Grizzly Hills The Grizzly Hills , located in southeastern Northrend , is a forested area , surrounded by the Howling Fjord to the south , the Dragonblight to the west and Zul ' Drak to the north . It is the homeland of the Grizzlemaw furbolg s . Over 20 , 000 furbolgs live in this zone , most in the large settlement of Grizzlemaw . Both the dwarven settlement of Thor Modan and Ice Troll / Scourge fortress of Drak ' Tharon Keep can be found in the north . The main faction bases are Amberpine Lodge for the Alliance and Conquest Hold for the Horde . It is similar to other forests during wintertime , except that winter here is year - round . The trees are tall and thick ; the pine needles and crisp , clean air produce a pleasant scent , the snow leaves the ground clean and fresh , and the hill s themselves are high enough for decent elevation but low enough and gradual enough to be easily climbed . It is one of the nicest region s in Northrend . Dwarves live here at Thor Modan , but they aren ’ t the only residents . Furbolgs dominate the region , and they make fine neighbors when they ’ re not attacking . The Scourge has a presence here as well , but not strong enough to do much more than block the northwest corner . Wild animal s roam the hills , providing plenty of meat , fur , and entertainment . It is not an easy land by any stretch , but it is handsome , fierce , and full of life . The Venture Co . is also found here , deforesting the land . The deforesting operation is large - scale and throughout the region . Arugal has also been resurrected and now leads his worgen army in the Grizzly Hills . Some furbolgs have also been affected by the corruption of an Old God , being driven to insanity . History . The furbolgs claim they were the first people in these hills ; so do the Drakkari ice troll s , though they ’ re concentrated to the north in Zul ' Drak . They may both be wrong . Another hypothesis is that dwarves were there first . It is believed that the titan s placed dwarves here after they had created them . It was an experiment to see if they could survive on their own . They not only survived but flourished , spreading southward and into what would later become known as Kalimdor and the other continent s . The dwarves of Thor Modan believe they can find evidence of their dwarven ancestors in the hills , and uncover truths about their race ’ s early culture . Regardless , all this was well before any surviving history . No one really knows what went on here way back then . Other stories say that the Drakkari troll s built Drak ’ Tharon Keep before the furbolgs even built Grizzlemaw . Supposedly , the Frost Paw s gathered the polar furbolg tribe s together in part to fend off the new Drakkari threat . Both races were here and hated each other — the furbolgs had the numbers , but with their new keep , the Drakkari were more organized and the trolls were always more unified than the furbolgs . The existence of Grizzlemaw affected the balance , and the furbolgs ' victory over the Drakkari in a series of skirmishes may have led to the eventual loss of Drak ’ Tharon to the Scourge . This region is the furbolg homeland , and they outnumber every other race here combined . They are massive bear - men , enormous creatures with a bear ' s build , fur , and basic features , but a man ’ s hands and , to a limited extent , mind . That is a dangerous combination , and they ' re powerful in a fight . Fortunately , they ’ re not aggressive beyond their own territory . The dwarves at Thor Modan have had run - ins with furbolgs on a regular basis , since the furbolgs feel the dwarves are trespassers and grave robbers . Furbolgs are surprisingly friendly to travelers , though , and greeted them warmly once the dwarves assured that they laid no claim to anything in the hills . They ’ re less approving of large groups , and particularly wary of strange race s , but their caution can ' t be blamed . The furbolgs have a city here , Grizzlemaw , but it holds less than half their number . The rest are gathered in clan s and scattered throughout the region . Each clan has its own totem , and when one sees one they know that they have entered Snowspring territory , Winterpaw land , Snow Flurry hunting grounds , or any of the others . It is best for a person to declare himself openly once a person sees the totem , since a furbolg may be watching and won ' t appreciate the person trying to sneak past . The dwarves in Thor Modan are thrilled to see visitors and eager for news of home . They don ' t get that many travelers up here . They are not here for socializing , though , and remain focused on their excavations . They have not yet discovered anything of note , but they are still hopeful . The Scourge forces at Drak ’ Tharon Keep are typical : nasty , violent , and focused . They hold the passes between Zul ' Drak , the Dragonblight , and the rest of Grizzly Hills in order for more Scourge forces to reach the east or return to Icecrown Glacier . For generations , the tribal furbolgs have worshiped a colossal prehistoric bear that roams the surrounding wilderness . Geography . The Grizzly Hills are as hilly as the name suggests . Along the northern edges , the land gains height and depth , approaching the level of small mountain ranges , while it flattens out a little in the south . Thick forest covers the land from end to end , broken only by small clearings or the space alongside one of the many streams and small rivers . Snow is everywhere but the region has little ice — the wind whistles overhead but the trees block it from entering down below and the hills seem almost warm compared to the Dragonblight and Borean Tundra . It is still dangerous though , with treacherous slopes , hidden caves , and partially frozen rivers , but better than most of the other regions . All manner of wild animals live in the area , and the hills are full of life . Wolves , bears , fox es , rabbit s , and some small deer are the most common . Mice and other rodents hide from the snowy owl s and other raptor s in the trees , but mercifully snake s and spider s aren ’ t present here , likely due to the temperature . Wendigo and sasquatch prowl the hills , so it is best not to go out alone . The Drakkari ice trolls live just north in Zul ’ Drak and sometimes their hunters drift down to the hills as well in search of prey . The Grizzly Hills have three major settlements , each controlled by a different race . It is strange that all three coexist here , and even stranger that they ’ re all along the northern edge . The southern hills have other furbolg tribes and the random trapper or traveler , but nothing larger than a small village . Notable characters . The Grizzly Hills is home to several characters of note . At the Westfall Brigade Encampment , Gryan Stoutmantle leads the Westfall Brigade in the fight against the Horde and surrounding enemies . The Horde is led by Conqueror Krenna at Conquest Hold and Tormak the Scarred , chieftain of the local taunka tribe , at Camp Oneqwah . Other notable characters include the captive ice troll Drakuru , the famous adventurer Harrison Jones , the hunter of worgen Sasha and her mysterious archenemy Shade of Arugal , and the furbolg deity Ursoc , horribly twisted by his tainted rebirth . PvP . There are a number of daily quest s in the Grizzly Hills that focus on PvP combat and a general conflict between the Alliance and Horde to control Venture Bay , Blackriver Logging Camp , and Blue Sky Logging Grounds . Daily quests include tasks to recover parts and assist NPC s , as well as killing opposition NPCs and players . Players from both faction s can speak to NPCs at Blue Sky Logging Grounds to ride a log downstream to the bay where additional quests can be found . Venture Bay can be captured by either faction , which spawns defenders and permits access to the bay ' s vendor s . Quests . There are several quest chain s in the Grizzly Hills . The Alliance starts out at Amberpine Lodge and are first tasked with taking care of the wildlife and restocking supplies . Players are then ordered to strike up an alliance with the local hunters and trappers based out of Silverbrook , who have a dark secret . Having figured out the situation , players are then sent to figure out what went wrong with Vordrassil , the failed World Tree , and other problems at Westfall Brigade Encampment . Both sides find their way to Granite Springs to deal with the Scourge - infested trolls in the area in quest chains that send players to Drak ' Tharon Keep and to the far eastern side of the Grizzly Hills at Drakil ' jin Ruins and Squatter ' s Camp . Wild creatures . Rare elite NPCs associated with the achievement :