Lorewise, Can I join any faction regardless of race?

[Aresk]

Valeera is kinda tricky though, she claims that she doesn't belong to Horde yet she dresses up like one of theirs in their traditional red colors and rubs it in the face of the Alliance lol. I don't know about others, but seeing a character who dresses up as a Horde character in Alliance territory is kind of insulting.

This is speculation, but I think part of the reason she does that is to show that she's not loyal to the Alliance, just to the Wrynn family. She has coordinated with both Horde and Alliance leaders (e.g. serving as a go between for Baine and Jaina during the exchange of Derek Proudmoore).

[Nathreim]

Can an Orc join the alliance or a human join the horde or are warcraft factions just extremely racist and xenophobic

I guess the races has a reason to hate each other but surely not everyone share the same views?

With Calia ruling Lordaeron can undead rejoin the alliance?

Thrall had human spies loyal to him. He learns of the Draenei's arrival from one of them in the book Lord of the Clans.

Cailia does not rule Lordaeron or the Forsaken.

[Ardenaso]

Thrall had human spies loyal to him. He learns of the Draenei's arrival from one of them in the book Lord of the Clans.

Cailia does not rule Lordaeron or the Forsaken.

Best Calia can do is assert her claim of the Argent Dawn since it's the closest Lordaeron Human we can get; even though Maxwell seems to be a better "regent-lord" than Calia ruling them. I think appropriate territories would be enough with Heartglen, Stratholme, Light's Hope, and Tyr's Hand (or maybe all of Eastweald)

[gurutikka]

This is speculation, but I think part of the reason she does that is to show that she's not loyal to the Alliance, just to the Wrynn family. She has coordinated with both Horde and Alliance leaders (e.g. serving as a go between for Baine and Jaina during the exchange of Derek Proudmoore).

As an Alliance main, I have to say it really does tick me off seeing her wear red and being in our city wearing a half naked outfit, with spiky shoulders which gives me more of a Horde vibe. Ever since the faction wars began, I dislike the color red very much. And if a random person saw her walking down the streets of Stormwind, I guarantee you they would think she is a Horde agent.

[Thage]

Thrall had human spies loyal to him. He learns of the Draenei's arrival from one of them in the book Lord of the Clans.

Cailia does not rule Lordaeron or the Forsaken.

As of 8.2.5/8.3, Lillian is working with Calia and Derek to get them settled in as the new Forsaken leadership, if memory serves.

Best Calia can do is assert her claim of the Argent Dawn since it's the closest Lordaeron Human we can get; even though Maxwell seems to be a better "regent-lord" than Calia ruling them. I think appropriate territories would be enough with Heartglen, Stratholme, Light's Hope, and Tyr's Hand (or maybe all of Eastweald)

The Argent Crusade/Silver Hand currently hold Stratholme, Hearthglen, Light's Hope, and most of the Western Plaguelands east of Andorhal. The Brotherhood of the Light holds Tyr's Hand and it's questionable how closely-affiliated they are with the Crusade/SH given Eligor and Korfax have both spoken of the Argent Crusade as being 'too soft,' though Angela doesn't seem to have the same distaste and all of the Brotherhood are perfectly happy working with adventurers.

- - - Updated - - -

As an Alliance main, I have to say it really does tick me off seeing her wear red and being in our city wearing a half naked outfit, with spiky shoulders which gives me more of a Horde vibe. Ever since the faction wars began, I dislike the color red very much. And if a random person saw her walking down the streets of Stormwind, I guarantee you they would think she is a Horde agent.

She wears red and gold, primarily blood elf colors. And given she's an operative working personally under the crown, most civilians are going to give her a pass on a lot of things just like they do the void elves giggling to themselves as they walk down the street and the dark iron dwarves that had until just a few years ago been public enemy #1 in Ironforge.

[Ardenaso]

As an Alliance main, I have to say it really does tick me off seeing her wear red and being in our city wearing a half naked outfit, with spiky shoulders which gives me more of a Horde vibe. Ever since the faction wars began, I dislike the color red very much. And if a random person saw her walking down the streets of Stormwind, I guarantee you they would think she is a Horde agent.

Sounds like that's the reason as well to why the Stromgarde Humans avoid Stormwind

- - - Updated - - -

The Argent Crusade/Silver Hand currently hold Stratholme, Hearthglen, Light's Hope, and most of the Western Plaguelands east of Andorhal. The Brotherhood of the Light holds Tyr's Hand and it's questionable how closely-affiliated they are with the Crusade/SH given Eligor and Korfax have both spoken of the Argent Crusade as being 'too soft,' though Angela doesn't seem to have the same distaste and all of the Brotherhood are perfectly happy working with adventurers..

That's weird, I would've though that since the Scarlet Crusade is no more, then the Brotherhood has no more reason to exist and they would've just be absorbed by the Argent Dawn/Crusade. But given the Brotherhood's racism (or maybe that's just Marjhan) I can see that in the Argent Dawn/Crusade/Calia controlled Lordaeron - Horde would have Andorhal and Alliance would have Tyr's Hand

[Thage]

That's weird, I would've though that since the Scarlet Crusade is no more, then the Brotherhood has no more reason to exist and they would've just be absorbed by the Argent Dawn/Crusade. But given the Brotherhood's racism (or maybe that's just Marjhan) I can see that in the Argent Dawn/Crusade/Calia controlled Lordaeron - Horde would have Andorhal and Alliance would have Tyr's Hand

Marjhan wasn't a member of the Brotherhood of the Light. She, and the other Crusaders you end up killing in Tyr's Hand in Cataclysm quests, were members of the Scarlet Crusade who turned to working with the Argent Dawn and adventurers out of sheer desperation when Scourge began pouring out of Naxxramas. The Scarlet Crusaders intended to hold the line until dying in battle, to buy adventurers time to strike into Naxxramas, and Marjhan and the others made no secret that she thought you were subhuman filth to be eradicated as soon as this whole situation was resolved (luckily for us, Balnazzar killed all the Scarlet Crusaders in the Eastern Plaguelands and raised them as undead, their perceptions twisted so they saw themselves as alive and everyone else as undead). The Brotherhood of the Light essentially acted as the Blackwatch to the Argent Dawn/Crusade's Overwatch.

[Ardenaso]

I see, I stand corrected

(luckily for us, Balnazzar killed all the Scarlet Crusaders in the Eastern Plaguelands and raised them as undead, their perceptions twisted so they saw themselves as alive and everyone else as undead).

I always find this part confusing as why would Arthas just vibe check a small town and a few farmsteads when the greatest Lordaeron Human concentration proper is literally right beside them and he would ignore them?

I prefer to think that Arthas indeed removed Tyr's Hand and raised them all as undead, but he would leave them to watch there but Balnazzar soon comes and removes their link to Arthas and makes them his own instead

- - - Updated - - -

Thrall had human spies loyal to him. He learns of the Draenei's arrival from one of them in the book Lord of the Clans.

I think this is from another book as Lord of the Clans was exclusively pre-WC3 content

[Thage]

I always find this part confusing as why would Arthas just vibe checka small town and a few farmsteads when the greatest Lordaeron Human concentration proper is literally right beside them and he would ignore them?

I prefer to think that Arthas indeed removed Tyr's Hand and raised them all as undead, but he would leave them to watch there but Balnazzar soon comes and removes their link to Arthas and makes them his own instead

Arthas's target was the Scarlet Enclave because, at the time, adventurers had already wiped out Tyr's Hand. Marjhan and the rest of her Scarlets hadn't gone to Tyr's Hand until after the death knights packed up shop and shipped out to Northrend, at some point between the end of the DK scenario and the beginning of Cataclysm's storyline.

I think this is from another book as Lord of the Clans was exclusively pre-WC3 content

It was Rise of the Horde. The prologue and epilogue were set as Thrall writing his memoirs, indicating distress that the draenei had come to Azeroth as there was an extremely good chance of them relating the atrocities of the Old Horde to the Alliance. Not because 'we dindu nuffin' so much as 'oh shit they don't know I've been doing double-time trying to get the Horde to clean up its act and this is going to throw a wrench in peace talks.'

[Nathasil]

The answer to the Title question is a clear yes. No ifs, no buts.

Nathanos is a pale Human who stinks and fought the Horde in the WC2 era. He never pledged any loyalty to the Horde. If anything, nobody would expect a creature going undead to be more trustworthy than before. Yet, the Horde not only accepts him, but constantly takes shit from him without even talking back and allowes him to shove them around like little obedient puppies. So yes, Humans can OBVIOUSLY join the Horde. They are accepted and even allowed to command, even if they are in a physical condition that makes them LESS trustworthy.

Sira Moonwarden was a Nightelf. Horde had no problem recruiting her into its ranks and even making her commander of one of their warfronts despite having fuck-all-nothing idea of her reasons, mental status or trustworthyness.

Varian gave command over the Alliance army to Saurfang in Silithus, making Saurfang an official Alliance commander during the AQ war. Anduin allowed Saurfang to command Alliance troops again during the second siege of Orgrimmar recently. Anduin made Baine an official Advisor, which is an Alliance title.

There is at least one Goblin fighting for the Alliance.

According to Lord Ion himself Blood Elves are High Elves. High Elves are obviously an Alliance race, being featured in EVERY expansion as a core Alliance race. Hell, there are more High Elf NPCs in the Alliance than Gnomes.

Sylvanas Windrunner was a champion of Silvermoon during WC2, fighting AGAINST the Horde. She later became Warchief.

Obviously, race has no impact on wheter you can be part of any faction or not.

---

For 2 factions existing, there needs to be some fundamentally dividing factor. Race is not it. That idea died with Humans joining the Horde in 1.0 and High Elves joining them in 2.0. So what about political differences? There are none. Not right now and not for the most part of the last 15 years. So there is no reason why two factions should exist in this game....Blizzard should either give us reasons or remove the factions - yet they do neither, which makes every outburst of the "faction war" less believeable and more facepalm-worthy.

You cannot have it both ways: You cannot have 2 factions with the exact same goals because of the PvE side of the game....and tell how there is an unbreakable feude going on between them "because of reasons". Pick one.

With factions, Blizzard is basically trying to have their cake and eat it. Which does not work. Which is one of the reasons that whenever factions are brought up in the story you might as well put your brain on energy conservation mode.

[Nathreim]

I think this is from another book as Lord of the Clans was exclusively pre-WC3 content

Thats right it was the end of the Rise of the Horde I mixed them up.

As of 8.2.5/8.3, Lillian is working with Calia and Derek to get them settled in as the new Forsaken leadership, if memory serves.

They offered to help the forsaken with counseling after the shock of losing Sylvanas but they are not leading the Forsaken.