Azeroth (world)
From WoWWiki
 Azeroth
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| Level 1-60, 68-80 | |
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| Location | The Great Dark |
- For other uses see Azeroth.
Azeroth is the name of the world in which the majority of the Warcraft series is set. The world of Azeroth is the birthplace of many races, most notable being elves (night elves, high elves and blood elves), humans, dwarves, tauren, goblins, trolls, gnomes, and dragons. At its birth, Azeroth was blessed by the Titans. Then the demonic armies of the Burning Legion came and shattered peace and forced the night elves to sunder their world. Gradually races were dragged to Azeroth (such as the orcs, draenei, and ogres), others evolved, and others were brought from the dust itself. The peoples of Azeroth have fought brutally against the demons and their servants, and much blood was and is being shed. After the Third War three major powers emerged: the Scourge, the Horde, and the Alliance. Other major powers include the naga, the Qiraji, and the Scarlet Crusade. Although ravaged by conflict, somehow through trickery, betrayal, and sheer blood, Azeroth has survived the Burning Legion thrice. However, Azeroth is still torn by conflict, hate, and war.
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Geographical Features
The world of Azeroth is comprised of three major continents, with a number of smaller islands scattered about them. These are Northrend in the north, Kalimdor in the west, and the Eastern Kingdoms in the east. At one time, all three of these continents were part of one large supercontinent (known as Kalimdor), with a large lake known as the Well of Eternity in the center. When the well exploded at the conclusion of the War of the Ancients, this supercontinent was shattered, leaving behind the continents and islands that exist today. The Forbidding Sea is the expanse of water to the east of the Eastern Kingdoms and the Veiled Sea sits west of Kalimdor. Between the three continents lies the Great Sea, and at its center lies the Maelstrom — a massive chaotic whirlpool over the area where the Well of Eternity once existed. The vortex has been active since the Great Sundering ten thousand years ago, and there is no foreseeable natural end to its existence.
Azeroth also has two moons, the White Lady and the Blue Child.
History
- Main article: Timeline
For much of Azeroth's prehistory, the Old Gods ruled Azeroth along with their Elemental Lieutenants. Then the Titans came and great battles ensued — resulting in the death of one Old God and the chaining of the rest. The Titans chose several Great Aspects to guard the planet and then left.
Soon the Trolls flourished from Zandalar and built great empires, most notably the Gurubashi and Amani. When the Azj'Aqir empire appeared in the west, the empires battled for supremacy. The trolls were fighting on the losing side for a majority of the war. Suddenly the tides changed and the Aqir split into the Qiraji and the Nerubians.
The night elves also appeared around that time, quickly outwitting the trolls and crafting giant magical empire using the well at the center of the world called Well of Eternity.
The Burning Legion invaded Azeroth resulting in the War of the Ancients. At the end of this, the night elves destroyed the well causing a Great Sundering that split the ancient supercontinent of "Kalimdor" apart — creating several continents, Northrend, the Eastern Kingdoms (continents of Azeroth, Khaz Modan, and Lordaeron) and "Kalimdor".
Following the war the Night Elves was split into two groups: The Night Elves, that turned to druidic magic; and the High Elves that would not give up the arcane magic. The High Elves was banished from the night elven territory and settled in the north of Lordaeron, and created the mighty kingdom of Quel'Thalas. The Amani Empire was still a strong force here, and the two very different cultures soon clashed in what became known as The Troll Wars. In the end, the elves managed to get the support of the humans, and out of the fray came two allied races and a shattered empire.
Kil'jaeden forced the once peaceful orcs and ogres to slaughter humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves in the First and Second Wars. The bloodthirsty orcs went lethargic when they were put in internment camps.
Angered by the Horde's failure, the Burning Legion created the Undead Scourge, which lured in Arthas, the prince of Lordaeron, to join their cause and sucking Lordaeron and Quel'thalas into war. Arthas ravaged a number of cities, including the elven city of Silvermoon and corrupted the Sunwell, and thus the High Elves. This began the Third War. After devouring Lordaeron and summoning the Burning Legion, the Scourge went to Kalimdor and helped the demons move through Ashenvale and Felwood. Under the leadership of Thrall, the orcs allied the tauren and trolls and united with the survivors of Lordaeron and the Night Elves to destroy the Burning Legion.
Illidan, having been recently freed, was convinced by Arthas to kill Tichondrius, a powerful demon, by gaining untold powers from the Skull of Gul'dan. Illidan was banished from his land but was ordered by Kil'jaeden to attack the Lich King, the leader of the Undead, since they went rogue. Illidan, with the aid of the Naga, nearly met success but were thwarted by the Blood Elves and the Night Elves seeking to reclaim Lordaeron from the Scourge and to imprison Illidan again, respectively. But Illidan also freed Sylvanas and a number of other undead. The Burning Legion also gave Balnazzar a number of undead. The Forsaken, led by Sylvanas and these Legion undead fought, while Arthas and his forces fought to save the Lich King a second time. Arthas saved and became the Lich King, while Sylvanas emerged victorious in Lordaeron. The Forsaken still fight against the Scarlet Crusade, other humans, and most importantly the Scourge there. The Forsaken, Orcs, Trolls, Tauren, and Blood Elves have formed the Horde, while the Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, Night Elves, and Draenei have formed the Alliance. The Scourge, Horde, Alliance, Naga, and others all fight for the world or simply to survive. A faction of the blood elves joined Illidan and the portal to Outland has been opened.
Native sapient creatures
- Aqir
- Dragons
- Dwarves
- Centaur
- Elves
- Furbolgs
- Gnolls
- Gnomes
- Goblins
- Harpies
- Humans
- Kobolds
- Murlocs
- Naga
- Nerubians
- Pandaren
- Quilboar
- Tauren
- Trolls
Resident Aliens
- Draenei refugees from Outland have formed an enclave in the Azuremyst Isles.
- A large ogre population is present as a result of the Second War.
- The orcs have established their own nation, Durotar, in central Kalimdor.
- Large numbers of worgen are also present on Azeroth for a variety of reasons, typically arcane experimentation.
- Demons are also a prominenent non-native species. Most have either been summoned by warlocks, or came here during the Third War and stayed.
Origin of the Name
The term Azeroth is a human word and is derived from the term used for the ancient primitive-humans that lived on the world pre-sundering, the Azotha.LoC 18
It is said that when the Arathi brought the scattered human tribes together as the empire of Arathor, they named the land as a whole in homage to their ancient ancestors: Azeroth.LoC 18 It is unclear whether they named the world or named the continent.
Strangely, the term was in use during the War of the AncientsSund #? by the night elves, which raises further questions about its etymology and origins. As confirmed, it apparently was from a dialect of Common (adapted from the term Azotha), but why the night elves would use it is unclear.
- Alternately, the use of the word in the War of the Ancients trilogy could be considered a continuity error, although other sources imply that the world was called Azeroth at the time as well.
Maps of Azeroth
 Atlas Map |
 Azeroth as seen in WoW (unofficial) |
 Azeroth as seen in Warcraft III |
 Warcraft RPG Map |
 World of Warcraft RPG Map |
 Lands of Mystery South Seas map |
 Fan-made map by Warlock |
 The other side of Azeroth (as currently known) |
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Categories: Lore | Worlds | Azeroth
