Hinterlands The Hinterlands , located in the Northern part of the Eastern Kingdoms , are probably most notable for the Wildhammer dwarves who make their residence at Aerie Peak in the west . The Wildhammers have always been staunch allies of the Alliance . It is from the Hinterlands that these dwarves find and tame their world - renowned gryphon s . The Razorbeak gryphon s roam wild in this region . Also in the Hinterlands is one of the last remaining settlements of the high elves in Lordaeron at the Quel ' Danil Lodge . The Hinterlands are also home to a large population of forest trolls , which are divided into three separate tribes . The Revantusk tribe is the only one of the three that has declared sides in the Horde / Alliance conflict and support the warchief Thrall of the Horde . The Vilebranch tribe holds residence in the massive troll city of Jintha ' Alor as well as the Altar of Zul while the Witherbark tribe holds the smallest influence , hailing from the temples of Shadra ' Alor . In the northern part of the region is the ancient , massive tree , Seradane where the agents of the Green dragonflight have been corrupted . A massive portal on the side of the tree connects the servants of the Aspect Ysera to her own realm , the Emerald Dream . History . The earliest inhabitants of the Hinterlands were the forest trolls of the Amani Empire . This ancient empire stretched across much of eastern Lordaeron with the Hinterlands at its heart . Many great troll cities were built in this region , and their colossal ruins still testify to the once - great empire . The great empire felt the beginnings of its doom when the exiled high elves arrived in Lordaeron . The trolls , though cunning and great in number , were no match for the arcane fires of the elven mages . The elven armies pushed the trolls out of the northern reaches of their empire and built their own cities in their newly acquired country : Quel ' Thalas . The trolls were forced to retreat to their bastions in the Hinterlands to the south , where they would remain , wary of the elves and their magic , for several generations . When the humans of Arathor began organizing themselves into a true political entity , the trolls decided to prevent them from gaining a foothold in the political geography of the region . The Amani trolls massed their power in one last bid against their adversaries , but it was for naught . The high elves , seeing a way to be rid of the troll menace once and for all , taught the humans the secrets of the arcane arts . The trolls were no match for the combined armies and mages of the human s and high elves and they were utterly defeated . This defeat marked the last time the Amani forest trolls would join together as a single nation . Scattered and defeated , the remnants of the Amani returned to their homes in the Hinterlands . Because of their terrible loss , their well - established civilization was virtually gone , and their great monuments and temples began to crumble with no one to keep them up . The next time the Hinterlands would play a significant role in history was the coming of the Wildhammer clan of dwarves . After the War of the Three Hammers , the Wildhammer dwarves forsook their subterranean homes and traveled north to the Hinterlands where they built dwellings above the ground at the city of Aerie Peak . They adopted a society that focused less on metalworking and mining and more on a closeness with nature . They were and remain unique among dwarves ( and indeed , all races traditionally of the Alliance ) in their cultivation of shamanistic practices . The dwarves also soon realized they had a strong affinity for the wild gryphons of the Hinterlands . Soon they trained gryphon riders who would fly into battle wielding the powers of the storm . So strong was the bond between the dwarves and the gryphons that the dwarves constructed a enormous monument in the likeness of a gryphon at Aerie Peak . Eventually , these gryphon riders would become perhaps their most valuable gift to the Alliance . Upon their arrival , the dwarves found themselves immediately at odds with the trolls of the Hinterlands . Though there are no accounts of open hostility between the two , a lasting mutual disdain settled upon the two factions . By the time of the Wildhammer clan ' s arrival in the Hinterlands , the trolls had recovered some of their numbers after the devastating war . These remnants split themselves into three separate tribes . The Vilebranch tribe was the strongest and held the ancient Amani bastions of Jintha ' Alor and the Altar of Zul . The Witherbark tribe was weaker than the Vilebranch , residing amongst the old temples of Shadra ' Alor and the ruins of Hiri ' Watha . The weakest of the three tribes was the Revantusk tribe . The Revantusk trolls were nomadic and called no place their home . For many hundreds of years , this was the state of affairs for the trolls . When the ravenous Horde crashed through the Dark Portal and sacked Stormwind , the omens of hope began to glimmer for the trolls . When the orcs invaded a second time , they plowed through Khaz Modan and into Lordaeron . The three tribes saw the Horde as the means to their redemption . The forest troll tribes joined the Horde seeking to destroy their old enemies , the elves and the humans . They even managed to invade Quel ' Thalas , but the Horde was ultimately defeated . Seeking to avoid the orcs ' fate of imprisonment and slavery , the trolls abandoned their allies and returned to the Hinterlands , their dreams of former glory shattered . Even though the trolls were defeated in the war , their role in the greater scheme of things was not quite spent . During the same war , the Wildhammer dwarves sided with the Alliance , horrified at the defeat of their ancestral homeland of Khaz Modan . They sent their powerful gryphon riders into battle against the Horde . Perhaps without them , the Alliance would not have won . In the events that transpired in Lordaeron during the years to come , the Hinterlands were little affected . The Wildhammer dwarves took in some refugees fleeing the destruction wrought by the Scourge , and many forest trolls moved south as well . It was only after the defeat of the Burning Legion in Kalimdor that the Hinterlands began to grow in importance once again . After the Horde had established a new homeland in Kalimdor , emissaries were sent to the Eastern Kingdoms seeking allies . Some of these emissaries came to the trolls of the Hinterlands seeking to renew the friendships of old . The Vilebranch and the Witherbark refused outright , but the Revantusk trolls , seeking to raise their position , reluctantly agreed . Thereafter , the Horde aided the Revantusk in building their first settlement after centuries of wandering , Revantusk Village . Because of the aid they received , the Revantusk trolls are now staunch allies of the Horde . The Wildhammer dwarves at Aerie peak stood witness to the destruction around them . They watched helplessly as the human s and elves were destroyed by the Scourge . Though the Scourge has not yet reached the Hinterlands , the dwarves remain on the edge of this frontier . This decision drove The Wildhammers to distance themselves from the Alliance ; however , in recent times they have rejoined the Alliance . In fact , their stronghold in Shadowmoon Valley and its other territories are places of the Alliance . In Legion . The ancient , massive tree , Seradane gains a Dream Portal on the side of the tree connects to the Emerald Dreamway , within the Emerald Dream . World of Warcraft : Cataclysm . After the Cataclysm expansion , the Hinterlands level range will change from 40 - 50 to 30 - 35 . Areas affected : Geography . While there are no instanced dungeons in the Hinterlands , the zone is notable for its huge outdoor micro dungeon , Jintha ' Alor . The Hinterlands are the location of Seradane , one of the four Great Tree s leading to the Emerald Dream and guarded by the four Emerald Dragons . The three others are in Ashenvale , Duskwood , and Feralas . Notable characters . The Hinterlands are home to several characters of note . At Aerie Peak , Falstad Wildhammer and Gryphon Master Talonaxe seek aid in locating a young gryphon . At Revantusk Village , Primal Torntusk attempts to locate her missing mate , and Huntsman Markhor sends bold adventurers into the deepest part of the wilds in search of dangerous wildlife . The Hinterlands , Northeron , and the Aerie Peaks . Some speculate that the Hinterlands were the area known as Northeron or the Aerie Peaks before the Second War , and were later renamed . Others believe the terms have retconned due to the lack of mention in recent lore and refer to what is now the Hinterlands . It is also possible a different relationship between the Hinterlands , Northeron , and the Aerie Peaks exists , such as being subzones within one another , neighboring zones , or possibly having no relationship whatsoever and being separate zones that have yet to show up in World of Warcraft .