Azjol - Nerub Azjol - Nerub ( pronounced " ah - ZHOL nuh - ROOB " ) ( a . k . a . Spider Kingdom or Azjol Empire ) is the vast underground nation / empire of the arachnid - like Nerubian s , located on the icy continent of Northrend . The entrance to Azjol - Nerub can be found in the Pit of Narjun in the western reaches of the Dragonblight . Before its destruction by the Scourge , Azjol - Nerub contained huge libraries of literature , philosophy , and arcane lore . In " Lands of Mystery " , Azjol - Nerub is described as being its very own region and located underground . The kingdom consists of two main sections , the Old Kingdom and Upper Kingdom . Part of the Upper Kingdom is controlled by Dwarves , who control a small town known as Doorward , while other areas are controlled by the Scourge . Deeper underground is the Old Kingdom which is controlled by undead nerubians . Brann Bronzebeard claims it may be possible for an alliance with living nerubians if one is willing to help them clear out the Scourge from their empire . Still , some areas are controlled by Faceless One s . In " World of Warcraft : Wrath of the Lich King " , the in - game Azjol - Nerub is comprised of two 5 - man dungeon s : Azjol - Nerub and , levels 72 - 75 . Anub ' arak , the former king of Azjol - Nerub , is the final boss of the first dungeon . Azjol - Nerub stretches much further than people thought , as it appears that the Argent Crusade has built the Crusaders ' Coliseum above the northern reaches of it . History . The ancient kingdom of Azjol - Nerub was a result of the aqir split . The Gurubashi and Amani troll empires managed to split the kingdom of Azj ' Aqir into two : Azjol - Nerub and Ahn ' Qiraj . Azjol - Nerub was the center of nerubian civilization . It ' s unknown if the nerubians began here , but certainly most of their race , if not their entire , dwelled here . They left the rest of the world in peace and pursued their interests beneath the ground . Around 20 years ago , the nerubian civilization was still alive and strong . Azjol - Nerub was their kingdom , and the spider - men controlled all its tunnels . Their culture is almost as old as the dwarves ' , and every bit as attuned to life underground . The biggest difference is that the nerubians focus more on the cerebral and less on the physical ; their society had more scholars and artists and fewer smiths and miners . That was all before the Lich King , of course . He saw immediately that the nerubians posed a major threat . None of the other races in Northrend had their numbers , their organization , or their discipline . In fact , the nerubians rarely ventured above - ground , but he couldn ’ t risk that chance . The Lich King eventually attacked ; he chose to swarm the underground kingdom and wiped it clean during the War of the Spider . It was long and hard , and the nerubians almost won — They may prefer thought and art but they ’ re fearsome foes when roused . Unfortunately , the Scourge had an endless supply of warriors and every dead nerubian potentially added to its ranks . In the end the Scourge ’ s numbers prevailed , and the implacable undead swept through Azjol - Nerub and emptied its tunnels of defenders . The Lich King defeated the nerubians , killing most of them in the process and converting many of the survivors into crypt fiend s and other undead . Those who could , fled his touch . The Lich King conquered , and the nerubian civilization all but died . Now most of Azjol - Nerub lies in ruins . It ’ s still a fascinating place , and many of its murals , frescoes and columns stand intact . The Scourge doesn ’ t care about riches , material or scholarly , and rich tapestries still hang on the walls while impressive tomes line bookcases . One could spend months roaming the tunnels and still never see all of the great kingdom . Two years ago , Arthas Menethil and the mighty Anub ' arak traveled through this area on their way to the Frozen Throne . Azjol - Nerub is a mystery waiting to be explored . It once held a powerful and advanced civilization , and many of its treasures still rest there undamaged . Great riches litter the lower halls , not only gems and magic items but art and literature and scholarly tomes . The Scourge infests this place , and forgotten one s seethe below , eager to return to the world above . Despite the Lich King ' s victory over the Spider Kingdom , numerous pockets of nerubians remain , evading the wrath of Ner ' zhul , while at the same time coordinating hit - and - run strikes against the forces of the Scourge ; however , it is currently unknown who leads the remaining nerubians , or if they even possess a centralized command at all . Now dwarves are located near the main entrance to the city , keeping the gates shut in hopes that Scourge forces do not reach them . The undead hold many of the floors of the Upper Kingdom . The nerubian rebels hold floors in the Old Kingdom . Many of deepest areas are held by faceless one s . People And Culture . Most of Azjol - Nerub ' s once grand culture has been either destroyed or decimated by the Scourge ; they once were a proud race of scholars and artisans , rarely giving in to anger . Nowadays , they are a nervous , almost paranoid race ; more commonly giving in to rage , violence , and grief . Since the invasion of the Scourge , they have changed their outlook , activities , and appearance to reflect the event . Most of the kingdom is in the icy grip of the Scourge , with its leader being a former nerubian ( now turned Crypt Lord ) : Anub ' Arak . A more temporary group has sprung up as well — the remains of Muradin Bronzebeard ' s party , currently led by Baelgun Flamebeard and encamped at the main entrance to the ruined kingdom . There are precious few left , decimated by frequent skirmishes with the Scourge , and unable to hold back the full might of the assault , should one take place . They occasionally trade with what remains of the nerubians for food , information , tools or other goods . More an alliance of necessity , in the vein of " The enemy of my enemy is my friend " , both honorable races are unlikely to stoop to backstabbing or trickery . Yet a third race dwells in the mysterious deeps of the ancient kingdom : The Faceless Ones . Reports vary , with the most common form encountered being roughly humanoid , and bearing a squid - like face and misshapen tentacles where arms would be . Rumors abound that they have some relation to the Old Gods that were banished beneath the earth millennia ago . Geography . Azjol - Nerub is entirely underground . It ’ s a fascinating place and stretches for miles . It may lie beneath most or all of Northrend . The rock there is predominately granite , mixed with some igneous stone where volcanoes once rose and where magma from deep beneath bubbled up long ago . The nerubian s were consummate artisans and left nary a corner untouched ; every edge is smooth and faceted , every corridor planed and polished . They preserved the odd angles created by nature but straightened and widened tunnels into corridors and vaulted ceilings . Little lives in Azjol - Nerub now . Various lichen and fungi grow in corners and along the walls . The nerubians evidently nurtured certain phosphorescent and luminescent varieties to provide light , and these have since grown unchecked . Bats perch on door - frames and columns , as do spider s of varying size . Underground lakes teem with blind , silvery - white fish , and insects and worms crawl through the soft dirt alongside . Monsters prowl the deeper caves , and the less said about these the better . Adventurers should not approach them unless heavily armed and surrounded by friends . Azjol - Nerub can be divided into two sections : the and the Upper Kingdom . Azjol - Nerub has no separate settlements . Once it was a single unified kingdom . Now it is a shadow of its former self , controlled by the Scourge except where pockets of nerubian resistance lurk or where the dwarves hunker down or where even darker creatures roam unopposed . Azjol - Nerub is not a safe place for several reasons : First , the Scourge controls it . Second , creatures live below , including the strange faceless one s : Ancient monsters long imprisoned beneath the ice and recently loosed again . Yet , even uninhabited , this kingdom would be dangerous . The nerubians set all manner of traps there , including circular doors that must be moved just to avoid them crashing down on the person opening them ; statues that release streams of frost at intruders and pits hidden beneath seemingly normal floor tiles . Many adventurers have ventured into this place , hoping for gold and other treasures , only to find death instead . Implementation as a zone . Azjol - Nerub was going to be " World of Warcraft " ' s first subterranean zone . " Buildings , temples - - a look and feel very similar to Naxxramas , since the nerubians are where the Scourge stole that architecture from " , says Stockton of Blizzard . That plan was dropped and developers split the zone into two dungeon instances , Azjol - Nerub and . However , Azjol - Nerub is a huge zone , with a lot of unrevealed secrets and lore location s , so the idea could return for a future expansion . Denizens . Anub ' arak . Anub ' arak was formerly the king of the nerubian s , but was transformed into a mighty Crypt Lord by the Lich King after the Scourge destroyed Azjol - Nerub , and now serves the Lich King absolutely . Anub ' arak was introduced in " " as a secondary hero character . Unfortunately , he does not receive very much story line attention in " Wrath of the Lich King " . His character , as portrayed in " The Frozen Throne " , seems to be strong - willed , cold , calculating , intelligent , a little twisted and devoted to the Lich King ' s cause . He , as with the nerubians in general , has a distinctly mysterious aura about himself .