“The kingdom of Stormwind was originally founded 1,200 years before the First War by the descendants of the Arathi bloodline, who had migrated south from the nation of Arathor.”
So we know, the Arathi tribe, or what was left of it, left Strom/Stromgarde and went south to found what we now know as Stormwind. But we know there was still rightful heirs to the throne over these Arathi, descendants of Thoradin, and these heirs were Lothar’s family/ancestors.
Now what i’m getting at, is how did the Wrynn’s come to power, if Lothar’s family were the heirs to the throne over the Arathi people who moved to Azeroth? The Wrynn’s must have outmaneuvered Thoradin’s descendants to steal the throne of the kingdom of Azeroth/Stormwind
Now you might ask, didnt Thoradin’s descendants give up the throne when they left Strom? No! The people left behind at Strom were not Arathi, but Alteraci, and this is why Ignaeus Trollbane’s descendants took over as the kings of Stromgarde, because Ignaeus Trollbane was originally chieftain of the Alteraci tribe, who would become the people of Stromgarde.
However, the Arathi people who went south to found Azeroth, were still Thoradin’s people, and thus the throne of the arathi, and the new kingdom they founded, belonged to Thoradin’s descendants.
Strictly speaking, we’ve never been told the Arathi Bloodline ever ruled Stormwind.
We’re told Faldir, a member of the bloodline, led the venture south to found a new kingdom, but he’s never referred to as king himself.
In order to claim the Wrynn ursurped the Arathi bloodline, you’d also have to prove the Arathi Bloodline ever actually ruled Stormwind. The earliest King of Stormwind to be named, Landan Wrynn, is a Wrynn.
Honestly, it’d make for a more interesting story if there was some ursurping and Lothar’s line is just a surviving branch that was pardoned or something, but as it stands, we’ve never actually been told the Arathi ever ruled Stormwind.
Well, if Faldir led his people south, across the ocean, it would be strange if some one else were to become king during his time. He seems to have been the whole reason for the journey, as he wanted to find fresh new lands to the south, away from the strife of the fracturing of the empire.
Right. But leading them south doesn’t mean he became the king.
Anything could’ve happened. He could’ve died. Maybe the Wrynn ursurped him from the get go. Or maybe he just didn’t want to be King despite leading them south.
Fair enough. It is just a theory after all. However, the only other similar example we have of a similar situation happening is Dath’Remar leading the highborne across the sea, and once his kingdom was founded he did become king, even if a king with limited powers.
We likely wont ever know for sure, but I just thought it would spice things up a bit if Anduin and Varian’s ancestors had stolen the throne, you know, add a little realism into their story, rather than have “the Wrynn’s can do no wrong.”
That doesn’t jibe with the loyalty Lothar had to the Wyrnn line. The simple fact of the matter is that Stromgarde split into several other kingdoms while continuing to decline itself. As the various human nations evolved, Lordaeron assumed the prominent position and formed the original Alliance. which fractured after the Second War. Stormwind became the prominent Human city with the destruction of Lordaeron, Stratholme, and Dalaran and the isolation of Kul Tiras.
There is precedent for this situation in WoW’s lore, when the Bronzebeards usurped the Anvilmars and took over Ironforge after the War of the Three Hammers. In an act of reconciliation the Bronzebeards gave the Anvilmars a permanent seat on the Senate. Maybe the Wrynns did the same thing for the Lothars, giving them a permanent seat in the House of Nobles? Anduin Lothar grew up in the castle and was a childhood friend of Llane Wrynn, so clearly the Lothars were in the upper ranks of the nobility.
Keep in mind Stromwind is 1,200 years old, so if the Wrynns taking power happened in the early years of the kingdom, then that’s literally ancient history for the current population. It’d explain why there’s no hard feelings on Lothar’s part.
It’s entirely possible. It is not something that can be ruled out completely. It may be plausible. It has not been clarified or solidified, as far as I can tell. And there is precedent for something similar, as has been noted.
I am not well versed in the Warcraft Human History. Who exactly is credited for founding Stormwind? Is there a recorded “first king”?
There could be many reasons for why the truly royal blood line has been relegated to more of an assistant’s role, while the Wrynn’s ascended to rule. Perhaps Thoradin’s descendants abdicated for some reason? Or perhaps there was a mutiny before they even arrived into the region that would become Stormwind?
It would be interesting if Thoradin’s descendant ruled as they left, died during the trip, and his son took over midway. A bad seed, who was evil or inept, and the Wrynn’s led a mutiny before they arrived. Perhaps he had a small child, and the Wrynn’s showed him mercy, and gave him a place of honor because of his bloodline, but the Wrynn’s maintained control.
There could be all sorts of stories to explain it.
Or, perhaps Thoradin had a female descendant that married into the Wrynn’s, and her line lost the name while maintaining the right to rule.
Because we can let’s just throw a bit of speculation around. Let’s have some fun.
I like the idea that a female Wrynn came in a “second wave” of settlers. Essentially Faldir already travelled south a bit earlier and established a first town (probably Stormwind) before she arrived with her followers. A power struggle followed between these two groups with Wrynn coming out victorius. In order to get the support of the Faldirs supporters she decides to marry him, in turn making him co-ruler of their new kingdom.
Over the next thousand of years this connection becomes more and more muddier. Probably with one Wrynn having an illegitimate child, another power struggle, internal family problems, someone getting married off to a noble etc.
(In general I think the Troll Wars time period has so much potential from a writing point of view. So many possibilites for morally gray conflicts, political backstabbings, intrigues and more.)
Just because you are a protagonist does not mean you are infallible. Varian’s main plot was that he was deeply flawed and it was causing a rift in his remaining family.
I realize now that you are not talking about character flaws, you just want villain batting. Which of course you do.
Personally if the Wrynn family were a bunch of Usurpers I would hope the King before them is still alive and imprisoned within some remote Dungeon for committing heinous atrocities until he is released and reclaims Stormwind before causing new heinous atrocities(like blowing up inhabited planets on a whim).
It would be nice if the rightful King of Stormwind returned(possibly being released as a result of the extinction of the Wrynn family line), took control over the Alliance and turned out to be just as much a supervillain as Sylvanas…
There is quite a lot of potential stories with the monarchy because we don’t know what the claim to the throne is. It could turn out to be something contestable.
Then why didn’t Lothar seize his chance when King Lane died and Varian was just a boy? He had the personal popularity to install himself as regent and gradually sideline his way into the throne.
Any number of reasons. He didn’t want to betray his friend; he didn’t want to start a civil war with Wrynn loyalists; it was ancient history and he didn’t care.
Stormwind is already one of the most boring human nations in the game, because unlike Kul Tiras or Gilneas it has absolutely nothing going for it. It’s not even your vanilla-fantasy-human-faction, because it doesn’t even have its own culture or flair. It doesn’t even work as a knight-faction, because the knights of Stormwind have essentially two paraghraphs of information about them…and all of them date back to the First War.
So spicing up its background a little bit and give it a bit more political scheming makes at least its history more interesting. I mean if you open up wowpedia and go to Stormwind it boils down, “It was a peaceful nation, the nobility were all nice and good people, and everything was absolutely perfect!”
I don’t want a fairy-tale-kingdom, I want a decently written nation of humans who have an identity outside of being robot-servants to the Wrynns.
Think there are good possible alternatives. Whether Stormwind was never ruled by a member of the Arathor bloodline or there was a weird succession issue (like someone adopted or abdication).
I mean, I could had been an Arathi had an only child - Who was a daughter, and she married her bestfriend who was a Wrynn, and his family name took over - Which was allowed as a ’New Age, for our Kingdom!' - The Alliance love that kind of trope.
That is, like others have stated - Assuming the Arathi bloodline had in fact ruled Stormwind from the start. If that’s not the case, then I suppose the origins & noble backstory of the Wrynn dynasty are up to Blizzard.