Human (Warcraft)
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- This page is about a race from Warcraft. For human beings, see Human. For other uses, see Human (disambiguation).
Humans are one of the races in the Warcraft Universe — a fictional universe devised by Blizzard Entertainment, where a set of games and books are set. As a species, they are in every respect the same as human beings in the real world. However, their technology is closer to European medieval and Renaissance technology, and they also employ magic. They also seem to be more socially liberal — more along the lines of today's Western societies — than was actually the case in medieval and Renaissance Europe. For example, female Humans are considered equal to males. The human racial mount is the horse, which Night Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes can learn to ride if they become exalted with Stormwind, the human capital.
Humans are, and have always been, one of the key members in the Alliance of High Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, and more recently, Night Elves. It is likely that without the humans, there would be no Alliance. The term "human", in the Warcraft strategy games, refers to not only the human beings, but also several other races in the Alliance. In Warcraft III, this is formally known as the Human Alliance.
Overview
Humans have appeared as a playable race in all of the Warcraft computer games released by Blizzard:- Warcraft: Orcs & Humans
- Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (And expansion, Beyond the Dark Portal)
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (And expansion, The Frozen Throne)
- World of Warcraft
Humans in each game
- In Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, the humans were one of two playable races. The human side was comprised of only human beings, and represented the good side in the game.
- Similarly, in Warcraft II, the humans were the good side. However, the "human" side of the game was composed of humans, elves, dwarves and gnomes.
- In Warcraft III, the side is formally known as the Human Alliance, and consists of humans, high elves, blood elves and dwarves.
- In World of Warcraft, "human" represents just the race of human beings, on the side of the Alliance.
Story of the humans
The Humans once lived peacefully throughout the Eastern Kingdoms of the world of Azeroth, with major settlements in the nations of Azeroth and Lordaeron. This all changed the day the Orcish Horde discovered a way into the world, through the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands. From that day, the humans have been locked in a bloody conflict with the orcs.
The First Great War (Warcraft: Orcs & Humans) ended tragically for mankind, with the assassination of King Llane and the razing of Stormwind Keep. At the end of the war, the humans of Azeroth were forced to retreat to the Great Sea and sail to the northern land of Lordaeron.
There, they formed the Alliance, which involved the seven human nations and the elves, dwarves and gnomes. However, they were pursued by the bloodthirsty Horde, and thus began the Second War (Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness).
This war raged across the Eastern Kingdoms, from Lordaeron, through Khaz Modan, and finally back to Azeroth, where, despite betrayal by the human nation of Alterac, the humans, under the command of the mage Khadgar, were able to close the Dark Portal and kill or capture most of the remaining orcs.
In Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, a small band of humans, led by Khadgar, travelled through the portal (which was reopened by the orcs) and shut it down forever from the inside.
In the next fifteen years (between the second and third wars), with the orcs in captivity and no common enemies, the Alliance splintered into disarray, with several of the nations and races breaking off completely. Thus, by the time of the Reign of Chaos (Warcraft III), the humans had descended into a bickering race who were not prepared for the coming conflict.
By this time, the young prince of Lordaeron, Arthas Menethil, had grown into a strong, defiant man. Problems began to arise in the kingdom, not from the humans' mortal enemies, the orcs, but from a scourge of undead which soon swept across Lordaeron. Swearing revenge against the undead Dreadlord Mal'ganis, Arthas travelled to the far-northern continent of Northrend, where he was corrupted into an agent of the scourge. Thus, he returned to Lordaeron, slew his father, King Terenas, and proceeded to destroy Lordaeron and the home of the High elves, Quel'thalas.
At the same time, while mankind was slowly being destroyed, Arthas' former lover Jaina Proudmoore took a band of humans, elves and dwarves across the sea to Kalimdor, at the request of a mysterious prophet. There, she led the survivors of Lordaeron into an historic alliance with the Orcish Horde and Night Elf Sentinels, and to victory against the Undead Scourge and Burning Legion.
In World of Warcraft, mankind practically has ceased to exist in the kingdom of Lordaeron; but Jaina's colony on Theramore Isle is home to many of the survivors of Lordaeron, and some minor towns are still intact. The southern kingdom of Azeroth remained largely untouched during the Third War and has rebuilt its strength. The Kirin Tor of Dalaran, having suffered grievously at the hands of the Burning Legion and the Scourge, have largely retreated behind the magical shield they erected around their ruined city as they work to rebuild. The zealous, independent fighters of the Scarlet Crusade relentlessly combat the Undead in the Plaguelands from strongholds like Hearthglen and Tyr's Hand. Kul Tiras remains loyal to the Alliance, but its strength has waned following the death of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Jaina's father. The people of Stromgarde, again part of the Alliance, have seen their capital lost and currently fight against Ogres and the Syndicate to regain it. And Gilneas has sealed itself off from the rest of the world, closing the gates of the Greymane Wall and refusing entry or exit to anyone and anything.
Human nations
Throughout the history of the Humans many nations have risen and fallen, however during the Second Great War the human kingdoms consisted of seven nations, and in the game, each had a different colour. In Warcraft III, the nations are more loosely defined, but are mostly the same.
- Azeroth - (blue) One of the key members of the Alliance, and the original combatants of the First War. Their capital city, Stormwind City is nestled in the verdant Elwynn Forest. At the end of the Third War, it was one of the last real bastions of human strength in the world.
- Past rulers: King Wrynn, King Llane, Lord Anduin Lothar, King Varien Wrynn, King Anduin Wrynn.
- Lordaeron - (white) The head of the Alliance during the Second War, and the largest nation. Home of Arthas Menethil and Jaina Proudmoore. Lordaeron was completely wiped out during the Third War (Warcraft III). Much of the land known as Lordaeron is now property of The Forsaken (undead). The Forsaken's holdings consist of the once-verdant Tirisfal Glades, Silverpine Forest, and certain regions in the Hillsbrad Foothills.
- Stromgarde - (red) A small but strong military nation, once the heart of the ancient Human Empire of Arathor. Most of its citizens left with Jaina Proudmoore. Now members of the Syndicate and Ogres have seized parts of the capital city, situated in the Arathi Highlands foothills.
- Kul Tiras (green) - A seafaring nation that contributed to the naval forces of the Alliance during the Second War. During the aftermath of the Third War, Kul Tiras led an unsuccessful attack against the new Horde in Durotar, which saw the death of Admiral Proudmoore. Kul Tiras still maintains a weak presence in Tiragarde Keep in eastern Durotar. Other members of the Kul Tiras Navy went to live with Jaina Proudmoore on Theramore Isle.
- Gilneas (gray) - A distant nation which has never fully supported the Alliance. It is on a peninsula located to the south of Silverpine Forest of Lordaeron. The reclusive people are separated from the forest by the Greymane Wall for reasons that are still being debated.
- Dalaran (purple) - A city-state of mages, led from the Violet Citadel in the centre of the city. Dalaran was the first nation to be attacked and completely destroyed when the Burning Legion arrived during the Third War, due to the mageocracy being the only group that could initially pose a threat to the Burning Legion. In World of Warcraft, the ruins of the city are encased in an impenetrable magical shell as its people work to rebuild. Dalaran magi have been active in Silverpine Forest.
- Alterac (orange) - The weakest of the human nations, Alterac made a pact with the orcs during the Second War, and betrayed the Alliance. As a result of this, it was wiped out by Lordaeron forces. Today, the Ruins of Alterac are all that remain of this ancient kingdom.
- Theramore (white) - This island city and its surrounding territory are the center of the only major human presence in Kalimdor and the new home of the Alliance. Theramore is home to the humans, elves, and dwarves who fled the invasions of Lordaeron by the Undead Scourge and the Burning Legion. It was founded soon after the end of the Third War and is the youngest of the human kingdoms.
Humans in Roleplaying
See Steeley(Paladin).
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