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shakai-teki-ni-yakkaina · 6 years

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An Honest Look at Who Started the Battle for Azeroth

There’s a lot going on between the Horde and the Alliance leading up to BFA. While the War of Thorns was the defining event, the straw that broke the camel’s back, what lead up to this? The War of Thorns did not happen in a vacuum, but instead within a context that I feel some people have lost sight of due the either lack of knowledge, or due to the extended period from the last time one read the quests.

For the sake of brevity, let’s start with the Assault on Broken Shore. At this point, the Alliance and Horde were united, bringing their might to put an end to the Legion’s invasion force. After they took the beach though, they found out it was not a small force, but an army with more teleporting in.

The Horde were tasked with holding the high ground, but ultimately flanked and routed. Vol’jin fell and tasked Sylvanas with not letting the Horde die. She assessed the battle, and called the retreat. She called upon her val’kyr to gather the wounded, leaving no soldier behind. She did was she was supposed to do: get the Warchief to safety.

The Alliance only heard the call for retreat, not the massive losses being taken. Despite taking their own losses, since the Alliance had not yet broken against the Legion, the failure of the assault is attributed to the Horde. Largely by Gen Greymane. Even though they knew Vol’jin was still Warchief, Sylvanas is blamed. Failing to acknowledge that she either had orders, or Vol’jin had fallen.

Sylvanas is seen as turning her back on the Alliance when they needed her, not as saving the Horde from annihilation.

With his last breaths, Vol’jin says he does not trust Sylvanas, but when the cards were down, he trusted her to save the Horde on the Broken Shore. Vo’ljin ultimately listens to the Loa who recommend Sylvanas as Warchief.

While Sylvanas asks the Horde to avenge Vol’jin, and seeks for a way to bring more val’kyr to her banner to help her people, Greymane throws away some of the few airships left to attack her fleet. Greymane has every intent to kill Sylvanas, skirmishing on the edges of fighting the Legion.

Sylvanas does not retaliate, and Greymane is not reprimanded.

Greymane proceeds to make another attempt on Sylvanas’s life, and partially succeeds by taking away her ‘future’ as he put it.

Greymane is again not reprimanded for making attacks on the Warchief of the Horde. Instead, he remains adviser to Anduin. Sylvanas again keeps her focus on the threat of the Legion instead of getting revenge.

When Sylvanas appears in Windrunner: Three Sisters she ultimately had a trap laid for her sisters Aleria and Vereesa, both members of the Alliance now. It is important to note here that Vereesa had betrayed Sylvanas after insinuating that she wanted to live with her sister, allowing Sylvanas to hope that she could still be accepted by her family, before changing her mind and leaving Sylvanas with a broken heart. Sylvanas lets them go though, accepting Vereesa’s apology for her cruel treatment of her sister.

The Forsaken make known their desire to be reunited with their still living families, as so some humans make it known that they wish to know their undead relatives. Sylvanas agrees to the summit, but also prepares for the worst given the Alliance’s continued lack of respect. Given her own poor treatment by her living relatives, she does not encourage hope within her people.

At the gathering is the first time anyone thinks to ask her if she betrayed Varian, or takes the time to think that the assault was doomed from the beginning, regardless of what Sylvanas had done. Sylvanas did what minimized casualties.

Later, Sylvanas learns that the Alliance have brought Calia Menethil, heir to the throne of Lordaeron, and potential usurper. This starts the beginnings of a coup, both by humans and Forsaken. Sylvanas kills her and threatens Anduin because he brought a political usurper to a peace summit and spread sedition, what could be seen as an act of war.

While Sylvanas has assaulted Gilneas, killed Greymane’s son by accident, and continued production of the blight even against orders by Hellscream, she also fought loyally for years under the Alliance banner. She had fought with the humans while Glineas built their wall and turned their back on the suffering of others. She fought side-by-side with Turalyon and helped put an end to the Second War. Sylvanas held valiantly against Arthas, helping buy time for the Alliance to send help to Quel’thalas.

Despite multiple attempts on her life and threats to her rule by the Alliance, Sylvanas does not retaliate against them. She notices that with both navies largely destroyed, who ever can regain control of the seas will tip the balance of power. Azerite offers this opportunity.

Given her experience with the Alliance: being betrayed at every turn, blamed for every atrocity, and only treated as something unpleasant, what reason does she have to trust peace with the Alliance? When as active allies, they still attempted to kill her? Then made no move to act as if it was wrong to do so?

To use her own words from her conversation with Saurfang in A Good War by Robert Brooks:

“You are not Garrosh Hellscream. Why do you want to throw the Horde into the meat grinder again?”

Sylvanas’s eyes did not waver, even in the face of his rage. “If I dedicated myself to peace with the Alliance, would it last a year?”

“Yes,” Saurfang said curtly.

“How about two years? Five? Ten? Fifty?”

Saurfang felt the trap closing in on him, and he did not like it. “We fought side-by-side against the Burning Legion. That creates bonds that are not easily broken.”

“Time breaks every bond.” Sylvanas leaned across the table. Her words flew like arrows. “What do you believe? Will peace last five years or fifty?”

He leaned forward, too, his face inches away from hers. Neither blinked. “What I believe doesn’t matter, Warchief. What do you believe?”

“I believe the exiles of Gilneas will never forgive the Horde for driving them away. I believe the living humans of Lordaeron think it is blasphemy that my people still hold their city. I believe the ancient divide between our allies in Silvermoon and their kin in Darnassus is not easily mended.” There was a smile on Sylvanas’s face. It was not a pleasant one.

“I believe the Darkspear tribe hasn’t forgotten who drove them from their islands,” she continued. “I believe every orc your age remembers being imprisoned for years in filthy camps, wallowing in despair and surviving on human scraps. I believe every human remembers the tales of the terrible Horde that caused so much destruction in its first invasion, and I believe they blame every orc for that, no matter what your people have done to redeem yourselves. And I remember very well that I and my first Forsaken were once loyal Alliance citizens. We died for that banner, and our reward was to be hunted as vermin. I believe that there will be no permanent peace with the Alliance—not unless we win it on the battlefield on our terms. And believing that, answer this, Saurfang: what use is delaying the inevitable?”

…

“Then we should talk of preparing for the next war, not starting it today.”

“We are,” she said. “You are the only living creature I know who has conquered both Stormwind and Orgrimmar, Saurfang. You say a direct attack on Stormwind is impossible with our forces today. Is the same true for the Alliance? Do we have enough natural defenses in Orgrimmar to repel a surprise assault?”

No, Saurfang concluded instantly…

“It’s my duty to make sure that doesn’t happen, Warchief.”

“And if it does?”

Saurfang laughed bitterly. “Then the Horde charges into battle and dies honorably that day, because there will be nothing else left for us but a slow death inside these walls.”

Sylvanas did not laugh with him. “It is my duty to stop that from happening.”

“The boy in Stormwind will not start a war tomorrow,” Saurfang said.

Her eyebrows lowered. “With Genn Greymane in his ear? We will see.”

…

Sylvanas’s eyes glittered. “And the boy is becoming a man. What if that man decides that he has no choice but to launch a war on us?”

She pointed at the map. There was a large marking in Silithus, the place where the Dark Titan’s blade had pierced the world. “No matter what I do, that will change the balance of power. Azerite sightings are coming in from across the world, Saurfang. We still do not know its full potential, nor does the Alliance. We only know that it will create a new generation of warfare. What will war look like in twenty years? In a hundred?”

Saurfang’s voice had dropped to a low growl. “A hundred years of peace is a worthy goal.” But as soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. He knew what Sylvanas would say.

And he would agree with it.

The warchief did not disappoint. “If a hundred years of peace ends with a war that annihilates both sides, it was not a worthy goal. It was a coward’s bargain, trading the future for temporary comfort. The Horde’s children, and their children’s children, will curse our memories as they burn.” Her voice softened, but only slightly. “If life had any mercy at all, you and I would exist in peace for the rest of our days. We both have seen enough of war, but neither of us has seen the last of it.”

(Bold added for emphasis)

When the Alliance have given her no reason to trust them, why would she? Because they are the “good” side? The side that has actively acted against her with impunity from their own? The side that blamed her for a doomed assault because her army was being routed by a larger force? The side that took away her future and her hopes for her dying people in a punitive act?

Make no mistake, the Forsaken are dying. They cannot procreate and their bodies continue to decay. Sooner or later, they will not exist without intervention. Sylvanas has experienced what waits after undead die again, and she has endeavored since her second death to save her people from that fate.

What else was she supposed to believe besides that peace would only last until the Alliance got the upper hand?

A Good War illustrates that the original intention of the War of Thrones was to hold Darnassas as leverage to prevent the Alliance taking action. The entire intent to wound the Alliance in such a way that they would not be able to take action against the Horde. Saurfang mastermind’s the plan, because as Sylvanas says,

“If you want your enemy to bleed to death, you inflict a wound that cannot heal. That is why I need you to make the plan, High Overlord,” Sylvanas said. “The moment our strike begins, there will be no turning back. We can divide the Alliance only if the war to conquer Darnassus does not unite them against us. That only happens if the Horde wins an honorable victory, and I am not blind—the Horde does not trust me to wage war that way.“

(Bold added for emphasis)

So what changed? Saurfang. Again, it is well illustrated in A Good War:

“There is no honor in this!” he roared at Sylvanas.

She finally turned away from the World Tree. Her eyes were steady, the anger within them gone. What was left in its place? Emptiness? Satisfaction? Saurfang couldn’t read her now. Maybe he never could.

“They will come for us now. All of them!” he said.

“I know.” She was calm, as though nothing were wrong. “They will attack the Undercity in retaliation. You will need to plan our defenses. Begin evacuating my people.”

He struggled to form words. Finally, pure hatred made him spit out a condemnation. “You have damned the Horde for a thousand generations. All of us. And for what? For what?”

Her expression didn’t waver. “This was your battle. Your strategy. And your failure. Darnassus was never the prize. It was a wedge that would split the Alliance apart. It was the weapon that would destroy hope. And you, my master strategist, gave that up to spare an enemy you defeated. I have taken it back. When they come for us, they will do so in pain, not in glory. That may be our only chance at victory now.”

He wanted to kill her. He wanted to declare mak’gora and spill her blood in front of Horde and Alliance alike.

But she was right.

A wound that can never heal. That had always been the plan. And Saurfang had failed to inflict it. The story of Malfurion’s miraculous survival would have spread among the armies of the Alliance as proof that they were blessed in their cause.

War would still have come. That had been certain the moment Saurfang had led the Horde into Ashenvale. And it would have been what he had feared most: the meat grinder, spending so many lives to achieve so little, ending with a whimper, and thus dooming future generations to a war nobody

could win. Once again, Sylvanas had seen it before he had.

And so …

She had sent a message. This was not a war that would end in a stalemate. Not now. The Alliance and the Horde would both understand that the only choices were victory or death. Lok-tar ogar. Darnassus would not be the last city to burn. The loss of life on both sides would tower over this atrocity. And it would all rest on his shoulders. Every moment would be a nightmare.

(Bold added for emphasis)

Fighting can never be done in half measures, let alone battles or wars. Hesitation can mean failure. This is something that is well established within strategy and tactics. Saurfang lost sight of the intended goal, as a step towards it conflicted with his own paradigms.

This left Sylvanas with few choices. Retreat without further action, and face war against a galvanized foe, or act in desperation, and still face war, but potentially with a weaker enemy. Sylvanas knew Lordaeron was doomed as soon as she gave the order, but it was doomed anyway at that point.

As said by Sun Tzu: “Throw your soldiers into positions whence there is no escape, and they will prefer death to flight. If they will face death, there is nothing they may not achieve… Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for it, they will fight hard.”

Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon, Hero of the Second War, Banshee Queen, Dark Lady of the Forsaken, Warchief of the Horde gave a deciding order, but where did this war start? Whose shoulders will this burden weigh upon?

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