I am a huge fan of the back story for the humans of Alterac. A quick lore for those who don’t know who they are:
The beginning/Second War
They where the smallest kingdom of the human nations. They where reluctant to join the alliance but did and eventually betrayed them (as well as attempted to kill Uther) and joined the orcish horde. Their betrayal was found out and the people of Alterac where put under martial law. Deathwing was wanting to infiltrate and dismantle the human kingdoms and decided try and become appointed as new leader of Alterac but eventually he “vanished” and Alterac was slowly wasted away and tossed into a state of anarchy which gave rise to the syndicate.
Third War
The remaining Alterac humans where forced into the shadows while undead marched across lorderon. Arthus and KT walked the frozen mountain of Alterac while discussing the legion and prepared to fight the remaning old horde in the local area. After the undead and legion left the area the Syndicate where quick to begin work undermining the kingdom of Strom who where their rivals.
Current Time:
The Argus wake who are apparently linked to the shadow council seek to empower the Syndicate and help them reclaim the Alterac and allegedly bring Sargeras back to Azeroth for the third time.
It is so strange how so many important characters keep getting drawn to Alterac for one reason or another. I am unsure as to why or how that snowy land would be the perfect spot to summon Sargeras. If we defeated the legion and conquered Argus, doesn’t this mean the Argus Wake’s plans are in vain?
Apart of me feels like there is some strange building up for Alterac, but it was either abandoned or in need of a serious lore update. Hopefully in a later expansion there could be some kind of redemption or closing for the people of Alterac. Because it feels wrong to have all these important events and characters interact with such an old hardly updated region yet not have it be a dungeon or connect to any recent content. Basically hope blizzard can do something more with the Argus Wake and Syndicate since they have some potential about them. Personally I feel somewhat bad for the Syndicate(People of Alterac), since their entire downfall was the result of a spineless and fearful leader, and a bunch of misfortune events. Heck even the Argus Wake claim the alliance made with the Syndicate will eventually be a regretful one down the line for the remaining Alterac people.
Alterac will never be built up. Even in Cata, the Alterac Mountains were added to hillsbrad, but added nothing to the zone in terms of questing. The only reason you need to go there is to fill out the map to get the achievement. To Blizzard, Alterac is no Longer the Traitor Kingdom or the Mafia, but a place dwarfs and orcs fight.
Who knows, maybe we’ll encounter Aiden Perenolde in Shadowlands, since people like Kael’thas Sunstrider will be seen again doing stuff in the afterlife. And if players can go there and come back, then maybe those who are already there can come back too. Although that’s all merely guesswork and part wish fulfillment on my behalf.
Personally I am obsessed with the Syndicate and eat any scrap of content I can find about them. For example a new one is that in Warcraft 3: Reforged, the group once known as the Bloodhill Bandit’s who appeared in the campaign level ‘The Defense of Strahnbrad’ has now been written as belonging to the Syndicate. I never played Reforged but I like that little nod to my favorite group.
For me, the “benefits” for “allying” with the Syndicate are not being able to accidentally kill their members when I defend their portion of Stromgarde Keep and Northfold Manor. It also proves a bit amusing to me and confusing for the horde and alliance players when I run past or stand right next to the Syndicate mobs without aggroing them. By default all players start out as being hated with them, so it may provoke a curious response from people and start a discussion…which is exactly what I want lol.
Firstly; a necro to talk about Shadowlands? That’s… Very on-point.
More to the actual point: I wouldn’t expect it. If Blizzard uses the excuse of the Shadowlands being opened up to ress NPCs, they’re going to shoot higher than Aiden. It’ll be more likely an Arthas, a Kael’thas, or some other big gun they can build a major event around. If they ress minor characters this way, it’ll be more likely joke ones the broader playerbase is familiar with; Hogger is so coming back, calling it now.
But nobody at Blizzard right now even remembers there was an Alterac, let alone who was affiliated with it. They’re going to stay in storyline limbo until Golden or someone else discovers them on the wiki.
I feel like the Argus Wake’s involvement with the Syndicate was less about Alterac itself being central to bringing the so-called “Third Host” to Azeroth, and more a part of the Legion’s overall efforts to foment disunity and maintain overall chaos throughout the Lordaeron subcontinent in preparation for their eventual return.
Thus with prodding and support from the cult the Syndicate would prevent the Horde or Alliance from claiming and stabilizing Alterac or Arathi, not entirely unlike how Varimathras and Balnazzar played the Scarlets and Forsaken against each other and the Scourge in the Plaguelands so no one power would decisively unify and organize the region against any eventual demonic invasions.
The Shadow Council seemed to have nominally solidified into a single organization again with the “return” of Gul’dan to Azeroth and what basically amounted to the invasion they’d been planning for during Legion, so while the Shadow Council may yet survive in some form after we beat the demons again, it’s hard to say if separate groups like the Argus Wake, Cult of the Dark Strand or Burning Blade still exist at all.
