Second War #2: The audience

July 24, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Second War" series — Second War #2. The story of Warcraft II, from the exodus of Stormwind to the destruction of the Dark Portal. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

When he reached Lordaeron, Anduin Lothar asked for an audience with King Terenas Menethil. The king listened and understood the size of the threat, but he knew Lordaeron alone was not enough. He summoned the rulers of every human kingdom to a meeting in the capital, the Council of Seven Nations. There, Lothar would have to convince kings who were suspicious, proud and rivals of one another.

Lothar before the king

Lothar told Terenas everything he had seen: the size of the Horde, the warlocks, the fall of Stormwind. He also told him about the line of Arathor, which ran in his veins, and about the ancient pact the elves of Quel'Thalas had made with that bloodline.

Terenas believed him. He also realized that the refugees from Stormwind were a problem to solve: thousands of people without land, who needed food and shelter.

The Council of Seven Nations

Terenas summoned the leaders of the human kingdoms to Lordaeron's Capital City. Kings and envoys came from Stromgarde, Gilneas, Kul Tiras, Alterac and Dalaran, along with the survivors of the kingdom of Azeroth.

Not everyone wanted to be there. Each kingdom had its own interests, and many did not see why they should pay for a war that, until then, was the south's problem.

The kings who resisted

Two kings opposed the union from the start: Genn Greymane, of Gilneas, and Aiden Perenolde, of Alterac. Greymane did not want Gilneas to pay for someone else's war. Perenolde had other reasons, which would only become clear later, when he betrayed the Alliance.

Others, like Thoras Trollbane, of Stromgarde, and Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, of Kul Tiras, were more willing to fight. The final decision would depend on a speech that was still to come.

What this changes in the story

The audience shows that the war against the Horde was also a political war. Each king thought first about his own kingdom, and the distrust between them never went away, not even after the victory. The same tensions will crack the Alliance soon after the war, because of the cost of the internment camps.

Terenas's role also begins here. He was not a warrior, but he was a skilled king, able to bring together people who hated each other. His leadership explains why Lordaeron became the center of the Alliance and why the kingdom's fall, years later, in Warcraft 3, was so devastating.

It is also the start of Genn Greymane's journey. After the war, he closes Gilneas behind a wall and only draws close to the Alliance again in Cataclysm.

Episode timeline

Lothar arrives in Lordaeron and asks the king for an audience.
Terenas hears the account of Stormwind's fall.
The king summons the Council of Seven Nations.
The kings meet in Capital City.
Greymane and Perenolde resist the idea of a union.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Terenas Menethil | The king of Lordaeron, who summoned the Council. | | Anduin Lothar | The Stormwind commander who brought the warning to the kings. | | Genn Greymane | The king of Gilneas, against the union. | | Aiden Perenolde | The king of Alterac, also against the union. | | Thoras Trollbane | The king of Stromgarde, in favor of the war. | | Daelin Proudmoore | The admiral of Kul Tiras, owner of the largest human fleet. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Tirisfal Glades and Undercity: the former Capital City of Lordaeron, where the Council met.
Silverpine Forest: the Greymane Wall, which shows how far Gilneas's isolation went.
Arathi Highlands: Stromgarde, the kingdom of Thoras Trollbane.