Sons of Lothar
- For Jaina's expedition to Kalimdor, seeHuman Expedition.
 Sons of Lothar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Main leader | Unknown |
| Formerly |  Force Commander Danath Trollbane[1] Supreme Commander Khadgar High General Turalyon |
| Secondary leaders |  Captain Auric Sunchaser |
| Formerly |  Gryphon Rider Commander Kurdran Wildhammer Lead Scout Alleria Windrunner |
| Race(s) |   Human High elf  Wildhammer dwarf  Ironforge dwarf  Gnome |
| Character classes | Ranger,Footman,Gryphon rider,Knight,Mage,Warrior |
| Capital | Honor Hold |
| Other major settlements | Allerian Stronghold,Wildhammer Stronghold |
| Formerly | Vanguard,Expedition Armory,Kirin'Var Village |
| Theater of operations | Draenor/Outland |
| Language(s) | Common,Thalassian,Dwarven,Gnomish |
| Affiliation | Alliance,Sha'tar (allies) |
| Formerly | Alliance of Lordaeron |
| Status | Unknown (presumed disbanded) |
| Reputation | |
| Tabard |  |
“In remembrance of the Supreme Allied Commander, Anduin Lothar: A man who would sacrifice everything in the defense of his king, his people, his home...
Let our enemies know our names. Let our allies honor our passing. We are the Sons of Lothar.”
TheSons of Lothar,[2] also known as theAlliance Expedition[3][4] and theAlliance Expeditionary Force,[5][6] are mostly the veterans of theSecond War[7] that ventured to theorc homeworld ofDraenor during theinvasion of Draenor,[8] with the goal of confiscating the stolen magical artifacts (such as theBook of Medivh,Eye of Dalaran, etc.) fromNer'zhul and hisHorde of Draenor, and to end the threat of theorcs before Ner'zhul could open portals to other worlds.
They named themselves Sons of Lothar in honor ofAnduin Lothar, who was considered to be the bravest and most selfless human warrior they ever knew.[2] Following his example, they stayed in Draenor, orOutland as it is now called, to safeguard Azeroth from demonic threats.
When theDark Portalreopened, the Sons of Lothar were reunited with the Grand Alliance and led the Alliance's crusade against theBurning Legion,fel orcs, andIllidan's forces. Three of the Expedition's leaders —Khadgar,Danath Trollbane, andKurdran Wildhammer — were confirmed to be alive with the opening ofOutland. The latter two,Alleria Windrunner andTuralyon, were later shown as alive during the invasion ofArgus, as members of theArmy of the Light. All five expedition leaders have since returned toAzeroth as leaders of various factions, withDanath Trollbane becoming the ruler ofStromgarde,Kurdran Wildhammer taking on a position of secondary leadership in hisclan,Khadgar having become the leader ofDalaran'sCouncil of Six, Turalyon serving as the leader of the Army of the Light, and Alleria serving as the leader of theVoid elves.
Though they affiliate themselves with theAlliance,[9] Khadgar is currently available as a quest giver to both factions.
History[]
Invasion of Draenor[]
- Main article:Invasion of Draenor
Heroes of the Alliance. (From left to right:Alleria,Khadgar,Danath,Turalyon, andKurdran.)
As the fires of theSecond War died down, theAlliance took aggressive steps to contain theorcish threat. A number of large internment camps, meant to house the captive orcs, were constructed in southernLordaeron. Guarded by both thepaladins and the veteran soldiers of the Alliance, the camps proved to be a great success. Though the captive orcs were tense and anxious to do battle once more, the various camp wardens, based at the old prison-fortress ofDurnholde, kept the peace and maintained a strong semblance of order.
However, on the hellish world ofDraenor, a new orcish army prepared to strike at the unsuspecting Alliance.Ner'zhul, the former mentor ofGul'dan, rallied the remaining orc clans under his dark banner. Aided by theShadowmoon clan, the old shaman planned to open a number of portals on Draenor that would lead theHorde to new, unspoiled worlds. To power his new portals, he needed a number of enchanted artifacts fromAzeroth. To procure them, Ner'zhul reopened theDark Portal and sent his ravenous servants charging through it.
The new Horde, led by veteran chieftains such asGrom Hellscream andKilrogg Deadeye (of theBleeding Hollow clan), surprised the Alliance defense forces and rampaged through the countryside. Under Ner'zhul's surgical command, the orcs quickly rounded up the artifacts that they needed and fled back to the safety of Draenor.
KingTerenas ofLordaeron, convinced that the orcs were preparing a new invasion of Azeroth, assembled his most trusted lieutenants. He ordered GeneralTuralyon and the archmage,Khadgar, to lead an expedition through the Dark Portal to put an end to the orcish threat once and for all. Turalyon and Khadgar's forces marched into Draenor and repeatedly clashed with Ner'zhul's clans upon the ravagedHellfire Peninsula over the next several months. They foundedHonor Hold as their primary base. The Sons of Lothar received erratic shipments of supplies and manpower from their homeworld then, as theAzerothian side of theDark Portal switched sides several times during the late stages of theInvasion of Draenor.[10] The Alliance Expedition eventually went on the offensive, but even with the aid of the high elfAlleria Windrunner, the dwarfKurdran Wildhammer, and the veteran soldierDanath Trollbane, Khadgar was unable to prevent Ner'zhul from opening his portals to other worlds.
Alleria, Turalyon, and Khadgar after closing the Draenor side of the portal.
Ner'zhul finally opened his portals to other worlds, but he did not foresee the terrible price he would pay. The portals' tremendous energies began to tear the very fabric of Draenor apart. As Turalyon's forces fought desperately to return home to Azeroth, the world of Draenor began to buckle in upon itself. Grom Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye, realizing that Ner'zhul's mad plans would doom their entire race, rallied the remaining orcs and escaped back to the relative safety of Azeroth.
On Draenor, Turalyon and Khadgar agreed to make the ultimate sacrifice by destroying the Dark Portal from their side. Though it would cost their lives, and the lives of their companions, they knew that it was the only way to ensure Azeroth's survival. Even as Hellscream and Deadeye hacked their way through the human ranks in a desperate bid for freedom, the Dark Portal exploded behind them. For them, and the remaining orcs on Azeroth, there would be no going back.
Ner'zhul and his loyal Shadowmoon clan passed through the largest of the newly created portals, as massive volcanic eruptions began to break Draenor's continents apart. The burning seas rose up and roiled the shattered landscape as the tortured world was finally consumed in a massive, apocalyptic explosion.[11]
Aftermath[]
Many believed that they were killed by the cataclysm that destroyed Draenor; others believe they escaped to other worlds within theTwisting Nether through the powerful rifts opened by the shamanNer'zhul; and some others believe that they survived in the remnants of the world. After the reconstruction ofStormwind, five statues in the likeness ofTuralyon,Alleria Windrunner,Khadgar,Kurdran Wildhammer, andDanath Trollbane were placed within itsValley of Heroes to inspire future heroes of the Alliance. To honor the leaders for making the ultimate sacrifice for the safety of Azeroth, these heroes of the Alliance Expedition were memorialized in stone to commemorate their heroic deeds.
The Burning Crusade[]
This section concerns content related toThe Burning Crusade.
Honor Hold, the primary base of the Alliance Expedition.
Years later, theDark Portal was reopened by thedemonLord Kazzak. In his wake, legions of demons came spilling through into Azeroth. The forces ofNethergarde Keep were quickly rallied, and with aid from theArgent Dawn and numerousadventurers the demons were pushed back through the Portal, securing it once more. The adventurers, not satisfied with securing only one side of the Portal, pressed through to Outland after Kazzak where they discovered what became of Draenor.
Vestiges of the Sons of Lothar, veterans of the Alliance that first came into Draenor, have steadfastly held on to their Hellfire outpost ofHonor Hold and other Alliance strongholds. According to Khadgar, after the Sons of Lothar were trapped in this broken wasteland now known asOutland, they did their best to survive. Over time they sensed that a new evil was closing in around them from theTwisting Nether and believed the demons once again sought to claim Outland. They are now joined by the armies from Stormwind andIronforge and together, they continue to fight demonic and native aggression, while also striving to put an end to theBurning Legion's Burning Crusade. Force CommanderDanath Trollbane leads the Sons of Lothar's campaign in Honor Hold, whileKurdran Wildhammer patrols the skies ofWildhammer Stronghold inShadowmoon Valley.Allerian Stronghold, on the edge ofAuchindoun inTerokkar Forest, is named after Alleria and is where most high elves reside, andKirin'Var Village, inFarahlon, is where the mages of the expedition settled. Sometime before the Dark Portal's reopening, Khadgar had used his magic to reach into theGreat Dark Beyond and found thenaaru led byA'dal. He convinced them to come to Outland to aid in stopping the Legion's incursion on the shattered planet.[12] Khadgar can be found inShattrath City, acting as an envoy to theSha'tar[citation needed] to coordinate with the faction and aid them in providing some stability and protection for Outland. Only Alleria and Turalyon have yet to be found as they were presumed lost during some horrific battle with the Burning Legion. Their son,Arator the Redeemer, believes them to be still alive and continues his search for them. He traveled to Honor Hold with the Alliance armies and offered Commander Trollbane his services.
Although many died during the Sons of Lothar's military campaigns, some continued to haunt their fallen holdings as restlessspirits. The Alliance soldiers stationed at theExpedition Armory fell to theHorde of Draenor and became the spectralUnyielding. The mages ofKirin'Var Village too were decimated; since the Kirin'Var mages died from amana bomb detonated byKael'thas'sSunfury forces.[13] Following theblood elven assault, thenecromancerlich,Naberius, had enslaved the fallenKirin Tor as enthralled spirits.[14]
The floating remains of Draenor, now known as Outland, has become a warzone. The Alliance and the Horde have occasionally skirmished for political reasons, but theIllidari, savage Outland natives, and agents of theBurning Legion have all threatened the Sons of Lothar with their machinations to dominate Outland. The Sons of Lothar employed adventurers of the Alliance to secure Outland from these threats and tame the shattered planet's savage lands.
Cataclysm[]
This section concerns content related toCataclysm.Following theCataclysm,Kurdran Wildhammer returned toAzeroth[15] and led the Alliance forces in theTwilight Highlands.
In theArathi Highlands,Skuerto complained about a "pencil-pusher" holding up Danath Trollbane's return to Azeroth.[16]
Legion[]
This section concerns content related toLegion.During thethird invasion of the Burning Legion,Danath Trollbane finally left Outland and traveled toDalaran, marking the return of all of the expeditionary leaders to Azeroth at last.
During the course of the conflict, it was discovered from a relic known as
[Light's Heart] that Turalyon and Alleria were still alive, having become leaders in theArmy of the Light. Khadgar reunited with the two of them onArgus, homeworld of theBurning Legion, and told them that Danath and Kurdran were both still alive. The three resolved that the Sons of Lothar would hold a reunion feast when the invasion was over.[17]
Notable members[]
| Name | Role | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
  Alleria Windrunner | Lead Scout and Intelligence Agent. | Alive | Various Locations |
 Auric Sunchaser | Captain of the high elves. | Alive | Allerian Stronghold,Terokkar Forest |
 Danath Trollbane | Force Commander and Tactical Advisor. | Alive | Various Locations |
 Herrick | Right hand of Danath Trollbane. | Unknown | Unknown |
 Khadgar | Supreme Commander of the Sons of Lothar. | Alive | Various Locations |
 Kurdran Wildhammer | Commander of the Gryphon Rider Division. | Alive | Various Locations |
| Malgor Devidicus | Priest and old friend of Turalyon. | Alive | Honor Hold,Hellfire Peninsula |
| Rellian | High elven ranger. | Unknown | Unknown |
| Talthressar | Lieutenant of the Sons of Lothar. | Unknown | Unknown |
 Turalyon | High General of the Sons of Lothar. | Alive | Various Locations |
 Vargoth | Leader of the Kirin Tor expedition. | Alive | Various Locations |
 Verana | Right hand of Alleria Windrunner. | Unknown | Unknown |
 Grizzik | Guide | Unknown | Unknown |
Leadership[]
Though Turalyon was the Supreme Commander of the Alliance following the death ofAnduin Lothar, the Alliance Expedition itself was led by Khadgar, who had called for the army to be rallied at Nethergarde and led into the Dark Portal to Draenor. As Khadgar's task was by far the most important - to retrieve the Book of Medivh and seal the Dark Portal to save Azeroth from destruction - Turalyon and his lieutenants deferred to him when it came to ways to achieve that task. Otherwise, the command of the Expedition's forces fell under Turalyon's purview.
In the RPG[]
This section contains information from theWarcraft RPG which is considerednon-canon.The Alliance Expedition is also known as theDraenor Expedition.[18]
Notes and trivia[]
- The Sons of Lothar were already wearing their current tabard before and during theInvasion of Draenor.[19]
- Most of the Sons of Lothar in Honor Hold are now old and gray-haired, with the younger-lookingCaretaker Dilandrus saying he was born here.
- Manyveterans andrefugees of the expedition joinedShattrath City, as presumably did most of thehumans living in theLower City.
- InWarcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, the military actions of the expedition were described as such: after constructingVanguard as their main fortress inHellfire Peninsula,[20] the expedition was ultimately successful in fighting theShadowmoon clan and their allies in a string of military victories on Draenor and destroyedFortress Shadowmoon.[21] TheLaughing Skull clan stole the Book of Medivh before Fortress Shadowmoon was destroyed and gave the Expedition the Book along with soldiers in exchange for helping the traitor clan dominate on Draenor.[22] However Ner'zhul had learned enough from the book to succeed with his plan to open numerous portals. Seeing the destruction of Draenor, the Alliance forces chose to close theDark Portal in order to protectAzeroth from the influx of energy unleashed from the quickly dying world.[23]
- In the canceledWarcraft Adventures, a bulletin board insideDurnholde Keep showed that the Alliance was still looking for information about the missing members of the expedition.
- During theWarlords of Draenor alpha stageLotharian Peacekeepers briefly appeared during theShattrath City battle.
- By the time of the Fourth War, at least nine of the original members of the expedition have returned to Azeroth. These include all five of the expedition leaders (Archmage Khadgar, General Turalyon, Danath Trollbane, Alleria Windrunner and Kurdran Wildhammer), as well as Archmage Vargoth, Ravandwyr, Captain Auric Sunchaser and Eli Thunderstrike. The questions whether the other members returned as well, or if the expedition remains active in Outland, remain unanswered.
Gallery[]
The Sons of Lothar fighting against theHorde of Draenor.
Turalyon and Alleria overlookHellfire Peninsula fromHonor Hold.- The Alliance Expedition leaders inWarcraft Adventures.
See also[]
References[]
- ^ [10-30] Force Commander Danath
- ^abcMonument of Remembrance
- ^The Dusts of Outland
- ^Master Mathias Shaw#Battle for Azeroth 2
- ^Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Game Manual, pg. 32
- ^Ultimate Visual Guide
- ^Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 2
- ^World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 190: Turalyon raised his banner, declaring that he would lead this army - the "Sons of Lothar" - into the orcish homeworld...
- ^ [10-30] Overlord
- ^Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 16
- ^The Invasion of Draenor
- ^Khadgar#Khadgar's story in his own words
- ^ [25-30] The Unending Invasion
- ^ [25-30] Destroy Naberius!
- ^Fire and Iron
- ^Skuerto#Quotes
- ^Sizing Up The Opposition
- ^Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 131, 136
- ^Beyond the Dark Portal, chapter 6
- ^Siege of Vanguard (WC2 Human)
- ^The Heart of Evil (WC2 Human)
- ^Dance of the Laughing Skull (WC2 Human)
- ^The Bitter Taste of Victory (WC2 Human)