First War #1: the clans of Draenor

July 13, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"First War" series — First War #1. The story of Warcraft I, from the clans of Draenor to the fall of Stormwind. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

Before they became the Horde, the orcs were a people of clans scattered across the world of Draenor. Each clan had its own territory, its own chieftain and its own customs, and all of them were guided by shamans who spoke with the spirits of the elements. This first episode of the season shows what that people was like, who the main clans were and why peace with the draenei lasted so long before turning into war.

Draenor, the world of the orcs

Draenor was a wild world of plains, forests, swamps and volcanic mountains. The orcs lived there as hunters and warriors, but not as conquerors. Fights between clans happened, and personal honor mattered a lot, but there was no orc army and no king.

In a world like that, the most important thing was balance with nature. That is why the shamans, who listened to the spirits of earth, fire, water and air, were so respected.

The main clans

| Clan | Chieftain at the time | Where it lived | What it became known for | |-----|----------------|-----------|----------------------| | Frostwolf | Garad, later Durotan | Frozen mountains of the north | The most honorable, bound to the white wolves | | Warsong | Grom Hellscream | Plains of Nagrand | The most aggressive and fastest | | Blackrock | Blackhand | Volcanic regions | Smiths and elite warriors | | Shadowmoon | Ner'zhul | Shadowmoon Valley | The clan of Draenor's greatest shaman | | Bleeding Hollow | Kilrogg Deadeye | Forests and swamps | Warriors who sought visions of death | | Shattered Hand | Kargath Bladefist | Arid lands | Warriors who cut off their own hand | | Dragonmaw | Zuluhed | Mountains | Later, the dragon tamers | | Twilight's Hammer | Cho'gall | Isolated | A dark and fanatical clan |

The shamans and the elements

Orc shamans did not give orders to the elements. They asked for help, and the spirits decided whether to answer. It was a relationship of respect, and that is exactly the relationship that will break in the next episodes.

The most respected shaman on Draenor was Ner'zhul, of the Shadowmoon clan. Every clan listened to him, even those that did not follow his clan. Twice a year, the orcs gathered for a great celebration, the Kosh'harg, near the sacred mountain of Oshu'gun, where they believed the spirits of the ancestors lived.

The draenei, the neighbors

The orcs were not alone on Draenor. There were also the draenei, a blue-skinned people who had come to the planet fleeing something terrible, long before. They were led by the prophet Velen and had built crystal cities, such as Shattrath.

For a long time, orcs and draenei respected each other and even traded. The draenei were more advanced in magic and technology, but they did not try to dominate the orcs. What the orcs did not know was why the draenei had fled: they were hiding from Kil'jaeden, the demon who had been hunting them for millennia.

What comes next

Kil'jaeden found the draenei. And to destroy them, he did not need to use his demons: he decided to use the orcs. The first step was to deceive the man every clan trusted, Ner'zhul. That is the subject of the next episode.

Episode timeline

The orcs live in separate clans across Draenor, guided by the shamans.
Twice a year, the clans gather near Oshu'gun to honor the ancestors.
Velen's draenei arrive on Draenor fleeing Kil'jaeden and build Shattrath.
Orcs and draenei live in peace for generations, with trade and respect.
Kil'jaeden discovers where the draenei are hiding.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who it is | |------|--------| | Durotan | Son of Garad and future chieftain of the Frostwolf, father of Thrall. | | Grom Hellscream | Chieftain of the Warsong, father of Garrosh. | | Blackhand | Chieftain of the Blackrock, who will become the first Warchief of the Horde. | | Ner'zhul | Shaman and chieftain of the Shadowmoon, the most respected orc on Draenor. | | Velen | The prophet of the draenei, who fled Argus with his people. | | Oshu'gun | The sacred mountain where the orcs believed the spirits of the ancestors lived. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Nagrand, in Outland: the plains of the Warsong and of Oshu'gun, where the Mag'har keep the old customs.
Shadowmoon Valley: the land of the Shadowmoon clan, today home of the Black Temple.
Alterac Valley: Drek'Thar's Frostwolf clan, on Azeroth.
Hellfire Peninsula: the region the orcs turned into the center of the Horde.