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.
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.
