Stormwind Army

The Stormwind Army is the standing military of the Kingdom of Stormwind. While under direct authority of the House of Wrynn, many of its higher-ranked officers and commanders come from the Stormwind House of Nobles, where many of the kingdom's lords have donated their own armsmen to Stormwind's cause.

History
While some consider the founding of the Stormwind Militia in the War for Stormwind's Independence to be the beginning of the Stormwind Army, it was not until Samson Wrynn's return to the throne after his exile during the Ten Years' Strife that the army received its namesake - the difference between the militia and the army being that the soldiers of the army were required to swear fealty to the House of Wrynn over their provincial lords. The Stormwind Army has served the House of Wrynn since its founding, keeping the realm secure and fending off any powers that might threaten the kingdom from abroad.

War of the Three Hammers
During the War of the Three Hammers in the late 4th century K.C., King Charles Wrynn sent a contingent of cavalrymen of the Brotherhood of the Horse along with several units of the army to fight the Dark Iron Clan of dwarves in the Red Steppes. The forces of Stormwind suffered heavy casualties when Tharussian summoned the firelord, Ragnaros, sundering and destroying the Red Steppes into the charred state they are known for today.

Age of Conquest
After the shock of the destruction of the Red Steppes settled, the kings of the late 4th and early 5th centuries set their sights on expanding the realm of Stormwind through colonization and conquest. The Stormwind Army was at the front of such aspirations, clearing arable land in Stranglethorn Vale and the Black Morass for Stormwind settlement.

The First War
During the First War, the Stormwind Army fought valiantly against the Orcish Horde when they surged through the Dark Portal in 582 K.C. While the first attack on Stormwind City was repelled, King Adamant Wrynn III fell in battle. For years the Stormwind Army fought a bloody battle of attrition against the Horde, eventually collapsing and making a mass exodus to the Kingdom of Lordaeron under the command of Lord Anduin Lothar.

The Second War
After the founding of the Alliance of Lordaeron in the Second War, the remaining soldiers and officers of the army imparted their knowledge of orcish warfare upon the armies of Lordaeron, helping prepare the continental defenses as the Horde launched its attack on the remaining bastions of human power. Fighting primarily in eastern Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas, and Khaz Modan, the armsmen of Stormwind fought bravely in critical missions that would eventually lead to the Horde's collapse. Under command of Lord Lothar, the army lead the charge in the Siege of Blackrock Spire, eventually toppling the orcish stronghold and breaking the orcish war effort, leading to the liberation of the Kingdom of Stormwind.

Rebuilding
Under King Varian Wrynn, the Stormwind Army was sent forth to rebuild the ruins of the kingdom destroyed by the Orcish Horde. Spending several years, much gold, and the lives of countless men, the Army stamped out the last pockets of land held by the orcs and rebuilt much of the kingdom - though the kingdom never recovered the grandeur it held before the orcs razed it.

The Third War
Stormwind sent aid to the crippled Kingdom of Lordaeron during the Third War in attempt to secure it from destruction by the Undead Scourge, but its efforts were ultimately in vain. Stormwind's troops were forced to pull back to Chillwind Camp in western Lordaeron, where they continue to fight for Lordaeron's liberation to this day.

Corruption and Exploration
After King Varian's mysterious disappearance in 617 K.C., the Stormwind Army fell into disarray and was pulled from most of the kingdom's holdings in Azeroth by Highlord Bolvar Fordragon and Lady Katrana Prestor. The kingdom buckled as the Defias Brotherhood took control of Westfall, the Blackrock Clan of orcs besieged Stormwind's holdings in the Redridge Mountains, and undead and worgen surfaced and ran rampant in Duskwood. The army itself was stretched to nearly its breaking point, sent to far-flung battlefields across the world while Lady Prestor sought to stir conflict with the New Horde.

The Burning Crusade
When the Dark Portal was reopened in January of 618 K.C., the Stormwind Army was immediately rallied for a return to the world of Draenor to push back and crush whatever forces would threaten the world of Azeroth. Upon re-establishing supply lines to Honor Hold, the army laid siege to Hellfire Citadel alongside the New Horde, pushing the forces of the Burning Legion back as adventurers among the rest of the Grand Alliance took the fight to the leadership of the demonic hordes.

War with the Lich King
Soon after King Varian Wrynn returned to his throne in October of 619 K.C., the army was forced on the defensive as the Lich King launched attacks upon the kingdom and its colonies. At the king's command, the army landed upon the frozen shores of Northrend and established Valiance Keep in his honor. The Stormwind Army fought the forces of the Undead Scourge and the Horde throughout the continent, aiding the Argent Crusade in the push towards Icecrown Citadel - leading to the ultimate defeat of the Lich King at the hands of adventurers on February 16, 620 K.C.

Reclamation of the Realm
After victory against the Lich King, the Kingdom of Stormwind surged with growth and pride - its armies set to bring order back to its provinces. Several new fortifications were constructed and fortified throughout the realm. A number of units of the Stormwind Army were sent abroad to do battle with the remnants of the Cult of the Damned and the Horde across the entirety of Azeroth.

The Cataclysm
The kingdom was shaken to its core when Deathwing erupted from the earth - and the Stormwind Army heeded the call to stem the destruction the dragon left in his wake. War with the Horde erupted among the conflict with the Cult of the Twilight's Hammer, plunging Azeroth into a state of unmitigated strife. Only when the dragon aspects banded together with Thrall and a number of adventurers did Deathwing and his cult fall, allowing the army to focus its efforts on defeating the Horde.

War with the Horde
To this day, the Stormwind Army battles the forces of the Horde across the entirety of Azeroth alongside its allies in the Grand Alliance. With the discovery of Pandaria and its subsequent conquest by both sides of the war, the army has been hard pressed to maintain the upper hand as new enemies emerge.