Following the destruction of the @Kingdom of Stormwind in the First War, High Lord Anduin Lothar leads human refugees north to Lordaeron. King Terenas Menethil convokes the @Human nations, forming the original Alliance of Lordaeron, which integrates the Bronzebeard @Dwarfs of the @Kingdom of Ironforge , the gnomes of Gnomeregan, and the high elves of the @Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. Simultaneously, Orgrim Doomhammer executes the puppet Warchief Blackhand, purges Gul'dan’s Shadow Council, and assumes control of the @Orc Horde, forcefully enlisting the Amani @Trolls and the @Undead @Death Knights of Cho'gall and Gul'dan to launch a massive northern invasion.
The war spans the entirety of the @Eastern Kingdoms, defined by massive naval clashes across the Great Sea and aerial combat between Wildhammer gryphon riders and Horde dragon-riders wielding the enslaved Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza. The Horde advances rapidly, laying siege to Ironforge, burning the borders of the @Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, and marching to the absolute gates of Capital City in Lordaeron.
The Alliance faces collapse until Gul’dan betrays the Horde, withdrawing nearly half of Orgrim's standing army to raise the Sunken Tomb of Sargeras in search of godlike power. Forced to abandon the siege of Lordaeron to hunt the traitor, Doomhammer’s forces are split, allowing the Alliance to execute a massive, continent-wide counter-offensive.
The Alliance pushes the retreating Horde back to their primary volcanic stronghold at Blackrock Spire. At the foot of the mountain, a titanic duel erupts between Orgrim Doomhammer and Supreme Commander Anduin Lothar. Doomhammer shatters Lothar’s blade and crushes his skull, intending to break human morale.
Instead, Lothar’s lieutenant, Turalyon, takes up the broken sword, channels a blinding burst of Holy Light, and rallies the Alliance to completely rout the @Orc army, taking Doomhammer into custody. Turalyon and the Archmage Khadgar pursue the remaining @Orc clans south to the Black Morass, where Khadgar utilizes absolute arcane metrics to permanently shatter the Dark Portal.
The Second War ends in a decisive, yet fractured Alliance victory. The surviving @Orcs are rounded up and placed into heavily taxed @Human internment camps, sparking political rifts that cause Gilneas and Stromgarde to secede from the Alliance.
Currently, the war’s infrastructure defines the geopolitical landscape: the ruins of Netherdrake flights, the construction of Nethergarde Keep, and the bitter animosity of King @Varian Wrynn all stem directly from this crucible, serving as the foundational military baseline for the modern factions currently marching into @Northrend.