Flight of Argus
He had done it! Finally, he had succeeded in escaping. He had escaped the grasp of the Dark Titan, Sargeras. After an apparent 25,000 years of servitude under the Dark Titan he was free from his bonds. And now as the ever-benevolent Pantheon so graciously trapped Sargeras and especially themselves in their own Seat no less. Even with how broken his mind was he could still remember the atrocities against nature both the Pantheon and their prodigal brother committed in his absence. Oh, what only made this situation any less delicious was that he couldn't be there to relish in Sargeras' imprisonment.
But now was not a time to celebrate, but a time for work. As far as he knew, Argus was the only other active Titan in all of Creation. Argus had to admit, for all of Sargeras' faults he had been correct about one thing. The Pantheon had done irreparable damage to all of Creation that they have encountered.
The original plan was to create a natural and balanced order in the universe. That was until 'she' came unto the picture. The Titan of Life, the Usurper, his own sister, Eonar. She could not accept death being brought upon her creations. She sought dominion overall, to be a Titan over Life and Death. So, she schemed to overthrow Argus and imprison him back into a mere World Soul. She bound the Pantheon into a pact of protecting Life and with her position of the Life-Binder, placed her to be exalted even above Aman'Thul.
The fools had been bewitched by her, and in their foolhardy endeavours, threatened the natural order completely. They disrupted any natural death in the universe by giving immortality to their creations.
A world cracking headache ripped through Argus' mind once more. Whenever he had awoken from the planet, he formed around his slumbering soul, he assumed it was under the influence of Sargeras. But Sargeras was gone. Why does this rending of his psyche continue?
Looking and reaching out for answers his vision splits off. Through thousands of eyes he sees innumerable worlds from the perspective of Giants made of Flesh. In an instant he knew. He knew what the Pantheon had done to him. They tore at his soul to create beings of Death. To replace the Titan of Death the fools wished to control servants of Death. Calling them 'Old Gods' as if to distance themselves from any blame. This was meant to trick who exactly?
The Mortals he would wager. He would do well not to underestimate them. They alone had defeated multiple instances of his own essence on Azeroth. He travelled across the Great Dark Beyond to observe this Azeroth. A World Soul discovered long ago, shortly after he was imprisoned. And with how he observed the surface to be, the Pantheon lost control of his Old God's and reforged its surface once again. These Old God's were interesting. With how much force of will and havoc they caused he would have ripped them off Azeroth to subsume them within his being once again. Although the damage done to Azeroth already left him hesitant to do so. He concluded that the mortals would eventually find a way to release his 'children'. They proved clever enough. He was patient, Argus is the Titan of Death after all.
He looked to the Shadowlands, a primordial dimension present on most planets utilized and shaped by him. This one seemed to be overflowing with fresh souls. Some could be attributed to the recent Legion invasion and many seemed to be from the Old God's. Many more though were from the resulting wars caused by a mortal political faction known as the Horde. Interesting.
He had a plan. Since he was the sole Titan left in existence, then the other aspects of reality had no Titan to govern them. Although he could never truly become a true God by taking advantage of this, he could certainly use powers usually solely utilized by other Titans. Though he was no fool. Either Sargeras or the Pantheon would perish for a time and then either party would return from the Seat. And the endeavour of becoming a god would be tedious with his potential being overshadowed by the World Soul of Azeroth herself. No, what he needed was to use his new influence over reality, however much weaker it was compared to the other Titans, to return his Soul into a single whole.
So, it was in this mission that he moved onto a new world. A world larger than Azeroth but at the same time weaker. Weak for it like many world's lacked a World Soul. The residents of the world called it Planetos. Hmph. It was at least better than calling it 'World' or 'Dirt'. Even with the lack of a World Soul the Old God's of this world were weak. They had no Titan Soul fighting against them but at the same time the powerful fuelling magical energy of a Titan also left these Old God's wanting.
He could easily pluck the Old God's from the surface of this world just as Aman'Thul had from Azeroth. Mistake not Argus' mercy from sentimentality for mortals but his own respect for the proper cycle of life and death. The cycle the Pantheon ignored and Sargeras misunderstood. If only the mortals of this world would unite to fight and release his soul fragments. The mortals wouldn't just join like that, they were just too arbitrary in that way. So, he would instead gather those same mortals that would actually join together.
Funnily enough he's seen more cooperation and unity from mortals of differing species. The very few additional species apart from humans are almost wiped out on this world. Giants, Children of the Forest, Ibbenese and Humans. A paltry roster if he had ever seen any. The remaining races seem to serve his Old God's. They're too loyal to the Old God's and the Old God's themselves too wilful to just accept returning to him.
Well, it seemed he was right. He did have a use for those mortals of Azeroth, they could once again fight some Old God's. Although as they are, they weren't exactly ideal for this task. The Alliance would sooner antagonize the comparatively primitive native humans with their fewer human races. But in turn the Horde would completely antagonize this world's humans.
He worried not, for preserving theses mortals simply for their chances of success and then leaving a world for the mortals to die over. This would then provide him with a steady supply of souls. He then concluded that the Horde, at least a modified version of it, would suffice. Their savagery would meet Planetos' savagery in turn. He would take alternate versions of the Hordes people and place them in the most destructive time in the recent age. The Century of Blood.
12BC: Ninety years after the Doom of Valyria, all throughout Middle Essos. In between the Forests of Qohor and the Bone Mountains the people of the races that would one day make up the Horde would seemingly overnight appear. Most first-hand accounts from these people would say they fell asleep in their homes and as if by magic appear somewhere in Essos.
The Frostwolf and Thunderlord Clans appeared in the Island Nation of Ibben. The former inhabitants of which were themselves disputed on whether they were human or not. At this point irrelevant as these native people of Ibben were rendered extinct by the two clans.
The Mok'Nathal Clan, a clan of Half-Orc, Half-Ogres sacked and claimed the southernmost city of the Bone Mountains, Bayasabhad.
The Blackrock Clan, Warsong Clan, Twilight's Hammer and the Dark Scar Clan conquered the cities and territories of Meereen, Yunkai, Astapor and Old Ghis respectively.
The Burning Blade Clan, Dragonmaw Clan and the Shattered Hand Clan conquered the Qarthi Cities of Port Yhos, Qarkash and Qarth itself.
The Shadowmoon Clan and Bleeding Hollow Clan being the most southern Orcs established settlements on the mostly uninhabited continent of Sothoryos. With only brindled men to contend with and their more robust constitution they find little resistance.
The Orcs were responsible for having introduced Wargs and Clefthoofs to Essos.
Note that Orcish Wargs are what the people of Westeros describe as Direwolves, as opposed to the First Men Wargs who were said to possess magic powers.
Other Races apart from Orcs and their Ogre brethren appeared in Essos.
All throughout what was once called the Dothraki Sea did the Tauren appear. Having brought with them their Kodo Beasts to Essos. They used them to great effect against the marauding Dothraki.
Simultaneously the Highmountain Tauren appeared across the Northern and Central Bone Mountains. Defending themselves against the cities of Samyriana and Kayakayanaya.
Their Taunka and Yuangol kin appeared on opposite sides of the Bone Mountains. The Taunka in the Ifeqevron Forests and the Yuangol in the Howling Hills.
The Trolls of the Darkspear Tribe settled in the abandoned Valyrian Penal Colony of Gogossos.
11BC: The Tauren of the Dothraki Sea come under attack by the Dothraki. They seek aid from the Taunka in the north who bring the Frostwolf Clan and Thunderlord Clan as allies.
Using elemental and nature magic the Tauren drive back the Dothraki fleeing to their capital of Vaes Dothrak.
10BC: The Orcish Clans of Slavers Bay and Qarth are brought into the war of the Tauren and Dothraki. The city of Vaes Dothrak is sacked and the Dothraki people flee West of the Rhoyne River. Over the ruins of Vaes Dothrak, the leader of the plains Tauren, Voarn Bloodhoof settles his Tribe and any who would join him. Voarn names his city Thunder Peak.
The Dothraki as a people are broken and their culture lost. Their descendants adapt to the environments of Near East Essos. From these former nomads came the Sisterlanders in the Disputed Lands and the Velveteen of Andalos.
9BC: Under a shared sense of comradery, culture and religion in a strange foreign land, the Orcs, Ogres, the Tauren and their kin formed the Horde. Under Mak'Rogahn the War Chief of the Horde was chosen to be the Chieftain of the Blackrock Clan, Mogzokk.
8BC: The Highmountain Tauren were assisted by conquering and being given the cities of Kayakayanaya and Samyriana.
7BC: The Shadowmoon Clan and Bleeding Hollow Clan discover each other and seek out other people along the northern coast of Sothoryos and the southern coast of Essos.
6BC: The Darkspear Tribe is discovered by the Bleeding Hollow. The Shadowmoon Clan discover the other Orcs and re-establish contact with the other Clans. The Bleeding Hollow Clan, Shadowmoon Clan and Darkspear Tribe join the Horde.
5BC: The Shaman, Druids and Priests of the Horde start to heal and restore the wildlife of Southern Essos. The Tauren and their brethren along with some trolls found the Circle of the Earth Mother. A central religious organization primarily used to guide Druids and leaders on matters of nature. They worship the Sun, Moon, Sky and Earth along with all the wildlife within it.
Simultaneously in the eastern Painted Mountains, the newly founded Earthen Ring establish a new Throne of the Elements to re balance the damage done by the Valyrians. They continue to this day, slowly recover land lost in the Doom.
4BC: To ensure their future and consolidate their lands, the War Chief enforced peace among the Horde and only allowed conquests under his permission.
In the north mining, hunting, fishing and whaling are how the Frostwolf Clan, Thunderlord Clan and Taunka Tribes earn their living.
The economy of the Highmountain Tribes and Mok'Nathal Clan rely on taxing goods passing through their mountain passes, mining minerals and quarrying stone.
The Yuangol have little in terms of resources and instead exact tribute from the Jogos Nhai.
The Plains Tauren of the newly named Kodo Sea have plentiful resources. Claiming nearly all of what the Dothraki conquered, they maintain the second highest population and the largest territory in the Horde. The Kodo Beasts provide one of the thickest hides in the world and a plentiful source of meat. The largest of the Kodos would be tamed and bred to be the Hordes most fearsome war mounts.
The lands of Slavers Bay and Qarth were in the past infertile and salted by the Valyrians and Dothraki respectively. The main income of the Horde in these regions was initially hunting of feral game that escaped Orcish captivity. In the decades after the Orcish settlement of these regions the land would once again become fertile for agriculture. In addition to that, the Orcs of Southern Essos breed the most Wargs in the world.
The Horde in Sothoryos provide the rest of the faction with a constant supply of wood for all their needs. In addition to all the exotic war beasts to be tamed in Sothoryos, the region also provides most of the medicinal plants they need.
2BC: The Capital City of the Horde, formerly known as Meereen is visited by Aegon Targaryen, the last surviving Dragonlord upon the back of Balerion.
AN: To let you know a. I believe in the fanon that the Light and the Pantheon are the real Big Bad Evil Guys of the Warcraft Universe.
b. You don't have to agree with me obviously, I know to the unfamiliar it sounds crazy but you know this is fan fiction, so it doesn't really matter.
c. This is dealing with everyone's favourite topic when it comes to Warcraft, Alternate Realities. I've got OC leaders for the Horde just because I wrote Argus sending back the modern Hordes Ancestors. 'Won't this just butterfly away the canon characters of both series?' Yes, but as much as some people hate them that's what butterfly nets are for.
This is my second story posted on this site. Having to keep track of another story when I have another ongoing probably isn't the best idea, but to just get the idea out is enough for me. As always leave review if you want, lets me know what you think even if it is just to say you've read it.