Category:Horde



The Horde (also called the New Horde, Thrall's Horde or Vol'jin's Horde) is one of the two major political factions of the mortal races in Azeroth, its counterpart being the Alliance which the Horde has traditionally been at war with. Driven by unity, the Horde consists of a coalition of disparate races and cultures loosely joined in an alliance of convenience against a hostile world that would see them destroyed. A faction led by off-worlders and composed of outsiders, the Horde has survived the obstacles of Azeroth by bonding together, fighting as family, comrades, or even uneasy allies. Focused, ferocious, and sometimes monstrous, the Horde values strength and honor and is relentlessly opposed to any who threaten the ideals of freedom and hope, but struggles to keep aggression in check.

During Garrosh Hellscream's reign, the faction was plunged into a state of civil war, divided between Hellscream's pan-orc government he referred to as the "True Horde" and the Darkspear Rebellion, comprised of the remaining Horde races, as well as orcs that have decided to oppose Garrosh, under leadership of Vol'jin. After the Siege of Orgrimmar upon the defeat of Garrosh, Vol'jin was chosen as the new Warchief of the Horde with every leader supporting the choice, even Thrall himself. This also marks the first time, when the Warchief's position was held by a person that isn't an orc, signifying a sense of unity between all the member races of the faction, in Vol'jin's own words - The Horde is a family. Following the disastrous Battle for Broken Shore at the start of the third invasion of the Burning Legion, Sylvanas Windrunner was named the new Warchief by a dying Vol'jin, who with his last breath said she must step out of the shadows to lead.

The Horde has throughout the Warcraft story remained the only force that can match up to the Alliance. These two factions have warred several times with their predecessors (Old Horde, Alliance of Lordaeron) having clashed together in the First, Second, and Third Wars. In the Fourth War, the last major conflict as of Battle for Azeroth, the controversial acts by the Horde Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner eventually caused a Horde rebellion led by Varok Saurfang. This led to a temporary unity between the two factions when Varok asked Anduin Wrynn, High King of the Alliance, for aid in assaulting Orgrimmar to end both the reign of Sylvanas and the enmity between the Horde and Alliance. Ultimately, the rebellion caused the Horde to lose its top leadership when Sylvanas killed Varok and abandoned the Horde. With his death and her abandonment, the Fourth War is considered over and the two factions have begun talks of peace, though many surmise it may not last or cannot forgive the atrocities of the past.undefinedCurrently the Horde and Alliance is in an "uneasy armistice".

The Horde is one of the two factions that player characters belong to―the Alliance being the other―as determined by a given character's race (with the exception of Pandaren which can be both). Besides race, being a member of the Horde or Alliance affects gameplay through what settlements, NPCs, quests, reputation factions and in some cases items and encounters the player may access. Faction mechanics also prevent Horde and Alliance players from talking with each other or making groups together, and most PvP gameplay involves Horde players fighting against Alliance players. The divide between the Horde and Alliance—in regard to gameplay mechanics, story elements, and sometimes in social aspects like faction pride—acts as the core element of the World of Warcraft experience.

Organization
Orgrimmar is the capital of the Horde, and the Warchief of the Horde once stood as the undisputed leader. During the time of the warchief, they held dominion over the entire Horde, maintained the faction and was able to declare war for the entire Horde, taking any precaution to ensure the stability and security of the Horde's member states, and had the final say in the induction of new Horde members. The Warchief often made use of Command Boards to order able-bodied citizens to join war efforts of the Horde in different areas of Azeroth.

All members of the Horde have to swear a blood oath to join the faction and previously were obligated to follow the warchief's commands and support the warchief in war if the warchief calls upon them for aid. When it was active, the position of warchief could be attained by having the previous warchief chose a successor or challenging the current warchief to a Mak'gora: a prearranged duel with deadly weapons between two people following a formal procedure in the presence of witnesses and traditionally fought until one party yields or is killed, usually to settle a quarrel involving a point of honor. Above all else, the title warchief was granted to those who display strength and decisive action. The final warchief was Sylvanas Windrunner, who was challenged for the position by Varok Saurfang and abandoned the Horde after defeating him.

Each race within the Horde pledges a leader to represent them on the Horde's council, which has come to replace the warchief position. These representatives are typically the leaders of their people, though Lilian Voss was appointed as representative for the Forsaken as they assessed their leadership crisis. The council members have the abilities of the previous warchief position, able to induct races into the Horde, deny them, as well as address leadership gaps for other factions within the Horde; such as Thrall appointing Gazlowe to take over the position of Trade Prince of the Bilgewater Cartel.

Equal in size, the Horde also has its complexities, much like the Alliance. The core seven races of the Horde are the orcs, Darkspear trolls, tauren, undead, blood elves, goblins, and Huojin pandaren. This roster expanded in the periods leading up to, and during, the Fourth War, which saw the nightborne, Mag'har orcs of alternate Draenor, the Highmountain tauren, the Zandalari trolls, and vulpera join their ranks.

The Horde also has countless allies and smaller factions among the races of Azeroth that have joined them: the Revantusk forest trolls of the Hinterlands, the Stonemaul ogres and various individuals like the Mok'Nathal beastmaster Rexxar, the taunka of Northrend, and the hozen of Pandaria to name a few.

Culture
Before the tauren and trolls joined the Horde, the Horde was also called the Orcish Horde. Although the Horde is a coalition of diverse races with different cultures, agendas, and values, one thing remains constant within the Horde: respect is earned by the blade.

The Horde makes no compromises when it comes to excellence, and the power and ferocity of their warriors is legendary. Misunderstood by many as evil, the Horde possesses a strong code of honor and strict laws for disobedience.

Despite their somewhat monstrous appearance, the majority of the Horde is not evil; much like the Alliance, it is comprised of diverse factions and individuals who possess a wide range of values and virtues. Even so, there is one expectation that must be met when joining the Horde: regardless of gender or station, all are expected to pull their own weight and give their talents for the betterment of the Horde. When weakness is a liability to the future of the Horde, it is the duty of the strong to usurp control from the incompetent and redeem the Horde. ''Lok'tar ogar! Victory or death'' - it is these words that bind one to the Horde. For they are the most sacred and fundamental of truths to any warrior of the Horde. For the Horde, failure is not an option.

Culturally, orcs and tauren believe in redemption more than most other races on Azeroth and are willing to give almost anyone a chance, regardless of reputation. The Revantusk seem to have even accepted, (if not at least tolerate) their ancient enemy the blood elves. Largely because of these beliefs, a number of mortal races and many diverse factions can be found in service to the Horde.

Leadership
The Horde has traditionally been led by a Warchief; a singular leader that possesses ultimate say over the decisions that impact the Horde as a faction. This warchief is the top general, politician and ultimate supreme leader of the Horde. While other leaders still possess power over their own nations and have even been shown to defy the warchief in the past, the ability to rally and lead the Horde as a whole is a privilege that the warchief alone possesses and is able to distribute under their power. This position was abolished in favor of the Horde Council following Sylvanas Windrunner's tenure as warchief. This was done as the Warchief held a dark legacy that needed to end after Sylvanas' abuse of the position.

As the exact phrasing used in the position's abolition was 'in a time of peace', it is unknown if the position will be used again if war should return.

Navigation:


 * Horde
 * Orc
 * Undead
 * Tauren
 * Troll
 * Blood Elf
 * Goblin
 * Pandaren|


 * Allied Races
 * Nightborne
 * Highmountain
 * Mag'har Orc
 * Zandalari Troll
 * Vulpera|