"Beyond the Dark Portal" series — Beyond the Dark Portal #1. The story of Beyond the Dark Portal, from the internment camps to the end of Draenor. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.
The Second War ended with the Dark Portal destroyed, but the story did not end there. Beyond the Dark Portal tells what came next: a rift that never closed, orcs who kept on fighting and, on the other side, in Draenor, an old shaman with a plan to save his own people. This prologue shows how the two worlds stood right after the war.
The rift that stayed open
Khadgar and the mages had destroyed the Dark Portal, but while studying the ruins, Khadgar, now an archmage, discovered that a rift still linked Azeroth to Draenor. Fel energy kept leaking through it.
The Alliance paid to build a fortress to watch over the place: Nethergarde, in the lands around the Portal.
Read more: Second War #19: a legendary ending!.
The Horde that did not surrender
Not all the orcs were captured. The Black Tooth Grin clan, led by Blackhand's sons, went back to Blackrock Mountain, retook the Spire and began calling itself the "true Horde". The Dragonmaw clan stayed in Grim Batol, raising dragons with Alexstrasza held captive.
Alliance groups hunted the orcs who roamed free across the Eastern Kingdoms.
On the other side
In Draenor, the orcs who had never crossed the Portal lived on a dying world. The one who took control of them was an old name: Ner'zhul, the shaman Kil'jaeden had deceived at the very beginning. He had a plan, and it ran through Azeroth once again.
Read more: Ner'zhul and the origin of the Scourge.
What this changes in the story
Beyond the Dark Portal is the bridge between Warcraft II and Warcraft III. Without it, you cannot understand why Draenor became Outland, where the Lich King came from or why heroes like Khadgar, Alleria and Turalyon vanished from Azeroth for so long.
The story has two versions that complement each other: the Warcraft II expansion from 1996, with campaigns for both sides, and the Beyond the Dark Portal novel, which tells the same events in more detail. This season follows both, using the novel as its base.
For WoW players, almost everything in this season shows up in TBC: Honor Hold, Hellfire Citadel, Auchindoun, the Black Temple and the characters who stayed trapped in Outland.
Episode timeline
- The Dark Portal is destroyed at the end of the Second War.
- Khadgar discovers that a rift still links the two worlds.
- The Alliance builds Nethergarde to watch over the rift.
- The Black Tooth Grin clan retakes Blackrock Spire.
- In Draenor, Ner'zhul takes control of the orcs.
Who's who in this episode
| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Khadgar | The archmage who discovered the rift linking the two worlds. | | Nethergarde | The Alliance fortress built to watch over the Portal. | | Black Tooth Grin | The clan of Blackhand's sons, which called itself the true Horde. | | Ner'zhul | The old shaman who takes over the orcs of Draenor. |
Where to see it in WotLK
- Blasted Lands: Nethergarde Keep and the Dark Portal, rebuilt.
- Blackrock Spire: the orcs of Rend Blackhand, the "true Horde".
- Wetlands: Grim Batol and the Dragonmaw orcs.
Frequently asked questions
What is Beyond the Dark Portal?
The Warcraft II expansion and the novel that tell what happened after the Second War, with the return of the Horde and the Alliance expedition to Draenor.
What is Nethergarde?
The fortress the Alliance built to watch over the rift of the Dark Portal.
Who led the orcs after the Second War?
In Draenor, Ner'zhul. In Azeroth, the Black Tooth Grin clan called itself the true Horde.
"Beyond the Dark Portal" series
← Before this series: Second War #19: a legendary ending! Next → Beyond the Dark Portal #2: The scars of war
- Beyond the Dark Portal #1: Prologue (you are here)
- Beyond the Dark Portal #2: The scars of war
- Beyond the Dark Portal #3: New plans
- Beyond the Dark Portal #4: A new Horde
- Beyond the Dark Portal #5: The Sons of Lothar
- Beyond the Dark Portal #6: Look who's back!
- Beyond the Dark Portal #7: A new ally
- Beyond the Dark Portal #8: The Horde's mission
- Beyond the Dark Portal #9: Assault on Dalaran
- Beyond the Dark Portal #10: The artifacts
- Beyond the Dark Portal #11: The Son of Lothar
- Beyond the Dark Portal #12: For the Alliance!
- Beyond the Dark Portal #13: Obey or die!
- Beyond the Dark Portal #14: Honor Hold
- Beyond the Dark Portal #15: The Chieftain's plan
- Beyond the Dark Portal #16: The Citadel must fall
- Beyond the Dark Portal #17: The last chance
- Beyond the Dark Portal #18: An unexpected ally
- Beyond the Dark Portal #19: The fall of a Legend
- Beyond the Dark Portal #20: A dangerous ally
- Beyond the Dark Portal #21: The Great Black Dragon
- Beyond the Dark Portal #22: The portals
- Beyond the Dark Portal #23: The end of Draenor
Posts Recomendados
Second War #19: a legendary ending!
The end of the Second War: Teron Gorefiend flees to the Dark Portal, Turalyon chases the orcs and Khadgar destroys the portal, cutting the link to Draenor.
Beyond the Dark Portal #2: the scars of war
The orc internment camps: the law that locked up the defeated Horde, Danath Trollbane, Terenas's tax and the quarrels that cracked the Alliance.
First and Second Wars: how the rivalry between Horde and Alliance was born
In the First and Second Wars, Horde and Alliance were at war long before WoW. Learn about these battles and why the rivalry still defines the game today.
Saurfang and Dranosh: father and son of the Horde
Varok and Dranosh Saurfang: the son hidden in Nagrand, his death at the Wrathgate, the Deathbringer in ICC and the father who takes him home. Full arc.