History of Kul Tiras

II. The Founding of Kul Tiras

Kul Tiras is a human city-state built on a large island once located south-west of Lordaeron and west of Khaz Modan. During the Cataclysm, the island was shifted out to sea by movement in Azeroth's tectonic plates.

About 2,700 years BDP (Before the Dark Portal) and shortly after the Troll Wars, the humans of The Empire of Arathor traveled to the various regions of what is now known as the Eastern Kingdoms. Some human sailors left Gilneas and found a large island full of metal ores and other natural resources. The isle was located south of Gilneas, west of Khaz Modan and in between Stormwind and Lordaeron. There, the sailors founded a mighty maritime outpost and named it Kul Tiras. In time it became a city-state that developed a thriving economy based on fishing and exports. Over the years, mighty fleets of merchant vessels were built and they sailed throughout the seas in search of exotic goods to trade and sell.

III. The First War

Before the First War, the far ranging merchant ships of Kul Tiras made it the most prosperous nation in the known world. Uniquely among the post-Arathorian states, Kul Tiras had not become a kingdom in the proper sense of the term (i.e. a state or country ruled by a king or queen). Instead, it remained a city-state, ruled by the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras, who was a noble and not a member of royalty.The threat posed by the Orcs was largely underestimated by the inhabitants of Azeroth at the time, and Kul Tiras, like all other nations at the time, stayed out of the war between Stormwind and the Horde.

IV. The Second War

During the Second War, the maritime nation pledged its fleets to the Alliance of Lordaeron. At the behest of his long time friend Anduin Lothar, Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore pledged the assistance of his merchant-nation and it's unmatched naval power to the Alliance. Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, ruler of Kul Tiras, became the famed Grand Admiral of the Alliance. Always possessing a heavily armed and extremely powerful fleet, Kul Tiras had previously only used their war vessels to protect shipping passages between the mainland and the island. Upon the onset of the Second War, their war fleets were unleashed to meet the Horde in battle on the high seas. Despite the first sea battle against the orcish war fleet resulting in the destruction of several human war ships, the armada of Kul Tiras proved to be a valuable asset of the Alliance war effort.





Kul Tiras forces were also stationed along the northern border of Khaz Modan, fighting alongside other nations such as Stromgarde to keep the orcs from advancing into southern Lordaeron. Throughout the war, Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore proved to be one of the staunchest supporters of the Alliance.

The Alliance claimed victory over the Orcish Horde in the Second War, and the Dark Portal was destroyed. With Sir Anduin Lothar's death at the siege of Blackrock Spire, Admiral Proudmoore pulled his nation from the Alliance, which had descended into chaotic bickering, especially on what should be done to the orcish clans taken prisoner in the war. Proudmoore objected to King Teranas II of Lordaeron's decision to inter the orcs in camps across Stromgarde and Lordaeron,as many other nations did. Alliance nations would have to share the cost of keeping their former (and potentially dangerous) enemies alive, including Orgrim Doomhammer, the infamous Warchief of the Horde and the Orc that felled Lothar at Blackrock Spire.

Kul Tiras left the Alliance of Lordaeron sometime afterwards.

The island nation enjoyed a fleeting peace for a time. With the reopening of the Dark Portal, Kul Tiras itself was attacked by a renewed Orcish offensive on the orders of Ner'zhul, spiritual leader of the orcs on their homeland of Draenor. Its fleet was assaulted both at sea and in port by the Shadowmoon clan, who laid waste to part of its harbor, ships and what armies were rallied against them in a pre-emptive strike in order to allow safe passage to Lordaeron. The carnage wrought upon his homeland left an indelible mark on Admiral Proudmoore's conscience. Kul Tiras rejoined the Alliance.

Even though Kul Tiras' fleets had triumphed in the Second War, the Horde ships devastated the fleet and it never fully recovered. The loss of the Third Fleet to the dragon-riders of the Dragonmaw orcs was one such blow, taking with it Derek Proudmoore, eldest son of the Grand Admiral.

V. The Third War

As the Scourge rampaged through the fallen kingdom of Lordaeron, Jaina Proudmoore, a powerful sorceress of Dalaran and the dear daughter of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, had been convinced by the mysterious Prophet that sailing west to Kalimdor with refugees from Lordaeron was the only course to save humanity from the Scourge. She commandeered  a significant portion of the Kul Tiras fleet and took them immediately across the Great Sea, in her haste apparently leaving her father uninformed. This "Human Expedition" comprised members of most Alliance-aligned nations and races as well as many of Kul Tiras' finest sailors and marines.

Jaina's goal in Kalimdor was to reach the Oracle at Stonetalon Peak, which Thrall and the Horde also sought. The two factions warred across the Stonetalon Mountains, until the two leaders simultaneously stumbled upon the Prophet who had sent them both to Kalimdor, imploring them to unite against the arrival of the Burning Legion. The two unlikely allies ultimately agreed to put aside their history of conflict, and worked together to defeat the corrupted Warsong Clan of Grom Hellscream in the Barrens. Moving their forces into Ashenvale Forest, the humans and orcs battled with the invading Legion's demons and their Scourge minions, as well as the xenophobic night elf Sentinels. Jaina was able to help in the Legion's defeat at Mount Hyjal with another desperate alliance with the night elves, and eventually decided to stay in Kalimdor with the people that had traveled with her, founding Theramore Isle. Her unlikely treaty with Thrall and the orcs, who settled in nearby Durotar, remained intact.

VI. The Death of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore

Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, figuring that he could not prevent Lordaeron's fall and worrying that his daughter may require help in the western lands, took the remaining ships and sailed to Kalimdor to find her. His grand armada took with it a sizeable portion of Kul Tiras' population, apparently many settlers as well as sailors and marines.

At first, the exact location of Jaina and the survivors of Lordaeron was unknown. Lieutenant Alverold was dispatched by the Grand Admiral to scout the whole coastline of Kalimdor, while Proudmoore ordered various forces to head inland (such as Captain Thornby). Camps and fortifications soon sprung up across the eastern coast of Kalimdor. Unwilling to even parlay with the orcs that were his daughter's allies, the Grand Admiral and his forces relentlessly attacked the Horde in Durotar. Thrall ultimately ordered retaliation against the humans responsible, although he was unable to distinguish them as a separate force from Jaina's Theramore.

The Kul Tiras fleet began attacking the Horde settlements on the Echo Isles, forcing the Darkspear trolls to relocate to the mainland. The Kul Tiras Marines built a base on the Darkspear Islands. Led by Kelen the Seeker, these Marines would frequently attack the Darkspears trolls. The Darkspear enlisted the help of Thrall and the Horde to stop the settlement from attacking them. Near the end of the fight, the Horde and Marines were captured by the underworld minions of the sea witch Zar'jira, destined to be killed as sacrificial offerings. Despite sharing a common foe, the Marines continued to attack the Horde. Unlike the Horde, none appeared make out alive - many died in an attempt to break out, and the rest presumably drowned in the sinking of the island. Kul Tiras forces even attempted to assassinate Thrall by trying to lure him to a parlay. Finally, Rexxar and his companions were sent by Thrall to Theramore to deliver a personal plea to explain the spate of human aggression, bypassing a large new settlement at Tidefury Cove.

Jaina met with Thrall's emissaries, and was bewildered by their accusations. Demanding to see proof, they journeyed back to Tidefury Cove to discover it destroyed by Naga. Finding survivors, Jaina recognised them as her countrymen. Teleporting back to Theramore Isle, Jaina was helpless to explain as her father's massive armada arrived in dramatic fashion.

Initially overjoyed, Admiral Proudmoore was incensed by his daughter's alliance with the Horde, and ordered her and the emissaries to be seized, taking over Theramore's military and defence forces. He returned to his main base at Tiragarde Keep in Durotar, building up for a final assault on the orc capital of Orgrimmar. Thrall managed to rouse the trolls, tauren and even Stonemaul ogres to the Horde's banner, and the two factions battled across northern Durotar and at sea, ending with Tiragarde's destruction.

Thrall marched his armies to Dustwallow Marsh, where he was advised by a renegade Jaina Proudmoore to hire goblin shipbuilders to construct warships capable of breaking the blockade of Theramore, on the condition that Thrall attempt to spare the lives of her soldiers. After a long and climactic battle within Theramore itself, Daelin Proudmoore lay dead - slain at the hands of Rexxar along with the other Horde leaders and the Pandaren Chen Stormstout at his side. The remaining humans stood down, and a devastated Jaina ran to her father's side. Thrall left the city intact, and understanding this had been an incident out of Jaina's control, he maintained his treaty with Theramore Isle.

VII. Aftermath of the Third War and the Cataclysm

The city-state has pulled out of the Alliance since Daelin's death in the Horde assault on Theramore after the Third War. Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore was not only the greatest naval commander in the Alliance, he was also the leader of the entire nation of Kul Tiras. Many in Kul Tiras wanted revenge against the Horde for the Grand Admiral's death, but with many of the other kingdoms reeling from the destruction of Dalaran and the scourging of Lordaeron and the Elven Kingdom of Quel'thalas, they had no appetite for yet another war in far away lands. This greatly angered the people of Kul Tiras, who had left the safety of their islands to bolster the united war effort against the threat of the Horde. Their anger, however, was not aimed at the individual leaders or nations of the Alliance nations. It was well understood that it was not their fault that the Grand Admiral had died. The one responsible was his own daughter, Lady Jaina Proudmoore - now the hated Daughter of the Seas, ruling Theramore from atop her father's grave.

Kul Tiras would be left to seek out Justice on it's own terms - deploying the Fifth Fleet to the Eastern Kingdoms to maintain a line of communication between the mainland nations and Kul Tiras. The Fifth Fleet was stationed in Menethil Harbor and set up their base of operations in Ironforge where they could begin the work of tracking down anyone and everyone who had a hand in the actions in Kalimdor that had lead to the Grand Admiral's death, while also seeking out and destroying potential threats before they could reach the shores of Kul Tiras. The New Alliance may have sought peace with the Horde, but for Kul Tirans there would be no peace without Justice.

Kul Tiras forces have been dispersed throughout Azeroth, with deployed units unable to navigate their way back home after the Cataclysm shifted the island's location and the subsequent unstable ocean currents and monstrous tidal waves. None would seek the aid of Jaina Proudmoore due to the deep distrust they had for her given the role she had in her father's death.


Prior to the Cataclysm, a second wave of Kul Tiras sailors and marines from the Grand Admiral's expedition, led by Lieutenant Benedict, established themselves in Tiragarde Keep sometime later, continuing to fight the Horde as per Admiral Proudmoore's orders. Others decided to join Jaina Proudmoore's efforts in Theramore, but many also could not forgive her betrayal of the Admiral. The force established at Tiragarde Keep refused to abide by Jaina's peace treaty with the Horde, and continued a bitter war of attrition against the Horde. This unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Unit, was able to withstand years of siege warfare by the Horde, and though the Horde was unable to expel them for many years, the Keep and the unit stationed there were finally destroyed by the Cataclysm. The fate of Lieutenant Alverold's expedition around Kalimdor is still unknown, though his forces would have passed through both Horde and Night Elf lands.