Forsaken join the Horde

Full History

The Forsaken entered an uneasy alliance with Thrall's Horde after establishing control in the ruined lands of Lordaeron. Sylvanas's undead followers needed allies against the Scourge and other enemies, while the Horde saw value in a foothold across the Eastern Kingdoms. Their partnership joined peoples with little shared history and many reasons for distrust.

Freedom from the Lich King had not made the Forsaken welcome among the living. The Scarlet Crusade fought them as undead threats, and the Scourge still occupied large parts of their homeland. Sylvanas had carved out a base beneath Lordaeron's ruined capital, but it was surrounded by dangers. Thrall's coalition already included orcs, trolls, and tauren, making room for another people displaced by the wars of the old world.

The alliance did not erase the difference between Forsaken aims and the Horde's broader ideals. It was a practical arrangement whose members faced common enemies and benefited from access to distant territories. At the beginning of original World of Warcraft, the Forsaken's presence in the Horde explains both their opportunity to survive and the suspicion that continues to surround them.