Kul Tiras

Kul Tiras is a human nation located on a series of islands south-west of Lordaeron and west of Khaz Modan. It also includes the island of Tol Barad, and has an uncertain relationship with the new ‘nation’ of Theramore, also led by a member of the Kul Tiras royal family, the Proudmoores.

Daelin Proudmoore, the former Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras, pledged his fleets to the Alliance of Lordaeron in the Second War, becoming the famed Grand Admiral of the Alliance. With the death of his father in Kalimdor, at the hands of the Horde, his son Tandred Proudmoore now rules the island nation. After heavy losses sustained against the Orcish Horde, Tandred has rebuilt the Kul Tiras fleet, but it does not compare to the once grand fleets of years past. With help from his lady friend Captain Mishan Waycrest they do their best to destroy the murlocs, naga, and pirates that threaten their coasts and vessels. Kul Tiras is still one of the member kingdoms of the Alliance, although diminished in strength, influence and population.

It is notably inaccessible in World of Warcraft, although its influence can be seen throughout the game.

History
Over one thousand years ago, the city-state of Kul Tiras was founded upon a large island west of Khaz Modan and in between Stormwind and Lordaeron. Kul Tiras developed a thriving economy based on fishing and exports. Over the years mighty fleets of merchant vessels were built and they sailed throughout the seas in search of exotic goods to trade and sell.

Over the many years the great nation of Kul Tiras thrived on exports of seafood, livestock, lumber, grain, gold, and other artifacts. Over the years, the kingdom  has developed problems with pirates and raiders on the seas and on the coasts. Murlocs constantly pose a problem to those on the island. These threats, however, have become larger and more serious especially since the Second War all the way to present day.

The Second War
Always possessing a heavily armed and extremely powerful fleet, Kul Tiras only used their war vessels to protect shipping passages between the mainland and the island. Upon the Second War, their war fleets were unleashed as Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore entered Kul Tiras into the Alliance and took a vow to help his old friend, Sir Anduin Lothar. Despite the first sea battle against the orcish war fleet which resulted in the destruction of the human war ships, the armada of Kul Tiras proved to be a valuable asset of the Alliance war effort. Throughout the war Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore proved to be one of the staunchest supporters of the Alliance. Even though the fleets had triumphed in the Second War, the Horde ships devastated the fleet and it never has recovered since. The loss of the Third Fleet to the dragon-riders of the Dragonmaw orcs was one such blow, taking with it Derek Proudmoore, eldest son of the Grand Admiral.

The Alliance claimed victory over the Orcish Horde in the Second War, and the Dark Portal was destroyed. With Sir Lothar's death at the assault on Blackrock Spire, Admiral Proudmoore pulled his nation from the Alliance, which had descended into chaotic bickering, especially on what should be done to the orcish clans taken prisoner in the war. Proudmoore may have objected to King Teranas II of Lordaeron's decision to inter the Orc in camps across Stromgarde and Lordaeron, as many other nations did - they would all share the cost of keeping their former enemies alive, including Orgrim Doomhammer, Warchief of the Horde and the Orc that felled Lothar.

The island nation enjoyed a fleeting peace. With the reopening of the Dark Portal, Kul Tiras itself was attacked by a renewed Orcish offensive on the orders of Ner'zhul, spiritual leader of the Orcs on their homeland of Draenor. The capital of Boralus was assaulted by the Shadowmoon Clan, who laid waste at the very least to its harbour, navy and what other forces were rallied against them in a pre-emptive strike in order to allow safe passage to Lordaeron. The carnage wrought upon his homeland left an indelible mark on Admiral Proudmoore's conscience. Kul Tiras rejoined the Alliance.

The Third War
A Kul Tiras Marine base on the islands held by the Darkspear Tribe, and implied to be hostile to the trolls, was destroyed by Thrall’s New Horde as it made its way across the Great Sea to Kalimdor, coinciding with an attack by the naga Sea Witch Zar’jira and her murloc minions.

Kul Tiras sent its fleets against the undead Scourge that ravaged northern and western Lordaeron but was able to do very little. Most of the ships were destroyed, heavily damaged, or retreated back to Kul Tiras. Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful sorceress of Dalaran and the dear daughter of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, had been convinced by the mysterious Prophet that sailing west to Kalimdor with refugees from Lordaeron was the only course to save humanity. She commandeered half of the remaining Kul Tiras fleet and took them immediately across the Great Sea, in her haste apparently leaving her father uninformed. This “Human Expedition” comprised members of most Alliance-aligned nations and races as well as many of Kul Tiras' finest soldiers.

Jaina's goal was to reach the Oracle at Stonetalon Peak, which Thrall and the Horde also sought. The two factions warred across the Stonetalon Mountains, until the two leaders simultaneously stumbled upon the Prophet who had sent them both to Kalimdor, imploring them to unite against the arrival of the Burning Legion. The two unlikely allies ultimately agreed to put aside their history of conflict, and worked together to defeat the corrupted Warsong Clan of Grom Hellscream in the Barrens. Moving their forces into Ashenvale Forest, the humans and orcs battled with the invading Legion’s demons and their Scourge minions, as well as the xenophobic night elf Sentinels. Jaina was able to help in the Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal with another desperate alliance with the night elves, and eventually decided to stay in Kalimdor with the people that had travelled with her, founding Theramore Isle. Her unlikely treaty with Thrall and the orcs, who settled in nearby Durotar, remained inviolate.

The Founding of Durotar
Several months later, the Grand Admiral, figuring that he could not prevent Lordaeron's fall and worrying that his daughter may require help in the western lands, took the remaining ships and sailed to Kalimdor to find her. His grand armada took with it a sizeable portion of Kul Tiras’ population, apparently many settlers as well as soldiers and sailors.

At first, the location of Jaina and the survivors of Lordaeron was unknown - Lieutenant Alverold was dispatched to scout the whole coastline of Kalimdor, while Proudmoore ordered various forces to head inland (such as Captain Thornby). Camps and fortifications soon sprung up across the eastern coast of Kalimdor. Unwilling to even parlay with the orcs that were his daughter's allies, the Grand Admiral relentlessly attacked the Horde in Durotar. Thrall ultimately ordered retaliation against the humans responsible, although he was unable to conclude them a separate force from Jaina’s Theramore. The Kul Tiras fleet began attacking the Horde settlements on the Echo Isles, forcing the Darkspear trolls to relocate to the mainland. Kul Tiras forces even attempted to assassinate Thrall by trying to lure him to a parlay. Finally, Rexxar and his companions were sent by Thrall to Theramore to deliver a personal plea to explain the spate of human aggression, bypassing a large new settlement at Tidefury Cove. Jaina met with Thrall’s emissaries, and was bewildered by their accusations. Demanding to see proof, they journeyed back to Tidefury Cove to discover it destroyed by Naga. Finding survivors, Jaina recognised them as her countrymen. Teleporting back to Theramore Isle, Jaina was helpless to explain as her father arrived dramatically. Initially overjoyed, Admiral Proudmoore was incensed by his daughter’s alliance with the Horde, and ordered her and the emissaries to be seized, taking over Theramore’s military and defences. He returned to his main base at Tiragarde Keep in Durotar, building up for an assault on the orc capital of Orgrimmar. Thrall managed to rouse the trolls, tauren and even Stonemaul ogres to the Horde’s banner, and the two factions battled across northern Durotar and at sea, ending with Tiragarde’s destruction.

Thrall marched his armies to Dustwallow Marsh, where he was advised by a renegade Jaina Proudmoore to hire goblin shipbuilders to construct warships capable of breaking the blockade of Theramore, on the condition that Thrall attempt to spare the lives of her soldiers. After a long and climactic battle within Theramore itself, Daelin Proudmoore lay dead, slain by Rexxar, the Champion of the Horde. The remaining humans stood down, and a devastated Jaina ran to her father’s side. Thrall left the city intact, and understanding this had been an incident out of Jaina's control, he maintained his treaty with Theramore Isle.

A sizeable, second wave of Kul Tiras sailors and marines from the Grand Admiral's expedition, led by Lieutenant Benedict, established themselves in Tiragarde Keep sometime later, continuing to fight the Horde as per Admiral Proudmoore’s orders. Even though the Horde was unable to expel them for many years, the Keep and its sailors were finally destroyed by the Cataclysm. The fate of Lieutenant Alverold’s expedition around Kalimdor is still unknown.

Kul Tiras in Warcraft II

 * Leader: Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore


 * Nation Color: Green


 * Background: Before the First War, the far ranging merchant ships of Kul Tiras made it the most prosperous nation in the known world. When the Orcs began to raid the coastal settlements of Lordaeron, Admiral Proudmoore took it upon himself to construct an armada of warships. At the behest of his long time friend Anduin Lothar, Proudmoore has pledged the assistance of his merchant-nation to the Alliance. 

People and Culture


The people of Kul Tiras are wealthy, especially compared to the ravaged northern lands, and proud of their nation. They wear traditional green and fly flags with Kul Tiras’s anchor emblem. Like Hillsbrad’s citizens, Kul Tiras’s people celebrate Hordefall every year. They hate the Scourge for wiping out the rest of their continent; they hate naga, murlocs and pirates for sinking their ships and stealing their resources; and they hate orcs for decimating their fleets in the Second War. They are staunch members of the Alliance and friends of Ironforge.

The citizens of Kul Tiras possess a deep-seated anxiety. Their eyes dart about. Often looking to the west, where the greatest leaders of Kul Tiras and many of their warriors vanished, they wonder if they will ever again see their missing families. They are glad to have a Proudmoore as their leader, but all know that Tandred is not the man his father was.

In Kul Tiras, murlocs and naga crawl from the sea to torment sailors and fishermen. Pirates roam the waters preying on merchant vessels. Captain Dannol Scurvgrin, a truly vile pirate lord, has ties to the Bloodsail Pirates of the South Seas and sees Kul Tiras as his next big prize.

Soldiers of Kul Tiras bearing its tabard include Lieutenant Benedict, Watch Commander Zalaphil, Kul Tiras Marines, and Kul Tiras Sailors.

Kul Tiras Irregulars and Kul Tiras City Guard are also forces of Kul Tiras.

Geography
Kul Tiras is a large island off Khaz Modan's west coast, between Stormwind and Lordaeron. The unsettled areas are covered with rolling hills and sparse evergreen woods. Kul Tiras is temperate, though subject to sudden ocean storms. The nation is also very windy, which makes zeppelin rides perilous. Wild game includes few forest creatures such as foxes, squirrels and the occasional black bear.

The biggest asset to Kul Tiras is also its greatest danger: the sea. Kul Tiras’s shores possess good fishing and provide ample seafood. It is said that Kul Tiras has the best lobster and king crab in all the land.

Nearby Crestfall, immediately off the northeast coast, and farther Tol Barad, in the same direction, are also parts of Kul Tiras. The Undermine map contains a boat path to/from Kul Tiras.

Boralus
The main settlement on the island of Kul Tiras is Boralus, which is its capital city.

Drisburg
Drisburg is located on the northern coastline of Kul Tiras, the remains of what used to be a town with a large amount of immigrants from Khaz Modan. It was a thriving community until the Third War, as a Scourge army arrived and moved to raid the town. The garrison was far too small to save the city and although Duke Falrevere was nearby with his fleet, he decided that even if he was able to save the town it would claim too many casualties, so he turned his ships and abandoned Kul Tiras.

Crestfall
A large island off Kul Tiras’s northeast coast, Crestfall boasts a sizable community of boaters and fishermen. These people do not like strangers—some visitors are nearly shot when approaching a town at night on this island. The riflemen are constantly on guard from the naga have been plaguing them recently. Rumors abound that a large naga force, under a warlord called Zethresh, hides near Crestfall’s west shore. Zethresh reputedly seeks to cleanse the ocean and her isles of human encroachment.

Tol Barad
During the Second War, Tol Barad was an island citadel of Stromgarde. It was the site of many historic battles in the Second War. Years later, after the war, the island nation of Kul Tiras claimed the former stronghold and established a magic prison over the ruins of the old fortress. Wizards from both Dalaran and Stormwind oversee the complex, and prisoners include enemy mages, lesser and greater demons, warlocks and undead war criminals. The wizards do not allow anyone near the island and keep the prison’s existence a secret.

The prison, and indeed the island in general, has become a major site of conflict between the Alliance and the Horde, as well as a major daily quest hub.

Tiragarde Keep
The humans of Kul Tiras also had control over the small, ruined fort of Tiragarde Keep in Durotar. Formerly the citadel of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore during his invasion of Durotar, it was lorded over by one Lieutenant Benedict who wished to continue Daelin's desire to kill all orcs and take Durotar.

However, Tiragarde Keep and all its inhabitants were drowned by tidal waves caused by the Cataclysm. The Northwatch Expeditionary Force led by Lieutenant Palliter now occupy the ruins of the Keep.

Presence in World of Warcraft
Kul Tiras played a major part in the events of the Second and Third Wars (that is, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness and Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos). However, according to the official World of Warcraft map, Kul Tiras is missing and does not appear off the shores of Khaz Modan. According to the lore, it is still a thriving (if somewhat diminished) part of the Alliance, and had barely been touched by the Scourge.

In the RPG book Lands of Conflict, and in Lands of Mystery, Kul Tiras still appears on the map. For a long time Blizzard made no comments as to whether Kul Tiras would appear in World of Warcraft. It is still possible that Kul Tiras will be added in future expansions or content drops, such as Gilneas. Blizzard blue poster Nethaera commented on this in a forum post stating that they although there is the possibility of its inclusion later in the game they had no plans for it at present due to the large amount of story they already want to cover.

Although Kul Tiras itself does not appear in the game at present, there are Kul Tiran settlements scattered across the eastern coast of Kalimdor, most notably at Tiragarde Keep in Durotar. The forces of Theramore Isle and Northwatch Hold wear the anchor of Kul Tiras on a white field instead of green, reflecting Theramore's semi-autonomy from Kul Tiras under Jaina Proudmoore's rule. Kul Tiras Marines are briefly mentioned in part of the Missing Diplomat quest chain. Kul Tiras Wine appears in Northrend for the quest.

Cataclysm
Kul Tiras was not added in the Cataclysm expansion to World of Warcraft, but may be added in later patches. According to Bornakk, Kul Tiras "will not be visible at the start of Cataclysm – something about tectonic plates shifting it out to sea.... We may yet get to experience Kul Tiras in later patches". At Blizzcon 2010, Alex Afrasiabi responded to a questioner, "We have to save something for the future patches, not now. We will deal with Kul Tiras in the future."

The isle of Tol Barad, however, which used to belong to Kul Tiras, was added in the Cataclysm expansion. The Baradin's Wardens, the Alliance faction on Tol Barad, were known to wear Kul Tiras tabards in an early beta screenshot of the Eastern Earthshrine, though it was later changed. Recently released info regarding Baradin's Wardens states that many of them do indeed hail from Kul'Tiras, suggesting the kingdom's continued involvement in Alliance affairs.

If not for the tectonic plate shifts, Kul Tiras could have been where Vashj'ir can be found right now.

Notable Leaders


This is a chart following the events of Warcraft III and World of Warcraft.