World of Warcraft - The Dark Portal | 3D

Last crawled date: 1 year, 7 months ago

The Dark Portal
The Dark Portal, also known as the Great Portal, is one of the two gateways between the worlds of Azeroth and Draenor (now Outland). The Azeroth side portal is located in what is now known as the Blasted Lands in southern Eastern Kingdoms, while its counterpart is in Hellfire Peninsula on Outland, on the Stair of Destiny. Before the destruction of Draenor, it was located in the eastern section of Tanaan Jungle. Originally created in a joint effort between Gul'dan and the demonically possessed Medivh, the Dark Portal served as the Old Horde's method of reaching Azeroth and beginning the First War, as a way to weaken it for the Burning Legion's eventual invasion. It since served as a link between worlds during the Alliance's Invasion of Draenor, the united Invasion of Outland, and the war in the alternate universe Draenor. The portal appears to be functionally indestructible, as the Alliance under Khadgar were only able to destroy the structure, not the portal itself. Since making its debut in Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, the Dark Portal remains one of the Warcraft universe's most recognizable and iconic structures. History
The first opening The Dark Portal was created through a joint effort between the human mage Medivh, possessed by the Dark Titan Sargeras, and the warlocks of the orcish Shadow Council led by Gul'dan as a means to allow the Old Horde, under the demonic influence of the Burning Legion, to invade the world of Azeroth. Following Medivh's instructions, Gul'dan and Warchief Blackhand had the Horde construct the Draenor side of the gateway on a convergence of ley lines on the eastern edge of Hellfire Peninsula. Once the structure was complete, Gul'dan and Medivh worked together to tear a rift in the fabric of reality. On Draenor, nearly all of the Horde's draenei prisoners that still lived were brought to the base of the portal. The moment the ritual began, Gul'dan instantly drained all of their life essences, creating the massive spike of power needed to bridge the distance between the two worlds. Meanwhile, Medivh called on his powers as a Guardian of Tirisfal to rip open the Azerothian side of the rift in the Black Morass. Due to the amount of magical power involved, almost every creature attuned to magic on Azeroth felt ripples from the portal's opening, though most couldn't detect where the disturbance came from. Another consequence of the opening was that teleportation spells became perturbed by emanations from the region where the portal laid. Blackhand immediately sent scouts from the Bleeding Hollow and Black Tooth Grin clans, along with warlock overseers, to establish a camp and build a stone frame around the Azerothian side of the rift in order to stabilize it. The armies of the orcs subsequently began pouring through it into the unsuspecting Kingdom of Stormwind, beginning the First War. During the Second War, it served as a passage to untold numbers of orc and ogre warriors, reinforcing the Horde's already overflowing ranks. The lands around the Portal that were once dead swamps were being transformed into barren soil the color of blood, which was now teeming with strange, demonic beasts. These Blasted Lands were the domain of the Black Tooth Grin clan, who were entrusted with the keeping of the Portal. The first portal's destruction at the end of the Second War.
At the end of the Second War, following their defeat at the Siege of Blackrock Spire, some Horde forces escaped through the portal back to Draenor before it was secured by the forces of the Alliance of Lordaeron. To prevent the orcs from returning, the archmage Khadgar and his fellow magi cast a great spell that destroyed the gateway on Azeroth. The resultant blast of arcane energy also caused the Draenor side of the portal to explode. Khadgar then convinced the Alliance High Command to construct Nethergarde Keep to keep watch over its ruins. Unbeknownst to the archmage and the people of Azeroth, however, the link between the worlds remained as an unseen tear in the fabric of reality. The second opening
On the Draenor side of the Portal, the elder shaman Ner'zhul, Chieftain of the Shadowmoon clan, planned to open multiple portals that would lead the Horde to new, unspoiled worlds to conquer. Powering these portals, however, would require several mystical artifacts from Azeroth: the Book of Medivh, Jeweled Scepter of Sargeras, and Eye of Dalaran. To procure them, the elder shaman reopened the Dark Portal using the Skull of Gul'dan and sent his forces through, who struck quickly and retreated to Draenor with the enchanted objects in tow. King Terenas of Lordaeron, convinced that the orcs were preparing a new invasion of Azeroth, assembled his most trusted lieutenants, including Khadgar and the paladin Turalyon, to form an expedition through the Portal to put an end to the orcish threat once and for all. Despite the Alliance counterattack, Ner'zhul finally opened his portals to other worlds, but he did not foresee the terrible price he would pay. The portals' tremendous energies tore Draenor apart. The orc chieftains Grommash Hellscream and Kilrogg Deadeye—who saw that Ner'zhul's portals would destroy their world, and his insanity would destroy their people—led their clans through the Dark Portal back to the relative safety of Azeroth. The Alliance expeditionary forces, meanwhile, remained on Draenor, agreeing to make the ultimate sacrifice by destroying the Dark Portal from their side in order to prevent that world's destruction from destroying Azeroth as well. There were indications they may have taken one of Ner'zhul's portals to another world, but they in fact managed to survive Draenor's destruction, taking refuge near the portal in hopes it may yet be opened again. dark portal outland burning crusade illidan stormrage guldan black temple hobby diy hobby diy other