Chapter 2: The Theramore Timeline

The Hidden World:

In the official lore of Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, in the 20th year after the Dark Portal, following the culling of Stratholme, Jaina followed the Prophet Medivh’s guidance to sail with the survivors of Lordaeron to the western continent, establishing Theramore in Kalimdor. By the 25th year, when World of Warcraft begins, Theramore has already become a large, fully developed fortress city. In the Frozen Throne expansion, specifically within the Founding of Durotar campaign, Theramore appears again, already possessing the scale of a city.

Potential inconsistencies arise:
1. Is it plausible for a group of refugees to build such a sophisticated city in just five years?
2. What is the timeline for Daelin Proudmoore’s death and the founding of Durotar?

In the Battle of Mount Hyjal, occurring in the 21st year after the Dark Portal, the Alliance and the Horde unite against Archimonde. Does this happen before or after the founding of Durotar? If the Horde founded Durotar before the Battle of Hyjal, then Daelin would have died around the 21st year. At that time, Jaina had only just arrived in Kalimdor with the Lordaeron refugees and established the initial settlement; it would be impossible for her to have built a massive city in a single year.

If the Horde participated in the Battle of Hyjal first and founded Durotar later, Daelin would have died between the 21st and 25th years. This would imply that Jaina built the massive city of Theramore from scratch in just three or four years. However, in the second chapter of the Frozen Throne campaign, "The Old Hatred," Daelin says to Jaina: "Jaina, thank the stars! I've finally found you! When I heard that Lordaeron had fallen, I was devastated. But I knew you’d find a way to escape. I..." This suggests Daelin arrived at Theramore shortly after Arthas destroyed Lordaeron—around the 21st year. If Theramore had already begun to take shape by the 21st year, it would be unreasonable for Kul Tiras, a major naval power, to have remained unaware of its existence for an entire year.

Thus, the conclusion is that Daelin fell in the 21st or, at the latest, the 22nd year, when Theramore had been established for only two years. This creates a contradiction: can a group of refugees build a complete city in under two years? Realistically, no. But games often ignore logic. Much like Arthas in the 20th year: he crisscrosses the map, hunting orcs, investigating the plague, culling cities, chasing dreadlords, sailing to Northrend, pulling a sword, killing a demon lord, falling to darkness, returning home to kill his father, destroying his kingdom, and invading Quel'Thalas and Dalaran—all in a single year.

Therefore, in the "surface world" of this story, within the timeline branch triggered by the transmigrator, Arthas’s journey begins in the 17th year after the Dark Portal. He is twenty-one, full of vigor, seeking glory, and beginning his hunt for orcs to save his people. Yet, a year later, he pulls Frostmourne, returns to Lordaeron, and destroys his homeland. Similarly, the Stratholme incident occurs in the 17th year, and Jaina leads the survivors to Theramore.

We assume here that as early as the 15th year, when she was eighteen, Jaina led a small group of civilians, artisans, mage apprentices, and soldiers to establish a simple settlement at Theramore. Soldiers and mages drove off murlocs and naga, while artisans constructed basic defensive walls. Meanwhile, civilians subsisted on fishing and hunting, and fields were slowly cultivated. After two or three years of labor, it reached the scale of a colonial outpost. However, the lack of population hindered growth; few from the Eastern Kingdoms were willing to settle in Theramore, leading to sluggish trade and development.

When Medivh urged Jaina to sail west after the Stratholme incident, she readily agreed. It is likely that not only this group reached Theramore, but also many other refugees fleeing the undead in Lordaeron sought passage. Their arrival provided a powerful impetus for development. For the survivors of Stratholme, crossing the sea was the only path to survival, as the Prince had officially branded them carriers of the plague; to be humanely "purged" was the alternative.

As Arthas destroyed Lordaeron, more survivors were brought to Theramore by Jaina. This explains why Daelin told Jaina he was "devastated" by the news of Lordaeron's fall. Jaina undoubtedly used Kul Tiran ships for the journey. If she had only brought the first group of Stratholme survivors, Arthas would not yet have destroyed Lordaeron, and Daelin would have known of her location. It was only when Jaina was still in Lordaeron arranging the final evacuations during its destruction—and subsequently lost contact—that Daelin’s reaction makes sense.

In summary, in this narrative, the construction of Theramore began in the 15th year after the Dark Portal, with Jaina establishing a small outpost at eighteen. By the 17th year, she arrived with the survivors of the Stratholme massacre, and the city began to take shape. This explains her urgent need for specialized trade goods like fertilizers, which linked the Black Dragonflight, orcs, goblins, and Theramore in a web of trade. The later arrival of Windrunner and high elven refugees provided further opportunities for the city's expansion.

This is the story of Theramore in this timeline.