The cinematic that introduced Shadowlands was pretty dramatic - an epic duel between Bolvar and Sylvanas that would have totally gone to Bolvar had Sylvanas not been using outside help. The destruction of the Helm of Domination has not only unleashed the Scourge, but also broken the barrier between the mortal world and the Shadowlands.
As discussed in the recent panels, we find that there are a couple of key figures in all of this.
The Arbiter is a being at the center of Oribos, which seems to be a city at the center of the Shadowlands (I'd assume it'll be the new urban hub.) She apparently existed even before the Titans, and it's her job to judge the souls of the dead and send them off to the appropriate afterlife.
Meanwhile, however, there's a dark pit within the Shadowlands called the Maw. Unlike the other realms, there's no redemption or escape from this realm - until we escape. Within that realm is something called the Jailer, and it appears that he is the one that has been working with Sylvanas. The Arbiter's work has been interrupted as all souls get funneled into the Maw, and we must, essentially, fix the afterlife.
The four covenants we interact with play different roles in the afterlife. And in those different realms, we find different souls of dead figures of the past who were sent there.
Bastion appears to be the realm of order, where righteous and lawful people go after death, hoping to prove themselves worthy to safeguard the realm of the dead. We're apparently going to meet Uther the Lightbringer here. Its inhabitants are the Kyrians, who are somehow related to the Val'kyr and the Spirit Healers.
Ardenweald is another "good" afterlife, and is compared to the Emerald Dream - if the Dream is Spring and Summer, Ardenweald is Fall and Winter, and those who were deeply tied to nature go here after death. While Cenarius was spending the time between Warcraft III and Cataclysm dead, he came here to recover.
Ravendreth is a gothic land (and setting of the first raid) inhabited by vampires, and seems to be the realm where flawed souls go - those who were unable to let go of a lust for power or a selfish desire. The souls are tortured until they give up these flaws. Kael'thas Sunstrider is apparently found here.
Maldraxxus is the afterlife of relentless military might, and is home to the Necrolords. Apparently it was from here that most of the power of the Scourge was drawn. While there are nasty beings here like necromancers and abominations, it's really defined by a sort of stubborn relentlessness, and in fact we're going to see Thrall's mother Draka here.
Notably, while defeated, Bolvar was not killed by Sylvanas. He is no longer the Lich King, because without the helm, there is no Lich King. Instead, he has become a leader of death knights, and is raising new ones (hence Pandaren and allied race DKs) to help fight to restore balance to the Shadowlands. He will apparently be a major NPC, and narrates the gameplay trailer.
We've gotten a little more detail about the Kyrians, and their owl-people allies the Stewards, who create basically death-fueled magical constructs called Centurions, who help train the Kyrians and defend the realm. The Forsworn are those who lost their resolve in Bastion and will presumably serve as the primary enemies in that zone.
We've also been told that there are many realms beyond these - I'm holding onto headcanon that Helheim, the Halls of Valor, Thros, and Ny'alotha are all actually in the Shadowlands. It does leave the door open to new zones coming in later patches.
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