Banners snapped in the wind above the massed armies, bearing the emblems of Gilneas, Quel'Thalas, and other nations. "Have the men from Stormwind City still not arrived?" Rex asked Ulysses, who sat to his right in the command tent.
"No, but they should be here soon, within the next day or two," Ulysses replied.
Rex nodded without saying anything more. It was only natural that the army from Stormwind City would arrive last. Stormwind City was simply too far from Lordaeron.
"What news do we have from Stromgarde?" Rex asked again. Lately, he had put Ulysses in charge of gathering such information. At the question, a wry smile appeared on Ulysses's face. "Stromgarde won't be coming. Even if they wanted to, they no longer have the strength to attend the gathering."
"Ah." Rex sighed. He knew how things stood in Stromgarde. The recent upheavals had brought more than the sudden downfall of Lordaeron at the height of its power; Stromgarde had fallen as well. Since the Dark Portal opened, a political order that had remained unchanged for over a thousand years had suddenly begun to shift. The Seven Kingdoms had existed for more than a millennium. There had been wars along the way, of course, but however those wars were fought, whether kingdoms prospered or declined, none had ever been destroyed.
Yet after the Dark Portal opened, the Kingdom of Azeroth fell, followed by Alterac. Now it was Lordaeron's turn, and Stromgarde was scarcely better off. While the undead ravaged Lordaeron, the orcs had also dealt grievous wounds to Stromgarde. That city, a symbol of humanity's most glorious empire, had nearly fallen to the orcs. Though it had ultimately driven them back, it had been crippled in the process. After the upheaval led by Thrall, Stromgarde's situation could hardly have