Netherstorm Netherstorm is a zone in northeastern Outland consisting of several large land fragments and countless smaller shards of rock all floating in the Twisting Nether . The region is locked in a constant magical storm . The Netherstorm is in a constant state of deterioration - - the magical storm that is the zone ' s namesake is slowly tearing apart the fabric of reality bridging the gap between the physical world and the Twisting Nether . Magical lightning arcs across the skies within a thick haze of violet cloud and bands of pure magical energy wrap their way across the sky . Some of its wild creatures include nether ray s , mana wyrm s , and colossi . Several areas of the region have been influenced by goblins who perform research and experiments in the unique environment . Signs of their influence can be seen on the architecture of bridges and sign posts . They have erected a major base in the form of Area 52 on the southwestern island , and another smaller base in the east called Cosmowrench . Five tremendous manaforge s have been strategically built across the Netherstorm , siphoning mana from the Twisting Nether itself to be used to some insidious purpose by the blood elves led by Kael ' thas . The Netherstorm is home to two bands of ethereals named the Consortium and the Protectorate . Their main outposts are at the Stormspire and the Protectorate Watch Post respectively . Great magical domes constructed by the ethereals dominate the view from nearly any point in the region . Within these domes , the ethereals work to preserve an environment that is to the liking of their flesh - based clients . The Burning Legion has also taken a stake in the zone . They have established two principal bases , Forge Base : Oblivion and Forge Base : Gehenna , and have overrun the Arklon and Farahlon Ruins . Their representatives can also be found nearly anywhere that Kael ' thas ' blood elves exist , namely the Mana Forges spread across the region . The Eye of the Storm is a battleground that is theoretically situated within the zone . History . The region of Netherstorm was a verdant open range called the Fields of Farahlon until Draenor was ripped apart by Ner ' zhul ' s dimensional portals . . It used to be where the Laughing Skull Clan had their holdings , but when Ner ' zhul opened his portals , the land was torn apart , and is now a series of suspended islands floating loosely in the Twisting Nether . The problem has been further exacerbated by the Mana Forges . The more pure energy the Forges produce , the more unstable the region becomes . If the Forges are not dealt with soon , the entirety of Outland may be completely destroyed . Worldofwarcraft . com says the following about the Netherstorm : " The region of Netherstorm was a verdant open range called the Fields of Farahlon until Draenor was ripped apart . Normally imperceptible to mortals , the Twisting Nether bled into the physical realm and unleashed a tumultuous arcane storm that warped the surrounding territory . The blood elves are now using the technology of a captured naaru vessel to harness the storm ' s magic , further compromising the already unstable land . " Geography . The region known as the Netherstorm is comprised of the lands situated on seven relatively large floating islands and thousands of smaller rock fragments interspersed amongst them , which are the remnants of the once - lush Fields of Farahlon . The original color of the rock is unknown , but since the deterioration of the land began , the bedrock and soil have assumed a sickly purple color that supports absolutely no plant life ( barring netherbloom ) . As the original land mass was ripped apart and warped into its current state , great fissures opened and jagged , lopsided spires and platforms of rock were thrust upward . Like many other regions of Outland , great floating islands hover unnaturally above the landscape , some found spinning listlessly hundreds of feet above the surface . By land , the Netherstorm can only be entered by crossing the goblin - built Gyro - Plank Bridge which spans the gap between the eastern border of the Blade ' s Edge Mountains and the Netherstorm ' s westernmost island . A short hike down the road from the bridge leads to the goblin outpost of Area 52 where the goblins under Rocket - Chief Fuselage work to perfect their nether rocket technology . Several draenei ruins also populate the region . The Ruins of Enkaat lie to the northwest of Area 52 and are inhabited by the restless spirits of fallen draenei who once lived there . The Arklon Ruins further to the east are inhabited by demons of the Burning Legion hunting for draenei artifacts of power . In the far north of the Netherstorm lie the Ruins of Farahlon , also infested with powerful demons . The Burning Legion has several holding in the region in addition to the draenei ruins . Forge Bases : Gehenna and Oblivion , dedicated to the construction of monstrous Fel Reaver s see scores of demons working furiously to construct the reavers . Invasion Point : Overlord and Invasion Point : Destroyer are sites dedicated to the summoning of powerful demonic reinforcements . The Legion ' s commander in the region , Socrethar , has taken over the entirety of the smallest of the major islands in the northwest . The island has gained the name Socrethar ' s Seat as a result . On the northeastern side of the northeast island lies the Celestial Ridge , a great forest of arcane crystals and nesting grounds for a large number of nether dragons of the Netherwing faction . On the eastern side of the southernmost island is the human settlement Kirin ' Var Village . Built as a base for many of the Kirin Tor mages that came through the Dark Portal at the conclusion of the Second War , it is now inhabited only by ghosts and strange magical apparitions . One of the most notable features of the land are the five Manaforges scattered across the floating archipelago . Constructed by the forces of Kael ' thas using naaru technology discovered in Tempest Keep , these abominable devices provide a potent source of arcane power to fuel Kael ' s insidious plans . Of the five , four of the Manaforges ( Ara , Coruu , B ' naar , and Duro ) are operational and garrisoned by the Sunfury blood elves and a scattering of the Legion ' s demons . The fifth ; Manaforge Ultris , has been destroyed and infested by shadowy void creatures . Two rival ethereal bands : the Ethereum and the Protectorate , vie for the rights to the potential profits that might be reaped from such a disaster . Great tube - like conduits that span the region channel the energies amassed by the Manaforges to Kael ' s seat of Tempest Keep in the east . Finally , in the central and northern regions of the Netherstorm are the holdings of the ethereals of the Consortium . There they have constructed massive arcane domes inside of which they have engineered conditions favorable to plants and animals that could never survive in the Netherstorm otherwise . Known as Eco - Domes , they serve as lush oases in the arcane desert surrounding them . The southernmost , Midrealm , is home to creatures such as lynx , moths , and crocolisks . To the immediate north is the largest in the region , consisting of three conjoined eco - domes . Eco - domes Sutheron and Skyperch flank the Stormspire to the north and south . Adopting a series of draenei ruins atop a tall cliff , the ethereals have made the Stormspire the center of all Consortium activity in the Netherstorm and indeed in all of Outland . North of the Stormspire is the smallest of the domes , Eco - Dome Farfield . It is uninhabited by ethereals , but is home to several varieties of exotic dinosaurs .