A Radically Altered Orgrimmar

Rend looked around Gazlowe's office. Like the building's exterior, it lacked even a trace of luxury. Messy piles of documents and all sorts of experimental equipment made it feel more like the office of a mad scientist than that of the ruler of a Goblin trade city.

He took a sip of the legendary invigorating coffee Gazlowe loved. The taste was like black coffee mixed with motor oil. The first sip was a little nauseating, though it was indeed refreshing. The second sip went down much better, but he still did not like it much.

Just as Rend was about to finish his cup of coffee, Gazlowe finally found the blueprints he wanted. Rend only saw Gazlowe running over with a huge stack of drawings in his arms.

"Rend, Rend, come take a look! These are architectural blueprints I created after encountering your Orcish style before. They were all designed based on Orcish aesthetics." Gazlowe joyfully shared his treasures. Even if no one understood him, he had privately made blueprints in the styles of every race, like idle daydreams. He had thought they would only ever remain part of his personal collection, never expecting them to be useful one day.

Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, High Elves, Night Elves—Gazlowe had drawn countless blueprints based on the styles of nearly every race he could find, even including dragons.

Gazlowe swept everything else off his desk with one arm and laid the blueprints across it. Rend bent over to examine these works that Gazlowe had originally created solely for himself.

Rend recognized many familiar blueprints among them, such as Orgrimmar's auction house and the enchanter's hut in the future hold. It was hard to imagine how Gazlowe, an outsider and a Goblin, had managed to draw these works in an Orcish style from his own perspective.

Gazlowe proudly displayed his work, while Rend felt deeply moved by the familiar blueprints. He also pointed out several places that differed from his memories. The buildings in his memories had all been finished products, while these were still only Gazlowe's concepts. Thus, Gazlowe greatly agreed with Rend's insights. He had never expected this Blackrock chieftain to be so in tune with him. What Rend pointed out and wanted changed was exactly what Gazlowe had been thinking. He felt as though he had met a kindred spirit far too late.

A grand master full of dreams yet unable to fulfill them, and a novice who could only talk theory based on remembered buildings—thus, the two spent another entire day discussing Gazlowe's blueprints in detail. Only when an attendant informed them that it was time for dinner did they finally tear themselves away from their engrossing discussion.

This dinner was held in Gazlowe's reception hall. Though they still talked happily, at Rend's request, they drank only fruit wine produced by the elves. Night Elf and High Elf fruit wines differed greatly, like moonlight and sunlight. Rend also took the opportunity to sample the Night Elf fruit wine produced in Kalimdor.

"Rend, since you're settling in the red lands to the north, now called Kalimdor, I think the great valley farther north would be an excellent place to build your capital—a city that will never fall." Through his conversations with Rend, Gazlowe had learned that the Orcs would establish their home in Kalimdor. Kalimdor was close to Ratchet, and Gazlowe had long envisioned building an enormous fortress in that great valley. Unfortunately, Centaurs and Quilboar stood in the way. Otherwise, Gazlowe would have gone to survey the site long ago and might already have had terrain blueprints for Orgrimmar.

"I admire your eye, Gazlowe. Your skill and vision make you one of Azeroth's finest architects. That valley will be our future capital. Unless something unexpected happens, Durotar is far too barren, while that valley provides excellent shelter. The valley winds make it cooler, and its location has not been entirely altered." Although Rend had not yet had the chance to survey all of Orgrimmar in person, he still knew a fair amount about it. The vast valley blocked off the scorching heat and protected the ecosystem. It could be called the most habitable place in Durotar.

"The valley provides a natural barrier. As long as we firmly control its three entrances, we can completely ensure the safety of those inside. Given Orcish traditions, how about using wood and stone as the primary building materials?" Orcs preferred wooden architecture, and Gazlowe also assumed they did not have much money, so he did not suggest an overly expensive defensive style centered on iron.

"No, Gazlowe. Steel better embodies the Horde's will, and it is sturdier than wood. I want all three gates covered in steel. Do not underestimate the Horde's wealth. We will build our capital to the highest standards." Rend understood Gazlowe's good intentions, but this time, they truly did not lack money. They could even be called absurdly wealthy.

"I trust your assurance. Good. This time, I can go all out and build a city that will never fall." The future Horde had built its port outside Orgrimmar because Thrall lacked the funds to painstakingly blast through the valley's massive rocks and construct a harbor. He believed those boulders protected them, never realizing that Orgrimmar's later fall would begin with the harbor's capture. If the harbor had been inside Orgrimmar, it might truly have never fallen. Gazlowe naturally knew this, but Thrall had lacked both sufficient funding and foresight, leading to the tragedy of later generations. This time, with enough funds and support, the two would truly build a city that would never fall.

Rend also felt that Grommash Hold was far too plain. Thrall had built Grommash Hold in keeping with his ideal that the Warchief should set an example, but Rend was different. He did not possess that kind of resolve. No, he wanted Grommash Hold—the place where the Horde's Warchief resided—to be luxurious, imposing, and full of prestige. Practicality did not matter. Cost did not matter. He wanted anyone who saw it to think the Horde was powerful and rich. Its appearance could not be inferior to Stormwind Keep's; it had to be grander and more magnificent.

The Alliance had statues of the five heroes who had journeyed to Outland at its gates, so he would erect statues of Orcish heroes at Orgrimmar's main entrance. Of Draenor's Seven Great Heroes, excluding the disgraceful Gul'dan and Ner'zhul, that made exactly five.

Add Orgrimmar to make six. Three on each side: Orgrimmar, Grommash, Blackhand, Kilrogg, Durotan, and Kargath—six Orcish martyrs, all to compete with the five heroes at Stormwind's gates.

Grommash Hold would compete with Stormwind Keep. Six great heroes against five. And they had a cathedral, did they? Then he would move Grommash Hold to the Valley of Strength and build an Elemental Hall for shamans where the Valley of Wisdom had originally been. The doctrine of the Holy Light against shamanic doctrine.