The First War marks the apocalyptic beginning of Azeroth's modern history, initiated by the opening of @The Dark Portal. This cosmic gateway is forged through a clandestine, trans-dimensional pact between the corrupted @Human Archmage Medivh—possessed by the demon lord Sargeras—and the @Orc @Warlock Gul'dan, leader of the demonic Shadow Council. Through this rift, the Old Horde, a bloodthirsty coalition of @Orcs thoroughly corrupted by the blood of the pit lord Mannoroth, pours out of the dying world of Draenor directly into the Black Morass of the southern @Eastern Kingdoms.
Led by the towering Warchief Blackhand the Destroyer, the Horde launched a brutal, systematic campaign of eradication against the unsuspecting @Human @Kingdom of Stormwind. The @Humanforces, blindsided by the existence of the alien invaders, mobilize under the tactical command of King Llane Wrynn and High Lord Anduin Lothar.
The war is defined by savage trench warfare, the burning of rural @Human settlements like Grand Hamlet, and the ultimate exposure of Medivh’s treachery. Recognizing the Archmage as the architect of the invasion, Lothar leads a vanguard to the tower of Karazhan, executing Medivh and inadvertently triggering a psychic backlash that plunged Gul'dan into a deep coma.
Despite the death of Medivh, the Horde recovered under the shadow-manipulation of Orgrim Doomhammer. The definitive, fatal blow to the @Human defense comes from within the royal court. Garona Halforcen, a half-orc assassin mind-controlled by the Shadow Council, breaks through King Llane's inner circle and violently cuts out his heart in front of his young son, Prince @Varian Wrynn.
Shattered by the loss of their monarch and overwhelmed by the sheer physical ferocity of the @Orc vanguard, Stormwind's outer defenses collapse entirely. The Old Horde breaches the capital, systematically slaughtering the civilian population and burning the entire white-stone metropolis to ash.
The First War concludes in absolute human defeat. High Lord Anduin Lothar gathers the traumatized Prince @Varian Wrynn and the destitute, surviving refugees of the @Kingdom of Stormwind, boarding a massive naval fleet to flee north across the Great Sea to the kingdom of Lordaeron.
The fall of Stormwind serves as the catastrophic warning sign that forces the remaining @Human kingdoms to abandon their political isolation, laying the groundwork for the creation of the original Alliance of Lordaeron. Currently, as the war against the @Scourge rages in @Northrend, the scars of the First War remain deeply etched into the geography of Elwynn Forest and the bitter, unyielding martial mindset of King @Varian Wrynn.