| The Fall of Stromgarde | |||
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| Campaign: Post-Siege Alliance-Horde Azeroth Engagements | |||
| Date: 36 L.C. | |||
| Place: Arathi Highlands, Hillsbrad Foothills | |||
| Outcome: Ongoing | |||
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Unknown |
Unknown |
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The Fall of Stromgarde (Year 36 L.C.) was a conflict that spanned across the regions of Hillsbrad and the Arathi Highlands.
Prelude[]
Alliance[]
Prior to the onset of the Alliance-Horde conflict, the threat of a civil war precipitated from within the city of Stromgarde.
Horde[]
A sharp rise in violence followed the Misummer Festival of 36 L.C. in the regions of Hillsbrad and Arathi. Vague threats against the Horde began to appear in the form of human graffiti which portrayed Alliance symbolism and general anti-Horde sentiments. The vandalism was soon followed by isolated attacks on Horde settlements, most notably the Sepulcher in Silverpine Forest. As news of the aggression began to spread, notable military leaders of the Horde began to send scouts to assess the situation and offer relief to those effected by the attacks. A major point of escalation occured when Aedien Lightscar, a sin'dorei providing aid to the wounded of Hammerfall, was nearly killed in a failed assassination attempt by human bandits. All but one of the bandits were captured by elven reinforcements soon afterwards, revealing through an interrogation that the attack was ordered by a Syndicate leader in Stromgarde. As more Syndicate operatives in the Highlands were captured, evidence of Alliance involvement began to surface. Supplies from Stormwind, including weapons and armaments, were confiscated from bandit holdouts across the region. Further scouting reports exposed that Alliance-loyal forces were residing in Stromgarde, many of which were known instigators of the Alliance-Horde conflict. With mounting concern that the Alliance was preparing an invasion of the North, Horde military leaders convened at Hammerfall to discuss the inevitability of war.
Attack on the Horde Summit[]
Horde forces at Hammerfall were comprised of orcish warbands, noble elven houses, trollish tribes, and goblin mercenaries. Although there was a distinct lack of representation among the Forsaken at the summit, it was generally agreed upon by Horde leaders that the Arathi Highlands could not fall to the Alliance. Minutes into the meeting, humans attacked the keep and left several dead or wounded. The bloodshed was the impetus needed to stir the Horde into retaliating, marking the beginning of their campaign to drive the Alliance out of the highlands. The War Riders, a contingent of warriors mounted on vicious war wolves, led the vanguard. Their swift and deadly attacks on Alliance settlements in the region were devastating. Many of the human survivors fled to Refuge Pointe or Stromgarde itself where the War Riders would not venture. Meanwhile, the Horde forces at Hammerfall and Galen's Fall made preparations for the siege.