Zul ' Drak Zul ' Drak is an area located in eastern Northrend . It is home to the Drakkari ice trolls and their Frost King Malakk as well as the smaller trolls of the Winterfang tribe . Their capital is the city of Gundrak . Zul ' Drak belongs to the Drakkari , who roam in hunting parties searching for prey . Old troll ruins are strewn across the countryside and the Scourge hovers just beyond the western border , waiting for a chance to strike . Climate - wise , Zul ' Drak is the least pleasant of the eastern regions . It ' s colder than the Grizzly Hills or the Howling Fjord , less majestic than the Storm Peaks , and more crowded than any of them - with most of the crowd being Drakkari . Most other races avoid this region , and for good reason . Travelers do not need to go there for passage north or south — they can stick to the Grizzly Hills , which surround Zul ’ Drak on both sides and reach all the way up to Crystalsong Forest and Storm Peaks . The only reason anyone would want to visit Zul ' Drak is if they were explorers hoping to meet the Drakkari — and they better have a large group of armed warriors with them when they do . The Drakkari have recently gone mad after they sacrificed their Loa animal gods in an attempt to fight off the Scourge . The Argent Dawn has returned to play a role in Zul ' Drak as have members of the Zandalar tribe , who have come to try and save some of the Drakkari history before it is wiped out . The zone itself is a giant ziggurat of the now broken civilization . As noted below , players visiting the zone will find that it is in the process of being overrun by the Scourge , particularly in the vicinity of the Argent Stand . The conflict between various NPC / mob factions can be intense , and it ' s easy to get caught in the crossfire . The zone ' s primary inhabitants are Scourge , Nerubians , crazed Drakkari who randomly attack anyone in their path , and a scattering of Water Elementals which a faction of Drakkari summoned to help them defeat the Scourge . The Argent Dawn have a tangible presence in the area as well . A number of the Loa of the Drakkari still exist in weakened forms , and can be found in the northeast region of the zone , towards Gundrak . A Scourge - controlled Blight zone also exists south of Ebon Watch , near Drak ' Tharon Keep , at the east end of the zone . History . The Drakkari ice trolls are an old race , one of the first in Northrend . They were building homes in Zul ’ Drak before the Great Sundering and never left their home , though some of them may have migrated south to became the Frostmane tribe and the Winterax tribe . The furbolgs of Grizzlemaw have fought the Drakkari for many years . Drakkari are tribal , and early in their history each tribe established its own territory and fought off any trespassers . Then one tribe conquered another and enslaved its warriors . These slaves were forced to build the victors a new and larger home , and their children became part of the dominant tribe . This tribe continued to conquer its neighbors , each time absorbing them , until finally it was powerful enough to claim all of Zul ’ Drak as its kingdom . Any tribe that resisted was destroyed . Those tribes that accepted the powerful tribe ’ s dominance were allowed to keep their own territories , provided they accepted any orders from the ruling tribe . Thus , the Drakkari nation truly began . The central tribe ’ s home became Gundrak , the capital city . The tribes still war among themselves , and the Frost King allows this because it keeps his people strong and aggressive . He coordinates border patrols and establishes protocols for calling all the tribes together should an army attack them in force . Many tribe chieftains thought these efforts foolish until they encountered the walking dead . Then the Frost King organized the other Drakkari and drove the dead from their lands . Thus far , the Scourge has not penetrated into Zul ’ Drak to any degree , though it claims Drak ' Tharon Keep , an old Drakkari stronghold in the Grizzly Hills just beyond Zul ’ Drak ’ s southwest edge . People and culture . Zul ' Drak is the Drakkari homeland . Their culture is believed to have existed long before the Great Sundering , and live here by the thousands . It ’ s amazing this one land can support so many trolls , especially since fresh meat is their principal food . Fortunately for them , wild beasts roam the area as well and provide plenty of prey . Drakkari are unpleasant . They epitomize the nastiness and barbarism of trolls everywhere . They ’ re large , bigger than any other troll ( except trolls of the Zandalar tribe , the first tribe to exist and who are the same size ) and crude , and they prefer violence to discussion or negotiation . They are a barbaric people who practice voodoo and worship strange spirit - gods and devour their enemies — and sometimes their friends — raw . The only thing a Drakkari respects is strength and the only thing they want from others is fear and flesh . Fortunately , Drakkari are tribal . They live in small tribes throughout Zul ’ Drak and wage war among themselves . Some bands of Drakkari slaughter each other simply because they met along the border between their two tribes . Such conflict helps keep the troll population down . No one else is foolish enough to share the region with them . Geography . Zul ’ Drak is a single large valley between the arms of the Grizzly Hills , Crystalsong Forest , and the Storm Peaks . The trees here are smaller than the southern forests but numerous and upright , and provide excellent cover when sniping trolls . Some grass and other plants poke up through the snow , and frozen ponds and streams dot the land . Obelisks and ziggurats are everywhere , often at the centre of active troll camps . Ruins show where troll tribes must have lived long ago — most of these look like they were destroyed during battle rather than simply abandoned . The valley teems with life . In addition to the Drakkari , giant wolves , wendigo and other animals live among the trees and grass . Furbolgs wander up from the Grizzly Hills to hunt and clash with the Drakkari . The trolls maintain patrols along their border , both to drive out intruders and to kill anyone they find . Troll villages are everywhere in Zul ’ Drak . Most of these are small , crude places , a handful of wood or stone buildings around a single larger hall . Some are built on the ruins of older structures or surround an ancient obelisk or ziggurat , carved from stone and more impressive than the more recent structures . The only large settlement is Gundrak , the capital city . Another very impressive piece of architecture to note is the massive aqueduct irrigation system the trolls seem to have constructed , despite being renowned for their minimal interest in technology of any kind . Wrath of the Lich King . In " Wrath of the Lich King " , the zone of Zul ' Drak is a massive outdoor zone roughly the size of Shadowmoon Valley . The entire zone is a massive tiered ziggurat . Zul ' Drak is in the middle of a massive upheaval . Scourge forces under the newly empowered Drakuru are preparing an undead army of troll chieftains empowered by blight crystals . To counter the Scourge threat , the Drakkari trolls have begun sacrificing their own Loa animal gods in desperation . Meanwhile , the Argent Crusade is caught between two armies as they clash with both the Scourge and the native Drakkari trolls at Argent Stand , as the Zandalari tribe has arrived to both intervene on behalf of the gods and chronicle the end of the Drakkari empire . An achievement exists called The Empire of Zul ' Drak so it may be another name for the Drakkari empire . Notable Characters . Zul ' Drak is home to several characters of note . Battling the Scourge are the Argent Crusade , led by Commander Falstaav and Commander Kunz at the Argent Stand and Crusader Lord Lantinga at Light ' s Breach , as well as the death knight s of the Ebon Blade , led by Stefan Vadu at Ebon Watch . Having recently traveled to Northrend from the South Seas are a group of Zandalari trolls , led by Witch Doctor Khufu at Zim ' Torga . From there , they seek to stop the Drakkari from betraying their Loa gods , although they might be too late . The local Scourge forces are led by the treacherous Overlord Drakuru at the necropolis Voltarus , and before heading into Gundrak , players must face off against the evil Prophet of Akali . Lastly , the Amphitheater of Anguish sees the return of famous blood sport promoter Gurgthock , his assistant Wodin the Troll - Servant , and the powerful Korrak the Bloodrager from Alterac Valley . Wild creatures . Unknown Rare Elite NPCs associated with the achievement .