User:Baggins/sandbox

Six years had passed since the First War between man and orc. The once might army of Azeroth lay among the blackened and charred remains of Stormwind Keep. Those that escaped fled across the great sea bringing tales of the suffering they faced at the hands of the Orcish Horde.

Eager to engage in battle once again, the orcs constructed ships of war to bear them across the Great Sea. The orcish warriors yearned for the sounds of battle to fill the air and looked to the far horizon for new blood to spill. Using the weapons forged by their new allies, the humans made haste to prepare for the onslaught, while dwarven cannon were being loaded, others armed themselves with elven steel and mail. They were united in arms with new allies against a common foe and mankind stood at the shores of destiny and awaited the coming of The Tides of Darkness.

Act I: The Shores of Lordaeron and the Seas of Blood
The Horde prepared to launch an assault against the mainland of Lordaeron. Orgrim Doomhammer - War Chief of the Orcish Hordes and Ruler of the Blackrock clan - ordered his commander to establish a small outpost on Lordaeron's southern shores in order to secure the Zul'dare region. A barracks and several farms were constructed on the island to feed the troops.

Orcish maurauders then began to raid the coastal towns in the Hillsbrad foothills area. Horde spies near the township of Hillsbrad discovered that a band of human soldiers had captured a war party led by troll commander Zuljin and had taken them to a secret prison near the town. Seeing an opportunity to place these captives in debt to the Horde, Doomhammer sent forces to ransom Zuljin and his Trolls and return them to the troll’s encampment in the area. The War Chief believed that that the raid upon the unsuspecting prison would strike terror into the hearts of those who would dare resist the Horde.

The Alliance heard rumors of attacks in the area, but whether the attacks were part of a greater Horde offensive was unknown. However, Lord Terenas ordered the regional commander of southern defense force to begin construction on an Alliance outpost in the Hillsbrad foothills to provide food and information for the Alliance troops in the area. Several farms were built, and a barracks to safeguard the Hillsbrad operation.

Meanwhile, the Horde began construction of facilities for the Orcish Armada within the Southshore region in preparation for a final strike on Hillsbrad. Zul'jin and his trolls were eager for revenge on the humans who imprisoned them. They agreed to aid the Horde by supplying axethrowers and destroyers to assist in defending the Southshore operation A shipyard was constructed complete with oil platforms and a foundry. They built wave riders and began to harvest vast amounts of oil in order to build their fleet.

The mysterious high elves of Silvermoon sent a contingent of archers south to survey the supposed orcish threat in the area for themselves. Shortly after passing through the Alterac grasslands area of Tarren Mill, the elves were ambushed by Horde troops. Lord Perenolde had betrayed the Alliance, providing the orcs with the routes of the elven strikeforce. The elves were then held in a small prison camp near the northwest area of the region. Lord Terenas fervently hoped to enlist the elves into the Alliance, and asked that the missing warriors be found and delivered to safety. The elves sent a cadre of archers to assist in the mission. They provided plans to construct an elven lumber mill and the sylvan craftsman to operate it.

After the safe return of the Elves from the clutches of the orcs, the Council of Silvermoon had resolved to combine the armies of Quel'thalas with those of the Alliance of Lordaeron. As a show of their support, a mighty fleet of Elven Destroyers had been sent to help safeguard the Lordaeron mainland. In preparation for the arrival of these ships, Daelin Proudmoore - Lord of Kul Tiras and Grand Admiral of the Lordaeron Fleet - ordered that construction of naval facilities begin, near the township of Southshore. They were needed for the defense of the region, due to some suspicion that the Horde had constructed a secret base near the mainland.

Having established some order in the region with a display of naval power, Admiral Proudmoore announced that the time had come to search out the secret lair of the orcs. Scouts reported that their base was located somewhere within the Zul'dare region of the Channel Islands, just south-east of Hillsbrad. Mean while… the Orcish Armada had become well supplied with the oil the horde tankers had amassed. Doomhammer felt it was time to make a gruesome example of Hillsbrad. With the aid of new foundry sites which allowed the Horde to construct more advanced ships, they built transports to deliver their forces across the channel to the human settlement. In order to teach the Alliance a lesson, they left no one alive. Meanwhile… Lordaeron artificers completed designs for a foundry. With the new innovation, they were able to construct transport ships that could ferry troops across large bodies of water. These vessels would provide assistance in destroying the orc base.

The Zul'dare outpost was decimated, and the orcs retreated. Although the Horde had been driven from the shores of Lordaeron, it had left the townships of Hillsbrad and Southshore in ruins. It was clear that the war had cost the Alliance dearly... With the township of Hillsbrad decimated, rumors of impending doom spread throughout the Human kingdoms like wildfire. Warchief Dooomhammer was pleased with the success.

Act II: Khaz Modan
Though heartened by the loss of Southshore and Hillsbrad, the High Command was impressed with the regional commander’s victories against the Horde and the destruction of the Zul'dare base. They decided to dispatch him and his troops to the main battleground. The forces of Stromgarde and Kul Tiras were stationed along the northern border of Khaz Modan, fighting to keep the orcs from advancing into southern Lordaeron. An orcish outpost was nestled near the ruins of the ancient dwarven city of Dun Modr. It was a vital staging area for Horde troops. It had repeatedly beaten back Alliance troops and ravaged the surrounding farmlands. The forces were ordered to reclaim the nearby island Keep at Tol Barad and then launch an attack upon the outpost. The taskforce of Stromgarde warriors laid siege to Dun Modr capturing it.

Following their defeat at Dun Modr, the orcs were forced to retreat south, across the Thandol Valley to a secondary outpost at Dun Algaz. Lord Lothar, hoped to push the Orcs even further back into Khaz Modan, and ordered that the newly discovered encampment be destroyed. To aid in the mission, Knights were employed. They were eager to engage the Horde in glorious battle.

With the troubles rising in the dwarven lands of Khaz Modan, the warchief deemed his commander worthy of a more difficult task in Khaz Modan. The Horde forces retook Dun Modr and then brought their forces to bear against Stromgarde's nearby island citadel of Tol Barad.

Ogre-Mage Cho'gal, chieftain of the Twilight’s Hammer clan and his convoy were traveling through the badlands of Khaz Modan, in order to personally inspect the refinery at Grim Batol. It was the primary base of the Horde's refinery operations in Khaz Modan. They were expected to be ambushed by Stromgarde warriors during their journey. Doomhammer sent word to his forces, expecting his commander to safeguard Cho'gall and his minions through the region. If he died, the commander’s life would have been forfeit as well.

Having safely made it to Grim Batol, Cho'gall reported that the Khaz Modan Refineries were well maintained and fulfilling their quotas. The Horde had more than enough oil to mount a fierce campaign in the lands far to the north. However, the troublesome Human defenders of Stromgarde remained to be dealt with before the Horde could be sent on its next sojourn. The human fleet had captured a group of Horde transports just south of Stromgarde. It forces were ordered to capture the vessels and then lay waste to their capital. Meanwhile… advance Alliance scouts reported that they had located Grim Batol. Seeing a chance to strike a decisive blow against the Horde, Lord Lothar ordered that Grim Batol be infiltrated and that all orcish activity there be put to an end. He believed that once Grim Batol had been destroyed, that the orcs would have no further use for Khaz Modan, thus pulling their forces back to the mainland of Azeroth. He believed that the victory could secure the shores of Lordaeron and would greatly impede the Horde offensive.

With the destruction of Dun Modr and the downfall of Grim Batol, the orcs had completely withdrawn their armies from Khaz Modan. While the victories had been notable, the menace of the Horde still hung over the head of the Alliance.