Ruins of Lordaeron
- This article is about the in-game ruins. For the history before the ruins, see Capital City. For the arena, see Ruins of Lordaeron (arena).
 Ruins of Lordaeron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Capital City |
| Races |
  Forsaken    Darkfallen Abomination Slime giant  Jungle troll |
| Formerly |
 Skeletons Wraith    Demon |
| Ruler(s) |
Desolate Council |
| Former ruler(s) |
 Queen Sylvanas Windrunner Varimathras † Balnazzar † Detheroc King Arthas Menethil † |
| Languages | Gutterspeak, Thalassian, Orcish |
| Faiths | Forgotten Shadow, Holy Light |
| Affiliation | Forsaken, Horde |
| Former affiliation(s) | Burning Legion, Knights of the Silver Hand, Dreadlord Insurgents, Scourge |
| Location | Southern Tirisfal Glades |
| Status | Active |
The Ruins of Lordaeron (or Lordaeron Keep,[1] also called Ruins of Capital City[2] and Capital City Ruins, and sometimes referred to as Lordaeron City)[3] is the remains of the city of Lordaeron, the great capital city of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. It was destroyed by the Scourge after Arthas Menethil betrayed his people and set on the path to become the Lich King. The area is literally haunted by the final tragic events that led to the death of King Terenas and the city's destruction. Lordaeron's palace still stands, and once served as an entrance into the Forsaken capital of the Undercity.
After the Battle for Lordaeron, the Forsaken lost control of the ruins, and the city was further devastated and completely blighted. With the help of adventurers, the Forsaken later applied techniques learned in Maldraxxus to purge the blight from the ruins. Afterward, the city became their new capital, watched over by the new Desolate Council. The city also holds a translocation orb that links to Silvermoon City. It also has several portals that lead to Orgrimmar, Vengeance Landing, and Grom'gol Base Camp; in lieu of the still ruined zeppelin towers that once led to these locations.
History
For the lore before the ruins, see Capital City.
Warcraft III
After the massacre of its citizens at the hands of the Scourge and the destruction of the city and its Alliance defenders, the ruins were overseen by Balnazzar, Detheroc, and Varimathras.
Several months after the Battle of Mount Hyjal in 21 ADP, detachments of the surviving paladins of the Knights of the Silver Hand emerged from the rubble of the Kingdom of Lordaeron to form a resistance against the Scourge and to protect those who fled to Dalaran, recaptured by the Alliance resistance led by Grand Marshal Garithos.[4] Among them, the Crippling Force, the Defenders of Justice and the Circle of Holy Light guarded the ruined Lordaeron palace gardens, respectively under the command of Dagren the Orcslayer, Magroth the Defender and Halahk the Lifebringer. However, their combined efforts were not enough, as they were defeated by Arthas Menethil, Kel'Thuzad, and Sylvanas Windrunner on their return from Kalimdor, enabling the Scourge to murder the survivors and destroy the resistance.[5] After his victory, Arthas ousted the dreadlords of the ruined city and named himself King of Lordaeron.[6]
When Ner'zhul recalled Arthas to Northrend, Balnazzar took control over the city once again in 22 ADP. The combined forces of Grand Marshal Garithos and Sylvanas Windrunner later defeated Balnazzar, at which point the Banshee Queen betrayed her allies and took the city for herself.[7] The Undercity, which lies beneath the ruins of the city, became the capital of the Forsaken.
World of Warcraft
To this day, one can hear the moments before King Terenas' death; hushed whispers in the courtyard, the clanging of bells in the entryway, the faint cheer echoing the welcome of Prince Arthas, and the murmur of voices in the throne room. One such sentence that is uttered says "This kingdom shall fall, and from the ashes shall arise a new order that will shake the very foundations of the world." — Arthas after slaying his father, and proclaiming the Scourge's invasion and victory over Lordaeron. If you can detect invisibility, you will see the ghosts of the citizens of Lordaeron still haunting the castle's courtyard. Beneath the ruins now lies the Forsaken capital city — the Undercity, where the dark queen prepares to conquer the lands to the east and south.
The lands outside the ruins were no longer full of cheerful people enjoying the sun, but with demons such as darkhounds and duskbats and the Scourge lurking nearby at the borders of the Plaguelands.
The Burning Crusade
Prior to the start of the invasion of Outland in 26 ADP, the gates of Lordaeron were invaded by a group of Burning Legion demons led by Highlord Kruul.[8]
An Orb of Translocation was eventually placed in the ruins, connecting the Undercity to the blood elf capital of Silvermoon City. Additionally, an Arena was added to the ruins.
Wrath of the Lich King
During the Battle for the Undercity in 27 ADP, after Putress and Varimathras took control of the Undercity, the Horde forces led by Warchief Thrall and Sylvanas Windrunner battled through the entrance against the forces of the Burning Legion.[9]
Warlords of Draenor
After the Siege of Orgrimmar in 30 ADP, the Kor'kron Overseers left the Forsaken capital, and the abominations returned to their posts as Undercity Guardians.
Battle for Azeroth
During the Fourth War in 33 ADP, Capital City was put under siege by the Alliance army led by High King Anduin Wrynn, who sought to reclaim the fallen capital in retaliation for the Burning of Teldrassil.[10] Though Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner and the Horde put up a fierce defense, the Alliance routed the Horde from the city. However, rather than leaving the Alliance claim Lordaeron as a stronghold, Sylvanas rigged all of the Undercity and Lordaeron Keep to be blighted. The Horde ultimately left the ruins plagued and unclaimed, only occupied by the living skeletons that fell during the siege.[11]
After the armistice in 34 ADP, Renzik "The Shiv" reported that parts of the ruins of Lordaeron appear slightly less dangerous as if the blight was slowly fading, but the toxic blight will likely take a very long time to disperse completely.[12]
Shadowlands
Following the war against the Jailer in 36 ADP, after retaking Brill and bringing back a plague eater empowered by the magic of Maldraxxus, the Forsaken launched an attack on the blight spread across the Ruins of Lordaeron, unleashing the plague eaters on it. The consumed blight and the plague eaters manifested into an Amalgam.[13] After its defeat, prominent leaders formed the new Desolate Council in the courtyard of the Ruins of Lordaeron, and the Forsaken returned home.[14]
Dragonflight
In Year 40 ADP, the Scarlet Crusaders led by Scarlet Commander Forsythe seized Fenris Isle and launched an attack upon the Ruins of Lorderon.[15] In response, the Desolate Council rallied their people and launched a counterattack, in which they claimed Fenris Isle and killed Forsythe. In the aftermath of the battle, the Forsaken celebrated their victory in the Ruins of Lordaeron.[16]
In the RPG
Lordaeron's capital city stood for centuries, a monument to humanity's might. In the Third War, Prince Arthas slew his father King Terenas in Lordaeron's throne room and ransacked the city. He planned to use Lordaeron as his capital on the continent and ordered his minions to expand the catacombs beneath the city. Then the Lich King summoned Arthas to Northrend and the work was left uncompleted.
During Arthas' exodus, Sylvanas Windrunner broke free of the Lich King's control and took many banshees and other undead with her. With Varimathras' assistance she defeated the dreadlords that controlled the city and set her newly dubbed Forsaken to finish Arthas' job in the dungeons. The Forsaken carved Undercity and now rule the surrounding countryside.[17]
Notes
- Until the
[Return to Lordaeron] questline, the ruins could be flown over afterward, but getting too close to the ground would kill the player due to the blight. - In Cataclysm, the city received an overhaul and was finally completely visible to players due to the addition of flying mounts to the Eastern Kingdoms. The architecture of the Ruins of Lordaeron as well as the Undercity was not heavily changed in Cataclysm, however, it was updated to allow flying mounts. Little Forsaken presence could be seen here until patch 4.2.0, when the area was populated with Forsaken Citizens and Kor'kron Overseers. Apothecary Initiates were also added near the plague wagons.
- Capital City's harbor is not present in-game.
- The rounded southern wall in WoW seems to be based on the shape of the land and rocks from the Warcraft II mission, while the city in Warcraft III was more rectangular.
Gallery
- World of Warcraft
Overview of the ruins since Shadowlands.
Entrance.
Portal room.
Inhabited area.
Inhabited area.
Inhabited area.
Blighted after the Battle for Lordaeron.
Overview of the ruins during Cataclysm.
Gates of Lordaeron in Cataclysm.
The Ruins of Lordaeron in Classic.
- Warcraft III
The ruined palace and its garden in The Frozen Throne.
The city streets The Frozen Throne.
The city streets The Frozen Throne.
- Other
In the What Makes Us Strong cinematic.
In the Old Soldier cinematic.
![bfa]] loading screen.](/images/thumb/BfA_Login_No_text.jpg/320px-BfA_Login_No_text.jpg?31ac67)
bfa]] loading screen.
In the Ashbringer comic..
In the Trading Card Game.
![bfa]] loading screen.](/wiki/File:BfA_Login_No_text.jpg)
Videos
- Battle for Lordaeron
- Lordaeron Throne Room Confrontation - Horde
- Lordaeron Throne Room Confrontation - Alliance
- Lilian Calia Finale In Game Cutscene - Patch 9.2.5
Patch changes
- Patch 9.2.5 (2022-05-31): Subzone revamped and retaken as a Forsaken hub after [Return to Lordaeron].
- Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): Subzone revamped, models updated, blighted and abandoned.
Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Subzone redone and opened for flying mounts.
See also
- Ruins of Lordaeron (arena)
- The Ruins of Lordaeron, TCG card
- Battle for Lordaeron Diorama, diorama with the Ruins of Lordaeron as its central piece
References
- ^
[10-50] The Battle for Lordaeron
- ^ Ashbringer: Death is Contagious, pg. 29
- ^
[30] Test of Lore
- ^ The Ruins of Dalaran (WC3 NightElf)
- ^ King Arthas (Warcraft III)
- ^ King Arthas (WC3 Undead)
- ^ A New Power in Lordaeron (WC3 Undead)
- ^ Dark Portal Opens
- ^ [74] The Battle For The Undercity
- ^
[10-50] The Battle for Lordaeron
- ^ [10-50] The Battle for Lordaeron
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, pg. 116
- ^
[50-80] The Remedy of Lordaeron
- ^ [50-80] The Desolate Council
- ^
[50-80] Our Enemies Abound
- ^ [50-80] I Am Forsaken
- ^ Lands of Conflict, pg. 109
External links
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