Ten thousand years ago, all the continents of Azeroth were as one And it is said that all the rivers in the world flow to one magical place This was the ancient empire of Pandaria Nestled in the most fertile of river valleys at the far end of the world Behold the last Emperor on the day of his coronation His name was Shaohao Young Shaohao was born to be Emperor And wanted for nothing The wealth of the great Pandaren empire was his to command All Pandaren Emperors begin their reign by consulting with the great Jinyu elders It was said that the Jinyu could talk to the rivers That they could hear whispers of the future in the rippling waves The great Waterspeaker closed his eyes and listened to the rivers He listened for the Emperor's long life and prosperous realm, but he heard something else entirely The wise old Jinyu saw a faraway land A kingdom of Elves grown bold in their arrogance He saw a pit of fire, a great maw opening upon countless horrors Numberless demons were about to pour forth on to Azeroth Rending the land, Corrupting all they touched Even if the demons were defeated The world would be forever broken The continents forever shattered Emperor Shaohao watched in disbelief As the Jinyu Waterspeaker reeled from the terror of his vision "What did you see?" Shaohao asked "Long life?" "Prosperous realm?" But the future held neither for the last Emperor of the Pandaren No, young Shaohao could not rest on the riches of his Empire If he was to save his land and his people He would be called to do something great He would embark on an epic journey He would sacrifice all that he was This is his story The horrible vision of the Sundering weighed heavily on Emperor Shaohao Cold and alone, he ascended Mount Neverest seeking wisdom from the Jade Serpent "What troubles you young Emperor?" the spirit of wisdom asked Shaohao replied "Countless demons will soon pour over Azeroth. What must I do to save my kingdom?" The Jade Serpent answered "Seek out the heart of Pandaria, for the answer lies within" "But how can I find it?" the Emperor protested "Your emotions cloud you" said the Serpent "Free yourself of these burdens, let the land be your teacher" But the Emperor did not understand He sulked back to his home in the Jade Forest As he traveled, he commiserated with his old friend, the Monkey King "I was to have a long life" "A prosperous realm" the Emperor cried "I cannot do this" "Relax" said the Monkey King "We are in this together" As he spoke, the four winds began to howl A great gust blew the Monkey King away The Monkey King laughed and called out above the rowing storm "Sorry" "You can't fight fate" The Emperor cried out for his friend "No, wait! I cannot do this alone" And in that moment, all of Shaohao's uncertainty was manifest in a terrible dark energy A Sha of Doubt The more the Emperor struggled, the more he weakened - the Sha would surely overtake him! Then, Shaohao remembered the wisdom of the Jade Serpent and he looked to the land for answers Nearby, the bamboo of the Jade f Forest was also threatened The reeds that stood rigid against the gale broke under its force But the reeds that bent with the wind Endured the storm and prospered in the rain Shaohao realized the lesson of the reed and when he turned his back to the Sha, suddenly all his doubts vanished He knew he could be more than just Emperor The Four Winds carried the laughing Monkey King over the valley and through the wilds The Emperor's faith led him onward, to save his friend - and to stop the terrible Sundering the Waterspeaker had foreseen Emperor Shaohao, free of doubt, pursued his friend, the Monkey King With the wind at his back, Shaohao ran, but in his haste the Emperor stumbled Into the dense and untamed swamps of the Krasarang Wilds "No!" the Emperor cried out He fought to free himself, but only sank further The more the Emperor worried, the deeper he sank His worries had taken form: the Sha of Despair Shaohao cried out "Help!" Far above, the majestic Red Crane of Hope soared "Why do you struggle so?" the Crane asked "I have lost my friend, my kingdom!" Shaohao cried. "It is hopeless" "Your friend is not lost" the Crane replied "You are" Again, Shaohao looked to Pandaria for the answer He saw the great tree growing in the middle of the swamp. The branches reached for the heavens But its roots stretched deep into the earth Shaohao's feet found purchase With hope in his heart, the Emperor reached upward and the grip of despair loosened "I must never forget who I am!" he said "I am the Emperor and I will save this land" Shaohao could hear the Monkey King's laughter on the wind But it came from the West Beyond the Serpent's Spine wall This was the land of the Mantid Mortal enemy of all Pandaren "I cannot do this" Shaohao decided Trembling, the Emperor turned to leave "Where are you going?" asked a voice "I'm afraid to go on" said the Emperor Looking into the Wastes, he saw a great Black Ox "Just follow your feet" the Black Ox said "They will know the way" Shaohao descended the wall and crept through the strange realm To the Emperor, it was a waking nightmare, but his feet led the way Soon, he heard a dreadful sound Three vile Mantid warriors argued how they would split up and devour their prize, the Monkey King Shaohao was paralyzed with terror. The insidious Sha of Fear held him in place The voice of the Ox came to Shaohao saying "You must not let your fear control you, my Emperor" "You must control your fear" Shaohao looked once again to the land for answers The great Kypari trees of the Townlong Steppes were legendary for their sap In one bead of amber, Shaohao found his answer "I will not be paralyzed by fear" the Emperor proclaimed Shaohao hurled his weight against the nearest tree and giant globs of sap rained down from above And now it was the Mantid who were held fast, as they struggled against the sap The Emperor had saved his friend As they fled, the Monkey King was overwhelmed by doubt "Emperor, we cannot do this alone" he cried "You should create an army to crush the Mantid once and for all" Free of his doubts and master of his fears, the Emperor was more confident than ever "No!" said Shaohao, "The storm that burns the sky comes for the Mantid as well" "We need an army to crush a Legion..." The last Emperor of Pandaria faced a terrible fortune A Burning Legion set to tear the world asunder He had cast away his doubt, despair and fear Now confidence brimming He would build an army High atop the peaks of Kun-Lai Summit The one hundred greatest warriors of Pandaria perfected their arts under the watchful eye of the White Tiger The spirit of strength "I need an army!" Shaohao announced, "I have come for my warriors!" But the White Tiger recognized the great darkness within the brash Emperor "Why do you fight?" the Tiger asked Shaohao bristled. "To destroy demon hordes! To crush those who oppose me" "No! That is no reason to fight" the Tiger said "You are indeed fearless, but..." "...still you are burdened" The Emperor scuffed, so the White Tiger issued a challenge "Take this staff and if you can touch any one of my warriors..." "...they are yours to command" Spurred on by the howls of the Monkey King, the Emperor's spun about Thrusting and swinging the staff - but the warriors easily dodged his every blow Furious, Shaohao roared The sum of all his rage, the Sha of Anger burst forth The Emperor fumed and broke the staff over his knee Violence and hatred erupted "You see now while you are not ready to lead?" the White Tiger proclaimed "Your anger does not empower you. It makes you weak" "Defenseless, Shaohao faced the darkness he had created As one, the Sha struck out But, as the smoke cleared, the Emperor stood unharmed. The shape of a mighty warrior lay broken at his feet A warrior who had paid the ultimate price To save his Emperor Shaohao's heart swelled, as he knelt humbly before the White Tiger "My rage exacted a heavy toll" the Emperor said "A single sacrifice has shown me the power of fellowship..." "...of love..." "...of peace" The White Tiger nodded "Again, I ask, why do you fight?" "For home and family" Shaohao replied "For the people I protect" "For them, I would give my final breath" "Thank you, White Tiger" Relieved at last of all his burdens, the Emperor rose "Calm Monkey King. We must go to the heart of Pandaria before all is lost" As the Emperor and his friend set out, the skies grew black For the time of the Sundering had come And so Shaohao came to the heart of the land, the sacred Vale within the centre of his empire Purged of all his burdens, the Emperor radiated enlightenment Inside the Vale, his people huddled for shelter They knew that the end of the world had come And they cried out for the Emperor to save them "People of Pandaria" Shaohao declared "Stay calm" "Focus your minds, and together we will make it through this." But his people did not understand As Shaohao gazed upon their faces, he saw the burdens that he had overcome He recognised Doubt and Despair He saw his people frozen in Fear, or trembling with Anger And he knew that they had little time to learn what he had learned "Time" "My people need time" the Emperor realized And in that moment, the Emperor recalled the lesson of the Jade Serpent "Seek out the heart of Pandaria, for the answer lies within" As Shaohao reflected on his journey, he looked to the land, and saw a single blossom in the wind "No matter the burdens I faced," he thought "The land provided guidance." "But the truest answers..." "...always came from..." "...within" And then, it became clear "I was to have a long life and a prosperous realm" "But I am more than just Emperor" "I now know what I must do" "For I am the heart..." "...of Pandaria" "People of Pandaria" Shaohao proclaimed "You are not yet ready to face the storm that comes for you..." "...and I cannot stop it. But you will weather this storm, and many more" "For I will give you the time to learn the lessons that I have learned" And then, the last Emperor of Pandaria sacrificed all that he was And all that he would be, and gave his final breath to become one with the land A dense mist surrounded and protected his empire, and while the rest of the world broke apart in the fury of the Sundering Pandaria set itself free Hidden by the Emperor's breath, it drifted out to sea like a blossom on the wind The trees in the Vale have never stopped blossoming And in time, we Pandaren learned to live as our Emperor lived His lessons endured in the temples of his land And from the snowy peaks of Kun-Lai Summit He watches over us And it is said, that if we listen very closely He speaks to us still Through the Mists These are the Emperor's gifts to us And this... ...is Pandaria! We were there When a world of limitless adventure opened up before us We rose defiantly against all those that threatened the peace of our kingdoms We ventured to a new alien world and cast the lords of Shadow and Flame back into the abyss It was we who held the line As Death itself rose like a tide to swallow everything we held dear We have endured the breaking of the world And must now face the Destroyer and end his cycle of destruction But soon we will face a new chapter An adventure unlike any we've known thus far A mystery shrouded by superstition A land of forgotten power and ancient magics And a people that may well change the fate of us all For all the challenges we have faced and all the places we have been Azeroth's limits have yet to be revealed We're gonna turn this place into a sinkhole To ask why we fight, is to ask why the leaves fall It is in their nature Perhaps there is a better question Why do we fight? To protect home and family To preserve balance and bring harmony For my kind the true question is: What is worth fighting for? We've made a thorough inspection of the wreckage, Your Majesty There is no sign of Admiral Taylor or his ship Two hundred ships at my disposal yet the one carrying my son goes missing What of their last message? Show me whatever you have We've been drawn off course... Horde airfleet... Many casualties... Shipwrecked... On an uncharted isle... But the White Pawn is accounted for... Repeat: the White Pawn is safe... Anduin Surpise attack!... Requesting immediate... Is anyone... Sir, the seventh fleet has already been dispatched, but it could take weeks before it- There's no time to waste We'll send a small elite force to secure this new land and bring back my son I am pleased to report that the battle at sea goes well, Warchief Our forces report decisive victories off the coasts of Tanaris and Tol Barad Alliance blood spills This pleases me, General There's more. I received word that our southern fleet engaged an Alliance envoy We chased the royal flagship until it ran aground Aground? Where? Apparently they found a massive uncharted landmass shrouded by dense mists And you let the Alliance get there first!? Redirect the invasion fleet. General, you and your best veterans will pave our way Storm the shore and paint this new continent red The flagship's last reported position was below. Can you see anything? Fog. Nothing but dense fog. Wait! Land, starboard! I see ships! Those are Horde vessels General quarters! Get our birds in the air! Clear the decks! Stations, people! Let's go to war! Nightwing, report. What's going on down there? No sign of the flagship, no sign of Admiral Taylor or Prince Anduin Horde troops are swimming towards your position Open fire at once! Admiral, I think they mean to surrender. They're not armed They're just trying not to drown You don't think they'll hesitate to strangle you with their bare hands? Gun them down That's not right This is a massacre. They were unarmed. I - I don't - I don't feel well Maybe they deserve to die You beasts! What sort of madness is this? Men stand out! This is one of the natives We've been flying in this mist for hours, General. The crew grows uneasy Back to your post soldier. We'll find this land or die trying Land ho! Alliance ship, portside! Attaaaack! King's mercy, what happened here? What was that thing? Your foe was overwhelmed by a dark energy we call the Sha It drives on negative emotions such as doubt Your conflict will have immense consequences here. Do not bring your war to these shores Two hundred ships at my disposal yet the one carrying my son goes missing I'm sorry, but I cannot go back just yet I've decided to search for the Vale Storm the shore and paint this new continent red My, my. Hello stranger Sampled my dream brew, I see. Its visions are hard to interpret, half truths, half illusion Who's to say which is which? Your consciousness is expanding Concentrate on who you are looking for. The boy Prince, the young lion Journey through time and space Open the eye of your soul. Do you see him? I am Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind. I won't die here, not like this I apologize for the deception, but it was necessary In thousands of years we have never seen one of your kind It was imperative that I first measure the bearing of your heart Come ride with me little one there is something I wish you to see A message must lie within What fate did the Emperor foresee? What the - What was that noise? It came from the walls, sir I know where it came from. What was it? No, no! Men! To arms! You three! Assist Captain Oakenshield in the front Greentill! Blacksoil! Cover our left flank! I don't want any surprises Leven, take the right side! You're on your own Everyone else, if you can hold a weapon protect this village! Don't let them past this line! You - You're nothing but farmers' children We don't stand a chance Everyone! Fall back! Fall back! For Pandaria! Who are you? Does it matter who we are? We are here to help you You were surrendering? Why? Because these invaders can break down a wall? You've got another wall and it is made up of the people who call this place HOME! Hey! Gimme one o' them pitchforks! Any one of us would lay down our life to protect this land This land, it belongs to us, it belongs to our ancestors It belongs to our children and we are not about to let that change Ha! The Yaungol Warlord shows his face. Come, let's finish this The Sha of Hatred is inside that Mantid structure. I suspect it was drawn to a powerful host there To get in, we will need specially tuned crystals from some of the Mantid leaders in the area I located these leaders here Here And here Under Kun-Lai, Thunder sleeps The storm long spent there rests But blood of brother kingdom keeps Alive the dispossessed By Zandalari blood, he will be taken To Zandalari voice, he will awaken Secure the remains, brothers The Thunder King shall live again Hahahahahahahaha You are too late. The remains of the Thunder King were taken to the Isle of Reckoning We performed the ancient rites Even now, the true Emperor of Pandaria lives and breathes once more Woe to the Pandaren usurpers The Mogu will rule this land again and we, Zandalari, will have a new homeland Children of Pandaria, the mists have fallen For good or for ill our land is open to all You are a Pandaren, born and raised on the mysterious Wandering Isle While many of your fellow Pandaren prefer a tranquil life, the lure of adventure burns in your blood Recently, the Wandering Isle has begun erratically weaving about the world's oceans The air grows cold and your island home is spiraling toward disaster As one of the most promising of students at Master Shang's monastery You may just be the salvation for your people But first you must complete your training I am in pain But it warms my heart that Liu Lang's grandchildren have not forgotten me There is the thorn in my side I cannot remove it. The pain is unbearable And I can no longer swim straight Can you remove this thorn? I cannot do so on my own It is in the forest, where your feet do not walk Continue along the mountains and you will find it Aysa He's dying His wounds can be healed I hope you can forgive yourself for what you have done to him It's working! The wound is closing We risked everything but we did it. Shen-zin Su will be okay We have them cornered inside the temple! We should strike now Things are rarely what they seem, Tyrande and my son tells me this is a sacred place All the more reason to purify it They're defending a fixed position. I'm not going to play their game We'll draw them out You are wasting precious time Come with me. Look around you a moment In the aftermath of Theramore, my first instinct was to decimate Orgrimmar, to kill every man, woman and child in the city Jaina I'm not proud. Since then, Kalecgos and I have talked at length about power and how it should be used The Kirin Tor has a legacy of abuse. Kel'Thuzad turned his knowledge of the arcane arts toward necromancy Kael'thas Sunstrider was also a student here, another of our fold who betrayed us Everyday I ask myself what's the right thing to do Anduin, you know more than anyone, it's important to separate the Horde from its people The Sunreavers still operate within this city. Alliance and Horde work together As long as we stay above the war then there's hope for the world as a whole I see our city as a beacon of light showing the way If we can trust one another here then there's hope for the rest of the world I understand. I'll talk to my father Thank you, Anduin Are the preparations complete? Yes, Warlord, the traps are set The Divine Bell will be safe within this crypt, ready for the day that the Thunder King returns We have but to evacuate the workers and the rest of our warriors There is no time. The Shado-Pan trackers are too close. They cannot learn the location of the Bell Very well, may we the ghosts of our brothers got this place for all eternity Their sacrifice will not be in vain And neither, Avartu, will yours No, no, no, the Bell! Pandaria, her hills of gold In dark and mournful times of old Did once a hopeless horror hold When from her sacred veil did spring With storm and flash, a monstrous thing His name Lei Shen, the Thunder King His thunder boomed across the land And none who dared and fought could stand Against the iron tyrant’s hand A palace grand, a walled domain Such mighty works born of his reign Built by slaves, their hearts in chains But seasons change and tyrants die His fury spent in times gone by The thunder slept beneath Kun-Lai Secure the remains, brothers By Zandalari hands he has been taken By Zandalari voice he has awakened Gather heroes, sound the drums The Thunder King comes The Thunder King comes The unworthy have not yet learnt of my power War-God Al-Chukla, add my strength to yours Make a demonstration of these invaders such that all nations tremble before me All will fall before us Shan Bu, secure the inner courtyard. None shall look(?) upon my works and live As my Emperor wills Everyone stay together, stay focused Destroy them, my brothers It thirsts Bring it to the pools You have run rampant for far too long, Hellscream But that stops now Step aside, Pandaren, you confront a force beyond reckoning Your father dabbled in powers beyond reckoning Where is he now? I have fought beside the Tauren, Trolls and others You are nothing like them They are no longer part of my Horde The world will hear of this They will come for you Yes, I'm counting on it The armies of the world will come for me And within my fortress they will face all the terrible creatures I have wrought The boundless power I have mastered And one by one they will fall at my feet Anyone who would rise against my new Horde will be impaled upon the spires of Orgrimmar You Pandaren try to bury your hate and your anger But such power cannot be contained It must be unleashed A time will come when you will answer for your crimes I answer to no one! All who challenge me will burn in the fires of my hatred Step aside, brothers. We must speak with Hellscream None may enter the city. Not even you, Shaman Thrall? Varok? What business do you have here? Strength and honor, General. We come to speak with Garrosh. There may yet be hope for peace Korkron! You are needed at the front! You know I can make no guarantee for your safety Or Garrosh's response Och, that was a fun ride Heroes, I salute you. There's something right foul in these chambers below the city Oh look! You're the ones that smashed up my Juggernaut Let's see how you like the newest addition to the Warchief's arsenal, the iron star Oof, that looks dangerous. Get in there boys and show him what we're made of Alright, deadly machine that is. Best watch your step down here, heroes Agron(?), show them who's boss You disappoint me, Garrosh You are not worthy of your father's legacy His punishment is not for you alone to decide I won't let you take him We have all suffered from his atrocities My people more than any other Let him stand trial in Pandaria There, we will mete out justice for all The Horde needs it's true Warchief now more than ever Yes But it was you that held the Horde together during this madness It was you that protected our honor From this day forward, Vol'jin, if you lead, I will follow I am not worthy But I will give my all For the Horde Look at them. Already they plot against us Seize this moment, Varian Dismantle the Horde Guardsmen! Father What are you doing? What a king must do I will speak to your Warchief I speak for the Horde Very well. The Horde has committed heinous crimes, Vol'jin But some among you fought against Garrosh's tyranny For that, I am willing to end this bloodshed But know this If your Horde fails to uphold honor as Garrosh did We will end you Dear Emperor It is done. The darkness that you once struggled against has been purged from Pandaria forever But the cost Such a terrible cost Do not despair the damage that was done here You triumphed over the darkness I had locked away You have shown Pandaria the power of a true hero But the question still remains Why do we fight? I trust you have learned: To fight out of fear or anger is to fight a war that never ends Face your fears, calm your hatreds Find peace within yourself, so that you may share it with the world around you These are the greatest treasures in life Surely, they are worth fighting for Thank you, Emperor. Thank you
