Tides of Lore

Lore segment begins at (20:30)

Years before Pandaria returned to the world, Li Li Stormstout ran away from the Wandering Isle to find the uncle who taught her that life should be an adventure. Chen Stormstout had stopped writing, and no warning from her father or teacher could convince Li Li to wait for someone else to discover why.

In Tides of Lore Episode 88, we retell World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria, the graphic novel in which we see Li Li leave Shen-zin Su behind and crosses Azeroth in search of Chen, with the stern Geomaster Strongbo following under oath to bring her home.

Their journey carries them through Booty Bay, Stormwind, the Deeprun Tram, Ironforge, Brewfest, the wounded forests of the Stonetalon Mountains and the drowned ruins of Azshara. Every clue reveals another side of Chen Stormstout, while Strongbo is forced to confront the resentment he has carried since Chen abandoned their final duel.

Behind them, the Naga Zha'hara Darksquall and the Fel Orc Blademaster Rahjak are searching for a mysterious pearl connected to the lost continent of Pandaria. Li Li may not possess the treasure they seek, but she could still lead them to something the world has been unable to find for thousands of years.

This story bridges Chen's earlier Warcraft adventures and the coming discovery of Pandaria while exploring the history of the pandaren, Liu Lang, the Wandering Isle and the family that Li Li refuses to leave behind quietly.

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The A.L.E. Project is our community effort to categorize World of Warcraft's enormous musical library by mood, environment, theme and more. Contributions help us find the right music for projects like Tides of Lore Classic and can directly help make future episodes faster to produce.

There was a time when a kobold was dangerous, a mine was unexplored, and the road beyond the next hill was somewhere you had never been.

Tides of Lore Classic returns to the original World of Warcraft questing experience from the perspective of someone stepping into Azeroth for the first time.

Our journey begins in Northshire Abbey before carrying us through the forests, farms, mines and settlements of Elwynn Forest. Along the way we'll meet the kobolds of Echo Ridge, discover the red-bandana-wearing thieves haunting the countryside, visit Goldshire and the Lion's Pride Inn, encounter murlocs along Crystal Lake, follow the roads to Eastvale and Westbrook, and eventually reach the border of Westfall.

Rather than simply recounting the quests, Tides of Lore Classic combines narration with World of Warcraft's music and dialogue, environmental ambience, Foley and sound effects to recreate the feeling of actually making the journey. This is The First Road.

Lore segment begins at (21:30)
Join the Azeroth Listening Expedition! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoU83WrsyvgPdkwBxN4XzGvNkL2cOdi4LT568uWynGwb-0Ug/viewformTheramore is gone, and Jaina Proudmoore has survived it. But the woman who walks into the ruins is colder, angrier, and ready to make an entire city answer for Garrosh Hellscream's crime.
Today, we conclude Christie Golden's Tides of War, Jaina confronts the horrific fallout of the mana bomb, the loss of Rhonin and Kinndy Sparkshine, and the failure of every attempt she made to preserve peace. Armed with the Focusing Iris, she enslaves the water elementals and raises a tide large enough to erase Orgrimmar.
With Thrall holding back the sea and Kalecgos forcing Jaina to confront what she is becoming, the question is no longer whether the Horde deserves justice. It is whether Jaina can still distinguish justice from revenge.
We also follow Varian Wrynn's assault on Bladefist Bay, Baine Bloodhoof and Vol'jin drawing their first hard lines against Garrosh, and the prophecy that carries Jaina from the grave of Theramore to the leadership of the Kirin Tor.

Lore segment begins at (17:55)Garrosh gave Theramore days to prepare for the Horde’s attack. Warned by Baine Bloodhoof, Jaina Proudmoore calls upon Stormwind, the Seventh Fleet, the Kirin Tor and Kalecgos to defend her city. Every ship, soldier, general and mage makes Theramore more difficult to conquer.

And still, Garrosh waits...

But that's when the Horde’s assault and the true purpose behind Garrosh’s apparently disastrous strategy reveals itself. What should Baine and Vol’jin have done once they understood where Garrosh was leading the Horde? Let us know below.

Lore segment begins at (17:45)

Deathwing is dead...
But peace lasts only long enough for Garrosh Hellscream to see an opportunity.
With Thrall away from Orgrimmar and Cairne buried, the new Warchief gathers the Horde’s leaders and reveals his ambition: all of Kalimdor. Baine Bloodhoof and Vol’jin recognize where that road leads, but opposing Garrosh has become increasingly dangerous.
Meanwhile, Kalecgos searches for the stolen Focusing Iris, an artifact capable of magnifying arcane power beyond imagination. His investigation brings him to Theramore, where Jaina Proudmoore is already watching the relationship between Horde and Alliance collapse.
In Episode 85, The Gathering Tide, we begin our three-part journey through Christie Golden’s Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War, following the decisions, warnings and failures that place Theramore directly in Garrosh’s path...