The first major battle following the Alliance's formation concluded with a Horde defeat, though the Alliance held only a slight overall advantage due to their superior numbers and strategic positioning.
The Horde's deployment of death knights and red dragon knights initially took the Alliance by surprise. However, the timely arrival of the Silver Hand Knights of Lordaeron and the Stromgarde air force stabilized the Alliance lines.
The Alliance secured significant spoils. In a decisive naval engagement, the combined fleets of Kul Tiras and the Alliance destroyed over 800 Horde vessels, including 200 warships and more than 600 transport ships. Horde casualties in the naval battle were estimated at 50,000 to 60,000, with the precise ratio of soldiers to peons unknown.
The Alliance also won the beach landing battle, where nearly 80,000 Horde members were killed. The majority of these losses comprised lightly armed peons, numbering around 50,000, used as cannon fodder. The Horde's losses included approximately 30,000 experienced warriors, among whom were over 5,000 Blackrock clan orcs. Despite their elite status, these Blackrock warriors were too few to significantly impact the overall outcome.
Casualty reports from the Alliance forces revealed substantial losses:
Lordaeron: Over 7,000 fallen soldiers. The Stratholme battle group and the Second Legion of Lordaeron require reinforcement.
Alterac: The Alterac Mountain Battle Group was completely wiped out, and the Mountain Eagle Knights suffered over 800 casualties.
Stromgarde: Over 15,000 casualties. Five legions require new recruits.
Gilneas: 4,000 casualties. The seriously wounded are returning home for recovery.
Stormwind: 3,000 casualties. The wounded have been relocated to Southshore.
Kul Tiras: Twenty-eight warships and over 1,500 sailors lost.
The reports cast a somber mood over the town hall of Southshore.
While Alliance commanders had anticipated the orcs' strength, the scale of the losses reported by the Kingdom of Stormwind was met with skepticism by the nobles and other generals. Despite this initial disbelief, the combined efforts of the Alliance, including the contributions of General Hath from Alterac and Duke Darius from Gilneas, underscored the severity of the situation.
The Alliance suffered nearly 40,000 dead, excluding the wounded, while the orcs left behind over 30,000 warriors. Although the Alliance's almost two-to-one casualty ratio was better than Stormwind's losses in the First War, the long-term sustainability of such losses remained a serious concern.
"Gentlemen, the orcs have demonstrated their power and their genocidal ambitions," declared Lothar, Supreme Commander of the Alliance forces. "The Alliance requires greater support – more troops, more resources – everything we can get."
To date, only the Kingdom of Stormwind and Stromgarde have consistently provided substantial support to the Alliance. Stromgarde's contribution in the Battle of Hillsbrad was particularly significant; they not only inflicted the highest number of enemy casualties, but also saw Galen slay a legendary orc blademaster – the highest-ranking Horde officer killed since the invasion began.
"I will petition my king to increase our support, emphasizing the Horde's strength and goals," stated Darius, "but I will need tangible proof of our victory. The heads of 10,000 orc warriors would serve this purpose."
Darius, a proponent of the Alliance, recognized the need to shift the isolationist sentiment prevalent in Gilneas. Displaying orc heads would demonstrate the Horde's brutality and the Alliance's victory.
"I will relay this battle report to Lordaeron on behalf of Mograine," added Hath. Uther represented Mograine, who was recovering from serious injuries sustained in a duel with Orgrim.
"Stromgarde will commit five full infantry legions and a knightly order to your command in the Hillsbrad region within a fortnight," pledged the Stromgarde representative.
The declaration produced a stunned silence in the hall.
Stromgarde had borne the brunt of the Horde assault. The other Alliance members knew that they would have struggled to hold the line without Stromgarde's contribution. The report also highlighted Stromgarde's military might, revealing a depth of strength and resilience that had been underestimated.
"In return," the representative continued, "Stromgarde requests nine of the eighteen slain red dragons."
The request was reasonable, given Stromgarde's significant role in downing the dragons with their gryphon knights and aerial forces, with only a few claimed by Alleria and her rangers.
"The high elves will claim the four dragons our rangers shot down," Alleria confirmed.
The remaining representatives quickly calculated. The orcs had left little of value, mostly crude weapons fit only for reprocessing. The red dragon corpses, however, were a prize of immense value. Possession of such a trophy would bring prestige and potentially the title of "Dragon Slayer."
With Stromgarde claiming nine and the high elves four, six dragons remained. Representatives from Lordaeron, Gilneas, Alterac, Kul Tiras, Dalaran, and Stormwind now competed for these remaining spoils.
"The Kingdom of Stormwind relinquishes its claim to the red dragon spoils," King Llane announced. Stormwind valued the Alliance's continued existence more than individual treasures.
Lothar concluded, "Then Stromgarde and the high elves will divide the majority of the dragons, and the remaining kingdoms will share the rest equally."
The decision was met with general satisfaction.