Please note this is not the page for the continent of Azeroth.
Azeroth is a world that has known war since it's very beginning.
It exists in the Great Dark Beyond, not in the Twisting Nether, orbited by two moons: the White Lady and the Blue Child. The planet itself is comprised of at least three five contients: Kalimdor, Northrend, and the continents of the Eastern Kingdoms; Lordaeron, Azeroth, and Khaz Modan. All of these land masses were once part of a larger continent called Kalimdor, with a massive lake called the Well of Eternity at the center. At the conclusion of the War of the Ancients, the Great Sundering split apart these continents.
These known continents are now surrounded by vast oceans, the Veiled Sea and the Forbidding Sea to the east and west and the Great Sea in the center. Though many attempts to explore the other side of the world, between the Veiled and Forbidding Seas, have been initiated none of those ships have returned. It is believed that there is something there that must be highly dangerous, but there is no knowledge of what that might be. South of the continents is the South Seas, which are full of numerous islands.
History[]
For millenia, the world was reigned over by the Old Gods and their Elemental Lieutenants. Azeroth attracted the attention of the Titans, who arrived and fought the Old Gods in a War of Ordering. The Titans built constructs -- living but artificial creatures who would be the ancestors of the Dwarves, Giants, Gnomes, and Vrykul -- and created massive cities for their creations to live in. As life began to flourish, the Titans continued their celestial journey. The Ancients placed the Curse of Flesh upon many of these constructs, transforming them from metallic and stone creatures to living, breathing, mortal races.
Soon Trolls appeared on the world. They quickly spread across the massive continent of Kalimdor, erecting cities and empires. The Aqir soon appeared, however, and built a might empire of their own. The Trolls and Aqir clashed, and the trolls had to learn to defend themselves. Eventually, the trolls were victorious, splitting the mighty Azj'Aqir Empire into two weaker holdings; the Qiraji and the Nerubian kingdoms.
Soon, the elves appeared. Using magic left behind by the Titans in the Well of Eternity, the Kaldorei managed break through the troll influence in many regions and become the dominant race. At the height of the power of the Kaldorei, the Burning Legion attacked Azeroth. The War of the Ancients began, resulting in the destruction of the Well of Eternity and the Great Sundering. Not only were the continents split apart, but so were the elves -- separating into the Night Elves and the Quel'dorei.
The Quel'dorei refused to give up their magic despite the apocalyptic events that had occurred, and so the Kaldorei banished them. The High Elves settled in Lordaeron, where the Amani Empire was still very dominant. The elves and trolls clashed. With the aid of the fledgling race of Humans, the elves broke through the Amani power and became the victors of the Troll Wars.
For thousands of years, there was finally a certain degree of peace on Azeroth. Then, the Burning Legion attempted to destroy the world again. This time, they sent corrupted Orcs and violent Ogres from the world of Draenor through a Dark Portal to Azeroth. With the orc invasion came the First War, a clash between the humans and the orcs. There was little peace before the Orcs tried once more, and the Second War ensued. Although their Horde was able to establish some territory, they were ultimately broken by an Alliance of Humans, Dwarves, and High Elves. The orcs were placed in internment camps where they languished. As the corruption of the demonic Burning Legion fell away, the orcs returned to their former shamanistic roots. Thrall realized it was time to unite the Horde anew.
The Burning Legion, meanwhile, planned another invasion. This time using the Lich King to release a plague of undeath, the Alliance and Horde both nearly fell in the Eastern Kingdoms. Prince Arthas was lured to Northrend, where he became a Death Knight. He broke the Knights of the Silver Hand apart, destroying Lordaeron and shattering the power of the Sunwell on the Isle of Quel'Thalas. Meanwhile, Kalimdor and the Kaldorei were under siege directly from the demons and their Satyr allies. They released Illidan from his 10,000 year imprisonment. Illidan was manipulated into helping the Lich King separate from the Burning Legion.
The leaders of the Horde and the Alliance were drawn to Kalimdor by Medivh. The Horde, on the new continent, allied themselves with the Tauren and the Darkspear Trolls. Both alliances were met on Mount Hyjal by the night elves, who joined them. There they protected the World Tree
As this went on, Illidan was forced by Kil'jaeden to destroy the Frozen Throne of the Lich King. He summoned Naga from the Maelstrom to aid him. However, pursued by night elves and Blood Elves, Illidan only partially succeeded in the task. He escaped to the Outland with the Naga and some Blood Elves, convincing the latter to become a part of his Illidari. The partial success allowed some of the Scourge to escape the Lich King's control, these Forsaken were led by Sylvanas Windrunner, and they managed to take control of the Undercity of the Ruins of Lordaeron. The former citizens of the city found themselves part of two new factions, the brutal and xenophobic Scarlet Crusade and the much more compassionate Argent Dawn.
With the end of the Third War, the Forsaken joined the Horde and the Night Elves joined the Alliance. The orcs established a nation in the region of Durotar and the humans built an outpost on Theramore. The Qiraji War in Silithus forced the Horde and Alliance to put aside their differences once more. After that war, the Exodar crashed in the Azuremyst Isles. The Draenei soon found themselves welcomed by the night elves and the Alliance. Then the Dark Portal opened. The remaining Blood Elves realized, as the conflicts of Outlands began to affect Azeroth more and more, that their prince Kael'thas Sunstrider had betrayed them. They joined the Horde. The Outland War ensued, fought on many battlefields against a multitude of factions threatening to invade Azeroth. As the war wound down, however, it was discovered that Kael'thas had restored the Sunwell and meant to summon Kil'jaeden. Heroes of the Alliance and the Horde joined the Aldor, the Scryers, and the Blood Knights of Quel'thalas forming the Shattered Sun Offensive. They reclaimed the Isle of Quel'thalas.
It seemed as though there might be more years of uneasy peace, until the Scourge invaded both Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms once more. Reassured by the success in Outlands, both the Horde and the Alliance sent expeditions to Northrend to vanquish the Scourge. When the Knights of the Ebon Blade were freed from the Lich King's hold, they too joined the fight against the Scourge. In Northrend, however, the Alliance and Horde found themselves at odds with each other and also with the corrupted titan-keepers of the constructs still existing in the frozen lands. A new form of blight perfected by an separatist group of Forsaken plagued both the living and the dead. This all served to complicate the final struggle against the Lich King. And just as victory there was won...
The corrupted Dragon Aspect Deathwing stirred from his slumber on the Elemental Plane, having recovered from his last battle on Azeroth. There is not much time before he leaves Deepholm to attempt, once more, to reforge the world in molten fire.