Orcs turn against the draenei

Full History

Before the orcs invaded Azeroth, the rise of the Horde had already brought catastrophe to other inhabitants of Draenor. The orcish clans were pushed into greater military unity by Gul'dan and the influence of the Burning Legion. Their newly assembled armies turned upon the people known as draenei. In the original-era history, the aggression belongs to the central story of the Horde's corruption and transformation.

The campaigns against the draenei were not merely one more set of clan disputes. They were the work of a growing war machine, organized through new authority and increasingly shaped by warlock power. The abandonment of older shamanic restraints changed what its leaders considered legitimate. The Horde's capacity for destruction grew as enemies were designated, warriors assembled, and the clans learned to fight under a broader command.

The violence also exposed divisions among the orcs themselves. Durotan and other dissenters recognized that the Horde's new identity was being purchased at the cost of its inherited values. Gul'dan and the Shadow Council pursued more power. The resulting campaigns damaged Draenor and contributed to the conditions that drove the Horde to seek further expansion. By the time the Dark Portal opened, the conquerors were already practiced in the use of overwhelming force.

The draenei's precise ancient origins and later revised cosmology are separate questions from these events and must not be folded back into the period account without source support. What the older Warcraft narrative establishes is that the orcs' corruption caused violence on Draenor before it caused devastation on Azeroth. That history gives the First War a necessary prelude: the invading Horde did not become dangerous only after encountering the kingdoms beyond the Portal.