Le Royaume d'Azeroth

Un extrait d'un article fort interessant ; ici le passage concernant le royaume d'Azeroth et Hurlevent.

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Now, we come to the side of Azeroth that I am most familiar with: the Eastern Kingdoms. A fitting name as the continent has been the home of many kingdoms: Arathor, Aerie Peak (they would not call themselves a kingdom however I would assert that in fact they are one), Alterac, Stromgarde, Lordaeron, Ironforge, Kul Tiras, Gilneas, Quel'thalas, and Stormwind. Along with other states at one time or another such as the magocratic city-state of Dalaran, the Amani Empire, the Gurubashi Empire, and the Dark Iron kingdom of Shadowforge City.

I shall begin with the most numerous and populous of the current nations: the Kingdom of Stormwind. This kingdom was founded nearly one thousand and two hundred years ago, the exact date has been lost to us. The first settlers consisted of descendants from the ancient Arathi tribe, the very same that had founded the great human Empire of Arathor nearly two and a half millennia ago. History does not record why these pioneers chose to leave their lives of luxury and royalty in Strom. It is possible they were forced out by the Trollbanes or perhaps they recognized that Arathor no longer needed them. Whatever the reason, they were willing to brave the mountains and hills of Khaz Modan. Upon reaching the lowlands south of the mighty Redridge Mountains they named the new land "Azeroth." Likely the original name for the south continent was not "Azeroth" but a name that sounded similar like "Azeron" or "Araroth" that eventually disappeared and was replaced by "Azeroth" which is the ancestral name of our world.

The Arathi settlers laid the foundations for a new nation in a windy fertile valley north of the lush Elwynn Forest. The city would be Stormwind and the nation to bear that name as well. Plentiful supplies of lumber, granite, limestone, and marble enabled a city of stone to be quickly built, leading some to jokingly refer it as "Stonewind." The discovery of gold and copper in the hills of Elwynn Forest encouraged growth from settlers of other human nations to journey to Stormwind. Settlers began moving outwards, taming the wilderness. Towns were springing up across Elwynn and the fertile lands of Westfall. Prominent among them was Goldshire, a rich mining town; Moonbrook, a town of farmers; and Grand Hamlet and Sunnyglade, logging and farming towns.

The city-state was quickly evolving into a territorial nation, and was forced to divide its lands into governable portions with town councils, magistrates, and sheriffs. Rather quickly the Kingdom discovered the great need to maintain a standing army to patrol the vast territories and maintain the borders which were being raided by Gurubashi trolls. With the growing governmental responsibilities the duties of the Stormwind monarchy blossomed as well. An extensive bureaucracy was required: nobles, treasurers, diplomats, tax collectors, judges, etc. Thusly, the House of Nobles was formed.

The Stormwind House of Nobles began its life as an advisory board to the king, who in return for the nobles' service, gave them large tracts of lands for the purposes of development. This move replaced any remaining vestiages of Arathi aristocracy and set up a new Stormwind aristocracy. As the centuries past and the kingdom grew to cover the Mountains of Redridge, and several outposts in the Swamp of Sorrows and the Black Morass the power of the Nobles increased when they came to understand that the the wealth of the nation depended on the working and development of the land they governed. Matters of state that involved large sums of money had to be approved by the House of Nobles along with any taxation changes. These actions widdled away at the monarchy's power, but at the same time, insured that no king could ever abuse their authority.

For nearly a millennium, pirates and trolls were the only concern of the nation. Stormwind was free to live out its early existence in relative peace and independence---but not under the rule of the Arathi as Arathor had. Despite leading the settlers from Arathor the remaining Arathi line was quickly watered down to the point that it held little true power. The last of this noble line was lost when Anduin Lothar died without an heir early in Year 7.

Several dynasties ruled the kingdom, but none more powerful than the House of Wrynn. The family of Wrynn was once a powerful and loyal force within the House of Nobles. Once they rose to the throne, the Kingdom's trade grow, international relations improved, the city was fortified with thicker walls, the Wizard's Sanctum became a major location for the training of conjurers, the Church of the Holy Light became a far stronger order when the creation of a Stormwind diocese, the Brotherhood of Northshire was honored throughout the kingdom, the Stormwind military adopted the use of heavy knights, and the Brotherhood of the Horse was created.

The most recent kings of the House of Wrynn: King Landen, King Adamant III, King Llane I, King Varian, and for a brief time King Anduin have all been benevolent lords working for the improvement and the defense of their nation. There have been few true tyrants in the history of Stormwind.

In my examination of this nation, I found the people have a fierce sense of pride in their country---likely because they are cut off from the other human states and have maintained the idea of being independent and understanding that they would not receive aide from anyone if some disaster took place.

Such a disaster came in Year 1 with the First War and the coming of the marauading orcish Horde into Azeroth. This was the Horde of Gul'dan and Blackhand, coming through the portal that the mad wizard Medivh had opened. Stormwind had never faced an enemy force of this size in all its history and neither had they experienced such devestation. By Year 4, the Horde had conquered most of the Kingdom with only Stormwind City itself and the north of Elwynn holding out. The nation's people had fled to the walled metropolis leading to cramped and uncomfortable conditions within. The valiant King Llane was convinced that his city could not be conquered by the Horde----at least from what he understood of the Horde as being a chaotic mob of warriors. During the Second Battle of Stormwind City, Llane experienced a much more disciplined fighting force. He did not know, but the Warchief of the Horde, Blackhand, had been slain and replaced by his Second, Orgrim Doomhammer. The Horde of Doomhammer was no longer a mob, but a true army.

Despite the stressed siege, the political situation of Stormwind remained stable. No disgruntled generals or ambitious nobles argued or acted against the orders of their king. It was King Llane's secret advisor, Garona Halforcen, who betrayed him---assassinating him in his war room in the midst of the orc's seige. It turns out that she was acting on orders given to her by the orcs' Shadow Council whom ironically had all been executed just mere days before by Orgrim Doomhammer.

The death of a king is always a difficult time for a government. Military, religious, and aristocratic leader often argue over succession in times when there is no heir or in the case of Stormwind, when the heir is not of age. Young prince Varian Wrynn was barely a teenager when he saw his father murdered before him. If Stormwind had not been under siege or threatened by orcish legions, a dispute between the nobles of Stormwind would likely have broken out over who would serve as Regent until the prince reached the age of maturity. History shows us that these disputes can polarize and break kingdoms apart. In Stormwind's case, their kingdom was already falling to ash before their eyes. There was no time to debate when the distinction between noble or commoner did you no service before the axe of an orcish soldier.

In a military situation, a military leader will fill the void. Thus, Sir Anduin Lothar, the Champion of Stormwind and commander of the kingdom's army, found the mantle of full authority thrown on his shoulders. Lothar led Stormwind as best he could, but by the end of Year 4, he mustered the Stormwind navy along with every fisherman's barge, raft, and merchant ship. Citizens and soldiers poured into the boats as the orcish grunts poured into Stormwind City. As the de facto Regent, Sir Lothar, took Prince Varian under his personal care as the fleet of refugees set off towards the shores of Lordaeron.

Thus, the Kingdom of Stormwind that had prospered for centuries in relative peace, was conquered. Much of the civilian populace survived, the heir to their throne lived, but the city and land were gone. Centuries of labor were lost. But the nation endured. Though the lands were ravaged and defiled and their cities in flames, the people lived. At that time, Stormwind was a kingdom of people and not of land.

A scholar could argue that from the time of Stormwind's fall to Varian's coronation, their government was in a state of martial law. Most of the nobles were dead along with many religious and military leaders, thereby the placing burden of authority almost entirely on Sir Lothar. Yet, this political instability of Stormwind was brief because once they arrived upon the shores of Hillsbrad they quickly organized settlements with leadership stemming from elders and former military leaders. All of them looked at Lothar as the ultimate source of power. However, once the people settled in Lordaeron they became subject to its laws. Thereby, the exiled kingdom of Stormwind directly or indirectly latched onto the monarchy of Lordaeron to insure stability during their time without a king.

After their arrival, Anduin Lothar and Varian Wrynn met with King Terenas Menethil II of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, Terenas proclaimed his support for the restoration of Stormwind---thereby preventing any claims to the territory of a restored Stormwind that might arise from other nations. This action on Terenas' part is highly under appreciated. Though the decree was simple, it insured that Stormwind had a future. He further granted the refugees the freedom to reside in his nation until they could return home. Indirectly, this gave him some degree of authority over the refugees. I once encountered a human scholar that told me Terenas was all but in title the king of Stormwind during the Second War. Perhaps there is some truth to that remark.

Menethil further granted Prince Varian Wrynn a place within his household. This not only protected the soon-to-be-king but the Menethil dynasty was keeping the Wrynn dynasty politically supported. Without Terenas' support, the political power of the Wrynns might have faded away. But the backing of a landed kingdom with an army and a respected king insured that Varian would be able to fulfill his duty as a future king of Stormwind. Terenas further stabilized the exiled kingdom's political authority by formalizing Anduin Lothar's position as Regent Lord of Stormwind.

Throughout Year 6 and part of Year 7, the Alliance forces waged a bloody and costly war with the Horde. Capital City nearly fell to the forces of Doomhammer until the destructive and chaotic nature of the Horde ripped it asunder. The Stormreaver and Twilight Hammer clans betrayed the Warchief and did not reinforce his position in Lordaeron. Doomhammer looked before him and saw the forces of Lordaeron's militia, he looked to the east and saw General Turalyon leading half the Alliance army along with an army of elves, then he looked to the south and saw Stromgarde's armies blocking an escape route through the mountains of Alterac. At that point he realized the need to fall back to the place of safety at Blackrock Spire.

During this period of war, the survivors of Stormwind felt no sense of political tension or strife, their present concerns are best summarized by a survivor I interviewed, Agatha Chernshire, "Politics!?! Politics!? The greenskins were comin' afta' us! All the way across the ocean and were raiding everything! Who gave a d--- about politics! If there was a guy standing around who looked conifident enough--heck, we did whatever they said. T'ain't no politics to care about." This colorful statement gives weight to my hypothesis that the "state" of Stormwind was being run through Lordaeron rather than any command of their own former leaders. Any legitmacy to Lordaeron's rule over Stormwind would be that young Varian Wrynn was King Terenas' ward.

Even when Lord Lothar perished at the Battle of Blackrock Spire there was no political chaos among the people of Stormwind. Thus, I would postulate that although Lothar was for all practical definitions, the leader of the exiled kingdom, the citizenry viewed him as a military commander moreso and treated his loss in the same way. Once the dust of the Second War settled, the Alliance of Lordaeron began the painful process of rebuilding. In the time frame between Lothar's death and the coronation of Varian, Stormwind's leadership was rather nebulous. Essentially, the exiled kingdom was under the care of the Alliance. First, there were military needs to be met as the kingdom was still overrun by lawless orcs at the war's end. This leadership role fell upon the Supreme Commander of Alliance Forces: General Turalyon.

Records show that it was Turalyon who first arrived in Stormwind and was the first to begin the process of reconstruction. Thereby, as he was on the scene he acted as the city's administrator. The Alliance then sent Danath Trollbane to assist in the military matters and take a load from Turalyon's shoulders. Of course, the matter of money to pay for reconstruction was a large issue and it was the primary duty of King Terenas to determine how to acquire the funds. Therefore, the Alliance's military leadership had taken over the responibilities to maintain Stormwind.

In Year 8, Varian Wrynn as named king of Stormwind and he returned to the city; however, he was not formally crowned king until at the age of eighteen. Even once he was officially of adult age, he required a great deal of the tedious bureaucratic work to be handled by the newly formed House of Nobles. With money coming in from Lordaeron, the Kingdom was able to pull itself up and rebuilt most of its major settlements. Thus, Stoermwind began to prosper once more. The political power resided primarily with the House of Nobles at the time because Varian started to spend longer and longer lengths of time away from Stormwind in order to subdue raiding orcs, trolls, and ogres and to press the kingdom's borders back to their original pre-First War positions.

Between Years 10 to 13 the Alliance of Lordaeron began to fall apart. Disputes over taxation for the reconstruction of Stormwind, the cost of Nethergarde, the expense of the internment camps, and the disagreements over the future of Alterac eventually lead Thoras Trollbane to pull Stromgarde out and Genn Greymane to withdraw Gilneas. Shortly thereafter, King Anastarien Sunstrider of Quel'Thalas abandoned the Alliance claiming that the union was pointless as much of their forests had been lost to the Horde---blaming the Alliance's lack of a speedy response (Although history records that the Lothar had ordered an immediate response to Doomhammer's sneak attack on Eversong Forest). During this time, Varian Wrynn stood steadfastly with Terenas and the Alliance claiming that Stormwind owed him a debt. This action did not create any internal political strife for Stormwind, it merely made dealings with seceded states more tedious.

Around Year 15, King Varian married Tiffin Ellerian in order to fulfill an arranged marriage made by his father when Varian had been born. This was also the year in which the first rumblings of discontent began coming from the Stonemason's Guild. The magnificent reconstruction of Stormwind had relied greatly upon these skilled artisans. Yet, when the time came for Stormwind to pay their fees, the House of Nobles refused and gave them half. This decision was manuevered by the sly Lady Katrana Prestor, a recently arrive noble, whom it was revealed in Year 26 was in fact an imposter. I can only guess her reason was to sow chaos within the kingdom and of that was her goal then it was achieved. The Stonemasons began rioting through Stormwind. When Varian stated he would give full payment, the House of Nobles overruled him.

In Year 16, the political stability of Stormwind's eventual future was made secure when Queen Tiffin gave birth to Prince Anduin Wrynn. Yet, the current stability of Stormwind was chaotic when the Stonemason riots became violent. During one such riot, Queen Tiffin was accidentally struck by a thrown stone which killed her. As the king mourned the loss of his wife, the city returned to its state of peace as the Stonemasons fled to evade any sort of backlash from the king.

Now, permit me to take some time away from the narrative of Stormwind's political strife to explain the kingdom's political structure. Prior to the First War, the kingdom was long since used to the feudal practices of government in which the central authority being the king rules from a central hub and is supported by a conclave of noblemen and it is the noblemen that manage territories given to them by the king. Yet, when the citizenry of Stormwind fled to Lordaeron, the feudal system crumbled. And once they had returned to the kingdom, they no longer bothered to restore it. I can guess that their exposure to the northern kingdoms' method of governing through regional assemblies and magistrates influenced Stormwind to do the same.

The Kingdom of Stormwind's national territory is presently divided into four "shires": Elwynn, Redridge, Duskwood, and Westfall (Formerly Hillsbrad and Southshore before its fall for the Forsaken). Each shire has a level of semi-autonomy. There is a certain deal of variation between each shire's government such as the matter of councils, elections, and titles. Yet, the common thread between them all is the vesting of authority in a single leader to act as an executive.

Let us visit the political structures of each shire briefly:

The people of Elwynn Forest occasionally meet and hold an election for the position of "Marshal". The duties of Elwynn's Marshal primarily consists of matters involving the shire's defenses and judicial matters. Marshal Dughan is the present leader. He is the one who selects an advisor to represent the needs of Elwynn to the king.

In the Redridge Mountains, the system of government is a near mirror of the regional governments of Lordaeron. The people elect a single magistrate to act as the ruler for a predetermined term. The magistrate controls the military but defers the authority to a Marshal. The magistrate shares judicial duties with an appointed bailiff. Typically, the bailiff oversees criminal cases while the magistrate settles civil disputes. Unlike Elwynn and Duskwood, Redridge does not have a direct representative in Stormwind, the magistrate is expected to communicate with Stormwind on his own to explain issues and needs. At this time, the Redridge officials are Magistrate Solomon, Marshal Marris, and Bailiff Conacher.

Westfall has been in political chaos for years. Only recently with the return of the Westfall Brigade has it started to recover. Around Year 23, Westfall began to slip into chaos. By Year 25, the Defias Brotherhood had seized control of the region and chased out the shire's political infrastructure. The void of leadership was filled by a military leader: Gryan Stoutmantle, who formed the People's Militia in order to defeat the Defias. There are no elections in Westfall so Stoutmantle is not an elected leader. He was appointed by King Varian to the position of Westfall's Marshal in Year 28, taking many of the roles similar to Elwynn's marshal. Stoutmantle does not have to concern himself with sending a representative to Stormwind because Varian Wrynn dispatches his own representatives (the king holds a personal grudge against the Defias and desires Westfall restored).

Duskwood has the greatest amount of self-autonomy as they have an elected government and a militia to back it. Because the support of Stormwind in the region remains minimal, the shire of Duskwood is nearly independent. From what I have learned, Duskwood once appeared as Elwynn Forest does now, in fact the shire used to be known as Elwynn and the present Elwynn was simply referred to as "the Gold-shire". This region was was full of aristocratic nobles but since the First War the importance of titles has faltered. Yet, their descendents clearly retained some important political importance as the former ruling families such as Millstipe, Ference, Berrybuck, and Ebonlocke have been repeatedly elected by the citizenry into government positions. Duskwood is far different from the other shires' systems because the people of the entire region elect a representative council and the people within Darkshire's town boundaries elect a mayor to head the council and command the militia. The council typically choses an ambassador to advise the King in matters regarding Duskwood. At present the mayor is Lord Ello Ebonlocke, the representative to King Varian is Ambassador Berrybuck, the council members are Role Dreuger, Councillman Millstipe, Hogan Ference, and when he is Darkshire the ambassador also serves.

The shires each have a duty to Stormwind which consists of taxes and conforming to certain regulations; in return the Kingdom pledges to defend to the shires. This system broke down in recent years when the king was missing and the ruling nobleman refused to send the pledged reinforcements to the shires.

In addition to the shires, the Kingdom of Stormwind controls numerous regions with they label "territories". These are places where the military's presence far outweigh the civilian presence or where through various circumstances the Kingdom is unable to rule the territory and must maintain an outpost. Examples are territories inside the Swamp of Sorrows, Northern Stranglethorn and the Burning Steppes. These territories are under the direct authority of the King; however marshals or commanders act as his representatives to the region.

The City of Stormwind is a region unto itself, not a shire or territory, it is simply referred to as the capital. Traditionally, the King rules the capital, but in recent years, this has become impractical since King Varian is forced to focus on military matters. The city's defense is directly under the control of the Army rather than a militia as in the shires. Police matters fall upon the Army to enforce and the King's judicial authorities prosecute offenders, nevertheless some appeals occasionally go to the king to decide. Most of the day to day affairs of the city are handled by the bureacracy within Stormwind City Hall with little involvement by the King and moderate involvement by the House of Nobles.

I have described the various pieces of the Kingdom of Stormwind; now, I will pull them all together. The King and House of Nobles hold the authority to perform actions that affect the kingdom as a whole. Traditionally, the House of Nobles consisted of the lords and counts that made up the feudal authority of the Crown, but since the city's reconstruction they are the remanents of the aristocracy who still control large portions of land---but no longer have the absolute control over it. In the modern House of Nobles, they tell me that their duties are to "represent" the people that live on or near their lands. I can only assume that they prefer that idealized image of themselves serving the people rather than bickering with each other for their own gain. Before King Varian was abducted in the Year 25, the House of Nobles had a great deal of power regarding the nation's finances, but after his return he has placed the House on a tight leash to insure they remain subservent to the Crown.

The King of Stormwind is vested with the authority to make war, peace, to establish treaties with foreign powers, to make laws for the betterment of his nation, to collect and distribute tax revenues, appoint judicial authorities, oversee the shires and assist when required, manage the bureacracy of the capital, to establish order within the territories, and to act as the commander of the armies of Stormwind.

Now, that you have a better image of the state of Stormwind's government following the First War, I will continue with the historical retelling. Please keep in the mind the tensions that this form of governing inherently create such as the power plays between the King and House or the dependence of the shires and territories.

At the loss of his wife, Tiffin, King Varian began falling into a dark depression. Under these circumstances, he often let the House of Nobles manage the kingdom's affairs. The Third War in Year 20 seemed to stir Varian out his stupor, he took a more direct role in Stormwind's politics and pursued a path of militarization once he saw the speedy collapse of both Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas to the Scourge and Burning Legion. In Year 23, Varian began to resume his full status as the head of state. However, he envoked the wrath of his enemies once he took nearly all control of Stormwind's foreign policy away from the House of Nobles.

In Year 25, he set out from Stormwind to attend a peace conference in Theramore to sign a treaty with Warchief Thrall. On this voyage, the king went missing. Only in recent years has it come to light that his abduction was orchestrated by the Defias Brotherhood---the successor organization of the Stonemason's Guild. Bitter over their treatment by the kingdom they served, they sought to hold the king ransom to fund their uprising.

The Defias Brotherhood can best be described as having been an instrument for political revenge. The cunning Stonemason leader, Edwin Van Cleef, designed the organization to act as a beacon to the poor and downtrodden with the Kingdom of Stormwind in addition to the original Stonemasons. By Year 25, the Defias had evolved from an anti-monarchical faction to full-scale rebels. Refugees flooded out of Westfall as these brigands tarnished all that was once good----and in the process, recruiting more into their fold.

Luckily, by Year 26, a homegrown organization of Westfall civilians called the People's Militia crucially weakened the Defias by eliminating the majority of their highest ranking ringleaders, Van Cleef included. Despite this act, the Defias uprising had lasting consequences on the kingdom that fueled the political turmoil within Stormwind for nearly a decade. The loss of Westfall's prosperity lowered incoming trade revenues for the kingdom. The departure of Westfall's residents and their resettlement in Elwynn and Stormwind raised the level of citizens living in poverty. And as a result, crime increased which forced soldiers to be mustered to keep order. The local courts were overwhelmed with claims from Elwynn citizens suing Westfall refugees for damages as a result of their squatting. Local bureaucracy was forced to expand. Food surpluses were diminished and export trade fell.

And as all historians know, wars are made of money and kingdoms are made stable with prosperity. In the rising tension of Years 25 to 27, Stormwind's military expenses were skyrocketing and the treasury was growing bare and instability in the provinces most distant from Stormwind was growing. All of this as the result of the Defias uprising.

Of course, I have not even touched on the turmoil wroth by the kidnapping of King Varian Wrynn. This bold move did not bring as much chaos as the Defias would have liked because the Kingdom's agents and leaders managed to keep Varian's disappearance silent. However, in recent years it has come to light that the turmoil was only hidden from the public's eye. When the House of Nobles learned in Year 25 that their king's transport ship had been lost at sea, a brief debate ensued, in which the nobles wrangled for the nation's regentship. It was in this tense moment that the sinister Katrana Prestor, in reality an imposter sent by the Black Dragonflight to wreak havoc on Stormwind, proposed the compromise that none of the nobles receive control of the nation---that the ten year old prince Anduin be crowned king.

One of the nobles who desired to remain nameless recounts to me, "It was hard to pull my eyes from her. Now that I know what she was I can see my error in supporting her choices. But! But! Everyone was doing it, you see. I could not be the only one going against her. There were a few that tried, but she would just flash a smile and they would fall silent. When she said that the Prince should be crowned in a private and informal ceremony, I remember wanting to laugh----but she just flashed those pearly white teeth and we nodded.”

From this testimony and other, it can be concluded that the imposter Prestor was manipulating the House of Nobles through magical means. As a result, soon after the king's disappearance, Anduin was crowned king of Stormwind and in another compromise among the nobility, none of the nobles were made Regent, instead Prestor convinced them to appoint Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, a military leader for the kingdom. It seems unlikely that a paladin such as Fordragon could be manipulated by Prestor and by all accounts of individuals within Stormwind during that time; Prestor did not have Fordragon appointed because she could manipulate him. Instead, it appeared to be Prestor's intent to stall any political action by representing the House of Nobles when dealing with the Regent and checking each of Fordragon's decisions with the threat of the House vetoing it. The wretched imposter clearly was correct in believing that inactivity was a safer form of destructive activity than blatant destructive measures.

The cost of Stormwind's inactivity was felt throughout the kingdom as Redridge was forced to fight invading Blackrock orcs without Stormwind's help. Or Duskwood and Westfall being forced to form their own militias to contend with their own threats. By Year 26, the provinces of Stormwind were forced to become autonomous from the lack of Stormwind's involvement. This would create newer tensions when the king would return and their new-found autonomy was lost.

The ramifications of Stormwind’s inactivity were even felt by the Alliance. For years, humanity had provided the Alliance with its backbone. Humans are a populous and spirited people that work well with their allies. However, during the time of Prestor's manipulations, the armies of Stormwind rarely ventured outside of the capital. I recall having a conversation with Brann Bronzebeard back in Year 25 when he called Prestor a number of Dwarvish obscenities that do not translate well. I believed him joking when he said he would be willing to lop her head off himself if it resulted in Bolvar Fordragon restoring Stormwind's place of glory.

Tensions within and without the kingdom flared up as a result of the monarchy's inactivity. It was when the situation seemed dire that what seemed to be Varian Wrynn returned to his people in Year 26. Prestor claimed that he had been freed by his captors at the cost of a handsome ransom and the nation rejoiced in the belief that things would change for the better. They did not. I do not understand the specifics but somehow the individual that the people saw as Varian was only a portion of their king----he was magically divided through Prestor's sinister magic. One part of him escaped his Defias kidnappers, only to be enslaved by the orcs of Durotar and forced into the gladiator's ring. And the other half remained with the Defias---and it was this half which had been ransomed and was in Stormwind. Just as quietly as the crown passed to Anduin, it went back to Varian. Unfortunately for Stormwind, this did not result in Prestor's plans being challenged.

The portion of Varian that was in Stormwind was easily manipulated by the fraudulent noble because it lacked the aggressive and decisive components that the king's mind had once possessed. Those components were being carried in the other portion of Varian which the orcs had named "Lo'gosh." As a result, the return of their king only gave the people of Stormwind some small hope for the future and nothing more. The matters of state were passed from Varian to the House of Nobles as Katrana Prestor intended. One former advisor to King Magni Bronzebeard named Berdolph Dundel tells me of one time his king returned from a diplomatic visit to Stormwind during this time, "I dinnae go wit' 'im. Good thing too. 'e was in such a foul mood afta' coming back tae Ironforge. Said that the king just looked at that wench Prestor and nodded at everything she said."

As Year 26 came to a close, the other portion of Varian, which I shall call "Lo'gosh," arrived in Stormwind. Prestor knew that all her plans would be undone if Lo'gosh entered the city. She ordered him to be arrested, but the city guards were unwilling to do so. When Lo'gosh confronted Prestor and Marshal Reginald Windsor revealed the noblewoman to be an imposter, those that had been manipulated by her were released and banded together to fight her off. When the imposter, now exposed as a black dragon, fled across the Great Sea, both Varian and Lo'gosh pursued and slew her. In the battle to do so, the divided segments of the King were restored. To this day, King Wrynn struggles with maintaining the two portions within him---there integration did not go smoothly as Lady Jaina Proudmoore once told me during an interview.

By Year 27's start, events looked promising to the Kingdom of Stormwind. Their king was restored and the imposter slain. News of the Burning Legion's third failure to invade through the Sunwell only stirred this upward swelling of emotion.

Westfall was slowly being restored by the efforts of the People's Militia which King Wrynn immediately took a hand in by naming it the Westfall Brigade and integrating it into Stormwind's army---thereby policy permitted the Brigade to be outfitted with new weapons, equipment, and supplies. In addition to the military support, King Wrynn's architects and engineers worked with Magistrate Gryan Stoutmantle in planning Sentinel Hill's position as Westfall's new regional capital---taking the place which Moonbrook once held.

King Varian immediately dispatched reinforcements into Elwynn Forest to restore order and security which the Defias uprising prompted. I spoke to Marshal Dughan, Elwynn's magistrate, about this event. He told me: "Horsemen in grand columns marched down from Stormwind and assembled before the people of Goldshire, who stood around looking at the soldiers. I was there too. We all assumed they were some battalion headed off to a distant land to fight some war that did not matter to us. But then they dismounted and saluted. Naturally, I approached and returned the salute. Their commander informed me that they were dispatched in accordance with a request I had sent in two years prior. And through that gesture, we all felt the impact of King Wrynn's return at that moment. Our kingdom had arisen from its sleep."

The province of Redridge, which had long been under siege by invading Blackrock orcs, was also reinforced with troops from Stormwind. And like in Westfall, the king's engineers worked with the people in restoring their infrastructure and fortifications. I spoke to Magistrate Solomon but did not get the opportunity to ask him about this event because we were interrupted when a swarm of citizens came into the city hall and began protesting about some new economic policy. It is typical in this province to have citizens petition their leaders without an invitation---or so I have seen.

But this were just the calm before the storm. The downpour began when the War against the Lich King broke out. Despite the turmoil and attacks on the Kingdom, the political situation remained intact. A few noblemen privately informed me that King Varian sought to lead the Alliance forces to Northrend himself; however, refrained when convinced that his kingdom still needed him after being away. It is possible that the House of Nobles desired the king to remain for the sake of making many of the tough economic policies that leaders in times of war all have to make.

Throughout the war, the politics of Stormwind were no longer in the state of disarray that Katrana Prestor had infected it with. The King's presence contributed to the strengthening of Stormwind and with his growing control over the House of Nobles, that had once sought to override many of his measures during the time of Prestor, he insured that they would no longer challenge him for the mere sport of it.

It was also during this war that Stormwind took the unofficial reins of the Alliance's leadership from the dwarves of Ironforge. After the fall of Lordaeron in Year 20, the Alliance had fallen into disarray and it was assumed that Varian would become the icon that Terenas had been. However, after his wife's death, his brooding distracted from any chance of that. Thereby, it had been King Magni Bronzebeard to assume a position as the Alliance's unofficial figure head. But once Varian Wrynn returned to his throne, he was no longer lethargic. His time as a gladiator had fumed intense hate and distaste for the orcs. He blamed Thrall for allowing slavery to exist under his leadership. Wrynn believed the Horde was a threat to the world's peace. I can only assume that if the Lich King had not attacked when he did then Varian would have made war upon the Horde.

Because of his renewed vigor, the King of Stormwind has become the unofficial figurehead of the Alliance leadership. And because his nation is now maintaining multiple positions across Azeroth with its large army, the Alliance nations have fallen in line behind Varian's military leadership. At present, one can travel throughout the territories of the Alliance and find notices bearing his seal. Orders and decrees regarding Alliance policy and muster calls for various regions are posted in Ironforge, Darnassus, the Exodar, and Stormwind.

The political stability brought to Varian's kingdom by his returned has given the Alliance the strength to directly oppose Horde expansion across the world. However, if the nation's stability is to last then new economic measures must be taken to restore the lives of those that lost everything during the War against the Lich King.





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Source : http://www.scrollsoflore.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16821