Warcraft (series)

The "Warcraft" universe is a fictional universe in which a series of games and books published by Blizzard Entertainment are set. Players were first introduced to this universe in the original "" in Eastern Kingdoms of the planet Azeroth. Known worlds in the Warcraft universe include Azeroth, Draenor the Red World (later called Outland), Argus, K'aresh, and Xoroth.

Geography

The majority of media in the "Warcraft" universe takes place upon a planet called Azeroth. This planet has three continents, named the Eastern Kingdoms, Northrend (the world polar cap) and Kalimdor, all of which are separated by a giant ocean called the Great Sea. In the center of the Great Sea is an enormous, everlasting vortex called the Maelstrom (created as a result of a cataclysm that split the previous supercontinent of Kalimdor into the three current major landmasses).

The landmass of the Eastern Kingdom is the setting of the majority of the "Warcraft" stories. In ', the Humans of the story belong to the Kingdom of Azeroth, which lies south of Khaz Modan and was the largest human kingdom at the time. In ', the human kingdom depicted was Azeroth's northern neighbour of Lordaeron, which successfully headed the old Alliance in fighting off the orcish invasion but later fell to the Scourge in "".

The continent of Kalimdor was introduced in "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos". Eastern Kingdoms can be described as the equivalent of medieval Europe, with highly traditional kingdoms with advanced cities, Kalimdor can be compared to the Americas at their time of discovery by Europeans, full of wild, unexplored lands. The geology of Kalimdor is similar to North America, with massive, ancient forests covering the Northern parts and vast deserts in the South.

The third continent, Northrend, is the northern polar cap of Azeroth and is the primary stronghold of the malevolent Undead Scourge. Northrend is featured in "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos" and its expansion set "Warcraft III: Frozen Throne", and will be featured in "", the second expansion pack to "World of Warcraft".

Second in importance to Azeroth is the planet of Draenor, now known as Outland, the original homeland of the Orcs and Ogres. The Eredar who refused to ally themselves with Sargeras and the Burning Legion fled to this planet and became known as the Draenei ("Exiled Ones" in their native tongue; Draenor being "home of the exiled"). Draenor was torn apart when an Orc shaman named Ner'zhul opened too many gateways to other worlds, when trying to escape the invading Alliance Armies coming from Azeroth, causing it to crumble and phase into the mysterious parallel dimension called the Twisting Nether, Home of the Demons. The remnants of the world are now known as Outland, and it features in ', "Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne", and most prominently in "World of Warcraft"'s first expansion '.

Other planets in the universe include Argus, the original home-world of the Eredar race; K'aresh, the original home-world of the Ethereal race and Xoroth, the home-world of the Nathrezim and Dreadsteeds. The planet of Azeroth has two moons, named White Lady (a physical manifestation of the mysterious Night Elf goddess Elune) and Blue Child. Draenor, after having been shattered into many pieces, currently has no known moons.

Places beyond the planets include the Great Dark Beyond, Warcraft's equivalent of outer space; the Emerald Dream, a dream-scape resembling what Azeroth would look like if animals or sentient races had never in any way altered it; an Elemental Plane where the elemental lieutenants of the malevolent deities called the Old Gods are banished; the Dark Below, a hellish, little-referenced underworld the canon of which is debatable, referenced to only in the earlier games; and the Twisting Nether, an astral plane between worlds, home to demons of all sorts, a chaotic and magical environment that overlaps with the Great Dark Beyond, yet is normally imperceptible to mortals.

Playable races

Alliance

Humans

were introduced in . Throughout the first two Warcraft games, the human race was depicted as the archetypal European kingdom. In Warcraft and Warcraft II they were also depicted as religious; the Humans fought for the side of Heaven against the Hellish Orcs, though this was abandoned in the third game.

In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and we see the human nation of Lordaeron, the nation which is depicted throughout the second game as the main protagonists. The nation is exposed to a plague of undeath which turns those infected into undead monsters who serve the will of the Lich King (Ner'zhul). The prince of Lordaeron, Arthas Menethil, also succumbs to the will of the Lich King and is instrumental in bringing about the downfall of his kingdom and, eventually, the invasion of the Burning Legion. He is one of the main characters of the third game and its expansion.

In World of Warcraft human characters begin the game in the kingdom of Stormwind, Lordaeron's southern counterpart. Skin and hair choices are restricted to realistic human tones.

The humans are descended from an ancient nomadic tribe known as the Arathi, who conquered and united the other warring human tribes and founded the nation of Arathor and the great city of Strom, later renamed Stromgarde. The Arathi formed an alliance with the High Elves of the far north after they aided them in a war against the Amani Empire of trolls.

Gnomes

The are a small and ingenious race with magic and engineering proficiencies who were first introduced in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness. They resided in Gnomeregan, an underground city with advanced technology, until they were driven out by a primitive race known as Troggs. Subsequent attempts by the Gnomish government to drive out the troggs included flooding the city with radiation which ultimately killed as many gnomes as troggs. In the end over eighty percent of the Gnomish race died. Refugees were taken in by the Dwarven capital of Ironforge, where they have been plotting revenge on the Troggs ever since. Gnomes have a notorious rivalry with the goblins, each thinking that the other takes the wrong attitude towards engineering. Gnomish engineering consists of cog and gear based machinery involving everything from robotic companions to large underground tram-systems, such as the Deeprun Tram, and flying machines, whereas Goblin engineering consists of explosion based tools and machines, like dynamite and zeppelins.

Night Elves

The are one of the oldest races on Azeroth. More than ten thousand years ago a tribe of humanoids settled on the shores of the Well of Eternity. The Well's influence changed them fundamentally, but most importantly gave them the ability to use magic. After many years a schism occurred between the so-called Highborne, who were supported by the queen and were addicted to magic, and the rest of the population. An elf named Malfurion then discovered that the corrupted titan Sargeras and his Burning Legion were using the Well to enter into the world, with the intention of destroying it. Malfurion, his lover Tyrande, and the demigod Cenarius raced to the Well to try and destroy it. After a battle with the Highborne forces, they succeeded. The cataclysm not only destroyed the Well, but also most of the rest of the continent, resulting in a vast ocean separating the continents today.

The remainder of the Highborne were exiled, and sailed over the sea to Lordaeron where they named themselves High Elves. Later, it was discovered that Malfurion's brother Illidan managed to create a second Well of Eternity, so to stop another disaster a massive World Tree, Nordrassil, was planted over it. It gave the night elves several new abilities, for instance making them immortal. For the next ten thousand years, the survivors lived peacefully, until the second invasion of the Burning Legion. The races of Azeroth, both Horde and Alliance fought the Legion at the peak of Hyjal, until the elves managed to unleash the primal fury of Nordrassil killing the demon lord Archimonde and defeating the Burning Legion. Since then, the night elves have lost many of their abilities, and have planted a new World Tree called Teldrassil to try and recover them.

Night elves (once called Kaldorei) are imposing in stature, males being on average 7 feet tall. Male night elves are very muscular, with broad chests and shoulders, indicative of the strength that lies within both their minds and bodies. Female night elves are lithe and curvaceous, yet still muscular and strong. The race’s prominent eyebrows, long pointed ears and natural aspects imply a feral grace. Skin tones vary from purple, pink, blue or pale whitish-blue and their hair ranges in color from bright white to woodland green to a solid purple.

Dwarves

Born from the Earthen, original creations of the Titans, are a short and strong race. The playable clan of dwarves reside in the mountain city of Ironforge in the Eastern Kingdoms continent. Their skin color can be from a charcoal-grey to a human tan.

The stoic dwarves of Ironforge are an ancient race of robust humanoids who live beneath the snow-capped mountains of Khaz Modan. The Dwarves have always been fast allies with the Humans, and they revel in the prospects of battle and storytelling alike. In past ages, the Dwarves rarely left the safety of their mountain fortresses. However, whenever the call to battle sounded, they rose up to defend their friends and allies with unmatched courage and valor. Dwarves have also engineered firearms.

Originally a race of miners, they have recently changed their focus to archeology. Due to a recent discovery that uncovered fragments of their ancient origins, the Dwarves have undergone a remarkable transformation. The discovery convinced the Dwarves that the mighty Titans created them from stone when the world was young. They feel that their destiny is now to search the world over for more signs and proof of their enchanted heritage and to rediscover the Titans' hidden legacies. To this end, the Dwarves have sent out their Prospectors to all ends of the world in the hopes of discovering new insight into their shrouded past. These journeys led to Dwarven excavation sites all over the known world, some of which serve as outposts and others as potential hunting grounds for enemies of the Dwarven race.

Draenei

are the last of the original Eredar, the race that eventually became corrupted by the evil Burning Legion. They greatly respect the Alliance's devout reverence for the Holy Light. Draenei have skin ranging from purple to pale blue, and both genders are relatively tall compared to humans, have cloven, goat-like hooves, and tails that resemble those of a lizard. Males usually have tentacle-like appendages extending from their chin, and occasionally large, complex structures on their forehead, while females have two horns on their temples extending backwards and thinner versions of the male's appendages hanging from behind the back of the jaw. The Draenei's leader was the prophet, Velen, who ruled with Archimonde and Kil'jaeden as the exarchs over Argus, the Draenei's original home world. Velen was contacted by the Naaru, who escorted him (and the Eredar who rejected Sargeras's offer of great power to the Eredar in exchange for their loyalty), across the cosmos, in the Naaru's dimensional traveling vessel, Tempest Keep. Kil'jaeden has hunted the Draenei since they left Argus with the Naaru.Some of the Draenei have succumbed to the Burning Legion's corruption, in body but not in mind, becoming the broken and lost ones, who were separated from the Light by the Legion's corruption. For example, one band of Draenei, led by Akama, were changed in appearance. Draenei range from 7 feet to 7 1/2 feet in height. While living in the world of Draenor, some had embraced the powers of the elements, becoming shaman. This practice was revealed to the Draenei farseer, Nobundo, by the spirit of the wind, which also uncovered that this would allow the light-forsaken Broken to still serve the Holy Light.They follow O'ros in Exodar and A'dal in Shattrath City.

Horde

Orcs

The are generally green skinned and muscular humanoids. They are warlike, but formerly light brown shamanistic creatures from the planet Draenor. When the Burning Legion discovered that the Draenei were hiding on Draenor, they corrupted the Orcs and nearly wiped out the exiled race. The Orcs were then used as the Legion's primary war-machine in an attempt to invade and destroy Azeroth, through a device known as the Dark Portal. There, they were successful in their campaign against the Kingdom of Stormwind, but were eventually driven back through the Dark Portal and defeated.

Upon their defeat, the orcs that remained on Azeroth were rounded up and put into internment camps. Separation from the Burning Legion eventually caused lethargy in the orcs and their bloodlust faded after a few years. It was at this time that Thrall managed to escape his captivity at Durnholde Keep and free many of his captured bretheren, including Grom Hellscream of the Warsong Clan. The newly reformed Horde then fled to Kalimdor, where they met and befriended the Taurens.

The Orcs were eventually led into Night Elf territory and fought several skirmishes against them as they attempted to set up camps. Here, the Pit Lord Mannoroth returned and tempted Grom Hellscream into drinking from corrupted waters, placing the Warsong Clan back under the corruption of the Burning Legion. Grom then led his clan on a warpath through Night Elf lands and slaughtered the demi-god Cenarius. However, Grom was eventually freed and atoned for his deeds by aiding Thrall in defeating Pit Lord Mannoroth, sacrificing himself in the process and liberating the Orcs from their blood pact.

The liberated Orcs set aside their differences with the Night Elves and Humans to help defeat Archimonde at the Battle for Hyjal Summit. The Orcs then set out to carve a place for themselves on Azeroth in Kalimdor. They called their new homeland Durotar, after Thrall's father, Durotan. Their capital city was named Orgrimmar, after Orgrim Doomhammer, the former Warchief.

As of the present time, the following Orcish Clans survive within the Horde under Thrall:
*The Frostwolf Clan
*The Warsong Clan
*The Bleeding Hollow Clan
*The Shattered Hand Clan

These orc clans are merely examples of the very few numbers of Orcs who hold strong to their old shamanistic beliefs and clansmenship. Almost all the original clans are divided among the different Hordes (the Fel Horde in Outland and the Blackrock Clan in Blackrock Mountain both consider themselves to be the "True Horde"). However almost all Frostwolves, Warsong and Bleeding Hollow orcs are in the New Horde, ruled by Thrall. All other orcs in the New Horde have given up their clan affiliations; apart from a few Shattered Hand orcs, who make up the Assassins of the New Horde. However, most Shattered Hand orcs belong to the Fel Horde in Outland ruled by Kargath Bladefist.

Forsaken

The were once Humans and Elves, but are now undead because of the plague brought by the Scourge. They control the western parts of the former Human kingdom of Lordaeron. They are led by the banshee queen, Sylvanas Windrunner in the catacombs beneath the ruined capital of Lordaeron, dubbed the "Undercity".

The Forsaken were part of the undead Scourge, but due to the intense magics used against the Lich King by Illidan Stormrage, they broke free of mind control. The undeath has actually provided benefits, in that their soldiers, Deathguards, can march for days disguised as ill Human soldiers, and bury themselves for shocking ambushes. The Forsaken are said to care little about the Horde; however, they seem to show sympathy for the blood elves. Their ultimate goal is establishing a place for themselves in a world that hates them, and creating a plague capable of wiping out the undead Scourge; they will wipe out anyone who stands in their way. They harbor no allegiance to their former allies, and vice versa. The Forsaken's alliance with the Horde is one of mere convenience. [ [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/races/undead.html World Of Warcraft - Undead Race Page] ]

Tauren

The are one of the oldest races in Azeroth, a proud and tenacious race with bull-like features and a culture that is very similar to an evolved North American Indian culture. They are druidic, shamanistic, peaceful, and powerful beings. They have large hooves, three fingered hands, and a towering body structure. The Tauren reside in the grasslands of Mulgore.

Mulgore was fought over by the defending Tauren and the raiding Centaurs. The Tauren would have lost their land, but Thrall and his Orc brethren helped the peaceful Tauren after befriending their leader, Cairne Bloodhoof. The Tauren were honour-bound and they allied with the Horde. Cairne built an astounding, towering city, known as Thunder Bluff, on top of four great mesas where many different trades come together.

Blood Elves

After being exiled from Kalimdor, the High Elves sailed to the east and settled in the northern part of the continent. Their peace was to be short-lived, however, as the Amani Troll Tribe was not keen on having their lands settled by these newcomers. In order to defeat the Trolls, the Elves made a deal with the human Kingdom of Arathor: the Elves would agree to teach magic to the Humans in return for their aid. Upon victory, the High Elves solidified their dominion over the forests of Quel'thalas and founded a mighty capital.

During the second war, the Elves honored their treaty with the Humans and assisted in the defeat of the Horde. They also helped the Alliance in the third war as priests and sorcerers, but tragedy was soon to befall them...

During the third war, the Undead Scourge destroyed the High Elf capital and the source of their power, the Sunwell, along with the majority of their population. The remaining High Elves split into 2 factions - some kept their original heritage, but most followed Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider and began calling themselves Sin'dorei (which in their tongue means "children of the blood" - more commonly referred to as "") in homage to their loss. With the leadership of their prince the Blood Elves continue to defend their homeland from the terror of the Scourge. In their continued struggles on Azeroth, Kael'thas met the Naga, led by Lady Vashj, and accepted her help in protecting his people. This led to much suspicion from the Humans for whom Kael'thas was stationed under, and the Blood Elves fled with Lady Vashj to Outland to rendezvous with the exiled Illidan Stormrage. Kael'Thas later betrayed Illidan and began seeking power on his own, forming an alliance with the Burning Legion. Cheating his death in Tempest Keep, he later returned to the Isle of Quel'danas and re-ignited the Sunwell, where he seeks to summon Kil'Jaeden to Azeroth.

The Elves who remained in Eversong Forest have renounced their allegiance to Kael'thas and are now led by Lor'themar Theron. The Alliance mistrusts the Blood Elves and their lust for a source of magic, so the race has aligned with the Horde for the mutual benefit of reaching Outland.

Trolls

The of the Warcraft Universe have a vast and very diverse background with many different tribes, of which only the Darkspear are playable. The four major troll ethnicities include Forest, Jungle, Ice, and Sand. Other notable mentions include Dark trolls, about which very little is known, Zanzil the Outcast and his Followers, and the earliest of all trolls - the Zandalar tribe; from which all other trolls are said to have descended. Inside each of the four ethnicities, trolls are further divided into separate tribes with various allegiances.

During the second war, the Forest Trolls of Lordaeron allied with the Horde to help combat their ancient enemies, the High Elves, who had aligned with the Alliance. This alliance dissipated upon defeat of the Horde and internment of the remaining Orc clans.

The playable trolls, the Darkspear, are led by Vol'jin and fled the continent after splitting off from the Gurubashi (Jungle) Empire. When Thrall and his orc forces left the Eastern Kingdoms to sail to Kalimdor they crashed on an island near the centre of the ocean where they were met by the troll Sen'jin. Sen'jin, Thrall, and several other orcs and trolls were captured by murlocs soon after their arrival. Thrall managed to break from his cell and free many, but Sen'jin was sacrificed by a murloc sorcerer. It was in Sen'jin's honor that the Darkspear were allowed into the Horde.

Media set in the Warcraft universe

Computer games

* "" (1994) - real-time strategy game
* "" (1995)
** "" (1996) - expansion pack to "Tides of Darkness"
** "" (1999) - allowed online play of "Warcraft II" on Battle.net
* "" - adventure game, cancelled
* "" (2002)
** "" (2003) - expansion pack to "Reign of Chaos"
* "World of Warcraft" (2004) - MMORPG
** "" (2007) - expansion pack to "World of Warcraft"
** "" (2008) - second expansion to "World of Warcraft"

Tabletop games

* "Warcraft: The Board Game" - strategic board game from Fantasy Flight Games, based heavily on "Warcraft III"
* "" - role-playing game from Sword & Sorcery
* "" - board game based on "World of Warcraft", also by Fantasy Flight Games
* "" - board game based on "World of Warcraft", also by Fantasy Flight Games
* "World of Warcraft Miniatures Game" - an upcoming (November 2008) miniature war game based on "World of Warcraft", by Upper Deck Entertainment.

Collectible card games

* "World of Warcraft Trading Card Game" - 2006 [ [http://warcraftcardgame.com/2006/05/october-25-release-date.html October 25 Release Date - World of Warcraft Trading Card Game Blog ] ]

Books

* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""
* ""

Film adaptation

In May 2006, production company Legendary Pictures acquired film rights to adapt Warcraft for the big screen with the game's publisher, Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard had originally considered hiring a scribe for the film adaptation before teaming up with Legendary Pictures. [cite news | author=Pamela McClintock | coauthors=Ben Fritz | url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117942792.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 | title=Brave new 'World' | publisher=Variety | date=2006-05-08 | accessdate=2007-01-31 ] The companies plan to create a film that would not follow one specific Warcraft games' storyline, but would still take place in the fantasy universe. [cite news | author=Borys Kit | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/h/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002464761 | title=Legendary enters world of 'Warcraft' | publisher=The Hollywood Reporter | date=2006-05-09 | accessdate=2007-01-31 ] According to Blizzard's Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, the film's budget would be over $100 million. [cite news | author=Tal Blevins | url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/727/727873p1.html | title=GC 2006: "Warcraft" Movie Update | publisher=IGN | date=2006-08-24 | accessdate=2007-01-31 ]

In June 2007, Legendary Pictures chairman Thomas Tull said that the studio was working closely with Blizzard's designers and writers to adapt "World of Warcraft". Tull explained the desire to have a good story for the film adaptation, "I think some of the stuff that makes a game translate well... if there's a lore, if there's a road and story and a world that's been created, and characters that are interesting in a way that's more than just point and shoot." [cite news | author=Brandon Sheffield | coauthors=Brandon Boyer | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14491 | title=H&G: Tull Talks "World of Warcraft" Film | publisher=GamaSutra.com | date=2007-06-29 | accessdate=2007-07-06 ] "World of Warcraft"'s lead designer Rob Pardo expressed interest in being able to adapt the intellectual property of "World of Warcraft" to the appropriate medium of the film. He also added that the designers were collaborating with Legendary Pictures on story and script development. [cite news | author=Brandon Sheffield | coauthors=Jolene Spry | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14506 | title=H&G: Blizzard's Pardo Talks "WoW" Film | publisher=GamaSutra.com | date=2007-06-28 | accessdate=2007-07-06 ]

In August 2007, at BlizzCon, it was unveiled that the film will aim for a projected 2009 release. It was also revealed that the movie will take place from an Alliance perspective and will be geared towards a PG-13 audience, with a storyline set one year before the beginning of the World of Warcraft storyline. Also revealed was the 100 million dollar budget. As of this time no director or cast are yet associated with its development. Thomas Tull stated that, "It’s not so much a quest movie. It’s more of a war movie." [cite news | author=Paul Hayes | url=http://warcraft.moviechronicles.com/2007-08/warcraft-movie-at-blizzcon-2007 | title=Warcraft Movie Chronicles: 'WoW' Film at BlizzCon 2007 | publisher=Movie Chronicles | date=2007-08-05 | accessdate=2007-08-05 ]

In a 2007 interview about directors, a Blizzard official stated they were "looking for someone along the lines of a Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan type." As of 2008, no director has been announced.

TVG caught up with Blizzard Entertainment co-founder and vice president, Frank Pearce, at the Game Convention and asked about the current status of the feature film. He replied briefly:

"I think they're looking to assign a screenwriter and director to it right now...it's still really early." ( http://www.totalvideogames.com/news/Warcraft_Movie_Latest_13698_6933_0.htm )

Comics

A number of comic adaptations have been made including:

*"" is a manga series published by Tokyopop
*"World of Warcraft", the current ongoing series published by DC Comics imprint Wildstorm. [ [http://www.dccomics.com/dcunlimited/wow/?action=the_comic DC Comics World of Warcraft page] ] [ [http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134207 Walter Simonson: Into The World Of Warcraft] , Newsarama, November 25, 2007]

References

External links

* [http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/chapter1.shtml The History of "Warcraft"]
* [http://www.blizzard.com/worlds-warcraft.html "Warcraft" series] official webpage
*
* [http://cecilvortex.com/swath/2008/04/21/an_interview_with_chris_metzen_part_one.html An interview with Blizzard VP of Creative Development Chris Metzen on making Warcraft games and the creative process]