Garona assassinates King Llane

Full History

The Kingdom of Azeroth entered the First War under King Llane Wrynn, whose rule was challenged by a threat unlike those the southern human lands had faced before. Orc warriors emerged through the Dark Portal and built military positions in the eastern swamps. Raids spread toward settled territory, and Anduin Lothar labored to strengthen the kingdom's defenses. The monarch and his commander were confronting the military consequences of an invasion made possible by hidden dealings between Medivh and Gul'dan.

Garona occupied a difficult position in the history of this conflict. She came from the Horde's world but entered the company of humans seeking to understand the war, including Khadgar and Lothar during the investigation of Medivh. Her connections with the Shadow Council and its power over her were inseparable from the danger she posed. At the worst moment for Stormwind, Garona assassinated King Llane.

The murder deprived the kingdom of its ruler as its armies faced overwhelming pressure. Lothar's efforts to preserve the state could not stop the Horde from taking the capital. Survivors fled, carrying news of the invaders to the northern kingdoms. Llane's son Anduin would be among those whose future depended upon refuge far from Stormwind, and the loss of the royal seat became a political as well as a military disaster.

Llane's death helped transform a southern kingdom's war into a continental struggle. Anduin Lothar's appeal to King Terenas Menethil II helped bring about the Alliance of Lordaeron. The assassination remained a central wound in Stormwind's memory when the kingdom later reemerged. Its historical consequence was not confined to the life of one king: it helped force the human powers to confront the Horde together.