is unknown, it is obvious that powerful creatures appeared in order to bring order to the worlds and provide those who would inhabit them with peace and tranquility.

The Titans - colossal iron-skinned gods from the far reaches of space - were engaged in arranging the worlds they encountered. They built high mountains and created deep seas. They clothed the planets with celestial layers and turbulent atmospheres, embodying their incomprehensible and far-sighted plan, creating order out of chaos. They taught the ancient primitive tribes to look after their offspring and maintain the integrity of the created worlds.

The Titans, ruled by an elite group - the Pantheon - created order on the hundreds of millions of worlds scattered across the Great Dark Beyond at the dawn of creation. The Good Pantheon, wishing to protect its ordered worlds from all evil, vigilantly observed the actions of the dark forces of the Twisting Nether. There, in the intangible world of disordered magical energies, connecting myriads of worlds in the Universe, lived countless numbers of malicious demonic creatures who thirsted only for killing and devouring everything in the worlds.

Sargeras and Betrayal

At all times, demonic creatures tried to penetrate the world of the Titans from the Twisting Nether, and the Pantheon chose its greatest, Sargeras, to guard the borders of the worlds. A noble giant of molten bronze, Sargeras has fulfilled his duties for untold millennia, finding and destroying demons wherever possible. Centuries later, Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races who were hell-bent on gaining power and dominion over the physical universe.

The Eredar, a cunning race of demonic sorcerers, used the magic of their sorcerers to enslave many worlds. The races of those worlds mutated under the influence of the evil forces of the Eredar and themselves turned into demons. Although Sargeras' near-infinite power was more than enough to defeat the sinister eredar, he was greatly troubled by the destruction and all-consuming evil spread by these creatures. Unable to comprehend such depravity, the great titan began to sink into despair. Despite his growing anxiety, Sargeras finally rid the universe of the sorcerers, trapping them in the Twisting Nether.

Increasingly consumed by anxiety and anguish, Sargeras was forced by the orders of the Titans to engage in battle with another group of creatures thirsting for destruction: Nathrezim. These dark race of vampire demons (also known as the Dreadlords) have conquered many inhabited worlds, possessing their inhabitants and bending them to darkness. Unholy, cunning masters of terror turned entire nations against each other, manipulating them with mindless hatred and mistrust of each other. Sargeras easily defeated the Nathrezim, but their corruption ran deep into his soul.

As doubt and despair completely overcame Sargeras, he lost faith not only in his mission, but abandoned the Titans' thoughts of an orderly universe. Ultimately he came to the conclusion that order itself was stupidity and that chaos and depravity were the only absolutes in this dark, lonely universe. His Titan friends tried to convince him not to make a mistake, tried to calm his raging feelings, but he mistook their more than optimistic beliefs for selfish delusions. Leaving their ranks forever, Sargeras went in search of his own place in the universe. Although the Pantheon was saddened by his passing, even the Titans could not predict how far their errant brother would go.

By the time Sargeras's madness had consumed the remnants of his once brave spirit, he had come to believe that the Titans themselves were responsible for the mistakes of their creations. Having ultimately decided to destroy the fruits of their labors throughout the universe, he wanted to create an indestructible army that would sweep the universe with fire and sword.

Even Sargeras' titanic body suffered from the corruption that afflicted his once noble heart. His eyes, hair, and beard burned with flames, and his metallic bronze skin split open, revealing a bottomless crucible of burning hatred.

In his rage, Sargeras destroyed the dungeons in which the Eredar and Nathrezim were locked, and unleashed the vile demons. These insidious creatures bowed before the immense wrath of the dark titan and offered to serve him in all the evil ways available to them. From the ranks of the mighty Eredar, Sargeras chose two leaders to place at the head of his demonic army of destruction. Kil'jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and join them to the army of Sargeras. The second, Archimonde the Defiler, was chosen to lead Sargeras' vast army into battle against those who might oppose the Titan's will.

Kil'jaeden's first step was to enslave the vampiric dreadlords with his monstrous power. The Dreadlords served as his personal agents throughout the universe, they took pleasure in finding primitive races for their master, seducing them and leading them astray. First among the dreadlords was Tikondrus the Eclipser. Tikondrus served Kil'jaeden impeccably and agreed to spread the burning will of Sargeras to all the dark corners of the universe.

The powerful Archimonde also chose agents for himself. By summoning the malevolent Destroyers and their cruel leader, Mannoroth the Destroyer, Archimonde hoped to create a military elite that would exterminate all life.

Once Sargeras was confident that his armies were assembled and ready to follow his every command, he unleashed his vast forces into the Great Dark Beyond. He named his growing army the Burning Legion. Until now, no one knows how many worlds they destroyed, passing through the universe with fire and sword.

The Old Gods and the Ordering of Azeroth

Unaware that Sargeras intended to destroy the fruits of their countless labors, the Titans continued to move from world to world, shaping and putting in order those planets that they found suitable. On their journey, they accidentally ended up in a small world, which its inhabitants later called Azeroth. Traveling through this virgin world, through the primeval land, the titans met many aggressive elementals. These spirits, who worshiped a race of incredibly evil beings known as the Old Gods, vowed to drive back the Titans and keep their world from the metallic touch of the invaders.

The Pantheon, concerned about the Old Gods' penchant for evil, began a war against the elementals and their dark lords. The armies of the Ancient Gods were led into battle by the most powerful elementals: Ragnaros the Lord of Fire, Therazane the Mother of Stone, Al'Akir the Lord of the Wind and Neptulon the Tide Hunter. These forces of chaos raged and fought with the titan colossi on the chest of the world. Even though the elementals were so powerful that mortals could not even imagine, their combined powers were not enough to stop the mighty titans. One by one, the elemental lords fell and their forces retreated.

The Pantheon destroyed the citadel of the Ancient Gods and imprisoned the five evil gods deep in the bowels of the world. The elementals, who could not contain their rampage without the power of the Old Gods, were banished into the abyss of the worlds, where they were left to fight each other for all eternity. With the disappearance of the elementals, nature softened, and complete harmony came to the world. The Titans saw that the threat was over and went to work.

The Titans empowered many races to help them shape the world. To create bottomless underground caves, the titans created dwarf-like eartheners from magical living stone. To help them dry up the seas and raise the land above sea level, the Titans created huge but gentle sea giants. For many centuries, the Titans shaped the lands until they were able to create a perfect continent. In the center of the continent, the titans placed a lake of sparkling energy. The lake, which they called the Well of Eternity, was the source of life in the world. His powerful energy nourished the roots of the world and enabled life to sprout in its fertile soil. Over time, grasses, trees, monsters and creatures of all kinds appeared on the primeval continent. In honor of the twilight that fell on the world on their last day of work, the titans named this continent Kalimdor - “the land of eternal starlight.”

Creation of Dragons

Satisfied with the ordering of this small world and the end of their work, the titans prepared to leave Azeroth. However, before they left, they tasked the greatest beings of this world to watch over Kalimdor, since any hostile interference could shake its perfect balance. At that time, there were many kinds of dragons. But five clans dominated their brothers. The Titans chose these five packs to watch over the burgeoning world. The greatest members of the Pantheon gave a portion of their power to each of the pack leaders. These magical dragons (listed below) became known as Greater Aspects or Great Dragons.

Aman-Thul, the Great Father of the Pantheon, gave part of his universal power to the huge bronze dragon, Nozdorm. The Great Father ordered Nozdorm to protect time itself and control the eternal flows of fate and fate. Courageous and noble, Nozdormu became known as the Timeless One.

Eonar, the titan patron of all living things, gave part of her power to the huge red Alexstrasza. Since then, Alexstrasza has been called the Guardian of Life and protects all the creatures of this world. For her wisdom and boundless compassion for all living things, Alexstrasza was chosen as the Queen of Dragons and led her clan.

Eonar also granted Alexstrasza's younger sister, the graceful green dragoness Ysera, a certain amount of power over nature. Ysera fell into an eternal trance called the “Sleep of Creation.” Known as the Dreamer, she monitors the nature of the world from the realm of the Emerald Dream.

The Titan Norgannon, keeper of knowledge and lord of magic, granted the blue dragon Malygos some of his great power. Since that time, Malygos, known as the Guardian of Magic, has guarded magic and secret knowledge.

The Titan Khaz'goroth, sculptor and smith of the world, bestowed some of his enormous power on the mighty black serpent Neltharion. The magnanimous Neltharion, later known as the Guardian of the Earth, received power over the soil, stone and underground depths. Embodying the power of the world, he became Alexstrasza's most powerful supporter.

Having gained power, the five Aspects were authorized to protect the world in the absence of the Titans. Leaving the dragons ready to protect their creation, the titans left Azeroth forever. Unfortunately, Sargeras very quickly learned about the existence of a new world...

Kaldorei and the Well of Eternity

Ten thousand years before orcs and humans fought in the First War, the world of Azeroth contained only one massive continent surrounded by endless stormy seas. This continent, known as Kalimdor, was home to many different peoples and creatures, struggling to survive in the vastness of the new world. At the center of the dark continent was a mysterious lake seething with energy. The lake, which would later be called the Well of Eternity, was the true focus of the magical and natural forces of the world. Drawing energy from the Great Beyond Darkness, the Source was like a mystical key, feeding the world with this energy and supporting life in all its amazing diversity.

Over time, a primitive tribe of nocturnal humanoids reached the shores of the mesmerizing witch lake. These wild nomads, drawn by the energy of the Source, built their huts on its serene banks. Over time, the cosmic energy of the Source changed the tribe, making it strong, wise and practically immortal. The tribe began to call themselves "kaldorei", which in their native language meant "children of the stars". Celebrating the flourishing of their society, settlers erected large buildings and temples along the shores of the lake.

The kaldorei, or night elves as they were later called, worship the moon goddess, Elune, and believe that during the daytime she sleeps in the shimmering depths of the Well. In ancient times, the priests and seers of the night elves studied the Well with endless enthusiasm, trying to uncover its secrets and seize its power. The number of night elves gradually increased, and they discovered the vast expanses of Kalimdor and established connections with the numerous inhabitants of this continent. The only ones who gave them anxiety were the powerful ancient dragons. Although these large snake-like creatures often lived as hermits, they always tried to protect the lands they knew from possible threats. The night elves decided that the dragons had proclaimed themselves the protectors of the world and that they, along with their secrets, were best left alone.

Over time, the night elves' curiosity led them to meet and befriend a variety of powerful beings, not the least of which was Cenarius, the mighty demigod of the ancient forests. Noble Cenarius liked the inquisitive night elves, and he spent a lot of time teaching them about the forces of nature. The peaceful kaldorei developed a great compassion for the living forests of Kalimdor and enjoyed the harmony of nature.

With the slow passage of time, both the territory of the night elves and their culture grew. Temples, roads and dwellings stretch across the entire dark continent. Azshara, the beautiful and talented queen of the night elves, erected a huge, amazing palace on the banks of the Well of Eternity, in the luxurious halls of which her beloved servants lived. Azshara's closest servants, whom she called the Quel'dorei, or Highborne, granted her every wish and considered themselves superior to their fellows. And although Queen Azshara was loved equally by all her subjects, the jealous masses of the elves secretly hated the highborne.

Sharing the priests' desire to learn the secrets of the Well of Eternity, Azshara ordered the Highborne sages to penetrate its secrets and reveal its true purpose to the world. The high-born threw themselves into their work and continuously studied the Source. Over time, they developed the ability to control his cosmic energy. The more success the Highborne achieved in their experiments, the more clearly they realized that with the help of their newfound skills they could both create and destroy. The ill-fated high-born became fixated on primitive magic and were determined to achieve mastery of it. Although Azshara and her Highborne understood that such magic could be dangerous if used irresponsibly, they began to practice it with an insatiable passion. Cenarius and many of the night elf sages warned that recklessness in handling such elusive magical power would inevitably lead to disaster. But Azshara and her followers stubbornly continued to strengthen their growing power.

As the power of the Highborne and Azshara herself grew, there were clear changes in their character. Already arrogant and cold, representatives of the upper class became increasingly arrogant and cruel towards their fellow tribesmen. The once mesmerizing beauty of Azshara has been shrouded in darkness. She began to withdraw from her loving subjects and did not want to communicate with anyone except her trusted high-born priests.

A young and talented scientist named Malfurion Stormrage, who had been studying the effects of the Source for a very long time, began to suspect that the highborne and the adored queen were possessed by a dark force. And although he could not comprehend the nature of this evil, he realized that the life of the night elves would soon change forever...

War of the Ancients
10,000 years before the events of Warcraft I

The Highborne handled magic rather thoughtlessly, as a result of which waves began to emanate from the Source of Eternity, penetrating even into the farthest corners of the Great Beyond Darkness and attracting the attention of the inhabitants there. Soon Sargeras, the Great Enemy of all life and the Destroyer of Worlds, sensed these waves and rushed to their source. When Sargeras saw the young world of Azeroth and sensed the energy of the Well of Eternity, an insatiable hunger awoke in him, and the great dark god of the Nameless Abyss decided to destroy this world and seize its power.

Having gathered his army - the great Burning Legion - Sargeras went to war on peaceful Azeroth. The Legion consisted of millions of bloodthirsty demons who had flown in from all corners of the Universe, and these demons were impatient to begin the invasion. Sargeras's closest lieutenants, Archimonde the Defiler and Mannoroth the Destroyer, prepared their sinister warriors for a decisive blow.

Queen Azshara, whom magic brought into a state of insane euphoria, submitted to the incredible power of Sargeras and agreed to let him into her world. Even its high-born servants could not resist the corrupting effect of magic, who began to worship Sargeras as a god. In order to prove their loyalty to the Legion, the Highborne helped their queen open a huge portal in the depths of the Well of Eternity.

Once everything was ready, Sargeras began his invasion of Azeroth. The demons of the Burning Legion burst into the world through the Well of Eternity and laid siege to the peacefully sleeping cities of the night elves. Led by Mannoroth and Archimonde, the Legion swept across the lands of Kalimdor, leaving only pain and ash in its wake. Demon warlocks summoned infernals, who fell upon the graceful spiers of Kalimdor's temples like hellish flaming meteors. An army of bloodthirsty killers called the Doomguard marched across the fields of Kalimdor, destroying all life in their path. Demonic Felhounds have overrun the countryside. Of course, the brave Kaldorei warriors tried to defend their homelands, but they could not contain the full fury of the Burning Legion, and they were forced to retreat step by step.

Malfurion Stormrage had to seek salvation for his people taken by surprise. Malfurion's brother, Illidan, was a practitioner of Highborne magic, and Malfurion was greatly troubled by his growing obsession. Malfurion convinced his brother to give up his addiction and go with him in search of Cenarius. In addition, the brothers had to gather strength to resist the demons. The young priestess Tyrande, a servant of Elune, went with the brothers. Both Malfurion and Illidan were in love with her, but Tyrande's heart belonged only to Malfurion. Illidan was jealous of the girl for his brother and envied their love, but his mental suffering could not be compared with the torment of magical addiction.

Illidan's dependence on magical energy constantly tormented him, and he could hardly restrain himself from rushing to the Source of Eternity. However, Tyrande was there all the time and supported him, so in the end they finally got to the hermit demigod named Cenarius. Cenarius lived in the sacred Moonglades on Mount Hyjal. He agreed to help the night elves, find the ancient dragons and turn to them for help. The dragons, in turn, also decided not to stand aside and, led by the gigantic red Alexstrasza, went to war with the demons and their hellish leaders.

Cenarius called upon the spirits from the enchanted forest for help and gathered an army of centuries-old ancients who marched against the Legion. When the night elf allies met near the Temple of Azshara and the Well of Eternity, a terrible battle ensued. However, despite all the help of their new allies, Malfurion and his comrades realized that even these forces were not enough to stop the Legion.

While the battle raged in the heart of Azshara, the besotted queen eagerly awaited the arrival of Sargeras, who was preparing to pass through the Well of Eternity and personally set foot on the soil of Azeroth. As his colossal shadow slowly approached the surface of the Well, Azshara gathered her most powerful servants to join forces, cast one spell and expand the portal enough for Sargeras to pass through it.

During the battle on the fields of Kalimdor, something terrible happened. The details of this incident were lost, but all that is known is that the dragon Neltharion, the aspect of the earth, suddenly went crazy in the heat of battle with the Demons. It began to disintegrate, flames erupting all over its black hide, and eventually this enraged, burning monster called itself Deathwing and attacked its brethren, causing the five dragons to flee the battlefield.

Deathwing's sudden betrayal had such devastating consequences that the other dragons were never able to recover from the shock. Wounded and heartbroken, Alexstrasza and her five brethren fled the battlefield, leaving their mortal allies alone with an army of demons many times superior to them. Malfurion and his companions barely managed to survive the ensuing onslaught.

Malfurion was sure that demons were rushing into this world from the Source of Eternity, so he began to insist on its destruction. But since it was the Source that was the key to the power and immortality of the Night Elves, such a decision horrified the others. However, Tyrande understood Malfurion's full plan and convinced Cenarius and his companions to attack Azshara's temple and find a way to close the source once and for all.

The split of the world

Illidan realized that after destroying the source, he would never be able to use magic again, so he abandoned his allies and went to the Highborne to warn them of the danger. Illidan's obsession with magic was so strong that he went completely mad, without hesitation, betraying his brother and Tyrande and siding with Azshara and her servants, vowing to protect the source by any means necessary.

Malfurion, heartbroken over his brother's betrayal, led his companions to Azshara's temple. But upon entering the main hall, the night elves saw that the dark ritual of the highborne was already half completed, and thanks to their common spell, a stormy energy vortex had formed in the depths of the Source. The ominous shadow of Sargeras was approaching the surface, and Malfurion and his companions immediately rushed to attack.

Azshara, warned by Illidan, managed to prepare for the arrival of Malfurion, and almost all of his comrades fell victims to the mad queen. Tyrande tried to attack Azshara from behind, but was taken by surprise by the high-born royal guards, and received terrible wounds in the battle. When Malfurion saw his beloved fall, he became enraged and decided to kill Azshara.

While the battle raged inside and outside the temple, Illidan managed to make his way to the Source and collect its light waters in vessels specially made for this purpose. Illidan was sure that the entire civilization of the night elves would fall at the hands of demons, so he decided to save some sacred water and feed on its energy.

The fight between Malfurion and Azshara disrupted the entire carefully prepared ritual of the Highborne. An energy vortex in the depths of the Source exploded and led to a chain of terrifying catastrophes, from which the world fell apart. A powerful explosion shook the temple to its foundation, and then the tormented earth split apart from several powerful earthquakes. While the battle between the night elves and the Burning Legion continued in the ruined capital, the Well of Eternity dragged on forever.

The powerful explosion and its aftermath shook the world to its very foundations, and the sea poured into the gaping wound on the ground. Almost eighty percent of Kalimdor's land has been submerged, leaving only two continents surrounded by a new raging ocean. In the center of the new ocean, where the Source of Eternity used to be located, a wildly spinning funnel of waves and chaotic energy has formed. The funnel was later called simply the Whirlpool, and it remained in the ocean, never slowing down its rotation and constantly reminding everyone of the past cataclysm and wonderful, but forever gone times.

In some incomprehensible way, Queen Azshara and her high-born servants managed to survive this disaster. The force that they themselves released tormented and changed them beyond recognition, and the blast wave dragged them into the depths of the raging sea. Under the influence of the curse, their appearance changed, and they turned into terrible snake-like nagas. Azshara, consumed by hatred and rage, increased in size and turned into a huge monster, the personification of the anger and cruelty that eternally reigned in her soul.

At the bottom of the Whirlpool, the nagas built themselves the city of Nazatar and began to slowly restore their strength. On the surface, these creatures will be known after ten thousand years.

Mount Hyjal and Illidan's Gift

The few elves who survived the explosion gathered together, hastily put together several rafts and slowly sailed to a distant land. By the grace of Elune, both Malfurion and Tyrande, and Cenarius survived the Great Schism. The exhausted heroes agreed to become leaders of their surviving relatives and build a new home for them. They sailed in silence, looking at what was left of their people, and realizing that only they and their passions were to blame for this. Of course, after the destruction of the Source, Sargeras and the Burning Legion no longer had access to this world, but the price that had to be paid for this was truly terrible.

Many highborn also managed to survive, and they went to the shores of the new land along with the night elves. Malfurion still had doubts about the Highborne, but he was at least glad that the Source was no longer there, and without its energy they did not pose a threat.

When the exhausted night elves came ashore, they saw that the sacred Mount Hyjal had not been damaged in the explosion. In search of a place for a new home, Malfurion and the rest of the elves climbed the mountain slopes and stopped at a windswept peak. Having descended into a forested lowland between two huge peaks, they discovered a small quiet lake there and, to their horror, realized that its waters glowed with magic.

Illidan also survived the Sundering and reached the top of Hyjal long before Malfurion and the night elves. He was obsessed with the idea of ​​preserving magic in this world, so he poured precious water from the Source of Life, which he stored in several vessels, into a mountain lake. The waters of the mountain lake were instantly saturated with the energy of the Source of Eternity, and it turned into a new source. Illidan was jubilant: he believed that this would be a real gift for future generations, so he was incredibly surprised when his brother suddenly attacked him. Malfurion explained to Illidan that all magic was based on chaos and that its use would inevitably lead to possession and war. Illidan, however, was in no hurry to give up his magical power.

Malfurion knew that the plans of his brother, obsessed with the thirst for power, did not bode well, so he decided to get rid of Illidan once and for all. Together with Cenarius, they imprisoned him under the hills, where Illidan was to remain for the rest of his life, exhausted and chained. Malfurion assigned a young guard named Maiev Shadowsong to watch the prisoner so that he did not escape.

The night elves did not destroy the new Source of Eternity, so as not to cause a new catastrophe. However, Malfurion declared that the night elves would never practice magic again, after which they, under the guidance of Cenarius, began to study the ancient art of Druidry, which would help them heal the tormented land and grow new forests at the foot of Mount Hyjal.

Tree of Life and Emerald Dream
9,000 years before the events of Warcraft I

Over the years, the night elves have worked tirelessly to restore what remains of their ancient homeland. They left their ruined temples and roads to grow over and built new homes among the green trees and shady hills at the foot of Mount Hyjal. Little by little, the dragons that survived the Great Schism emerged from their hiding places.

Alexstrasza the red, Ysera the green and Nozdormu the bronze descended into the quiet clearings of the night elves and looked at the fruits of their labors. Malfurion, now a powerful Archdruid, greeted the dragons and told them about the new Well of Eternity. This news alarmed the great dragons, because as long as the source existed, there was also the possibility that the Burning Legion would one day return to this world. Malfurion and the three dragons agreed to guard the Source forever and decided to do everything possible to ensure that demons would never appear in this world again.

Alexstrasza the Guardian of Life lowered an enchanted acorn into the spring. Awakened by powerful waters, he grew into a huge tree, the roots of which stretched into the very depths of the Source, and the crown seemed to reach the heavens. The huge tree became a symbol of the eternal union of the night elves and nature, and its life-giving energy subsequently healed the entire world. The night elves gave their Tree of Life the name Nordrassil, which in their language meant “crown of life.”

Nozdormu the Timeless cast a spell on the Tree of Life that made the night elves immortal, forever young and immune to any disease.

Ysera the Dreamer also enchanted the Tree of Life, connecting it to her world, the astral dimension known as the Emerald Dream. This huge world, inhabited by spirits, did not obey the laws of the physical world. From her Dream, Ysera could control the life of nature and the development of the rest of the world. The Tree of Life connected all night elf druids, including Malfurion, to the Emerald Dream. By making a pact with the dragons, they agreed to periodically fall asleep for centuries so that their spirits could wander the endless paths of Ysera's sleep. Of course, the Druids were sad that they would have to lose so many years of their lives, but, nevertheless, they selflessly made this deal.

Expulsion of the High Elves
7,300 years before the events of Warcraft I

As centuries passed, the community of night elves gained strength and grew, occupying more and more territories of the forest, which they called Ash. Many creatures that lived even before the Great Schism appeared and bred, such as furbolgs and razormanes. The night elves lived under the rule of wise druids and enjoyed an era of unprecedented calm and peace under the stars.

However, many of the surviving highborne became increasingly restless. Like Illidan, they fell victims to magic, and day after day they were consumed by temptation, an insane desire to once again feel the energy of the Well of Eternity and enjoy its magic. Dath'Remar, the hot-tempered and unabashed leader of the Highborne, began to openly mock the druids and accuse them of cowardice for refusing to use the magic that he believed was rightfully theirs. Malfurion and the druids did not listen to Dath'Remar's speeches and announced to the highborne that any use of magic would be punishable by death. However, Dath'Remar and his followers still tried to break the law of the Druids, but this attempt ended in failure, and as a result, a terrible magical storm broke out in Ashenvale.

The Druids could not bring themselves to impose a death sentence on so many of their relatives, so they decided to simply expel the reckless high-born from their lands. Dath'Remar and his kin were only too glad to be freed from traditional druid society, so they quickly boarded a fleet of ships and set sail across the seas. No one knew what awaited them beyond the gigantic seething Whirlpool, but the highborn wanted to find a new home where they could practice their favorite magic with impunity. The Highborne, or Quel'dorei as Azshara had previously called them, eventually reached the shores of the eastern lands that humans would later call Lordaeron. They planned to create their own kingdom of mages, Quel'Thalas, and renounce the moon worship and nocturnal lifestyle of the night elves. From then on and forever they will worship the sun and will be known as the high elves.

Sentinels and a long vigil

With the departure of their wayward brethren, the night elves once again began to protect their enchanted homeland. The Druids, feeling that they would soon fall asleep, prepared for bed and said goodbye to their family and friends. Tyrande, who became the High Priestess of Elune, begged her lover Malfurion not to go into the Emerald Dream of Ysera. But Malfurion, who considered it his duty to enter the changing paths of the Sleeper, said goodbye to the priestess and swore that they would never be separated as long as they remained faithful to their love.

Left alone to defend Kalimdor from the dangers of the new world, Tyrande gathered a powerful army of her sisters, the night elves. Fearless, skilled warriors sworn to protect Kalimdor became known as the Sentinels. Although they preferred to patrol the shadowy Ashenvale on their own, they had many allies they called upon in times of danger.

The demigod Cenarius lived not far from there in the Moon Glades of Mount Hyjal. His sons, known as the Keepers of the Groves, watched over the night elves and regularly assisted the Sentinels in maintaining peace in the lands. Even the humble daughters of Cenarius, the dryads, began to appear more and more often.

Guarding Ashenvale occupied all of Tyrande's time, but she missed Malfurion. Centuries passed, the druids slept, and her fears about a new demonic invasion grew. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that perhaps the Burning Legion was still here, beyond the Great Darkness of the Sky, and that it was preparing to take revenge on the night elves and all of Azeroth.

Chapter II. New world

Chapter II. New world

Founding of Quel'Thalas
6,800 years before the events of Warcraft I

The high elves, led by Dath'remar, left Kalimdor and passed the Maelstrom with its storms. Their fleet sailed among the wreckage of the old world for many long years, they discovered many secrets and lost kingdoms. Dath'remar, who took the name Sunstrider (or "he who walks all day"), sought out places with greater magical energy to build a new kingdom for his people.

Eventually they set foot on the shores of a kingdom that the people would later call Lordaeron. Moving deeper into the continent, the high elves founded a settlement in the tranquil forests of Tirisfal. But after a few years, many of them began to go crazy. There was an assumption that something evil was sleeping in the depths of those lands, but these rumors never came true. The high elves gathered all their goods and moved north, to lands rich in energy lines.

As the high elves walked through the mountainous lands of Lordaeron, their journey became increasingly dangerous. Because they were cut off from the life-giving energies of the Source of Eternity, many of them began to get sick due to the cold climate or die of starvation. But the worst thing was that now they were not immortal and could not withstand the elements. In addition, they became shorter in stature, and their skin lost its characteristic purple tint. Despite the difficulties, they were able to resist many unknown creatures that they had never seen in Kalimdor. They found tribes of wild people hunting in ancient thickets. But the biggest threat was the greedy and cunning forest trolls of Zul'Aman.

These trolls, with skin the color of moss, knew how to restore lost limbs and heal the most terrible wounds. But they were barbaric, evil people. The Amani Empire stretched across much of northern Lordaeron, and the trolls fought fiercely for their lands, trying to keep intruders away from their borders. The elves hated the evil trolls with all their hearts and killed them at every opportunity.

After years of wandering, the high elves finally found a land that resembled Kalimdor. In the depths of the northern forests, they founded the kingdom of Quel'Thalas and vowed to create a powerful empire that would in every way surpass the civilization of their brethren, the kaldorei. Unfortunately, the elves soon learned that they had founded Quel'Thalas on the ruins of an ancient troll city, which they still considered sacred. The trolls almost immediately began attacking the elven settlements.

The stubborn elves, unwilling to give up their new possessions, used the magic left over from the Well of Eternity and forced the ferocious trolls to retreat. Under the command of Dath'Remar, they managed to defeat the Amani troops, who outnumbered them tenfold. Some elves, who remembered the ancient warnings of the kaldorei, sensed that the use of magic might attract the attention of the exiled Burning Legion. Therefore, they decided to hide their lands with a protective barrier that would allow them to practice magic in peace. They installed a chain of Rune Stones at different points in Quel'Thalas, on the borders of the magical barrier. Rune stones not only hid the magic of the elves from extraterrestrial threats, but also helped to ward off superstitious trolls.

Over time, Quel'Thalas became a shining monument to the labors and magical prowess of the high elves. Its beautiful palaces were created in the same architectural style as the ancient halls of Kalimdor, but they fit perfectly into the natural landscape of the area. Quel'Thalas became the shining gem that the elves so wanted to create. The government of Quel'Thalas was the Silvermoon Council, although the Sunstrider dynasty also retained some political power. Consisting of the seven greatest elven lords, the council was concerned with the safety of the elves and the elven lands. Protected by the barrier, the high elves ignored the kaldorei's earlier warnings and continued to use magic in almost every aspect of their lives with criminal carelessness.

For almost four thousand years, the high elves lived quietly in their secluded kingdom. Nevertheless, the vengeful trolls were not going to give up. In the depths of the forests they made plans and accumulated strength. Eventually, a mighty army of trolls emerged from the shadows of the forests and once again laid siege to the shining towers of Quel'Thalas.

Arathor and the Troll Wars
2,800 years before the events of Warcraft I

While the high elves fought tooth and nail against the furious onslaught of the trolls, the scattered, nomadic people of Lordaeron fought to unite their lands. Initially, tribes of people constantly raided other human settlements, disregarding honor and not caring about the unification of the race. But one tribe, known as the Arathi, realized that the trolls had become too much of a threat to continue to ignore. The Arati wanted to subjugate all the tribes in order to act as a united front against the trolls.

Over the course of six years, the cunning Arati defeated and outwitted all enemy tribes. After each victory, the Arati offered peace and equality to the conquered people, thus gaining the loyalty of the vanquished. Eventually, the Arati tribe included many other tribes, and the power of their army grew at a tremendous speed. Convinced that they could stand up to trolls or even elves on their own, the Arathi warlords decided to build a mighty fortress city in the southern regions of Lordaeron. The city, called Strom, became the capital of the state of Arati, Arator. While Arathor flourished, people from all over the vast continent came south to live under the protection of Strom.

United under one banner, the human tribes created a strong, resilient culture. Thoradin, King of Arathor, knew that the mysterious elves in the north were constantly fighting the trolls, but he refused to risk the safety of his people for the sake of secretive strangers. Many months passed before rumors of the elves' imminent defeat spread from the north. It was only when the exhausted ambassadors of Quel'Thalas reached Strom that Thoradin realized the true threat posed by the trolls.

The elves told Thoradin that the troll army was innumerable and that, having destroyed Quel'Thalas, they would move south. Desperate, the elves, in need of military assistance, quickly agreed to train some chosen humans in the arts of magic in exchange for help. Thoradin, who did not trust any magic, agreed to help the elves solely out of necessity. Almost immediately, elven wizards arrived in Arathor and began teaching magic to a group of people.

The elves discovered that although humans were awkward with magic, they had an amazing natural connection with it. The elves taught a hundred people the very basics of their magical secrets: no more than was needed to fight the trolls. Convinced that their human disciples were ready to fight, the elves left Strom and marched north with King Thoradin's mighty army.

The united elven and human armies clashed with a huge army of trolls at the foot of the Alterac Mountains. The battle continued for many days, but Arathor's unrelenting army did not tire and did not retreat under the onslaught of the trolls. The elven rulers decided that the time had come to send down the powers of magic on the enemy. Hundreds of human magicians and many elven wizards caused the rage of the heavens and set fire to the troll army. Elemental fire deprived the trolls of the ability to heal their wounds, burning them inside and out.

When the onslaught of the troll army was broken and they tried to escape, Thoradin's army began pursuit, mercilessly killing all the trolls they managed to overtake. The trolls never recovered from this defeat, and there would never be a single nation of trolls in history. Convinced that Quel'Thalas was saved from destruction, the elves swore loyalty and friendship to Arathor and the family of its king Thoradin. Humans and elves have been on peaceful terms ever since.

Guardians of Tirisfal
2,700 years before the events of Warcraft I

When the trolls were driven out of the northern lands, the elves of Quel'Thalas focused all their efforts on rebuilding their magnificent kingdom. Arathor's army returned home victoriously to the southern lands of Strom. The society of the people of Arathor grew and prospered, but Thoradin, who feared that his kingdom would split if it grew any further, kept Strom as the center of the Arathor empire. After many years of quiet development and trade, the mighty Thoradin died of old age, giving the younger generation of Arathor the opportunity to extend the power of the empire beyond the lands of Strom.

The first hundred magicians, trained by the elves to use magic, developed their power and began to study more deeply the secrets of weaving spells. These magicians, originally chosen for their strong will and valor, always practiced their magic very carefully; but they passed on their power and the secrets of magic to a new generation who had no idea of ​​the horrors of war or the need for self-control. These young magicians began to practice magic for their own benefit, and not for the sake of fulfilling their duty to their relatives.

The empire grew and covered more and more lands, and young magicians moved south. Using their mystical powers, magicians protected their fellows from wild animals and made it possible to build new city-states in wild places. But while their powers grew, the magicians became more and more arrogant and more and more distant from other people.

Arathor's second city-state, Dalaran, was built north of Strom. Many young wizards left the confines of Stroma and went to Dalaran, where they hoped to gain freedom in the use of spells. These mages used their powers to create the enchanted towers of Dalaran and threw themselves into research. The inhabitants of Dalaran were calm about the activities of the magicians and created a thriving economy under their protection. But the more and more magicians practiced their arts, the more the fabric of reality around Dalaran weakened and tore.

The sinister spies of the Burning Legion, who were driven out during the collapse of the Well of Eternity, were drawn back into the world by the careless spells of the mages of Dalaran. Although these relatively weak demons did not fully manifest themselves, they created quite a lot of confusion and chaos on the streets of Dalaran. Most of these encounters with demons were isolated incidents, and the ruling magocrats did their best to keep such incidents secret from the people. The most powerful magicians were sent to fight the elusive demons, but often they found themselves hopelessly inferior to the lone spies of the mighty Legion.

After a few months, superstitious commoners began to suspect that their wizard rulers were hiding something from them. Rumors of revolution swept through the streets of Dalaran, while suspicious citizens began to question the actions and principles of the mages they had once admired. The Magocrats, fearing that the peasants would revolt and that Strom might do something against them, turned to the one group they hoped would understand them: the elves.

Having heard news from the Magocrats about the actions of demons in Dalaran, the elves immediately sent their most powerful wizards to the people. Elven wizards studied the flow of energy in Dalaran and compiled detailed reports on the actions of demons. They concluded that while there weren't many demons in the world yet, the Legion itself would still pose a huge threat as long as humans used magic.

The Silvermoon Council, which ruled the elves of Quel'Thalas, entered into a secret pact with the Magocrats, the rulers of Dalaran. The elves told the mage lords about the history of ancient Kalimdor and the Burning Legion that still threatened the world. They informed the people that as long as they used magic, they would have to protect their citizens from the treacherous messengers of the Legion. The Magocrats proposed a solution - to give individual mortal warriors enormous power so that they would use it for the eternal secret struggle against the Legion. They insisted that the majority of humanity should never learn of the Guardians or the threat of the Legion's attack, otherwise terror and chaos would reign. The elves agreed to the proposal and founded a secret society that oversaw the selection of the Guardians and helped contain the chaos.

The community gathered in the shadows of Tirisfal Glades, where the high elves first settled in Lordaeron. Therefore, the sect was called "Guardians of Tirisfal". Mortal champions chosen to be Guardians received enormous powers of elven and human magic. Although only one such champion could exist at a time, the Guardians were so powerful that they could single-handedly deal with Legion spies wherever they found them. The Guardian's power was so great that only the Council of Tirisfal could select those worthy of this title. When a Guardian became too old or tired of this secret war against chaos, the Council would choose a new protector and, under certain conditions, formally transfer the power of the old Guardian to the new one.

Centuries passed, the Guardians protected people from the invisible threat of the Burning Legion throughout Arathor and Quel'Thalas. Arathor grew and prospered, and the use of magic spread throughout the empire. Meanwhile, the Guardians kept a close watch to see if there were any signs of demonic activity.

Ironforge - Awakening of the Dwarves
2,500 years before the events of Warcraft I

In ancient times, after the Titans abandoned Azeroth, their children, known as the Earthen, continued to guard and cultivate the depths of the world. The landowners did not care about the land races, they only wanted to penetrate deeper and deeper into the earth.

When the world split apart after the explosion of the Source of Eternity, it greatly affected the Earthlings. Stunned by the pain of the earth itself, the earthlings became unlike themselves and closed themselves in the stone palaces where they had once been created. Uldaman, Uldum, Ulduar... these are the names of the ancient cities of the titans, where the earthlings first found their appearance. Buried in the depths of the world, the earthlings rested quietly for almost eight thousand years.

It is unknown what exactly woke up the earthlings who had locked themselves in Uldaman, but in the end they awoke from their sleep. The landowners discovered that they had changed a lot during their oblivion. Their stone skins smoothed out into soft skin, and their power over stone and earth weakened. They became mortal beings.

Calling themselves dwarves, the last earthlings left Uldaman and set out to explore the world. They were still attracted by the cozy and safe dungeons, and therefore they founded a huge kingdom under the highest mountain. They named their land Khaz Modan, or "Mount Khaz", after the titan smith Khaz'goroth. Having built an altar to their titan father, the dwarves created a huge forge in the heart of the mountain. And the city that grew around the forge began to be called Ironforge.

The dwarves, who naturally loved to shape gems and stone, began mining the nearby mountains for precious minerals. Content with their underground labors, the dwarves did not seek to communicate with their above-ground neighbors.

Seven Kingdoms
1,200 years before the events of Warcraft I

Strom continued to be the center of Arathor, but many new city-states arose on the continent of Lordaeron. Gilneas, Alterac, and Kul Tiras were the first of these city-states, and while each of these cities had their own customs and their own economies, they were all subservient to Strom.

Under the watchful eye of the Order of Tirisfal, Dalaran became a center of learning for all wizards. The Magocrats who ruled Dalaran founded the Kirin Tor, a special secret society that recorded and studied every spell, artifact, and magical item known at the time.

Gilneas and Alterac were Strom's trusted allies. They sent their mighty armies to explore the mountainous southern lands of Khaz Modan. It was then that people first encountered the ancient race of dwarves and came to their underground city of Ironforge. Humans and dwarves shared the secrets of metalworking and engineering with each other. In addition, both peoples equally loved battles and ancient legends.

The city-state of Kul Tiras, founded on a large island south of Lordaeron, had a thriving economy based on fishing and shipping. Over time, Kul Tiras developed a mighty fleet of merchant ships that sailed throughout the known world in search of exotic goods. But while Arathor's economy flourished, its most powerful elements began to crumble.

Over time, the lords of Strom moved to the rich northern lands of Lordaeron, leaving the arid south. The heirs of King Thoradin, the last descendants of the Arati clan, forbade leaving Strom, which caused discontent among the rich who wanted to leave. The Lords of Strom, looking for purity and light in the wild north, decided to leave their ancient city. Far north of Dalaran, the Lords of Strom built a new city-state called Lordaeron. The entire continent was named after this city. Lordaeron became a place of religious pilgrimage and a refuge for those seeking peace and security.

The heirs of the Arathi, remaining within the decaying walls of ancient Strom, decided to go south, beyond the rocky mountains of Khaz Modan. Their wanderings lasted for many years, but finally the journey ended, and they settled in the northern region of the continent, which would later be called Azeroth. In a fertile valley, they founded the kingdom of Stormwind, which quickly became an independent power.

The few warriors remaining in Stroma decided to continue defending the ancient walls. Strom was no longer the center of the empire, but it became a new state - Stromgarde. Although each city-state prospered in its own right, the Arathor Empire all but collapsed. Each state developed its own customs and beliefs, and they began to move further and further away from each other. King Thoradin's dream of uniting humanity was dashed.

Aegwynn and the Dragon Hunt
823 years before the events of Warcraft I

While the political disputes and rivalries of the seven human states flared up and died down, the Guardians remained ever vigilant in their war against chaos. Over the years, many Guardians have changed. One of the last Guardians of that time became famous as a powerful warrior who bravely resisted the darkness. Aegwynn, a human girl, earned the approval of the Order and received the title of Guardian. Aegwynn was effective in tracking down and destroying demons, but she very often questioned the actions of the patriarchal council of Tirisfal. She believed that the ancient elves and human elders who led the council were too rigid in their decisions and did not look far enough into the future to end the war against chaos. Annoyed by too much discussion and debate, she longed to show her envious people and superiors what she was capable of, and chose courage over wisdom.

Aegwynn's power over the cosmic forces of Tirisfal grew, and one day she learned that several powerful demons lived on the icy northern continent of Northrend. Traveling to the far north, Aegwynn tracked down the demons in the mountains. There she discovered that demons were hunting the last dragons and draining the ancient creatures of their magical power. Mighty dragons, fleeing from the rapidly spreading people around the world, discovered that they could not resist the power of the dark magic of the Legion. Aegwynn fought the demons and, with the help of noble dragons, defeated them. But as soon as the last demon was driven out of the world, a terrible storm broke out in the north. A huge shadow appeared in the sky of Northrend. Sargeras, king of demons and lord of the Burning Legion, appeared before Aegwynn, burning with hellfire. He told the young Guardian that Tirisfal's time was up and the world would soon fall to the onslaught of the Legion.

Proud Aegwynn, believing that she could resist the formidable god, used her powers against the avatar of Sargeras. With extraordinary ease, Aegwynn defeated the demon lord and killed his physical form. Fearing that the spirit of Sargeras had survived, the naive Aegwynn hid the mutilated remains in one of the ancient palaces of Kalimdor, which sank into the sea during the destruction of the Well of Eternity. Aegwynn never knew that she did exactly what Sargeras wanted. She unknowingly signed the verdict on the mortal world, since Sargeras, during his physical death, possessed a spirit in Aegwynn's weakened body. Unbeknownst to the young Guardian, Sargeras remained hidden in the dark corners of her soul for many years.

War of the Three Clans
230 years before the events of Warcraft I

The dwarves of Ironforge lived in peace for many centuries. But there were too many of them, there was no longer enough space for them in the underground cities. And although the mighty King Modimus Old Anvil ruled all the dwarves wisely and fairly, three powerful factions emerged in dwarven society.

The Bronzebeard clan, ruled by Thane Madoran Bronzebeard, had good connections with the king and were the protectors of Ironforge. The Wildhammer clan, ruled by Thane Kardros Wildhammer, inhabited the hills and cliffs at the foot of the mountain and tried to gain greater power in the city. The third faction, the Dark Iron Clan, was under the command of the sorcerer-thane Thaurissan. The Dark Iron Dwarves lurked in the deepest shadows beneath the mountain and plotted against their brethren of Clan Bronzebeard and Clan Wildhammer.

For a time, the three factions maintained a fragile peace, but tensions increased when King Old Anvil died of old age. The three ruling clans are at war for control of Ironforge. The dwarven civil war burned underground for many years. Eventually the Bronzebeard clan, which had the largest army, drove the Dark Iron and Wildhammer clans out from under the mountain.

Cardros and the Wildhammer warriors traveled north through the border gate of Dun Algaz and founded their own kingdom beneath the distant Mount Grim Batol. There the Wildhammers became rich and built new treasuries. Thaurissan and the other members of the Dark Iron clan were not as fortunate. Humiliated and angry at their defeat, they vowed revenge on Ironforge. Taking his kinsmen far to the south, Thaurissan founded a city (named in his honor) under the beautiful Redridge. Prosperity and the passing of the years have not diminished the hatred of the Dark Iron clan for their brethren. Thaurissan and his sorceress wife Modgud began a two-front war against Ironforge and Grim Batol. The Dark Iron Clan wanted all of Khaz Modan for themselves.

The armies of the Dark Irons attacked the fortresses of their brethren and practically captured both kingdoms. But Madoran Bronzebeard eventually led his clan to final victory over Thaurissan's sorcerous army. Thaurissan and his servants fled to the safety of their city, unaware of what was happening in Grim Batol, where Modgud's army was also having little success fighting Kardros and his Wildhammer warriors.

When faced with enemy warriors, Modgud used her powers to strike fear into their hearts. The shadows moved at her command, and dark creatures emerged from the depths of the earth, attacking the Wildhammers in their own palaces. Eventually Modgud broke through the gates and laid siege to the fortress itself. The Wildhammers fought desperately, Kardros himself was among the warriors, wanting to kill the sorceress-queen. Having lost their queen, the warriors of the Dark Iron clan fled from the rage of the Wildhammers. They fled south to their king's stronghold, but were confronted by the Ironforge army that had come to aid Grim Batol. Sandwiched between two armies, the Dark Iron forces were completely destroyed.

The united armies of Ironforge and Grim Batol marched south with the goal of destroying Thaurissan and the Dark Iron clan once and for all. They had not gone far when Thaurissan's anger unleashed a spell that led to cataclysm. Wanting to summon a supernatural being to help him defeat, Thaurissan called upon the ancient powers that lay dormant in the depths of the world, and to his horror he discovered that the creature that appeared was more terrible than his worst nightmares.

This was Ragnaros - the Lord of Fire, the immortal lord of all fire elementals, expelled by the titans when the world was still young. Now, freed by the call of Thaurissan, Ragnaros appeared again. The rebirth of Ragnaros in Azeroth shook the Redridge Mountains, and a huge volcano rose in the midst of the ruins. The volcano, known as Blackrock Mountain, was surrounded by the Scorched Gorge to the north and the Burning Steppes to the south. Although Thaurissan was killed by the forces he had summoned, his surviving brethren were completely enslaved by Ragnaros and his elementals. To this day they remain in the depths of Black Mountain.

Seeing the terrible destruction and fire spreading across the southern mountains, King Madoran and King Cardros stopped their armies and hastily returned to their kingdoms, not wanting to fall victim to Ragnaros' terrible wrath.

The Bronzebeard clan returned to Ironforge and rebuilt their glorious city. Wildhammer also returned home to Grim Batol. But Modgud's death desecrated the fortress, and the Wildhammer dwarves could no longer live there. The bitterness of losing their home hardened their hearts. King Bronzebeard offered the Wildhammer dwarves a place to live within the borders of Ironforge, but they refused. Kardros led his people north to the lands of Lordaeron. Settling in the lush green forests of the Hinterlands, the Wildhammer clan built the city of Cloud Peak, where the dwarves became closer to nature and even tamed the mighty griffins that lived there.

Wishing to restore relations and trade with their brethren, the dwarves of Ironforge built two great arches, called the Bridge of Thandol, between Khaz Modan and Lordaeron. Supported by mutual trade, the two kingdoms prospered. After Madoran and Cardros died, their sons worked together to build two large statues in honor of their fathers. Two statues were supposed to stand guard over the passage to the southern lands, covered with solidified lava due to the proximity of the all-burning Ragnaros. They served not only as a dire warning to all those who would dare to attack the dwarven kingdoms, but also as a reminder of the price that the Dark Iron clan paid for their crimes.

The two kingdoms maintained fairly close ties for some time, but the Wildhammer clan was too deeply influenced by the horrors the dwarves witnessed at Grim Batol. Instead of creating a huge underground kingdom, they inhabited the slopes of the Cloudy Peak. Ideological differences between the two remaining dwarven clans eventually led to estrangement.

The Last Guardian
45 years before the events of Warcraft I

Guardian Aegwynn grew more powerful over time, using the energies of Tirisfal to extend her life. Self-confidently hoping that she had defeated Sargeras, she continued to guard the world from the minions of the demon king for almost nine hundred years. But eventually the Council of Tirisfal declared that her time of service had come to an end. The Council ordered Aegwynn to return to Dalaran so they could elect a new bearer of the Guardian's power. But Aegwynn, who never fully trusted the Council, decided to choose a successor herself.

Proud Aegwynn wanted to give birth to a son to whom she would pass on her strength. She did not want the Order of Tirisfal to manipulate her successor the same way they tried to manipulate her. Traveling to the southern state of Azeroth, Aegwynn found the ideal man who could become the father of her son - a skilled human magician named Nielas Aran. Aran was a court sorcerer and advisor to the King of Azeroth. Aegwynn seduced the wizard and became pregnant by him. The unborn child received Nielas' natural ability for magic, which would later determine the tragic fate of this child. The child also gained Tirisfal's power, although it did not manifest itself until he became an adult.

Time passed, and Aegwynn gave birth to a son in a secluded grove. By naming the boy Medivh, which meant "Keeper of Secrets" in the language of the High Elves, Aegwynn believed that the boy would be ready to become a Guardian. Unfortunately, the evil spirit of Sargeras, lurking within her, possessed the child still in her womb. Unknown to Aegwynn, the new Guardian of the World was already possessed by his greatest enemy.

Confident that her child was safe and sound, Aegwynn sent young Medivh to the court of Azeroth and left him there to be raised by his mortal father and his people. She herself went into the wilderness, ready to meet everything that could await her in the afterlife. Medivh grew up to be a strong boy, but had no idea of ​​the potential power of Tirisfal's power, which was his by birthright.

Sargeras was waiting for the right moment when the power hidden in the young man would make itself known. Already as a teenager, Medivh earned himself popularity among the inhabitants of Azeroth for his outstanding magical abilities and often went in search of adventures with his friends - Prince of Azeroth Llane and Anduin Lothar, one of the last sons of the Arathi clan. The three boys constantly got into trouble, but the townspeople loved them very much.

When Medivh was fourteen, a great power awoke in him, which could not get along with the spirit of Sargeras dormant within him. Medivh fell into a deep sleep that lasted more than one year. Returning to life, he discovered that he had already matured, and his friends Llane and Anduin became the rulers of Azeroth. He wanted to use his newfound powers for the benefit of his native land, but the evil spirit of Sargeras took possession of his mind and sent him on the path of atrocities.

Medivh's heart was filled with darkness, and Sargeras was pleased: almost everything was ready for his re-invasion of this world, and the last Guardian was supposed to help him carry out all his plans with ease.

Chapter III. Death of Draenor

Chapter III.
Death of Draenor

Kil'jaeden and the Dark Pact

When Medivh was born on Azeroth, Kil'jaeden the Deceiver and his followers from the Twisting Nether were lost in thought. Under the orders of his master Sargeras, the cunning great demon was preparing sinister plans for the capture of Azeroth by the Burning Legion. There shouldn't be any mistakes this time. Kil'jaeden decided that it was necessary to weaken the defenses of Azeroth even before the Legion set foot on its lands. Mortal races such as the night elves and dragons, busy fighting the new enemy, would no longer be able to resist the Legion's invasion.

It was then that Kil'jaeden discovered the densely bushed world of Draenor, which floated peacefully across the vast expanses of the Great Dark Beyond. Home to the spirit-worshipping orcs and peace-loving draenei, Draenor was a world as serene and quiet as it was vast. Noble clans of orcs wandered across the vast steppes and hunted - more for fun, and the draenei began to build cities among the rocks and mountain peaks. Kil'jaeden decided that with a little effort, the inhabitants of Draenor could be made into excellent soldiers for the Burning Legion.

Of the two races, Kil'jaeden chose the warlike orcs: it was easier to attract them under the banner of the Legion. He bewitched the chief shaman of the orcs, Ner'zhul, in the same way that many years ago Sargeras subjugated Queen Azshara to his will. The insidious shaman became the executor of the demon's will, awakening cruelty and thirst for battle in the orcs. He soon turned this peace-loving race into cruel, bloodthirsty warriors. Ner'zhul and his people had to take one last fateful step: to become the harbingers of death, completely devoting themselves to war. But the old shaman realized that for the orcs this meant eternal slavery, and he managed not to succumb to the will of the demon.

Kil'jaeden was angered by Ner'zhul's disobedience, and he began to look for another orc who could force his people to join the Legion. The cunning great demon managed to find a worthy candidate - he became Ner’zhul’s vain disciple, Gul’dan. Kil'jaeden promised him unprecedented strength in exchange for complete obedience. The young orc willingly agreed to be the demon's apprentice and soon became one of the most powerful mortal wizards in history. He taught other orcs the dark arts and tried to eradicate their ancient rituals. Gul'dan showed his brothers a magic that none of them had ever seen, a terrifying power capable of spreading death everywhere.

Seeking to consolidate his power over the orcs, Kil'jaeden helped Gul'dan found a secret sect called the Shadow Council to manipulate the clans and spread rumors of a new sorcerous power throughout Draenor. More and more orcs mastered the art of enchantment, and the serene expanses of Draenor were shrouded in darkness. Over time, the endless steppes, which served as a home for orcs for more than one generation, faded and turned into lifeless wastelands. The demon energy was slowly killing this world.

Rise of the Horde

Under the control of Gul'dan and the Shadow Council, the orcs became brutal and brutal. They built huge arenas where they competed with each other in their ability to fight and kill. At this time, the leaders of some clans decided to express their indignation at the decline of their race. One of these leaders was Durotan of the Frostwolf clan; he pointed out to the orcs that they were beginning to lose control of themselves and succumb to anger and hatred. But they were deaf to his warnings, and many more powerful leaders, among them Grom Hellscream of the Warsong Clan, came out in support of a new era of war and domination.

Kil'jaeden knew that he had already completed his task, but he wanted to be sure of the loyalty of the orcs. He gave the Shadow Council secret orders to summon Mannoroth the Annihilator, the living embodiment of rage and destruction. Gul'dan gathered the clan leaders and convinced them that by drinking the blood of Mannoroth, they would become invincible. Led by Grom Hellscream, all the leaders except Durotan obeyed and thus doomed themselves to eternal service to the Burning Legion. Those touched by Mannoroth's wrath, even if unwillingly, turned their unsuspecting brethren into the same slaves that they themselves became.

The orcs were doomed to an eternal, unquenchable thirst for blood and unleashed their fury on anyone who stood in their way. Gul'dan felt that the time had come and united the warring clans into one unstoppable Horde. But knowing that all the leaders, primarily Hellscream and Orgrim Doomhammer, would begin to fight for supremacy, Gul'dan put his puppet leader at the head of the Horde. For this role he chose Blackhand the Destroyer, an evil and cruel orc. Under the command of Blackhand, the Horde advanced into its first tentative battle against the draenei.

A few months later, the Horde exterminated almost all the draenei living on Draenor. Only a few managed to escape the wrath of the orcs. Gul'dan was pleased: his Horde was invincible. But he knew that if they had no one to fight with, an irresistible thirst for blood would force them to kill each other and the army would destroy itself.

Kil'jaeden knew that the Horde was finally ready. The Orcs became the most powerful force of the Burning Legion. The insidious demon told his master about everything, and Sargeras agreed that the hour of reckoning had come.

Chapter IV. Alliance and Horde

Chapter IV. Alliance and Horde

The Dark Portal and the Fall of Stormwind
Events Warcraft: Orcs and Humans

Kil'jaeden prepared the Horde for an attack on Azeroth, while Medivh continued to fight Sargeras for his soul. King Llane, the noble ruler of Stormwind, learned that darkness had taken possession of the soul of his former friend. King Llane told Anduin Lothar, the last descendant of the Arathi family, about this, whom he made his military leader. But none of them could have imagined that the misfortune that happened to Medivh would cause such terrible events.

As a final reward, Sargeras promised Gul'dan great power in exchange for his agreement to lead the Horde to Azeroth. Through Medivh, Sargeras told the warlock that he could make him a god in the flesh if he found the underwater grave in which the Guardian Aegwynn hid the remains of Sargeras a thousand years ago. Gul'dan agreed to do this and decided that once Azeroth was defeated, he would go in search of the legendary tomb and receive his reward. Sargeras, confident that the Horde would serve him obediently, ordered the invasion.

Together, Medivh and the wizards of the Shadow Council opened a portal between dimensions - the Dark Portal. This portal allowed the army of Draenor to enter Azeroth. Gul'dan sent scouts through the portal to explore the lands they were to conquer. When they returned, they reported to the Shadow Council that the invasion could begin.

Durotan, still confident that Gul'dan would lead their people to destruction, again spoke out against the actions of the wizards. The brave warrior said that they had destroyed the pure spirit of the orcs and that this reckless attack on Azeroth would destroy them all. Gul'dan could not risk killing his beloved hero, and was forced to send Durotan and his Frostwolf clan to the furthest reaches of the new world.

Only a few clans followed the exiled Frostwolf clan through the portal. The orcs quickly set up a base in the Black Marshes, a dark, swampy area in the east of the kingdom of Stormwind. Having begun to explore new territory, they immediately encountered the defenders of Stormwind. Although battles with humans ended quite quickly, both races managed to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents. Llane and Lothar were unable to obtain accurate information about the number of orcs, and they could only guess at how powerful their enemy was. A few years later, most of the Horde moved to Azeroth, and Gul'dan decided that the time had come to deal a crushing blow to humanity. The Horde unleashed all its might on the unsuspecting inhabitants of the kingdom of Stormwind.

While the people of Azeroth and the Horde fought each other across the kingdom, conflicts flared within both armies. King Llane, convinced that the bestial orcs were unable to conquer Azeroth, stubbornly refused to leave the capital of Stormwind; Lothar was sure that the battle should be moved to territory occupied by the enemy, so he had to choose between his convictions and loyalty to the king. Lothar decided to follow his instincts and, enlisting the support of Medivh's student Khadgar, went to storm the wizard's fortress - Karazhan. Khadgar and Lothar managed to defeat the Guardian, whom they believed to be the cause of the entire war. Having killed Medivh's body, Lothar and young Khadgar, unknowingly, banished the spirit of Sargeras into the abyss. But the righteous spirit of Medivh remained alive... and wandered the astral world for many years.

Although Medivh was defeated, the Horde still prevailed over the defenders of Stormwind. But when victory was already in the hands of the Horde, one of the most powerful leaders of the orcs, Orgrim Doomhammer, began to understand how much the once peace-loving clans living on Draenor had changed. His old friend Durotan, returning from exile, reminded him of Gul'dan's betrayal. By order of the vengeful Gul'dan, Durotan and his entire family were killed, leaving only his young son alive. But Doomhammer did not know that the son of Durotan was captured by Adelas Blackmoore, one of the commanders of the human army, and became his slave.

It was this young orc who was destined to become the greatest leader in the history of his people.

Orgrim, enraged by Durotan's murder, decided to free the Horde from the terrible curse and, in order to become the new leader of the Horde, killed Blackhand, Gul'dan's puppet. Under his steady leadership, the ruthless Horde finally surrounded Stormwind Keep. King Llane greatly underestimated the power of the Horde and could only watch helplessly as his kingdom crumbled under the onslaught of the greenskin invaders. Soon the king himself was killed by one of the best assassins of the Shadow Council, the half-orc Garona.

Lothar and his warriors, returning from Karazhan, hoped to stop the bloodshed and save their once glorious homeland. But it was too late: when they returned, their kingdom lay in ruins. The Horde devastated villages and captured nearby lands. Lothar and his army, forced to hide from their enemies, vowed to reclaim their homeland at any cost.

Alliance Lordaeron
Events Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness

After the battle at Stormwind Keep, Lord Lothar gathered the remnants of Azeroth's armies and organized a retreat to the shores of the northern kingdom of Lordaeron. The heads of the seven human nations decided that if the Horde was not stopped, it would destroy all of humanity, and they created an alliance that later became known as the Lordaeron Alliance. For the first time in almost three thousand years, the disparate peoples of Arathor united under one banner. Lord Lothar was appointed commander-in-chief of the Alliance forces and began preparing his warriors for the Horde invasion.

With the support of his lieutenants Uther the Lightbringer, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore and Turalyon, Lothar convinced the demi-human peoples of Lordaeron of the need to resist the impending invasion. The Alliance was also able to gain the support of the dwarves from Ironforge and some of the high elves from Quel'Thalas. The elves, led by Anasterian Sunstrider, did not want to interfere in the upcoming conflict. But they could not refuse Lothar - the last of the Arati line, who supported them in the past.

The Horde, led by the leader Doomhammer, brought ogres from their native Draenor and forest trolls of Amani under their banners. Continuing their advance, the Horde easily crushed the resistance of the dwarves from the kingdom of Khaz Modan and the southern regions of Lordaeron.

The great battles of the Second War shook the sea and the air. Somehow, the Horde managed to take possession of a powerful artifact - the Demon Soul - and with its help, subjugate Alexstrasza, the ancient queen of dragons. By threatening to destroy the eggs she laid, the Horde forced Alexstrasza to send her children to war. The noble red dragons were forced to fight on the side of the Horde, and they fought admirably.

War raged across the vast expanses of Khaz Modan, Lordaeron, and Azeroth itself. The ferocious Horde burned the border lands of Quel'Thalas to the ground, after which the elves finally joined the Alliance. The war destroyed and ravaged the once prosperous cities of Lordaeron. Despite superior enemy forces, Lothar and his allies managed to hold back the Horde's advance.

But in the final days of the Second War, when the victory of the Horde seemed inevitable, unprecedented strife arose between the two most powerful orcs of Azeroth. As Doomhammer prepared to launch a final attack on the capital of Lordaeron that would crush the last remaining Alliance forces, Gul'dan and his followers abandoned the rest of their army and set out to sea. Due to Gul'dan's betrayal, Doomhammer lost almost half of its warriors and was forced to retreat, losing out on such a close victory.

Hungry for power, Gul'dan set out in search of the underwater Tomb of Sargeras, where he hoped to uncover the secret of ultimate power. Gul'dan had already doomed his warriors to eternal slavery in the Burning Legion, and the last thing he cared about was his duty to the Doomhammer. With the help of the Raging Storm and Twilight's Hammer clans, Gul'dan managed to raise the Tomb of Sargeras from the seabed. But when he opened the ancient crypt, he was met by hordes of maddened demons.

Doomhammer wanted to punish the wayward orcs for such a daring betrayal and sent his warriors to kill Gul'dan and return the rest of the traitors. The maddened demons that Gul'dan had so recklessly freed tore him to shreds. Having lost their commander, the warriors immediately surrendered to the mercy of the Doomhammer troops. Although the uprising was crushed, the Horde was unable to recover from its terrible losses. Gul'dan's betrayal not only gave the Alliance confidence, but also gave them time to regroup and prepare for a counterattack.

Seeing that the Horde was splitting from within, Lord Lothar gathered his last forces and drove Doomhammer south to the center of Stormwind. There, Alliance forces surrounded the Horde in the volcanic fortress of Blackrock Spire. Lothar fell in this battle, but one of his commanders, Turalyon, took command of the army at the last moment and forced the Horde to retreat to the endless Swamp of Sorrows. Turalyon's troops managed to destroy the Dark Portal, a magical portal to the orcs' homeworld of Draenor. The Horde, bereft of reinforcements and torn apart by internal strife, finally fell to the might of the Alliance.

Orcs from all over the world were gathered together and placed in prison camps. But, although the Horde was over, many doubted that peace could be maintained for long. Khadgar, who became the Archmage, convinced the heads of the Alliance to build the Netherguard Fortress to guard the ruins of the Dark Portal and prevent another invasion from Draenor.

Invasion of Draenor
Events Warcraft 2X: Beyond the Dark Portal

When the last pockets of war were eliminated, the Alliance took drastic measures to prevent the threat from the orcs. In the south of Lordaeron, several camps were built specifically for captured orcs. The camps, guarded by paladins and experienced Alliance warriors, successfully completed their task. The captured orcs were eager for battle, but the camp commanders, who settled in the fortress-prison of Durnholde, maintained a semblance of order and calm among them.

Meanwhile, on the devilish world of Draenor, a new army of orcs was preparing to attack the unsuspecting Alliance. Gul'dan's former mentor Ner'zhul gathered the remaining orc clans under his banner. With the help of the Shadowmoon clan, he intended to open several portals on Draenor, allowing the Horde to enter new untouched worlds. To obtain the energy needed for the portals, he needed several powerful artifacts from Azeroth. Ner'zhul reopened the Dark Portal and sent his loyal servants there to find these artifacts.

The new Horde, led by such experienced leaders as Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye (of the Bleeding Hollow clan), took the Alliance troops by surprise and attacked nearby villages. Under the command of Ner'zhul, the orcs quickly obtained the necessary artifacts and returned back to Draenor.

King Terenas of Lordaeron, confident that the orcs were preparing a new invasion, called together his most loyal military leaders. He ordered General Turalyon and Archmage Khadgar to lead a campaign through the Dark Portal to deal with the orcs once and for all. Turalyon and Khadgar's forces invaded Draenor and engaged Ner'zhul's forces in Hellfire Peninsula. But even with the support of the high elf Alleria Windrunner, the dwarf Kurdran Wildhammer and the experienced warrior Danath Trollbane, Khadgar could not stop Ner'zhul from opening portals to other worlds.

Ner'zhul finally managed to open the portals, but he had no idea what price he would have to pay for it. The colossal energy of the portals began to literally tear Draenor apart. The orcish world was collapsing, and Turalyon's forces were desperately trying to reach the portal to return home. Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye realized that Ner'zhul's crazy plans were about to destroy their entire people, and, gathering all the remaining orcs, they set off to seek salvation in Azeroth.

Turalyon and Khadgar decided to heroically sacrifice themselves by destroying the Dark Portal from Draenor. Their lives and the lives of their warriors were a considerable price to pay for the destruction of the portal, but they understood that this was the only chance to save Azeroth. Hellscream and Dead Eye managed to pass through the Dark Portal towards their freedom, and a moment later it exploded behind them. For them and the rest of the orcs in Azeroth, there was no turning back.

Ner'zhul and his loyal Shadowmoon clan passed through the largest portal they had ever discovered as volcanic eruptions began to tear the continents of Draenor apart. Boiling seas rose to the sky and crashed to the ground: the world of the orcs disappeared in the all-consuming flames of a gigantic explosion.

Birth of the Lich King

Ner'zhul and his followers found themselves in the Twisting Nether, an astral realm between worlds scattered across the Great Dark Beyond. Unfortunately, Kil'jaeden and his demon warriors were waiting for him there. Kil'jaeden, who swore revenge on Ner'zhul for his disobedience, slowly tormented the old shaman, tearing his body apart. Kil'jaeden did not allow the shaman's spirit to die, forcing him to fully feel the terrible pain he caused him. Ner'zhul begged the demon to send him death, but he was adamant: he said that the Blood Pact, which they had concluded a long time ago, was still in force, and Ner'zhul still had to serve the demon.

The orcs proved unable to conquer the world for the Burning Legion, and Kil'jaeden was forced to create a new army to wreak havoc on the kingdoms of Azeroth. This army should not have fallen victim to foolish enmity like the Horde. She had to be merciless and devoted to her master. This time, Kil'jaeden could not afford to fail.

Kil'jaeden presented the helpless spirit of Ner'zhul with a final choice between service to the Legion and eternal torment. Once again, Ner'zhul accepted the demon's terms. Kil'jaeden imprisoned his soul in a block of diamond-hard ice collected from the farthest reaches of the Twisting Nether. Imprisoned in an ice prison, Ner'zhul felt that the capabilities of his mind had increased a thousandfold. Endowed with enormous demon power, he became an incredibly powerful spirit. At that moment, the orc named Ner'zhul ceased to exist, and the Lich King was born.

Death Knights and Shadowmoon followers loyal to Ner'zhul were also transformed: they were torn apart and then turned into bone Lich Kings. The demons made sure that even after death, Ner'zhul's followers served him unquestioningly.

When the time came, Kil'jaeden explained to the Lich King why he was created. Ner'zhul would spread a deadly plague across Azeroth that would wipe out the human race. Those infected with this plague died and turned into undead, surrendering their souls to the power of Ner’zhul’s iron will. If the mission to exterminate people was successful, Kil'jaeden promised Ner'zhul freedom from the curse and a new healthy body.

Although Ner'zhul agreed to play his part, Kil'jaeden was unsure of his loyalty. By keeping the Lich King's spirit captive, the demon did not have to worry about his obedience, but, nevertheless, he chose not to leave him unattended. To do this, Kil'jaeden assigned his best demon guards, the lords of terror, to Ner'zhul to guard him and ensure that he fulfilled his terrible mission. The most powerful and insidious of the terror lords, Tikondrus, enjoyed this task: he was fascinated by the deadly power of the plague and the unprecedented power of the Lich King.

Ice Crown and Frozen Throne

Kil'jaeden sent Ner'zhul back to Azeroth. His icy prison streaked across the night sky and fell onto the snowy northern continent of Northrend, plunging deep into the Icecrown Glacier. After falling, the crystal took the form of a throne, and the spirit of Ner'zhul, imprisoned in it, soon awakened.

From the depths of the Frozen Throne, Ner'zhul directed his powerful mind towards all the inhabitants of Northrend. Without much effort, he subjugated many creatures to his will, including ice trolls and ferocious wendigos. The powers of his spirit were practically limitless, and with their help he created a small army, which he gathered in the endless labyrinths of Icecrown. Improving his skills under the constant supervision of the dreadlords, the Lich King soon managed to reach a small settlement of people on the very edge of the Dragonblight. Ner’zhul decided to test his strength on it.

Ner'zhul released a plague of undead, originating deep within the Frozen Throne, into the icy desert. Guiding her with the powers of his mind alone, he led her to a human settlement. Three days later, all its inhabitants died, but soon rebelled, turning into terrible zombies. Ner'zhul felt their thoughts and moods as clearly as his own. The furious dissonance of other people's souls that filled the mind of the former shaman further increased his strength. Ner'zhul literally devoured the souls of the dead. But soon Ner’zhul got bored with controlling the zombies - it was too easy.

He spent the following months testing the undead plague on the remaining people of Northrend until he enslaved them all. The army of the undead was growing every day, and he realized that the time had come for a real test.

Battle of Grim Batol

Meanwhile, the remnants of the Horde fought for survival in the war-torn southern lands. Grom Hellscream and his Warsong clan managed to escape capture, but the entire Bleeding Hollow clan, along with the leader Dead Eye, was imprisoned in Lordaeron prisoner of war camps. A series of riots followed, but the camp commanders soon managed to restore order among the prisoners.

But unbeknownst to the Alliance, a large group of orcs continued to roam the wastelands of Khaz Modan. The Dragonmaw clan, led by the treacherous warlock Nekros, used a powerful artifact called the “Demon Soul” to subjugate the dragon queen Alexstrasza and her subjects. Holding the queen hostage, Nekros assembled a secret army in the abandoned Wildhammer Citadel, which many believed to be cursed. Planning to strike the Alliance with his army and the mighty red dragons, Nekros hoped to reunite the Horde and continue his conquest of Azeroth. But his hopes were not destined to come true: a small group of resistance fighters, led by the magician Ronin, was able to destroy the Demon Soul and free the dragon queen.

Alexstrasza's enraged dragons destroyed Grim Batol and burned most of the Dragonmaw orcs. Nekros' grandiose plans fell apart; Alliance troops surrounded the surviving orcs and imprisoned them in a prison camp. The defeat of the Dragonmaw marked the end of the Horde and the bloodlust of the orcs.

The Long Sleep of the Orcs

As the months passed, more and more orcs ended up in prisoner of war camps. They began to run out of space, and the Alliance was forced to build new camps on the plains south of the Alterac Mountains. To support them, King Terenas had to introduce new taxes. These taxes and constant disputes over borders caused discontent among the population. It seemed that the fragile alliance that people had concluded in a difficult hour could fall apart at any moment.

Amid the political turmoil, many camp commanders began to notice changes in the behavior of the captured orcs. The number of escape attempts and even fights between prisoners has decreased sharply. The orcs became calm and indifferent. It was incredible, but the orcs, once considered the most warlike race to set foot on the lands of Azeroth, had lost the desire to fight. They became more and more sluggish, which completely confused the leaders of the Alliance.

Some believed that this was due to some kind of disease that only orcs were susceptible to. But Archmage Antonidas of Dalaran offered another explanation. Having studied the few materials on the history of the orcs that he was able to find, Antonidas learned that several generations of this people were under the influence of demons. He believed that the orcs had been corrupted even before the first invasion of Azeroth. The demons injected something into their blood, and they became incredibly strong, resilient and aggressive.

Antonidas suggested that the calmness of the orcs was caused not by illness, but by the lack of black magic, which turned them into formidable and ruthless warriors. Although the cause became clear, Antonidas was unable to find a cure to bring the orcs out of this state. Additionally, many mages and some Alliance leaders believed that trying to heal the orcs was not a prudent idea. Reflecting on the problem, Antonidas came to the conclusion that the medicine for the orcs, whatever it was, should heal the soul, not the body.

New Horde

Adelas Blackmoore, the leader of all prison camps, watched the orcs from his fortress of Durnholde. One of the orcs received his special attention: a young orphan captured almost eighteen years ago. Blackmoore raised the little orc as his slave, named him Thrall and taught him tactics, philosophy and fencing. Thrall even tried himself as a gladiator. Blackmoore tried to turn the young orc into a murder weapon.

Despite a difficult childhood, Thrall grew up to be a strong and intelligent orc; he realized that the fate of a slave was not for him. Growing up, he learned a lot about the history of his people, whose representatives he almost never saw: after the defeat in the war, almost all the orcs ended up in prison camps. There were rumors that Chieftain Doomhammer had managed to escape from Lordaeron. And only one clan of orcs still remained at large, hiding from the watchful eyes of the Alliance.

Resourceful but inexperienced, Thrall decided to flee from Blackmoore and go in search of his brothers. Traveling from one camp to another, Thrall discovered that the once powerful and warlike orcs had turned into completely lifeless creatures. Unable to find among them the mighty warriors he had heard so much about, Thrall set out to find the last undefeated warchief, Grom Hellscream.

Despite constant persecution by humans, Hellscream's soul was still filled with an unquenchable thirst for battle. Along with his loyal Warsong clan, he continued the guerrilla war against the enslavers of his people. Unfortunately, he never found a way to return the captured orcs to their life energy. Young Thrall was fascinated by Hellscream's idealism and the warrior traditions of the Horde.

In search of the truth about his ancestors, Thrall traveled north, where he discovered the legendary Frostwolf clan. There he was told how Gul'dan sent the Frostwolf into exile at the very beginning of the First War. Thrall also learned that he was the son and heir of the brave orc Durotan, the leader of the Frostwolf, who died in these deserted expanses almost twenty years ago.

Under the guidance of the wise shaman Drek'Thar, Thrall studied the ancient culture of his people, which was almost completely forgotten under the reign of the treacherous Gul'dan. Over time, Thrall himself became a powerful shaman and took his rightful place as the leader of the clan. Filled with the power of the elements themselves, Thrall set out on a journey to free his people and lift their demonic curse.

During his travels, Thrall met the old warchief Orgrim Doomhammer, who had lived as a hermit for many years. Doomhammer was a close friend of Thrall's father. He decided to help the young orc free the captive clans. With the support of experienced warriors, Thrall managed to bring the Horde back to life and became its spiritual teacher.

A symbol of the rebirth of the orcs was Thrall’s march on the Durnholde fortress and the liberation of all prisoners from the camps; Blackmoore's sinister plans were not destined to come true. But this victory came at a high price: during the siege of one of the camps, Doomhammer was killed in battle.

Thrall took the legendary Doomhammer warhammer and donned his black armor; now he became the new leader of the Horde. Over the next few months, his small, elusive force raided Alliance prison camps; the Alliance army was powerless against him. Under the leadership of his best friend and mentor, Grom Hellscream, Thrall did everything possible to ensure that his people would never again experience the oppression of slavery.

Spider War

While Thrall was busy liberating his brethren in Lordaeron, Ner'zhul continued to build a base in Northrend. He built a huge fortress over the Ice Crown, in which legions of the dead worked. But there was one empire ready to resist the growing power of the Lich King. An elite squad of warriors was sent from the ancient underground kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, founded by a race of sinister humanoid spiders. They had to attack Icecrown and stop the Lich King, who was obsessed with absolute domination. To his disappointment, Ner'zhul discovered that Nerub's warriors were immune not only to the plague, but also to his telepathy.

The spider lords of Nerub had at their disposal a considerable army and a network of underground tunnels stretching over almost half of the territory of Northrend. They attacked in small detachments, and this did not allow the Lich King to deal with them once and for all. In the end, Ner'zhul managed to win this war, dealing a crushing blow to the warriors of Nerub. Together with the sinister dreadlords and a huge army of undead, the Lich King attacked Azol-Nerub and brought down their underground temples on the heads of the spider lords.

Despite the Nerub warriors' immunity to the plague, Ner'zhul managed to resurrect the spider warriors and bend them to his will. Ner'zhul paid tribute to their strength and bravery by borrowing their unusual architectural style to build his fortresses and structures. Having gotten rid of all opponents, the Lich King could finally begin to fulfill his true mission in this world. He turned his thoughts to the lands of people, looking for those in whose souls darkness was hidden, those who heard his ominous call...

Kel'Thuzad and the Creation of the Scourge

Many powerful people heard the call of the Lich King from Northrend. Among them was Kel'Thuzad, the supreme mage of Dalaran, one of the elders of the Kirin Tor, the council of Dalaran. For many years he was considered a renegade for his desire to study the forbidden arts of necromancy. He wanted to know as much as possible about the world of magic and dark wonders, but the limited and old-fashioned views of his colleagues disappointed him. When the Archmage heard a mysterious voice from Northrend, he did his best to answer the call. Kel'Thuzad was convinced that the Kirin Tor were too weak to master the power and knowledge contained in the dark arts, and so he himself decided to become an apprentice to the powerful Lich King.

Kel'Thuzad abandoned the teachings of the Kirin Tor and left Dalaran forever, abandoning all his wealth and high position in society. Obeying the voice of the Lich King in his thoughts, he sold everything he had and hid his wealth. He traveled a long way by land and sea - and finally reached the icy shores of Northrend. Intent on reaching Icecrown and offering his service to the Lich King, the Archmage passed through the war-ravaged lands of Azol-Nerub. Kel'Thuzad saw with his own eyes how powerful and furious Ner'zhul was. He began to realize how wise his decision was to enter into an alliance with the mysterious Lich King and what fruits this alliance could bring.

After many months of wandering the harsh, snowy wastes, Kel'Thuzad finally reached Icecrown. He boldly approached Ner'zhul's dark fortress, and, to his surprise, the undead guards silently parted - as if they were waiting for the magician here. Kel'Thuzad descended deep beneath the frozen ground and reached the heart of the glacier. There, in the endless caves of ice, he bowed before the Frozen Throne and offered his soul to the dark lord of the undead.

The Lich King was pleased with the new recruit. He promised Kel'Thuzad immortality and unprecedented strength in exchange for devotion and obedience. Kel'Thuzad longed for this power and knowledge of the dark arts and joyfully accepted his first great mission - to go to the world of men and found a new religion, whose followers would worship the Lich King as a god.

To make it easier for Kel'Thuzad to complete his task, Ner'zhul left him with a human appearance. Aged, but nevertheless able to attract supporters, the magician had to use his gifts of persuasion and illusion to instill faith and hope in the oppressed inhabitants of Lordaeron. After this, he had to show them how much better they could live under the rule of the new king.

Kel'Thuzad returned to Lordaeron in a new guise and three years later, thanks to his wealth and intelligence, he gathered a secret brotherhood around himself. This brotherhood, which he called the Cult of the Damned, promised all its servants absolute equality and eternal life in Azeroth in exchange for service and obedience to Ner'zhul. Months passed; More and more adherents of the Cult of the Damned came to Kel’Thuzad. Kel'Thuzad achieved his goal surprisingly easily: many lost faith in the Holy Light and began to worship the dark lord Ner'zhul. The Cult of the Damned was becoming more and more influential, but thanks to Kel'Thuzad, the authorities of Lordaeron still did not notice the changes...

Pleased with Kel'Thuzad's success in Lordaeron, the Lich King prepared to attack human civilization. Ner'zhul placed clots of plague energy into mobile artifacts called plague cauldrons, and ordered Kel'Thuzad to transport them to Lordaeron, where they were to be hidden in the villages of the Cult's followers. The cauldrons were to be guarded by the servants of the Cult, and subsequently used as sources of plague, spreading throughout all the villages and cities in the north of Lordaeron.

The Lich King's plan worked perfectly. The plague struck many northern villages almost instantly. As in Northrend, residents infected with the plague died and rose from the dead as loyal slaves of the Lich King. Members of the Cult created by Kel'Thuzad voluntarily wished to die and become servants of their dark master. They longed to gain immortality through unlife. As the plague spread, the northern lands were overrun by hordes of merciless zombies. Kel'Thuzad named the new army the Scourge of the Lich King. This army was to conquer Lordaeron and wipe out humanity from the face of the earth.

Alliance Remnants

The rulers of the Alliance were unaware of the emergence of the Cult of the Damned in their lands: they were much more preoccupied with territorial disputes and the decline of their political influence. King Terenas of Lordaeron began to suspect that the pact they had made in their hour of need would soon no longer hold back their former allies. Terenas convinced the Alliance rulers to provide money and workers to rebuild the southern kingdom of Stormwind, destroyed during the orc attack on Azeroth. Increased taxes and the high cost of maintaining orc prison camps led many of the rulers, particularly Genn Greymane of Gilneas, to consider secession from the Alliance.

To make matters worse for the Alliance, the high elves of Silvermoon terminated the alliance treaty, claiming that the Alliance's failure to lead led to the burning of their forests during the Second War. Terenas restrained his anger, reminding the elves that if not for the hundreds of his valiant warriors who gave their lives defending Quel'Thalas, there would be nothing left of this place. But the elves did not give in to his persuasion. Following them, Gilneas and Stromgarde left the Alliance.

Even though the Alliance was falling apart, King Terenas still had allies he could count on. Admiral Proudmoore of Kul Tiras and the young King of Azeroth, Varian Wrynn, remained loyal to the Alliance. In addition, the wizards of the Kirin Tor, led by Archmage Antonidas, assured Terenas of their loyalty. Perhaps the most encouraging circumstance was the support of the mighty dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard, who swore that the dwarves of Ironforge would always remain sacredly loyal to the Alliance because the Alliance forces liberated Khaz Modan from the Horde.

Chapter V. Return of the Burning Legion

Scourge of Lordaeron
Events Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos

After months of preparation, the Cult of the Damned, led by Kel'Thuzad, struck the first blow, unleashing a plague on the lands of Lordaeron. Uther and his paladins explored the infected areas in hopes of finding a way to stop the plague; but despite all their efforts, the disease continued to spread, threatening to completely destroy the Alliance.

Hordes of undead continued to march through the lands of Lordaeron, and Prince Arthas, the only son of Terenas, decided to oppose them. Arthas managed to kill Kel'Thuzad, but the ranks of the undead swelled with every fallen soldier defending their lands. The enemies seemed invincible, and Arthas fell into despair; he had to take extreme measures. He eventually learned from the soldiers that he was beginning to lose his human qualities.

Arthas' fear and determination led to his death. He wanted to destroy the threat to his land and for this he reached the source of the plague in Northrend, but he himself fell victim to the power of the Lich King. Hoping to save his people, Arthas took up the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne. The sword gave Arthas unprecedented power, but took his soul, turning the prince into one of the most powerful death knights, subjects of the Lich King. Having lost his soul and sanity, Arthas led the Scourge and led an army against his own kingdom. Arthas killed his father, King Terenas, and threw the defeated kingdom of Lordaeron at the feet of the Lich King.

Sunwell - Fall of Quel'Thalas

Although Arthas crushed everyone he now considered his enemies, he was still haunted by the spirit of Kel'Thuzad. The Illusive Man said that Arthas must help bring him back to life in order to continue the Lich King's plan. To do this, Arthas had to bring the remains of Kel'Thuzad to the magical Sunwell, hidden in the high elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

The Scourge army led by Arthas invaded Quel'Thalas and surrounded the small army of elves. Sylvanas Windrunner, leader of the rangers of Silvermoon, bravely entered into an unequal battle with the enemy, but Arthas destroyed the entire army of the high elves and reached the Sunwell. As proof of his superiority, the ruthless Arthas resurrected Sylvanas as a banshee to serve the enslaver of Quel'Thalas forever.

Arthas then immersed Kel'Thuzad's remains in the sacred waters of the Sunwell. The mighty waters of Eternity were polluted by this atrocity, but Kel'Thuzad was resurrected and returned to this world as a powerful lich. Kel'Thuzad, his powers now greatly increased, explained the next stage of the Lich King's plan. When Arthas and his undead army turned south, not a single living elf remained in the lands of Quel'Thalas. The glorious kingdom of the High Elves, which had existed for over nine thousand years, no longer existed.

Return of Archimonde and escape to Kalimdor

Once Kel'Thuzad returned to life, Arthas led the Scourge south to Dalaran. There the lich had to find Medivh's spell book and use it to return Archimonde to this world. After this, Archimonde was to lead the Legion and lead it into the decisive battle. Even the wizards of the Kirin Tor could not prevent Arthas from taking possession of Medivh's book, and Kel'Thuzad could only read the spell. But their journey did not end in Dalarna. Under orders from Kil'jaeden himself, Archimonde and his demons followed the Scourge into Kalimdor to destroy Nordrassil, the Tree of Life.

Amidst all this chaos, a mysterious prophet appeared who became a savior and mentor for mortals. This prophet turned out to be none other than Medivh himself, the last Guardian, who miraculously returned from the Abyss to atone for all his sins. Medivh told the Horde and the Alliance about the mortal danger that faced them and urged them to join forces. Orcs and people, who had been at war for more than one generation, did not want to listen to him. Medivh had to communicate with each race separately, tricking them into crossing the sea and setting foot on the legendary land of Kalimdor. Soon, orcs and humans discovered the Kaldorei civilization, which had been hidden for a long time.

The orcs who set out across the Steppes of Kalimdor under the leadership of Thrall were plagued by misfortune. They formed an alliance with Cairne Bloodhoof and his mighty tauren warriors, but at the same time many orcs began to be overcome by a thirst for blood, which tormented them for many years. Grom Hellscream, Thrall's best lieutenant, betrayed the Horde and allowed his basest instincts to get the better of him. Making their way through Ashenvale, Hellscream and his loyal Warsong warriors came across ancient night elf Sentinels. The demigod Cenarius decided that the orcs were again thirsty for war, and wanted to drive them out of their lands. But Hellscream and his warriors, filled with supernatural rage and malice, killed Cenarius and desecrated the ancient forests. Ultimately, Hellscream was able to restore his honor by defeating, together with Thrall, Mannoroth, the demon who doomed the orcs to an eternal thirst for blood. The death of Mannoroth ended the terrible curse of the orcs.

While Medivh tried to convince the orcs and humans of the need to join forces, the night elves themselves fought the Legion. Tyrande Whisperwind, the immortal high priestess of the night elf Sentinels, fought desperately against the demons and undead to prevent them from overrunning Ashenvale. Tyrande realized that she could not cope alone, and ordered to awaken the night elf druids from their centuries-old sleep to ask them for help. Calling upon the aid of Malfurion Stormrage, her old love, Tyrande strengthened the defenses and forced the Legion to retreat. Malfurion forced nature itself to rebel against the armies of the Legion and the Scourge.

While searching for druids who had not yet been awakened, Malfurion came across an ancient prison in which he imprisoned his brother Illidan. Tyrande freed him in hopes that he would join them in the fight against the Legion. Illidan helped them for some time, but then fled, deciding that his personal goals were more important to him.

The night elves gathered their strength and, full of determination, entered the battle with the Burning Legion. The Legion always wanted to take possession of the Well of Eternity, which fed the Tree of Life and was the heart of the kingdom of the night elves. If the Legion managed to capture the Tree, the demons could literally tear the world apart.

Battle of Mount Hyjal

Medivh convinced Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore, ruler of Theramore in Kalimdor, to put aside their differences. The night elves, led by Malfurion and Tyrande, also agreed that unification was necessary to protect the World Tree. Having entered into an alliance for one purpose, the races of Azeroth worked together to strengthen the energies of the World Tree as much as possible. Malfurion, endowed with the powers of the world, managed to awaken the primal rage of Nordrassil and crush Archimonde, severing the Legion's ties to the Well of Eternity. The final battle shook Kalimdor to its core. No longer able to draw energy from the Well of Eternity itself, the Burning Legion fell under the onslaught of an army that united all the mortal races of Azeroth.

Rise of the Traitor
Events Warcraft 3X: The Frozen Throne

During the Legion's attack on Ashenvale, Illidan was freed from his prison, where he had been imprisoned for ten thousand years. At first, Illidan tried to help his comrades, but he soon took on his true form and absorbed the energy of a powerful magical artifact called the Skull of Gul'dan. The Skull of Gul'dan gave Illidan a demonic appearance and great strength. In addition, he received part of Gul'dan's memories, mainly about the Tomb of Sargeras, a dungeon on the island where the remains of the Dark Titan Sargeras were rumored to be located.

Having regained the power and the ability to freely roam the world, Illidan set out in search of his destiny; but on this path he encountered Kil'jaeden, who made Illidan an offer that he could not refuse. Kil'jaeden was angered by Archimonde's defeat at Mount Hyjal, but he had more important matters to attend to than revenge. Kil'jaeden realized that the Lich King, his own creation, had become too powerful to be controlled, and so he ordered Illidan to kill Ner'zhul, destroying the Scourge once and for all. In return, he promised Illidan unprecedented power and an honorable place among the lords of the Burning Legion.

Illidan agreed and immediately set out in search of the Frozen Throne to destroy this ice vessel in which the soul of the Lich King was kept. Illidan knew that to do this he would need a powerful artifact. Using the knowledge passed to him with Gul'dan's memories, Illidan went to the Tomb of Sargeras to retrieve the remains of the Dark Titan. Illidan disturbed his old high-born debtors and lured snake-like creatures - nagas - from their underwater shelters. The naga, led by Lady Vashj, helped Illidan reach the Mystic Isles, where the Tomb of Sargeras was rumored to be located.

When Illidan, accompanied by the naga, set off, Maiev Shadowsong began to pursue him. Maiev had been Illidan's prison guard for ten thousand years and longed to return him to captivity. But Illidan, outwitting Maiev and her Watchers, managed to take possession of the Eye of Sargeras. Having found the powerful Eye, Illidan went to the former city of wizards - Dalaran. Taking the energy from the city's ley lines, Illidan used the Eye to strike a magical blow at the Icecrown citadel in distant Northrend. This blow crushed the Lich King's defenses and threatened the very roof of the universe. At the last moment, Illidan's destructive spell was stopped when his brother Malfurion and the priestess Tyrande came to Maiev's aid.

Knowing that Kil'jaeden would be unhappy with his failed attempt to destroy the Frozen Throne, Illidan fled to a lifeless world called Outland: the last remnants of Draenor, the former homeland of the orcs. There he wanted to hide from Kil'jaeden's wrath and think about his future plans. Having stopped Illidan, Malfurion and Tyrande returned to their homeland, to Ashenvale, in order to protect their people. However, Maiev did not agree to retreat so easily - she followed Illidan to Outland to punish him.

Rise of the Blood Elves

This time, the Scourge turned almost all of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas into the poisonous Plaguelands. There are only a few pockets of Alliance resistance left there. One of them, consisting mainly of high elves, was led by the last representative of the Sunstrider dynasty - Prince Kael'thas. Kael, an experienced mage, was concerned about the Alliance's weakness. His subjects, the high elves, saddened by the loss of their homeland, called themselves blood elves - in memory of their lost people. Deprived of the energy of the Sunwell, they held back the further advance of the Scourge at the cost of great suffering. When Kael realized that he could not find a cure for the magical addiction of his people, he did the irreparable. Remembering his common high-born ancestors, he sided with Illidan and his naga companions. The remaining leaders of the Alliance declared the blood elves traitors and banished them forever.

Kael and his subjects had no choice but to follow Lady Vashj into Outland and fight Maiev, who managed to recapture Illidan. By combining forces, the nagas and blood elves dealt with Maiev and freed him. Having settled in Outland, Illidan began to accumulate strength for the next blow against the Lich King and his stronghold of Icecrown.

Civil War in the Plaguelands

The Lich King Ner'zhul knew he had little time. Imprisoned in the Frozen Throne, he suspected that Kil'jaeden would try to destroy him. Illidan's spell irreversibly damaged the Throne, and every day the Lich King became weaker. In the hope of salvation, he called upon his greatest mortal servant, the death knight Arthas.

Despite the lack of strength caused by the weakness of the ruler, Arthas still got involved in a fratricidal war in Lordaeron. Then half of his surviving troops, led by the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, broke away from his control and took power into their own hands. Summoned by his master, Arthas was forced to hand over command of the Scourge to his second-in-command, Kel'Thuzad, as the war spread to new areas of the Plaguelands.

Ultimately, Sylvanas and her rebels, calling themselves the Forsaken, claimed the ruins of Lordaeron's capital as their own. In the dungeons beneath these ruins, they built their own fortress, vowing to defeat the Scourge and drive Kel'Thuzad from their lands.

Weakened, but determined to save his master, Arthas reached Northrend - and found Illidan’s naga there with the blood elves. In an effort to get ahead of the discovered enemy forces, Arthas and his allies from Nerub headed towards the Frozen Throne.

Triumph of the Lich King

Even though he was practically left without strength, Arthas managed to get ahead of Illidan and be the first to reach the Frozen Throne. With his runesword, Frostmourne, Arthas destroyed the ice prison, and then took Ner'zhul's enchanted helmet and armor from it. Placing the helmet on his head, Arthas became the new Lich King. The souls of Ner'zhul and Arthas merged together, gaining unprecedented power. Seeing that Arthas had become the most formidable being in the history of this world, Illidan and his troops were forced to flee back to Outland.

Currently, the Lich King Arthas resides in Northrend. They say that he is going to restore Icecrown. His loyal assistant Kel'Thuzad commands the Scourge forces in the Plaguelands. Sylvanas and her Forsaken hold only the Tirisfal Glades - a small part of the war-torn kingdom.

Ancient Hatred - Colonization of Kalimdor

Although the mortal races were victorious, their world was torn apart by war. The Scourge and the Burning Legion practically destroyed all the peoples of Lordaeron and almost finished their work in Kalimdor. Forests needed restoration, grievances needed oblivion, and devastated lands needed new inhabitants. The war inflicted severe wounds on each of the races, but they all found the strength to unite and start a new life. The first step towards it was a truce between the Alliance and the Horde.

Thrall led the orcs to the mainland of Kalimdor, where they found a new homeland with the help of their tauren brothers. Seeking to regain their former greatness, the orcs named their home Durotar in honor of Thrall's murdered father. When the demonic curse was lifted, the Horde transformed from a ruthless war machine into a relatively loose alliance, aimed not so much at conquering new lands, but at life and prosperity. Thrall and his orcs looked forward to a new era of peace, receiving help from the noble tauren and the cunning trolls of the Darkspear tribe.

The surviving Alliance troops under the command of Jaina Proudmoore settled in southern Kalimdor. On the eastern edge of the Dustwallow Marsh, they built the fortified port city of Theramore, where humans and dwarves joined forces to survive in this inhospitable land. Although the people of Durotar and Theramore maintained a tenuous truce, it could not last forever.

The peace between the orcs and humans was disrupted by the arrival of a massive Alliance fleet under the command of Jaina's father, Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. This fleet left Lordaeron just before the fall of the kingdom. During the long months of sailing, Admiral Proudmoore searched for any remaining Alliance allies.

Proudmoore's fleet posed a serious threat to the stability of the region. As a famous hero of the Second War, Jaina's father hated the Horde with all his heart. He was determined to destroy Durotar before the orcs gained a foothold in this land.

The Admiral presented Jaina with a terrible choice: oppose her newfound orc allies or fight her own father in hopes of preserving the fragile peace between the Alliance and the Horde. After strong mental tossing, Jaina chose the latter and sided with Thrall. Unfortunately, Admiral Proudmoore died in battle before he could make peace with Jaina and learn that the orcs were no longer bloodthirsty monsters. As a reward for their help, the orcs allowed Jaina and her subjects to return to Theramore unhindered.

Chapter IV. New time

New books are expected to arrive.

Indeed, the history of the Warcraft universe cannot simply be retold, but understanding how it is organized and which side is best to approach it is not so difficult. The following review will have a navigation function, and may be useful even to those who are in the know but would like to expand their knowledge. My goal in this answer will not be to retell the content of numerous sources, but to give the most general outline of events and show what place each source occupies in this outline.

Conventionally, the history of the universe can be divided into three sources: strategy, MMORPG World of Warcraft, books and comics. It seems that there are also board card games, but I don’t know anything about them, and these three layers of the universe will be more than enough for you.

The history covered in strategies can be divided into three parts, in accordance with the parts of the games.

Warcraft I, it’s the first war. A recently released film was made based on this part. It tells about the Horde's invasion of Azeroth, about Medivh, about the fall of Stormwind, about the death of King Llane.

Game: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Warcraft II, second war. Events after the fall of Stormwind, the story of how Anduin Lothar, Turalyon and Daelin Proudmoore fought back against the Horde. Then - the Alliance’s counter-offensive on the homeland of the orcs, Draenor, where Ner’zhul, since nothing worked out with Azeroth, wants to open portals to other worlds.

Games: Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness; Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.

Warcraft III, third war. The most intense and popular part of the game. The remaining orcs in Azeroth are kept in camps, and short-term peace and tranquility comes to Lordaeron. However, not everything is so rosy, since on the northern continent of Azeroth, Northrend, Ner'zhul, imprisoned in an ice throne, is gathering forces to start a third war.

Simultaneously with these events, the young slave Thrall begins to have strange dreams in which a stranger calls on him to lead the orcs to Kalimdor, the western mainland of Azeroth. In this part of the strategy, we get acquainted with the most famous heroes of the universe, with whom Warcraft is now actually associated: Arthas, Illidan, Kael’thas.

Games: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

The explanations that I give for each part are not even a retelling, but almost randomly selected facts to just give an idea of ​​what is happening in the game series, and, naturally, so as not to spoil it.

A logical continuation of the history of strategies was the famous World of Warcraft, which is also divided, but not into parts, but into addons.

WoW Classic: The Forsaken (Undead who no longer obey Arthas) join the Horde, so we get two coalitions that are unfriendly to each other.
Alliance: People, Dwarves, Dwarves, Night Elves. Horde: Orcs, Trolls, Taurens, Forsaken. The main antagonists of this stage are black dragons, ancient gods and Kel'Thuzad, who again began to spread the plague across Azeroth on the orders of Arthas, now the Lich King.

WoW Burning Crusade: A new people appears in Azeroth, the Draenei, whom the Alliance accepts into its ranks. The blood elves under the leadership of Lor "themar Theron join the Horde. The Dark Portal through which the orcs entered Azeroth during the first war opens again. The antagonists of the addition: Kael'thas, Illidan and the Burning Legion itself in the person of Kil'Jaden.

WoW Wrath of the Lich King: Some death knights join the Alliance and Horde, who decide to take the fight to the Lich King on his territory in this expansion. In this expansion, players will have to confront the Titans themselves, the creators of Azeroth and the Lich King.

WoW Cataclysm: The maddened Aspect of the Earth, the black dragon Deathwing, has awakened in the depths of the Underdark and is determined to destroy all of Azeroth with the help of the cult of the black hammer. Recently, the Kezan goblins have made enemies within the Alliance - several unexpectedly unprofitable transactions have forced some merchant magnates to abandon their comfortable position of neutrality. Old agreements with the Horde were renewed, and the Horde welcomed the goblins with open arms. Behind the wall of Greymane, in the city of people Gilneas, meanwhile, a strange madness gripped the inhabitants. It turned people into bloodthirsty werewolves, attacking anyone and everyone. Having dealt with this madness, the Gilneans began to call themselves Worgen, half-human, half-wolf, and found their home in the ranks of the Alliance.

WoW Mists of Pandaria: Suddenly, a new continent, Pandaria, previously hidden from view by a dense layer of mists, was discovered in the southern part of Azeroth. The Horde and the Alliance raced to this continent, started a war on it, thereby awakening strange Sha creatures, personifying our bad emotions and feelings. Some Pandaren decide to join the Horde and Alliance. Garrosh Hellscream, who became the leader of the Horde during the Cataclysm era, goes mad and brings back to life the heart of the ancient god I'Shaarj in order to strengthen his army and destroy the Alliance. Heroes of both factions are forced to begin the siege of Orgrimmar, the main city of the Horde, in order to overthrow the tyrant.

WoW Warlords of Draenor: Garrosh escapes justice with the help of the bronze dragon Kairozdormu (bronze dragons in World of Warcraft have the ability to manipulate time). Garrosh returns to the past, to a time when the orcs had not yet made their way into Azeroth. There he finds his father, Grommash, and shares the technology with which Garrosh hoped to destroy the Alliance. Grommash united all the scattered clans of the orcs of Draenor under his banner, making their leaders his warlords and began an invasion of Azeroth, not in the Azeroth of the first war, but in the times after the Pandaria campaign. Players become participants in the events of this most changed Draenor of the past.

And in August Legion awaits us, a new page in the history of Warcraft.

As you can see, the further the game's story develops, the more confusing and uninformative my retelling becomes. The reason for this is the complication of the story, the number of key characters increases several times. If for Warcraft I Garrona, Durotan and Lothar are important to us, then in Warcraft III Jaina, Arthas, Uther, Kel'Thuzad, Thrall, Medivh, Illidan, Maev and Kael'thas are equally important. Naturally, in order to adequately complete the stories of all these characters, the game space is completely insufficient. Therefore, the creators attract the third and final layer of sources - books.

At the moment, 22 books have been published, which are divided into three series.

I. Warcraft Series
Includes books that are not connected by a common plot:

1. Blood and Honor is the very first novel in the Warcraft universe, written by Chris Metzen (the father of the entire Warcraft universe). It tells the story of Tirion Fordring. The timeline, if I'm not mistaken, is after the second war.
2. Day of the Dragon - tells about the events after the second war. The main character of the book, the magician Ronin, rescues the supreme aspect, Alexstrasza, from captivity of the Horde.
3. Lord of the Clans - tells the story of Thrall (the same little orc who makes GRRR at the end of the film), how he began to revive the Horde, freeing the orcs from the Alliance camps.
4. The Last Guardian - narrated by Medivh the Guardian, with whom many are now also familiar thanks to the film.

II. Warcraft Series: War of the Ancients Trilogy
It tells about the events after the Battle of Mount Hyjal (Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos) and at the same time about those events that took place several thousand years before the first war.

Books included: 1. Source of Eternity 2. Soul of a Demon 3. Schism

III. World of Warcraft series
Also included are books loosely connected by a common plot:

1. Circle of Hatred - events a year before WoW, that is, after the first war. It tells how Jaina Proudmoore and Thrall tried to maintain peace between the Horde and the Alliance.
2. Rise of the Horde is the book that everyone should read before going to the movies to see Warcraft. It tells us who the orcs are and why they needed to attack Azeroth. He also introduces us to the draenei people, these are the same blue-skinned dudes who were killed at the beginning of the film.
3. Dark Tides - tells about the events of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.
4. On the other side of the dark portal - tells about the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.
5. Day of the Dragon is, in a sense, a continuation of Night of the Dragon and tells the story of the events between the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.
6. Arthas: Rise of the Lich King - biography of Arthas, naturally.
7. Stormrage - the only book that I can't localize in a time frame, talks about what the Emerald Dream is and about Malfurion Stormrage.
8. The Sundering: Prelude to Cataclysm - tells the story of the events between Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm.
9. Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects is a continuation of the previous book.
10. Heart of the Wolf - tells about the events after the Cataclysm, about how the leaders of the Alliance tried to protect Ashenvale from Garrosh, who was already beginning to go crazy.
11. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War - tells the story of Jaina Proudmoore, taking place before Mists of Pandaria.
12. Dawn of the Aspects - tells about the events after the Cataclysm, about what happened to the five Aspects after they gave up immortal power in the name of defeating Deathwing.
13. Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde - captures the events of Mists of Pandaria, specifically update 5.1.0 tells us about Vol'jin, who at the end of this addon becomes the new leader of the Horde.
14. War Crimes - tells about the events after Mists of Pandaria, about what happened to Garrosh after the Siege of Orgrimmar.
15. Illidan - the book was published in 2016, and as far as I understand, is a biography of Illidan Stormrage.

As you can see, these books are crazy, but there are also manga and comics that I won’t even write about here.

Whether you play World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, or have never heard anything about the legendary universe (which will be very strange), sometimes even ardent fans of the series have a hard time figuring out who is who, who they came from, and what they are fighting for. In this article I will try to briefly tell the history of the World of Warcraft because... It will be extremely difficult to tell about this game with all the details - the universe is truly huge.

War of the Gods and Titans

How did it all begin? Azeroth, the planet on which all the action of World of Warcraft takes place, is only one single planet in the universe, where there are other inhabited planets with other civilizations. Initially, Azeroth was inhabited for quite a long time by bloodthirsty elementals who worshiped their old Gods. Well, the current story began with the appearance of the titans - gods whose power is even greater. These same Titans travel across the universe from planet to planet, cover with vegetation, create rivers, seas, mountains and leave settlers, in general benefactors.

Azeroth was no exception to the rule. A long battle took place, as a result of which the Titans sent the elementals into custody, and went about their usual business - sowing the reasonable, the good, the eternal. Soon the continent of Kalimdor was created, which was settled by the first races without hesitation. And the guards were assigned dragons - powerful creatures and demigods.

Each of the dragons had their own sphere of activity and their own responsibilities: for example, Alexstrasza was responsible for life.

However, it was not possible to create an ideal world as usual. As soon as the Titans left Azeroth, the population began to experience great troubles and troubles. One of the dragons thought and decided to betray the Titans, and then go over to the side of evil. It was the dragon Neltharion (the same Deathwing from World of Warcraft and Hearthstone). Also, for no apparent reason, Sargeras, the most powerful of the Titans, changed his mind about being a good guy.

Sargeras began his conquest of Azeroth by enslaving the elves (a young race skilled in magic). The attack was repulsed, but the price of victory was great - Kalimdor split into 2 continents, and the elves themselves divided into 2 large camps and settled across different continents. Later, the population of Azeroth also expanded to include trolls, humans, and dwarves.

Where did the Orcs come from?

Those who are familiar with the game World of Warcraft were lucky enough to see the home world of the orcs - Draenor. Well, those who have recently encountered Warcraft most often think that orcs are such strong, evil barbarians that don’t feed them bread - let them fight. However, over time, it becomes clear that behind the rudeness lies courage, nobility and honor, and upon closer acquaintance with the orcs, it becomes clear that fellow orcs are much more peaceful than most of the inhabitants of Azeroth.

Indeed, on their home planet, the orcs manage to get along calmly with the draenei, a powerful and developed race. Initially, the orcs preferred a nomadic lifestyle, worshiping spirits and hunting peacefully. Well, then it happened that the orc race attracted the attention of Sargeras, who decided to carry out a series of events with the orcs and make them reliable allies.

One of Sargeras' minions, a certain magician Kil'jaeden, managed to take over the mind during the implementation of this insidious plan Gul'dana, a young and extremely capable orc shaman. Having gained unprecedented power in his hands, Gul'dan organizes the Council of Shadows. Having joined the ranks of this sect, simple peace-loving hunters in the past, under the instructions of Gul’dan, began to drink the blood of demons and turn into evil and cruel warriors with one single desire - to kill.

The Warsong clan, led by Grommash Hellscream, stood out prominently in the Orc Horde. However, the insidious Gul’dan was not happy with the enormous authority of the leader and, through intrigue, managed to transfer the post to Blackhand, under whose leadership the orcs easily defeated the draenei, with whom they had recently been friends. Well, the overthrown Grommash was in the forefront among those who began to drink the blood of the demon Mannoroth, and despite this, his life will end in a mortal battle with this same Mannoroth, in which he will be able to defeat the demon, die, but save his people from a terrible curse.

Having defeated all the draenei, the Orc Horde began preparations for an attack on Azeroth. The Dark Portal became the means of transportation to the new planet. On the other side of this portal, a human magician recruited by Sargeras, Medivh, was waiting for the Horde. The transition plan worked and the Horde began an invasion of Azeroth. However, not everyone in the ranks of the orcs was happy with the changes to their race. Durotan, the leader of the Frostwolf clan, unexpectedly stood up against Gul'dan, despite the fact that the forces were clearly unequal. But Gul’dan couldn’t just kill Durotan, because he had enormous authority and respect. I had to simply expel Durotan and his loyal allies to the remote edge of Azeroth.

The war between the Orc Horde and humans became the largest in the history of Azeroth. At a certain point, the orcs even managed to capture and destroy Stormwind, the capital of people, but the betrayal of Gul’dan (he unexpectedly left the horde) did not allow them to achieve complete victory. Having lost their leader, the Horde retreated until they returned to Draenor. Of course, the Okri simply did not calm down and built several more portals, but the magical ritual that was required to implement the plan worked completely differently this time, and the orc planet fell apart into separate parts. Those orcs who managed to move to Azeroth were sent to special camps; they were able to recover and became much less dangerous.

Thrall and the new Horde

And at this stage the story of the orc began Tralla, who was the son of Durotan and grew up among men. Thrall was raised in the family of a highly respected knight, where he learned many important things, such as fencing, battle tactics, and even reading books. Having matured, Thrall left home and went in search of his tribe, who lived in Azeroth. Thrall did a lot to create peace between people and orcs; he became friends with one of the most powerful and respected magicians of the entire alliance - Jaina.

Thrall again led the orcs against the people, but this time for freedom. Under his leadership, the orcs raided camps and freed their fellow tribesmen from slavery. Thrall was distinguished by the fact that he could not tolerate senseless, unnecessary cruelty, and this is what made it possible to create a new Horde, find allies among the trolls, undead and tauren, and after some time sign peace with the Alliance (orcs and people united against the lich king and his army, which began to threaten all of Azeroth).

Latest events

All the events described above are well covered directly in the Warcraft strategy series. And in the online game World of Warcraft, the topic of the first war between orcs and humans was touched upon only once (in the expansion The Burning Crusade, where players will be sent to one of the fragments of the former world of orcs).

The story of World of Warcraft ends when the new leader of the Horde, Garrosh Hellscream (directly the son of Grommash) again attempts to take over Azeroth, but is defeated. After the final battle, Garrosh manages to escape into the past.

Well, in the Warlords of Draenor add-on, Garrosh goes to Draenor, at a time when the orcs were not yet enslaved by Gul'dan, he convinces his father not to drink the blood of demons, after which the orcs create the same Horde and the Dark Portal, but in order to attack to modern Azeroth. Players will also be sent to Draenor in pursuit of Garrosh; they will need to strike at the Horde on its own territory.

A Brief History of the World of Warcraft was last modified: November 16, 2014 by admin

So, the long-awaited film adaptation of the Warcraft universe has hit the big screens. Whether there will be success and what kind of success will be shown by ratings and the box office, but regardless of these results there will be those who will be interested in the world of Warcraft. This material is intended for beginners who want to learn more about this universe and may want to play World of Warcraft.

So, let's go through the main points.

A Brief History of the Warcraft Universe

It is quite difficult to briefly retell the history of the world - without exaggeration, this is a truly massive setting, but we will try.

There are two main opposing forces of the universe - Light and Abyss. The forces of Light, naturally, are only for the prosperity and happiness of the entire universe, and the forces of the Abyss want to devour it all. The most powerful representatives of the Light are the race of Naaru and Titans, and the second played a more significant role in the formation of order than the first.

Titans are supernatural beings who began life in the so-called soul worlds. The first Titan was Aman'Thul, who, having awakened, began to look for his own kind. He awakened several more Titans and together with him they continued their search. Finding the next soul-world, they put the world in order in order to facilitate the awakening of the next Titan. Thus, life, including thinking, arose and developed on the planets.

The problem was that in addition to the physical universe in which the Titans lived, there was a parallel dimension - the Twisting Nether, in which demons lived (not to be confused with the Abyss, this is another evil and in another dimension). Demons penetrated the physical world and caused all sorts of outrages there. Two of the best titan warriors, Sargeras and Aggramar, were sent to fight these creatures. More or less successfully, they weeded out this infection and many demons ended up imprisoned on the prison planet, Mardum.

One day, Sargeras found a world where he discovered a sleeping Titan. At the same time, the planet was already struck by an infection - the Ancient Gods. Horrified by what he saw, he destroyed both the planet and the Ancient Gods and the unborn Titan. The act brought no less horror to the Pantheon of the Titans, and the act of Sargeras was condemned. Sargeras, in turn, seeing that he was not understood, left the Pantheon and went into exile, stopping the fight against demons.

After some time, Aggramar discovered another soul world and, again, the Ancient Gods on this planet. He called on the Titans for help and they decided to create an army of Titan-born - creatures with sufficient power to defeat the Ancient Gods. The military campaign began successfully and all the Ancient Gods except one were neutralized (but not killed). The Last Ancient One put up such powerful resistance that Aman'Thul had to intervene himself and literally tear him out of the planet. But the victory was still incomplete - the Ancient Gods could not be completely destroyed, since this could destroy it and kill the baby titan. Therefore, the Ancient Gods were imprisoned and the Titan-Born were assigned to them.

The Titans dealt with this problem, but another one arose. Sargeras, who went into exile, came to the conclusion that the Lords of the Abyss could only be stopped by destroying life in the physical world along with the Ancient Gods. And if life has already arisen once, it will arise again. This task was beyond his capabilities alone, so he decided to create an army. To do this, he freed the demons from Mardum and led them, becoming evil himself. The army of the Burning Legion, led by the Fallen Titan Sargeras, began a Crusade, destroying one world after another.

The Titans, having learned about this, decided to stop him, but did not succeed and all died in a battle with Sargeras and his demons. But besides this, Sargeras learned about the last Titan and the soul world, which was called... Azeroth. Since then, his goal has been to find this world and destroy it, so that the Lords of the Abyss could not create a powerful Dark Titan that would destroy the physical world completely (and not just life, as Sargeras wanted). Thus, Azeroth is a world in which the interests of powerful forces of good and evil intersect. The Lords of the Abyss need the Dark Titan, and Sargeras wants to destroy the world so that he does not appear. Well, the inhabitants of Azeroth want simple human happiness.

Sargeras eventually managed to find out where Azeroth was located and the Burning Legion made several assault attempts. The first attempt led to the War of the Ancients and the Great Schism, a global catastrophe that radically changed the geography of the planet. Sargeras made a second attempt ten thousand years later. To do this, it was decided to use the orcs, a people from the planet Draenor, who had previously been turned by Sargeras' emissaries into an army obedient to his will. The orc shamans were promised power, they drank the blood of one of the demons of the Burning Legion, and then other orcs did the same. Their skin turned green, and they themselves turned from harsh but peaceful hunters into bloodthirsty warriors. Then a passage was created between the worlds - the Dark Portal - and an army of orcs rushed to conquer this world. This is how the First War between Orcs and Humans happened.

This war was not the last, nor were the Burning Legion's attempts to invade Azeroth.

Plots of games and films in the general chronology of Warcraft

Now let’s talk about how the above relates to the plot of the film and games based on the setting.

The Warcraft universe was first embodied in the strategy game Warcraft: Orcs & Humans back in 1994. It was the events of the First War that formed the basis of this game. As a result of the First War, the orcs destroyed Stormwind, the capital of people, and occupied part of the lands. Having escaped, the people went by sea to the kingdom of Lordaeron. The orc army was later called the Horde.

It was this period in the history of Azeroth that was used as the basis for the current film adaptation. I won’t spoil it (they’re doing it now without me). Thus, what was the plot of the first computer game more than twenty years ago has now become the plot of the first (I hope) film based on the Warcraft universe.

In 1995, the second part, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, was released. Events take place six years later. The orcs decide to continue expansion, but people are not sitting idly by either. Through a series of political agreements, an Alliance of Men, Dwarves and Elves is formed. The second war ends with the victory of the Alliance. The orcs are driven back to Draenor, the Dark Portal is closed (for the time being). In addition to the second part, Beyond the Dark Portal, people infiltrate Draenor and conduct military operations there.

We had to wait seven long years for the continuation, when in the summer of 2002 Blizzard released the third part of Warcraft: Reign of Chaos. Here people have to fight off the invasion of the Burning Legion for the second time. Moreover, the threat is so great that the Horde and the Alliance had to forget about mutual claims and present a united front. The Frozen Throne add-on was released for this part.

Somewhere in the late 90s, the studio began developing an MMO game based on this popular setting. The game was released in 2004 and was a stunning success. Over the course of more than a decade, Blizzard has released five expansions and now the sixth is on the way, World of Warcraft: Legion, which will be released on August 30, 2016.

As for the current plot of the game, the Warlords of Draenor expansion is currently relevant and the action takes place several decades after the First War between Orcs and Men. I won’t retell it, because everything turned out to be very confusing from the point of view of time lines. One thing I will say is that the Draenor you will find yourself in if you start playing is the Draenor from an alternative timeline. For those who want to understand the details.

As for the upcoming expansion, everything is relatively simple - the Burning Legion, led by Sargeras, is making another attempt to invade Azeroth. Actually, that’s why the sixth addition will be called World of Warcraft: Legion. That is, in fact, if you want to try the game, now is the time. In the remaining three months, it is quite possible to level up to a level where you can fully start playing in the new addition.

That's it, in short. If not briefly, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with, which was released by Blizzard in March of this year. This is the latest version of the official history of the universe, which covers the period from the beginning of the universe and approximately 16 thousand years of history (don't worry, there are only one and a half hundred pages of text). The first volume ends 45 years before the opening of the Dark Portal.

Now a little about the setting itself. If they tell you that Wacraft is pure fantasy, they will only be partly right. In fact, there are strong elements of other fantasy genres, such as steampunk. There are high technologies and spaceships and much more. All this is retold in thousands of quests, which often represent fascinating story chains. In addition, a dozen and a half weighty books and several comics were published on the setting. That is, this is a truly rich world in events and heroes, which is comparable in scale to “The Lord of the Rings”, Star Wars and other popular fantasy franchises. Those critics who talk about it as a hodgepodge of fantasy cliches, in which there is nothing original, simply do not own the subject.

MMO World of Warcraft: for those who want to play

As for the World of Warсraft game itself, this MMO project will turn twelve years old this year. The period is sufficient and, despite the rather serious age, the number of players here is still in the millions. If you are interested in the history of the project, then you can read about it.

In order to start playing World of Warcraft, you need to purchase the game and pay for playing time. Currently, the game's starter pack includes all add-ons, including Warlords of Draenor. It costs 549 rubles. The cost of the Legion add-on is 1999 rubles (standard package). It is best to buy on the official website - eu.battle.net. The latest version of the game will be downloaded directly from the site and installed on your computer. You can subscribe on the same site.

In short, that's all for now.

We are like gods for the creatures of the field, my jigit.
We know the hour of their birth and the hour of death.
In the meantime, we have responsibilities to them.
.

Online game World of Warcraft at one time it literally entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most popular MMORPG on the planet. The universe of Azeroth, where WOW takes place, is known today to millions of users better than the geographical details of their own countries. The game has already educated several generations, becoming for many one of the best memories of their youth.

A long time ago Warcraft- this is much more than simple entertainment. This is a philosophy, a lifestyle and a way of self-realization. And damn me if I don’t consider World of Warcraft one of the most successful games of our time!

Where did World of Warcraft come from?

What do you know about the company Blizzard? I’m sure there are quite a few: these talented guys own such platinum hits as Diablo And Starcraft. And, of course, World of Warcraft. Agree, it’s difficult to explain such a champion lineup by luck alone. Behind millions of sales and tens of millions of subscribers is a colossal amount of work and a selfless love for games.

And it was this love that prompted a group of developers from the then unknown Blizzard to create an RTS on a fantasy theme in 1994. Moreover, the ideological inspirer of such a step was the once incredibly popular, but now completely sunk into oblivion Dune 2. Having turned the code a little in their hands and studied some basic principles, the programmers from Blizzard firmly decided that they could do no worse.

And now, after very little time, the “great uncle” of World of Warcraft appears on the arena - the game "Orcs and Humans". Of course, the appearance of the game would plunge a modern gamer into an aesthetic shock, but for gamers of that time it was a breakthrough and an ideal of beauty. Yes, a lot of things were still buggy and didn’t want to behave correctly, but the playability was already at its best. The main thing that interests us about the game is that it laid the initial foundation for the special gaming world of Warcraft, which today has turned into a huge universe with its own history.

After just a little time, already in 1995, a real hit of the end of the 20th century appeared - the game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. The same orcs and people who were present in the first part continued to conduct their usual showdowns. But now it happened in a much more meaningful and convenient way for the player. And the appearance of the game has changed significantly. And although the second part of Warcraft was written for MS-DOS, it worked perfectly on Windows 95. In addition, there was also a special version for Macintosh.

I can say the following about the popularity of the game: in 1996, there were already more than 1 million officially sold copies of the game. It was also incredibly popular in Russia, but I’m not sure that there would have been even a hundred official versions in the whole country. The current rampant piracy is nothing compared to what happened before. However, this is already lyrics.

And so, the next stop is 1999, when Blizzard releases a version WarCraft II: Battle.net Edition.

You are absolutely right, in this version it was already possible to play via LAN and . It became clear that, having tasted success, the company would not stop. The gaming world was agitated by the most incredible rumors. Something was expected that the gaming community had not yet seen. And then 2003 came...

The emergence of World of Warcraft

In 2003, the long-awaited third part of Warcraft was released - The Frozen Throne. It was a triumph! The popularity of the game became simply incredible: fresh copies were sold out in the hundreds of thousands. It would seem that it’s time to calm down: write addons and . But Blizzard is not the type to be content with half measures. At the beginning of 2004, a Battle.net representative office opened in Europe, and then, in November 2004, the long-awaited premiere - World of Warcraft - was released. with amazing features and excellent functionality.

Reports from that time indicate that tens of thousands of players subscribed to the game every day, thereby once again proving the correctness of the company’s path. Gradually, Blizzard is patching up gaps, fixing bugs and conducting a massive PR campaign, attracting more and more new adherents to the game.

WOW recognition

In 2007, the Guinness Book staff announced their verdict: MMORPG World of Warcraft gains more than 8 million subscribers and becomes the most popular online game in the world. By 2010, the number of fans of the game increased to 10 million. And these are just flowers: according to official data from the company at the beginning of 2014, the total number of WOW players is estimated at a crazy figure - 100 million people. It couldn't be more serious.

In the period from 2004 to 2014, several add-ons were released at once, which became the main source of game traffic. It was noticed that as soon as the company announced a new addition, the number of subscribers immediately increased. What can we say, Blizzard knows the gaming market very well and is well versed in how to attract its audience.

And the game became so popular that full-fledged works of fiction were written based on it, and it was even announced that in the future it was planned to release a full-fledged feature film based on this already quite popular franchise. In addition to selling services at its gaming games, the company earns enormous sums from the sale of souvenirs and paraphernalia based on the game. There is even a separate board game based on the world of WOW.

And a little tar...

What else can you say at the end? Perhaps we need to remember that every coin has two sides. Likewise, World of Warcraft is not going smoothly from a moral point of view. Facts of gamers dying from exhaustion and overwork after a multi-day gaming “marathon” are already known. A consistent pattern was identified: after the appearance of new game addons, the number of gaming-related suicides (especially in the younger age group) increases significantly. Some public organizations are even sounding the alarm, equating adherence to World of Warcraft to drug addiction.

And yet I will not allow myself to condemn the creators of the game: it is not their fault that they love their work so much that they created a game so crazy in terms of drive. They did their job and, I must admit, they did it perfectly. Good luck to you, WOW!