A Quick Guide to the Iron Horde and the Orcs of Draenor

Given that we're dealing with a parallel universe, it's possible that Orcish history was quite different than it was in our universe. The official story ever since Warcraft III was that before the corruption of Mannoroth, the Orcs were a fundamentally peaceful people. I think that we're getting a somewhat different story these days, but one that's a bit more realistic. The Orcs weren't peaceful, but they weren't uncontrollably aggressive.

The Horde itself may actually have existed in one form or another long before the arrival of the Burning Legion. The Orcs are a diverse people, but it's perfectly understandable that they would have some framework by which to unite and fend off the Ogres, Arrakoa, Botani, or whatever else might be causing them trouble.

Ner'zhul was generally respected by all the Orcs - a kind of Orcish Pope, in a way - despite the fact that he belonged to only one of the many clans. It was around Ner'zhul (and standing behind him, Gul'dan) that the Horde of our universe coalesced. One could even argue that Ner'zhul was the first Warchief, though I believe that the title and position did not truly exist until Gul'dan's Shadow Council elevated Blackhand, who would later by usurped by Orgrim Doomhammer, who would pass the mantle on to Thrall, who would unfortunately name Garrosh as his replacement, who was overthrown by Vol'jin, which is where we are today.

But the Iron Horde had a different history. Garrosh engineered its creation so that his father - or rather, the man who shared a name and face with his father - would be its leader. So who are all these people?

The Warsong Clan:

At the core of the Iron Horde is the Warsong Clan. Grommash led the Warsong, but when he rose to the position of Warchief, he left behind his clan to the strange prophet Garrosh. Garrosh now rules the Warsong in Nagrand from the city of Grommashar. Much as he had pushed the non-Orc and non-Tauren from the heart of Orgrimmar, Garrosh has decreed that only the Warsong and the Burning Blade can stay in Nagrand. The Warsong are the elite warriors of the Iron Horde, and its most fervent supporters.

The Shadowmoon Clan:

The Shadowmoon Clan are deeply in tune with the magic of the spirits. Their leader is Ner'zhul. When Grommash and Garrosh approached Ner'zhul, they leveled a massive threat - either they could find a source of power to contribute to the Iron Horde's cause and join them, or they could be destroyed. Out of desperation and pride, Ner'zhul broke a centuries-old law, taking upon himself the void power of the Dark Star - the Naaru K'ara, who had been injured in the arrival on Draenor, and had gone into its dark cycle. Wielding the terrible power of the Dark Star, Ner'zhul's Shadowmoon Clan threatens to overrun the vast Draenei population in Shadowmoon Valley.

The Thunderlord Clan:

Frostfire Ridge is home to the Frostwolf Clan, but it has also always been home to the Thunderlord Clan - a clan of talented hunters and rock-climbers. The Thunderlords have long been rivals to the Frostwolves, and they have seen the Iron Horde as a chance to get the edge over the Frostwolves once and for all.

The Blackrock Clan:

Located in northern Gorgrond, the Blackrock Clan has become the main industrial force within the Iron Horde. They have great numbers and a great deal of experience not only mining their mineral-rich homeland, but also dealing with the angry giants - ancestors of the Ogres who sort of progress from the Ogron to the Gronnlings, then the Gronn, and then the Fomor. Blackhand essentially acts as the Iron Horde's chief industrial foreman, putting into practice the many schematics and blueprints that Garrosh brought with him.

The Shattered Hand:

Not so much a clan as a kind of gang, the Shattered Hand is a collection of outlaws and escaped slaves. Clanless, they flock to the banner of Kargath Bladefist, who escaped his bonds as a gladiator slave to the Ogres by tearing off his own hand and replacing it with a massive blade. The Shattered Hand largely survives in the dark and mysterious forests in the Spires of Arak, and is full of desperate and dangerous Orcs.

The Bleeding Hollow Clan:

We actually don't get to see much of the Bleeding Hollow just yet, as we leave Tanaan Jungle pretty shortly after closing the Dark Portal. The Bleeding Hollow practice a very dangerous kind of shamanism that involves blood magic. They are led by Kilrogg Deadeye, who, according to the ways of the clan, tore out one of his eyes in order to get a vision of his own demise (man, I guess they should hang out with the Shattered Hand and make a big "self-mutilation club.")

The Burning Blade Clan:

The Burning Blade is one of the smaller clans in the Iron Horde, but they are peerless warriors who use some kind of shamanistic magic that combines with their skill at arms to make them extra-deadly. Notably, these are the only other clan that Garrosh felt worthy of remaining in Nagrand.

Non-Iron Horde Orcs:

That pretty much outlines who is in the Iron Horde. The Iron Horde is present in just about every zone, though to varying degrees. But not every Orc has joined up. Who's out?

The Frostwolf Clan:

I don't know what it says that the Frostwolves joined our Horde but not the Iron Horde, but it could have something to do with Garrosh preventing them. Still, it seems the the Frostwolves really would prefer peace and not the endless drumbeat of war - or at least they'd rather fight real threats, like the Ogres, rather than get involved in some pointless aggression against the Draenei or some other world they had never heard of. The Frostwolves are definitely on the defense, but they are brave warriors who are deeply held together by bonds of family and real honor.

The Laughing Skull Clan:

Perhaps too crazy even for the Iron Horde, the Laughing Skull Clan lives in the jungles of Southern Gorgrond. They seem to have adapted their culture to that extraordinarily dangerous part of Draenor, but given their rivalry with the Blackrock (and perhaps the Thunderlords, given how close they are,) they make for convenient allies.

The Shadowmoon Dissenters:

Not all of the Shadowmoon Clan has joined up with the Iron Horde. Many were horrified by what Ner'zhul had done, breaking the ancient laws. Chief amongst them is Rulkan, Ner'zhul's wife. These outcasts have holed up in Windreaver's Rise in Shadowmoon Valley, and seek aid from the Draenei and the Alliance in saving them from their own vengeful clan-mates.

The Shadow Council:

While it has its share of Ogres and Draenei (given that Draenei is essentially a political name, one might as well just call them Sargerai and leave it at that,) the Shadow Council is primarily Orcs, led by Gul'dan. There's no mention of the Stormreaver Clan here, which in the old lore was a clan Gul'dan founded to give himself prestige enough to deal on equal footing with the other orc warlords. Without the support of the Iron Horde, the Shadow Council has been forced to operate more openly, with many Legion-affiliated demons being summoned into Draenor to attempt to take the world directly.

Who's Been Left Out?:

So who are we missing? It's certainly possible that a lot of the Orc clans we're familiar with have shifted and changed over the course of the past few decades. Just as Theramore became a new human nation (sadly gone now - I'd really like to see them establish some new little quest hub where they're attempting to rebuild,) it's totally possible that some of the clans that we're familiar with just don't exist yet. The other possibility is that the clans never would have existed in this parallel universe anyway.

The Twilight's Hammer Clan:

Cho'gall is certainly a figure in Draenor, but it's in his previous position as one of the top Warlocks in the Shadow Council. Essentially, he and Teron'gor (aka Teron Gorefiend, pre-Death Knight conversion) are Gul'dan's main lieutenants. I believe that in the original lore, Twilight's Hammer was actually one of the Orc clans of the Horde, but Cho'gall took it over and dialed the insanity up to eleven, and post-Second War, he started recruiting non-Horde races to join. Now, there could totally just be a retcon here, where Twilight's Hammer was never a clan, or perhaps that he would form it later on.

The Bonechewer Clan:

No Bonechewers here. It's possible that the Bonechewer Clan came about only after Draenor was devastated by Warlock magic. Scary as they are, there doesn't seem to be any cannibalism in any of the Orcish culture.

The Dragonmaw Clan:

There really don't seem to be Dragons anywhere in Draenor, except for the Fae Drakes used by the Draenei. Honestly I have no idea how this fits into the lore, as I had always assumed Fae Drakes were native to Azeroth and affiliated with the Night Elves. How those Fae Drakes got there is a mystery, and probably one we won't get an answer for. The simplest explanation for the absence of the Dragonmaw is that they just didn't exist yet at this time. The grey skin of the Dragonmaw suggests that they might have been an off-shoot of the Blackrock Clan (never understood why Saurfang has the typical Fel-green skin while the Orcs in the conveniently-named Blackrock Mountain have grey skin - probably just an oversight or some retcon mix-ups.)