Human History ( since the end of the second war ) Aftermath of the Second War . The devastating Second War against the Orcish Horde left the Alliance of Lordaeron in a state of shock and disarray . The bloodthirsty Orcs , led by the mighty Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer , not only smashed their way through the Dwarf - held lands of Khaz Modan , but had razed many of Lordaeron ' s central provinces as well . The unrelenting Orcs even succeeded in ravaging the Elves ' remote kingdom of Quel ' Thalas before their rampage was finally stopped . The Alliance armies led by Sir Anduin Lothar , Uther the Lightbringer , and Admiral Daelin Proudmoore pushed the Orcs south into the shattered land of Azeroth - the first kingdom to fall before the Orcs ' ruthless onslaught . The Alliance forces under Sir Lothar managed to push Doomhammer ' s clans out of Lordaeron and back in the Orc - controlled lands of Azeroth . Lothar ' s forces surrounded the Orcs ' volcanic citadel of Blackrock Spire and laid siege to their defenses . In a last - ditch effort , Doomhammer and his lieutenants staged a daring charge from the Spire and clashed with Lothar ' s paladins in the center of the Burning Steppes . Doomhammer and Lothar squared off in a titanic battle that left both mighty combatants battered and drained . Though Doomhammer narrowly succeeded in vanquishing Lothar , the great hero ' s death did not have the effect the Warchief had hoped for . Turalyon , Lothar ' s most trusted lieutenant , took up Lothar ' s bloodstained shield and rallied his grief - stricken brethren for a vicious counterattack . Under the ragged standards of both Lordaeron and Azeroth , Turalyon ' s troops slaughtered the bulk of Doomhammer ' s remaining forces in a glorious , but terrible rout . There was nothing left for the ragged , scattered Orc survivors but to flee to the last standing bastion of Orcish power - the Dark Portal . Turalyon and his warriors chased the remaining Orcs through the festering Swamp of Sorrows and into the corrupted Blasted Lands where the Dark Portal stood . There , at the foot of the colossal portal , the broken Horde and the rugged Alliance clashed in what would be the last , bloodiest battle of the Second War . Outnumbered and driven mad by the curse of their bloodlust , the Orcs inevitably fell before the wrath of the Alliance . Doomhammer was taken prisoner and escorted to Lordaeron while his broken clans were rounded up and hauled north - back to Lordaeron . The Battle of Grim Batol . After the destruction of the second Dark Portal , the Alliance succeeded in rounding up most of the renegade Orc clans still left in Azeroth . The Orc internment camps , built shortly after the Second War , were filled to capacity and guarded around the clock . Though the newly arrived Warsong clan had so far escaped the Alliance ' s wrath , there was only one group - the Dragonmaw clan - that was large enough and strong enough to upset the delicate peace that had settled over Lordaeron . The Dragonmaw clan , led by the insidious warlock Nekros , had conquered and held a great portion of northern Khaz Modan using Dragons and small units of foot soldiers . Nekros maintained his hold over the Dragon Queen , Alexstrasza , and her red Dragonflight by use of a powerful artifact known as the Demon Soul . Based in the ancient Dwarven stronghold of Grim Batol , Nekros built up a sizeable army and planned to reunite the falling Horde . But , despite the warlock ' s power , the intervention of the reckless mage Rhonin threw Nekros ' plans awry . Rhonin and his companions , aided by Dwarven resistance fighter , succeeded in destroying the Demon Soul and freeing Alexstrasza from the Orcs ' control . The vengeful red Dragons incinerated the Dragonmaw clan and effectively put an end to the last bastion of Orcish power in the world . With the death of Nekros , the last of the Orcish warlocks - the Orcs left to wallow in the crowded internment camps - slipped into a crippling lethargy . Stripped of their will to fight or even die , the Orcs lost all sense of themselves as warriors - and the last traces of the proud culture that had birthed them . The Alliance Splinters . In the years following the Horde ' s defeat , the leaders of the various Alliance nations began to bicker and argue over territorial holdings and decreasing political influence . King Terenas of Lordaeron , the patron of the Alliance , began to suspect that the fragile pact they had forged during their darkest hour would not stand for long . Terenas had convinced the Alliance leaders to lend money and laborers to help rebuild the city of Stormwind that was destroyed during the Orcish occupation of Azeroth . Those taxes , coupled with the high expense of maintaining and operating the numerous Orc internment camps , led many leaders - Genn Greymane of Gilneas in particular - to believe that their kingdoms would be better off seceding from the Alliance . To make matters worse , the brusque High Elves of Silvermoon rescinded their allegiance to the Alliance , stating that the Humans ' poor leadership led to the burning of their forests during the Second War . Though Terenas tactfully reminded the Elves that nothing of Quel ' Thalas would have remained if not for the hundreds of valiant Humans who ' d given their lives to defend it , the Elves stubbornly decided to go their own way . In the wake of the Elves ' departure , Gilneas and Stromgarde pulled stake and seceded as well . Though the Alliance was falling apart , King Terenas still had allies that he could count on . Both Admiral Proudmoore of Kul Tiras and the young King Varian Wrynn of Azeroth remained committed to the Alliance . Also , the wizards of the Kirin Tor , led by the Archmage Antonidas , pledged Dalaran ' s steadfast support to Terenas ' rule . Most pleasingly , perhaps , was the pledge of the mighty Dwarven King Magni Bronzebeard , who vowed that the Dwarves of Ironforge would forever owe a debt of honor to the Alliance for liberating Khaz Modan from the Horde ' s control . A New Generation . Years passed as tensions abated and a lasting peace settled over Lordaeron . King Terenas and the Archbishop Alonsus Faol worked ceaselessly to rebuild the kingdom and bring aid to the remaining nations of the Alliance . The southern kingdom of Azeroth grew prosperous again and reestablished itself as a military power under King Wrynn ' s visionary leadership . Uther the Lightbringer , the supreme commander of the Paladin Order , kept the peace in Lordaeron by settling civil disputes and quelling demi - human uprisings throughout the realm . Admiral Proudmoore , whose mighty fleets patrolled the trade lanes hunting pirates and marauders , maintained order on the high seas . But it was the exploits of a newer generation of heroes that captured the imagination of the populace . King Terenas ' only son , Arthas , had grown into a strong , confident young man . The young Prince was trained as a warrior by Muradin Bronzebeard - brother to King Magni of Ironforge - and despite his youth , was considered to be one of the finest swordsmen in Lordaeron . At the tender age of nineteen Arthas was inducted into the Order of the Silver Hand under the command of Lord Uther . The kindly Uther , who had been like a brother to King Terenas for years , considered the Prince more of a favored nephew than a pupil . Though headstrong and somewhat arrogant , none could dispute Arthas ' bravery and tenacity . When the Troll warbands of Zul ' Aman began raiding the settlements along the Quel ' Thalassian border , Arthas was quick to hunt down the savages and put an end to their rampage . Yet despite his heroics , the citizenry of Lordaeron obsessed over the young Prince ' s personal life . Rumors of a budding romance between Arthas and Lady Jaina Proudmoore had surfaced and set the kingdom ablaze . Jaina was the youngest daughter of Admiral Proudmoore , a childhood friend of Arthas . However , the beautiful yet shy young woman was also the star pupil of the Kirin Tor - the Wizard Council of Dalaran . Tutored by the revered Archmage Antonidas , Jaina was heralded as a prodigy and excellent at magical research and investigation . Despite the rigors of their duties , Arthas and Jaina managed to maintain a close relationship . Given King Terenas ' age and deteriorating health , the citizenry was pleased to see that their beloved Prince would marry and carry on the royal bloodline . Embarrassed by the public attention , Arthas and Jaina kep their affair as private as possible . But Jaina , committed to her studies in Dalaran , knew that their romance could not last . She had studied the ways of magic her whole life and knew that her true calling was the pursuit of knowledge - not the trappings of the throne room . Much to the frustration of Lordaeron ' s citizenry , the two lovers reluctantly parted ways and refocused themselves on their duties . The Shadows Return . After nearly thirteen years of peace , the rumors of war began to circulate once again . The King ' s agents reported that a young , upstart Warchief had arisen and rallied the few remaining Orc clans into an elite fighting force . The young Warchief was intent on tearing down the internment camps and freeing his people from their bondage . The " new Horde " as it was dubbed , had brazenly attacked the northern city of Stratholme in an attempt to rescue one of its captured warriors . The Horde even destroyed Durnholde - the fortress that oversaw the security of the internment camps - and murdered the officers who ran it . King Terenas sent Uther and his paladins to quell the Warchief ' s uprising , but the crafty Orcs could never be found . The young Warchief proved to be something of a tactical genius - and evaded Uther ' s best efforts to corral his hit and run attacks . Admist the strain of the new Orc uprising , King Terenas was disturbed to hear ill news on another front . Rumor held that a number of supposed " death cults " had formed in the northern provinces . The cults attracted the disenfranchised and disheartened citizens of Lordaeron , offering them " eternal life " on earth as an alternative to servitude to the King . After many years of peace and quiet , King Terenas knew that troubles were only just beginning for his land . He took some comfort in the fact that Lordaeron had endured every trial that had ever come its way - and that its defenders , both new and old , would see it safely through to a new dawn . . .