Conquest of Stranglethorn Vale

Forward
The conquest of Stranglethorn was caused in the overpopulation of the Kingdom of Azeroth. With the discovery of gold on the Gold Coast in 189 K.C., the citizenry of the Kingdom of Stormwind were propelled southward, seeking their stake in the Age of Plenty, which brought the kingdom to never before seen wealth. An immense middle class moved to settle the frontiers of the south, taking with them the Church of the Holy Light and the banner of the Kingdom of Azeroth.

The Gurubashi War
Around 50 years later, 21 years prior to the First War, Stormwind's farmers and settlers had begun pushing south, claiming more and more territory near the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale, bringing them into conflict with the Gurubashi jungle trolls. The conflict escalated from small skirmishes to frequent raids by troll warbands. The now elderly King Barathen dispatched his forces in a defensive manner, commanding them to intercept raiding parties but forbidding them from carrying out retaliatory strikes into Gurubashi land. Barathen had no interest in a full-scale war with the trolls, but his son Llane wished to teach the trolls a lesson, even if that meant invading troll territory. The private debates between Barathen and Llane grew heated.

Barathen's strategy was effective for a time, but one day a troll raiding party slipped through Stormwind's patrol lines and burnt three Westfall towns to the ground, barbarically killing dozens of humans. The incident became the talk of the kingdom, and Barathen met with Stormwind's lords and other nobles to discuss a response. The king was still focused on de-escalation and declared that Stormwind's armies would be bolstered but used only to strengthen their patrol routes, and that there would be no offensive against the trolls. Llane challenged him publicly, demanding the blood of Stormwind's citizens to be repaid in kind, forcing Barathen to publicly rebuke his son in order to end the protest. Llane was furious, not only for the humiliation but also for what he saw as his father's cowardice. His friend Anduin Lothar and many of Stormwind's soldiers felt similarly, but for the soldiers to disobey the king was unthinkable. Lothar, Llane and their friend Medivh decided to launch a secret mission into Stranglethorn to quickly put an end to the Gurubashi leader, Jok'non, before retreating. However, the battle with the trolls forced Medivh to unleash his full might to kill the trolls before the three men hurried back to Stormwind. While no trolls who had witnessed Jok'non's death had survived, it took little imagination for the trolls to guess who was responsible. The Gurubashi rallied under the banner of Jok'non's son, Zan'non, and marched to war against Stormwind, marking the beginning of the Gurubashi War.

When the trolls arrived at the walls of Stormwind City, the human soldiers trembled at their numbers. Zan'non had learned some of his father's forbidden tricks, using them to transform a few Gurubashi into hulking berserkers who climbed Stormwind's walls and ripped its soldiers to pieces. The death toll on both sides mounted quickly, and old Barathen knew that it would take a miracle to break the Gurubashi siege. Thus, he mounted a desperate counterattack with his personal guards, storming directly into the hellish front lines with the intent of taking Zan'non's head. He almost succeeded, but the odds were against him. King Barathen Wrynn died on the field of battle.

Llane mourned his father's death but knew that the city now looked to him for guidance. Stormwind's forces had fallen into disarray and all seemed lost. Llane convinced Medivh to unleash his Guardian powers as he had once before, unleashing a storm of magic that killed the majority of the Gurubashi and their leaders, saving Stormwind. After the battle, Llane Wrynn succeeded his late father as King of Stormwind.