An Abridged History of the Orcs

An Abridged History of the Orcs

Prehistory

• Orcish oral tradition holds that the first orcs were born from the blood of the earth as it made war against sea and sky. Though physical evidence of the first orcs has long since been lost, orcs believe that the first cultures originated in the southern half of Nagrand (which did not survive the Breaking).
• Early orcs likely engaged in hunting and gathering. Unlike the humans, who could draw what few cultural memories they maintained from their vrykul forebears, the orcs had to develop mostly on their own.
• Scattered arakkoa artifacts indicate that some orcs may have served the arakkoa as slaves. Some cultures may have even seen the arakkoa as spirits (modern orcish historians joke that this lasted only until the orcs discovered that the arakkoa could bleed).
• The orcs in Nagrand eventually develop into pastoralists, keeping herds of talbuks and clefthoofs. The oldest oral histories date back to this era, speaking of warriors, shamans, and tricksters who dealt with spirits and rival orcs.
• Competition over grazing lands may have pushed a significant portion of the orcs east, into Terokkar Forest and Shadowmoon Valley. It is believed that these orcs probably discovered metallurgy.
• Despite the advantage of having metal weapons, Draenor's rugged terrain made it difficult to form large polities, so the forest peoples are never able to leverage their metal weapons into a significant advantage.
• Agriculture is discovered at some point, probably in the fertile river valleys of northern Nagrand. They face persecution from their nomad cousins in the south as well as ogres. As a result, they develop into an even more warlike culture. The earlier elements of the honor code probably develop here, as a means for resolving disputes between farming villages (which must maintain some level of unity).

400 - 300 BDP

• Oshu'gun, known to the draenei as Jaikoob, makes its descent in central Nagrand. Unable to put Oshu'gun into its proper context, the orcs see it as a portent of great things to come. The fact that it lands closer to the agricultural north serves to further unify the farming cultures.
• The Naaru within Oshu'gun, K'ure, creates a sort of communion with the orcish ancestors. Though unable to fully appreciate the implications, local shamans do pick up on the supernatural events. Almost overnight, Oshu'gun becomes a focus of northern orcish culture.
• Initial interaction between the draenei and the orcs is quite limited. The draenei remain friendly but relatively aloof, not wanting to bring the orcs into their conflict with the Burning Legion. Using Oshu'gun's arcane powers, they move much of their population to the future site of Shattrath City.
• Northern shamans organize yearly gatherings at Oshu'gun. These kosh'harg festivals put a stop to inter-clan warfare, and give clans a chance to resolve their situations peacefully.
• At some point, orcs in northern Nagrand take advantage of the kosh'harg to attack the lightly defended homes of their enemies. Though they succeed in plundering their rivals, the other communities unite against them and drive these orcs into Zangarmarsh.
• Unable to support cattle in the fungal swamp, the orcs split. Those who stay in Zangarmarsh are forced to resort to cannibalism (because orcs require regular intakes of red meat in order to stay healthy), and become known as the Bonechewer Clan. Others move to the east, and eventually forge a new identity as warriors and hunters in the deserts of Hellfire Peninsula; they call themselves the Shattered Hand Clan as a way to commemorate the suffering they experienced on their long exile.
• Nomads and forest orcs begin to attend the kosh'harg. The nomads mostly do so in order to trade, and they have little respect for their agriculturalist cousins. The forest orcs, who had long been isolated, learn more about the Nagrand shamanistic traditions. The cultural and spiritual power granted by Oshu'gun is absent in other areas, and the forest shamans wonder if there is any way for them to serve their communities in the same capacity as the Nagrand spiritualists.
• Contact between the draenei and the orcs remains limited. The draenei allow a few orcish traders (this is mostly so as they can keep an eye on what the orcs are doing, and learn if there is any demonic presence in Draenor).
• Orcish writing, closely based off of Eredun script, is developed. It's mostly used for accounting and records; shamans (jealous of maintaining their cultural power) enact a taboo against writing stories or histories.

300 BDP - 250 BDP

• At some point in this era, the tribes of Shadowmoon Valley begin to send their shamans to the arakkoa for training. As a result, the shamans of these clans begin to dabble with shadow magic, which will have dire consequences for the orcs in the future.
• Draenic settlers reach Farahlon (present day Netherstorm). Here, they encounter hunter-gatherer orcs in the tropical jungle. Called the Laughing Skull Clan (apparently a form of gallows humor), they had apparently migrated north into the equatorial regions thousands of years in the past, and led a very marginal existence within the dangerous tropics. Due to their isolation from other orcs, the draenei elected to introduce them to the Holy Light.
• This attempt ends badly, in part due to cultural misunderstanding. An essentially stone age culture, the Laughing Skull Clan has no way to contextualize draenic actions. When invited into draenic cities, the orcs have no idea how they are expected to act, and often steal food and flee into the forest.
• An incident in which three draenei are killed leads to the local draenei forbidding the Laughing Skull orcs from entering their cities. After more failed attempts to proselytize to the orcs in the wilderness, the Farahlon communities cut off all contact with the orcs.
• After establishing Shattrath, the draenei continue to expand throughout Terrokar Forest. Tuurem and Auchindoun begin construction at this time. The increased draenic presence pushes the orcs to the edge of Terokkar. This is not deliberate on the part of the draenei. Though aggressive, the orcs are too intimidated by the scale of the cities and draenic magic to directly retaliate.
• Some Terokkar orcs migrate east towards Shadowmoon Valley, where they form the Twilight's Hammer Clan and fall into the Shadowmoon Clan's cultural orbit. Others attempt to settle in Nagrand, but are rebuffed, and instead move to Hellfire Peninsula.
• The migrants in Hellfire are unable to consolidate, and end up dispersing. These isolated bands fare poorly against the Shattered Hand Clan, and are driven deep into the eastern wastes or are enslaved.
• The Yellowblight, a desert south of Nagrand, begins spread into the land of the Nagrand pastoralists.

250 - 200 BDP

• United by an ogre lord claiming to represent the will of the gronn, the Blade's Edge ogres are temporarily forged into a fearsome (albeit ill-disciplined) army: the Rampage. The Rampage first attacks the jungles of Farahlon, tearing apart the draenic cities. The draenei retreated to the largest citadel in the area, also known as Farahlon. Some of the ogre war bands stayed and made themselves the overlords of the scattered Laughing Skull Clan.
• After looting Farahlon (the region, not the city) the Rampage turned its attention south. Ogre armies set Nagrand and Terokkar aflame, killing all that they encountered.
• A visionary orcish warrior named Ogmar Stonehowl rallied the clans of Nagrand, Terrokar Forest, and Shadowmoon Valley. His own clan, the Stonebreakers, were relatively small, but their tenacity and courage did much to weaken the Rampage's advance. Ogmar Stonehowl was declared the Warchief of All Orcs, and his force was the ancestor of the modern Horde.
• Linking up with draenic and arakkoa armies, the allied forces fought a brutal campaign up through Zangarmarsh to strike at the ogre homeland. Though never acknowledging Ogmar as leader, the Shattered Hand and Bonechewer clans harried the ogre forces.
• The need to support the troops solidifies the burgeoning class hierarchy of warrior and peon in non-nomadic orcish clans.
• The Blood Gulch Melee saw all three allied armies meet in battle against the leadership core of the Rampage. The cruelest battle in the world's history up to that point, the Rampage's power was forever broken.
• In order to prevent the ogres from again arising, the three forces agreed to keep watch over the Blade's Edge Mountains.
• The draenei also promise to keep an eye on Blade's Edge, but their attentions are redirected to the reconstruction of Farahlon. A new fortress is built, called Zelspur (today known as the Stormspire).
• The arakkoa keep a token force in Blade's Edge, but they become distracted by their own inscrutable obsessions and do little to help.
• Ogmar Stonehowl orders some of his raiders (from the forest tribes) and warriors (from Nagrand) to guard the Blade's Edge Mountains. These become the Thunderlord and Warsong Clans respectively. They shoulder the burden of periodically culling the ogre population and removing any particularly dangerous leaders. The draenei took some issue with their violent methods, but lacked the resources or influence to do anything about it, and again withdrew from orcish affairs.

200 - 150 BDP

• Ogmar Stonehowl returns to his home and moves his clan to Terokkar Forest. Inspired by the draenei, he orders his clan to built Stonebreaker Hold, vowing that it would one day rival Shattrath City. A poor administrator, he is unable to fulfill this vision and the large population succumbs to infighting after he dies in a hunting accident. Stonebreaker Hold never amounts to more than a small and impoverished village.
• A warlord named Zeth unites the clanless Hellfire orcs and at last mounts an effective resistance against the Shattered Hand Clan.
• Driven to the verdant north by the expanding Yellowblight, the southern Nagrand pastoralists begin to encroach on the farmland of the northern clans.
• In Hellfire, Zeth builds the walled city of Zeth'kur on the southern coast. Known as the Red City, it is approached by the surrusil, a salamander-like race from another continent. The surrusil seek slaves for their violent arena games, offering servitor warriors and weapons in return. Zeth accepts this bargain, finding slaves in Shattered Hand POWs and socially ostracized Zeth'kur inhabitants.
• A draenic anchorite named Pekara, traumatized by the violence of the Ogre War, begins to preach a new creed of finding the Light's eternal joy in the peaceful servitude of undeath. She gradually draws in a network of supporters in Auchindoun, called the Auchenai.
• The Bladewind Clan, in southern Nagrand, unites the nomads under the leadership of Krogarg the Crimson Hand. Calling themselves the Stampede, the nomads descend on the northern farmers, showing no mercy. This is the beginning of the Blood River War.
• Some of the northern farmers appeal for help, but the draenei remain indecisive. One reason for this is the growing power of the Auchenai heresy. They also remembered how their interference worsened the position of the Laughing Skull Clan. The draenei finally choose to give limited aid to the north.
• The northern clans use a sacred spot to create a training ground known as the Ring of Trials. Elite warriors, the Blood Swords, are trained in this place.
• The Blood River War ends with the northern clans forced to give the Stampede access to their lands. Krogarg's empire does not long survive him, and the Stampede devolves into quarreling bands that retreat to the depleted south. It is estimated that 50% of northern Nagrand's male population died in the Blood River War.
• The Blood Sword warriors adopt the name of the Burning Blade Clan, and vow to defend northern Nagrand from future incursions.
• Prophet Velen at last orders troops to expunge the Auchenai, who had begun dabbling in necromancy. A few, led by Exodite Maladar, escape into the wilderness.

150 - 100 BDP

• The orcs of Zeth'kur look farther afield for more slaves. Their ships raid Farahlon, taking slaves from the Laughing Skull Clan, and also buying ogres captured by the Warsong Clan. Some arakkoa are also targeted. The draenei are left alone.
• The Temple of Telhamat is founded in order to give the Hellfire orcs a more peaceful example to emulate. The draenei also regret their failure to intervene in the Blood River War, and hope to avoid similar bloodshed in the north. Unfortunately, Telhamat accomplishes little.
• The town of Telaar is built in Nagrand in order to monitor Oshu'gun. Though the orcs do not attack it, there is visible animosity against the draenei. Telaar's population gradually dwindles, leaving Oshu'gun unattended.
• First reported sightings of the mok'nathal.
• The Burning Blade Clan begins to make punitive raids on nomad camps. They are sometimes aided by the Bleeding Hollow Clan, a minor Terokkar clan that grew powerful by smuggling stolen or abandoned draenic weapons to the north during the Blood River War.

100 - 50 BDP

• The draenei begin construction on Karabor in the far east of Shadowmoon Valley. They hope to use it both to serve the Light, and also to better harness the leylines. The long-term plan is to use the magic to ensure that the Burning Legion never discovers Draenor. Unfortunately, this site is the location of the Ragestorm Clan's preferred hunting grounds.
• The draenei do what they can to ease the transition, promising the Ragestorm that they will get all the food and support they need until they can resettle. Insulted by the offer, the Ragestorm Clan leaves the area on its own, vowing revenge (the Ragestorm, many years later, would become the Dragonmaw Clan). Saddened, the draenei continue, knowing they have no other choice if they are to protect their home world.
• The Shattered Hand Clan builds Hellfire Citadel (initially much smaller) to defend against Zeth'kur.
• In order to get more slaves, Zeth'kur starts to arrest farmers and ranchers around the city. This diminishes their food capacity, and they become dependent on surrusil shipments.

50 - 0 BDP

• Ner'zhul, the shaman of the Shadowmoon Clan, first encounters Kil'jaeden in visions. Already slightly corrupted by his time training with the arakkoa, and fueled by the indignities suffered by the Ragestorm Clan, Ner'zhul is easily manipulated. Gathering support from the Ragestorm and Twilight's Hammer, he begins to reach out to the clans of northern Nagrand.
• Still resentful over draenic neutrality in the Blood River War, the clans of northern Nagrand agree that payback is in order. Calling their union the Horde, they prepare to make surprise attacks on draenic settlements.
• Tuurem is the first city to fall. The orcish attack succeeds by virtue of surprise and sheer ferocity. They kill most of those who can fight back, and the civilians disperse into the woods; the orcs kill some, but don't bother making any organized pursuit.
• Other small towns, like Telaar and Halaa, are also overwhelmed. Despite these successes, the Horde's long-term prospects appear grim. They simply don't have the organization or logistical capability to defeat a foe as well-entrenched as the draenei.
• The remnants of the Stonebreaker Clan merges with the Bleeding Hollow.
• Unsure where to strike, draenic forces have difficulty marshaling an effective resistance, though they almost always defeat the orcs in actual combat.
• Several orcs suggest seeking help from the arakkoa, thinking that their dark magic would give them an edge against the draenei. This is vetoed by Ner'zhul, his rationale being that the arakkoa cannot be trusted.
• The Thunderlord and Warsong Clans agree to join the Horde, seeing the draenei as cowards for failing to occupy Blade's Edge. The Shattered Hand Clan does not formally join, but agrees to harass draenic forces in Hellfire Peninsula. Gul'dan also recruits the Bonechewer Clan, and has agents spread agitation throughout the Laughing Skull Clan.
• Learning about Kil'jaeden's nature, Ner'zhul tries to rebel but is betrayed by his protege, Gul'dan. Seeing that the Horde cannot win in its current state, he accelerates the process of demonic corruption. He invites all the clan leaders to drink the blood of the demon lord Mannoroth. Only Durotan, of the Frostwolf Clan, refuses, having been warned of such by Ner'zhul.
• Demonic corruption allows the orcs to overcome Draenor's harsh terrain and quickly move large numbers of savage warriors. The larger draenic cities begin to fall.
• An uprising against the City Fathers of Zeth'kur puts the corrupt port in the hands of the Horde. The Bleeding Hollow Clan is chosen to oversee the management of its shipyards. The Bleeding Hollow is chosen to counterbalance the power of the Shattered Hand Clan in the region.
• The Shattered Hand Clan formally joins the Horde.
• Shattrath City falls to the Horde. The remaining draenei retreat to Farahlon, though some hide out in Zangarmarsh.
• Thunderlord, Warsong, and Laughing Skull forces seek to purge Farahlon. The last of the draenic citadels in the area falls to their might.
• The Horde goes about in search of a new enemy. At Gul'dan's urging, the warriors turn their blades against the arakkoa. Many of the Nagrand orcs turn against the nomads (who had contributed relatively little to the Horde), at last finding vengeance for the Blood River War.
• The Hand of Gul'dan is raised in Shadowmoon Valley.
• The Dark Portal opens.

An Abridged History of Humanity

(Quick note: First, BlogSpot hasn't been alerting me about new comments. Thus, I only recently discovered that a bunch of you have been leaving comments on the blog. I tried to respond to all of them, but I apologize if I missed a few.

Second, several years ago I posted "abridged histories" for orcs and humans on a forum. I later re-posted them with updates to better reflect the Kul Tiras seen in BfA. I figured that I might as well put them here as well. I haven't read Chronicle (and I think these are older) so what you read here won't match with what's presented there. Regardless, this acts as canon for the travelogue.)

An Abridged History of the Humans

15000 - 10000 BDP:

• The vrykul are disturbed to see more and more of their children being born sickly and weak. Tolerated at first, the increasing frequency sends the people into paroxysms of alarm, and King Ymiron decrees that all such weaklings must be put to death.
• Over the next 5,000 years, rebellious parents take their mutant children to distant corners of the world. These later develop into the Arathi, Dromascoi, Ralmanni, and Azotha peoples. One group remains in hiding in the north, and eventually becomes the Kirovi.
• As the last of the vrykul parents die off, the humans form simple semi-nomadic communities. Retaining almost nothing of their heritage, they eke out meager existences on the edges of the troll empires.
• Alone among the humans, the Azotha become integrated into the Gurubashi Empire. They develop into a scholar/merchant caste.

10000 - 2800 BDP:

• The Sundering breaks the world. The Kaldorei Empire is destroyed in civil war and demonic invasion, while the Amani and Gurubashi empires begin to collapse.
• The Azotha fare poorly in post-Gurubashi Stranglethorn, eventually being pushed to the most remote regions. Many eventually merged with the Ralmanni (who lived in present-day Duskwood, Deadwind Pass, and the Swamp of Sorrows), though there is evidence that some Azotha attempted an escape to more distant lands.
• Amani dissolution in the north enables the Arathi to seize the realm that now bears their name. Little more than an assembly of oft-warring clans, they become strong enough to repel trollish attacks. Humans rediscover the secrets of metal at this time, forging iron weapons.
• Warfare guts the northern forests as the Amani trolls try to keep control over what is now the Eastern Plaguelands. Dromascoi warriors fight them at every turn. The Amani eventually abandon most of their holdings, but not before decimating the Dromascoi population.
• The Quel'dorei make landfall, first on Tirisfal and later on Quel'thalas.

2800 - 2700 BDP

• Explorers from the Gilnean peninsula reach the islands of Kul Tiras. Seeing the presence of armed humans in their lands, the native Drust raze many of the settlements and slaughter the inhabitants. The Tirasi clans begin a long and bitter war for survival, which will in some ways mirror the conflict between Arathi and Amani.
• The Amani warlord Zul'doram unites the squabbling troll city-states under his banner, vowing to rebuild the empire of old. Quel'thalas is ill-prepared for the attack and buckles under the trollish onslaught.
• Hoping to open up a southern front, elven diplomats make contact with the Arathi Tribes. They go to the premier warlord, Thoradin, and offer to give him a weapon that will make him unstoppable so long as he unites the Arathi against the trolls. Against the advice of his sages, he accepts.
• The Quel'dorei train the first generation of human mages, being very selective in what they are taught. Meanwhile, Thoradin forces or convinces the other tribes to submit to his rule, forming the Arathor Empire.
• The elves also contacted the scattered Dromascoi clans, promising them material rewards if they fought the trolls (magic was not part of the offer). Most Dromascoi accepted. Elven militias cooperating with the Dromascoi eventually become the Farstriders, thanks to what the Dromascoi teach them.
• The united Arathi launch an incursion into the Amani-held Hinterlands. The elven invasion occurs at the same time, and Dromascoi guerrilla attacks increase in intensity.
• The Troll Wars last a decade, breaking the power of the Amani for thousands of years to come. At the end, the Arathor Empire becomes the dominant power south of Quel'thalas.
• Struggling with constant Drust attacks and limited land for farming, the Tirasi increasingly turn to the sea for sustenance. Their fishing vessels soon range up and down the coasts, exchanging goods with strong communities, and raiding the weak. Many Tirasi turn to the worship of obscure sea gods, which seems to bolster the speed of their fleets.

2700 - 2500 BDP

• Tirasi fleets make contact with the goblins, striking up a trade in alchemical ingredients (among other commodities).
• Fearing the power that the Arathor Empire might wield, many of its mages depart to found the city of Dalaran. Located at a nexus of leylines, it proved an ideal location. Furious at this betrayal, the Arator Empire initially tried to conquer Dalaran, but were beaten back by the sorceries of its defenders.
• Strengthened by trade and technology, the Tirasi clans unite under a single banner and turn the tides of the war. They are futher bolstered by the Thornweavers, Drust dissidents who teach the humans a crude form of druidism. The Tirasi eventually create a new weapon called liquid fire, made with reagents received from the goblins.
• The Dalaranese tried to get into the good graces of Quel'thalas, but were repeatedly rebuffed.
• Dalaran and the Arator Empire signed a treaty in which the emperors would be routinely given beautiful (but militarily useless) magical items as tribute in return for non-interference. The emperor used these items to reward subordinates and display his own might.
• The Year of Flame. Tirasi forces finally take the fight to the Drust homeland of Drustvar. The Tirasi chiefs had promised their Thornweaver allies that they would offer leniency to those Drust who surrendered, they instead reneged on this deal and burned the forests of Drustvar until the skies turned red. Records report that the Tirasi ritually drowned the Thornweavers as sacrifices to the sea.

2500 - 1200 BDP

• The Arathor Empire continues to grow in size. Despite the grand title and the pretensions of equalling elven power, the Arathor Empire is still little more than an assembly of clans, loosely united by blood ties. More land is taken, partly to reward those who served in the Troll Wars.
• With the threat gone, Quel'thalas starts to look inwards. There's some talk about turning the Dromascoi into a buffer state, but nothing ever comes of it. A few elves argued that they were obliged to help the Dromascoi, but nobody listened.
• Arathor expands into Silverpine Forest, though center has only nominal control over the frontier regions.
• With the Drust no longer a threat, the Tirasi kingdom begins to fray and fall into disorder.
• Arathoran ships begin to raid the depleted Tirasi holdings, starting the first of several wars. The Tirasi equip their ships with liquid fire, giving them a decisive advantage against invading fleets. However, internal rebellions and rumors of witchcraft created constant tumult within Kul Tiras. The Tirasi leadership finally sued for peace, agreeing to offer limited tribute to Arathor.
• In 2487 BDP, the Arathor Empire reaches its territorial apex by claiming Tirisfal Glades. However, it never undergoes much in the way of social development, and remains a barbaric and violent place.
• Contact is made with the dwarves. Tirasi merchants begin a lively trade, reinvigorating their island after centuries of stagnation.

1200 - 1100 BDP

• By this point, Arathor Empire no longer wields much in the way of central power. Even the tribute system has fallen into disrepair. Regional warlords in Gilneas, Alterac, and Lordaeron are the only meaningful powers in their areas. Kul Tiras has recovered much of its former prestige.
• The Arathor Empire becomes increasingly concerned with rebellious nobles in the heartland (Hillsbrad/Arathi Highlands). Though claims to the rest of the empire are never officially abandoned, they no longer have any meaning.
• Emboldened by the Arathor Empire's fall, the trolls make aggressive raids, particularly around Alterac. However, these end after a few years.
• Kul Tiras monopolized trade with Khaz Modan. Yet the dwarves grew increasingly wary of the Tirasi, particularly their cephalopod-masked tidesages who practiced human sacrifice. In order to justify their alliance with such a repulsive group, the dwarves pushed Kul Tiras to sow dissension in the Lordaeronian continent to prevent the creation of a strong human empire that might ever threaten the dwarves.

1100 - 1150

• The Arathor Empire had given eastern Tirisfal to Clan Menethil in ages past as a reward for its services in the Troll War. With the empire receding into history, King Telean Menethil declared himself the sovereign of Lordaeron.
• Thanks to trade with Khaz Modan, metals had become more plentiful, even in the far north. This allowed Telean Menethil to create the first armored knights. He used this cavalry to impressive effect, uniting Tirisfal and the present-day Western Plaguelands under his rule.
• His son, Telean Menethil II, decided to expand Lordaeron into the lands of the Dromascoi, who still resided in simple villages and the odd motte-and-bailey castle. The Dromascoi put up a valiant resistance, but fell to the armored warriors of Lordaeron.
• A knight named Cassian found himself disturbed by the brutality waged by his own kindred during the campaign. Despairing, he fell into a vision that lasted three days and three nights. Upon returning the mortal world, he relayed his experience to a scribe, who wrote it down. Thus was created the Exegesis of the Light.
• The new Holy Light spread quickly throughout Lordaeron. Telean Menethil II himself converted (though many think he may have simply recognized the unifying benefits that such a religion offered).
• Priests and missionaries enter Dromascoi lands. Though associated with Lordaeron, their zeal leads them to openly defy those Lordaeronian overseers who brutalized their Dromascoi wards. The royal court usually came down on the side of the church.
• In honor of this "new era of mercy and forgiveness", Telean Menethil II instituted tourneys as an alternative to blood feuds. This served to further cement his control, and unify the nobles.
• Some nobles held to the old ways (worshipping the warlike gods of the old Arathi pantheon). One was Baron Terminon, who gathered some like-minded sorts and assembled an army that marched on the capital. A humble priest named Estellan approached Terminon's army and requested an audience. When it was over, Baron Terminon fell to his knees in prayer and vowed to serve the faith from that day forward. The Terminon Monastery (now the Scarlet Monastery) was built on the spot of his conversion.

1150 - 1050 BDP

• The Holy Light continued its gradual spread throughout the human nations.
• Dalaran's acceptance of the Holy Light (and the worth it attaches to every individual, regardless of rank) leads to criticism of the Kirin Tor, particularly its opaque and sometimes reckless actions. This led to the Seven Days of Justice, in which student mages sided with protestors who demanded that the Violet Hold (a prison originally designed for demons that had eventually become a political prison) be emptied of non-infernal occupants. This succeeded, and the Kirin Tor's organization was changed to be (slightly) more transparent.
• A warlord named Kazelan Starrok comes to Alterac and unites it against trollish attack. He eventually accepted a priest, Ariamus, into his court. The resulting Ariamist heresy assumes a divinely mandated hierarchy in human society, which Starrok uses to form the basis of his new kingdom.
• Gilnean nobles eventually accept the Holy Light, but make little effort to spread it among their people. The faith very slowly filters down to the peasantry.
• The Tirasi merchant princes violently reject the Holy Light, and many missionaries are sacrificed to the sea. Yet the message of the Holy Light resonates with the inland peasants, who do not enjoy the benefits of Kul Tiras's mercantile empire.
• The Arathor remnants are reluctant to accept the new faith, and the authorities initially persecute missionaries. However, more and more people find solace in the world of faith. Seeing their own empire in tatters, many nobles eventually come to accept it.
• An elven princess, Ireesa Sunstrider, becomes curious about the Holy Light and translates the Exegesis of the Light into Thalassian. Using her influence, she spreads the new religion throughout Quel'thalas. Elves consider her translation to be of higher canonicity than Cassian's original.
• The missionary Galdacius brings the Holy Light to Khaz Modan.

1050 - 1000 BDP

• Emperor Falonur Arathi, seeing his house's declining influence, gathers his most loyal retainers in hopes of securing a new future in the unexplored lands to the south. The journey is a difficult one, but enough survive to let Falonur establish the kingdom of Stormwind.
• The Arathor remnants institute the rule of Stewards (in lieu of kings), creating the nation of Stromgarde.
• Lordaeron and Gilneas clash over control of Lordamere Lake. Lordaeron wins the conflict, consolidating its hold on northern Silverpine. This gave it secure access to Dalaranese trade, and put it on the border of Stromgarde-controlled Hillsbrad.
• Kul Tiras begins selling dwarven-made arms to Gilneas and Stromgarde, hoping to prevent Lordaeronian hegemony. By this point, Kul Tiras had its own reasons for taking action to prevent the creation of a unified continental human polity.
• Stormwind settlers encounter the Ralmanni. Following the age-old Arathor policy, Stormwind intended to expand into Ralmanni lands, but initially pretended to be friendly.
• The War of the Bloody Paw, fought between Stormwind and the various gnoll tribes, begins in earnest.

1000 - 800 BDP

• After joining the Holy Light, the dwarves found they could no longer tolerate the dark religion of Kul Tiras's tidesages. Khaz Modan begins to disinvest from Kul Tiras, and seek allies elsewhere.
• King Velor Arathi of Stormwind dies without a male heir. The throne passes to House Cardhein. The royal court enters a period of treachery as noble houses try to gain control. While this happens, settlers and border nobles continue to wage war against the gnolls.
• Lordaeronian settlers begin to push into Hillsbrad. In response, Stromgarder armies kill or deport them, and insult King Edrias Menethil. Thus begins the Hillsbrad War, an on-and-off conflict that would draw in most of the human kingdoms.
• Lordaeronian troops seize portions of eastern Hillsbrad and fortify the region. However, they are unable to make any further gains once the Gilneans enter the fray on Stromgarde's side.
• The War of the Bloody Paw never officially ends, but the gnoll tribes are driven to the margins of the kingdom and never again become a major threat. During this time, the Redridge Mountains became the de facto fiefdom of the Aldenmar noble lineage.
• Conflicts erupt between Stormwind settlers and Ralmanni natives.
• House Wrynn takes control of Stormwind.
• Kul Tiras is plunged into panic as entire villages disappear, consumed by the wilderness. Many believe that the Drust are somehow responsible, and witch hunters are called to restore order. More shock roils the kingdom when the most successful of the witch hunters, Norana Harrowen, reveals herself to be a follower of the Holy Light. The Cult of the Tidemother is slow to react, and Norana is soon the de facto sovereign of Drustvar (leading many to think she was somehow in league with the Drust-influenced witch cults).

800 - 700 BDP

• The Thandol Span is built, breaking the Tirasi monopoly on trade with Khaz Modan. The dwarves made the bridge to demonstrate their power to the quarreling human kingdoms, and also as a reward to Edelreich Eisenschwert, a Stromgarder military advisor who aided the dwarves in defeating an army of ice trolls. Khaz Modan's foreign policy comes to rely more on Stromgarde than on Kul Tiras.
• Norana Harrowen is found drowned, leading many to suspect that the tidesages assassinated her. Kul Tiras resasserts its control over Drustvar, but faces numerous religiously influenced peasant revolts.
• Stromgarder and Gilnean forces besieging Southpoint Tower are routed by a Lordaeronian cavalry charge. The Battle of Southpoint becomes important both politically and culturally. The leader of the knights (a former commoner squire named Aelor Gratus) frames the event in specifically religious terms, comparing Lordaeronian freedom and leniency (particularly in regards to commoners) to the more elitist structures of Stromgarde and Gilneas.
• Lordaeronian Archbishop Padomonnis declares Aelor to be a "Knight of the Faith". Together, they pressure the king into accepting what will be known as the Padomonnian Reforms, which created a legal framework for what feudal lords can and cannot expect from serfs. Though unpopular, the king is able to set the nobles against each other and pass many of the reforms into law. This new method also works well in Lordaeron, as its large size made it difficult to create a highly centralized system.
• A peasant revolt in Stormwind's Redridge Mountains destabilizes the holdings of House Aldenmar. Baron Jesson Aldenmar requests aid from King Otmar Wrynn, only to be rebuffed. Baron Aldenmar puts down the peasants in a spectacularly brutal fashion, and unites the border nobles in an anti-royal coalition. Thus begins the Stormwind Civil War.
• The Lordaeronian advance in Hillsbrad is halted at Azurelode Mountain by a combined force of Stromgarder troops and Tirasi mercenaries. Hostilities cease as all sides take time to recover.
• The Stormwind Civil War comes to an end. Baron Aldenmar is captured and killed by angry peasants. Though King Otmar promised the border lands to loyalist nobles, he used legal trickery to instead put it in the hands of elected offices loyal to the throne. This creates Stormwind's long precedent of using populist support as leverage against recalcitrant aristocrats.
• Stormwind creates the Royal Order of the Conjurers. These consist of Dalaranese mages who were exiled from their homes for conducting experiments that the Kirin Tor deemed dangerous or unethical. Unlike mages, they are willing to explore infernal magic, and become something akin to a secret police force.
• Troubled by the conjurers, the Kirin Tor imposes strict limits on who can or cannot learn magic. The Protectionist Decrees make it so that each recognized sovereign can only send two individuals (pre-selected by the Kirin Tor) for training. All other mages must be Dalaranese citizens, and loyal only to the Kirin Tor. No Stormwinder students are accepted.

700 - 600 BDP

• The Battle of Brightwood Grove breaks the last center of Ralmanni power in Stormwind. The remaining Ralmanni abandon their villages and eke out a nomadic existence.
• Lordaeron's foreign policy advisors form the Southshore Rule. This stated that it was imperative for Lordaeron to have at least some presence on the southern coast so as to have access to dwarven markets. This goes hand-in-hand with another military buildup.
• Tirasi and Stromgarder fleets clash in what was called the War of the Waves. Lasting four years, its results were inconclusive. The failure of Tirasi tidesages to secure a decisive victory futher bolstered the ranks of the Holy Light within the kingdom.
• Lord Balkem Starrok of Alterac, seeking to outdo Ironforge, orders a grand new city to be built in the snowy regions. The resulting construction takes 500 years, costs untold numbers of lives, and further bankrupts the obscure kingdom.
• Stormwind nobles stage a bloody coup in which King Pardemnon Wrynn and much of his family is killed. Only a single son, in Westfall at the time, remains. Another civil war breaks out, this one pitting loyalist borderlands against the heartland junta.

600 - 500 BDP

• The Culling ends with royalist forces retaking Stormwind City. The noble houses that backed the coup are wiped out to the last man. This forever weakens the power of the nobility in Stormwind. The conjurers are audited and reshaped into a force more accountable to the crown.
• Fearing a similar situation in the north, the Lordaeronian crown works to woo the aristocracy into complacence, buying their attentions with luxury. This results in the creation of remarkable palaces across Lordaeron, as well as a flowering of arts and culture. Unfortunately, it also puts the kingdom on the brink of bankruptcy.
• A roguish Stormwind admiral (Arotan Hanlind) eloped with the daughter (Ellestrie Marosere) of a prominent Lordaeronian noble. This causes a tremendous scandal, and many in Lordaeron believed that Ellestrie was kidnapped (she was not). Lordaeron prepared to set sail against Stormwind, but under his liege's orders, Arotan defuses the situation by setting up a marriage between King Ulrim Wrynn and Lord Marosere's youngest daughter, Tevya (Arotan also relinquished his official title and lived out the rest of his days as a successful entrepreneur with Ellestrie). This event initiates the strong relationship between Lordaeron and Stormwind, and inspires poems, songs, and more operas than you could possibly believe.
• The Stormwind Church convinces the king to pass the Unity of All Subjects, which declares the Ralmanni to have the same rights (and obligations) as Arathi subjects. Though it looks good on paper, it has relatively little effect on the lives of most Ralmanni.
• Hostilities resume in Hillsbrad as Lordaeron attempts to secure the southern shore.

500 - 400 BDP

• Lordaeron convinces Gilneas to stay out of the conflict, promising the kingdom that the decline of Kul Tiras' naval power will benefit Gilneas.
• A brilliant Lordaeronian general, Todaeus Durnholde, brings his forces into eastern Hillsbrad. However, the king's earlier aim of weakening Lordaeron's nobility left a gap in his fighting forces. This, combined with the kingdom's financial difficulties, means that they are unable to sustain the attack. General Durnholde is forced to retreat, though Lordaeron is able to secure Southshore.
• Though the Southshore Rule was fulfilled, Kul Tiras still had a large and battle-hardened fleet, which prevented Southshore from ever becoming more than a fishing village. Lordaeron then fell into a period of stagnation due to a lack of funds. Fortunately, the nobles were too dulled by easy entertainment to make any attempt at a comeback.
• Seeing Gilneas as a potential threat, Kul Tiras launches an attack. They cut the Gilnean navy to ribbons and landed large numbers of troops. However, the peninsular campaign devolved into a grueling battle of attrition that the Tirasi were forced to abandon.
• Kul Tiras' defeat leads to a crisis of leadership, and the island erupts into a violent three-way civil war. One of the factions, led by House Waycrest in Drustvar, proclaims affiliation with the Holy Light.

400 - 300 BDP

• Kul Tiras' internal problems initially seem a good opportunity for Lordaeron to secure a monopoly over dwarven trade. However, the Gilneans and Stromgarders block them at every opportunity.
• Gilneas, Lordaeron, and Stromgarde each back a faction in the Tirasi Civil War.
• Stormwind's king passes the Free Travel Act. This gives commoners the right to travel wherever they please within the realm, freeing them from the last vestiges of bondage to feudal lords. Doing so makes it easier for the kingdom to consolidate its hold on the sparsely populated land.
• Still finding the trade routes to Khaz Modan blocked, Lordaeronian shipping companies decide to go around the Kul Tiras mess instead of through it. Faster sailing vessels are made, and launch off from the northern coast and go directly to Khaz Modan's western shores.
• Lordaeron backs out of the Tirasi Civil War. The faction they supported, House Waycrest, is able to survive pledging its loyalty to House Proudmoore of Tiragarde Sound.
• Alterac's Starrok Dynasty ends with the death (possibly by poison) of Lord Vendel Starrok. The Golden Circle, a kind of electoral council of nobles, squabbles over who should take control of the depleted kingdom. House Perenolde, a minor noble lineage, eventually takes control.
• Lord Dastan Perenolde tries to improve Alterac's situation, but is unable to get enough support from the nobility. Construction on the capital continues despite his best efforts. Knowing there's no way for Alterac to effectively compete with its neighbors, he searches for alternative methods that others might find underhanded.
• Stormwind begins to colonize the Swamp of Sorrows. Speculators promise untold wealth in spices and trollish gold, but the reality falls far short. The resulting economic bubble plunges Stormwind into a depression, and damages its burgeoning middle class.
• A defrocked Lordaeronian priest, named Nosian, preaches a new doctrine of license in eastern Lordaeron. He attracts a motley following of dissipated nobles, bored youths, and the desperate. Initially relatively harmless, Nosian declared that all those who did not believe had to die, his rationale being that all non-Nosicae were unhappy and thus hindered humanity's progress towards the Holy Light. The Nosicae sect was put down by force, and remains the only time that the Lordaeronian church used violence to suppress a heretical sect. This created a precedent for the normally pacifistic church's creation of the Order of the Silver Hand many centuries later. Some of Nosian's writings would also fall into the hands of the Twilight's Hammer Clan.
• Bandit activity increases throughout the continent, particularly the regions of Hillsbrad still ruled by Stromgarde. This is actually the Perenolde Dynasty's attempt to secure desperately needed funds.

300 - 200 BDP

• Lordaeron's new trading fleet also makes exchanges with Stormwind. The friendship between the two kingdoms means that Stormwind is allowed to copy this ship-building technology. In addition to their already thriving trade with Khaz Modan, Stormwinder merchants also begin limited trade with the goblins.
• A fire started by a maddened knight burns down much of Kharazan town, starting its slow decline and eventual abandonment. The Swamp of Sorrows is never fully colonized.
• The Tirasi Civil War comes to an end. The Gilnean faction, House Deepstone, emerges as the victor. The most conservative of the Houses, Deepstone zealously supports the Cult of the Tidemother. However, the Holy Light is too widespread for the newly empowered tidesages to eliminate. The fact that Stormsong is so obviously a Gilnean puppet further erodes the popularity of the old faith.
• Missionaries arrive in Northrend, preaching to the Kirovi. They find many converts, and the wooden city of Sanktagrad is built on the coast of the Grizzly Hills.
• The War of the Three Hammers shakes Khaz Modan to its very foundations. Stormwind gives military aid to the Bronzebeards, while Stromgarde ends up financially supporting the Wildhammers. Stromgarde had long seen the dwarves' willingness to trade with Lordaeron and Kul Tiras as a kind of betrayal, and associated the Bronzebeards with the status quo (the dwarves, for their part, were baffled by this attitude).
• The War of the Three Hammers ends with a Bronzebeard victory.
• Hurt by backing the wrong side, Stromgarde's ruling stewards must work to consolidate their control. Civil war is avoided, but the Steward's power is reduced. The Steward's decisions must be reviewed by a council of military leaders and sages. The position of Steward is also made open to any warrior of sufficient rank, rather than just nobles. Despite this, nobles continue to fill the position for some time to come.
• Bandits under Alterac's employ seize the Stromgarder frontier town of Strahnbrad. Due to the town's remote location and the harsh weather, Stromgarde cannot immediately respond. Alterac cites the bandit presence as a threat to its territory, and Alteracine forces seize Strahnbrad. Alterac's government likely hoped that the new Stromgarder government would be too disorganized to rally a counterattack.
• Alterac was wrong. Disciplined Stromgarder troops move quickly through the frozen mountain passes and retake Strahnbrad, completely routing the Alteracine defenders. Another Stromgarder column makes a punitive raid on the Alteracine Uplands, devastating the country's breadbasket. Alterac sues for peace and is forced to pay tribute.
• While other nations scoff at Stromgarde's victory over a basket-case like Alterac, generals around the world pay attention to the well-executed strategy. This leads to a new doctrine in warfare that emphasizes mobility, one that will serve humanity well in the Second and Third Wars.
• The printing press, a gnomish invention, spreads to human lands. This changes everything.

200 - 100 BDP

• Dalaran begins to relax its tight-fisted control of magic. More students from other kingdoms are allowed to study under the Kirin Tor.
• As books become more common, more people learn how to read. What was once limited to histories and religious texts grows to include secular novels, satires, and political tracts.
• Lordaeron institutes the first true state army.
• Lordaeronians living on the border with Quel'thalas become increasingly angry at the luxurious lifestyles of the elves. They wonder why they can't enjoy the same benefits. Improved knowledge and education turned the once inscrutable Quel'dorei into something more understandable. A traveling preacher, Ereil Collister, uses this inequity as a platform to demand reform, and accuses Dalaran of secretly controlling Lordaeron. His charisma, combined with the printing press, results in the first popular conspiracy theory.
• Kul Tiras initiates persecution of the Holy Light. The other human kingdoms immediately embargo Kul Tiras, leading to economic catastrophe within the kingdom. The violent ritual drowning of priests leads to violent rebellion.
• Gilneas begins to export some of its natural resources. Still something of a cultural backwater, these fundamentally extractive institutions enrich the nobles but fail to spread the wealth. Though a middle class of sorts develops, it is no more than an example of aristocratic patronage.
• Alterac is no longer required to pay tribute to Stromgarde. It again reaches out to bandits as a means of interfering in other countries and gathering intelligence. Some of these brigands even exploit the situation in Kul Tiras, and Alterac sees a profit for the first time in centuries.
• Ereil Collister seizes control of Stratholme. Lordaeronian troops quickly retake the city and suppress Collister's supporters. Collister himself flees to Stromgarde, where he dies in a house fire a few years later. Though resentment against the elves remains, Lordaeronian living standards gradually inch closer towards those levels enjoyed by the elves, and without the side-effect of arcane addiction.
• Dissemination of printing technology creates a nationalist impulse. Because more people can read, it enables the creation of a national identity beyond that of loyalty to a lord or monarch. This becomes particularly evident in Kul Tiras.
• Citing the right of all peoples to be ruled by their own kings (while conveniently ignoring Dromascoi demands for the same), Lordaeron aids Tirasi rebels in their fight against Gilneas. Lordaeron even goes so far as to make strikes into Gilnean territory.
• Tirasi rebels unite under the figure of Lady Olivia Proudmoore. Though she follows the Cult of the Tidemother, she tolerates the Holy Light and goes so far as to attend several well-publicized church services. This rallies the embattled Light-worshippers to her side.
• Seeing Lordaeron distracted by Kul Tiras, Stromgarde launches an attack on Southshore. They are joined by Alterac.
• Tirasi rebels push the Gilnean occupiers off the island. Olivia Proudmoore destroys House Stonedeep, and their holdings are given to House Stormsong (a pro-tidesage faction that had nonetheless sided with the Proudmoores). Though many in Kul Tiras fear that they are repeating the Gilneas situation, Lordaeron encourages Kul Tiras to maintain its monopoly on regional short-range trade. After all, Lordaeron can already reach Khaz Modan just fine.
• Gilneas backs out of the conflict. Lordaeron's attack, combined with the Tirasi rebellion (seen as a betrayal) and Kul Tiras' earlier invasion create a paranoid fortress mindset in Gilneas' rulers.
• Lordaeron begins to apply pressure on the Hinterlands, a Stromgarder holding. Stromgarde knows it cannot hold both Hillsbrad and the Hinterlands, and realizes that Hillsbrad is far more valuable. As such, they present the Hinterlands as a gift to Clan Wildhammer. The Wildhammer dwarves settle in the region, and Lordaeron backs off, not wanting to start another conflict.
• Though many believe that the Holy Light will become the dominant religion in Kul Tiras, many still follow the old ways. Those who do find themselves facing increasing censure and hostility.
• Religious tensions continue to wrack Kul Tiras. Lord Admiral Maeron Proudmoore, the son of Olivia, increases the level of social mobility within the navy and merchant marine. His rationale is to give the average Kul Tiran more of a stake in the sea (and thus, by extension, the Cult of the Tidemother). This works to an extent. What actually occurs is an increasing syncretism between the Holy Light and the Cult of the Tidemother, with the latter rejecting human sacrifice and doing more to help the common person.

100 - 0 BDP

• Litta Manafusil, a gnome, discovers the technique of enchantment. This, to a degree, allows commoners to utilize and benefit from arcane items without being dependent on a magocratic elite. Through the printing press, her discoveries end up in common workshops all around the world, perhaps providing the single biggest jump in living standard the world had ever seen.
• War continues to rage in Hillsbrad. The Bronzebeard Clan and Gnomeregan provide some aid to Lordaeron and Kul Tiras, as Stromgarde is no longer seen as reliable. Alterac casts its lot in with Lordaeron, mostly to hurt Stromgarde.
• Lord Admiral Everon Proudmoore proclaims the Edict of Toleration, which promises religious freedom to all Tirasi. He does this to ease the conflict between the Holy Light and the Cult of the Tidemother.
• The Guild Riots erupt in Dalaran, as the Kirin Tor attempts to shut down enchantment. However, popular pressure forces the Kirin Tor to back down, and they agree to allow enchantment so long as it follows a few restrictions.
• Lordaeron, which encourages enchantment within its borders, begins fielding troops with arcane weapons. Stromgarde's restrictions on enchantment end up hurting it, and they are eventually driven back to Thoradin's Wall.
• Dennauser Trollbane is elected to be Steward of Stromgarde. This is notable as the Trollbane family, though ennobled by Dennauser's position, is itself of humble origins.
• In Northrend, the Kirovi warlord Nevaksander leads the Hero's Concord (a loose alliance between Kirovi, taunka, tuskarr, and a few wolvars) against the magnataurs. The magnataurs are forever scattered after Nevaksander's triumph at the Battle of Bloody Snow. However, Nevaksander is unable to secure the loyalty of non-humans. He builds a new capital at Paskaron (present day Wintergarde), and Kirovar becomes the unofficial 8th human kingdom.
• Culture across the human kingdoms flowers as more people get access to the means of production. Stormwind, Stromgarde, Dalaran, and Lordaeron institute mandatory basic education for all citizens. Lordaeron also officially liberates serfs (though in practice, serfs had already been free for some time).
• Dalaran opens its gates, making it a relatively simple matter for even middle class (or sometimes poor) people to get a first-rate magical education.
• Gunpowder is developed by Khaz Modan. Anxious about Lordaeron's near-hegemony, the dwarves keep it to themselves. They eventually share it with Gilneas, though this turns out to offer no real benefits for the dwarves.
• The Dark Portal opens.

The Island War

After Legionfall

The people of Azeroth sacrificed much to defeat Sargeras, but their victory was final. With Sargeras imprisoned in the Seat of the Pantheon and his lieutenant Kil'jaeden utterly destroyed, the Horde and Alliance had seemingly accomplished the impossible. Though trillions of demons remained, the lack of any organizing or unifying force meant that they'd inevitably turn their fury on each other, and not on the rest of the cosmos.

The Alliance lost more troops than did the Horde at the Broken Shore. Despite that, the Alliance retained its position as Azeroth's hegemonic power. Still reeling from the losses of the Fourth War, the Horde could only bide its time under Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner.

The reasons for Vol'jin choosing Sylvanas remain obscure. Many in the Horde suspected a conspiracy. While the Banshee Queen ruled Lordaeron with absolute ruthlessness, she took a hands-off approach to the other Horde powers, allowing their leaders considerable leeway in managing their affairs. Though not especially popular outside of the Forsaken, she did not earn the ire of other races the way Garrosh had. As months turned to years under her rule, most in the Horde came to accept her rule.

The leyline sprawl covering much of the Eastern Kingdoms allowed for tremendous innovations in both magic and technology. Electricity became the norm throughout much of the Alliance (the Kaldorei being an obvious exception). Kalimdor's smaller number of leylines made development more difficult, forcing the Horde to rely on coal. The Bilgewater Cartel sought to corner the Horde's coal market, though the warchief intervened to ensure that the orcs and trolls also got access to the substance.

Not all welcomed such development. In the Horde, the tauren could only watch helplessly as orcs, trolls, and goblins spread across Kalimdor. The Kaldorei also grew suspicious of the Alliance's increasing dependence upon the arcane.

Zandalar and Kul Tiras

Two great nations had largely sat out the chaos of Legionfall: Zandalar and Kul Tiras.

Time's inevitable decay had left once-mighty Zandalar a shell of its former self. Most trolls outside saw them as heartless judges who'd allowed Zul'drak to self-destruct and had done nothing to help the forest and jungle tribes. Their failed intervention in Pandaria revealed the weaknesses of their archaic army. Though still the first in the eyes of the Loa pantheon, the Darkspear had surpassed them in most other areas.

Though Darza'alor remained, sprawling and gold-gilded, much of the rest of Zandalar fell into decay. The effects of the Cataclysm rendered much of Vol'drun uninhabitable, forcing the Zandalari to abandon their extensive cities in that place. Attempts to pacify Nazmir cost Zandalar dearly in blood and treasure. The ancient trollish civilization appeared to be on its last legs.

Kul Tiras fared better but faced its own troubles. They had broken with the Alliance after Jaina turned on her father, Lord Admiral Proudmoore, and this decision had cost them. Making matters worse was their refusal to rejoin the Alliance during the Fourth War. Though Kul Tiran corsairs had harried Horde shipping lines, their contribution amounted to little.The Alliance never totally forgave Kul Tiras for not returning to the fold.

Kul Tiras's limited action during Legionfall only worsened matters, and in a surprisingly vindictive move, several Alliance nations imposed high taxes on Kul Tiran traders seeking to do business. As the Alliance dominated most non-Horde markets, many of the wealthy Kul Tiran merchant families found their coffers dwindling by the day. Worse, the Kul Tiran fleet failed to modernize and continued to rely on hopelessly obsolete sailing vessels.

The Discovery of Azerite

Bilgwater prospectors stumbled upon azerite six years after Legionfall. This miracle substance promised to speed up economic development in the still impoverished Horde. Even better, a fair amount of azerite could be found within (or at least near) Horde lands. Though the tauren shunned the stuff, other Horde races embraced it. The first azerite power plant went online in Orgrimmar, providing the city with months of power before the first blackout (blackouts had been endemic with the old coal plant). The Alliance didn't use azerite as heavily. Given that the Alliance already possessed numerous leylines and had a better power/transportation grid, there didn't seem much need.

Yet it was the Alliance that discovered that azerite could be used as a weapon of war. Alliance leaders soon wondered if the Horde was hoarding azerite for malign purposes. Almost overnight, the Alliance sent troops to seize unsecured azerite deposits around the world, including those that had been operated by the Horde (though outside of Horde territory proper).

Many in the Horde called for war. Yet Sylvanas took a more patient approach and simply asked what the Horde had done to so offend the Alliance. Ultimately, the Alliance had no justification beyond suspicion. Shocked by Alliance aggression, neutral states became more sympathetic to the Horde.

King Rastakhan of Zandalar hired Darkspear engineers to prospect for azerite in Zandalari lands. To their surprise, the ancient islands were full of the stuff. Seeing an opportunity for much needed income, King Rastakhan authorized Horde usage of Zandalari azerite deposits in return for Horde development expertise.

Kul Tiras also possessed numerous azerite deposits. The Kul Tirans, however, despised the Horde and would not trade with them. Instead, Kul Tiran traders began smuggling azerite weapons to Gilnean partisans, who champed at the bit to avenge the losses of the Fourth War. The Gilneans first struck at orcish settlements in the Northern Barrens, destroying dozens of farming and ranching settlements (though they hated the Forsaken most, it is believed that they did not want to risk losing Gilneas again, and thus attacked a more distant target).

The orcs demanded blood but Sylvanas held them back. Nonetheless, she warned the Alliance to keep better control of its people. She cited Genn's actions at Stormheim, suggesting again that the Alliance was a danger to all nations not a part of it.

King Anduin pressured Genn Graymane to disavow the partisans, but he refused. While Tyrande condemned the attacks publicly, she privately sympathized with the Gilnean partisans and ordered the Kaldorei sentinels to leave them be.

As war grew more likely, both the Horde and the Alliance began development on terrifying new azerite weapons able to wipe cities off the map and poison the land for centuries. The uneasy peace frayed. Travel and trade between the Horde and Alliance drew to a standstill.

Things Always Get Worse

The wealth of azerite deposits on the islands of the Great Sea drew the attention of both Zandalar and Kul Tiras. Prospecting teams staked claims and sometimes fought pitched battles on the myriad islands. Though war was never formally declared, the two nations were engaged in a conflict that mirrored the larger one between the Horde and Alliance.

Zandalari Princess Talanji knew the risks of travel when she embarked on a diplomatic mission to Orgrimmar, seeking to ensure that the Horde honored is promise to help the Zandalari people. Though she prepared well, Kul Tiran privateers intercepted her boat and took her prisoner.

Zandalar demanded war. King Rastakhan begged the Horde to free his daughter from Kul Tiran captivity. Sylvanas agreed. Kul Tiras was diplomatically isolated, and the Alliance would not yet consider an attack on Kul Tiras to be an attack on them. She thus sent a team of specialists who successfully exfiltrated the princess out of Boralus. The break both terrified and mobilized the Kul Tiran people. Fighting Zandalar was one thing, but many feared they'd soon face the wrath of the Horde.

The Alliance decided this fear would make the Kul Tirans more compliant, and extended an offer of aid. In return for access to Kul Tiran azerite, the Alliance would offer military advice, upgrade the fleet, and potentially offer full membership in within the Alliance itself. Kul Tiras agreed.

Yet despite this, the Kul Tirans arrested Jaina Proudmoore upon her arrival. Jaina was so hated by the people that the authorities had no choice. This obviously jeopardized the deal, but Jaina urged the Alliance to prioritize the deal over her freedom.

The Battle for Azeroth

Tensions worsened over the next year as the aging Zandalari and Kul Tiran fleets dueled and postured amidst the islands of the Great Sea. Zandalar gradually reasserted its authority over regions outside of Zuldazar, while Kul Tiras pushed back against the malign influence of pirates and corrupt merchant houses.

Meanwhile, the Horde and the Alliance continued stocking up on azerite weapons. The Horde was at a disadvantage here as they required azerite to power their cities. Despite their best efforts, the Alliance simply possessed a bigger arsenal. Yet the Horde eventually constructed enough to guarantee near-total destruction of Alliance lands in event of a full-fledged conflict, which they hoped would act as a deterrence.

The massacre at the Kul Tiran town of Brennadam threw the increasingly delicate situation out of balance. It is known that Brennadam was attacked and razed by a small army consisting mostly of orcs, ogres, and goblins. The Kul Tiran forces responded quickly and routed the invaders, and immediately assumed the Horde was responsible.

The Horde denied all knowledge. And indeed, it was eventually found that the attackers had no association with the Horde. They were pirates, and did in fact count some humans and dwarves among their number. Yet lies outpace the truth, and much of the populations in Kul Tiras and the Alliance were convinced that the Horde was behind the attack.

Anduin Wrynn and Moira Bronzebeard both urged caution. They accepted the findings that stated the attacks were from pirates. A war with the Horde would only end in ruin. However, Kul Tiras demanded blood. Pressured by Lady Ashvane, Lord Admiral Katarina Proudmoore declared war on Zandalar. The pirates had, in fact, used a remote portion of Nazmir's coast as a staging ground. Proudmoore's rationale was that Zandalar's decrepit state posed a risk to Kul Tiras.

The Horde and Alliance could only watch in shock as their proxies waged open war on the High Seas. This conflict had a grimly comic tone, as both Zandalar and Kul Tiras possessed badly out-of-date navies. The Kul Tiran fleet was more current than the Zandalari one, however, and Tiran forces sailed ever closer to Zuldazar.

Zandalar now demanded that the Horde enter the fray. In Kul Tiras, Jaina had acquitted herself through her own heroism in helping partisans clean house but remained outside of the Kul Tiran command structure. As a member of the Alliance, too much direct involvement on her part would certainly bring the Alliance into the war.

The Horde and Alliance deepened their involvement in the so-called Island War, sending military advisors and elite troops to aid the conflict.

Reactions to the Island War

The Island War proved deeply unpopular in the Alliance. Many felt that their leaders were allowing greed and short-sightedness to pull them into a potentially apocalyptic war. While the Brennadam Massacre had sparked some sympathy with Kul Tiras, the sentiment was relatively short-lived. Stormwind alone showed real enthusiasm for the conflict.

Gilneas and Darnassus had mixed feelings. While they wished to avenge their losses in the Fourth War, both Genn and Tyrande were well-aware that an azerite exchange would mean the ruin of their nations. This put Genn in a particularly awkward position. He'd earlier supported Gilnean partisans in their efforts against the Horde. Now that such efforts could well trigger doomsday, he tried to pull back but with only limited success. Neither Gilneas nor Darnassus particularly cared about Kul Tiras.

The Horde largely supported the Island War. Many saw it as a way to make up for the failures of the Fourth War. The fact that they were ostensibly doing this to challenge overweening Alliance power and to help out an ancient culture also soothed those who feared staining their honor in an unjust war.

The Darkspear Tribe was especially engaged due to its connections with Zandalar. Secretly, the Darkspear elected to do everything possible to prevent Zandalar from formally joining the Horde. Zandalar as a Horde member nation would put the Zandalari under the control of the warchief. However, if Zandalar remained independent, they'd be under the influence of the Darkspear Tribe alone.

Only the tauren expressed real opposition to the war. Many no longer felt that the Horde cared about the needs of the Shu'halo, and they despised seeing the Horde sully its hands in the pursuit of azerite.

Blood on the Water

The Island War dragged on to its second year. Small numbers of Horde and Alliance forces fought each other throughout Zandalar, Kul Tiras, and the surrounding islands.

During this time, Kul Tiras upgraded its archaic navy. Happily for the Kul Tirans, their tidesages' special connection with the wind and the waves still proved useful for bolstering the speeds of modern ships. The Kul Tirans proved quick learners and inched ever close toward regional naval supremacy. Lady Jaina Proudmoore helped spearhead these advances, which improved her reputation in Kul Tiras.

Zandalar, in the meantime, saw consolidation but little in the way of military improvement. King Rastakhan was apparently aware that his armed forces were not strong enough to defeat Kul Tiras. Worse, the divine mandate behind his rule meant that any military defeat risked rendering his dynasty illegitimate in the eyes of the priests. He begged the Horde to send more aid, which largely came in the form of partisans.

When the Kul Tirans attacked in force toward the end of the year, the results were catastrophic for the Zandalari. The Tiran fleet cut through the ships of the Zandalari armada and attacked Darza'alor itself. Two factors saved the city from destruction. First, King Rastakhan sacrificed himself to ensure divine aid from the Loa, which bolstered the aging defenses. Second, the Horde partisans proved to be worthy soldiers.

Rastakhan's self-sacrifice ensured legitimacy for the reign of his daughter, Queen Talanji. Despite the shock, the attack on Zuldazar served to rally the Zandalari. Once distrustful of the Horde, the Zandalari forces now eagerly worked with Horde engineers and generals to improve their forces. The first god-ship, a battleship powered by modern technology and protected by a minor Loa, became operational at the end of the year.

The first months of the war's third year saw the Zandalari push back on the Kul Tiran advance. The Kul Tirans still held the advantage but the disparity between Kul Tiran and Zandalari forces shrank by the day.

Kul Tiras Rises

It was then that Lady Jaina Proudmoore formally renounced her membership in the Alliance and declared sole allegiance to Kul Tiras. Almost immediately after, she secured the azerite deposits within Kul Tiras and decreed that the Kul Tirans would have exclusive use of them.

Already partially rehabilitated thanks to her actions in Island War, this act transformed her into a living saint in Tiran eyes. She called on contacts in Dalaran and the Theramore diaspora to help develop azerite weapons, five of which were completed by midsummer.

The Alliance roiled in confusion. King Anduin of Stormwind was troubled by Jaina's impetuousness, but saw that it was wrong for the Alliance to prohibit a non-Alliance state from using their own azerite. The leaders of Gilneas, Stromgarde, and Kirovar proclaimed their support for Jaina, and agitated for permission to create their own azerite arsenals.

Other Alliance leaders were less sympathetic. The night elves and draenei both warned about the dangers of arms buildup. Queen Moira Bronzebeard was furious at Jaina for destabilizing the situation and challenging Alliance power. In response, the Khaz Modan Senate withdrew much of its financial support for Kul Tiras. This was a serious matter, as the Kul Tiran military still relied on dwarven gold to support the new expenses.

It now seemed that Kul Tiras had a time limit on the Island War. However, they also had enough azerite weapons to destroy Zandalar (which lacked azerite weapons of its own) if they so chose. The only question was whether or not the Horde would retaliate.

Sylvanas's Plot and Saurfang's Rebellion

No one can be sure exactly why Warchief Sylvanas chose to summon the Old God N'Zoth. Some say it was the inevitable result of undeath's self-destructive tendencies, but her own rational attempts toward self-preservation belie this. Sylvanas kept her plans regarding N'Zoth a secret to all but herself and a few trusted confidants.

During this time, the Horde general Varok Saurfang had been advising Zandalari forces in their war against Kul Tiras. An old soldier whose service stretched back to the First War, Saurfang detested the existence of azerite weapons. He feared that the threat of total destruction would make it impossible for the orcs to ever again wage honorable war. Saurfang dreamed of becoming warchief and returning the Horde to what he saw as its glorious roots. However, while he would have eagerly dismantled the Horde's azerite arsenal, he could not figure out what to do about the Alliance's.

Somehow, he discovered the nature of Sylvanas's plan. He immediately abandoned his post and went underground, contacting allies and working to subvert Sylvanas. Saurfang even rallied Thrall, who'd retreated to self-imposed exile in Nagrand. Informed of Azeroth's troubles by a messenger loyal to Saurfang, the aged shaman agreed to make the arduous journey back to his homeworld. Thrall agreed to help, and promised to support Saurfang as warchief (there are rumors that Thrall was somehow coerced).

The Island War continued to grind on. The lack of strong dwarven financial support had hurt Kul Tiras more than than anticipated, and the maritime nation found itself on the defensive. The closer the Zandalari got to Boralus, the more the demand rose for Kul Tiras to launch its arsenal and wipe the Zandalari from the face of Azeroth.

Rising Tension

Jaina kept a cool head, strongly suspecting that the Horde would see an azerite strike against an ally as an act of war. Yet the Kul Tiran fleet, emboldened by its newfound power, put immense pressure on her to authorize just such an attack.

As rhetoric grew more heated, Queen Talanji requested that Warchief Sylvanas make Zandalar a protectorate. Talanji did not wish for Zandalar to possess azerite weapons, as both she and the priesthood saw them as religiously suspect for holding power that should be reserved for the gods. However, Sylvanas promised she would honor Talanji's request so long as Zandalar pursued its own azerite weapon program, which Horde scientists would build.

Talanji was immediately suspicious. Given that the warchief insisted on total personal control over the Horde's azerite arsenal, why would she demand that a protectorate build its own azerite weapons? She refused, but when the Zanchuli Council found out about the offer, they called on divine advice and then said that the Loa insisted on the deal. Under these pressures, Talanji conceded.

Zandalar soon possessed an azerite weapon. Part of the bargain was that the Zandalari test their first azerite bomb. Detonating a weapon anywhere near the holy island of Zandalar was unthinkable, so Sylvanas had chosen a safe area of the Great Sea, one unclaimed by any state and largely shunned by the spirits of the ocean.

A purchased goblin sub soon set off from Zuldazar, seeking to test this newest destructive device in the midst of the Great Sea. Unbeknownst to all but Sylvanas and her circle, the test site was directly above the lost naga city of Nazjatar.

The bomb detonated as planned. And moments later, the sea itself split open to reveal the festering hell of Nazjatar and the monstrous Old God lying beneath its mottled surface.

The Eve of Destruction

Radio ensured that every corner of the world soon knew of Nazjatar's emergence. Horde and Alliance ships set out to investigate, and scores were destroyed in the confused fighting and the treacherous currents around the great crevasses that had split the skin of the sea.

Alliance intelligence had long known of the connection between Azshara and N'Zoth, and scouts confirmed that she seemed to be summoning the eldritch entity. The event was immediately declared an emergency and Stormwind prepared to launch an azerite strike against Nazjatar. In response, Warchief Sylvanas announced that due to the presence of the Horde navy near Nazjatar, any such strike would be considered an act of war from the Alliance, and would be met with the entirety of the Horde's azerite arsenal.

The Alliance leaders hesitated. If they struck, they would initiate a global war that would end in hours and leave civilization in ruins. If they refrained, N'Zoth would corrupt or destroy all life on Azeroth.

Three key events occurred at this time:

1. A team of Alliance partisans broke into Nazjatar's Eternal Palace. It was a desperate attempt to defeat Queen Azshara before she could summon N'Zoth. Their hope was to make the azerite strike unnecessary, and to thus save Azeroth.

2. Thrall appeared in Orgrimmar's Valley of Strength. Aided by members of the resistance he produced documents and confessions that proved Sylvanas's malfeasance. Orgrimmar erupted and proclaimed Sylvanas's reign to be over. Radio spread the revolution to the Echo Isles, Zuldazar, Thunder Bluff, Bilgewater Harbor, Silvermoon City, Thunder Totem, and Suramar. Enraged, the peoples of the Kalimdor Horde rushed out to seize the launching sites of azerite weapons, and in so doing deny them to Sylvanas.

3. General Saurfang had spent the last month secretly working with Gilneas so as to be smuggled into Tirisfal Glades. There, he made contact with the last surviving remnants of the Forsaken resistance, who informed him as to the location of the subterranean bunker where Sylvanas orchestrated the apocalypse. Gathering his entourage, Saurfang led the charge into Sylvanas's lair.

The results are as follows:

As soon as Sylvanas became aware of the chaos quickly spreading through Kalimdor, she attempted to launch azerite weapons at the major population centers there. However, Thrall and the other Horde shamans had called on the spirits of air and wind to foul her signals, while goblin and troll sorcerers disrupted her arcane connections. The weapons failed to launch. A few days later, and the entirety of the azerite arsenal in Kalimdor and the Broken Isles now lay in the hands of the coup (no azerite weapons were located in Sin'thalas, but Silvermoon declared it would no longer follow Sylvanas).

Sylvans still expected her plans would work so long as she possessed the launching sites in Lordaeron (the Horde's smaller number of azerite weapons meant she had to reserve the Lordaeronian launching sites for the upcoming conflict with the Alliance). Yet the Alliance partisans managed to defeat Queen Azshara before she could summon N'Zoth. The Alliance immediately called off the alert, saying that conventional forces would be sufficient to secure Nazjatar.

Saurfang's team located and broke into Sylvanas's fortress. He challenged Sylvanas to a mak'gora, seeing in that the most glorious way to secure his reign as warchief. Instead, Sylvanas killed him. She and some of her supporters escaped through means unknown.

Upon learning that Sylvanas had fled, Genn led Gilnean forces to carve a bloody swathe through Lordaeron. Gilnean troops murdered any Forsaken they found and left much of Undercity in ruins.

The World Abides

As the dust clears, the people of Azeroth can only wonder what will happen next.

The naga fell into chaos. Alliance forces have secured a few safe zones for surrendering naga but logistics make it impossible to help most of the undersea empire. It is now known that having seen the Horde and Alliance overcome both the Scourge and the Burning Legion, the ancient queen realized the naga did not stand a chance against them. She'd hoped to hide Nazjatar until azerite warfare weakened the surface-dwellers enough for her to wipe out the survivors.

The majority of the naga appear ready to die for their fallen empire. Disgusted by the surface races, many would sooner commit suicide than willingly seek shelter with humans or dwarves. A few do seek sanctuary, though the fact that all naga are to some degree complicit in their realm's crimes raises troubling ethical issues.

Undersea kingdoms now rise and fall in the blink of an eye as groups of freed slaves try to assert dominion. No one can fill the power vacuum left by the naga. Some former slaves instead seek employment with the Steamwheedle Cartel, which has hired many. It is through their efforts that the cartel's first underwater city was built, a few miles off the shore of Kezan. However, the cartel remembers its financially disastrous attempt to trade with the elemental planes, and is unlikely to invest too heavily into the undersea realm.

For now, the surface races can only wait to see what transpires beneath.

Sylvanas left no clear chain of command, and the abuses committed under her reign (and Garrosh's) show beyond the shadow of a doubt that no individual can again be allowed to wield a warchief's power.

Many of the Horde's member races ponder their own future. The United Tauren Tribes have long been frustrated with how the Horde neglected them and seek closer connections with the Kaldorei and the Exodar. Together, they seek a path different from the untrammeled arcane and technological development seen in the east.

The Darkspear Tribe also wonders if it still needs the Horde. By securing the blessings of Zandalar, they have secured themselves as the inheritors of the old empire's mantle. The Zandalari themselves seem to understand that their actions (or lack thereof) during and after the Cataclysm have destroyed their credibility among the other tribes. Queen Talanji's involvement in the azerite weapons program (reluctant though it was) did hurt her reputation, but she was mostly able to weather the controversy. The program has since been dismantled though the Darkspear Tribe now possesses its own arsenal. Zandalar will instead seek to be an idealistic and aspirational power, reminding trolls of their honored place in the cosmos while also acting as a subtle counterbalance to the secular wealth and arms of the Darkspear Tribe.

The orcs are left rudderless but still hopeful. Some think that Thrall should resume his mantle as warchief though he seems deeply reluctant. But the orcs can take solace in the fact that they did not repeat the mistakes of Garrosh, and seized control of the Horde before its power could be used for dishonorable ends.

Sin'thalas is relieved to be rid of Sylvanas. With much of their efforts going toward reconnecting with their Nightborne and Quel'dorei kindred, the blood elves see little reason to oppose the Alliance. The bloodlines of their ancient houses matter far more than some short-lived political squabble, after all. The Ren'dorei pose a problem but are too few in number for the Sin'dorei to worry much about them.

The Forsaken have been broken. The Gilneans killed thousands, civilian and soldier alike. The undead have been forced to realize that Sylvanas never cared for them. Currently, the remains of Undercity are in a state of chaos. The Alliance pushes for Calia Menethil to be instituted as the leader of the free dead despite her not being well-liked within Lordaeron. Some Forsaken seek a second Desolate Council, though most viable candidates bear some culpability for the old regime's crimes.

Business continues as usual in the Bilgewater Cartel.

The orcs and tauren both destroyed the azerite weapons they seized during the coup. The goblins and Darkspear trolls chose to appropriate the weapons for their own use.

Even more uncertain is the future of the Horde as a whole. The faction is still recovering from the Fourth War. Actions of warchiefs like Sylvanas and Garrosh have gutted the people's faith in the office of warchief. It is possible that the Horde races will simply disband and become independent or members of the Alliance. Anduin has promised that their ways will be respected if they choose to join. Another possibility is that the Horde will congregate as a more decentralized power, no longer beholden to a single warchief. If it does, however, it'll be even more dependent on the Alliance than it was after the Fourth War and would be a client state in all but name.

Kul Tiras emerged from the Island War battered but triumphant. Ushered into the Alliance proper almost immediately after the war's conclusion, Kul Tiras has transformed from a decaying kingdom into a major maritime power. Lord Admiral Jaina Proudmoore has escaped the shadow of her past, and surely ranks among Kul Tiras's greatest leaders.

Gilnean forces soon retreated from Lordaeron. His attack was in direct contravention of Alliance policy but tremendously popular among the Gilnean people. Anticipating the Alliance's reaction to his campaign, King Genn Greymane immediately abdicated and was last seen on a ship headed toward Kalimdor, a grim smile on his face. It is widely believed that he's living comfortably among Gilneans in Ashenvale, and that Tyrande counts him as a friend. Under the new monarch, Gilneas remains part of the Alliance, one more liked in Kalimdor than in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Both Stormwind and Khaz Modan are coming to terms with just how close the world came toward destruction. Though the Horde's fall is clearly to Azeroth's benefit, many acknowledge that the Alliance's own actions in Kul Tiras often worsened the situation. Embittered by Kul Tiras's azerite weapons program, Khaz Modan has become increasingly isolationist.

The situation in Kalimdor remains murky. The night elves increasingly see the Alliance as repeating the sins of Queen Azshara by relying so heavily on arcane convenience. Tyrande alone did not attend the victory celebrations, publicly expressing bewilderment that human soldiers could see Nazjatar and still promote arcane development.

Though the draenei are less concerned about the use of magic, they still wonder why the Alliance lavishes so much of its resources on extravagance and world-ending weapons while people go hungry in the streets. Prophet Velen now wonders if he was mistaken about humanity's potential, and thinks there may be more of the Most Holy Light in the tauren tribes than the human kingdoms.

Pandaria is deeply troubled by the Horde's fall. It is clear that the balance they hoped for will not be possible, and they fear what might happen when Azeroth is ruled by a single world power. Others predict that balance will arrive, one way or another, and that the Alliance's victory has only sown the seeds of its eventual defeat.

The Decline of the Naga Empire

Recent events have revealed the Naga Empire to not be the invincible undersea empire that so many had feared, but a twisted shell of a state kept alive only by Queen Azshara's desperation. This is not to downplay the very real threat that the Naga Empire had long posed to the surface races of Azeroth. Indeed, the Naga Empire counted as the mightiest nation on Azeroth for most of the last ten-thousand years. Yet time takes its toll on even the most powerful polities, and did not spare the naga.

Queen Azshara's greatest advantage in the early days of the Naga Empire was the fact that everyone on the surface believed her to be dead. Azshara's guards and handmaidens worshiped her as a goddess, and still possessed much of the arcane and intellectual capital of the fallen Kaldorei Empire. But as the highest of the high in the old Kaldorei Empire, these survivors knew nothing of hardship. Utterly dependent on magic that soon warped their bodies into the modern naga form, they reeled from shock and fear at the changes to themselves and their surroundings. Their world had been destroyed. It is a testament to Queen Azshara's leadership that the naga survived the lean first centuries of their existence.

With the idea of labor being anathema to them, the naga instead focused on enslaving others. Undersea sapients and animals were forcibly brought into the fold by physical force and, failing that, neurotoxins that compelled obedience. The world beneath the waves had been thrown into confusion after the Sundering and Queen Azshara found this an ideal state in which to spread her burgeoning empire. A thousand years later, the Naga Empire controlled almost all of Great Sea and faced no real competition.

Seniority in naga ranks depended heavily on age—those who'd once been in Azshara's court received the greatest boons from their queen. The generations of naga born after the Sundering developed a culture that diverged somewhat from Azshara's. Consider Zin-Azshari, which still resembles the Kaldorei palace it once was, compared to the sharper and more organic-looking architecture in other naga cities. Despite this difference, all naga obeyed their queen.

The Naga Empire spent most of its efforts on expansion and keeping control of its slaves. Slave revolts were frequent and bloody but the experienced naga forces put them down without mercy. Naga devoted themselves to war, arcane research, and administration. All other work was done by slaves. Azshara eventually prohibited art, since her own refined tastes clearly represented the perfection of the creative impulse. Singers, poets, shell mosaicists, and others would from that point on limit themselves to re-creating existing art, since nothing could improve upon the classics. Some of the early stylistic deviations pioneered by younger naga were preserved, though only if they could be justified in utilitarian terms. This explains why the other strands of naga architecture have survived to present day.

Only the art of cruelty was permitted. With their slaves as canvases, the naga could experiment with new patterns of wounds and the forced tuning of particular nerves. The goal was always the same—dominance, abasement, and pain. It was blasphemy to change the physical form of the naga (which was perfect according to Azshara). The form of slaves, on the other hand, was acceptable to reshape. Great naga houses sought pain artists of particular refinement and creativity.

Though the naga represented the biggest and best-trained fighting forced in the world, the logistical difficulty of an extended land campaign made it impractical for them to conquer the surface. While the naga could function quite well on land for a few days at a time, anything more would quickly exhaust and kill them. Further, the Naga Empire spent many of its resources monitoring slaves and quelling revolts.

Those naga who pushed the frontiers of the empire (which now encircled Kalimdor and much of the Eastern Kingdoms) enjoyed slightly more freedom. Queen Azshara granted this simply because those naga at the edges could not rely on as much central support. The frontier also acted as a pressure valve for naga who violated one of the innumerable minor restrictions of their society but whose offenses were not sufficient to justify death. The Nazja compound word for these naga would take an entire page to write out; a direct translation is: Known-and-Esteemed-as-They-Who-Push-Aside-the-Slow-Currents-That-Must-Fall-Before-the-Eternal-Grace-of-Our-Queen-the-Deathless-and-Ever-Gloried-Azshara (we refer to them as "pathfinders"). Though still slavers, the pathfinders also traded with free underwater sapients and even some surface goblins. These naga represented one of the only dynamic aspects of the empire.

The Naga Empire revealed itself to the surface world in the waning days of the Third War. Queen Azshara detected Archimonde's arrival and believed that the day of her vindication was at hand. She'd hoped the surface races would be in disarray and ripe for conquest. However, her scouting parties revealed that they were far more organized than she'd expected. Azshara quickly ordered a strategic retreat, though she did commit a small army to Illidan's forces in the Eastern Kingdoms. It is believed she'd hoped to use the Illidari as a way exert influence on the surface. However, Illidan's relocation to Outland rendered this less feasible, and she withdrew the bulk of her forces, leaving only a small number in the Betrayer's employ.

Queen Azshara's long-term plan was to capture surface-dwellers and enslave them for use as slave soldiers. This would take time, but Azshara believed she had plenty of it. The surface armies would have an even harder time invading her undersea realm than the naga would have with the surface. Nature was Nazjatar's best defense. Some of her captives became test subjects for vile plagues developed by naga researchers. Azshara intended for these plagues to be used against the surface races in event of war.

The Naga Empire weathered the Cataclysm relatively unscathed. Indeed, the event worked in their favor. The naga conducted hundreds of raiding parties in the confused months that followed, gathering slaves and experimental subjects from the world's coastlines. Many of these disappearances were blamed on the disasters of the Cataclysm and never properly investigated. The Faceless Ones reaffirmed Azshara's old (but largely ignored) alliance with N'Zoth, and the two forces cooperated closely.

Disaster struck at Vashj'ir and the Abyssal Maw. Though the naga forces decimated the Horde and Alliance fleets above Vashj'ir they only did so thanks to surprise. Once the fleets rallied (bolstered by submersibles), the naga learned that their mighty sea creatures were no match for armored vehicles and modern cannons. The Battle of Vashj'ir was an utter rout for the naga forces. Only the quick thinking of their commander allowed the surviving naga to conduct their daring raid into the Abyssal Maw and successfully capture the elemental lord Neptulon. Even this proved no more than a temporary victory. Neptulon eventually escaped, and the naga forces were too few to establish a lasting beachhead on an elemental plane.

The naga again withdrew. Azshara considered unleashing the plague prototypes she had, but feared that would just draw more surface attention. Worse was the fact that news of the defeat had spread, spurring multiple slave rebellions across the empire. The Naga Empire had never suffered a meaningful defeat since the Sundering. The innumerable murlocs, sea giants, makrura, and others who toiled in the slave ranks had done so for countless generations. The reality of naga rule was as undeniable as gravity. Yet Vashj'ir showed that the naga were not invincible. Enraged by the abuse they'd suffered and with very little to lose, the slaves threw themselves with great wrath upon their masters.

Rebellions continued to spread. Now called the Unshackling, it represented the gradual dissolution of the Naga Empire. Ancient cities went dark and entire naga armies vanished in the ocean depths. A violent uprising wrecked Nazjatar's ancient galleries. Ever canny, Azshara devoted all of her efforts to regaining control. Through power and cruelty the rebellions were snuffed out, but she knew the Naga Empire was crippled and would be for centuries. Her only hope was to hide and wait for the surface-dwellers to destroy each other.

Other Peoples of Pandaria

The Hozen

The hozen often find themselves at the periphery of society. A physically robust, monkey-like race, the hozen are notable for having a particularly short lifespan: typically no more than 20 years.

This puts the hozen in a tragic situation. Their short lifespans make it difficult or impossible to become true masters at any skill. It also affects their emotional development. Even an elderly hozen is likely to be impulsive, in the manner of a 20-year old human.

The hozen are poorly integrated into mainstream Pandarian culture. Authorities prefer that the hozen stay in their own villages. The rationale is that when they are isolated, their impetuousness will only harm other hozen. Some of this is regional: hozen in the Valley of the Four Winds are far better integrated than their counterparts in the Jade Forest.

The hozen are often frustrated by how poorly the pandaren understand them. What others call impetuousness, the hozen call passion. And indeed, how could they be anything but passionate? The short allotment of life granted to them means that each hozen needs to seize as much as they can. It's better to risk an already short life than to spend it in slumber.

Everything in hozen society is designed to compensate for a short lifespan. Physical confrontations take less time than drawn out debates. But this doesn't mean that there's no hozen intellectual life. The hozen tend to be devotees of Woist philosophy.

The hozen philosopher Joko put his own spin on Woism during the Hundred Years Sorrow. He took the bold stance of saying that balance was ultimately unknowable. There's no way to be sure if one is strengthening or weakening balance. To go back to the example of deer in a forest, it's entirely possible that their culling (whether by starvation, wolves, or hunters) would actually have other unforeseen effects that continue the imbalance (such as the wolves or hunters starving afterward).

Thus, it is best not to worry. Joko thought it better to act within one's nature and to do it as passionately as possible. Joko was a poet who traveled the breadth of Pandaria twice in his short life, saying he wished only to grasp the whole wide world before he died. His short poems, which are often earthy and humorous, are still celebrated by hozen and pandaren alike.

Hozen incorporate a wide variety of gestures while communicating. This is actually done in order to relay more information within a short space of time (it's extraordinarily difficult for outsiders to learn or properly comprehend). The character-based Pandaren script takes years and years to master, so the hozen have developed a simple phonetic alphabet (consonants only) in order to record their thoughts. Their writing system is brief, aggressive, and to the point. Sadly, this leads many pandaren scholars to dismiss hozen writing, since it contradicts the elliptical and flowery style preferred by most pandaren.

Those hozen who live with the pandaren have managed to adapt reasonably well. Sometimes called village hozen, they usually focus on a particular type of labor and can become quite skilled in its commission. Hozen tend to be quick learners, compensating for their short lifespan. Village hozen rarely enter intellectual fields but this is not necessarily because they lack intelligence. Rather, the paucity of hozen in higher learning might be a function of how long it takes to master written Pandaren and the low esteem in which pandaren may hold them.

Many have wondered why hozen emotionalism never triggered the Sha. It is believed that the negative emotions expressed by the hozen, while powerful, were too short-lived to give the malign entities much real sustenance. Long-simmering resentment did more to feed the Sha of Anger than did a burst of rage.

The Forest Hozen

Though Chief Kah Kah's decision to join the Horde was based on a hostile encounter with the Alliance, he may have had ulterior motives. He knew that the hozen of Grookin Hill were doomed to forever be outsiders and that the refined pandaren of Jade Forest looked down on his people. The Horde was an unknown quantity, but some chances are worth taking.

Currently, the Forest Hozen exist in a gray area of sovereignty. The Peace of Orgrimmar dictates that the Forest Hozen acknowledge Pandaria's suzerainty, but Chief Kah Kah still professes loyalty to the Horde's warchief. Vol'jin was silent on the matter, though Sylvanas extended informal recognition. Regardless, Grookin Hill is too distant for the weakened Horde to protect or extract tribute from. Jade Forest authorities claim that, because Grookin Hill shares in Pandaria's larger super-culture (itself a somewhat vague term), the Forest Hozen are a part of the country. However, no one in Pandaria has actually attempted to exert direct authority since that is contrary to pandaren governance.

In short, nobody really knows to which group the Forest Hozen belongs, but they say they are Horde, so it is perhaps best to take their word for it. Interestingly, at least two hozen have become trained arcanists after studying with orc mages. The Orcish alphabet is phonetic, further evidence that the character-based script of written Pandaren, rather than writing itself, is a problem for the hozen.

The Jinyu

It is known that the jinyu once ruled their own empire in the distant past, one that rivaled even the mighty mogu. The jinyu's uncanny ability to "read" a river—to collect impressions and knowledge gathered by the flowing waters—enabled them to know the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents well before battle began. Today, jinyu waterspeakers continue to glean secrets from the endless flow.

Jinyu culture tends toward contemplation and deliberation. This is reflected in the caste-based structure of their society. Caste is assigned before birth. A jinyu mother will lay a clutch of eggs, which will then be fertilized by prospective fathers. The father's caste will determine the hatchling's caste. Jinyu men outnumber women in a five to one ratio. Women are excluded from the warrior caste due to their rarity but are full participants in all other castes (peasant, trader, crafter, and waterspeaker).

Families are structured quite differently from those of other races. Hatchlings are cared for by their fathers. Multiple fathers will typically live with an older non-fertile woman who also participates in care taking. The biological mother typically has little direct interaction with her children.

Interestingly, some jinyu are know to suffer from a culturally specific mental illness known as insoluble doubt. It most often affects high caste jinyu. This illness takes the form of obsessive uncertainty as to one's caste; the patient's fear is that their eggs were placed with the wrong clutch (which is rare, but known to happen—eggs of different castes cannot be visually distinguished from one another). Meditation seems to be the most effective cure for this.

Renism has some adherents among the jinyu, but most prefer the works of their own philosopher, Susshem. Susshem was a waterspeaker who lived during the reign of the Liaogong Emperor. During this time, the jinyu caste system was strained to the point of breaking. The waterspeakers exerted great control over the lives of lower castes, leading to frustration and stagnation.

Susshem, herself a waterspeaker, saw that this was unsustainable. Thus, she wrote The Doctrine of Many Rivers. Here, she argued in favor of the concept of fate, which she compared to a mighty river. The individual is carried along by fate, and cannot control their destination. However, the individual can move from side to side, and even change streams should the option arise.

Her argument was that though fate cannot be denied. The current will always lead to the ocean (which is death). Until then, one still has choices available to them. One should not be prevented from free movement within one's river. Similarly, it is absurd to be jealous of someone traveling in a different river, because they are ultimately in the same position. They too are headed toward death, but also have the option to become better in the meantime.

Her philosophy took ideas from Woism (Wo's fatalistic idea that everything returns to balance), and from Renism (cultivation of virtue through one's choices). Susshem's efforts gave greater flexibility to individual jinyu without threatening the actual caste system. Workers were less important than waterspeakers, but a worker who did their job well was still worthy of respect.

Susshem is still influential today though some jinyu philosophers now think she tried too hard to fit everything into a river metaphor.

Most jinyu live with their own kind, but a good number also mingle with the pandaren. The contemplative jinyu are naturals for monastic life, while others work as scholars and bureaucrats. Pandaren towns act as an escape valve for jinyu who do not think they fit with their castes. Some jinyu monks, warriors, and scholars in pandaren lands are actually rebellious lower caste jinyu who sought to better their station. Jinyu leaders typically allow this, to the point that self-imposed exile is considered a respectable choice for someone unhappy with their station.

Jinyu warriors are fearsome though their need to stay hydrated limits the environments in which they can fight. Waterspeakers also act as an informal intelligence network for Pandaria.

The Pearlfin Jinyu

The Pearlfin are believed to be the descendants of the old Jinyu Empire's old ruling court. Given the years of travel and intermarriage with other jinyu villages, it's unclear how much of the old blood remains, but no one disputes the name's lineage.

The Pearlfin Tribe honored the Peace of Orgrimmar by accepting Pandaria's authority. However, they remain close to the Alliance, which now runs a small embassy in Pearlfin Village. Ambitious and curious Pearlfin jinyu sometimes leave Pandaria to aid Alliance reconnaissance and serve in its military.

The Grummles

In ancient times, the mogu bred the grummle to be loyal messengers and couriers who braved the high mountain passes of Kun-Lai. As a free people, they now guide travelers and traders through those same treacherous routes.

Not all grummle are guides, of course. Some work as traveling peddlers who may go far beyond the Kun-Lai Summit. The lowland grummle who live in the dry steppes south of Kun-Lai typically run yak ranches and small farms.

Though polite, the grummle tend to keep outsiders at arm's length. It is known that they live in small units of four to five families. The exact method that the grummle use to keep track of generational intermarriage between clans and villages is not known, though likely quite sophisticated. Families typically work together on commercial ventures which is why grummle in a particular company or herd will refer to each other as "cousin". Younger grummle are guided by an elder referred to as an "uncle". This is not necessarily literal or gender-specific. However, it is considered bad luck for a parent to manage their children while working, which means a young grummle will always report to an uncle, aunt, or older cousin.

Much has been said about the grummle cultural practice of the "luckydo", which is a particular item that grants fortune or protection. The grummle do not typically concern themselves with philosophy. They are, however, a devout people. Even the smallest village will revere the Four Celestials along with a host of other gods and spirits unique to the grummle. Countless rituals are performed throughout the day to appease these oft-jealous lesser gods.

In general, the grummle adopt a fatalistic view of the world. Though their deeper religious practices remain obscure to the outside world, it is known that they are the only race in Pandaria to believe in reincarnation. This may be their interpretation of mogu spirit-capture magic, in which an entity's soul could be ripped from their body and placed in another, or in an inanimate object. The grummle hope that they can one day break the cycle of reincarnation and achieve true peace. This can be done through a life of exceptionally piety, or through luck.

On rare occasions, an infant is recognized as a reincarnation of a specific grummle from another community. This is less momentous than it sounds. Typically, such a recognition simply heralds a strengthening of ties with a different clan or village. The reincarnated grummle is regarded as a full member of both involved communities, though this does not confer any particular prestige. Grummle shamans do trace such reincarnations though they are reluctant to talk of this with outsiders.

Though grummle traders can be found throughout Pandaria, it is rare for them to set down roots in other towns. They will almost always return to their families in and around Kun-Lai.

The Yaungols

It's not at all clear if the Pandaren Revolution would have succeeded had it not been for the dauntless yaungol warriors of the western steppes. Unfortunately, they did not benefit from their victory.

Nomads and farmers seldom get along and the early days of free Pandaria were marked by conflict between the roving yaungol clans and the pandaren and grummle farmers. This lasted until a dispute ended in the destruction of a small pandaren village. The outraged Biyu Emperor declared that all yaungol must be kept west of the Serpent's Spine.

This marked the beginning of the Tall Grass Campaign, a war that stretched out over several generations. In the end, the yaungol were driven from civilized Pandaria and forced to live in the mantid-haunted western lands.

The yaungol tell this story somewhat differently. They do not see themselves as having done anything wrong. The pandaren had respected the yaungol for their ferocity during the revolution, only to turn on them once the yaungol ways became inconvenient. That the pandaren would use mogu infrastructure like the Serpent's Spine just showed that the new empire was not truly different from the old one.

Life in the Townlong Steppes has hardened the yaungol. Though the grass there is rich, and good fodder for their herds, they must constantly fight the mantids. Some in Pandaria believe that this endless battle helps thin the mantid ranks but this is unlikely; the yaungol are simply not numerous enough to really inflict much harm on the swarms.

The yaungol have found many clever ways to survive. One is their use of oil. Burning oil creates fumes that confuse and exhaust mantids. The yaungol shamans are able to call spirits to extract oil, and use it in many of their fiery rituals. The yaungol believe in many spirits and in a powerful deity known as She Who Watches. She Who Watches may be the yaungol version of the Earthmother, but she is a distant goddess who cares little for worship. Most reverence is directed toward a clan's ancestor spirits.

Yaungol live in matrilineal clans. Warriors through and through, the clans are highly communal. Much like their tauren cousins, the yaungol take good care of their own. Clans never battle one another and internal disputes are usually solved peacefully. In cases where this is not possible, the offended parties will fight each other with blunted weaponry, so as to reduce the likelihood of serious injury. Both the winner and loser will undergo a shared cleansing ritual to reaffirm their brotherhood.

In the peaceful times between mantid invasions, some yaungol clans are permitted to enter Pandaria for trade. These exchanges generally occur without incident. They never stay for very long, however. Pandaria is simply too constrained for nomads.

The Sauroks

The saurok were the first race to rebel against the Mogu Empire. Their former masters bred them as soldiers: cunning, violent, and aggressive. Sadly, these traits did not serve them well after the Mogu Empire's fall.

Modern saurok live in organized war bands on the periphery of pandaren society. Warriors by design, they seem compelled to maintain a culture of constant violence. Small groups of saurok rely on hunting and gathering, typically in remote wilderness areas. Bands that grow larger will attack settlements for food. This invariably gets the attention of pandaren warriors, who will persecute the saurok and disperse them into smaller groups. From there, the cycle begins anew.

The Mogu

Like the other titan-born races, the mogu originated as stone constructs given life by the Curse of Flesh. Their formidable intellects and arcane talents enabled them to craft a powerful and despotic empire that endured for thousands of years. The signs of mogu power abide even in modern Pandaria. Their palaces and fortifications endure, as do some of their aesthetics and cultural practices.

Much of what is known about the mogu comes from the texts they left behind. The mogu were driven to achieve strength and dominance. To them, weakness was the only unforgivable sin. No one is sure why they embraced such an ethos of power. Some speculate that it was a reaction to the enfeebling nature of the Curse of Flesh, but this is only speculation.

The mogu followed a cruel but coherent philosophy called the Strict Path. No one knows who first formulated this philosophy. The earliest mentions come from the writings of Emperor Tian the Ruthless. Tian says that he accepted the Strict Path, and that once he did, he killed the man who came up with it. This makes more sense once the philosophy is understood.

The Strict Path states that all things tend toward weakness and corruption. Fear is the only way to motivate anyone to better themselves. Slaves fear the lash, scholars fear disgrace, and soldiers fear death. The primary duty of the sovereign is to ensure that everyone lives in fear at all times, for only this can create a strong state.

Laws are a tool for punishing unreliable subordinates. Family ties mean nothing. Rewards should only go to the strong and clever. Weakness is the only thing forbidden to the sovereign. The emperor may do anything else they wish, so long as they are strong enough to do so. Truth has no intrinsic value, since only the powerful determine what is true. Emperor Tian's killing of the Strict Path's unnamed creator, and his co-opting of the philosophy, might be seen as a display of power.

The Strict Path did encourage meritocracy. All mogu children were taken from their parents at birth and raised in creches. This made nepotism impossible. A faceless soldier in the emperor's armies could be his son, but he would never know. Family life was seen as a luxury enjoyed only by slaves. The mogu saw life as a series of cruel tests. Success was the only path to respect, and failure deserved only scorn.

The mogu obsession with dominion extended to their interactions with the natural world. They saw Pandaria's forests and mountains as clay to be sculpted and made useful. Mogu architecture tended to be utilitarian, though imperial residences could be quite lavish.

Information about the Mogu Empire comes primarily from two sources: pandaren scholars and the mogu remnant clans. It's been theorized that both have reason to exaggerate the cruelty of the old empire. For the pandaren, such a narrative justifies the Pandaren Revolution. For the mogu clans (and the propaganda of the Mogu Empire), it has the effect of making them seem more fearsome.

Indeed, it is hard to imagine that an empire consisting solely of power-hungry maniacs could survive for as long as the Mogu Empire did (though the Burning Legion managed it for longer). But while the brutality of the ancient mogu may be exaggerated, there is no question that they were quite harsh. It may be that the Strict Path was limited to elites, with lower caste mogu being somewhat more moderate in their approach. The fact that some emperors, like Tsao, took a more merciful stance suggests that the Strict Path was not universally embraced.

The return of the Thunder King failed to bring about a new Mogu Empire and the clans were once again scattered. The race faces an uncertain future, though there is a small mogu community in Zandalar. These mogu are actually descendants of immigrants who fled the fall of the first Mogu Empire, and have been living in Zandalar for thousands of years. During that time, they have adopted many aspects of Zandalari culture though they are seen as second-class citizens.

The Mantids

The mantid swarms have been the eternal enemy of Pandaria. Like the other invertebrate empires of Azeroth, the mantids are associated with the Old Gods.

Mantid lore says that their race once existed in the "Pure State". Here, every mantid effortlessly conducted the actions correct to their station. Drones and warriors worked in harmony with directors and generals, and directors and generals worked in harmony with the empress. This was done without question or even the need for words—chemicals inspired the right action. The empress herself served as a flawless vessel for the will of Y'shaarj.

Yet doubt arose. Y'shaarj left the mantids to fend for themselves. Modern mantids see themselves as cursed into freedom. This might strike outsiders as peculiar, given the mantid tendency to obedience. However, they see this obedience as forced self-discipline. Mantid are taught to follow orders from an early age. What they actually want, however, is obedience without effort.

This is in contrast to the qiraji, who still rely on pheromonal control, and the nerubians, who actively reject pheromones in favor of iron self-discipline.

Today, obedience is compelled through sound. The noise made by the vibration of mantid wings can be subtly altered to precisely direct even the largest swarms. A general will start the sonic cascade, which then spreads to lieutenants, and then down to even the smallest drone. Multiple orders can be contained in a single sound. Every mantid wishes to experience this at least one; they believe that this is the closest they will ever get to the Pure State.

Mantid society revolves around the immense kypari trees found growing in western Pandaria. The sap of these trees has myriad properties. It can be hardened into tools, building materials, and weapons. Kypari sap also has utility as medicine, preservatives, and can even store the raw thoughts of elite mantids. It's the lifeblood of their society.

The majority of mantids live within these kypari trees. This is a symbiotic rather than parasitic relationship; the mantids guide the tree's growth, cleanse it of actual parasites, and ensure its health. The decay of several kypari trees is what prompted the mantids' recent premature invasion of Pandaria.

Similarly important are the enormous kunchong beetles. These titans trundle across the landscape, clearing overgrowth and smoothing hills. In so doing, the kunchong secrete a type of amber that supplements the larger store of kypari amber.

The mantids do not invade Pandaria with the intent of conquest. Rather, they see it as a test of their own abilities. The swarms seek to perpetually strengthen themselves through challenges, and by pruning the weak. The skilled warriors of Pandaria are seen as the ultimate test.

This is why the mantids' failure to defeat Pandaria is never seen as a failure. In fighting, the pandaren help the mantids accomplish their goals. One might wonder why a constantly strengthening swarm wouldn't eventually conquer Pandaria in spite of itself. The reason for this may be that the swarm is reactive. Though it will learn from its mistakes, it won't necessarily anticipate new tactics or strategies used by the pandaren.

Also, not all invasions are the same. The mantid population reaches a critical mass every seven to eight generations, which leads to a particularly numerous invading army. Most invasions, while terrifying, are smaller and less taxing to the pandaren.

Mantid society is ruled by an empress, but guided by the Klaxxi. These are immortal mantids who study the ebb and flow of history to determine the best course for the swarms. This requires a certain degree of independent thought.

The minority of warriors who survive invasions are granted many honors. They may command their own swarms and get access to the best amber. A scant few are chosen to join the Klaxxi. These are often warriors who are successful in spite of being insubordinate. Disobedience may cost the lives of thousands of lesser warriors—but this is seen as a acceptable. After all, the purpose of the battles is to cull the weak.

It is notable that most Klaxxi have come from the smaller mantid swarms that follow the kunchong beetles.

Currently, the mantids are slowly returning to order under the reign of a new empress. Though the paragons were destroyed in the Fourth War, there are still a number of non-combatant Klaxxi who can guide the swarms. Belief in the Pure State abides, despite the disastrous release of the Sha.