The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how, but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft.

WARNING: The following post contains spoilers for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. Players who wish to play the new expansion spoiler-free should veer away from this post.

All right, we've seen over the past five weeks the current political activity in all of the Horde races; orcs, trolls, tauren, Forsaken and blood elves. Needless to say, there is a lot of conflict just beginning to rear its head -- not just from one race to the next, but internally within those races as well. What does all this mean in regards to the Horde, when Cataclysm comes into play? Today we'll be looking at what (given all the information we've been presented previously), if anything, will happen when Cataclysm finally launches and the world gets thrown into chaos.

Please note I've put a spoiler warning on this post. This is because the following content, while mostly sheer speculation, may or may not end up being correct and will also directly address several rumors regarding Cataclysm that have not yet been confirmed. If you see a "TFH" demarcation on any future Know Your Lore posts, these are "Tin Foil Hat" predictions based on current lore and are in no way actually indicative of anything officially from Blizzard in regards to the game or where it's going to go. If anything presented here does end up being correct, these will actually become Cataclysm spoilers; if not, we've still had plenty of fun trying to predict how things are going to go down! Potential spoilers start immediately after the break.

The above image of Thrall and Garrosh was used in all five Horde politics posts for a specific reason -- when Cataclysm hits, Thrall is taking off and leaving Garrosh Hellscream in charge. This was confirmed in World of Warcraft The Magazine issue 1, page 19. Garrosh Hellscream is the subject of much heated debate among players, but he's also the subject of much contention among the Horde in general, and his actions will do much to shape the future of the Horde.

For the orcs, it's a matter of a "real, proper" orc from Draenor coming to Azeroth to lead them back into their former glory. No more talks of peace and negotiation, no more hand-holding with former enemies. Garrosh is the sort of leader who leads by action instead of words. The orcs at large have been slowly growing discontent with Thrall's leadership for that very reason -- despite all his words, nobody's been listening to them. To the orcs, Garrosh represents the face of what they'd like the Horde to look like – or what they think they'd like the Horde to look like.

They aren't behind him one hundred percent, though. Thrall has some firm supporters, the strongest of whom is obviously Varok Saurfang, who doesn't believe that unwarranted violence is the answer any more than Thrall. Given Varian Wrynn's actions in Icecrown Citadel, Varok has been shown that the Alliance -- even the man who outright stated he hoped the Old God beneath Ulduar would murder the entirety of the Horde – is capable of kindness, mercy and honorable actions. Varok isn't alone; there are other orcs here and there who aren't happy with the actions going on up north, like Gorgonna over in Grizzly Hills, who goes so far as to overthrow Conqueror Krenna, her sister, because of the violent tendencies she portrays.

It's the same tendencies that Garrosh displays with every conflict he's presented with, the annoying habit of reacting before thinking when presented with something that he doesn't agree with. However, given Garrosh's tendency to explode at any given moment, given the penchant for unwarranted attacks and violence of his forces in the north, given his extreme hatred for Varian Wrynn and the Alliance, it may be possible that Garrosh is being set up.

Oh, not by anyone in game. By the writers in charge of the story. Garrosh is a perfect example of the "grass is greener" philosophy. When given a leader like Thrall who promises change, people will eagerly flock behind that leader in droves. When that leader fails to deliver that change as speedily as people like, they grow impatient and wonder if this magical "change" that was promised is ever going to actually occur (or if the leader is just full of hot air). So bring in one of the old guard, the leaders who did things the "right" way in the past. After all, the grass is greener over there. What's the worst that could happen?

Oh, wait.

It's my theory that Garrosh is being brought in for two specific reasons: to give the Horde that savage, war-based background that they've been lacking since Burning Crusade, and second, as a highlight to show exactly how terrible those old ways were. To show that Thrall does indeed have the best intentions for his people, and as an example to the orcs that approved of Garrosh. By giving them what they "want" -- an orc prone to violence, brutality and acting before thinking -- they'll be highlighting what the orcs are missing with Thrall gone. Whether this means that the orcs will actually realize that Thrall is the best leader for them, or want him to return, is another story altogether.

Where does this leave Garrosh, though? The kid who's just trying to live up to the massive reputation of his father and lead the way he thinks things ought to be going? I don't necessarily believe that Garrosh is a terrible orc or a terrible leader -- but he isn't an Azerothian leader, he's a Draenoric leader. While Garrosh has been quietly helping Greatmother Geyah in Nagrand (and wallowing in a self-indulgent case of the doldrums), the orcs of Azeroth have been evolving beyond him, possibly beyond his comprehension. Garrosh is trying to do what he believes is right, but those beliefs are based on the leadership system of an old world that is dying off. In a way, I almost feel sorry for Garrosh, because the way he was raised and the beliefs he's always believed in simply don't apply in Azeroth, yet he's been plunked in the middle of all of it and expected to simply adapt without question. It's about as ridiculous as bringing a caveman to present day and asking him to use Twitter.

Regardless, on that world, his homeland where everything is "proper" according to his beliefs and standards, there are no trolls, tauren, certainly no forsaken, and blood elves are a recent pest. Given that, it is extremely hard for him to relate to any of the Horde's allies because he's never seen anything like them before. However, it's worth noting that in the article referenced above, the development team also makes the startling statement, "While Garrosh is a tough leader, he does see value in all the races that belong to the Horde, and he'll use them to the best of that value."

Say what? That really doesn't fall in line with the Garrosh Hellscream we've seen to date or the rumors we've heard regarding his "rise to power," as it were. He is "upgrading" Orgrimmar's appearance and its citizens at the same time -- all non-orc and non-tauren residents are being kicked out of the main section of the city, with the justification that only the orcs and tauren "possess the strength to truly defend the city." Is this what is meant by "use them to the best of that value?" The orcs obviously don't really have any place to object to the situation, as it's their capital city after all, but how will this affect the other Horde races currently in game?

Let's go with the forsaken first, as they had a pretty large presence in Wrath of the Lich King, and the events at the Wrathgate marked the first moment in WoW's history that the forsaken's plans were made utterly, brilliantly, crystal clear to both Horde and Alliance. Sylvanas, despite being nearly "murdered" in the attempted coup, is in the doghouse as far as the rest of the Horde are concerned. In Garrosh's eyes, a true warchief would never partner with cowards -- and Sylvanas' flight from the Undercity, her request for aid and apparent inability to predict what her people were planning right under her nose all clearly designate her as an incompetent leader who is not to be trusted from Garrosh's point of view.

In addition to this, Sylvanas is dealing with the loss of her motivation for moving on. Arthas is dead, and Sylvanas now has nothing left to do. Vengeance drove her this far, but with the absence of that object on which she could focus her rage, her turmoil, we are left wondering what exactly it is Sylvanas will be doing. When players turn in the music box that the Lich King had on his person, Sylvanas says "But what now, Hero? What of those freed from his grasp but still shackled to their mortal coils? Leave me. I have much to ponder." In the novel Stormrage, the nightmares of Sylvanas involve being brought back to life and then tortured by Arthas, again and again. The torment never ends for the Queen of the Forsaken, even if the torment is largely internal.

Whatever she's pondering, she has a few things to take into account: The blood elves and their alliance with the forsaken and acknowledgment of Sylvanas as one of their kin in a way, demonstration that she might not be as alone as she thinks. The fact that Garrosh is holding her personally responsible for failing to keep her people in line and recognizing the coup before it occurred -- something that has to sting a little. By kicking the forsaken out of Orgrimmar, he's implying that her people are weak, an action that's likely a slap in the face to the Banshee Queen and the legions she commands. And if she is indeed plotting something terrible to do to all life forms on Azeroth, the fact that she can no longer quietly go about with her questionable activities right under the Horde's nose.

All of these things are going to make her upset, and when Sylvanas is upset, she gets angry. Fortunately, with the appearance of the worgen, she has something to take her anger out on -- either that, or by attacking the worgen and attempting to take over the land that they hold, she hopes to redeem herself in the Horde's eyes. If it is not a case of recovering her reputation, then perhaps there is something the worgen hold that she wants, something that will help her wipe out the living as previously planned. Or potentially, something that could restore the forsaken to their former living status.

From a writing and game development standpoint, it's not really logical that Sylvanas would out-and-out be for the mass destruction of those that she's called allies. The forsaken are a playable race, and Blizzard would not remove a playable race from the Horde faction simply because their leader decided it was time to splinter from the Horde faction and form a different alliance, or simply withdraw from the spotlight altogether. If -- and this is a big if -- Sylvanas were to revolt and try this whole "death to the living" tactic, something would have to be presented to stop her so that those people playing forsaken characters could continue playing them -- either by Sylvanas' having a change of heart, or by her death and subsequent replacement.

Let's move on to the tauren, as they're being allowed into Orgrimmar proper. There are some really, really disturbing rumors out there that were reported in the PC Gamer UK "50 reasons to play Cataclysm" article -- the largest and most shocking being that Garrosh is going to execute Cairne Bloodhoof for treason. Keep in mind none of the rumors reported in that magazine were actually backed by Blizzard, so they should be taken with a grain of salt, but still -- if this were to occur, why on earth would the tauren agree to be a presence in Orgrimmar, much less a presence in the Horde at all? Two possible solutions present themselves: first, based on what we know so far, Magatha Grimtotem is the new face of the tauren.

How? Easily. The Grimtotem have been dealing exclusively with the forsaken for quite some time to work on a way to wipe out anyone they deem "less than worthy." Obviously, with the events of the Wrathgate, the forsaken have failed in a very major way and are currently under the watchful scrutiny of the rest of the Horde until they prove that the events of the Wrathgate aren't going to occur again. Upon realizing this, Magatha decides that the best course of action in order to continue what she's quietly trying to do (wipe out all inferior races on Azeroth, aka anything that isn't a Grimtotem) would be to take the place that the forsaken previously occupied, that of an advisor and ally to the Horde itself, speaking on behalf of the tauren people.

Given Magatha's outlook on the Alliance, her people's actions toward the Alliance in Dustwallow Marsh, and her people's predisposition to violent behavior, she would get along quite nicely with Garrosh, who is far too young and naïve in the ways of Azerothian behavior and politics to realize he's being played. As for where this leaves Baine Bloodhoof, Cairne's son -- it leaves him to quietly lead a small faction of tauren who are very, very unhappy with Garrosh's actions.

This makes much more sense than Baine Bloodhoof's taking his father's place as Chieftain and standing by Garrosh's side. If Garrosh were indeed responsible for Cairne's death, why on earth would Baine willingly follow Garrosh into whatever it is he's planning? It would have to be one heck of an act of treason to be justifiable to the tauren. The tauren (with the exception of the Grimtotem) by and large aren't the war-seeking sort; they'd much rather come to a peaceful solution -- and some of those peaceful solutions that are perfectly acceptable to the tauren could easily fall under Garrosh's giant List of Treasonous Activities.

Which brings us to the second possibility: Garrosh frames someone else for the deed, say ... the Alliance, as they're an easy target and Garrosh would very much like them out of the picture to begin with. While the tauren aren't the war-seeking sort, I'd say the death of their beloved leader at the hands of "the Alliance" would be more than enough reason to want the Alliance eliminated. Especially if the one left behind to lead is the grief-stricken son of the murdered, beloved leader, who now has Magatha simultaneously comforting and egging him on. Wait -- grief-stricken leader, evil presence up to no good quietly guiding things while he's wallowing in despair ... This situation is beginning to sound awfully familiar, isn't it?

Another solution that hasn't been considered or addressed is that the tauren of Thunder Bluff and the surrounding areas have been kicked out. The "tauren" currently living in Orgrimmar are going to be Taunka, not the tauren we're familiar with. These taunka haven't really seen anything of the Horde but the face they showed in Northrend -- the face that was led by Garrosh Hellscream. This is a long shot though, and doesn't have a lot to back it up beyond, "Well, the taunka seemed to be okay with Garrosh up in Northrend, and they're not really the sort to object to violence."

And one more solution that nobody's even bothered to contemplate: Garrosh didn't kill Cairne. Cairne simply died naturally of old age. He was terribly old during Warcraft III. He's lived a long, full and happy life, and one night he simply went to sleep, dreamed wonderful dreams and didn't wake up. Baine takes over tauren leadership in his father's stead -- which still leaves the "Magatha is going to simultaneously comfort and manipulate the poor grieving kid" theory entirely open.

Let's move on to the former residents of Orgrimmar, the trolls. How are the trolls going to react to being kicked out of Orgrimmar? Well, they aren't going to be terribly upset about that, as they've got a brand new capital city to move into; however, things are not as pleasant and cheery as they seem. On the recently released page concerning the Echo Isles and the new leveling experience for troll players, Blizzard states, "But it won't be long before Vol'jin trusts you with vital -- and potentially dangerous -- information about the political struggles plaguing the Horde and, ultimately, the fellow members of your tribe."

Political struggles, huh? You mean like the jerk who has little to no resemblance to that shaman you swore your allegiance to, the shaman that tried his absolute hardest to save your father, the beloved leader of your tribe who is suddenly being placed in charge? The one who obviously views your people as weaker citizens, given that you weren't even asked or stationed in Orgrimmar, that you and your tribe weren't viewed as strong enough to handle attackers? Your tribe, descendants of what was once one of the mightiest empires Azeroth had ever seen?

Or maybe it's that you know something, Vol'jin. Maybe it's that you saw or heard something you shouldn't, but you haven't got any real proof. Like that jerk we just talked about, maybe you happened to catch something about him that was so horrible, so reprehensible that you're not sure anyone would even believe you unless they were given solid, irrevocable proof. ... Something like the cold-blooded murder of one of the most noble, beloved leaders of the allied races of the Horde.

Yeah, that'd be what I'd call "political struggles" too, buddy.

What about the blood elves, who haven't really been a huge presence in Wrath until recent events that showed that maybe the blood elves were attempting to achieve some sort of neutrality, not unlike that of the Argent Crusade and the Kirin Tor?

Obviously from a writing and design standpoint, the blood elves are not going to fracture from the Horde altogether. Like the forsaken, however, they've reached a point where they simply have nothing to do. While I have no current theories on what role the blood elves are going to play in the new Horde that Garrosh is throwing together, it would be safe to assume that they'd be just as annoyed about being considered weak as the trolls and forsaken are. Given that the blood elves are being granted the warrior class, it could be possible that those warriors are being trained specifically to show Garrosh exactly how strong elven society can be.

And the elves don't seem to hate the Alliance as strongly as they had in the past. The redemption of the Sunwell was at the hands of an Alliance member, regardless of who they were working for at the time. And the blood elves are giving the Silver Covenant, an Alliance organization, access to that Sunwell (albeit cautiously). There's not really any other information out there about the blood elves and their role in Cataclysm; however, recent events suggest that keeping an eye on the blood elves and their activities would probably reveal some interesting new beliefs or new plans.

Next, let's take a look at Thrall himself, current warchief of the Horde. While it is currently unconfirmed where Thrall is going, rumors have speculated that he is going to become the next Guardian. Given the presence of the Earthen Ring, the shaman organization of Azeroth, and their concern with what the reemergence of Deathwing has done to Azeroth, it's only natural that Thrall would take an interest in the rest of Azeroth -- especially since he is well known for having the philosophy that petty bickering in the face of larger dangers is useless, foolhardy and a waste of time.

The kink in the rumor involving Thrall's ascendance as Guardian is this -- there's already a Guardian. His name is Me'dan, and you may be familiar with his parents, a half-orc named Garona, and a former Guardian by the name of Medivh, the supposed "last" Guardian of Azeroth. Me'dan is quarter orc, quarter draenei and half human, an odd combination to say the very least. In the Warcraft comic series, he was appointed Guardian by Jaina Proudmoore, who had some incredibly curious things to say about the whole Council of Tirisfal/Guardian situation.

What sort of things, exactly? That the actions of Malygos affected the mages of Azeroth, that their powers had weakened, and none of them were strong enough to form a complete Council of Tirisfal or take on the mantle of Guardian. So Jaina asked practitioners of different kinds of magic -- shaman, druid, priest, paladin and mage -- to combine their efforts and diverse magics into a new form of the Council of Tirisfal and appoint a new Guardian to fight as champion of Azeroth.

Jaina originally went to Thrall to ask him to serve as the shaman representative on the Council, but he turned her down, as at the time he was preparing to take the orcs of the Horde and head north for the war against the Lich King. The Guardian chosen was Me'dan, specifically because of his mixed heritage -- and his peculiar knack for wielding arcane, nature and Light magic simultaneously. Med'an and the Council battled Cho'gall and the Twilight's Hammer (who you can read more about in the latest KYL from Matthew Rossi) and won, but what happened after the events depicted in the comics is unknown. So how does Thrall fit into a position that's already been filled? Let's take a look.

Since the Lich King has been defeated, Thrall and his people are no longer at war. Azeroth has been torn asunder due to Deathwing, and his emergence ripped open holes into the Elemental Plane. Elements and the earth are specialties of the shaman, and Thrall is supposedly one of the most powerful shamans alive. Given that according to the comics, a Guardian is essentially a person who is imbued with the powers of several other magic users all at once, it's entirely possible that the Council could decide that a shaman Guardian would be best suited to fight the elements and the former Earth Warder.

... Or Me'dan somehow met an unfortunate and messy end, and we simply haven't seen how yet. Or Me'dan decided he was tired of being the Guardian and would rather continue to study and hone his control over the power of the Light. Or Me'dan and the events of the comics simply didn't exist in the current universe, a retcon of the tales that were told in the comics. We don't know exactly, but it's not impossible for Thrall to take up the Guardian mantle, because all the writers have to do is find a logical way to fit it into the existing story, something that is entirely possible as illustrated above.

As for why Thrall would leave Garrosh to lead in his stead, there are several reasons that could be presented: Thrall and Garrosh fought another duel and Thrall rightly lost, leaving Garrosh as the new leader of the Horde. Or Thrall acknowledged that while Garrosh's actions in Northrend were less than perfect, the orcs of the Northrend forces were readily following him, and he gave Garrosh temporary leadership of the Horde as a result.

Or Thrall, in a fit of uncharacteristic annoyance, decided to give the orcs of the Horde who supported Garrosh exactly what they wanted -- so that those orcs would see that what they wanted wasn't what they thought they wanted and wasn't what they needed in the long run. In any case, it is unlikely that Thrall would leave for long -- or that he would stand back and allow the orcs, his people, to callously slaughter the Alliance with whom he'd tried so hard to forge some sort of semblance of peace.

Yes, this is another prediction. I think that somewhere in Cataclysm, Garrosh will either discover the error of his ways in spectacular fashion ... or Thrall will come back and show him the error of his ways, using his fists. And lightning. And the elements. And anything else that happens to be handy, and it will be epic.

I feel like I'm forgetting something ...

Oh right, the new members of the Horde, introduced in Cataclysm -- the goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel that runs Bilgewater Port on Kezan, the island home of the goblins' trade empire. Now how do these little guys come into play? Well that's interesting in and of itself, and entirely relevant to the actions of Thrall.

From what was available in playable demos of the starting zones, goblin players will eventually find themselves shipwrecked on an island after getting caught in a battle between Horde and Alliance. During the course of the first few levels, goblin players will discover a dead orc with a diary that explains the battle and how the Alliance fired on the orcs' ships. The Alliance NPCs in the area are hostile because the goblins are helping out the orcs. After grabbing a key and hijacking a plane to fly out to one of the Alliance ships and retrieve some "precious cargo" located on the craft, the cargo is revealed to be Thrall, warchief of the Horde. Now what's he doing all the way out there?

Thrall is not happy with being captured and fully endorses the murder of his Alliance captors. That seems a little out of line for a warchief concerned with the events of Cataclysm -- especially since the title of warchief is given to Garrosh, isn't it? And what exactly is he doing out there on that Alliance ship, anyway? From what I can gather, the timeline of Cataclysm at the start falls something like this:

• The trolls, in high spirits after the death of the Lich King, seek the help of the Horde to take back the Echo Isles and establish a proper troll capital city. Vol'jin may or may not choose to stay at the Echo Isles at this point.
• Cataclysm hits, Deathwing gives Azeroth a major facelift.
• Thrall takes a ship to ... somewhere. Perhaps another peace summit, like the failed summit in Theramore that played out in the comics. Perhaps having something to do with the Earthen Ring. Perhaps just to survey the extent of the damage. Alternatively, Thrall is kidnapped by the Alliance forces, and a fleet of very angry Horde set out to rescue him.
• As a result of the Cataclysm, the volcano on the island of Kezan erupts, forcing the evacuation of the goblins.
• Somewhere en route to someplace safe (i.e., an island or landmass that doesn't have a volcano on it), the goblins get caught in a battle between Horde and Alliance ships, who are fighting for unknown reasons -- more than likely, something to do with Thrall.
• Goblin ships and rafts are blown to bits, and the goblins are washed up on the same island as a bunch of very angry Horde and Alliance members.
• The goblins somehow choose to help the Horde with their plight, earning the enmity of the Alliance as a result.
• As part of this choice, the goblins rescue Thrall from where he is being held captive as "cargo" on an Alliance ship.
• In gratitude to the goblins, Thrall allows them to join the Horde. He can do this because at this point in the time line, he is still warchief of the Horde.
• Thrall heads back to Orgrimmar or somewhere safe. The goblins demonstrate that ancient night elf ruins are no match for the raw power of dynamite and build a new home in Azshara, mowing the land into something resembling the Horde symbol. After all, the best way to show your affection for your new-found friends is by finding a giant chunk of once-sacred land and blowing the stuffing out of it.
• Something else that is as yet undetermined happens: Thrall steps down and the Horde is taken over by Garrosh, who doesn't appreciate the small, green-skinned additions to the Horde, as they are tiny and weak and Garrosh doesn't understand the importance of the finer things in life like compassion and currency. Alternatively, Garrosh is ticked that the Alliance tried to capture the warchief, and further ticked that Thrall chose to call the incident a misunderstanding or chose not to hold the Alliance as a whole responsible for whatever fleet happened to attack him. That's why he challenges Thrall. Or another alternative: Thrall simply realizes he's needed elsewhere and appoints Garrosh in his stead.
• Garrosh takes over as warchief. Thrall heads out to either become the next Guardian or to help out the Earthen Ring as they investigate what exactly Deathwing's emergence has done to the world.
• Cairne bites it. Somehow. Either these old bones are simply too tired to continue living, or he does something that raises Garrosh's anger -- say, saving Alliance children from the crumbling wreckage of the world along with Horde children -- and Garrosh arranges for Cairne to have an "accident." Garrosh then blames Cairne's death on the Alliance.
• Vol'jin and the trolls are no longer allowed in central Orgrimmar. Neither are the forsaken, nor the blood elves, nor the newest goblin additions to the Horde forces. Only the tauren and orcs are deemed strong enough to protect the city, something that is sure to rankle the races that are dismissed for being too weak.
• Sylvanas discovers a local puppy mill and decides it would make an excellent target to decimate, thus proving the strength of herself and her people to the Horde. This further irritates the Alliance, but Thrall's not around to call her off. Gleeful destruction ensues.
• The blood elves begin to train warriors in an effort to show the Horde that fabulous hair and impeccable fashion sense has very little to do with raw strength and power, something they possess in spades.
• The tauren are in a state of grief at the loss of their beloved leader and cling to the Horde even more closely as a result. Either Baine steps up, or Magatha steps up, and the tauren find themselves surprisingly willing to bash a few Alliance heads in, should the need arise.
• The trolls, blood elves, forsaken and goblins grow increasingly resentful of Garrosh's opinions of their various forces. The tauren remain half grief-stricken and largely oblivious. Tensions rise -- not between the Horde and Alliance, but between the allied races of the Horde, and it soon becomes clear that the major question is not "Will the Horde be able to defeat the Alliance and stand on their own as a proud faction," but "Will the Horde be able to actually stand together as one?"
• Dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria.

How do the goblins fit into the Horde, and what will their purpose be? So far the justification by the development team has been that the goblins will provide some much-needed "comic relief" to the Horde. But beyond that, how will the motivations of Azeroth's greediest citizens work with the current races of the Horde? Goblins are notorious for swindling and selling anything and everything to the highest bidder -- goods, weapons and information. A goblin could be easily overlooked and overhear a heck of a lot of interesting information given the opportunity to do so -- and promptly turn around and sell that information to whatever interested parties choose to bid on it.

Not quite so funny anymore, are they? "Comic relief" to be sure, but they have untapped potential that will not be fully revealed until Cataclysm's launch.

While the outlook for the Horde appears to be grim as all get-out, it's worthwhile to keep in mind that Blizzard has traditionally followed a story progression in their games. First, there were the Alliance and Horde forces of Warcraft III who grudgingly held hands with the Alliance to defeat the Burning Legion that threatened the world. Between Warcraft III and World of Warcraft's release, that hand-holding and grudging respect between the two factions crumbled into nothing. During World of Warcraft, the two factions were at each other's throats, much like we saw in Warcraft II. In Burning Crusade, the Alliance and Horde were once again asked to hold hands and defeat the Burning Legion that threatened the world -- and they did so, grudgingly. In Wrath, we see what we didn't get to see between the end of Warcraft III and the beginning of World of Warcraft: the crumbling of the hand-holding and grudging respect.

See the cycle? In Cataclysm, the Alliance and Horde are once again at each other's throats -- something that originally drove World of Warcraft, which makes it incredibly appropriate that the return to that cycle is marked by an expansion that is essentially giving the original game a revamp. But more importantly, look at how the cycle progresses. Yes, the Alliance and Horde will be at each other's throats, but given the progression we've seen so far, it's not going to last forever. There will be bigger, more dangerous threats to worry about, in time.

Will any of this come to pass? Good question -- we'll have to wait until Cataclysm to see. Until then, all we can do is observe, analyze and predict. If you've got any good theories regarding Cataclysm, the timeline or the Horde, feel free to leave them in the comments. With prediction and analysis, it's as much an exercise in discussion as it is in picking a story apart. The more people poking it, the merrier!