Chapter V: Return of the Burning Legion. A detailed history of WarCraft in Russian Sunwell - The Fall of Quel'Thalas

11-01-2020Shaman Ner'zhul, Lich King
Orc clans have lived on Draenor for millennia, revering their ancient gods and heeding the teachings of shamans. Neither meanness nor dishonor was known to them. However, the Burning Legion has long been eyeing these ferocious warriors, seeing them as potential bloodthirsty assassins - and their future indestructible army. The insidious demon Kil-jaeden, assistant commander of the Legion, decided to undermine orc society from the inside.

Kil-jaeden appeared before the most respected of the Orc chieftains, the elder shaman Ner-Zul, and announced that he could give the orcs great power and dominion over the whole world. He even offered to transfer some secret knowledge to the shaman. The price was to be Ner'zhul's agreement to join his people under the banner of the Burning Legion. A prudent shaman, consumed by a thirst for power, accepted the demon's offer and concluded a Blood Pact with him - thereby dooming his unsuspecting people to slavery.

Over time, Kil-jaeden found that Ner'zhul lacked either the will or the nerve to carry out his plans to turn the orcs into a bloodthirsty horde. The shaman, realizing at last that the deal he had made would lead to the death of the orcs, refused to further assist the demon. Enraged by his open defiance, Kil-jaeden vowed to punish Ner-zhul and get his way anyway. He found himself a new follower who would lead the orcs away from the old customs - he became Gul-dan, the old shaman's apprentice.

With the help of Kil-jaeden, Gul-dan succeeded where his master had failed. Filled with malice and a lust for power, he not only abolished the ancient shamanic cults, replacing them with the study of the dark magic of demons, but also united the orc clans into the ever-troubling Horde, which Kil-jaeden wanted. Ner'zhul, powerless to stop his former apprentice, could only watch as he skillfully turned the orcs into mindless instruments of death.

Years passed; Ner'zhul continued to ponder grimly the fate of the crimson world of Draenor and its people. He saw the beginning of the first Orc invasion of Azeroth, heard of the Second War between the Horde and the Lordaeron Alliance. He witnessed the betrayals and meanness that corroded his people from the inside. Although Gul'dan was the leader of the Horde on their journey into the dark future, Ner'zhul knew that he was the one who had actually started what was happening, and the terrible fate of the orcs was on his conscience.

Shortly after the end of the Second War, word reached Draenor of the orcs' defeat. Ner'zhul knew that the Horde's failure to conquer Azeroth had fallen short of the demons' expectations. Fearing that Kil-jaeden, along with the Legion, would go to avenge those orcs who remained on Draenor, Ner-zhul decided to flee from their wrath and opened several magical portals to new worlds not defiled by demons. The old shaman gathered all the orc clans that remained on Draenor, and set out to lead them through one of the portals - towards a new destiny.

But before he could carry out his plan, an Alliance expeditionary force appeared on Draenor, sent to destroy the orcs once and for all. Clans loyal to Ner-Zul held back the onslaught of the human army, giving the shaman the opportunity to open portals. But when he had finished, Ner'zhul realized to his horror that the violent power contained in the portals was about to tear to shreds the fabric of the very world of Draenor.

Meanwhile, the Alliance forces have driven the orcs deep into their doomed homeland. Seeing that the combatants would never make it to the portals in time, the terrified shaman abandoned them to their fate and fled with his minions. They stepped into the portal, and the Draenor exploded and shattered into pieces. The old shaman rejoiced that he had successfully escaped death... Ironically, he lived to see the hour when he bitterly regretted that he had not shared the fate of his unfortunate compatriots.

New Kil Jaeden Deal
As soon as Ner-Zul and his followers were in the Underworld - the space that connects all the worlds scattered in Eternal Darkness - they were immediately captured by demons. Kil-jaeden, sworn to punish Ner-zhul for his defiance, began torturing him relentlessly, slowly tearing his body apart. But the demon kept the spirit of the shaman alive and unharmed, so that he could more sharply feel the nightmarish torments of the dismembered body. As much as Ner-zhul pleaded with the demon to release his spirit and grant him death, Kil-Jaeden only replied that the Blood Pact between them still stood - and that he intended to finally use his defiant pawn.

Due to the defeat of the orcs on Azeroth, Kil-jaeden had to raise a new army, designed to sow chaos and destruction in the lands of the Alliance. But it should not have arisen internal quarrels and strife that destroyed the Horde. This time, Kil-jaeden had no room for error.

Continuing to torment the shaman's helpless spirit, Kil-jaeden offered him the choice of either eternal torture or a last chance to serve the Legion. And he recklessly agreed to a deal with the demon again. The spirit of Ner'zhul was placed in a block of special ice, hard as a diamond, collected from the far reaches of the Underworld. Imprisoned in magical ice, the shaman felt his consciousness expanded many thousands of times. Under the influence of the demonic forces of chaos, he turned into a ghost - but immensely powerful. At that moment, the orc named Ner'zhul ceased to exist and the Lich King appeared.

Death knights and sorcerers loyal to Ner-Zul have also been transformed. The forces of chaos tore the evil magicians apart and recreated them in the form of skeletons. According to the demons, even in death, the followers of Ner'zhul will blindly obey him.

When everything was ready, Kil-Jaeden calmly explained why he, in fact, created the Lich King. Ner'zhul's mission was to spread death and terror across Azeroth, a magical plague that would destroy humanity for all eternity. All who die from this plague will rise as undead, and their souls will forever be subject to the will of Ner'zhul. Kil-Jaeden even promised to provide the ill-fated Lich King with a new, healthy body if he succeeded in his macabre mission.

Although Ner'zhul was willing to do anything and even seemed happy to play his part, Kil-jaeden still doubted his pawn's loyalty. An ice prison and the absence of a body guaranteed his obedience for some time, but the demon perfectly understood that an eye and an eye was needed for a former shaman. Therefore, he assigned to the King of the Dead guards from the elite guard of vampire demons - the Lords of Horror, obliging them to vigilantly and vigilantly monitor Ner-Zul and the fulfillment of his terrible mission. Tikondrus, the most powerful and treacherous of them, was delighted with all this - and especially with how deadly the plague is: its victims will be countless.

Icecrown and the Frozen Throne
So, Kil-jaeden threw Ner-zhul - already in a block of ice - back to the world of Azeroth. A meteor streaked through the night sky, this ice crystal fell on the barren Arctic continent of Northrend, buried deep in the dark labyrinths of the glacier called Icecrown. The block itself, scratched and beaten during the fall, looked like a throne - and inside this "throne" the spirit of Ner-Zul, thirsting for revenge, toiled.

Sitting in the Frozen Throne, Ner'zhul began to gradually expand the limits of his grandiose consciousness and touch the consciousnesses of the native inhabitants of Northrend. He enslaved many local creatures with amazing ease - for example, ice trolls and ferocious yetis. He discovered that his supernatural abilities were almost limitless - and created a small army, sheltering him in the intricate labyrinths of Icecrown. While amassing an army under the watchful eye of the Dreadlords, he stumbled upon a secluded human settlement on the edge of the vast Dragonlands. The Lich King decided to test his strength and send a plague on unsuspecting people.

Thus, the undead plague emanating from the depths of the Frozen Throne crept across the icy desert. Channeling the plague with sheer thought, Ner'zhul drove it straight into the human village, and in three days there was not a single living person left there. But very little time passed, and the dead villagers began to rise - already in the form of zombies. Ner'zhul felt their souls and thoughts as if they were his own, and this terrible cacophony in his mind seemed to give him even more strength, as if the souls provided him with much-needed food. Managing all the actions of the zombies proved to be a breeze for the Lich King; it was in his power to lead them to any goal.

Over the following months, Ner'zhul continued to experiment with the witch's plague, infecting all the people of Northrend with it. His army of undead grew every day, and he felt that the time of real testing was approaching.

spider war
Ten years have passed. All the while, Ner'zhul had been raising an army and building a military base in Northrend, and a huge citadel now towered over Icecrown. The growing legions of the undead became its garrison. But although the Lich King's power spread further and further across the earth, underground he was opposed by an ancient recalcitrant empire. Azzol-Nerub, a realm founded by a terrifying race of spider-humans, has sent its elite guard to attack Icecrown in order to put an end to the Lich King and his insane lust for power. Much to Ner'zhul's displeasure, it turned out that the vile warriors of Nerub were not only immune to the plague, but also to its telepathic effects. The spiders had a large army and a vast network of underground tunnels that covered almost half of Northrend. Their pinprick tactics time after time thwarted all of Ner'zhul's efforts to exterminate them.

In the end, Ner-zhul won this war by overwhelming the enemy with numbers: the rampaging Dreadlords and countless legions of undead soldiers broke into Azzol-Nerub and brought down the underground temples on the heads of their inhabitants, the spider lords. Although the Nerubian warriors could not contract the plague, Ner'zhul had already become such a powerful necromancer that he was able to raise the corpses of the spider warriors and bend them to his will. In memory of the resilience and fearlessness of the spiderfolk, Ner'zhul adopted their architectural style. From now on, the fortresses and buildings in his lands began to resemble the buildings of spiders. Remaining the sole ruler in his kingdom, Ner'zhul came to grips with the task for which
was sent into this world. Stretching his consciousness towards the human lands, the Lich King began to call - any dark soul that would hear him...

Kel-Thuzad and the Cult of the Damned
Several powerful mages from this world have heard the call of Ner'zhul. Among them, Archmage Kel-Thuzad of Dalaran was the most prominent. Kel-Thuzad, one of the senior members of the Kirin Tor, the ruling council of Dalaran, was regarded by his peers as a "black sheep", having devoted many years to the stubborn study of the forbidden magic, necromancy. He craved comprehensive knowledge of the magic of the ghost world and its marvels, and was irritated by the outdated dogma of his unimaginative brethren.

Hearing a powerful magical call from Northrend, the Archmage made every effort to establish communication with the mysterious voice. Firmly convinced that the Kirin Tor was too sensitive to want to wield the power of black magic, he decided to accept knowledge from the hands of the immensely powerful Lich King. Relinquishing both wealth, position in society, and the moral principles of the Kirin Tor, Kel-Thuzad left Dalaran forever.

Obeying the haunting call that sounded in his head, he sold his vast lands, and then went alone to the land of eternal ice. After long weeks of wandering by land and sea, the Archmage finally reached the rugged shores of Northrend. He wanted to get to Icecrown in order to enter the service of the Lich King, and his path lay through the ruins of a former war - those that remained from Azzol-Nerub. For the first time, he was able to appreciate the extent of Ner'zhul's power. And he began to understand that an alliance with the mysterious King of the Dead is not only a wise act, but, perhaps, a useful one. After long months of travel through the harsh icy desert, Kel-Thuzad finally reached his goal - a gloomy glacier.

Bravely approaching the gates of the dark citadel of Ner'zhul, he was shocked: the skeleton guard silently let him through, as if he had been a long-awaited guest. Kel-Thuzad went down to the deepest layers of the glacier. There, among the endless heaps of ice and shadows, he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his own soul to the Lich King.

Ner'zhul was pleased with his new recruit. He promised Kel-Thuzad immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience. The Archmage, thirsting for dark knowledge and power, joyfully accepted Ner-Zul's first task - to return to the human world and establish a new religion there, according to which the Lich King would be worshiped as a god.

So that the Archmage could better handle this task, Ner'zhul left him human for the time being. The charming elderly magician had to use his gift of persuasion and skill in creating illusions to win the trust of the poor and the desperate, then instill in their minds the idea of the possibility of creating a new society ... and a new king would stand at its head.

Kel-Thuzad returned unrecognized to Lordaeron and over the next three years, thanks to his wits and money, he founded a secret brotherhood of like-minded people and called it the Cult of the Damned. It promised its acolytes social equality and eternal life in the expanses of Azeroth if they became faithful servants of Ner'zhul.

Over time, the followers of the Cult became more and more - the destitute, the poor, exhausted by overwork, went to them. Oddly enough, converting faith in the Good Light into faith in the dark forces of Ner-Zul turned out to be very easy. The influence of the Cult of the Damned grew, its ranks expanded - and Kel-Thuzad made every effort to ensure that the activities of the Cult did not become known to the Lordaeron authorities.

Scourge Plexus
Since Kel-Thuzad had done his job admirably, the Lich King began making final preparations for the destruction of mankind. Encapsulating the plague magic in a number of small items called plague cauldrons, Ner-zhul ordered Kel-Thuzad to transport them to Lordaeron and hide them in various villages under the protection of the Cult's most trusted followers. The cauldrons were supposed to send a plague on the unsuspecting villages and cities of northern Lordaeron.

→ WoW WotLK – Scourge and Arthas

The story in the wow scourge is quite interesting and touches on events that happened quite recently in Azeroth. The destruction that the Scourge brought to these lands was simply enormous. The human state of Lordaeron completely fell due to the betrayal of its prince Arthas Menethil, who became the new Lich King after Ner'zhul himself. But where did this wow whip come from? After all, it was not Arthas who created it, and, oddly enough, not even Ner'zhul was the original creator of the Death Knights. Let's look into this issue.

History of appearance

In wow wotlk, we already see the Scourge in its final and mature form. Army, supplies, generals, buildings, etc. In general - a full-fledged nation of the dead under the control of the Lich King. But where did she come from then?

The master of the Burning Legion, Sargeras, had a hand in the creation of the Scourge through the creation of the Death Knights. Yes, yes, and there is the interest of the Burning Legion. Since neither Sargeras himself nor most of his troops could fully enter the world of Azeroth, the Fallen Titan decided to act cunningly. He infected the orcs of Draenor with the idea of malice. Thus, turning the usual and good race of shamans into evil creatures who only needed to kill. After Draenor broke into several parts, Sargeras began to influence the leader of the most powerful tribe of orcs - Gul'Dan. It was this Orc who led the first Horde through the Dark Portal to Azeroth. And there Gul'dan learned to summon the dead, creating Death Knights from them.

After Gul'dan's defeat, Ner'zhul took over the horde, and Sargeras gave him full command of the Death Knights. Here already at the wow whip some kind of appearance began to appear. For after another defeat of the Horde, Ner'zhul wanted to independently control the Scourge and moved to the mainland of Northrend, where he gradually began to create his own army. Sargeras found him there and completely destroyed his body, enclosing the spirit in a sword and helmet. Thus, Ner'zhul began to lead the Scourge with the power of his mind exactly until the moment when a rare thing - the sword Frostmourne - did not fall into the hands of Arthas.

New Lich King

The events that affect the world of warcraft wotlk are already the final point of Arthas' reign. And after the young prince returned victorious from Northrend, he followed his father's throne room. The people of Lordaeron greeted their prince with joy. They did not yet know that he had changed once and for all. In the throne room, Arthas killed his father and became the new ruler of Lordaeron. He ordered his top Death Knights to kill anyone they see. It was a terrible day for people, but in wow the lash began to dominate these lands. If you downloaded the warcraft client in the pre-release week, you could watch the Scourge attack every major city in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.

To save the human and other races from total enslavement by the Scourge, the Alliance and Horde joined forces and traveled to Northrend. Step by step, they were approaching Icecrown Citadel, where the Lich King was. By the way, on the entrance screen of the Wrath of the Lich King warcraft client, this Citadel is in the background. The entire gaming community really liked the idea of such a strong “common enemy”, for the sake of which the Horde and the Alliance united their forces in wow wotlk.

Naturally, the forces of good won, the Lich King was completely defeated. More precisely, Arthas was defeated, and Bolvar became the new Lich King. For someone needs to control the Scourge. Perhaps in future addons we will see a new Lich King on the splash screen of the warcraft client.

This is how the story ended in the wow wotlk add-on. According to many players, from a technical and "epic" point of view, this addon was the best. Since even according to the Warcraft strategy, many players fell in love with the history of this character.

Now, if you get to Northrend, the warcraft game client will show you a splash screen, which shows Bolvar in the new guise of the Lich King.

Good afternoon. Today we're going to talk to you about one very large... ahem.. faction, which is represented by the opponent of the players and, unfortunately, is not playable. Nevertheless, she had a huge impact on the World of Warcraft and deserves a separate analysis. Today we will talk about the Scourge ...

Background.

The idea to create an army of the undead, now better known as the Scourge, originated with one of the commanders of the Burning Legion when he was considering a second attack on Azeroth. Later, after careful consideration and calculation, the plan for the formation of the Scourge began to materialize. The undead were supposed to overwhelm the main defenses of Azeroth before the attack of the Burning Legion, thereby leaving no chance for the defenders. The creation of the whip was entrusted to the then Lich King, Ner'zhul, who did it. Unfortunately for them, the lords of the Legion could not control the Scourge, only the Lich King himself could do this, but they could

command them. So, Nerzhul developed a plague that killed living beings and after death raised them in the form of undead, dead, obedient only to his will...
Later, with the help of the former magician, and now the necromancer KelThuzad, the plague began to spread throughout the lands of the kingdom of Lordaeron, thereby increasing and replenishing the army of the King. The Scourge's mission to destroy Azeroth's defenses was successful and growing in number. a fatal mistake was made by the Legion warlords themselves, launching the invasion too early. They suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Azeroth, leaving the Scourge in complete control of Ner'zhul and the King himself as sole ruler.
Later, KelThuzad realized that Ner'zhul had too many feelings left, and he found himself a new protégé - Prince Arthas. As a result of the cunning manipulations of one of the lords of the Legion - Malganus, Arthas was lured from Azeroth to Northrend, where his thirst for revenge and the demonic blade Frostmourne he found drove him crazy and made him one of the greatest warriors of the Scourge - a death knight. After the defeat of the Legion, KelThuzad helped Arthas travel to the icy continent of Northrend, where the former prince merged with Ner'zhul's mind, becoming the new Lich King, even more furious and vicious than before.
Five years later, the Lich King moved into action to continue his takeover of Azeroth. The Scourge activated on all continents and began mass raids on the cities, the plague again raged in the streets. The combined forces of the Horde and the Alliance have launched an invasion of Northrend, in a desperate attempt to defeat Arthas/Ner'zhul and prevent the destruction of their peoples. For two years, the Scourge warrior has marched on, too many warriors on each side have fallen in it. But by titanic efforts, the Lich King was defeated. However, it turned out that without a ruler, the scourge would go out of control and a wave of death would pass over the continents, destroying all life. The Lich King was always meant to be. The new King was Bolvar Fordragon, a former paladin of Stormwind. Perhaps now the Scourge will leave the world of the living alone ... or not?

Data

Scourge Banner- consists of two crossed hammers with the symbols of the Lions of Azeroth, beaten and broken, partially covered with ice, horizontally they are crossed by a frozen spear, with skulls impaled on it, which symbolize the main striking force of the Scourge - the undead. Vertically in the foreground is the blade Frostmourne, the symbol of the Lich King's power, the most powerful rune sword of terrifying power, capable of sucking out the souls of living beings.

population- according to various estimates, it ranges from 90,000 to 150,000 warriors of all stripes. These numbers have not been confirmed by anything, but Stormwind scientists say that the last number is the most correct. In Lordaeron alone, the Scourge claimed over 20,000 lives in formation, and recent hostilities in Northrend have made it clear that the numbers of the enemy have been greatly underestimated.

Damage zone.

The continent is currently the most affected Northrend- in every corner you can find traces of the Scourge. places like Sholozar Basin, Storm Peaks, Howling Fjord, and Borrean Tundra will be able to heal over time, although it will take many decades. Things are worse with the Dragonblight, but the dragons are making every effort to restore it. Zul-Drak and Icecrown are completely lost for at least the foreseeable future - the undead plague has infiltrated the soil itself, causing plant necrosis and flora mutation. Moreover, in these places there are still a huge number of dead, which pose a serious threat. These territories are currently guarded by the Argent Crusade.

Slightly less affected Eastern kingdoms. The zones of the former Lordaeron are still plagued by the plague and the undead, although the process of cleansing has begun in the Eastern and Western Plaguelands. However, such strongholds of the Scourge as Stratholme, Sholomans, the Path of the Dead and others are no less dangerous and are a constant supplier of more and more soldiers in the Corpse Army.

Kalimdor was indirectly affected. For example, some agents of the Lich King have infiltrated the communities of various lesser races, leading to their corruption. A good example is the Razorfen race, which was secretly wedged in by one of the Lich Kings, thereby leading to a civil war between quilboar.

outland was not affected.

Types of Scourge Troops

Lychee- among the most powerful magicians and allies of the armies of Ner'zhul, they all have an evil character and great strength. Often they command armies as Ner'zhul's generals and deputies when the Master is calm and does not deem it necessary to take matters into his own hands. Liches wield powerful frost and ice spells along with their own considerable knowledge of necromancy. Liches are not only former orc sorcerers of Ner "Zula, many mages of other races have left their precarious mortal lives behind to experience the beauty of death. As a rule, these personalities are powerful and vicious. Not only do they serve Ner'Zul, they also plan subtle political maneuvers that will get them promoted by their master, and so they seek to profit from every death of their opponent.

Death Knight“Death knights are protected by dark armor that absorbs sunlight. These warriors can summon the dead to immediately join the fight at their side, while their allies provide support. These dark heroes are subject to death, blood and wickedness. The cold makes their strikes more accurate, the blood protects their body, the unholy allows their fury to rage in the heart of the battle. Thousands of atrocities are frozen in the eyes of every Death Knight, and whoever gazes into them for too long will feel the living warmth leave his body, replaced by the cold of steel.

Butcher“The crippled bodies and limbs from many creatures combine into a single twisted, hideous form. With each step of the creature, blood drains from it and the smell of decay is released. Butchers are large golem creatures. These magically crafted automata are incredibly powerful, with the strength of a dozen people (they are made up of the parts of a dozen people). Their "building" requires a great deal of understanding of necromancy and anatomy in order to fuse the flesh and bring it to life. They are difficult to create, but once they are made, they become fanatically loyal servants and extremely powerful warriors. These huge warriors love to carve the flesh of their enemies. They use large cleavers and sickles in combat. It is a blasphemous collection of souls that have become one soul. It is certain that the abomination does not remember anything from his previous lives, although bits of memory sometimes plague him from time to time with great tension and unusual pressure.

Gargoyle- Although gargoyles are not strictly speaking undead, they nevertheless serve the Lich King to the best of their ability, and often, like hungry ravens, circle over the battlefields, looking out for their prey. These ice-colored predators delight in killing, and their laughter sounds like the sound of cracking ice. Gargoyles are strong, ferocious, bloodthirsty - and just frighteningly destructive.

Banshee were once beautiful women who were brutally killed by demons and the undead. Their restless spirit was left in this world to wander about in silent, tortured lamentations. The first banshees were the night elves who died during the first coming of the Legion, a lot of banshees also appeared from the high elves after the fall of Quel "Thalas. These spirits became jealous of the existence of the living and deeply hated all life. When Ner" zul, the King of the Dead, found out about them, he gathered them and promised them to give them the opportunity to take revenge on the living. Ner'zhul gave them terrible voices so that the living would finally hear their endless torment and die in the agony of these cries.

Nerubians are large, mummified creatures that look like a cross between humans and insects. Four lower arachnids the limbs hold their bodies, the other two upper ones are used as hands. Some races call them "crawling spiders", others refer to them as "walking horrors", but nerubians don't really care what others call them.

ghosts is the spectral essence of people who died because of the plague or because of some incredibly traumatic incident. Often they are the ones who chose to commit suicide and did not live to join Ner'zhul's armies; but this attempt is not always completely successful and often results in the creation of a spirit - independent of Ner'zhul's influence, and not completely dead.

ghouls are the main forces of the Scourge. They are vicious creatures who have retained little of their human part. The plague caused them to forget most of their memories, leaving only hunger and basic survival instincts. Ghouls are wild animals, practically they are the lowest form of undead existence. While they resemble a humanoid in appearance, a ghoul is easily recognized on the battlefield by their hunched posture and feral face. Even those who were close to these people during their lifetime hardly recognize them as their friends and relatives; the transformation removes most of the remnants of humanity, even the voice and body features are gone forever.

Skeleton Mages- extremely dangerous dead, usually born independently, through their own power of desire. They are never commanded by necromancers, as they are former necromancers who have now risen to another higher level in the Dead Realm, uniting their souls and bodies with evil forces. When they truly master these powers, they can become liches, but for now they content themselves with physical strength and brutal dominance over other undead.

Skeleton Warriors- tall, well-built skeletons, the bones of which have a slight silver sheen, marking their unusual origin. They are more durable than most other skeletons and are much more capable in combat. Wielding deadly weapons and clad in heavy armor, they are quite difficult opponents for the inexperienced and are respected even among more experienced warriors. When many of them are grouped, they can be very dangerous and persistent enemies - but this is not their natural state, such is the case when a powerful necromancer commands them. Skeleton Warriors retain all of their knowledge and memories until their death, but these qualities are now only a source of anger and violence. They are cunning and delight in destruction and chaos. Death will come to them later - but for now there is only revenge for them.

Zombie- the lowest form of existence of the dead, they are often overlooked due to their simplicity and lack of ambition. These undead are created from plague-infected humans, but their bodies were not as riddled with disease as those of the more powerful undead. In fact, not only do zombies retain their former memories, but they are also sometimes able to retain their individuality and ethics. It doesn't often help them, usually it's the torment of zombies trapped within the vicious armies of Ner'Zul.

Famous personalities

Prince Arthas- Crown Prince of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand, was the son of King Terenas Menethil II and heir to the throne. Uther the Lightbringer taught him the arts of a paladin, and he had romantic feelings for the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore. Prince Arthas Menethil was born four years before the First War to King Terenas Menethil II. The young prince grew up in a time when the lands of Azeroth were riddled with war, the Alliance was in turmoil, and dark clouds still loomed on the horizon. .As a child, Arthas befriended Varian Wrynn. Arthas was taught martial arts by Muradin Bronzebeard, brother of the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard. Arthas succeeded in this endeavor and became an expert swordsman. Under the auspices of Uther the Lightbringer, Arthas entered the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand at the age of 19.

At 23, Arthas and Uther were sent to Strahnbrad to protect the city from orc raids. Jaina and Captain Luke Valonfort were sent as reinforcements to Arthas, who was already 23 years old; together they were to investigate the mysterious Plague. Fighting the army of the dead, they met with the necromancer Kel "Thuzad near the town of Brill and pursued him all the way to Andorhal.
Kel'Thuzad had already infected all the grain stored in Andorhal and sent it to the nearest villages. Before his death at the hands of Arthas, Kel'Thuzad mentioned Mal "Ganis, who led the Scourge. Jaina and Arthas went north to fight him in Stratholme. Upon arriving in Stratholme, Arthas discovered that the grain had already been distributed among the inhabitants of the city and realized Horrified by what he heard, Uther condemned Arthas, saying that he would not have carried out such an order even if Arthas had been "at least thrice king". Accusing Uther of betrayal, Arthas disbanded the Knights of the Order of the Silver Hand.A few of his knights remained with Uther, as did Jaina.The remaining knights assisted Arthas in destroying the infected townspeople.

As soon as the young prince began to destroy the inhabitants of Stratholme, Mal'Ganis himself appeared before him, trying to take the souls of the townspeople. Arthas tried to destroy the people before their souls fell into the clutches of Mal'Ganis. In the end, Arthas challenged the Dreadlord to single combat. However, Mal'Ganis slipped away, promising to meet Arthas in Northrend. Arthas pursued him with the rest of his army. A month later, he arrived at the Bay of Blades. While the prince and his men were looking for a suitable place to camp, the troops came under fire from the dwarves from the explorers' guild, as they could not recognize them and simply made a mistake. Arthas was shocked to meet his good friend and former mentor Muradin Bronzebeard. At first, the dwarf thought that Arthas had come to the continent to rescue Muradin and his men, who were surrounded by an undead army while searching for the fabled runesword of Frostmourne. Arthas said that the meeting was just a coincidence. Together they destroyed the nearby undead camp, but no trace of Mal'Ganis was found.

After passing through the ancient gates, Arthas, Muradin and a small band of warriors found themselves very close to the legendary blade. Arthas was soon confronted by the Keeper, who tried to keep the young prince out of Frostmourne. The Keeper fell, and Arthas and Muradin received their well-deserved reward. However, after reading the runes, Muradin reported that the sword was cursed and begged Arthas to leave everything as it was, forget about the sword and take his people back to Lordaeron as soon as possible. Arthas was adamant, calling on the spirits of the cave to release the sword from its icy prison, assuring that he would "give everything or pay any price if only the spirits would allow him to protect his people." As the sword freed itself from the icy chains, Muradin was hit by a bouncing ice shard, but Arthas felt no remorse. He took Frostmourne and returned to the camp, leaving Muradin to die.

With the enchanted sword in hand, Arthas defeated all of Mal'Ganis' servants and finally came face to face with him. Mal'Ganis revealed that the voice Arthas began to hear was that of the Lich King. Despite this, to the demon's surprise, Arthas replied that the voice was calling him to destroy Mal'Ganis. After slaying the Dreadlord, Arthas traveled north, leaving his troops behind. Arthas soon lost the last vestiges of his sanity.

A few months later, Arthas returned to Lordaeron, who rejoiced at the return of his champion, the slayer of the undead. Entering the throne room, Arthas knelt before the throne of his father, King Terenas. However, he then got up, unsheathed Frostmourne, and killed his stunned father with it.

Ner'zhul- Originally High Shaman of the Orcs of Draenor. A long time ago, when the orcs had not heard of the world of people, the commander of the Burning Legion, Kil "jaeden, appeared to Ner'zhul. The demon saw that the shaman was very capable of magic, and endowed Ner'zhul with the power to command the flows of magical energy, in exchange for devotion Legion Ner'zhul assisted the demons in the fight against the draenei living in Draenor, but soon the shaman began to realize that the orcs were becoming mere pawns in the Legion's greater demonic game. Kil'jaeden, guessing that Ner'zhul no longer wants to help the Legion, but hatches his own plans, chose a new representative of the orc race - Ner'zhul's student, Gul'dan. Gul'dan gained even more demonic power and power. Fearing for his life, Ner'zhul withdrew into the shadows, and his name was not mentioned again in either the First or Second Wars with the Alliance.

Enraged by the defeat of the orcs and the destruction of Draenor, the demon lord tore Ner'zhul apart, and tormented his soul in flames for a long time. But the demon still gave Ner'zhul another chance to serve the Legion. He turned all the warriors of the shaman, who stepped through the portal with him, into dead sorcerers - liches, revived by witchcraft, and the soul of Ner'zhul himself was forever imprisoned in a block of magical ice, inside which was the Frozen Throne. The demons teleported the Frozen Throne to the world of Azeroth to the snowy continent of Northrend, to a place called Icecrown. Together with the Lich King, all his faithful servants were exiled. To prevent the King from betraying the Legion again, the demons sent their faithful servants - the Nathrezim, led by their leader Tichondrius - to monitor the actions of Ner'zhul. Ner'zhul soon felt that his consciousness was greatly expanded, and he could sense the world of ghosts and command his loyal liches, communicating with them in a language that the demons could not hear. For ten long years, Ner'zhul perfected his abilities, hatching plans to take over the world of people and get rid of the power of demons.

Ner'zhul created a plague inside his throne, which he decided to test on the people living in Northrend. The Lich King was pleased to discover that he could safely control the plague from his icy home and direct it wherever he pleased. Soon, all people exposed to the plague turned into the living dead, completely subordinate to Ner'zhul. With all the people of Northrend subdued, Ner'zhul continued to expand his domain. Soon, an ancient race of arachnid creatures, the Nerubians, stood in his way. However, Ner'zhul destroyed the Nerubian overlords when his army descended into the depths of Azjol'Nerub, the spider kingdom. The War of the Spider, as it was called, ended with the destruction of the leaders of the Nerubians, upon whom the cavern vaults of the nathrezim, aiding the Lich King, collapsed.

Ner'zhul revived the spider-king Anub'arak and made him his faithful servant. However, the Lich King left Kel'Thuzad his humanity, promising him eternal life if he served the cause of the Scourge in the destruction of people.

Quote

Are you fighting for life? In vain. I already took her.

Kel'Thuzad- was one of the most promising mages of the Kirin Tor order. In the course of his research, he repeatedly turned to forbidden books on dark magic and necromancy, and could not understand why such powerful tomes and powers so frightened the magicians and the ruling elite of Dalaran. He delved deeper into dark texts and art. But this could not continue indefinitely. His research in the field of dark magic was revealed, and he appeared before the high council of Dalaran, at which a decision was made - in

honor of past merits, he was given the last chance. Either he stops practicing the dark arts, or he will be banished from Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. It is noteworthy that almost at the same time, CT begins to hear a voice - the call of the Lich King. It begins to resound throughout Azeroth for all those whom the Lich King (at that time still Ner "zhul) considered worthy candidates for his plans (see the creation of the lash and the spread of the plague). CT understands that if he wants to know even more about the dark arts is his only chance. No one knows more about them than the Lich King. He packs his things and leaves Dalaran for Northrend.

After long months of traveling through seas and snows, he reaches the Roof of the World - that was the name of Northrend at that time. Appearing before the Lich King, he tasted the power he longed for. He was terrified...at the beginning. Besides, there was no way back. The Lich King entrusted him with a responsible task - to spread the newly bred magical plague in the lands of Lordaeron and revive the oldest Cult of the Damned. It was for this occupation that Jaina Proudmoore and Arthas Menethil found him. During a brief skirmish, CT is killed by Arthas, but warns that "his death will not change anything at all ... when the conquest of these lands has already begun."

Later, when Arthas betrayed his homeland, his people and his father, the King of the Dead instructs him to resurrect Kel "thuzada. To do this, Arthas defiles even the ashes of his father, who fell from his own hand - he pours out the ashes, because an urn from under it is needed , in order to transfer the remains of CT to the place of resurrection. This place was named the Sunwell, the shrine of the high elves, now known as blood elves. After the resurrection, CT admits that he initially knew about his death at the hands of Arthas. Now Kel "thuzad is a lich endowed with great power .

Indeed, the history of the Warcraft universe cannot simply be recounted, but it is not so difficult to understand how it is organized and from which side it is better to approach it. The following review will have a navigational function, and may be useful even for those who are in the subject, but would like to expand their knowledge. My goal in this answer will not be to retell the contents 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: strategies, 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 the data of the three layers of the universe will be more than enough for you.

The story involved in the strategies can be divided into three parts, according to the parts of the games.

Warcraft I She is the first war. A recently released film was made on this part. Tells about the invasion of the Horde into Azeroth, about Medivh, about the fall of Stormwind, about the death of King Llane.

Game: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

Warcraft II, the second war. Events after the fall of Stormwind, the story of how Anduin Lothar, Turalyon and Daelin Proudmoore fought back the Horde. Then - the counteroffensive of the Alliance in the homeland of the orcs, Draenor, where Ner'zhul, since nothing happened with Azeroth, wants to open portals to other worlds.

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

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

Simultaneously with these events, the young slave Thrall begins to have strange dreams in which a stranger calls 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, in order to only give an idea of \u200b\u200bwhat is happening in the series of games, and, of course, so as not to spoil.

The 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 that no longer obey Arthas) join the Horde, so we end up with two mutually unfriendly coalitions.
Alliance: Humans, Dwarves, Dwarves, Night Elves. Horde: Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, Forsaken. The main antagonists of this stage are the black dragons, the 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, led by Lor "temar Theron, join the Horde. The Dark Portal through which the orcs entered Azeroth during the first war reopens. Antagonists of the add-on: Kael'thas, Illidan and the Burning Legion itself in the person of Kil'Jaeden.

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

WoW Cataclysm: The distraught Aspect of the Earth, the black dragon Deathwing has awakened in the bowels 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 found themselves with enemies in the Alliance ranks - several unexpectedly losing trades 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. Beyond the wall of Greymane, in the human city of Gilneas, meanwhile a strange frenzy has gripped the inhabitants. It turned people into bloodthirsty werewolves attacking everyone and everything. With this madness dealt with, the Gilneans began to call themselves Worgen, half-human, half-wolves, and found a home in the ranks of the Alliance.

WoW Mists of Pandaria: a new continent, Pandaria, was suddenly discovered in the southern part of Azeroth, previously hidden from view by a dense layer of mists. The Horde and the Alliance raced to this continent, unleashed a war on it, thereby awakening strange Sha creatures that personify our bad emotions and feelings. Some Pandaren decide to join the Horde and the Alliance. Garrosh Hellscream, who became the leader of the Horde in the era of Cataclysm, goes crazy and brings back the heart of the ancient god Y "Shaarj to life in order to strengthen his army and destroy the Alliance. Heroes of both factions must 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 (the bronze dragons in the World of Warcraft have the ability to manipulate time). Garrosh travels back in time to a time before the orcs made their way to Azeroth. There, he finds his father, Grommash, and shares the technology Garrosh hoped to destroy the Alliance with. Grommash united all the disparate clans of the orcs of Draenor under his banner, making their leaders his warlords and began an invasion of Azeroth, but not in Azeroth during the first war, but in the time after the Pandarian campaign. Players become participants in the events of this most changed Draenor of the past.

And in August we are waiting for Legion, a new page in the history of Warcraft.

As you can see, the further the story of the game develops, the more confused 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, Mev and Kael'thas are equally important. Naturally, in order to adequately finish the stories of all these characters, the space of the game is completely insufficient. Therefore, the creators attract the third and last 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:

With Blood and Honor - the very first novel in the Warcraft universe, written by Chris Metzen (dad of the entire Warcraft universe). The story is about Tirion Fordring. Timeline, if I'm not mistaken, after the second war.
Day of the Dragon - tells about the events after the second war. The protagonist of the book, the magician Ronin, rescues the supreme aspect, Alexstrasza, from captivity of the Horde.
Lord of the Clans - tells the story of Thrall (the same little orc that makes GRRR at the end of the film), about how he began to revive the Horde, freeing the orcs from the camps of the Alliance.
The Last Guardian - narrates from 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. Well of Eternity 2. Soul of a Demon 3. Schism

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

Circle of Hatred - events a year before WoW, that is, after the first war. Tells how Jaina Proudmoore and Thrall tried to keep the peace between the Horde and the Alliance.
Rise of the Horde is the kind of book everyone should read before going to the Warcraft movies. It tells about who the orcs are, why they needed to attack Azeroth. And he also introduces us to the draenei people, these are the same blue-skinned dudes who were killed at the beginning of the film.
Dark Tides - tells about the events of Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness.
Beyond the Dark Portal - tells about the events of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.
Day of the Dragon - is in a sense a continuation of the "Night of the Dragon" and tells about the events between the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King.
Arthas: Rise of the Lich King - biography of Arthas, naturally.
Stormrage is the only book that I can't localize in timeline that is about what the Emerald Dream is and about Malfurion Stormrage.
Schism: Prelude to Cataclysm - tells the story of the events between Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm.
Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects is a sequel to the previous book.
Wolfheart - tells about the events after Cataclysm, about how the leaders of the Alliance tried to protect Ashenvale from Garrosh, who was already starting to go crazy.
Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War - tells the story of Jaina Proudmoore, the events before Mists of Pandaria.
Dawn of the Aspects - tells about the events after Cataclysm, about what happened to the five Aspects after they abandoned their immortal power in the name of defeating Deathwing.
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.
War Crimes - talks about the events after Mists of Pandaria, about what happened to Garrosh after the Siege of Orgrimmar.
Illidan - The book was released in 2016, and as far as I understand, is a biography of Illidan Stormrage.

As you can see, the devil will break his leg in these books, and there are also manga and comics, which I won’t even write about here.

---------(WarCraft 3: Frozen Throne)

An Old Feud: The Colonization of Kalimdor

Rise of the Betrayer

Rise of the Blood Elves

Civil War in the Plaguelands

Victorious Lich King

Scourge of Lordaeron

(Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos)

We never paid attention to the prophecies...
Like fools we clung to old grudges
And fought like we've done for generations
Until the sky was lit up with fiery rain and a new enemy appeared among us...
And now we're on the brink of death...
The realm of Chaos has come... at last.

The actions of Thrall and his orcs greatly disturbed the nobles of Lordaeron. The freed orcs freed other orcs throughout the camps in southern Lordaeron. There was a real threat of a chain reaction of this process. The guards of the camps were constantly in full combat readiness and regularly sent messages to the Capital.

Despite all the difficulties and troubles, the orcs sailed to the shores of Kalimdor. When Thrall landed, he gave the order to gather all the survivors of the storm, as well as food and supplies. While the orcs were doing this, they met with the tauren. As in the case of the trolls, the meeting was peaceful, Thrall and the leader of the tauren (tauren - tauren), Cairn Bloodhoof (Cai rne Bloodhoof - Cairn Bloodhoof), decided that they had a lot in common. The orcs agreed to help the tauren, and the tauren agreed to help the orcs. The tauren were greatly annoyed by the centaurs and their raids on the settlements. Together, an attack on one of the tauren camps was repelled and a caravan of loaded kodos (kodo - kodo) with supplies was delivered to another. Cairn, for his part, told Thrall that an Oracle lived far to the north, who could help the orcs determine their fate. Thrall needed to find the Oracle at all costs and talk to him. Their path lay across the prairies (Barens - Steppes) to the north.

For long days they traveled through the dull hot sun and parched land, until they reached the passes in the Stonetalon mountains (Clawed Mountains), where they met Thunder Hellskim and the orcs of the Warsong clan. There they also met humans... Hellscream told Thrall that the humans had taken control of the nearest mountain pass and that he met them by chance, but when he did, he immediately joined the fight. Thrall ordered not to engage in battle with people anymore, to get to the workshop of goblins, who were only interested in money and profit, and buy 2 airships from them, which would freely deliver Thrall to the Oracle. However, Grom violated his order and led his warriors to the people. As a result, Thrall and the entire Horde were forced to fight until all the people were knocked out of there. After that, they had a showdown with Grom. Grom surged with demon blood, which he himself had drunk long ago with other leaders of the old Horde ... and he could not help himself. Thrall did not let him get away with this mistake: he sent Grom and all the Warsong warriors to Ashenvale forest (Ashenvale forest - Ashenvale forest) to prepare timber and build a camp.

In Ashenvale, the orcs of Thunder felt uncomfortable: they began to believe that the forest was full of spirits ... Yes, and Thunder himself was not pleased. Timber harvesting nevertheless began, but after a while, the orcs, of course, clashed with the original inhabitants of Ashenvale, the night elves, who clearly did not like that some outsiders were cutting down their native forest in which they grew up. Despite the fact that both sides suffered losses, all the clashes ended in favor of the Orcs and the required amount of timber was harvested. Then Cenarius, the demigod of the night elves, was forced to intervene...

Shortly before Lordaeron finally fell under the blows of the Scourge and the Burning Legion, a conversation took place between two powerful demons, Tycondrius (Tichondrius - Tichondrius) and Mannoroh (Mannoroth - Mannoroth), in which Tycondrius announced that there were no more orcs in Lordaeron. This news infuriated Mannoroch, because. the blood pact, which he made many years ago with all the leaders of the Horde except Durotan, the leader of the Froswolfs and Thrall's father, was supposed to serve to enslave the orcs, and then the orcs showed such self-will ... Mannoroch decided to go to Kalimdor personally and rectify the situation. In Kalimdor, there was a very convenient opportunity to apply the plan. Since the orcs angered Cenarius (Cenarius - Cenarius) and he had already openly attacked them, the orcs had practically no chance against him. But if they were given demonic strength and bloodlust again, then it would be possible to accomplish two tasks at once: weaken or kill the Burning Legion's longtime enemy, Cenarius, and again subjugate the orcs, who temporarily escaped under the leadership of Thrall from the demonic dependence of the Burning Legion. All that was needed was to renew the Pact of Blood. All this Mannoroch did at the instigation of Tycondrius, who in Kalimdor also spoke with Mannoroch on the subject of orcs. Mannoroch stained the nearest source of drinking water with his blood. Everything turned out as intended. The battle began in the Ashenvale Forest of the night elves led by Cenarius and the orcs led by Grom Hellscream. The orcs began to suffer one defeat after another and could not resist the power of Cenarius until news of some "unusual" source reached the Grom. Despite all the warnings of his clanmates, Grom decided to drink water from a corrupted source, and he was the first to do so. Having drunk the blood of Mannoroth, Grom felt incredible strength, the blood "boiled" in his veins, and his eyes were filled with rage and a demonic red glow. He no longer belonged to himself... Following him, all his fighters drank the water from the spoiled source. After that, the orcs gave a fierce battle to Cenarius, in which he died. Mannoroch was pleased.

Meanwhile, Thrall, bypassing human outposts where possible, reached the entrance to the Oracle's cave. To his surprise, Cairn came to help him, who said that the Tauren owed a great debt to the orcs and this debt could only be redeemed with blood. However, even here, at the entrance, there was an outpost of people. An observant Thrall learned that there were wyverns not far from here, which were held captive by the harpies, and if they were helped, they could win over the wyverns to their side. And so it happened: Thrall freed the wyverns, and they, in turn, joined his army and together they knocked out the people and quietly entered the cave. Having dealt with the local inhabitants of the cave, Thrall and Cairn saw something unusual: the people who in every possible way blocked the path of the orcs and their allies were also in this cave and were also looking for the Oracle. Finally they all found it together. It was none other than the Prophet who foretold the doom of Lordaeron to some and advised others to sail to Kalimdor to seek their destiny. The surviving humans were led by Jaina Proudmoore. However, as soon as they all met together at the Prophet, they almost fought, to which the Prophet was forced to intervene and calm everyone down. He made a number of serious statements, the main of which was that the world was in mortal danger in the face of the Scourge and the Burning Legion, who had deployed their power in Azeroth and had already crushed two kingdoms: Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. what no one expected: in order to achieve survival in the coming massacre, people must unite with the Horde and forget all strife and differences. Both Thrall and Jaina were almost shocked by this news, but they did not argue with the Prophet. Thrall was told separately by the Prophet, that the demons had once again enslaved his friend Grom.

Thrall and Cairn traveled to the outskirts of Ashenvale to the place where Grom was supposed to be. Of course, it was guarded by the elite "cloaked" fighters of the Warsong clan, as well as demons. A helping hand to Thrall was extended by the noble Jaina, who, despite the fact that Thrall and his Horde were her former enemies, did not remain indifferent to someone else's misfortune. The plan was as follows: Thrall breaks through to Grom and encases his soul in a special artifact (soul gem) prepared by Jaina, and everyone else provides cover and safe passage for Thrall; further, the artifact with the soul is brought into a special circle and a rite of purification is performed over the soul, thus clarifying the mind of the Thunder, his thoughts and actions. Jaina's troops covered one of the directions of attacks from the fallen horde (fel horde) and the Burning Legion that helped her and assisted in the advance of Thrall's troops. As a result of heavy fighting, as well as the help of all allies, Thrall broke through to Grom and heard from him that their new master was Lord Mannoroch. Also enlightening Thrall about how long ago in their homeland, in Draenor, the leaders of the clans themselves voluntarily drank the blood of Mannoroth and brought this curse upon themselves. These words about the voluntary bringing of the orc people to death only angered Thrall - he, without hesitation, imprisoned Thunder in an Artifact and carried him to the Magic Circle. Despite the fact that the Burning Legion sent reinforcements and the skies lit up with fire as a result of the flight of fire golems, Thrall's fighters, Cairn and Jaina's troops repulsed the onslaught and dragged Grom to the right place. In the Circle, orc shamans and elf priests jointly performed a rite of purification. Grom's mind cleared up... he was deeply remorseful for what he had done. However, Thrall hurriedly said that time was short and that Grom must help save their people. Grom suggested that they go to the nearest canyon to meet with Mannoroth - Thrall supported this decision, and they went there together. There they met Mannoroch, who only mocked them. Whether or not the demon assumed they had come to fight him, he had come there alone, unaccompanied, as had Thrall and Grom. After listening to the teasing of himself, Thrall absorbed the energies into his hammer and launched it at Mannoroth... The demon deftly dodged and covered himself with a wing... the wing blew a hole. In response, he made several swings with his "axe" and almost cut Thrall in half ... however, the demon missed and the ax hit the ground, but the shock wave threw Thrall right onto the stones, after hitting which he injured his arm and barely breathed. .. Finally, Thunder rushed at Mannoroch and, in a split second, dodging Mannoroth's ax, in a dashing jump, he thrust his ax right into the belly of the impudent demon! With that, the demon's taunts ended... as did his strength... as did the demonic energy that flowed in the veins of Grom and all the warriors who drank the blood of Mannoroth. From now on, the Treaty of Blood has been destroyed. But this victory was not without its price: having lost the energy that was so firmly rooted in the body of a mighty warrior, along with Mannoroh, Thunder also lost his life. Thrall took the loss of his friend very hard. A monument was later erected to Thunder Hellscream by Thrall's orders.

Battle of Mount Hyjal

The Burning Legion and the Scourge have invaded Kalimdor. Encountering little resistance, Archimonde and his assistants headed into the Ashenval forest to get to the top of Mount Hyjal (Hyjal - Hyjal). Meanwhile in Ashenvale, High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind - High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind) watched over those who killed Cenarius. After the union of orcs with people under the pressure of the Prophet and the fall in battle of the pit lord (pit lord - lord of the underworld) Mannoroh, their combined army moved from the prairies (the barrens - steppes) to the north, to the southern outskirts of the Ashenval forest, to build a camp there and gain a foothold. The force was commanded by Duke Lionheart. To Tyrande, all mortal races were the same: she underestimated and dismissed those who were not immortal Night Elves. Since the orcs had killed Cenarius, she didn't like them much. Her first order is to drive the orcs and humans from the southern outskirts of Ashenvale. Together with her sentries (sentinels - sentries), she did this. However, she didn’t even think that while she was wasting time and energy on destroying small detachments of mortal races, thereby weakening them, the main enemy, the Burning Legion under the command of Archimonde himself and the Scourge under the command of Tycondrius, were already striding through Ashenval directly to the mountain Hyjal and the World Tree Nordrassil (World Tree Nordrassil - World Tree Nordrassil).

While Tyrande was aware of this, she nearly fell into the clutches of the enemy. But she managed to get out. From that moment on, the Priestess forgot to think about mortals: it was necessary to immediately mobilize all available forces against the real enemy. Having made her way from the enemy rear to her own, Tyrande first decided to wake Furion (Furion Stormrage - Furion Stormrage), the most powerful druid, under whose leadership a victory was won over the queen of the night elves, Azshara (Azshara - Azshara), who betrayed her people. Furion had been sleeping for several thousand years in a small abode in the middle of a dense forest. Only the horn of Cenarius could awaken him, but Cenarius was killed, so Tyrande had to do the work. This horn was in Moonglade (Moonglade - Moonglade), and it was guarded by 3 guards. Moreover, as soon as Tyrande arrived at the scene, she learned that the path to the horn was blocked not only by the guards of Cenarius, who, of course, did not allow anyone but the owner to the horn, but also by the orcs who entrenched themselves in that area and built a camp . However, that was not all: the undead appeared in the conflict area, which rapidly made its way to the monastery, but the densely growing forest prevented it, so there was still time and hope to have time to fulfill the plan. Tyrande with her elf archers crossed all obstacles, made her way through the orc camp, defeated three guards and got to the horn before the undead reached the monastery. A long rumble was heard over the entire district ... and Furion woke up from centuries of sleep. Everything he saw and felt he did not like. He himself made his way through the thick of trees towards the undead and killed everyone in the area who cut down the forest and spoiled nature. His meeting with Tyrande was a joy to him.

Having received such a powerful and wise ally as Furion, the elves cheered up. The next task was to awaken the Raven Druids from their sleep. Also in the monastery and also in the dense forest thicket, which was full of enemies. As Tyrande and Furion made their way through the forest, destroying everyone who interfered, they noticed that humans and orcs were fighting the undead and demons. Furion judiciously remarked that these mortals could become allies in the fight against the undead, but Tyrande haughtily declared that she would be damned if the night elves united with them. One way or another, they got to the monastery, killed the local satyrs (satyr - satyr) and awakened the raven druids. After that, it was necessary to awaken the bear druids. They slept in a cave near Mount Hyjal. Moving through the cave, everything was fine until the squad came across an ancient gate. Furion immediately remembered that this gate closed the entrance to the dungeon, where Illidan had been imprisoned for 10 thousand years. Tyrande noticed that he could become an ally in the fight against enemies. Furion categorically rejected the offer and said that this evil must be caged, even though Illidan Stormrage (Illidan Stormrage - Illidan Stormrage) - his brother. Tyrande, however, persisted in her insistence, and finally decided to go there on her own with a small force. Furion said that he forbade her to do this, but the elf sharply replied that only the goddess Elluna could forbid her to do something. With these words, they parted ways. Furion continued on through the cave. When he reached the resting place of the bear druids, he saw that not everyone was sleeping and that the bears were unnaturally aggressive and even attacked the night elves. Then Furion decided to make his way to the center of the "lair" and blow the horn of Cenarius throughout the cave, so that everyone could hear. And so it was done: the night elves made their way to the right place without killing any of the bears, and a long rumble was heard throughout the cave. Immediately the mind of all the druids cleared up, and they all came to the call of the horn. In a small conversation, it turned out that the bear druids themselves did not know what had come over them, but also said that they felt corruption and decay from an external source, even through a dream. Meanwhile, Tyrande met with the dungeon guards. They told her that they would not even let her through. Then she did not hesitate to arrange a bloody massacre even with her brothers, the night elves guarding Illidan, and killed them all with her detachment. Finally, she reached the cage, and Illidan himself heard her voice... he himself broke the bars of the cage, and together they headed for the exit. At the exit they were met by Furion with his druids. After a short conversation, they all left the cave.

Illidan, after 10,000 years in captivity, found it difficult to adapt to everyday life, but he was determined to help his people and prove that he was a worthy demon hunter (demon hunter - demon hunter). Illidan went to Felwood Forest (Felwood - Felwood). When he got there, Arthas unexpectedly met on his way... Illidan was not happy to meet him, they even met with him in hand-to-hand combat, but after a combat "warm-up", which ended in nothing, he nevertheless listened to what Arthas wanted. Arthas said that in this forest there is a magical artifact, the skull of Gul "Dan, which poisoned the local lands. To the question "why do you need this?" Arthas answered that his current master would benefit from the defeat of the Burning Legion. And to the question: "Why should I believe you?" - the answer was given: "my master sees everything, incl. and the fact that you have always sought power, now it is coming into your hands." Illidan was eventually tempted by power and took the very artifact, instead of destroying it. As soon as he took the cursed artifact and absorbed it strength, the demon hunter himself turned into a powerful demon, he had horns, hooves and wings behind his back.However, he did not forget about Tycondrius, who commanded the local enemy forces, gave him a strong fight with a small army of night elves and killed him.Thus fell one of the powerful demons of the Burning Legion... after Mannoroh, by the way. When the battle was over, Furion and Tyrande arrived at the scene, they were saddened that their mutual friend had turned into a demon himself. Furion banished Illidan from his native lands forever.

The army of Archimonde almost reached Hyjal. Time was running out. However, the night elves were not completely confident in their abilities, but they were sure of one thing: if necessary, they would give their lives not only for their land, but for the whole world in general, which was in great danger. On the eve of likely events, Furion had a dream in which he had a Prophet and indicated the place and time where Furion was supposed to come. At the appointed time and place, Furion and Tyrande arrived ... after a while Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore joined them, - it turned out that they were also invited - Tyrande was not happy with them, and a little later, he came to the meeting himself The prophet who told Tyrande that humans and orcs had come to help her people fight the Legion. Furion asked the Prophet who he was to make such claims of unification? The prophet replied that he was the one whose mistake cost the world too much, he was the one who opened the Portal of Darkness and let the orcs, and with them the demons, into Azeroth, he was the one who was killed for his sins by those he loved most - people, and now he has come to correct what he has done and unite all reasonable and civilized races in the fight against the Burning Legion, which threatens all living things, he is the last of the Guardians (Last Guardian), he is Medivh (Medivh)! After such a speech, even Tyrande did not dare to comment on anything. All ambitions were put aside, and everyone had only one task - to win this decisive battle.

The next day, representatives of almost all races: humans, orcs, gnomes, trolls, tauren, dwarves, elves of Quel'Thalas and finally night elves - gathered together to give the last battle to the killers of all life. Their leaders also gathered: Thrall, Furion, Tyrande: After some time, Jaina arrived with the news, who said that, according to intelligence, the army of the Burning Legion and the Scourge, led by Archimonde, was moving towards the mountain directly towards them, and any minute the enemy would be here - we need to prepare for battle The defense plan was built like this: the first, at the very foot of the mountain, the surviving warriors of the Alliance of Lordaeron (note: humans, dwarves, dwarves, high elves) enter the battle with the enemy, on the plateau a little higher, the fighters of Thrall's Horde (orcs, trolls) hold their positions and the tauren), and at the very top, not far from the World Tree, were the night elves. on the top of the mountain prepares a "surprise" for him, accumulating the necessary energy in the World Tree. After discussing the last details, everyone went to their places.

Arkimond arrived with his army - the massacre began. Jaina's troops were the first to meet the enemy. As long as possible, they held back the advance. But in the end they were forced to retreat and surrender their positions. Jaina herself teleported to safety. Further, the fighters of the Horde took the blow. Having more time to properly prepare for the defense, the orcs, trolls and tauren gave a fierce battle and withstood several onslaughts, however, as intended, they also left their positions at the right time. Thrall retreated safely, but before that he managed to strike Archimonde himself with lightning. There was little time left. Finally, when the time came, the night elves also retreated and allowed Archimonde to break through to the World Tree. Intoxicated with "victory", he went to him alone, not even sending anyone ahead of him, as Furion had counted on. Out of breath, Tyrande ran up to him and asked if he had time to prepare everything. Furion calmly replied that he had.

Believing that victory was in his pocket and that the mortal races, like the night elves, were broken, the self-confident Archimonde climbed to destroy the World Tree. After waiting for him to climb higher, Furion blew the horn of Cenarius, calling on all the spirits of the forest to attack the enemy at once. Hundreds of small fireflies enveloped the entire Archimonde, began to torment him and hamper his movements - he was no longer able to climb anywhere further. Finally, at the climax, the energy of the World Tree, which Furion so diligently accumulated shortly before with the help of special rites, was released at once and with crushing force swept away everything around him, turning the area around him into ashes, and the demon Archimonde into dust! Thus was killed one of the "highest officers" of the Burning Legion. After that, the combined forces of the Alliance, Horde and night elves regrouped and delivered a crushing counterattack on the undead and demons - the enemies were driven back, scattered and eventually defeated. Medivh was also watching all this, who came to the conclusion that his mission in this world was over, the earth would heal its wounds, and this world no longer needed Guardians.