Warcraft Universe
The
Warcraft Universe is the
fictional universe in which the
Warcraft series of computer games, novels and announced movie are set. Known worlds of this
fantasy universe include
Azeroth (homeworld of most of the known races in the universe, due to this being where most of the content takes place),
Draenor (known as The Outlands, homeworld of the
Orcs), Argus (Homeworld of the
Eredar), and Xoroth, one of worlds destroyed by the
Burning Legion, homeworld of the
Nathrezim. As the name implies, the Warcraft Universe largely revolves around conflict.
The Warcraft Universe includes many worlds, connected by a chaotic vortex called the Twisting Nether. Travel between these worlds is a rare event, but it can be achieved by so-called portals.
 |
Map of the planet Azeroth as it appears in the game World of Warcraft (Note: The map does not include the continent of Northrend at the north pole as it is not a reachable area within World of Warcraft) |
 |
Map of Azeroth as it appears in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. |
Azeroth is an Earth-like planet, inhabited by a diverse array of species. Most of the action of the Warcraft games takes place on this planet. The world is divided into four large land masses,
Kalimdor, the
Lordaeron, the
Azeroth and
Northrend. These land masses are interspersed with a multitude of islands, most notably the Broken Isles and the largely unknown island which contains the briefly mentioned Goblin city of Undermine. There may be more landmasses in the world of Azeroth that are as yet unexplored.
Capital cities
*
Darnassus (Night Elves)
*
Exodar (Draenei)
*
Gnomeregan (Gnomes, radioactive)
*
Ironforge (Dwarves and Gnome survivors)
*
Orgrimmar (Orcs and Jungle Trolls)
*
Silvermoon (Blood Elves)
*
Stormwind (Humans)
*
Thunder Bluff (Tauren)
*
Undercity (Forsaken Undead, formerly known as Lordaeron)
*
Undermine (Goblins)
*
Zul'Gurub (Trolls, under the control of
Hakkar the Soulflayer)
*
Azjol'Nerub (
Nerubians, abandoned)
*
Gun'Drak (
Ice Trolls)
Nation-States of Humans
*
Alterac (destroyed, under
Ogre control)
*
Gilneas (situation unknown)
*
Stromgarde (mostly destroyed, under mixed Syndicate/Renegade Ogre/Stromgarde Cavalry control)
*
Dalaran (mostly destroyed, under restoration by few survivors)
*
Kul'Tiras (Administrated by Tandred Proudmoore, situation unknown)
*
Lordaeron (destroyed, now under mixed
Forsaken/
Scourge control)
*
Azeroth (destroyed by orcish horde, now rebuilt and more commonly referred to as "The Kingdom of Stormwind")
*
Theramore Isle (newest human nation, led by Jaina Proudmoore)
Major cities
*
Dalaran (Effectively destroyed in WC3, few survivors erected a magical barrier to prepare for restoration/rebuilding)
*
Stratholme (Currently under mixed
Scourge/
Scarlet Crusade control)
*
Andorhal (Destroyed in WC3, currently under Scourge Control)
*
Tyr's Hand (Fell out of Alliance hands, into the control of the
Scarlet Crusade)
*
Caer Darrow (Effectively destroyed, base for the Scourge's Cult of the Damned)
Minor Cities
*
Hearthglen (Currently under
Scarlet Crusade control)
*
Darrowshire (inhabited by spirits)
*
Everlook (Controlled by the Goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel)
*
Ratchet (Controlled by the Goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel)
*
Gadgetzan (Controlled by the Goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel)
*
Booty Bay (Controlled by the Goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel)
*
Tol Barad (Controlled by Dalaran mages)
Major races
*
Blood Elves*
Demons (Assorted Varieties)
*
Draenei*
Dwarves*
Forest Trolls*
Gnomes*
Goblins*
High Elves*
Humans*
Jungle Trolls*
Naga*
Nerubian*
Night Elves*
Ogres*
Orcs*
Pandaren*
Tauren*
Undead |
Map of Draenor as seen from Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal. |
Draenor (referred to as Outland after its partial destruction) is a harsh world that glares in a reddish hue. The waters seem foul, but this is misleading: the planet is capable of supporting life. It is the homeland of the
Orcs and other related races (
Ogres, Draenor Giants, and
Draenei) that invaded Azeroth through the rift called the Dark Portal. It is also the place where some of the greatest heroes in the history of Azeroth journeyed to and disappeared, now presumed dead. The energies of this and subsequent portals opened by the Orcs were so intense that the world was ripped apart, and nowadays, only floating islands and debris remain. The world was originally a dense green swampland, but the demonic corruption of the Orcs by the
Burning Legion scarred the land so thoroughly that it was left as little more than a dusty wasteland. The dominant life forms of the world were once the Draenei.
Gul'dan the
Warlock describes these beings as a "a weak people -- hardly worth the effort of our raiding sweep." After the destruction of Draenor, a few Draenei remained alive on Outland, but their numbers were further crippled by the
Fel Orcs led by the
Pit Lord Magtheridon, who completely conquered the remains of the planet. It wasn't until
Illidan Stormrage and his band of
Blood Elves and
Naga arrived that the world was freed from Magtheridon's iron grip.
Peoples of Draenor
Races native to the world of Draenor:
*
Orcs
*
Ogres* Draenor
GiantsNote: The Draenor giants are rarely mentioned or referenced to. The only reference to them was concerning the temples of the damned which were used by the Orcs in the Second War. The temples are made from the bones of the petrified corpses of a race of giants that were native to Draenor. Nothing else is known about them. The only mention of Draenor Humans (or a human-like race) are in the novel
The Last Guardian as the basis for the parentage of
Garona the Half-Orc, who was born before the Dark Portal was first opened. Blizzard later said she was not a half-human/half-Orc, but half-Orc and half-Draenei instead (see
Inconsistencies in Warcraft lore).
Further Note: It has been discovered (see
Inconsistencies in Warcraft lore) that the Draenei may not actually be natives to Draenor. Instead, they are a group of the original
Ancient Eredar race that exiled themselves from the planet
Argus. They fled and eventually settled on Draenor after thousands of years of running from the
Burning Crusade and their corrupted brethen (the demon
Eredar).
Nearly twenty-five thousand years ago, the Eredar race arose on the world of Argus. They were extremely intelligent and had a natural affinity for magic in all its myriad forms. Using their gifts, they developed a vast and wondrous society.
Unfortunately the eredar's accomplishments caught the attention of Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds. He enticed Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, two of the Eredar's leaders and transformed many of the eredar into demons.
Only Velen and a few other eredar who had thus far refused to join Sargeras fled the planet with the help of the
Naaru. Naming themselves the draenei, or "exiled ones" in the Eredun language, the renegades barely escaped from Argus, with the Burning Legion only moments behind. No draenei has seen their original homeworld since.
Peoples of Argus
Races native to the world of Argus:
*
Eredar (native race of Argus, they have been corrupted into demons by
Sargeras)
*
Draenei (referred to as "Draenor Humans" in 'The Last Guardian'; Draenei were originally thought to have evolved on the Orc's homeworld of Draenor (Now
Outland), later it was realized that the eredar and the draenei were once one race. As the Eredar have been corrupted into demons, the
Ancient Eredar must look more like the draenei)
SourceA chaotic swirling mass, the Twisting Nether is the fabric of the universe. One can think of the
Twisting Nether as the universe itself, although this is rather simplistic. It can be more accurately described as a higher plane of existence, where powerful beings exist that shape the events we see. It is not to be confused with space as we think of it for it is clear that space is a well understood concept by the races of Azeroth. The Dwarves, for instance, were originally created and bestowed with knowledge by a species of gods known as the Titans, who have large mechanical
astrolabes which demonstrate the movements of planets, stars, and extra-solar bodies through space. The Elves, furthermore, have been shown to possess telescopes for observing objects in the night sky. This space between the stars and planets is frequently called "The Great Dark Beyond," or simply "The Beyond," and it is described by Gul'dan as a place where the spirits of the newly dead go. On the other hand, the Nether, known varyingly as the Void, is shown to be a hell-like place above (or below) space and time as mortals observe them, and is the realm of Demons, what
Gul'dan describes as "the long dead." It is arguable as to whether all dead beings invariably go to the "Great Dark" and the Nether, as humans, who worship what they call "the Holy Light," have been known to perform resurrections in which a winged being of light can be seen bringing back the dead with rays of sunlight. Furthermore, Orcs routinely commune with the natural spirits of their dead ancestors through the wind and the earth. It is perhaps possible, that in Gul'dan's lifetime, before the Orcs broke free of the demonic possession, that Orcs simply were not "good enough" to go anywhere but the "Beyond."
Known demon races from the Twisting Nether:
*
Eredar*
Nathrezim*
Pit Lords
*
Felguard*
Doom Guard*
Succubi*
TothrezimThe background, plot, and setting, like most
Blizzard games, is indebted to tabletop games such as
Warhammer Fantasy by
Games Workshop, and
Dungeons & Dragons from
Wizards of the Coast. The fantasy works of
J. R. R. Tolkien also served as a foundation; many of the races are patterned after Tolkien's, and placenames are often made to sound like
Sindarin, the predominant Elvish language used in
Lord of the Rings. However, large portions of the setting are drawn from modern-day sources and references, ranging from
Star Trek to the
Cthulhu Mythos, to
Thundercats to third-world proxy wars.
Computer games
Strategy Games
*
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans*
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness*
Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal*
Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition*
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos*
Warcraft III: The Frozen ThroneOther
*
Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans (
Adventure game, cancelled)
*
World of Warcraft (
MMORPG)
Other media
Movie (announced)
*
Warcraft: The MovieTabletop games
*
Warcraft: the Board Game - a strategic
board game based heavily on
Warcraft III from
Fantasy Flight Games*
World of Warcraft: the Roleplaying Game -
role-playing game from
Sword & Sorcery*
World of Warcraft: the Board Game - a board game based on
World of Warcraft, also by Fantasy Flight Games
Trading card games
*
World of Warcraft: Heroes of Azeroth - to be released October 25, 2006
[http://warcraftcardgame.com/2006/05/october-25-release-date.html]Books
*
Warcraft: Day of the Dragon*
Warcraft: Lord of the Clans*
Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor*
Warcraft: The Last Guardian*
Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy*
Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy*
World of Warcraft: Cycle of Hatred*
World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde*
Organizations in the Warcraft universe*
The History of Warcraft*
A Warcraft Wiki*
Warcraft maps, downloads & patches
