Alterac (kingdom)

Alterac arose thousands of years ago as an Arathorian city-state following the Troll Wars. Settlers capitalized on strategic mountain passes and trading outposts, eventually establishing an independent realm when the empire fractured. Though rugged and mountainous, Alterac bordered the prosperous lands of Lordaeron and Stromgarde. Historically, it fielded tough mountain fighters, but enduring border friction with Thoras Trollbane's Stromgarde left the kingdom politically isolated from its neighbors long before the Dark Portal ever opened.

When Sir Anduin Lothar forged the Alliance of Lordaeron, King Aiden Perenolde joined only with deep reluctance. As Orgrim Doomhammer's Horde swept north, Perenolde concluded humanity was doomed and secretly struck a deal with the Warchief. In exchange for the safety of Alterac, Perenolde opened fortified mountain passes, conspired against Alliance forces, and even dispatched soldiers and sailors to assist the Horde's siege of Lordaeron. The treachery allowed the orcs to reach Capital City far ahead of schedule, shaking the Alliance to its core when the truth was laid bare.

Retribution was swift. Stromgarde's forces marched into the mountains, exposing Perenolde's treason and breaking Alterac's military. King Terenas Menethil II placed the fallen nation under martial law, while arguments over who should inherit the throne paralyzed Alliance diplomats for years. Following the kingdom's collapse, King Perenolde died in disgrace. His son, Lord Aliden Perenolde, rallied the bitter, displaced nobility to form the Syndicate. Wearing the orange cloth of their fallen homeland, these bandits and mercenaries now fight ruthlessly to reclaim their ancestral holdings across Hillsbrad and Alterac.