Warcraft Lore - The Novels

We've taken the time to do a bit of reading for you. We've pieced together summaries of each of the Warcraft novels in order to give you a brief history for World of Warcraft

The Last Guardian

by Jeff Grubb

Destiny is a hard thing to live up to sometimes, especially when you're born with incredible powers. The Guardians of Tirisfal are a line of champions infused with god-like powers, given the responsibility to fight a war against the Burning Legions of the Horde. Khadgar the mage is sent by the Violet Citadel to master mage Medivh as an apprentice, but quickly learns much more than he ever counted on. Medivh is the last of the Guardians, and carries with him a deep struggle - his soul was corrupted by darkness from birth in such a way that ultimately will weave his destiny with that of the very land of Azeroth.

Day of the Dragon

by Richard A. Knaak

Featuring a kidnapped dragonqueen, multiple personalities, conspiracies and secrets lurking in every corner, Day of the Dragon focuses on the journey of the mage Rhonin in a time of war between the humans and the orcs. Aided by the dwarf Falstad and elven ranger Vereesa Windrunner, Rhonin sets out on what many would consider an impossible task into the orc-held lands of Khaz Modan to uncover what he can during a dark and dangerous time.

Of Blood and Honor

by Chris Metzen

This short story features the tale of Lord Paladin Tirion Fordring, a Knight of the Silver Hand. In it, he learns a harsh lesson about honor when he discovers an orc (Eitrigg) in an otherwise abandoned tower. He returns days later, knowing that the orc saved his life. Tirion then strikes a deal with Eitrigg, promising to let him live in peace so long as he remains hidden. This action and the ones that follow do not sit well with the Order of the Silver Hand, and the consequences for Tirion are dire, however he refuses to go back on his word.

Lord of the Clans

by Christie Golden

Lord of the Clans focuses on the orc warchief Thrall, tracing his beginnings as an infant raised by humans to his eventual efforts to free other enslaved orcs. A prized possession of Aedelas Blackmoore of Durnholde, Thrall was raised to lead an army of orcs on Blackmoore's behalf. However Thrall breaks free after years of training and use as a slave and gladiator to seek out his heritage and reclaim his destiny.

Warcraft: Sunwell Trilogy: Dragon Hunt

by Richard A. Knaak and Jae-Hwan Kim

This story focuses on the adventures of a blue dragon, Kalec, who has taken human form to investigate a mysterious power, and Anveena, the human maiden he runs into. This manga also introduces a powerful item known as the Sunwell, and those seeking it (Dar'khan), as well as those who unwittingly stumble into these efforts (Anveena, Kalec, and Tyri, who are aided by others).

War of the Ancients Trilogy

by Richard A. Knaak

This trilogy begins after the Day of the Dragon, yet takes place before it at the same time. The dragon mage Krasus, the mage Rhonin, and an orc named Broxigar fall through a rift of time and are sent thouands of years back in the past where Queen Azshara of the night elves and her Highborne followers were persuaded by the demon Sargeras to 'cleanse' Azeroth of the 'lesser races'. The Highborne use the Well of Eternity to bring forth the demon Archimonde, who reigns destruction and devistation in his path. While they continue to work to bring forth the lord of the Burning Legion Sargeas, the Dragon Netharion slips into madness, transforming himself into Deathwing and forging a powerful object called the Demon Soul that will weaken the other dragon aspects. While at first Krasus and Rhonin are wary of doing much to alter the timeline, they soon realize if they do not then the past may unfold very differently to a future even worse than they will possibly live through later on. As such, they manage to convince the demigod Cenarius and his star pupil Malfurion Stormrage that the night elf queen has become corrupt and that they must convince the other night elves that they have to act swiftly to prevent the destruction that the Highborne would unleash. Eventually the night elves that aren't destroyed in the initial waves of the Burning Legion have to ally with such races as the dwarves, tauren, and furbolg races to rally against the destruction and devistation. Eventually, the Well is destroyed, but the Demon Soul lives on.

World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred

The Burning Legion had been pushed back. The war had been hard fought, but the inhabitants of Kalimdor were beginning to pick up the pieces, to build a new life. The humans at Theramore chose a difficult path, trying to overlook hundreds of years of opposition to build their new homes next to the orcs. Tensions were high, of course, but strong leadership had held them together so far.

Jaina Proudmoore, the young, but very powerful, human mage and ruler of Theramore, never had wished to be a ruler. It was a role that landed squarely on her shoulders after the demons had been sent out of this world. After all, it was she who made the alliance with the Warchief of the orcs, Thrall. And she was not about to let that alliance slip - it had come at too high a price for that.

Neither did Thrall wish to continue the fight. They had been slaves to another's will for too long to remain slaves to hatred; first to The Burning Legion, as the demons' tools of destruction, and then to the humans after the wars had ended. It was Thrall who brought the orcs together, who reminded the once proud orcs of their heritage, who created the alliance with Jaina. He would not allow his people to slip back into this mindless war easily.

But threats to the alliance emerged across Kalimdor. Acts of piracy on an orc trader ship, threats against a human outpost on the border of the orcs lands, and attacks on both humans and orcs by a mysterious band of warlocks marked with a burning blade raised tensions. Jaina and Thrall both worked hard to solve these problems, and eventually found traitors within their own ranks. Along the way, an old hero of Jaina's, the second to last guardian of Tirisfal, Aegwynn, became a valuable ally in solving the mystery of recent events. One of Kalimdor's oldest enemies was back to stir up trouble, using the still fresh hatred between the humans and orcs to try to destroy everything Jaina and Thrall had built.

Cycle of Hatred tells the story of this old enemy, and how the friendship and trust between Thrall and Jaina fought him to try to save their people.

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