A new homeland
You are Warchief Thrall and you have not had an easy life. Within a month of your birth your parents were murdered on the orders of the traitor Gul'dan and you were left in the wilderness to die. Fate however had different plans in mind for you. By accident you were found by a human officer by the name of Aedelas Blackmoore who took you and made you a slave. In the years followed, Blackmoore had you schooled in the art of war and other subjects. Rapidly you became his best gladiator and the main source of his income. The abuse of Blackmoore and the countless beatings had taken it's toll on you. This was not a life you wanted. This was not how you were going to die, be it in gladiator arena or the day a drunken Blackmoore went too far in beating you. So with the assistance your friend, a human by the name of Taretha Foxton you were able to escape Durnholde Keep. The place that at that point had been the only home you had ever knew.
Your new found freedom however did not last long as a group of Alliance soldiers managed to capture you and shipped you off to an internment camp unaware of who you were. It was here you saw firsthand how low your once mighty people had fallen. You had been somewhat aware that your people had fallen upon hard times due to your history lessons and your observations of other orc slaves. Arriving at this camp this showed without a doubt how low your people had fallen. They did not resist their status, try to escape or even bother moving for the most part. Resigned to sit in their filth and wait till they died. Though you did learn from one of the presioner's that not all orcs had given into lethargy and apathy. That being the Warsong Clan and their leader Grom Hellscream. Despite your people's defeat during their second invasion of Azeroth, he and his fellow warriors had continued to fight. Even with the odds stacked he kept fighting.
With you resolved to find him and learning of Blackmoore arrival at the camp, you escaped the camp and went out in search of the Warsong. Eventually you would find the Warsong and come to re-discover parts of your orcish heritage under Grom. Learning of the fact you were likely from the Frostwolf Clan you once again set out and eventually made your way to the Alterac Mountains.
A decision that nearly cost you your life if it had not been for the timely intervention of members of the Frostwolf Clan, who nursed you back to health and would reveal to you being the heir of their long dead chieftain Durotan. With time you became a member of the clan and trained under Drek'Thar in the ways of your people's ancient shamanistic tradition that had been abandoned during the rise of Gul'dan.
You rapidly mastered the elements and took your rightful place as the chieftain of the Frostwolves. One day while overseeing the clan an aged orc arrived at your camp and who you treated with hospitality. The aged orc's response was insults and accusations of your clan being bunch of cowards. Eventually your rage took over and challenged him to single combat no longer willing to tolerate him. The fight was short and brutal but you managed to disarm the orc and were only prevented from choking him to death by your fellow clan members. It was a good thing they did or else you would have murdered Orgrim Doomhammer, former Warchief of the Horde. As Orgrim informed you, Drek'Thar had contacted him and had decided to test you. With you passing his test, Doomhammer told you and the rest of the clan his to free your people from the camps and rebuild the Horde.
Per Doomhammer's plan, you would infiltrate the camps masquerading as one of the downtrodden, lethargic prisoners, and then you would rile up the orcs with shows of your shamanistic powers. With the downtrodden orcs revitalized by this showing of orchish power and heritage, they would then rise up and combined with the forces of the Warsong and Frostwolves, would then quickly overran the encampments. This plan worked smoothly the first three times, the fourth time you were recognized and had to use a combination of shaman powers and overwhelming numbers to defeat the camp's garrison. The fifth time, the Alliance forces were no longer lax and brought in reinforcements. While the resulting battle was a victory for the Horde, Doomhammer suffered a fatal wound and dying breaths passed on his his armor and warhammer, and named you Warchief of the Horde.
For your next target you chose Durnholde Keep in order to deal a major blow to the system of the internment camps. When you arrived at Durnholde with the Horde at your back, you confronted a drunken Blackmoore, and asked for a peaceful parlay in order to prevent pointless bloodshed. Blackmoore after varied emotional responses and asking him to surrender, responded by throwing the severed head of Taretha into the courtyard and screaming that this was what he would do with traitors. The sight of Taretha head and the shock of it all caused tears for the first time in years. Though your grief was quickly was replaced with rage and battle soon was joined. The fighting was fierce but in the end the Orcs of the camp were liberated, the camp destroyed and Blackmoore dead at your hands. For a while afterwards you would liberate the remaining camps. Eventually you would recieve a vision that would begin an epic adventure from the Arathi to Highlands to Mount Hyjal. Losses were suffered by the Horde, though new friends and allies were gained along the way.
With the defeat of the Burning Legion and peace with the Alliance and the Night Elves, your people now have the opportunity to settle down and prosper. Though the question now being where will your people down roots? Your advisors have presented you with three options. Your first option being The Barrens. An arid, rugged region of plains beset by terrible wind strorms and as well raids by natives. The latter mostly being Centaur warbands. Water as to be expected is rare and more valuable than gold. Despite these facts there advantage to making this place the new orcish homeland. Trade routes have begun to form between your people and the Tauren, with a new Tauren outpost by the name of the Crossroads rapidly becoming of growing importance as it reaps the benefits of the growing trade. Placing your capital there would rapidly transform it into the trade capital of Kalimdor. It's location being advantageous due to it's short distance from Mulgore, Stonetalon, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles and finally the trolls to the east. The settling and pacification would put you in a prime position to expand across Kalimdor. Finally the threat of the Centaur must be ended and the placing of most of your people and armies in the barrens would allow you much more quickly ending their threat. Though for a time your capital and settlements would be under threat from Centaur raids and attacks.
Your second option being eastern Ashenvale. First settled by Grom under your orders, it now home to the remnants of the Warsong scattered among a number of outposts, settlements and lumber camps. It is a region abundant with water and forests and overflowing with game to hunt due to animals fleeing from other parts of Night Elven territory to flee the onslaught of the Undead and the Burning Legion. Settling here would allow for rapid building of settlements and rapid population growth due to plentiful resources and relative safety. Your people will be able to quickly settle this region before moving south into the northern Barrens. Of course settling in Eastern Ashenvale does have its downsides. It would put you a fair distance from your fellow Horde members and as result take longer to assist each other in a time of crisis. not to mention enrage the Night Elves and put your people's capital and settlements on the frontline of any future war with the Night Elves. Though flip side being that it would help secure your northern border and ensure that any Night Elf attempt to take this region would quickly bog down into a stalemate.
Your third option being the eastern peninsula one of your stolen ships was shipwrecked upon. It is similar to the Barrens though with far more canyons and crags. As well it has hostile natives, but far less than in the Barrens. As well the Darkspear will be available to assist in your conquest of this land and in times of emergency will be able to rapidly assist you and vice versa. When this peninsula is brought orcish control you will then be able to turn your attention to the Barrens and if you wish to the region of Azshara to your north. As well you will have two potential locations to establish your capital here. The first being a location near the Echo Isles, where the Darkspear are settling. This capital proposal would see the first ever true orcish city being a port and your people focusing on the building of a new navy to secure the nearby waters while fending off raids from the locals before marching north to secure the peninsula.
The other capital proposal being in the north of this region in a series of valleys nearly totally surrounded by mountain. It is a good defensive position. One way in and one way out due the mountains surrounding almost all of it. Of course that could be turn against you in a siege. Finally settling here will mean being a fair distance away from the Warsong, Mulgore and many of your Barren settlements. Though if you can rapidly bring this peninsula under Horde control you can quickly provide assistance to the Barren settlements and speed up the colonization of it.
So where will you settle your people?
[]The Barrens
[]Eastern Ashenvale
[]Eastern Peninsula
Your new found freedom however did not last long as a group of Alliance soldiers managed to capture you and shipped you off to an internment camp unaware of who you were. It was here you saw firsthand how low your once mighty people had fallen. You had been somewhat aware that your people had fallen upon hard times due to your history lessons and your observations of other orc slaves. Arriving at this camp this showed without a doubt how low your people had fallen. They did not resist their status, try to escape or even bother moving for the most part. Resigned to sit in their filth and wait till they died. Though you did learn from one of the presioner's that not all orcs had given into lethargy and apathy. That being the Warsong Clan and their leader Grom Hellscream. Despite your people's defeat during their second invasion of Azeroth, he and his fellow warriors had continued to fight. Even with the odds stacked he kept fighting.
With you resolved to find him and learning of Blackmoore arrival at the camp, you escaped the camp and went out in search of the Warsong. Eventually you would find the Warsong and come to re-discover parts of your orcish heritage under Grom. Learning of the fact you were likely from the Frostwolf Clan you once again set out and eventually made your way to the Alterac Mountains.
A decision that nearly cost you your life if it had not been for the timely intervention of members of the Frostwolf Clan, who nursed you back to health and would reveal to you being the heir of their long dead chieftain Durotan. With time you became a member of the clan and trained under Drek'Thar in the ways of your people's ancient shamanistic tradition that had been abandoned during the rise of Gul'dan.
You rapidly mastered the elements and took your rightful place as the chieftain of the Frostwolves. One day while overseeing the clan an aged orc arrived at your camp and who you treated with hospitality. The aged orc's response was insults and accusations of your clan being bunch of cowards. Eventually your rage took over and challenged him to single combat no longer willing to tolerate him. The fight was short and brutal but you managed to disarm the orc and were only prevented from choking him to death by your fellow clan members. It was a good thing they did or else you would have murdered Orgrim Doomhammer, former Warchief of the Horde. As Orgrim informed you, Drek'Thar had contacted him and had decided to test you. With you passing his test, Doomhammer told you and the rest of the clan his to free your people from the camps and rebuild the Horde.
Per Doomhammer's plan, you would infiltrate the camps masquerading as one of the downtrodden, lethargic prisoners, and then you would rile up the orcs with shows of your shamanistic powers. With the downtrodden orcs revitalized by this showing of orchish power and heritage, they would then rise up and combined with the forces of the Warsong and Frostwolves, would then quickly overran the encampments. This plan worked smoothly the first three times, the fourth time you were recognized and had to use a combination of shaman powers and overwhelming numbers to defeat the camp's garrison. The fifth time, the Alliance forces were no longer lax and brought in reinforcements. While the resulting battle was a victory for the Horde, Doomhammer suffered a fatal wound and dying breaths passed on his his armor and warhammer, and named you Warchief of the Horde.
For your next target you chose Durnholde Keep in order to deal a major blow to the system of the internment camps. When you arrived at Durnholde with the Horde at your back, you confronted a drunken Blackmoore, and asked for a peaceful parlay in order to prevent pointless bloodshed. Blackmoore after varied emotional responses and asking him to surrender, responded by throwing the severed head of Taretha into the courtyard and screaming that this was what he would do with traitors. The sight of Taretha head and the shock of it all caused tears for the first time in years. Though your grief was quickly was replaced with rage and battle soon was joined. The fighting was fierce but in the end the Orcs of the camp were liberated, the camp destroyed and Blackmoore dead at your hands. For a while afterwards you would liberate the remaining camps. Eventually you would recieve a vision that would begin an epic adventure from the Arathi to Highlands to Mount Hyjal. Losses were suffered by the Horde, though new friends and allies were gained along the way.
With the defeat of the Burning Legion and peace with the Alliance and the Night Elves, your people now have the opportunity to settle down and prosper. Though the question now being where will your people down roots? Your advisors have presented you with three options. Your first option being The Barrens. An arid, rugged region of plains beset by terrible wind strorms and as well raids by natives. The latter mostly being Centaur warbands. Water as to be expected is rare and more valuable than gold. Despite these facts there advantage to making this place the new orcish homeland. Trade routes have begun to form between your people and the Tauren, with a new Tauren outpost by the name of the Crossroads rapidly becoming of growing importance as it reaps the benefits of the growing trade. Placing your capital there would rapidly transform it into the trade capital of Kalimdor. It's location being advantageous due to it's short distance from Mulgore, Stonetalon, Ashenvale, Thousand Needles and finally the trolls to the east. The settling and pacification would put you in a prime position to expand across Kalimdor. Finally the threat of the Centaur must be ended and the placing of most of your people and armies in the barrens would allow you much more quickly ending their threat. Though for a time your capital and settlements would be under threat from Centaur raids and attacks.
Your second option being eastern Ashenvale. First settled by Grom under your orders, it now home to the remnants of the Warsong scattered among a number of outposts, settlements and lumber camps. It is a region abundant with water and forests and overflowing with game to hunt due to animals fleeing from other parts of Night Elven territory to flee the onslaught of the Undead and the Burning Legion. Settling here would allow for rapid building of settlements and rapid population growth due to plentiful resources and relative safety. Your people will be able to quickly settle this region before moving south into the northern Barrens. Of course settling in Eastern Ashenvale does have its downsides. It would put you a fair distance from your fellow Horde members and as result take longer to assist each other in a time of crisis. not to mention enrage the Night Elves and put your people's capital and settlements on the frontline of any future war with the Night Elves. Though flip side being that it would help secure your northern border and ensure that any Night Elf attempt to take this region would quickly bog down into a stalemate.
Your third option being the eastern peninsula one of your stolen ships was shipwrecked upon. It is similar to the Barrens though with far more canyons and crags. As well it has hostile natives, but far less than in the Barrens. As well the Darkspear will be available to assist in your conquest of this land and in times of emergency will be able to rapidly assist you and vice versa. When this peninsula is brought orcish control you will then be able to turn your attention to the Barrens and if you wish to the region of Azshara to your north. As well you will have two potential locations to establish your capital here. The first being a location near the Echo Isles, where the Darkspear are settling. This capital proposal would see the first ever true orcish city being a port and your people focusing on the building of a new navy to secure the nearby waters while fending off raids from the locals before marching north to secure the peninsula.
The other capital proposal being in the north of this region in a series of valleys nearly totally surrounded by mountain. It is a good defensive position. One way in and one way out due the mountains surrounding almost all of it. Of course that could be turn against you in a siege. Finally settling here will mean being a fair distance away from the Warsong, Mulgore and many of your Barren settlements. Though if you can rapidly bring this peninsula under Horde control you can quickly provide assistance to the Barren settlements and speed up the colonization of it.
So where will you settle your people?
[]The Barrens
[]Eastern Ashenvale
[]Eastern Peninsula