History of Warcraft - Chapter 2- The New World

Chapter 2: The New World

The Founding of Quel'Thalas

 The high elves, led by Dath'Remar, left Kalimdor behind them and challenged

the storms of the Maelstrom. Their fleets wandered the wreckage of the world

for many long years, and they discovered mysteries and lost kingdoms along

their sojourn. Dath'Remar, who had taken the name Sunstrider (or "he who

walks the day"), sought out places of considerable ley power upon which to

build a new homeland for his people.

 His fleet finally landed on the beaches of the kingdom men would later call

Lordaeron. Forging inland, the high elves founded a settlement within the

tranquil Tirisfal Glades. After a few years, many of them began to go mad. It

was theorized that something evil slept beneath that particular part of the

world, but the rumors were never proven to be true. The high elves packed

up their encampment and moved northward towards another land rich with

ley energies.

 As the high elves crossed the rugged, mountainous lands of Lordaeron, their

journey became more perilous. Since they were effectively cut off from the

life-giving energies of the Well of Eternity, many of them fell ill from the frigid

climate or died from starvation. The most disconcerting change, however,

was the fact that they were no longer immortal or immune to the elements.

They also shrank somewhat in height, and their skin lost its characteristic

violet hue. Despite their hardships, they encountered many wondrous

creatures that had never been seen in Kalimdor. They also found tribes of

primitive humans who hunted throughout the ancient forestlands. However,

the direst threat they encountered were the voracious and cunning forest

trolls of Zul'Aman.

 These moss-skinned trolls could regenerate lost limbs and heal grievous

physical injuries, but they proved to be a barbaric, evil race. The Amani

empire stretched across most of northern Lordaeron, and the trolls fought

hard to keep unwanted strangers from their borders. The elves developed a

deep loathing for the vicious trolls and killed them on sight whenever they

were encountered.

 After many long years, the high elves finally found a land which was

reminiscent of Kalimdor. Deep within the northern forests of the continent,

they founded the kingdom of Quel'Thalas and vowed to create a mighty

empire which would dwarf that of their Kaldorei cousins. Unfortunately they

soon learned that Quel'Thalas was founded upon an ancient troll city that the

trolls still held to be sacred. Almost immediately, the trolls began to attack

the elven settlements en masse.

 The stubborn elves, unwilling to give up their new land, utilized the magics

which they had gleaned from the Well of Eternity and kept the savage trolls at

bay. Under Dath'Remar's leadership, they were able to defeat the Amani

warbands that outnumbered them ten to one. Some elves, wary of the

Kaldorei's ancient warnings, felt that their use of magic might possibly draw

the attention of the banished Burning Legion. Therefore, they decided to

mask their lands within a protective barrier which would still allow them to

work their enchantments. They constructed a series of monolithic Runestones

at various points around Quel'Thalas which marked the boundaries of the

magic barrier. The Runestones not only masked the elves' magic from extradimensional threats, but helped to frighten away the superstitious troll

warbands as well.

 As time wore on, Quel'Thalas became a shining monument to the high elves'

efforts and magical prowess. Its beauteous palaces were crafted in the same

architectural style as the ancient halls of Kalimdor, yet they were interwoven

with the natural topography of the land. Quel'Thalas had become the shining

jewel that the elves had longed to create. The Convocation of Silvermoon was

founded as the ruling power over Quel'Thalas, though the Sunstrider Dynasty

maintained a modicum of political power. Comprised of seven of the greatest

high elf lords, the Convocation worked to secure the safety of the elven lands

and people. Surrounded by their protective barrier, the high elves remained

unmoved by the old warnings of the Kaldorei and continued to use magic

flagrantly in almost all aspects of their lives.

 For nearly four thousand years the high elves lived peacefully within the

secluded safety of their kingdom. Nevertheless, the vindictive trolls were not

so easily defeated. They plotted and schemed in the depths of the forests

and waited for the numbers of their warbands to grow. Finally, a mighty troll

army charged out from the shadowy forests and once again laid siege to the

shining spires of Quel'Thalas.

Arathor and the Troll Wars

 As the high elves fought for their lives against the trolls' fierce onslaught, the

scattered, nomadic humans of Lordaeron fought to consolidate their own

tribal lands. The tribes of early humanity raided each other's settlements with

little heed for racial unification or honor. Yet one tribe, known as the Arathi,

saw that the trolls were becoming too great a threat to ignore. The Arathi

wished to bring all of the tribes under its rule so that they could provide a

unified front against the troll warbands.

 Over the course of six years, the cunning Arathi outmaneuvered and

outfought the rival tribes. After every victory, the Arathi offered peace and

equality to the conquered people; thus, they won the loyalty of those they

had beaten. Eventually the Arathi tribe came to include many disparate

tribes, and the ranks of its army grew vast. Confident that they could hold

their own against the troll warbands or even the reclusive elves if need be,

the Arathi warlords decided to construct a mighty fortress city in the southern

regions of Lordaeron. The city-state, named Strom, became the capital of the

Arathi nation, Arathor. As Arathor prospered, humans from all over the vast

continent traveled south to the protection and safety of Strom.

 United under one banner, the human tribes developed a strong, optimistic

culture. Thoradin, the king of Arathor, knew that the mysterious elves in the

northlands were under constant siege by the trolls, but refused to risk the

safety of his people in defense of reclusive strangers. Many months passed as

rumors of the elves' supposed defeat trickled down from the north. It was

only when weary ambassadors from Quel'Thalas reached Strom that Thoradin

realized how great the troll threat truly was.

 The elves informed Thoradin that the troll armies were vast and that once the

trolls had destroyed Quel'Thalas, they would move on to attack the

southlands. The desperate elves, in dire need of military aid, hastily agreed to

teach certain select humans to wield magic in exchange for their help against

the warbands. Thoradin, distrustful of any magic, agreed to aid the elves out

of necessity. Almost immediately, elven sorcerers arrived in Arathor and

began to instruct a group of humans in the ways of magic.

 The elves found that although humans were innately clumsy in their handling

of magic, they possessed a startling natural affinity for it. One hundred men

were taught the very basics of the elves' magical secrets: no more than was

absolutely necessary to combat the trolls. Convinced that their human

students were ready to aid in the struggle, the elves left Strom and traveled

north alongside the mighty armies of King Thoradin.

 The united elf and human armies clashed against the overwhelming troll

warbands at the foot of the Alterac Mountains. The battle lasted for many

days, but the unflagging armies of Arathor never tired or gave an inch of

ground before the troll onslaught. The elven lords deemed that the time had

come to release the powers of their magic upon the enemy. The hundred

human magi and a multitude of elven sorcerers called down the fury of the

heavens and set the troll armies ablaze. The elemental fires prevented the

trolls from regenerating their wounds and burned their tortured forms from

the inside out.

 As the troll armies broke and attempted to flee, Thoradin's armies ran them

down and slaughtered every last one of their soldiers. The trolls would never

fully recover from their defeat, and history would never see the trolls rise as

one nation again. Assured that Quel'Thalas was saved from destruction, the

elves made a pledge of loyalty and friendship to the nation of Arathor and to

the bloodline of its king, Thoradin. Humans and elves would nurture peaceful

relations for ages to come.

The Guardians of Tirisfal

 With the absence of trolls in the northlands, the elves of Quel'Thalas bent

their efforts towards rebuilding their glorious homeland. The victorious armies

of Arathor returned home to southlands of Strom. The human society of

Arathor grew and prospered, yet Thoradin, fearful that his kingdom would

splinter apart if it overextended itself, maintained that Strom was the center

of the Arathorian empire. After many peaceful years of growth and

commerce, mighty Thoradin died of old age, leaving Arathor's younger

generation free to expand the empire beyond the lands of Strom.

The original hundred magi, who were tutored in the ways of magic by the

elves, expanded their powers and studied the mystic disciplines of spellweaving

in much greater detail. These magi, initially chosen for their strong

wills and noble spirits, had always practiced their magic with care and

responsibility; however, they passed their secrets and powers onto a newer

generation that had no concept of the rigors of war or the necessity for selfrestraint.

 These younger magicians began to practice magic for personal gain

rather than out of any responsibility towards their fellows.

 As the empire grew and expanded into new lands, the young magicians also

spread out into the southlands. Wielding their mystical powers, the magicians

protected their brethren from the wild creatures of the land and made it

possible for new city-states to be constructed in the wilderness. Yet, as their

powers grew, the magicians became ever more conceited and isolated from

the rest of society.

 The second Arathorian city-state of Dalaran was founded in the lands north of

Strom. Many fledgling wizards left the restraining confines of Strom behind

and traveled to Dalaran, where they hoped to use their new powers with

greater freedom. These magicians used their skills to build up the enchanted

spires of Dalaran and reveled in the pursuit of their studies. The citizens of

Dalaran tolerated the magicians' endeavors and built up a bustling economy

under the protection of their magic-using defenders. Yet, as more and more

magicians practiced their arts, the fabric of reality around Dalaran began to

weaken and tear.

 The sinister agents of the Burning Legion, who had been banished when the

Well of Eternity collapsed, were lured back into the world by the heedless

spellcasting of the magicians of Dalaran. Though these relatively weak

demons did not appear in force, they did sow considerable confusion and

chaos within the streets of Dalaran. Most of these demonic encounters were

isolated events, and the ruling Magocrats did what they could to keep such

events hidden from the public. The most powerful magicians were sent to

capture the elusive demons, but they often found themselves hopelessly

outmatched by the lone agents of the mighty Legion.

 After a few months the superstitious peasantry began to suspect that their

sorcerous rulers were hiding something terrible from them. Rumors of

revolution began to sweep through the streets of Dalaran as the paranoid

citizenry questioned the motives and practices of the magicians they had

once admired. The Magocrats, fearing that the peasants would revolt and

that Strom would take action against them, turned to the only group they felt

would understand their particular problem: the elves.

 Upon hearing the Magocrats' news of demonic activity in Dalaran, the elves

quickly dispatched their mightiest wizards to the human lands. The elven

wizards studied the energy currents in Dalaran and made detailed reports of

all demonic activity that they beheld. They concluded that although there

were only a few demons loose in the world, the Legion itself would remain a

dire threat so long as humans continued to wield the forces of magic.

 The Council of Silvermoon, which ruled over the elves of Quel'Thalas, entered

into a secret pact with the Magocrat lords of Dalaran. The elves told the

Magocrats about the history of ancient Kalimdor and of the Burning Legion, a

history which still threatened the world. They informed the humans that so

long as they used magic, they would need to protect their citizenry from the

malicious agents of the Legion. The Magocrats proposed the notion of

empowering a single mortal champion who would utilize their collective

powers in order to fight a never-ending secret war against the Legion. It was

stressed that the majority of mankind could never know about the Guardians

or the threat of the Legion for fear that they would riot in fear and paranoia.

The elves agreed to the proposal and founded a secret society that would

watch over the selection of the Guardian and help to stem the rise of chaos in

the world.

 The society held its secret meetings in the shadowed Tirisfal Glades, where

the high elves had first settled in Lordaeron. Thus, they named the secret

sect the Guardians of Tirisfal. The mortal champions who were chosen to be

Guardians were imbued with incredible powers of both elven and human

magic. Though there would only ever be one Guardian at a time, they held

such vast power that they could single-handedly fight back the Legion's

agents wherever they were found in the world. The Guardian power was so

great that only the Council of Tirisfal was allowed to choose potential

successors to the mantle of Guardianship. Whenever a Guardian grew too old,

or wearied of the secret war against chaos, the Council chose a new

champion, and under controlled conditions, formally channeled the Guardian

power into its new agent.

 As the generations passed, Guardians defended the masses of humanity from

the invisible threat of the Burning Legion throughout the lands of Arathor and

Quel'Thalas. Arathor grew and prospered while the use of magic spread

throughout the empire. Meanwhile, the Guardians kept careful watch for signs

of demonic activity.

Ironforge - the Awakening of the Dwarves

 In the ancient times, after the Titans departed Azeroth, their children, known

as the earthen, continued to shape and guard the deep recesses of the world.

 The earthen were largely unconcerned with the affairs of the surface-dwelling

races and longed only to plumb the dark depths of the earth.

 When the world was sundered by the Well of Eternity's implosion, the earthen

were deeply affected. Reeling with the pain of the earth itself, the earthen

lost much of their identity and sealed themselves within the stone chambers

where they were first created. Uldaman, Uldum, Ulduar... these were the

names of the ancient Titan cities where the earthen first took shape and

form. Buried deep beneath the world, the earthen rested in peace for nearly

eight thousand years.

 Though it is unclear what awakened them, the earthen sealed within

Uldaman eventually arose from their self-imposed slumber. These earthen

found that they had changed significantly during their hibernation. Their

rocky hides had softened and become smooth skin, and their powers over

stone and earth had waned. They had become mortal creatures.

Calling themselves dwarves, the last of the earthen left the halls of Uldaman

and ventured out into the waking world. Still lulled by the safety and wonders

of the deep places, they founded a vast kingdom under the highest mountain

in the land. They named their land Khaz Modan, or "Mountain of Khaz", in

honor of the Titan shaper, Khaz'goroth. Constructing an altar for their Titan

father, the dwarves crafted a mighty forge within the heart of the mountain.

Thus, the city that grew around the forge would be called Ironforge ever after.

The dwarves, by nature fascinated with shaping gems and stone, set out to

mine the surrounding mountains for riches and precious minerals. Content

with their labors under the world, the dwarves remained isolated from the

affairs of their surface-dwelling neighbors.

The Seven Kingdoms

 Strom continued to act as the central hub of Arathor, but as with Dalaran,

many new city-states arose across the continent of Lordaeron. Gilneas,

Alterac, and Kul Tiras were the first city-states to arise, and although they

each had their own customs and commercial workings, they all held to the

unifying authority of Strom.

Under the vigilant watch of the Order of Tirisfal, Dalaran became the chief

center of learning for magicians throughout the land. The Magocrats who

ruled Dalaran founded the Kirin Tor, a specialized sect that was charged with

cataloguing and researching every spell, artifact, and magic item known to

mankind at the time.

 Gilneas and Alterac became strong supporters of Strom and developed

mighty armies that explored the mountainous southern lands of Khaz Modan.

It was during this period that humans first met the ancient race of dwarves

and traveled to their cavernous subterranean city of Ironforge. The humans

and dwarves shared many secrets of metal-smithing and engineering and

discovered a common love for battle and storytelling.

The city-state of Kul Tiras, founded upon a large island south of Lordaeron,

developed a prosperous economy based on fishing and shipping. Over time,

Kul Tiras built up a mighty fleet of merchant vessels that sailed throughout

the known lands in search of exotic goods to trade and sell. Yet even as the

economy of Arathor flourished, its strongest elements began to disintegrate.

In time, the lords of Strom sought to move their estates to the lush

northlands of Lordaeron and leave the arid lands of the south. The heirs of

King Thoradin, the last descendants of the Arathi bloodline, argued that

Strom should not be abandoned and thus incurred the displeasure of the

greater citizenry, who were likewise eager to leave. The lords of Strom,

seeking to find purity and enlightenment in the untamed north, decided to

leave their ancient city behind. Far to the north of Dalaran, the lords of Strom

built a new city-state which they named Lordaeron. The entire continent

would take its name from this city-state. Lordaeron became a mecca for

religious travelers and all those who sought inner peace and security.

 The descendents of the Arathi, left within the crumbling walls of ancient

Strom, decided to travel south past the rocky mountains of Khaz Modan. Their

journey finally ended after many long seasons, and they settled in the

northern region of the continent they would name Azeroth. In a fertile valley

they founded the kingdom of Stormwind, which quickly became a selfsufficient

power in its own right.

 The few warriors still left in Strom decided to remain and guard the ancient

walls of their city. Strom was no longer the center of the empire, but it

developed into a new nation known as Stromgarde. Though each of the citystates

became prosperous in its own right, the empire of Arathor had

effectively disintegrated. As each nation developed its own customs and

beliefs, they became increasingly segregated from one another. King

Thoradin's vision of a unified humanity had faded at last.

Aegwynn and the Dragon Hunt

 As the politics and rivalries of the seven human nations waxed and waned,

the line of Guardians kept its constant vigil against chaos. There were many

Guardians over the years, but only one ever held the magical powers of

Tirisfal at any given time. One of the last Guardians of the age distinguished

herself as a mighty warrior against the shadow. Aegwynn, a fiery human girl,

won the approbation of the Order and was given the mantle of Guardianship.

Aegwynn vigorously worked to hunt down and eradicate demons wherever

she found them, but she often questioned the authority of the maledominated

Council of Tirisfal. She believed that the ancient elves and the

elderly men who presided over the council were too rigid in their thinking and

not farsighted enough to put a decisive end to the conflict against chaos.

Impatient with lengthy discussion and debate, she yearned to prove herself

worthy to her peers and superiors, and as a result frequently chose valor over

wisdom in crucial situations.

 As her mastery over the cosmic power of Tirisfal grew, Aegwynn became

aware of a number of powerful demons that stalked the icy northern

continent of Northrend. Traveling to the distant north, Aegwynn tracked the

demons into the mountains. There, she found that the demons were hunting

one of the last surviving dragonflights and draining the ancient creatures of

their innate magic. The mighty dragons, who had fled from the everadvancing

march of mortal societies, found themselves too evenly matched

against the dark magics of the Legion. Aegwynn confronted the demons, and

with help from the noble dragons, eradicated them. Yet, as the last demon

was banished from the mortal world, a great storm erupted throughout the

north. An enormous dark visage appeared in the sky above Northrend.

Sargeras, the demon king and lord of the Burning Legion, appeared before

Aegwynn and bristled with hellish energy. He informed the young Guardian

that the time of Tirisfal was about to come to an end and that the world

would soon bow before the onslaught of the Legion.

 The proud Aegwynn, believing herself to be a match for the menacing god,

unleashed her powers against Sargeras' avatar. With disconcerting ease,

Aegwynn battered the demonlord with her powers and succeeded in killing

his physical shell. Fearing that Sargeras' spirit would linger on, the naive

Aegwynn locked the ruined husk of his body within one of the ancient halls of

Kalimdor that had been blasted to the bottom of the sea when the Well of

Eternity collapsed. Aegwynn would never know that she had done exactly as

Sargeras had planned. She had inadvertently sealed the fate of the mortal

world, for Sargeras, at the time of his corporeal death, had transferred his

spirit into Aegwynn's weakened body. Unbeknownst to the young Guardian,

 Sargeras would remain cloaked within the darkest recesses of her soul for

many long years.

War of the Three Hammers

 The dwarves of Ironforge Mountain lived in peace for many long centuries.

However, their society grew too large within the confines of their mountain

cities. Though the mighty High King, Modimus Anvilmar, ruled over all

dwarves with justice and wisdom, three powerful factions had arisen amongst

the dwarven society.

 The Bronzebeard clan, ruled by Thane Madoran Bronzebeard, held close ties

to the High King and stood as the traditional defenders of Ironforge Mountain.

The Wildhammer clan, ruled by Thane Khardros Wildhammer, inhabited the

foothills and crags around the base of the mountain and sought to gain more

control within the city. The third faction, the Dark Iron clan, was ruled by the

sorcerer-thane Thaurissan. The Dark Irons hid within the deepest shadows

under the mountain and plotted against both their Bronzebeard and the

Wildhammer cousins.

 For a time the three factions kept a tenuous peace, but tensions erupted

when High King Anvilmar passed away from old age. The three ruling clans

went to war for control of Ironforge itself. The dwarf civil war raged under the

earth for many years. Eventually the Bronzebeards, who had the largest

standing army, banished the Dark Irons and Wildhammers from under the

mountain.

 Khardros and his Wildhammer warriors traveled north through the barrier

gates of Dun Algaz, and they founded their own kingdom within the distant

peak of Grim Batol. There, the Wildhammers thrived and rebuilt their stores

of treasure. Thaurissan and his Dark Irons did not fare as well. Humiliated and

enraged by their defeat, they vowed revenge against Ironforge. Leading his

people far to the south, Thaurissan founded a city (which he named after

himself) within the beautiful Redridge Mountains. Prosperity and the passing

of years did little to ease the Dark Iron's rancor toward their cousins.

Thaurissan and his sorceress wife, Modgud, launched a two-pronged assault

against both Ironforge and Grim Batol. The Dark Irons were intent on claiming

all of Khaz Modan for their own.

 The Dark Iron armies smashed against their cousins' strongholds and very

nearly took both kingdoms. However, Madoran Bronzebeard ultimately led his

clan to a decisive victory over Thaurissan's sorcerous army. Thaurissan and

his servants fled back to the safety of their city, unaware of the events

transpiring at Grim Batol, where Modgud's army would fare no better against

Khardros and his Wildhammer warriors.

 As she confronted the enemy warriors, Modgud used her powers to strike fear

into their hearts. Shadows moved at her command, and dark things crawled

up from the depths of the earth to stalk the Wildhammers in their own halls.

Eventually Modgud broke through the gates and laid siege to the fortress

itself. The Wildhammers fought desperately, Khardros himself wading through

the roiling masses to slay the sorceress queen. With their queen lost, the

Dark Irons fled before the fury of the Wildhammers. They raced south toward

their king's stronghold, only to meet the armies of Ironforge, which had come

to aid Grim Batol. Crushed between two armies, the remaining Dark Iron

forces were utterly destroyed.

 The combined armies of Ironforge and Grim Batol then turned south, intent

on destroying Thaurissan and his Dark Irons once and for all. They had not

gone far when Thaurissan's fury resulted in a spell of cataclysmic proportions.

Seeking to summon a supernatural minion that would ensure his victory,

Thaurissan called upon the ancient powers sleeping beneath the world. To his

shock, and ultimately his doom, the creature that emerged was more terrible

than any nightmare he could have imagined.

  Ragnaros the Firelord, immortal lord of all fire elementals, had been banished

by the Titans when the world was young. Now, freed by Thaurissan's call,

Ragnaros erupted into being once again. Ragnaros' apocalyptic rebirth into

Azeroth shattered the Redridge Mountains and created a raging volcano at

the center of the devastation. The volcano, known as Blackrock Spire, was

bordered by the Searing Gorge to the north and the Burning Steppes to the

south. Though Thaurissan was killed by the forces he had unleashed, his

surviving brethren were ultimately enslaved by Ragnaros and his elementals.

They remain within the Spire to this day.

 Witnessing the horrific devastation and the fires spreading across the

southern mountains, King Madoran and King Khardros halted their armies and

hastily turned back towards their kingdoms, unwilling to face the awesome

wrath of Ragnaros.

 The Bronzebeards returned to Ironforge and rebuilt their glorious city. The

Wildhammers also returned home to Grim Batol. However, the death of the

Modgud had left an evil stain on the mountain fortress, and the Wildhammers

found it uninhabitable. They were bitter in their hearts over the loss of their

beloved home. King Bronzebeard offered the Wildhammers a place to live

within the borders of Ironforge, but the Wildhammers steadfastly refused.

Khardros took his people north towards the lands of Lordaeron. Settling within

the lush forests of the Hinterlands, the Wildhammers crafted the city of Aerie

Peak, where the Wildhammers grew closer to nature and even bonded with

the mighty gryphons of the area.

 Seeking to retain relations and trade with their cousins, the dwarves of

Ironforge constructed two massive arches, the Thandol Span, to bridge the

gap between Khaz Modan and Lordaeron. Bolstered by mutual trade, the two

kingdoms prospered. After the deaths of Madoran and Khardros, their sons

jointly commissioned two great statues in honor of their fathers. The two

statues would stand guard over the pass into the southlands, which had

become volcanic in the wake of Ragnaros' scorching presence. They served

as both a warning to all who would attack the dwarven kingdoms, and as a

reminder of what price the Dark Irons paid for their crimes.

 The two kingdoms retained close ties for some years, but the Wildhammers

were much changed by the horrors they witnessed at Grim Batol. They took

to living above ground on the slopes of Aerie Peak, instead of carving a vast

kingdom within the mountain. The ideological differences between the two

remaining dwarven clans eventually led to their parting of ways.

The Last Guardian

 The Guardian Aegwynn grew powerful over the years and used the Tirisfal

energies to greatly extend her life. Foolishly believing that she had defeated

Sargeras for good, she continued to safeguard the world from the demon

king's minions for nearly nine hundred years. However, the Council of Tirisfal

finally decreed that her stewardship had come to an end. The Council ordered

Aegwynn to return to Dalaran so that they could choose a new successor for

the Guardian power. Yet Aegwynn, ever distrustful of the Council, decided to

choose a successor on her own.

 The proud Aegwynn planned to give birth to a son whom she would divest her

power to. She had no intention of allowing the Order of Tirisfal to manipulate

her successor as they had tried to manipulate her. Traveling to the southern

nation of Azeroth, Aegwynn found the perfect man to father her son: a skilled

human magician known as Nielas Aran. Aran was the court conjuror and

advisor for Azeroth's king. Aegwynn seduced the magician and conceived a

son by him. Nielas' natural affinity for magic would run deep within the

unborn child and define the tragic steps the child would later take. The power

of Tirisfal was also implanted in the child, yet it wasn't to awaken until he

reached physical maturity.

 Time passed, and Aegwynn gave birth to her son in a secluded grove. Naming

the boy Medivh, which means "keeper of secrets" in the high elven tongue,

Aegwynn believed that the boy would mature to become the next Guardian.

Unfortunately the malignant spirit of Sargeras, which had been hiding inside

her, had possessed the defenseless child while it was still in her womb.

Aegwynn had no idea that the world's newest Guardian was already

possessed by its greatest nemesis.

 Certain that her baby was healthy and sound, Aegwynn delivered young

Medivh to the court of Azeroth and left him there to be raised by his mortal

father and his people. She then wandered into the wilderness and prepared to

pass into whatever afterlife awaited her. Medivh grew to become a strong boy

and had no idea of the potential power of his Tirisfalin birthright.

Sargeras bided his time until the youth's power manifested itself. By the time

Medivh had reached his teenage years, he had become very popular in

Azeroth for his magical prowess and often went off on adventures with his

two friends: Llane, the prince of Azeroth, and Anduin Lothar, one of the last

descendents of the Arathi bloodline. The three boys constantly caused

mischief around the kingdom, but they were well liked by the general

citizenry.

 When Medivh reached the age of fourteen, the cosmic power inside him

awakened and clashed with the pervasive spirit of Sargeras that lurked within

his soul. Medivh fell into a catatonic state which lasted for many years. When

he awakened from his coma, he found that he had grown to adulthood, and

his friends Llane and Anduin had become the regents of Azeroth. Though he

wished to use his incredible newfound powers to protect the land he called

home, the dark spirit of Sargeras twisted his thoughts and emotions towards

an insidious end.

 Sargeras reveled within the darkening heart of Medivh, for he knew that his

plans for the second invasion of the world were nearing completion, and that

the world's last Guardian would bring them all to fruition.

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