When we left last week, Tol Barad had been sacked by the Horde, and they had written a message in the blood and ashes: annihilation. Urok the Scratcher had taken control of Hillsbrad and Zul'Dare, but, to tell the full story of the Second War, we have to back up a bit.

The majority of the Horde navy had traveled from the ruins of Stormwind to Khaz Modan, an area that had been under the dominion of the various dwarven clans for as long as history had been written down. While the Horde navy began to pummel the human kingdoms of Kul Tiras and Stromgarde, the Horde army, a massive force of brutal villains under the direct command of Orgrim Doomhammer, moved north from Blackrock Mountain.

Blackrock Mountain was a strategically crucial fortress for the Horde, due in no small part to the ancient powers that dwelt within the mountain. At no point were the Horde ever fully in control of the region; instead, they struck a deal with these greater powers. A sect of the black dragonflight under the control of the black dragon Nefarian made its home in the upper reaches of the mountain, while below, in the infernal depths, a gigantic cyclone of fire stormed through the caverns. It was called Ragnaros, and it had once been a lieutenant of the chaotic old gods, commanding vast elemental armies against the Titans that would later shape the world.

Nefarian had called a truce with the Horde during the First War in exchange for certain favors that have never quite been explained, and the Horde was kept free of the mad struggle between the black dragonflight and the elemental forces of Ragnaros for the duration of their stay in the mountain. The alliance with the black dragonflight would prove useful for the Horde later, though.

The Orcs marched north from the mountain in their full strength, establishing outposts in the Searing Gorge and the Badlands. Loch Modan fell quickly to the Horde, and, from there, they were able to quickly enter into Dun Morogh, the snowy region of Khaz Modan that housed Ironforge, the capital of the Bronzebeard clan, and Gnomeregan, the capital city of the gnomes. Though much of the rest of the vast lands of Khaz Modan eventually fell under Doomhammers boots, Ironforge never fell.

The Dwarves were masterful architects and engineers, and they had long had a mind for the security of their capital fortress. Ironforge itself was carved into a mountain, only accessible via a long, winding ramp. As the Horde found out, any invaders would pay a heavy price for trying to usurp the dwarven possession of Dun Morogh. Orcish warriors flooded through the mountain passes into the eternally snowbound hills of Dun Morogh, suffering heavy casualties, while the dwarves conducted their slow retreat into Ironforge. Despite their engineering prowess, the dwarves were pushed back into their ancestral home, and they sealed the fortresses heavy blast doors behind them.

For the Bronzebeard clan, this was a successful retreat, but the loss of the dwarven armies, now hiding behind the safety of Ironforge's stone walls, was a loss felt keenly throughout the ranks of the Alliance. Several camps of Bleeding Hollow Clan orcs were stationed throughout Dun Morogh to ensure the Dwarves would remain in their stronghold, and the Ironforge dwarves would remain a non-factor throughout the rest of the Second War.

Doomhammer was disappointed at the stalemate with the dwarves at Ironforge, but the Bronzebeard's capital city was not his only goal in the region. Indeed, during this time he had put into action a multi-pronged plan to conquer or destroy the rest of Khaz Modan, Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron.

In the far east region of the Wetlands lies an ancient dwarven fortress, as large as Ironforge, essentially carved out of a single mountain-top. It is called Grim Batol, and, it was long ago the home of the Wildhammer Dwarves. The Wildhammers had been attacked by a different clan, called the Dark Iron Dwarves, in a bloody civil war called the War of the Three Hammers. During the war, Grim Batol was invaded and breached by the Dark Irons, who were led by their queen, Modgud. Modgud was an extremely capable sorceror, and she cursed the capital, summoning up dark spirits that ran rampant throughout the city. Though the Wildhammers were eventually able to push back the Dark Irons, they found their city uninhabitable, haunted by vengeful and nefarious spirits. The Wildhammers abandoned their home, but the Horde were not so impressed by ghosts. Doomhammer sent the Dragonmaw Clan to turn the ancient dwarven capital city into an Orc stronghold and enact a plan that, to this day, is still one of the most vile sins committed by the Horde.

This takes some explaining, but I will attempt to be brief. Deathwing, a mighty and quite insane Dragon Aspect with a vasty hatred for all living things, took a liking to the Horde during this time. He had taken refuge in Grim Batol after the Wildhammers abandoned it, and he had been keeping his eye on their affairs during their brief and violent stay on Azeroth. In fact, he had been somewhat integral in the Horde's successes up to this point; though the Horde was unaware, Deathwing had been influencing the Alliance's leaders in the disguise of an Alterac noble. The ways in which he would influence the Horde would ultimately be worse, though.

Deathwing had in his possession a massively powerful magical artifact called the Demon Soul. This item's history is as long and violent as Deathwing's own, so I will not go into it beyond merely describing it's purpose in the Second War. He manipulated the Horde into finding the Demon Soul and using its powers to enslave Alexstrasza, the Queen of the Red Dragonflight.

Much is to be made of this, and, the more we learn about Alexstrasza, the more obvious it becomes to us just how important she is in the grand history of Azeroth. She is an ancient being, gifted by the Titan's with the ability to create and restore life, and to balance the natural life-cycle of the planet. Deathwing was not originally her enemy; he was once called Neltharion, the Earth-warder, given similar powers over earth and fire by the Titans. However, something wicked took root within Neltharion at some point, something that was allowed to fester until it grew so hot and so overwhelming that an ultimate madness overtook him. He became the enemy of all life on Azeroth, the Black Scourge. He has led his black dragonflight in a mad war against all life on Azeroth for longer than history has been recorded, and he has come terrifyingly close to achieving his goal several times.

The Orcs found themselves caught up in Deathwing's machinations, although it is unclear if they even knew they were being manipulated. The Demon Soul found its way into the hands of Nekros Skullcrusher, an orc warlock who used its power to enslave Alexstrasza and her primary consort, Tyranastrasz. It was an easy victory, and Doomhammer now controlled the two most powerful red dragons. With them could make a new dragonflight that burned with loyalty to the Horde. He ordered Skullcrusher to create a dragonflight that would serve him, and Skullcrusher used the brutal magics of the Demon Soul to force Alexstrasza to mate with her consort and produce offspring that were brainwashed from birth to serve the Horde. These dragons were then artificially aged and sent off to burn through the Alliance's front lines.

The Bleeding Hollow clan was running rampant through Dun Morogh, daring the Bronzebeards to send their armies from Ironforge to attack, and the Dragonmaw clan had successfully overtaken Grim Batol, converting it from an abandoned fortress into a fully functioning, vile aerie for the creation of red dragons. The ashes of Tol Barad sat on top of the waves in Menethil Bay, and Hillsbrad had been overrun by the Horde. It was clear to Doomhammer that the time had come to cross into Lordaeron and take the fight to the human kingdoms.
It was clear to the Alliance that their back was against the wall. They had suffered a heavy loss when the dwarven armies had retreated into Ironforge, and they saw their own doom written in the ashes of Tol Barad.

Next week, we'll discuss how the Alliance fought back, but they have to face down an ancient enemy first: the remnants of the Amani empire, the forest trolls and their leader, Zul'Jin.

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