"In the past, when Azeroth was cut off from the wider galaxy due to the effects of the Iron War and the turbulent Aether Storms, our world became effectively isolated."
"Ironically, the gravity wells of our twin moons and the protection of the World Ring both contributed greatly to our safety from external threats, even if they also further isolated us."
"At first, like any civilization plunged into catastrophe, our world fell into chaos and instability as order and institutions collapsed. Allies turned against one another, new factions rose and fell, and countless people—regardless of race or status—perished. Much knowledge was lost as well. We now refer to this era as the Stygian Era."
"But then, 2,800 years ago, Emperor Thoradin—who at the time was simply known as Thoradin, leader of the Arathi tribe—declared himself the first Human King of Azeroth and began uniting the scattered human tribes under his rule, whether through diplomacy or bloodshed."
"Finally, he founded the first true human civilization and brought an end to the Stygian Era by creating what he named the Arathor Empire, with its capital being the great city of Strom, which is now—"
"Stromgarde! The capital city of the Kingdom of Stromgarde!" Alastor exclaimed excitedly before quickly blushing in embarrassment after realizing he'd interrupted.
"Sorry, Master Henry."
"Haha, no need to apologize, Your Highness. It warms my heart to see you take such enthusiasm in my lessons."
Henry was an old and learned scholar from Stormwind Kingdom's Science Guild, an organization primarily responsible for research, invention, innovation, and the rediscovery of lost knowledge within the kingdom, much like its counterparts in the other human nations.
While the most sought-after positions within the Science Guild were like Forgers and Researchers—with Forgers typically responsible for the manufacturing and creation of weapons, armor, and advanced technology—
Researchers instead dedicated themselves to acquiring new knowledge, creating innovations, and rediscovering technologies and historical information lost during the Stygian Era.
However, the Science Guild did not deal exclusively in those fields alone.
There were also historians, philosophers, chemists, astronomers, and many other specialized branches.
Henry himself was an accomplished historian whose field of study focused on the analysis and compilation of historical records.
Though he appeared to be a man who had only recently entered his twilight years and still retained a youthful spark within his black eyes, appearances were deceiving.
In truth, he was at least over two hundred years old.
This was largely because, despite being born a commoner, Henry was among the few who experienced a genetic awakening during early childhood.
Yet unlike many others who used such gifts to become powerful knights or equally prestigious positions, Henry instead devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of knowledge.
Over the decades, he had contributed greatly to the Science Guild and had even earned the personal respect of King Llane himself.
"Now then, shall we continue?"
Alastor nodded eagerly.
History was one of his favorite subjects, mainly because it almost always spoke of Azeroth's many heroes—those who rose before the founding of the Arathor Empire as well as those who came after.
Wise scholars.
Brave warriors.
Mystical mages.
Great kings and queens.
So what if he was a Primarch—as he would eventually discover in the future?
Like any young boy, he loved stories about heroes.
Especially when his father and uncle personally told him tales of their own exploits.
As for the more boring information—such as why a former King of Alterac had once banned sheep from his kingdom—that knowledge was unhesitantly shoved to the back of his head in the unlikely event he would ever need it.
Which he honestly didn't have much hope for.
Henry continued.
"Shortly after the founding of the Arathor Empire and the reorganization of his armies, Thoradin waged war against the Beastkin, the orks, the Black Guilds, and the Black Iron dwarves in order to either eliminate them or drive them from human territory to secure his borders."
"Now then, can you tell me why Emperor Thoradin specifically fought these four groups?"
Alastor nodded and dutifully answered.
"Because each of those races and factions posed major threats to not only humans but other civilized races not to mention they took part in much of mankind's suffering during the Stygian Era."
"The Beastkin were once humans, but due to the chaos of the past, their alien and foreign genetic structure mutated beyond control. Their mutations eventually overwhelmed both their minds and sanity, transforming them into savage mutants who knew only violence, slaughter, and war. They now dwell within the wilderness and possess extremely powerful reproductive capabilities that allow them to quickly replenish their numbers."
"The Orks were equally violent—if not worse—because they actively sought war and conflict, which they seemed to thrive upon. They were capable of constructing crude weapons and machinery that somehow functioned because of their WAAAGH! energy, which is said to distort reality itself to suit their needs."
"The Black Guilds were illegal magic organizations that violated the tenets of magic and actively communed with malicious entities within the Aether in exchange for forbidden knowledge and power. Every single time, this led to death and destruction."
"Finally, the Black Iron dwarves were cousins of the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer clans. They were masters of fire and shadow magic, but their king—well, Thane—Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan, became corrupted by the allure of daemons and formed a pact with them."
"He eventually summoned a monstrous and immensely powerful fiery daemon named Ragnaros, whose summoning killed Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan himself along with many of the clan's lords."
"Ragnaros then proceeded to corrupt the Black Iron kingdom, turning its people into cruel, greedy despots who raided neighboring territories for wealth, resources, and souls to offer their so-called patron, with the human tribes becoming some of their primary victims."
Henry smiled proudly at the answer.
"Very good, Your Highness. Now then, let us continue."
"He won those wars."
"The high elves joined Arathor early during the conflict, and soon afterward, the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer dwarves allied themselves with the empire as well. With their combined strength, they managed to defeat and drive back those races from human territories for the most part."
"The Orks were driven into the Savage Lands."
"The Beastkin suffered devastating losses that forced them deep into the wilderness."
"The Black Guilds were destroyed entirely, with surviving members either going into hiding or eventually being hunted down and burned alive."
"As for the Black Iron dwarves... they are all dead now."
Henry frowned slightly as he spoke.
"Let's just say their greed and cruelty ultimately led to their destruction nearly three hundred years ago. Why and how that happened is something we shall discuss very soon."
Even now, after all these years, Henry still vividly remembered the face of that green monster during one of it's infamous raids.
And despite their destruction, the consequences of their madness had left Azeroth with one of its greatest lingering "problems".
(AN: Hehe, wanna guess what—or who—I unleashed upon Azeroth before the next chapter? 😁😇)
Thanks again for reading, Please remember to Comment, Vote with powerstones, Add this to your library and give me some 5 star reviews to give this story the coverage it needs!
Bye now!