This article or section contains lore taken from Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the manuals, and official bonus maps.

Riders on the Storm is the chapter three (3) of the prologue campaign, Exodus of the Horde, in Warcraft III Demo and the chapter one (1) of the custom campaign of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

TranscriptEdit

Loading ScreenEdit

As Thrall and his companions set out for Kalimdor in their fleet of stolen ships, they are beset in the open seas by a sudden, fierce storm. To prevent the ships from taking a heavy pounding, Thrall orders the fleet to seek shelter in the cove of a nearby, remote island.

Quests Edit

Main Quests Edit

20px Human Outpost Edit

• Objectives
  • Destroy the Human outpost
• Description
  • The existence of a Human outpost on the island poses an immediate threat to you and your warriors. You must destroy the outpost before they can prepare a massive assault.

Optional QuestsEdit

20px Defiled Fountain Edit

• Objectives
  • Obtain the Vine of Purification
  • Obtain the Seed of Expulsion
  • Return both items to the Fountain
• Description
  • The Fountain of Health once healed anyone who drank from it, but lately the water has become foul. You must retrieve the Vine of Purification and the Seed of Expulsion and bring them back to the Fountain so Sen'Jin can concoct a purifying potion.

Mission FailsEdit

• All of your buildings have been destroyed.

HintsEdit

HintsEdit

• Raiders and Catapults are especially effective at destroying enemy buildings.
• Pillage can be learned at your Great Hall, and gives Peons, Grunts and Raiders the ability to gather resources by damaging enemy buildings.
• Peons can garrison inside Orc Burrows to attack enemy units.
• Thrall has died and can now be revived at an Altar of Storms. To revive him, select your Altar of Storms and LEFT-CLICK on the REVIVE FAR SEER - THRALL button.
• To unload your Peon from the Burrow, select the Burrow and CLICK on the STAND DOWN button in the command card.
• To unload your Peon from the Burrow, select the Burrow and CLICK on the STAND DOWN button in the command card.
• Upgrade your Great Hall to gain access to advanced units and structures, such as Raiders, Catapults, and Shaman. To do this, select your Great Hall and LEFT-CLICK on the UPGRADE TO STRONGHOLD button.

New unit acquiredEdit

• Troll Headhunter - Headhunters are versatile spear-throwers, effective at ranged combat.

New unit availableEdit

• Catapult - You may now build Catapults from the Barracks.
• Raider - You may now build Raiders from the Beastiary.

New item receivedEdit

• Healing Wards

QuotesEdit

Intro cinematicEdit

• Thrall: "It was lucky we happened onto this cove. I don't think our ships would have held out much longer in that storm."
• Grunt: "Warchief, half of the ships are missing, and the rest are badly damaged."
• Thrall: "We had better get settled, then. We may be on this island for awhile."
• Shaman: "Warchief, I sense strange magic all around us."
• Thrall: "Hmmm..."
• Thrall: "There's the source of your magic. Someone is watching us!"
• Sen'Jin: "It is you!"
• Sen'Jin: "I saw your arrival in a vision! Especially you... the Seer. Or is it just my old mind playin' tricks on me?"
• Thrall: "Looks like this troll's been on the island a little too long... We're real enough, old one. My name is Thrall."
• Sen'Jin: "I be Sen'Jin, leader of the trolls. This island used to be ours alone, but no more. You and your friends must be careful; the humans established an outpost on this island some time ago."
• Thrall: "Humans?"
• Sen'Jin: "Yes! They hound us day and night! Their patrols be all over the place. It not be long 'til they find you too!"
• Thrall: "Well, I'd rather find them first! We can't risk their patrols' alerting the outpost about us! Lok-Tar, my brothers! We're moving out!"
• Sen'Jin: "Good luck, my friend! I got important matters to tend to, but I be seein' you soon."

Defiled Fountain discoveredEdit

• Troll Headhunter: "Hey, mon. Sen'Jin told me you help us get rid of the humans! You know, this fountain once healed whoever drink from it, but strange gasses from underground been foulin' the water. With a few ingredients, Sen'Jin can make a purifying potion. Maybe you can help?"

Middle cinematicEdit

• Sen'Jin: "Hello again, outlanders! These ingredients be exactly what I need."
• Sen'Jin: "Now our warriors can heal themselves! Let me give you a little something for the trouble."
• Sen'Jin: "These wards contain healing magic. No doubt you'll find them useful."

Between the battleEdit

• Footman: "Hey, it's the orcs who stole the ships from the mainland! Send for reinforcements!"

• Thrall: "These vents are active. The island's volcano may not stay dormant for long."

• Thrall: "These are the same wards the old troll used to spy on us. They may prove useful."

• Archmage: "Your insolence astounds me! You ignorant brutes shall only succeed in dying!"

• Archmage: "Your feeble attacks are fruitless! Why don't you just give up?"

Ending cinematicEdit

• Thrall: "For the Horde!"
• Thrall: "Watch your backs! This battle's not over yet!"
• Troll Headhunter: "The fish-creatures have come to take us away!"
• Murloc Sorcerer: "Your meddling magics will no longer interfere with our plans, land-dweller."

Unused quotesEdit

• D03Grunt17: "Warchief, one of the humans escaped!"
• D03HeadHunter19: "Our spears would be no good against that shields, run!"
• D03Thrall16: "Humans, just what we needed... Don't let them get away!"
• D03Thrall18: "Damn, they'll alert the outpost for sure. Prepare for battle!"
• D03Thrall25: "Stay alert, not all the island inhabitants are friendly."
• D03Thrall30: "This wards contain healing power."
• D03Troll26: "Welcome to the village mon."
• D03Troll27: "You are green or I'm just seeing things?"
• D03Troll28: "I hope you help us get rid of those nasty humans."

UnitsEdit

NamedEdit

• Thrall
• Sen'jin

CreepsEdit

• 8 Gnolls
• 3 Gnoll Brutes
• 8 Gnoll Poachers
• 1 Gnoll Wardens
• 3 Lightning Lizards
• 4 Mud Golems
• 1 Ogre Magi
• 1 Ogre Mauler
• 8 Ogre Warriors
• 2 Sasquatches
• 1 Thunder Lizard
• 6 Timber Wolves

The battleEdit

After making it halfway to Kalimdor, the Horde forces land on the Darkspear Islands, near the Maelstrom. The orcs' ships were badly damaged and need to be repaired before the journey may continue. Soon after landing, the orcish shamans detected magic around them and found out some troll sentry wards. The trolls' chieftain, Sen'jin, revealed himself and told the orcs that humans had landed on the islands too and are now were hunting his tribesmen. The orcs and trolls agreed to join forces and set up a base to defend themselves from the humans. As soon as the basic camp was set up, Thrall is tasked by a troll to find the Seed of Expulsion and the Vine of Purification to purify a poisoned Fountain of Health. After purifying the Fountain, the orcs and trolls assaulted the humans' base, led by an Archmage. Before managing to destroy the whole camp, murlocs led by a Murloc Sorcerer appeared and net the humans, trolls, and orcs. They were then taken to a cave to be sacrificed to a mysterious Sea Witch.^[4]

NotesEdit

• This level is named after the song Riders on the Storm by The Doors.
• It was cut out of the full game with just the tutorial levels left in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, however, in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, Blizzard made a custom campaign which included the demo missions, although the voices were cut out.
• The Archmage probably die during the battle as he has to be killed for an easy win or he is killed when he invades Thrall base. Although there is an unused trigger in the custom campaign of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne where he is captured by the murlocs, there is no indications that this has happened as the said trigger is unenabled and so isn't used in the mission. Neverless, if he was captured, then he would have been killed with the rest of the humans in the cavern during the next mission.

ItemsEdit

•  [Potion of Mana]
• [Bracer of Agility]
•  [Scroll of Protection]
•  [Claws of Attack]
•  [Scroll of Healing]
•  [Tome of Agility]
•  [Tome of Intelligence]
•  [Potion of Greater Mana]
•  [Scroll of the Beast]
•  [Tome of Intelligence +2]
•  [Healing Wards]
• Sentry Wards

Reference listEdit