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Description

A World of Warcraft AU.

In this timeline, Neltharion decides to stay in near-surface and embedded-in-mountain cave systems instead of deeper. Thus, he is never corrupted by N'Zoth, and never becomes Deathwing. In the War of the Ancients, the Black Dragonflight remains loyal and the other dragonflights remain strong enough to turn the tide of the War of the Ancients. In the end, Neltharion's continued support and Malygos not having to draw back to prevent racial extinction leads to a lot more time. Instead of passing the point of no return, the attempted summoning of Sargeras is stopped soon, much sooner that in OTL.

The world is still wounded, fel taint covering much of Azeroth and the power of the night elves is greatly shaken. However, the Great Sundering that would have split Azeroth apart never occurs.

10,000 years have passed, and much has changed.

The Night Elf Empire

The night elves were perhaps the most devastated by the conflict. Their beloved queen had tried to destroy the world and consorted with demons. The empire itself was divided in two during the War of the Ancients.

In the aftermath, three figures arose into prominence: the brothers Illidan and Malfurion Stormrage, and Tyrande Whisperwind. They would form the Triarchy, leading various aspects of kaldorei life. Tyrande arose as High Priestess of Elune, as well as leader of the Sentinels, the primary and elite female army of the night elves. Malfurion, taught by Cenarius himself, trained in the arts of the druid, and leads the Druids of Cenarius, who heal and watch over the land and the Emerald Dream. Finally, there is Illidan, who despite his apparent betrayal, was able to secure the allegiance of the remaining Highborne and night elf mages. The Illidarian Conclave are carefully watched by the Eternal Guardian himself, who while encouraging arcane study and use, knows full well of the consequences of irresponsible magic.

The Triarchy are supported by a vast network of administrative leaders and numerous members within their own orders. The rebuilt capital of Zin-Azeroth remains the center of kaldorei life, a place where magic and nature overlap, overseen by the truly sprawling and massive Tree of Eternity, Nordrassil, crafted and blessed by the Dragon Aspects.

While technology has found itself into the night elf empire, notably among the urban settlements and among mages, much of night elf culture remains intentionally rustic, following the guidance of Cenarius and Malfurion. Vast wildlife reservations remain under Wild God dominion, untouched and unclaimed for their natural beauty. Despite this, the empire has modernized in many areas, from advanced mechanical suits worn by the sleek Sentinels to advanced breeding and bio-engineering programs.

No better example of this are the armies of the kaldorei. Each member of the Triarchy is in command of their own unique military. Tyrande can call upon the Wardens of Elune, the militant beach of the Sisterhood of Elune, who call upon their goddess's power and are given sleek power armor equipped with advanced portable healing machinery. Even lesser Wardens are decked out and dangerous. Cenarian druids remain the most conservative, calling upon the power of nature to crush and destroy their enemies. Mages of the Conclave are frequent figures in battles, working in small units that inflict heavy casualties with their magic.

The Troll Empires

The trolls have remained behind the night elves for thousands of years, although they were largely spared the destruction of the War of the Ancients. The Gurubashi, Drakkari, and Amani empires each launched their own small series of wars to claim back more territory following the War of the Ancients. Spearheaded by Zandalar, it was a long and brutal conflict, and while the trolls drove deep into the empire, the night elves were eventually able to route them thansk to technological breakthroughs and their allies. The greatest effect was the land of Zandalar, which was nearly burned and razed to the ground by magical arcane superweapons, with the survivors scattering to the winds.

The trolls, however, still remain powerful nations in their own rights. While nominally rivals to the night elves, open conflicts have generally been rare since the Great Troll-Elf War. Most troll empires remain rivals even among themselves, generally divided along border disputes and other age-old feuds.

The various empires have embraced technology to various degrees. The Gurubashi remain the most conservative, in order to retain the central troll identity, but even they have developed new roads, cities, and societies based around advanced machines. Trolls are most famous for their elite power-armor clad soldiers and worship of the mighty loa, with various disputes between the conservative-leaning loa-worshiping caste-backers and the more progressive and secular idealists.

Uldaman Technate

Though small in both size and territory, the gnomes have, perhaps more than any other race, had the greatest influence upon the post-Sundering world than any other race. They awoke from Uldaman, and slowly developed a society focused on forward-thinking and science.

Thus sparked the Great Technological Leap, and the gnomes have been at the forefront of technology ever since. They are allies to the night elves, surrounded by troll empires, but usually are quite peaceful.

The gnomes possess a highly advanced society, from AI within their J-watches to advanced mechanical suits that can harvest, mine, or cut trees faster than any living thing. New technologies are constantly being pumped out, from medical cures to new flying automobiles. Perhaps even more impressive is their expanding fleet of starships and space colonies, granting the gnomes a near endless supply of resources. Robotics is also a huge field, fulfilling most of the manual labor for gnomes, with the new field of nanobots causing an explosion of practical possibilities.

The Uldaman Technate itself is governed rather democratically, with an elected High Tinkerer, who serves as a living counterpart to the Primary Operating Program (POP), a vast connected computer network that runs most of gnomish life.

Despite their small stature, the gnomes arguably possess the largest military, noted for the gargantuan Titans, towering creations of steel and raw power. Most gnomes also use giant mechs of varying sizes, which crush and cleave through any opponent. The technate also is famed for the elite gnome sniper corps and small army units manning gyroscope mounted turrets that fire many types of magic bolts.

Pandaren Empire

For nearly 10,000 years the descendants of Shaohao have ruled over the lands of Pandaria and its disparate peoples. Pandaria has surprisingly changed very little, though even the pandarens have embraced certain technologies.

The "empire" is still ruled by an emperor, but there is a considerable lack of government interference into local and everyday affairs.

Small police forces and a standing army, equipped with modern technology is still used, but most pandarens are protected by the Shado-pan, an expansive secret society of elite warriors, who served in nearly every conflict, from the Mantid Invasions to the Sha War. The Shado-Pan are perhaps the most rustic faction in Azeroth, relying on ancient techniques and magical arts, but even they have adopted some modern conveyances. Most pandaren and the other races of the empire strive towards a peaceful coexistance and balance between new and old, progress and tradition, technology and nature.

Dragonflights & Dragon Aspects

Azeroth’s appointed guardians are much more active and on-call in this world. After the events of the War of the Ancients, the different dragonflights have taken different approaches to the problem at hand.

Malygos ensures arcane magic continues to be practiced and blue dragons tutor the greatest magisters among the trolls and elves, and kill them (due to moral outcry and social pressure, this has been largely relegated to permanent imprisonment) if they prove dangerous, frequently working with the Illidarian Conclave.

Ysera and Alexstraza will move among the night elves resulting in even more druids and archdruids. Ysera also ensures Wild Gods remain on a war footing, destroying threats like Hakkar or keeping them in stasis until the time comes.

Neltharion himself is one of the biggest supporters behind technology advancements, good friends to the gnomes. As for Nozdormu…time remains his main priority, and he seems to have last seen muttering about how "I really did not see this coming..."

Each dragon aspect has, to some degree or another, found new uses with modern technology, and indeed have even spurred on some of its development. Perhaps most famous are the Drakakori Armors, specifically forged power armor fused with magical runes and high tech metal plating, designed for the specifications of each dragon aspect. They lead armies of magically adept dragons, but also use lesser dragonborn species. These include the draconid, dragonspawn, dragonkin, and most effective dracthyr. Each serve a specific role, and are deadly effective in the battlefield, armored with light-shields and using newest gnomish lazer guns to fire enemy opponents.

Northrend Confederation

In the far northern reaches of Azeroth lies the lands of Northrend, long united into a conglomerate of diverse species and cultures. From the taunka tribes to the tuskarr to the vrykul jarldoms, the Northrend Confederations stands as the unifying factor of them all. The most simple and technologically regressive of the great nations, the Confederation is formed of delegates of each sub-faction that vote on laws and regulation. The Confederation has a long history of conflict with the nearby Drakkari Empire, but is also wary of the very powerful night elves to the south. Most of citizens of Northrend have enjoyed new innovations, such as hypermobiles or magielectric heaters, but still prefer the old ways of doing things.

Yuangolia

The yuangol, ancestors of the tauren, settled in lands in southern Kalimdor, and developed a unique warrior culture living next to the mantid. The mantid are long gone now, and the yuangol nowadays live nomadic lifestyles in the vast plains of the south. They are divided into various tribes, only united by mighty Khans during periods of great strife or under terrible circumstances, and are one of the oldest allies to the night elves.

The yuangol are also given charge over the many wild races and creatures of Azeroth, such as gnolls, furbolgs, and other such races that were sent to the region by the night elves to pacify the wilds. Many of these races have formed their own settlements and are carefully watched by the yuangol.

The Old Gods

In the depths of Titan facilities, the Old Gods rage and claw at their cages, with little success, but they are not without plans or resources.

Ulduar is still firmly under Yogg-Sarons control, influencing the nerubians of the north. C'thun is safe with the qiraji. N'Zoth plots and plans in the deep unknown.

Across Azeroth a balance between magic, technology, and nature has been slowly formed, but that balance will be tested with the return of the Burning Legion. This has been heralded by the coming of the draenei under Velen, who have landed aboard their dimensional ship the Exodar, joined in part by orcs like Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer and others of the Frostwolf Clan, long-time allies to the draenei.

They speak of Draenor, a world which fell to the Legion. The orcs, ogres, and arakkoa have completely fallen to the Legion, turned into demons and led by their betrayer Gul’dan. Clad with fire arms and power armor, the fel engines of the Legion prepare for another attack upon Azeroth.

----

The inspiration for this AU comes from the Library of Lordaeron forum. The original idea is not mine, but the map and expanded lore is.

Description

A World of Warcraft AU.

In this timeline, Neltharion decides to stay in near-surface and embedded-in-mountain cave systems instead of deeper. Thus, he is never corrupted by N'Zoth, and never becomes Deathwing. In the War of the Ancients, the Black Dragonflight remains loyal and the other dragonflights remain strong enough to turn the tide of the War of the Ancients. In the end, Neltharion's continued support and Malygos not having to draw back to prevent racial extinction leads to a lot more time. Instead of passing the point of no return, the attempted summoning of Sargeras is stopped soon, much sooner that in OTL.

The world is still wounded, fel taint covering much of Azeroth and the power of the night elves is greatly shaken. However, the Great Sundering that would have split Azeroth apart never occurs.

10,000 years have passed, and much has changed.

The Night Elf Empire

The night elves were perhaps the most devastated by the conflict. Their beloved queen had tried to destroy the world and consorted with demons. The empire itself was divided in two during the War of the Ancients.

In the aftermath, three figures arose into prominence: the brothers Illidan and Malfurion Stormrage, and Tyrande Whisperwind. They would form the Triarchy, leading various aspects of kaldorei life. Tyrande arose as High Priestess of Elune, as well as leader of the Sentinels, the primary and elite female army of the night elves. Malfurion, taught by Cenarius himself, trained in the arts of the druid, and leads the Druids of Cenarius, who heal and watch over the land and the Emerald Dream. Finally, there is Illidan, who despite his apparent betrayal, was able to secure the allegiance of the remaining Highborne and night elf mages. The Illidarian Conclave are carefully watched by the Eternal Guardian himself, who while encouraging arcane study and use, knows full well of the consequences of irresponsible magic.

The Triarchy are supported by a vast network of administrative leaders and numerous members within their own orders. The rebuilt capital of Zin-Azeroth remains the center of kaldorei life, a place where magic and nature overlap, overseen by the truly sprawling and massive Tree of Eternity, Nordrassil, crafted and blessed by the Dragon Aspects.

While technology has found itself into the night elf empire, notably among the urban settlements and among mages, much of night elf culture remains intentionally rustic, following the guidance of Cenarius and Malfurion. Vast wildlife reservations remain under Wild God dominion, untouched and unclaimed for their natural beauty. Despite this, the empire has modernized in many areas, from advanced mechanical suits worn by the sleek Sentinels to advanced breeding and bio-engineering programs.

No better example of this are the armies of the kaldorei. Each member of the Triarchy is in command of their own unique military. Tyrande can call upon the Wardens of Elune, the militant beach of the Sisterhood of Elune, who call upon their goddess's power and are given sleek power armor equipped with advanced portable healing machinery. Even lesser Wardens are decked out and dangerous. Cenarian druids remain the most conservative, calling upon the power of nature to crush and destroy their enemies. Mages of the Conclave are frequent figures in battles, working in small units that inflict heavy casualties with their magic.

The Troll Empires

The trolls have remained behind the night elves for thousands of years, although they were largely spared the destruction of the War of the Ancients. The Gurubashi, Drakkari, and Amani empires each launched their own small series of wars to claim back more territory following the War of the Ancients. Spearheaded by Zandalar, it was a long and brutal conflict, and while the trolls drove deep into the empire, the night elves were eventually able to route them thansk to technological breakthroughs and their allies. The greatest effect was the land of Zandalar, which was nearly burned and razed to the ground by magical arcane superweapons, with the survivors scattering to the winds.

The trolls, however, still remain powerful nations in their own rights. While nominally rivals to the night elves, open conflicts have generally been rare since the Great Troll-Elf War. Most troll empires remain rivals even among themselves, generally divided along border disputes and other age-old feuds.

The various empires have embraced technology to various degrees. The Gurubashi remain the most conservative, in order to retain the central troll identity, but even they have developed new roads, cities, and societies based around advanced machines. Trolls are most famous for their elite power-armor clad soldiers and worship of the mighty loa, with various disputes between the conservative-leaning loa-worshiping caste-backers and the more progressive and secular idealists.

Uldaman Technate

Though small in both size and territory, the gnomes have, perhaps more than any other race, had the greatest influence upon the post-Sundering world than any other race. They awoke from Uldaman, and slowly developed a society focused on forward-thinking and science.

Thus sparked the Great Technological Leap, and the gnomes have been at the forefront of technology ever since. They are allies to the night elves, surrounded by troll empires, but usually are quite peaceful.

The gnomes possess a highly advanced society, from AI within their J-watches to advanced mechanical suits that can harvest, mine, or cut trees faster than any living thing. New technologies are constantly being pumped out, from medical cures to new flying automobiles. Perhaps even more impressive is their expanding fleet of starships and space colonies, granting the gnomes a near endless supply of resources. Robotics is also a huge field, fulfilling most of the manual labor for gnomes, with the new field of nanobots causing an explosion of practical possibilities.

The Uldaman Technate itself is governed rather democratically, with an elected High Tinkerer, who serves as a living counterpart to the Primary Operating Program (POP), a vast connected computer network that runs most of gnomish life.

Despite their small stature, the gnomes arguably possess the largest military, noted for the gargantuan Titans, towering creations of steel and raw power. Most gnomes also use giant mechs of varying sizes, which crush and cleave through any opponent. The technate also is famed for the elite gnome sniper corps and small army units manning gyroscope mounted turrets that fire many types of magic bolts.

Pandaren Empire

For nearly 10,000 years the descendants of Shaohao have ruled over the lands of Pandaria and its disparate peoples. Pandaria has surprisingly changed very little, though even the pandarens have embraced certain technologies.

The "empire" is still ruled by an emperor, but there is a considerable lack of government interference into local and everyday affairs.

Small police forces and a standing army, equipped with modern technology is still used, but most pandarens are protected by the Shado-pan, an expansive secret society of elite warriors, who served in nearly every conflict, from the Mantid Invasions to the Sha War. The Shado-Pan are perhaps the most rustic faction in Azeroth, relying on ancient techniques and magical arts, but even they have adopted some modern conveyances. Most pandaren and the other races of the empire strive towards a peaceful coexistance and balance between new and old, progress and tradition, technology and nature.

Dragonflights & Dragon Aspects

Azeroth’s appointed guardians are much more active and on-call in this world. After the events of the War of the Ancients, the different dragonflights have taken different approaches to the problem at hand.

Malygos ensures arcane magic continues to be practiced and blue dragons tutor the greatest magisters among the trolls and elves, and kill them (due to moral outcry and social pressure, this has been largely relegated to permanent imprisonment) if they prove dangerous, frequently working with the Illidarian Conclave.

Ysera and Alexstraza will move among the night elves resulting in even more druids and archdruids. Ysera also ensures Wild Gods remain on a war footing, destroying threats like Hakkar or keeping them in stasis until the time comes.

Neltharion himself is one of the biggest supporters behind technology advancements, good friends to the gnomes. As for Nozdormu…time remains his main priority, and he seems to have last seen muttering about how "I really did not see this coming..."

Each dragon aspect has, to some degree or another, found new uses with modern technology, and indeed have even spurred on some of its development. Perhaps most famous are the Drakakori Armors, specifically forged power armor fused with magical runes and high tech metal plating, designed for the specifications of each dragon aspect. They lead armies of magically adept dragons, but also use lesser dragonborn species. These include the draconid, dragonspawn, dragonkin, and most effective dracthyr. Each serve a specific role, and are deadly effective in the battlefield, armored with light-shields and using newest gnomish lazer guns to fire enemy opponents.

Northrend Confederation

In the far northern reaches of Azeroth lies the lands of Northrend, long united into a conglomerate of diverse species and cultures. From the taunka tribes to the tuskarr to the vrykul jarldoms, the Northrend Confederations stands as the unifying factor of them all. The most simple and technologically regressive of the great nations, the Confederation is formed of delegates of each sub-faction that vote on laws and regulation. The Confederation has a long history of conflict with the nearby Drakkari Empire, but is also wary of the very powerful night elves to the south. Most of citizens of Northrend have enjoyed new innovations, such as hypermobiles or magielectric heaters, but still prefer the old ways of doing things.

Yuangolia

The yuangol, ancestors of the tauren, settled in lands in southern Kalimdor, and developed a unique warrior culture living next to the mantid. The mantid are long gone now, and the yuangol nowadays live nomadic lifestyles in the vast plains of the south. They are divided into various tribes, only united by mighty Khans during periods of great strife or under terrible circumstances, and are one of the oldest allies to the night elves.

The yuangol are also given charge over the many wild races and creatures of Azeroth, such as gnolls, furbolgs, and other such races that were sent to the region by the night elves to pacify the wilds. Many of these races have formed their own settlements and are carefully watched by the yuangol.

The Old Gods

In the depths of Titan facilities, the Old Gods rage and claw at their cages, with little success, but they are not without plans or resources.

Ulduar is still firmly under Yogg-Sarons control, influencing the nerubians of the north. C'thun is safe with the qiraji. N'Zoth plots and plans in the deep unknown.

Across Azeroth a balance between magic, technology, and nature has been slowly formed, but that balance will be tested with the return of the Burning Legion. This has been heralded by the coming of the draenei under Velen, who have landed aboard their dimensional ship the Exodar, joined in part by orcs like Durotan and Orgrim Doomhammer and others of the Frostwolf Clan, long-time allies to the draenei.

They speak of Draenor, a world which fell to the Legion. The orcs, ogres, and arakkoa have completely fallen to the Legion, turned into demons and led by their betrayer Gul’dan. Clad with fire arms and power armor, the fel engines of the Legion prepare for another attack upon Azeroth.

----

The inspiration for this AU comes from the Library of Lordaeron forum. The original idea is not mine, but the map and expanded lore is.