While I get where people are coming from, I personally feel that Stratholme is really unsuited for the Forsaken for two main reasons.
1) It's where Arthas descend began, why would they want to live in the city that was the start of their cursed existence.
2) It's the location of the Bastion of the Silver Hand, a holy site to the Argent Crusade, Scarlet Crusade, Brotherhood of the Light, Knights of the Silver Hand (both neutral and Alliance versions) and even to a lesser extent the Blood Knights.
3) The Argent Crusade has already made clear in (cataclysm-era) quests that they are planning to rebuild Stratholme into their capital city for their new Light-blessed nation.
Well, if the Forsaken capture and rebuild Durnholde Keep, they could cut off ground forces from both Kingdom of Stromgarde and Aerie Peak, Thoradin's wall has stairs on the Forsaken side too, so they could (more easily) defend it than Stromgarde could invade.
Forsaken batriders are more then a match for the Wildhammer Gryphon Riders, imho
The Kingdom of Gilneas (as per Exploring Azeroth: Eastern Kingdoms) is still not reclaimed and lays abandoned. But even if it isn't reclaimed the Forsaken still need to fortify both Southpoint Gate and the Sludge Fields into better defensible positions because the Alliance has captured (again as per Exploring Azeroth: Eastern Kingdoms) Fenris and Shadowfang Keeps.
This, really. Also don't make it suck like Operation: Gnomeregan (I still cry myself to sleep over it, oke?)
Maybe they could recruit the dwarven ghosts of Dun Garok (raise their bodies too, so we could have proper Forsaken dwarves too, instead of only humans, elves and gnomes.
Thank you, I really like the Stratholme for the Forsaken idea too (and I would ofcourse easily accept it if Blizzard does decide to give Stratholme to the Forsaken), there's just a few points I explained above on why I think it wouldn't work either.
They're both really good ideas, imho. But I dislike the Argent Crusade working with the Forsaken and Blood elves in such a way, it would push them into the Horde basicly and I like such a large neutral (paladin) organisation. They're basicly a Crusader state these days.
Neither am I, but according to the BFA wartable the Forsaken where retreating to Alterac City and building a second Undercity there if I remember correctly.
That one could work too? I'm just, it might sound silly but in my eyes the Argent Crusade is the defacto ruler (nation) in possession of the entire Eastern Plaguelands. No Horde or Alliance have a presence there. So yeah, its abit eh to me. Maybe I'm just too much a sucker for Alterac for the Forsaken?
It does, the problem is just that it's also the zone with the largest Argent Crusade presence, the Paladin Order hall and a levelling zone.
If I remember correctly, in the most recent book, it was stated by Lillian Voss that many of the Forsaken refugees living in Orgrimmar are suffering from the heat as it is not good for their bodies (since Forsaken can not feel actual heat).
I would like that, but Blizzard will never do that. Unless the Alliance gets (Lightbound) orcs...
Which is why I think the Argent Crusade would expand into Havenshore and New Avalon and not the Forsaken. THe Cruade holds the only entrance to those two areas.
Also, the mag'har live quite comfortable with the other orcs in Orgrimmar and the vulpera have homes in (now mostly safe) Vol'dun, or if they need to move Zuldazar, which is really close by.
Ah, but the Argent Crusaders aren't all from Lordaeron either. They're humans (paladin or otherwise) from many nations and races. Hence why there are blood elves, high elves, night elves, gnomes, dwarves, draenei, orcs and many more races that are members of the Argent Crusade. It's just a fact of (Warcraft) live that organisations and nations such as the Argent Crusade, Cenarion Circle and Forsaken are multicultural by nature of how their groups are build up from the ground.
The Argent Crusade isn't on bad terms with the night elves and Alliance either. They would be insane to risk those relations just to give the Forsaken a new city. Also remember that the current leader of the Alliance is a (quite zealous) paladin from Lordaeron that lived in Stratholme at one point.
The Zandalari aren't the overlords of the trolls either, so there's not a big chance the forest trolls would accept peace (no matter how good for the forest trolls), even in Zandalar the forest trolls insult the Horde and are hostile mobs.
Hah, the Argent Crusade will be done with the EPL when Blizzard says they're done, sadly. So that'll take another decade or two, at the least.
Which is even more reason for the Alliance to attack the Crusade in a potentional Fifth War scenario if the Crusaders are getting so buddy buddy with the Horde. Also no idea what this had to do with my point! (Also still think they did our boy Tirion Fordring a dirty, would've been great if he'd have met Turalyon, one of his original brothers).
Wait, Anasterian send the priests these days? Damn, I don't really like that new part of lore.
And I do not think the Argent Crusade (or the Grand Alliance) should formally apologise or "make amends" for what Garithos did. That'd be like saying Quel'thalas should apologise or "make amends" for everything Sylvanas did even after she was risen.
Garithos was at most a rogue military leader of (the Alliance of) Lordaeron's defunct nobility/military and at worst the most succesful warlord in the area.
They're never going to use that, are they? >.>'
(sorry for long post D