The Story of the Rise of the Horde - Lore Collaboration with Nobbel87

Posted 2017/04/02 at 5:02 PM by perculia

Nobbel87!Story of DraenorWorld of Warcraft Chronicle: Volume 2Draenei and the Naaru

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Prophet Velen is the leader of the Draenei, residing in The Exodar. He is best known to players for appearing at the end of The Sunwell and reigniting the well with the fallen spirit of the naaru M'uru, so the Blood Elves could have a healthy source of magic. He also makes an appearance in the Priest Artifact questlines and T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru, the Holy Priest artifact, was used to help the Draenei escape from one of the worlds the Legion found them on. He also makes an appearance in alternate-reality Warlords of Draenor in Shadowmoon Valley. In this version, he ultimately sacrifices himself, passing on his holy mark to Yrel, so he could purify Ner'zhul's weapon: the fallen naaru K'ara, the Dark Star. You are then mailed The Prophet's Arcanum which starts The Prophet's Final Message and builds a memorial to Velen in Karabor.
Auchindoun in Outland is the location for the four dungeons Mana-Tombs, Auchenai Crypts, Sethekk Halls and Shadow Labyrinth and looks quite desolate in The Bone Wastes. Auchindoun in Warlords of Draenor is much more vibrant and home to the self-titled dungeon Auchindoun.
There are two versions of Shattrath in Warcraft: Shattrath City is the major player hub in Outland, and a questing area in Talador.
The center is run by the The Sha'tar, who worship the spiritual being A'dal. The Aldor and the The Scryers are two factions working with Shattrath against the Burning Legion, but feud with each other. The Lower City is its own faction--it is comprised of war-torn refugees of all races. Profession trainers and vendors with unique recipes are located down here, as well as the World's End Tavern with a variety of colorful NPCs like Cro Threadstrong.

Draenei and the Orcs

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Talgath later reappears in the Outlaw Rogue Acquisition questline, in which he urges Dread Admiral Eliza to kill the player with The Dreadblades.
In the Artifact Book text, we learn that Talgath created The Dreadblades to corrupt ambitious pirates and turn them to the Burning Legion. More of these pages are revealed as players get higher ranks of Artifact Power, but you can read the full book on the Wowhead page.

Gul'dan and Kil'jaeden

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The The Skull of Gul'dan is a drop from Illidan Stormrage, filled with immense power. It was used by Ner'zhul to open portals to new worlds, by Khadgar to close the Dark Portal, by the Burning Legion to corrupt forests on Azeroth, and by Illidan Stormrage to enhance his powers.
Gul'dan returns in the alternate Warlords of Draenor timeline, as the leader of the Shadow Council and member of the Iron Horde.
Grommash's refusal to drink the Blood of Mannoroth deepens tensions between him and Gul'dan. Grommash instead decides to form the Iron Horde, which will invade Azeroth without the help of demonic energy.
Gul'dan continues to undermine the Iron Horde, tempting more of them to drink the Blood of Mannoroth. Eventually, Gul'dan seizes control of the Iron Horde in An Inside Job and raises an army of Fel Orcs.
Players encounter Gul'dan in the Tanaan Jungle Garrison Campaign: In Pursuit of Gul'dan. He wants to retrieve the Cipher of Damnation and cut off the orc's connection to the elements, but is foiled by Oronok Torn-heart.
Players then battle Gul'dan's fel army in Hellfire Citadel, defeating demons like Mannoroth and Archimonde. When Archimonde is defeated, Gul'dan is banished through The Black Gate into Azeroth. Alternate-timeline Gul'dan has now joined the main timeline.
Knowing that the original Gul'dan died at the Tomb of Sargeras, the alternate-version Gul'dan is taking many precautions as part of his pact to open portals for a massive Legion Invasion. As a Destruction Warlock, you can directly interfere with Gul'dan's plans to open portals by stealing the Scepter of Sargeras.
In one of the cinematics, we see Gul'dan break into the Vault of the Wardens and steal Illidan Stormrage's body. He later brought the body to Black Rook Hold, a dungeon in Legion. The energy from his ritual attracted the night elf ghosts, who were then trapped and forced to protect Gul'dan.
Learn how Gul'dan reopens the Tomb of Sargeras in the audiobook series The Tomb of Sargeras. Gul'dan then sets the events of the pre-launch event into motion, including the climatic battle on the Broken Shore.
In Legion, Gul'dan is the final boss of the Nighthold and seized control of the Nightwell which led to the Suramar questline

Bladewind and Shadowmoon Clan

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Grand Warlock Nethekurse and Keli'dan the Breaker are notable Shadowmoon orcs found in Hellfire Peninsula dungeons. Their alternate counterparts are also found in Tanaan Jungle in Warlords.
In Outland Shadowmoon Valley, the Horde base of Shadowmoon Village is one of the few areas players encounter friendly Shadowmoon Ors. In alternate Draenor, this is the the location of the beautiful Alliance Garrison Lunarfall.
Players that construct the Dwarven Bunker / War Mill can obtain the Shadowmoon Regalia transmog set.
In the Shadowmoon Valley questline for Alliance, players learn how Ner'zhul was turned in the alternate history of Draenor. In Ancestor's Memory, we see that Ner'zhul was given an ultimatum to join the Iron Horde, and after proving himself, he had to harness the power of the Dark Star.
After completing the questline, players can recruit the leader of the Shadowmoon Exiles and Ner'zhul's wife, Rulkan / Gronnstalker Rokash, as a Garrison follower.
Players can then face off against Ner'zhul in the dungeon Shadowmoon Burial Grounds.

Shadow Council

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Cho'gall is a boss in the Cataclysm raid The Bastion of Twilight, and defeating him on Heroic difficulty unlocks Sinestra. Cho'gall drops notable shadowy-themed items like Shalug'doom, the Axe of Unmaking, Uhn'agh Fash, the Darkest Betrayal, and Membrane of C'Thun.
In alternate Draenor, Cho'gall is held captive in the Highmaul raid until Kargath is defeated. He then makes a surprise reappearance on Mythic Imperator Mar'gok, draining the leader of the ogres of his power, and then fighting players in a special Mythic-only phase.
The Shadow Council served the Horde in the main timeline, and currently comprises NPCs from all races that are loyal to the Burning Legion. Athrikus Narassin, a Night Elf, led the Cult of the Dark Strand in the memorable challenging quest series The Tower of Althalaxx. In his Journal Page, you learn that he is allied with the Shadow Council. In Felwood, you learn in Forces of Jaedenar that Jaedenar is an important area for the Shadow Council. "The Shadow Council perpetuates the corruption of this land. At Jaedenar in the northwest, they worship the demons of the Burning Legion, and work to open the path for their masters to return to this world." The Shadow Council can also be found in the dungeon Shadow Labyrinth, featuring the orcs Blackheart the Inciter and Grandmaster Vorpil.
In alternate Draenor, the Shadow Council is an integral part of the legendary ring questline. Players free Garona of her mind-control spell in Breaking Badness through an Orb of Dominion from the Shadow Council. This orb later corrupts Cordana Felsong, which is revealed in Cooking the Books as she tries to seize the legendary ring. The Shadow Council also inhibits Shattrath and there is an achievement for defeating some of them - Charged Up.
There have been visual similarities between the Darkmoon Faire and Old Gods for a while, as well as a suspicious piece of dialogue from Professor Thaddeus Paleo. In Patch 7.2, there is a new concert/camp area decorated with banners that look very similar to the Shadow Council. So...is the Shadow Council running the Darkmoon Faire?

Blackhand as Warchief

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Blackhand is dead by the time World of Warcraft begins, but he is present in Warlords of Draenor in the alternate timeline. Players encounter Blackhand in the climatic The Battle for Shattrath quest in Talador, in which Blackhand kills Orgrim and Maraad, is wounded by Durotan, and escapes into the sea when Khadgar blows up the ship. Players later encounter Blackhand as the final boss of Blackrock Foundry.
Players can interact with some of Blackhand's lieutenants in the main timeline, many years later after the events of Chronicles.
Previous to the events of World of Warcraft. Eitrigg became friends with Tirion Fordring - read more in Of Blood and Honor. In game, he is found in Zul'Drak helping the Argent Crusade, the coin Eitrigg's Copper Coin in Northrend Dalaran, a questgiver in Burning Steppes trying to thwart the Blackrock, wounded in Siege of Orgrimmar for rebelling against Garrosh, and now a Warrior Horde Champion Lord Darius Crowley / Eitrigg in Patch 7.2
High Overlord Saurfang has long guarded Orgrimmar from Alliance raids, and in Legion he is now the leader of the Orcs. Leading up to Legion, players also found him leading the Northern Barrens invasion. Saurfang also played a major role in Northrend, most notably after the Deathbringer Saurfang encounter in Icecrown Citadel, but also as Garrosh's adviser in Borean Tundra. Finally, players can duel Saurfang for the special artifact appearance The Arcanite Bladebreaker.
Orgrim Doomhammer's legacy carries on in the naming of Orgrimmar and the Shaman Artifact Doomhammer. In the Warcraft film, Doomhammer was played by huge Warcraft fan Rob Kazinsky and Wowhead revealed a special poster featuring Doomhammer!

Pale Orcs

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Players can learn more about K'ure in Outland through the quests When Spirits Speak and A Secret Revealed.
In the alternate timeline, All is Revealed reveals the Pale Orcs are enslaving Elementals through the power of the Void, under the guidance of Cho'gall. In the The Dark Heart of Oshu'gun quest in alternate Nagrand, players learn the fate of the enslaved naaru K'ure.
Gul'dan's story in Harbingers has parallels to the Pale Orcs--he was exiled from his clan and the elements failed him. You can watch these cinematics in game and earn the Harbinger achievement for finding the books that trigger them.
Hour of Twilight is the name of Patch 4.3, which introduced Dragon Soul and three new dungeons. This patch marked the coming of the prophecy the Pale Orcs had heard. In the dungeon End Time, players can experience alternate realities for famous lore figures.
The Twilight Hammer is devoted to serving the Old Gods. Originating from Cho’gall’s nihilistic Orc Clan, the Twilight Hammer later aligned themselves with the Old Gods and grew even more powerful in Cataclysm with the return of Deathwing. They can be seen in several places:
In Darkshore, players who complete the Master’s Glaive questline (The Battle for Darkshore) defeat the Avatar of Soggoth the Slitherer and learn about the Twilight Hammer’s plans to revive him.
In Ashenvale, players find the Hammer in Blackfathom Deeps which houses a temple to the Old Gods and the loyal servant Aku'mai the Devourer. More information in Nightmare of the Deeps.
Silithus in early WoW had an elaborate system of reputation quests and summonable mini-bosses. You could dress up like a Twilight Cultist with Twilight Trappings and collect Encrypted Twilight Text.
The Twilight Hammer, drawn to Yogg-Saron, also shows up in Ahn'kahet: The Old Kingdom, led by Jedoga Shadowseeker.
The Twilight Hammer is all over Cataclysm leveling zones, with their headquarters in Twilight Highlands and Grim Batol. Other leveling zones include Mount Hyjal, Vashj'ir, Deepholm, and Uldum.

Cyrukh the Firelord

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In Outland, Cyrukh the Firelord is the final boss for The Cipher of Damnation. This marks the culmination of a very long questline in Shadowmoon Valley, starting with The Hand of Gul'dan - read more about The Cipher of Damnation in this comment.
The Cipher of Damnation has some notable transmog rewards such as Lohn'goron, Bow of the Torn-Heart, Torn-Heart Axe of Battle, and Staff of the Redeemer. Completing this quest series was a prerequisite for The Tempest Key, which started a questline for Tempest Keep attunement.
Compare the aftermath of the Shadow Council's fel spell in Outland Shadowmoon Valley Screenshots with Draenor Shadowmoon Valley Screenshots.
Hand of Gul'dan is also the name of a Demonology Warlock spell: Hand of Gul'dan.
In the alternate Draenor timeline, Cyrukh makes a return in Tanaan Jungle. He is required for the The Cipher of Damnation quest which is needed for In Pursuit of Gul'dan. In this timeline, you defeat Cyrukh before he is empowered by Gul'dan. You can then loot Forgotten Shard of the Cipher for the pet Shard of Cyrukh and acquire the follower Oronok Torn-heart
In the main timeline, Oronok Torn-heart served Gul'dan as a lieutenant, later repenting of his deeds and helping you retrieve the Cipher of Damnation decades later. In the alternate timeline, Oronok helps you prevent Gul'dan from severing the connection with the elements in Draenor, and later joins your Garrison.

Defense of Karabor

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The Black Temple is a raid in Burning Crusade, with Illidan Stormrage as the final boss. Notable loot includes Warglaive of Azzinoth, Bulwark of Azzinoth, and Cursed Vision of Sargeras.
In the alternate timeline, K'ara is purified and helps the Draenei reclaim Karabor in the quest The Defense of Karabor.
The Kurenai faction, meaning "redeemed," is a group of escaped Broken draenei in Outland Nagrand - earning reputation rewards Talbuk mounts like Reins of the Cobalt War Talbuk.
The Ashtongue Deathsworn faction, led by Akama, is another group of Broken which struck a deal with Illidan to ensure their survival. As you progress through the Black Temple questline, you understand their motivations and allegiances more.
Farseer Nobundo, the Shaman trainer in the Exodar and Legion Class Champion, was originally a Broken and became the first Draenei shaman.
Murmur is the final boss of Shadow Labyrinth, and in the alternate timeline, the rare elite Echo of Murmur drops Mournful Moan of Murmur.
In the main timeline, Teron'gor is later resurrected as the death knight and Black Temple boss Teron Gorefiend. In the alternate timeline, Teron'gor is a boss in Auchindoun and later transformed into the abomination and Hellfire Citadel boss Gorefiend.

Conquering Draenor

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In the main timeline, Gruul the Dragonkiller is a Tier 4 boss who drops legs tokens and the famous trinket Dragonspine Trophy. Players can encounter his sons in various questlines around Outland: Goc, Gorgrom the Dragon-Eater, Grulloc, Maggoc, Skulloc Soulgrinder, Slaag, and Durn the Hungerer. In alternate Draenor, Gruul has a sadder tale. The Iron Horde has captured him, chopped off one of his arms, and sent him to guard Blackrock Foundry as a boss.
Warchief Kargath Bladefist is the final boss of the The Shattered Halls dungeon and drops the distinctive weapon The Bladefist. In alternate Draenor, players first encounter Kargath in the starting zone arena quest Kill Your Hundred and later as the first boss in Highmaul.
One of the greatest arakkoa is Talon King Terokk. In Outland, he can be summoned as part of an elaborate process and drops the Time-Lost Figurine disguise. The arakkoa city of Skettis counts towards Sha'tari Skyguard reputation - a faction which awards mounts like Purple Riding Nether Ray. In Warlords and the achievement Between Arak and a Hard Place, we learn a bit more about Terokk's rule, corruption (Terokk's Fall), and rise of the Talonpriests. While Terokk tries to imbue his power in the player to defeat Kargath in The Avatar of Terokk, he is ultimately unsuccessful but thanks you for your kindness and appoints you leader of the outcasts in his absence. Players can earn the Mantle of the Talon King achievement and / title for completing the full Spires of Arak story and reaching Exalted.
In Warlords of Draenor, we interact with the Arakkoa Outcasts, a race Rukhmar made as thanks to Anzu's sacrifice, throughout all of Spires of Arak. They are affiliated with the Order of the Awakened, a 6.2 faction in which various groups of arakkoa form a truce and work together.

Medivh

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Players can explore Medivh’s tower, Karazhan, now desolate after his death, as well as the surrounding area Deadwind Pass.
Karazhan was the entry-level raid in The Burning Crusade and required a lengthy attunement process taking players to other dungeons. The instance was considered very challenging, especially the trash, but also creative and richly detailed. Players fought through the luxurious mansion on the lower levels, including a ballroom, banquet hall, bed chambers, and opera house, then worked their way up Medivh’s library and tower as the threat of corruption intensified.
One of the encounters is Shade of Aran, the ghost of Medivh’s father. This encounter was notable for Flame Wreath, a mechanic that knocked up anyone into the air if the player moved while they were in a ring of fire.
In classic WoW, casters could work towards the legendary weapon Medivh wields, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian.
Players can go back in time in The Black Morass to watch Medivh summon the Orcs through the Dark Portal.
Medivh is also a Mage Hero in Hearthstone as well as Heroes of the Storm.
In Legion, Shade of Medivh is an encounter in Upper Return to Karazhan. Players that successfully complete the Karazhan speed run can talk to Medivh to summon Nightbane in Karazhan and acquire the One Night in Karazhan achievement.

Garona

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When players first encounter her in game, she is trying to defeat Cho’gall, Gul’dan’s lieutenant who also knew how to mindcontrol her. The Horde assists Garona in the Twilight Highlands questline, starting with Just You and Garona and ending with Skullcrusher the Mountain.
In Legion, Garona is found in the Rogue Order Hall as a member of the Uncrowned. The player and Garona infiltrate Stormwind to retrieve The Kingslayers, the daggers used to kill King Llane, which then serve as the Assassination Rogue Artifact. You can then recruit Garona Halforcen as part of the Class Hall Campaign.
Several items reference Garona: Garona: A Study on Stealth and Treachery, Garona's Signet Ring, Garona's Guise, Garona's Battlegear.
In the alternate Warlords of Draenor universe, Garona is a feared assassin of the Shadow Council under the mindcontrol of Gul’dan. She attacks Khadgar several times, and after being captured, is freed from Gul’dan's control (Breaking Badness). She then assists players in the Legendary questline and eventually becomes a Legendary follower: Garona Halforcen.

Comment by JacevandeverI know it's popular to hate on WoD, but after that expansion, anything Draenor related just really turns me off, this book included. I loved the first "Chronicles", but I don't even think I'm going to buy this one. The first one was interesting because it went into very deep, unexplored lore. This all just seems like stuff we've had beaten into us countless times. Great job with the write up though, it looks very in-depth.Comment by uparrowI know it's popular to hate on WoD, but after that expansion, anything Draenor related just really turns me off, this book included. I loved the first "Chronicles", but I don't even think I'm going to buy this one. The first one was interesting because it went into very deep, unexplored lore. This all just seems like stuff we've had beaten into us countless times. Great job with the write up though, it looks very in-depth.Comment by Cambrius13I love these lore articles, they're very well-written!

My only critique would be the need for a quick edit for sentence structure, et cetera. I would even volunteer to do it myself. :)Comment by 1022676I know it's popular to hate on WoD, but after that expansion, anything Draenor related just really turns me off, this book included. I loved the first "Chronicles", but I don't even think I'm going to buy this one. The first one was interesting because it went into very deep, unexplored lore. This all just seems like stuff we've had beaten into us countless times. Great job with the write up though, it looks very in-depth.