Quick Overview
Stormwind resisted the first orcish invasion until war reached the heart of the kingdom. Stormwind's defenders learned that the orcs possessed powerful warriors and magic shaped by dark influences. The Alliance of Lordaeron arose from that danger, and Lothar became central to its war against the Horde.
Full History
Stormwind resisted the first orcish invasion until war reached the heart of the kingdom. King Llane, the defender Anduin Lothar, and other leaders faced an army that had come through the Dark Portal from another world. The royal city's fall drove surviving humans north and changed the balance of the Eastern Kingdoms. A struggle once fought along one kingdom's frontier became a continent-wide threat.
The Horde's early incursions struck villages, fortifications, and the royal army. Stormwind's defenders learned that the orcs possessed powerful warriors and magic shaped by dark influences. Garona's relationship to the conflict and the schemes of Gul'dan further complicated the struggle within the court. When Llane was murdered and the city's defense finally collapsed, Lothar led those he could save into exile. The kingdom was defeated, but its cause did not disappear with its capital.
The refugees' arrival in Lordaeron prompted other rulers to recognize that isolated resistance could end in the same fate. The Alliance of Lordaeron arose from that danger, and Lothar became central to its war against the Horde. Stormwind's fall was therefore both an ending and a beginning: the destruction of one realm and the event that forced several others to fight together.
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