Part 17: Burning Legion, Medivh, and you!
Let's get things started with our first ever lore update!
Now for many of you, this is probably going to be a rehash. However, Blizzard has gone back to touch up their lore here and there, so you may be surprised to find that what you once thought has since been changed. To begin, I think we should start with the introduction to the orc campaign with our most prestigious of narrators.
blip.tv, Viddler, or Youtube
Who doesn't love hearing that man speak? Anyway...
The Burning Legion, Medivh, and you!
It's difficult to pick a time to begin our lore history lesson, seeing that there's so much ground to cover, even before the First War begins. So we'll begin with the Burning Legion, a massive army of demons and corrupted creatures from far across the universe. The leader of this massive army, was a fallen Titan known as Sargeras.
Face of a demon, hair of a lion.
Sargeras wanted to destroy all the order that the Titans had created throughout the universe, and to this end, Sargeras sent forth the Burning Legion to wage war on worlds all over. Azeroth (the humble home of the humans), however, was a special case. Azeroth held the Well of Eternity, a font of magic and power, and it was for this that Sargeras hungered. However, after a reckless assault, and the combined efforts of the elven demigod Cenarius and the various dragon aspects, the Burning Legion was pushed back and Sargeras's body destroyed **as he attempted to pass through the portal to Azeroth.** (Thank you, Walrus Pete!)
Trying a new strategy, now devoid of the majority of his physical presence, launched another attack. This time, however, he was stopped by Aegwynn, a guardian specifically appointed to halt the Legion's advance. The Legion assaulted the world until Aegwynn discovered the portal from which the demons spewed forth from. There, an avatar of Sargeras sought to defeat the mage in combat, but was ultimately destroyed once more. However, this is exactly as Sargeras planned, sending his spirit to inhabit the guardian's body, laying dormant for years. Aegwynn, for her credit, cast the physical body of Sargeras deep into the oceans, where it would lay buried until a certain warlock would uncover it. But that's another story...
Years later, Aegwynn was nearing her end as a Guardian of Tirisfal, and rather than choose another to take her place, she insisted that one of her bloodline must take the role. She then began a search for a powerful wizard to sire her child, and discovered Nielas Aran, the court wizard to Landen Wrynn, the then king of the kingdom Azeroth. Aran and Aegwynn have a child, Medivh, whom Sargeras then inhabited. Medivh's power as a Guardian grew exponentially at the age of 14, and he collapsed into a 20 year coma. It's a wonder they didn't just bury him after the first year. During that time, Sargeras took full control of the man and his powers
Medivh, now with a thirst for power, began to research everything he possibly could from within his darkened tower, Karazhan. Sargeras turned his attention to Draenor, a world discovered and subjugated by the Legion only a few years before (which we'll get into next time), and most specifically to the powerful warrior race of orcs. Tricked into thinking that the destruction of Azeroth would bring him power yet unheard of, Medivh began to communicate with Gul'dan, the powerful warlock that lead the Shadow Council of the orcish tribes.
Working together, Gul'dan and Medivh (from the Black Morass) opened a portal between the two lands, and the orcish invasion began. Aegwynn saw what her son was doing and attempted to stop him, but Medivh was the victor, but only just barely. Aegwynn retreated, using the rest of her magics to ensure her survival, while a weakened Medivh began to draw strength from the land itself, slowly turning the Black Morass to a twisted and wretched wasteland.
More to come, next time on... Warcraft: Lore! And don't forget: Lore is tricky, if you feel I've made an error here, let me know so that I can adjust it, and my brain.