Commentaries on the Fourth War, Chapter 1

This is Chapter 1 of Sir Edrington W. Grunwald's book, the Commentaries on the Fourth War.

Chapter 1: The War on Argus
The end of the War on Argus and against the Burning Legion marks the origins of the Fourth War. The campaigns on Argus were long, bloody, and particularly brutal. The arch-demon, Sargeras, and his endless army of demons, coupled with traitorous heretics and heathens that sought to ally with the fallen titan’s false promises of power and riches, proved our world’s toughest enemy yet. My time on the planet was spent under the banner of His Grace, Duke Maxen the Patient, and the First Regiment of Westridge. In those days, I led my compatriots through the fires of war with passionate preaching and martial ferocity all the same. Although I hesitated to admit it then, ‘twere it not for the truce with the Horde and their armies, I do not believe victory would have been ours on the demon world. For as it has been time and time again, great threats beyond the scope of either faction led to momentary but successful cooperation. Yet, it should be noted this sort of neutrality among nations was always tempered with an understanding that both sides fought to preserve the status quo, not change it. For many, including myself in those days, this arrangement was sufficient.

Briefly, I shall make mention of the difficulties experienced in fighting the demonic armies of the Legion and why, in my belief, cooperation with the Horde was merited, as it had been during previous crises in the realm. However, I amend this statement by adding a caveat, that being this: Alliance-Horde cooperation has always been underpinned by latent hostilities that inevitably boil over and threaten the stability of what I term ‘The Long Truce.’ Up until the declarations of war following the peace after the War on Argus, the Long Truce defined Azeroth’s status-quo. A repeating cycle of cataclysmic violence and chaos invariably forced the hand of decision-makers in both the Alliance and the Horde. Even the most extreme of voices, albeit ever watchful for possible treachery, conceded to lessening hostilities with the opposing side. The War on Argus was no different. The demonic foe, endless in their numbers and barbaric in their brutality, posed a threat that necessitated cooperation. Alliance and Horde forces on their own could not hope to adequately counter the fleets of enemy void-ships or war-beasts, but even this reality crumbled under the weight of mutual animosity. This is the second part of the Long Truce: after a sense of neutrality is established, it is immediately threatened by extremist parties unwilling to persist in the unspoken contract.

This was the case when the arch-magi, Lady Jaina Proudmoore, called for an end to neutrality and commencement of hostilities against the Horde. In the halls of Stormwind’s parliament, some of the most vocal war-hawks, namely political conservatives and northlander nobles, pursued a similar agenda. Moderation triumphed, however, but something was different. For in the closing years of the War on Argus in 627 and 628, those same radical voices clamored for extensive preparation in the face of foreseeable Horde aggression. As the ancient Arathorian adage goes: “In times of peace, prepare for war.” Yet, again, this was nothing new under the sun. For in the wake of the War in the Outlands, the War in Northrend, the Great Cataclysm, the War in Pandaria, and the War against the Iron Horde, both Alliance and Horde, at least some minorities among them, feared that the other would capitalize on the peaceful aftermath of a world crisis and, as it were, fire the first shot. What was different after the War on Argus was three-fold: the magnitude of the crisis, the arrival of outsiders, and the discovery of new resources – namely, of course, Azerite.

First, the magnitude of the War against the Legion. ‘Tis no exaggeration to suggest that the final confrontation against the Burning Legion demanded perhaps the greatest mobilization and cooperation by the Alliance and the Horde. Furthermore, the war is arguably the costliest in all Azeroth’s history, for it was only by the intervention of Providence that newfound allies aided the forces of the mortal realms in securing a victory against the Legion. Second, ‘twere these same allies, including the Army of the Light, the void elves, and others, that suddenly flocked to factions they found in alignment with their values. What had prevented either faction from declaring the war they wanted, namely the lack of manpower and resources, was suddenly remedied by the arrival of these forces during the post-war period. And third, the question of resources was answered by the discovery of a new mineral, which I shall discuss in good time, named Azerite. But, for now, I continue with the events that transpired in the aftermath of the battles on the Broken Shore and Argus.

With the destruction of Sargeras and his armies, the whole of Azeroth rejoiced. The final battle took place outside the fortress of Antorus, the Burning Throne. Although Alliance and Horde engaged similar foe with some hesitation, a general sense of truce was observed. Only small elements of both forces, spearheaded by more impassioned and extreme commanders, took to the field in search of a battle with each other as opposed to the Legion. This caused some considerable controversy among the forces of the Alliance in particular, but ‘twas good fortune that such deviations did not cost us the campaign. For it was by the grace of the Almighty Light and perseverance that victory was ours in the bloody end. The gates to the Throne were smashed open, as both armies poured inside and slaughtered the unclean foe. Heroes and soldiers, supported by the Army of the Light and other allies, charged into the fray and lay waste to the enemies of our mortal realm.

Yet, as many returned from the dying planet’s surface through arcane teleportation and the draeneic void-ship Vindicaar, confident that the penultimate evil of the great beyond had been vanquished, they witnessed Sargeras’ final defiant act against our realm. For in that desperate struggle, the fallen titan thrust his colossal blade into the world’s surface, rendering the entirety of Silithus asunder. Shockwaves and tremors were felt continents away, as the seas surged and the winds buffeted torrentially. When all was over, the wound that remained brought with it foul omens and ill-portents. General confusion ran rampant among the leadership of all nations: what would become of our world in the wake of this catastrophe? Murmurs filled the air in that time, ranging from fears that the arch-demon’s blade had corrupted the very essence of Azeroth to doomsayers crying out that the end of days was upon us. I vividly remember seeing the blade’s plunge from the Vindicaar, as I evacuated alongside countless other Alliance and Horde forces back to the safety of our world. My heart sank, my very soul shook with fear – for none of us knew where the blade had struck initially. At that moment, fervent prayer was all any of us could do, and this trend became the norm for weeks to come. Thankfully, upon arrival at the surface of our world, the realm remained relatively intact. Weeks of rest and festivity followed, including public appearances by His Majesty in Stormwind City. In those months marking mid-winter, King Anduin spoke to the entirety of the Alliance. These were his words:"“Like many of you, I know firsthand the pain of loss. My father, King Varian Wrynn, gave his life to save his people. He knew that no one, not even a king, is more important than the Alliance. And because he and so many others had the courage to make that sacrifice, we did the impossible. We defeated the Burning Legion! Let us honor our heroes not by dying, but by living! Our lives, our joy, our world – these are the gifts of the fallen. And we must cherish and celebrate them! For the Alliance!”"Yet, the results of the post-war were something none of us could have predicted. For in the months that followed, news trickled in from more learned sources regarding the wound inflicted by Sargeras’ blade. Druids and shamans, so attuned to the spirits that govern the immortal realms, declared that the sword had tainted the earth around it. Mages and wizards all over studied these reports without rest, theorizing over the potential dangers of such a huge weapon lodged into the planet’s surface. Finally, it was in those days following the victory speeches and public demonstrations that many amongst the Alliance’s highest-ranking officers discovered what became of the lands around Silithus. For all along the scar, word came that a new mysterious crystal surged forth from the earth in great geysers and pools of bubbling liquid. This was Azerite.