Lordaeronian

"Ruled by the benevolent King Terenas II, the nation of Lordaeron stands as the last bastion of hope for humanity. The armies of Lordaeron were the first to heed the call to arms issued by Sir Lothar and the people of Azeroth. As patron of the Alliance, King Terenas II has assumed the heavy mantle of leadership to protect all who abide in his domain. The armies of Lordaeron are deeply religious and are driven by the belief that humanity must stand steadfast against the blasphemous onslaught of the Horde."

- Introduction

Lordaeronian are an ethnic group of humans that live/lived in the Kingdom of Lordaeron.

Lordaeron was a human kingdom primarily located along the northern territories of the homonymous continent. Originally an Arathorian city-state, it was an empire by the time of its fall during the Third War.

Ruled by the House of Menethil, the kingdom took part in the birth of the Alliance of Lordaeron shortly before the start of the Second War. The Kingdom of Lordaeron spearheaded the Alliance forces during the campaign against the Orcish Horde during the war. Unfortunately, the nation would be almost entirely consumed by the Undead Scourge during the Third War, which occurred fourteen years later.

Lordaeron's territories are presently contested between the Forsaken, the Alliance, the Argent Crusade, the Scarlet Crusade, and the remnants of the Scourge.

City-state of Arathor
Lordaeron was settled by the disenfranchised lords of Strom, capital of the nation of Arathor, who were part of a group that left Strom because they were desirous of the verdant lands to the north. The capital city served as a spiritual destination for the citizens of the seven human kingdoms.

The Alliance of Lordaeron
Following the opening of the Dark Portal, the nations of Azeroth and Khaz Modan were conquered by the Horde. The refugees from Azeroth, led by Lord Anduin Lothar, fled across the sea to Lordaeron. There, Lothar convinced the leaders of the human nations, as well as the dwarves of Ironforge, gnomes of Gnomeregan, and high elves of Quel'Thalas, to join forces in the Alliance of Lordaeron.

Under the leadership of King Terenas Menethil II and Lord Lothar, the Alliance was victorious, pushing the Horde back to the Dark Portal, and destroying the gateway to the orcs' homeworld. Lothar fell in the assault on Blackrock Spire, and with the loss of his political skill, rifts developed between the Alliance nations. The main issue of dispute was a tax levied by King Terenas to finance the internment of the orcs. Though Lordaeron attempted to retain its central role, several nations pulled their support from the Alliance.

The Scourge of Lordaeron
Following years of debate over the internment of the orcs, a plague appeared in the north of Lordaeron. As it spread throughout the towns and cities of Lordaeron, one after another fell to the Scourge, most notably Andorhal and Stratholme. Finally, with the corruption of the heir to the throne of Lordaeron, Prince Arthas Menethil, the capital city itself succumbed. Arthas' captains Falric and Marwyn alone were responsible for the slaughter of the aristocracy. Thus, in an ironic twist of fate, it was Lordaeron that lay in ruins, with refugees streaming to Khaz Modan and Azeroth. Many others fled with Jaina Proudmoore to Kalimdor.

Arthas briefly assumed the title of King, and ruled as an agent of the Scourge, before the eruption of a civil war between his forces, the remaining dreadlords, and the free undead led by Sylvanas Windrunner. While Arthas was summoned to Northrend to defend the Lich King, Windrunner's forces, the Forsaken, with the help of a traitor Dreadlord Varimathras, and the remaining human forces Under Grand Marshal Othmar Garithos whom Sylvanas tricked into helping her, achieved a victory over the other dreadlords and the Undead they controlled. After the final battle, Sylvanas betrayed the Humans she allied with by ordering Varimathras and her forsaken to kill Garithos and to slaughter the remaining Human forces, afterward they claimed the ruined former capital of Lordaeron (the "Ruins of Lordaeron"), under which they constructed the Undercity.

Modern Lordaeron
The remaining indigenous humans of Lordaeron may be broken down into three major groups, the Loyalists of Stormwind, the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn. The first are the folk of southern Lordaeron which have remained loyal to the Alliance, and have given their loyalty to the monarchy at Stormwind. These humans once controlled three towns, scattered evenly across the southern regions of the nation. Southshore was the most important of these townships, and the only port north of the Thandol Span under Alliance control. To the north, nestled in the rolling foothills of Alterac lay the town of Hillsbrad, surrounded by the rich Hillsbrad Fields. The town controlled an important mine on the coast, Azurelode Mine. Far to the west of these towns lies the town of Pyrewood Village, which received its aid not from Stormwind, but from Dalaran. The town was friendly to the Alliance, but the dire curse laid upon it by the mage Arugal prevented it from further integration. To the south of the town lay a refugee camp outside of the Greymane Wall, and its folk also supported the Alliance.

The Scarlet Crusade held lands scattered throughout northern Lordaeron, and at one stage were by far the most numerically well endowed of the human factions of the former kingdom. Nominally a part of the Alliance, they are so fearful of the undead that they will attack any individual on sight. They hold several key positions in the Tirisfal Glades, including farmlands in the west, and their great stronghold in the region, the Scarlet Monastery above the north coast. In the Western Plaguelands they once controlled the entire northern part of the zone from Hearthglen. They also formerly maintained a presence in Andorhal. In the Eastern Plaguelands they controlled Tyr's Hand, and nominally controlled the Scarlet Enclave beyond, although it has become depopulated due to invasion by the Scourge, and migration to Northrend. Their capital lay at Stratholme, where they held a portion of the city.

The Argent Dawn has bases throughout the Plaguelands, and is made up of those humans who have taken a more moderate approach to the war against the dead, accepting Horde and even Forsaken into their ranks.

The Alliance has further strength in the region as well. A small high elven outpost could also be found near the bounds of the Ghostlands in the Eastern Plaguelands, Quel'Lithien Lodge. These elves stayed committed to the Alliance, and were hostile to the Horde. Dalaranian troops also have a presence in southern Silverpine Forest.

The Forsaken managed to take control of the heart of the old kingdom, claiming the Ruins of Lordaeron (and the Undercity beneath) as their base of operations. They use it to keep hold over much of the Tirisfal Glades, and control the towns Brill and Deathknell along the main east-west road of the region. They also control The Sepulcher in the center of Silverpine Forest, and the town of Tarren Mill in the Hillsbrad Foothills.

The Syndicate, in an attempt to punish Lordaeron for its role in the fall of their kingdom of Alterac took the fortress of Durnholde Keep and the surrounding countryside, although the Ravenholdt (a league of assassins) have attempted to curb their strength from their base at Ravenholdt Manor (which also lies in former Lordaeron).

Finally, the Undead Scourge holds Stratholme and Andorhal, as well as Scholomance in the southern Western Plaguelands. The Scourge at one point were overwhelmingly the dominant force in much of Lordaeron, with a presence in all its regions except the Hillsbrad Foothills.

On a side note, the mage Arugal formerly controlled large tracts of land in Silverpine Forest from Shadowfang Keep.

Appearance
Lordaeronians appear the same as a standard human.

Culture
Lordaeron's national colors are both white and blue. In Reign of Chaos, Lordaeron forces are represented in blue (white is notably not a playable color as it was in Tides of Darkness) while in The Frozen Throne, Lordaeron is instead most commonly represented as a light blue. Along with the Lordaeron sigil, both twin and single-headed eagles often adorn Lordaeron banners and tabards. Lions are also a common symbol

Trivia

 * For the most part, Lordaeron is destroyed. The Forsaken reside here now and often battle the remaining living forces of the kingdom.