Terror of the Tides Timeline - Story, Lore & Missions

[Khazmo]

The following is a summary of all the events that surround the human campaign The Scourge of Lordaeron. The focus is not just on what is shown ingame, but in other media too including novels, comics, chronicles and World of Warcraft.

Noteworthy events before the Campaign:

• Illidan absorbs the Skull of Gul'dan which mutates him into a half-demonic monster. Using his newfound power he kills Tichondrius and drives the demons out of Felwood. [WC3: Eternity's End CH6]
• Upon seeing what his brother has done, Furion exiles his brother from Night Elven lands.[WC3: Eternity's End CH6]
• The Alliance, Horde and Night Elves unite to face the Burning Legion. Although their losses are immense, they prove victorious and defeat the Burning Legion. [WC3: Eternity's End CH7]
• Remnants of the Burning Legion infest Darkwhisper Gorge, Felwood and other areas of Ashenvale Forest, but their strength is deeply diminished. [World of Warcraft]

Noteworthy events during the Campaign:

• Illidan seeks out new allies to help him with his goals. He summons the Naga from the depths of the ocean and makes a deal with Lady Vashj for their help. [CH0x - The Awakening]
• Lady Vashj leads a number of naga tribes to join Illidan including the Bloodscale Tribe, Coilfang Tribe, Coilskar Tribe, Darkcrest Tribe and the Wrathfin. [World of Warcraft - The Burning Crusade]
• Satyr (possibly of the Legashi Sect) pledge allegiance to Illidan and are afterwards known as Illidans Servitors. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• Illidan and his forces sew a path of destruction across Azshara, culminating in the destruction of the port town of Nendis and the burning of some of its ships. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• Maiev Shadowsong and the Watchers hunt Illidan across Azshara. As they do so they have to kill furbolg and wildkin driven mad by Illidan's march across this land. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• She splits her forces in two to chase him down quicker, but some of them are captured by Illidan's loyal Satyr. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• After freeing her Watchers from the Satyr, Maiev marches on Nendis and fights the Naga for control. After a skirmish, she drives them away and then boards the remaining ships of the night elf fleet to continue her hunt for Illidan. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• Maiev and her Watchers make landfall in the Broken Isles, but they are surprised that the islands exist at all as they appear on no maps. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• Maiev soon realises that the ruins are of the ancient city of Suramar, lost beneath the sea 10,000 years earlier. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• After setting up a base, Maiev encounters an old Orc warlock named Drak'thul. He asks for help putting the restless ghosts of his former comrades to rest, and in return offers to explain what happened to this place. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• Despite her aversion to the warlock, she does what she is asked to do. Drak'thul then explains that the warlock Gul'dan raised the islands so that he could open the Tomb of Sargeras and claim his power. She curses the orc and leaves him alone. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• After a while, the naga began to attack the camp in groups from west and north, but they were easy prey for the Ancient Protectors and skilled archers waiting in the camp. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• Marshaling enough troops for a counter-assault, Maiev enlisted the aid of Goblin shipbuilders to take the battle to the enemy. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• Maiev stumbles across the ancient library of Suramar and recovers several ancient tomes that survived the millennia beneath the waves. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
• After fighting the Naga across the Broken Isles, Maiev eventually finds Illidan as he opens the Tomb of Sargeras and steps within. The Watchers fight the Naga, killing them and pursuing him into the tomb. [CH2 - The Broken Isles]
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• Maiev pursues Illidan into the Tomb of Sargeras hoping to stop Illidan before he claimed the terrible demon's powers. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Inside, Maiev and her forces battled Illidan's Naga as well as the demonic guardians of the tomb. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Maiev was confronted by the Naga sea witch Lady Vashj, who tells Maiev of the true nature of the Naga. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• The Watchers also discovered runes written by Gul'dan himself as he searched for the Eye of Sargeras, as well as his terrible death. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• At some point Maiev find a shard of Gul'dan's Shadow Orb and eventually pieces the powerful artefact together. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Eventually they discovered the central chamber of the tomb, only to find that Illidan had already claimed the Eye. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Taunting Maiev, Illidan uses the artifact's demonic powers to bring the tomb crashing down around the Watchers, hoping to imprison the Warden in much the same way she had him. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Maiev managed to use her magic to escape, however Naisha and her remaining troops were not so lucky, and were buried alive. [CH3 - The Tomb of Sargeras]
• Hours later, suffering from grievous wounds and exhaustion, Maiev stumbles back to the relative safety of her base camp. [CH4 - Wrath of the Betrayer]
• Maiev finds her small force surrounded and outnumbered by the Naga. Knowing they could not possibly fight their way out, Maiev instead sends a runner to summon reinforcements. [CH4 - Wrath of the Betrayer]
• In the confusion of battle, however, Maiev was cut off from the rest of her forces and instead had to help the Runner sneak past Serena Scarscale's watery fortifications and aid her escape to the sea. [CH4 - Wrath of the Betrayer]
• While fighting to get the runner to safety, Maiev discovers an ancient digsite with ancestral relics of the Kaldorei. [CH4 - Wrath of the Betrayer]
• Without Maiev's aid, the Naga were eventually able to break the Night Elf defenses and force them to a final redoubt with no resources, where Maiev joined them for a last stand. [CH4 - Wrath of the Betrayer]
• In the secluded Moonglade, Malfurion Stormrage and Tyrande Whisperwind discuss the aftermath of the Legion's invasion. A runner appears, requesting aid for the Watchers in their quest against to hunt down Illidan. [CH4x - Unfinished Business]
• Tyrande and Malfurion agree to come to Maiev's aid. [CH4x - Unfinished Business]
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Noteworthy events after the Campaign:


Notes and Inconsistencies:

• There is an unused conversation between Maiev Shadowsong and Naisha during the Rise of the Naga mission that could be restored. [CH1 - Rise of the Naga]
• Although it is said that the islands hold the ruins of Suramar City, it is later revealed that night elves (known as Nightborne in WOW) survived the sinking of Suramar by erecting a great shield around the city. It's possible that the ruins we see are the outskirts rather than the city at large. [CH2 - The Broken Isles / World of Warcraft: Legion]

[WORK IN PROGRESS]

 

[Khazmo]

[POST CLAIMED FOR FUTURE EXPANSION]

 

[Ethenil]

I think we have a great opportunity to have Maiev comment on the bubble around Suramar. Let me give some other considerations:

- What was saved in the bubble of Suramar was only the core of the city; the outskirts are what we see in TFT;

- I think that the Moon Guard, together with the druids of Val'Sharah, should be the ones who hold a watch over the bubble of Suramar (though I don't think this will be relevant in the campaign);

- Now, this is a headcanon that I've had since Legion, and I don't know how you guys would feel about it. Anyway, here goes: when Maiev, stranded in the Broken Isles fighting Illidan's forces, calls for help from Malfurion and Tyrande, it is assumed that the messenger sails all the way to Kalimdor, only for the night elves there to mobilize and sail back. I think the sheer time that it would take for this is kind of insane. My proposal is that the messenger doesn't sail all the way to Kalimdor. Instead, she goes to Val'Sharah, where she asks help from the druids of the Dreamgrove, who open the Emerald Dream portal towards Ashenvale/Hyjal. Then, Malfurion and Tyrande and their forces pass through that portal to Val'Sharah, and then sail to Thal'Dranath (Broken Shore).

Tell me what you think of this idea please

 

[Khazmo]

I'm not too fond of showing Suramar/Nightborne because we just don't have the dialogue for it to be handled properly, plus you then have to wonder why Maiev didn't try to communicate with those inside.

When it comes to Val'Sharah, I'm unsure about that because I haven't actually played that part of WoW, so I know very little about it. It might work, I just don't know what its story is

 

[Ethenil]

I'm not too fond of showing Suramar/Nightborne because we just don't have the dialogue for it to be handled properly, plus you then have to wonder why Maiev didn't try to communicate with those inside.

When it comes to Val'Sharah, I'm unsure about that because I haven't actually played that part of WoW, so I know very little about it. It might work, I just don't know what its story is

For Suramar, it's pretty clear that it was impossible to communicate with those inside, at least for the night elves. Maiev wouldn't just be learning of it now - she'd have known it was there for ages. Remember, the Watchers had a great Vault in Azsuna - it's likely Maiev has already come to this region many times.

It is likely that during the first few centuries after the Sundering, the kaldorei did indeed attempt to communicate with those inside, but when everything failed, they simply contented themselves with watching over it.

As for Val'Sharah, the actual story of what happens in Legion doesn't actually matter much. All that's important is that it's night elf land, and there's an Emerald Dream portal there.

Really, the alternative is that the runner had to sail to Kalimdor, reach Malfurion & Tyrande, who then mustered their forces and sailed back. How many months would such a thing have taken?

 

[Wlarius]

I'd simply have the campaign visit the Tomb of Sargeras island and some smaller islands around it. Have all the other parts of the Broken Isles simply be further away. Maybe visible in the distance, but not the focus of the events.

WoW maps are not up to scale, things are way bigger. Goldshire, for example, isn't just 3 houses in lore.

Have this be just this: