by Blizzard
Most of the remaining clans streamed through the Dark Portal: the Blackrocks, the Black Tooth Grin, the Bleeding Hollow, the Burning Blade, the Dragonmaw, and the Twilight’s Hammer.
The Frostwolf clan also came through. Over the past year, Chieftain Durotan had continued questioning Gul’dan’s motives and protesting against the use of fel magic. Despite his disgust with the Horde’s leadership, he had brought his people through the Dark Portal. There was no future on Draenor; only on Azeroth could they survive another generation.
The Frostwolves initially fought against the humans alongside the other clans, but their destiny did not lie with the Horde. Gul’dan later confronted Durotan in secret. The warlock told him that his clan was no longer part of the Horde and that the Frostwolves had to leave the Black Morass immediately. If they ever returned, if they ever contacted any member of the Horde, Gul’dan promised to destroy every Frostwolf male, female, and child.
Durotan was loath to part from his fellow orcs, but he had just learned that his mate, Draka, was pregnant. He did not want to risk her, or their unborn child, by testing Gul’dan’s wrath. And he knew why Gul’dan was letting them live—if Durotan were killed, it would make him a martyr and give his warnings weight among the rest of the Horde.
Durotan and his clan struck out north. The journey was frightening. Azeroth’s terrain was unfamiliar, and Stormwind’s humans treated every orc as an enemy. Yet the Frostwolves had an advantage—elemental spirits dwelled on Azeroth, and they were strong.
Discovering Azeroth’s native spirits shook one of the clan’s former shaman, Drek’Thar. It reminded him of the heritage he’d abandoned on Draenor. Drek’Thar renounced his use of fel magic and asked the elements for aid, and he received a small gift. The spirits showed him a path to remote, frost-lined mountains far to the north. It was a climate that was similar in some ways to that of Frostfire Ridge. The clan immediately set out to find these mountains.
The Horde’s war of conquest had truly begun. Warchief Blackhand ordered raiding parties to go north and west, cutting deep into Stormwind’s lands. There was no more need for secrecy; Blackhand wanted to provoke the humans to anger, believing that these smaller creatures would be ineffective in their fury.
Blackhand’s first assaults were meant to drive the human populace to panic. Entire villages in Brightwood, Westfall, and the southern Redridge Mountains fell to the Horde, their inhabitants either killed or forced to flee. Whenever Stormwind’s patrols rode in to fend off the orcs, they were already gone. They were unlike any enemy the humans had ever faced.
Stormwind’s leaders understood that the war had entered a new phase. King Llane quickly discarded any thoughts of approaching this fight the way his father, Barathen, had wanted to deal with the trolls. There was no chance of de-escalation. The orcs meant to conquer.
King Llane named Lothar the “King’s Champion,” the highest military rank in the kingdom, and he charged him with ending the orcish threat. Lothar decided to use his enemy’s mobility against them. From scouting reports, he saw patterns in the ways the Horde would strike its targets. He set up ambushes along the orcs’ paths of retreat, placing large numbers of troops under the command of a loyal knight known as Gavinrad the Dire. Sometimes, small units of these human knights were able to bring down entire orc raiding parties without any casualties.
The orcs soon learned that the humans were unlike any enemy they had faced, either. Stormwind’s clerics called upon the Holy Light to mend the wounded, while magi wreaked havoc on the Horde with their command of the arcane arts. Though the orcs had encountered these powers when they’d fought the draenei, the humans used their abilities in different ways.
Then there were the knights on horseback. The swift and heavily armored soldiers were capable of running down orc raiders and fleeing from ambushes. Faced with these resilient and highly mobile enemies, the orcs were forced to adapt in ways they never had before.
In Stormwind City, King Llane had sounded the alarm. He dispatched messengers to the other human kingdoms, warning them of fearsome green-skinned invaders who had mysteriously appeared in the world. He asked for help, but received none.
Llane’s reports were not believed by any other leader on the continent. Lordaeron, the nation most likely to offer aid, had received contrary information. A visiting noble from Stormwind had attracted much attention in Lordaeron’s court when he openly mocked King Llane, claiming that the fighting was actually a war of rebellion by disgruntled citizens. Lordaeron sent a polite response to Llane, wishing him luck against “whoever was causing him such troubles.” No soldiers were dispatched to aid Stormwind.
It did not help that Stormwind had developed a reputation for isolationism in recent decades, which many other nations saw as arrogant. The kingdom had prided itself on standing alone.
Now it had no choice.
Most of the Horde’s attacks were directed north, toward Stormwind. Yet a few raiding parties forged into the western jungles of Stranglethorn Vale. Chieftain Kilrogg Deadeye and his Bleeding Hollow led these efforts—the region reminded them of their ancestral home, and they had aims of claiming it for themselves.
Unbeknownst to the orcs, Stranglethorn was Gurubashi territory. Just as when the humans had violated their land years earlier, the trolls united to fight back this new threat. In the thick jungle, the fighting was unspeakably vicious. The trolls knew ways to strike fear into the hearts of their enemies…but so did the Bleeding Hollow. Generations of surviving in a jungle beset by the remnants of the Evergrowth had instilled a savage instinct into the orcs’ warfare.
Even so, the Bleeding Hollow were at a severe disadvantage. They seemed to outnumber the Gurubashi in every skirmish, but the trolls knew the land too well. They were willing to give up vast swaths of jungle to draw the orcs deeper into Gurubashi territory. The trolls would then launch bloody ambushes from all directions, resulting in horrific losses for the Bleeding Hollow.
Had the Gurubashi not been so weakened by their attack on Stormwind—and by Medivh’s defense of the city—they might have matched the Horde in strength. Yet the trolls could not muster the numbers to do anything but wage a guerrilla campaign in the jungles.
But that was enough. When Warchief Blackhand found out how many orcs were dying in Stranglethorn Vale—for no apparent gain—he ordered the Bleeding Hollow to retreat and join the fight against the humans. The Horde would deal with the troublesome trolls later.
The Gurubashi did not pursue the orcs out of the jungle. The trolls remained inside their own territory, ever on alert for another invasion.
Combat against the Horde was a brutal affair for Stormwind. The wounds inflicted by the orcs’ mighty weapons could cause a human to bleed out within minutes.
One of the great sources of hope on the battlefield was the group of clerics who risked their lives to heal soldiers wounded in combat. The Holy Order of Northshire Clerics had its members accompany every Stormwind patrol and battalion into the fray, just as they had in wars past.
These clerics traced their roots to the Church of the Holy Light in Lordaeron. Long ago, they had established the Northshire Abbey in Stormwind and become a critical component of the kingdom. The clerics had been present on the battlefields of various conflicts, including the Gnoll War and the war against the Gurubashi. In some cases, their compassion had even granted them safety on the battlefield. The clerics were known to heal wounded gnolls and trolls in the past.
Such was not the case with the Horde. The orcs ruthlessly targeted every cleric they found, knowing that these healers could return a wounded human to battle. Many of the clerics died; without armor or weapons, they could do nothing against the Horde’s fury.
Despite mounting losses among their ranks, the clerics never hesitated from joining the battle. Their bravery became legendary among Stormwind’s forces.
HUMANITY AND THE HOLY LIGHT
Sacrifice and courage were among the founding principles of the Church of the Holy Light
. The church traced its origins back more than two thousand years ago, all the way to the chaos of the Troll Wars. A human general, Lordain, selflessly gave his life to hold off an overwhelming force of Amani trolls that threatened to destroy a united human army. One of the people he saved was his sister, a renowned warrior named Mereldar.
When the war ended, Mereldar dedicated her life to caring for humanity’s wounded veterans. It was she who first spoke to other humans about visions of the Light. In her dreams, Mereldar saw five strange forms, not human, thrumming with holy power. They filled her mind with the wisdom of holiness, protection, justice, retribution, and compassion. When she put their wordless teachings into practice, power seemed to flow through her. The patients under her care would see their wounds disappear and their illnesses vanish.
Other humans also reported seeing these visions. Mereldar met with them, and together, they codified the radiant wisdom of this higher power into the written word. From the teachings in these books, a religious movement formed. It was based on the tenet of selflessness, and a belief that the Light dwelled in all things. The movement sparked widespread faith in the Holy Light and became the predominant human religion.
Centuries later, Lordaeron’s leaders codified the different Light-based traditions and belief systems. From these efforts, the Church of the Holy Light came to be. Lordaeron served as the home of this church. It became a popular destination for travelers seeking healing, wisdom, and inner peace.
Humans were not the first race on Azeroth to wield the Holy Light. Yet they had a great affinity to it, likely due to their heritage. Humanity traced its origins to the vrykul, half-giants forged by the mythical keepers. The extraordinary keepers had shaped Azeroth, and some of them had commanded the Holy Light.
The church constructed temples and shrines throughout the far-flung human lands, and it created a hierarchy of religious leaders to oversee its followers. The most important places of worship were located in the verdant Eastweald. Among the oldest and most revered of these holy sites were Light’s Hope Chapel, Stratholme, Andorhal, and Tyr’s Hand.
As the war against Stormwind unfolded in earnest, the Twilight’s Hammer clan became a source of irritation for Warchief Blackhand. The clan’s warriors were prone to disobey orders, and too many of their number wandered off, never to be seen again.
Blackhand considered “making an example” of them and erasing the entire clan from existence. The ogre mage Cho’gall intervened. He had been acting as the Twilight’s Hammer’s de facto leader, and he offered to become their official chieftain in order to keep them in line. The warchief let him try, and he was pleasantly surprised to discover that Cho’gall was able to end their disciplinary problems almost overnight. The Twilight’s Hammer became obedient, effective soldiers, and Blackhand put their past mistakes out of his mind.
Cho’gall’s success lay with his deep understanding of the Twilight’s Hammer and their beliefs. They were a clan attuned to dark energies, a people who worshipped the powers of the Void. The moment they’d arrived on Azeroth, they had heard the Void’s call louder and clearer than they ever had. There were creatures of shadow here, terrible beings of chaos and entropy, imprisoned in different locations but still alive and yearning to corrupt Azeroth.
The Twilight’s Hammer were hearing the whispers of the ancient Old Gods. These beings dwelled in enchanted prisons deep below the earth. Discovering them had overwhelmed the Twilight’s Hammer, driving the orcs into a state of sheer ecstasy.
This was seen by the clan as a sign of destiny. The Twilight’s Hammer had found the place where they belonged—the place where they would bring about the Hour of Twilight.
The presence of the Old Gods had a profound impact on Cho’gall. Though he had believed the Void was a powerful force, he had cared little for the Twilight’s Hammer’s mad ravings about dark gods. Now, he had proof of their existence.
THE OLD GODS
Long ago, the void lords launched physical manifestations of their power throughout the universe. These monstrous creatures were known as the Old Gods, and their purpose was to find and corrupt a nascent titan. Most of the void lords’ minions failed, but there were a few who almost succeeded.
A number of Old Gods landed on ancient Azeroth and began shrouding its sleeping titan spirit in shadow. They enslaved the world’s native elementals and lorded over much of the primordial terrain. Before the Old Gods could finish corrupting Azeroth’s world-soul, Aggramar and other titans discovered their presence.
A cataclysmic war soon raged for control of Azeroth. The titans and their servants narrowly triumphed, and they shackled the Old Gods in tombs beneath the earth. Yet these entities would not stay contained forever. The Old Gods’ influence seeped out into the world, and many creatures fell to their control. Perhaps the most powerful of these servants was the black Dragon Aspect, Death wing.
Cho’gall agreed to help the fanatical clan enact its apocalyptic prophecy, and he brought its members under control with one simple notion. He told them that the Hour of Twilight was not far off, and that the Horde’s success would be the best way to bring that moment to fruition.
Until then, they needed to keep up appearances with Warchief Blackhand and obey their true masters in secret. The clan agreed. The Old Gods seemed pleased with the Horde’s lust for war and destruction, so it was no great sacrifice to proceed with the conquest of the world.
As the weeks passed and Cho’gall attuned himself to the Old Gods, he branded the Twilight’s Hammer’s prophecies onto the skin of Pale orcs. He then cut off their flesh to form pages, creating a book that codified teachings about the Void. This book, the Twilight Canticle, would become a source of power and motivation for the followers of the Old Gods for decades.
While the Horde waged its war, the exiled Frostwolves moved north. They avoided almost all contact with humans thanks to the aid of the elements. Shortly after the Frostwolves arrived at their new home, the Alterac Mountains, Draka gave birth to a boy whom she would name Go’el.
This should have been a beautiful moment for Draka and Durotan. Instead, it filled them with horror. Their son’s skin was green. He was infected with the orcs’ blood-curse. For Durotan, this was the last straw. Gul’dan’s pact with his masters had damned the orc race for all generations.
He decided he could no longer stand by and do nothing about the dark forces controlling the Horde, no matter the consequences. Neither could Draka.
Durotan and Draka told the Frostwolves to remain in the mountains and carve out a new life while they went back to the Horde to reveal the truth. The chieftain, his mate, and their new son, Go’el, made the treacherous journey south.
Drek’Thar called on his shamanic powers to send word to Orgrim Doomhammer. The elemental spirits whispered in the Blackrock warrior’s dreams, revealing to him that Durotan was coming south and that he wished to meet at the edge of a land known as Loch Modan.
Orgrim did not tell Blackhand of the meeting. Like Durotan, Orgrim had become wary of fel magic, Gul’dan, and Warchief Blackhand. He deplored the banishment of the Frostwolf clan, seeing it as further proof that the Horde’s leadership was corrupt. He had also learned of the Shadow Council’s existence, and he considered the order dishonorable and manipulative.
Orgrim pretended to set up a scouting mission and took only a few trusted guards to Loch Modan, where Durotan was waiting. The Frostwolf chieftain showed him Go’el and explained everything he had uncovered: the mysterious warning he had received before the orcs had gathered at the Throne of Kil’jaeden, his theory that Gul’dan was in league with some dark force that was bent on manipulating the Horde—all that he knew.
Orgrim was shaken, but he was not entirely surprised. He told Durotan about something he had seen in recent weeks: the fel energies from Draenor were creeping out from the Dark Portal and into the Black Morass. Soon, this world would be as dead as the one they had come from.
Durotan, Draka, and Orgrim agreed that Gul’dan and Blackhan
d needed to be dealt with at all costs. Orgrim would return to the Horde alone and play along with the leadership’s plans for the moment. He urged Durotan and Draka to take shelter in the north until he sent word to them. Orgrim commanded his guards to accompany the Frostwolves on their journey home and keep them safe.
That was a mistake Orgrim would regret to his dying day. His guards were not loyal to him, but to the Shadow Council.
The guards had heard every word between Orgrim and his visitors. They decided they didn’t need Gul’dan’s permission to eliminate the Frostwolves—clearly he would want Durotan, Draka, and their child dead. After traveling north for several days, the guards fell upon Durotan and Draka. The Frostwolves fought bitterly against their attackers, killing one of them. But the remaining guards struck down Durotan and Draka, and Go’el was left to die in the frigid cold.
Miraculously, the child survived. A day after his parents were murdered, a hunting party led by Aedelas Blackmoore—a human noble from the northern stronghold of Durnholde Keep—came upon the grisly scene. It was rather shocking proof that the war reports out of Stormwind were credible; the dead creatures looked exactly like the descriptions of the beasts known as “orcs.”
The sound of crying drew Blackmoore’s attention, and he found Go’el, starving and freezing but alive. He decided to take him back to Durnholde and have him examined. There was no telling what secrets Blackmoore might glean about his new enemies by observing one of their young. Go’el would spend his entire adolescence under Blackmoore’s watchful eye.
