Ner’zhul seeks artifacts for new portals

Full History

The defeat of Orgrim Doomhammer had ended the Horde's great invasion of the Eastern Kingdoms, but the orcish world of Draenor remained dangerous and unstable. Ner'zhul, once a shaman drawn into the Legion's manipulation, sought a way beyond the ruined prospects of the old Horde. His plan depended on using immense magical power to open passages to other worlds. Such an undertaking required artifacts that were not all within his reach.

The remaining Horde pursued relics including the Book of Medivh, the Eye of Dalaran, and the Scepter of Sargeras. These objects carried power and historical significance far beyond the needs of ordinary clan warfare. Their acquisition led to renewed movement through the Dark Portal and fighting in Azeroth. The orcs' return alarmed an Alliance that had already paid dearly to defeat the first invasion.

The human-led response was to confront the danger at its source. A force later remembered as the Sons of Lothar crossed through the Portal into Draenor, with commanders including Turalyon, Khadgar, Alleria Windrunner, Danath Trollbane, and Kurdran Wildhammer. The expedition sought to prevent the remaining Horde from using the artifacts to renew its campaign and open further gateways. Its journey transformed a defensive war on Azeroth into an offensive expedition on another world.

Ner'zhul's ritual ultimately exceeded what Draenor could endure. Multiple portals tore at the world and contributed to its destruction, leaving shattered the shattered remains of Draenor. The artifacts he sought were thus instruments of a disaster for the very world his followers hoped to escape. The campaign shows how the search for magical passage, begun by Medivh and Gul'dan, could be repeated on a still larger and more destructive scale.