Grizzlemaw Grizzlemaw ( formerly " Vordrassil " and before that , " Andrassil " ) is a civilization of polar furbolgs that reside in the Grizzly Hills of Northrend . The civilization of Grizzlemaw is seen as the seat of all furbolg culture , and is ruled by the chieftain Baergar Blackpaw of the Frost Paw tribe . Furbolgs are nomadic , following caribou and other prey through established territories ; so they don ’ t have many fixed structures , just central lodges in the centers of their hunting grounds . Grizzlemaw is the exception . A few stories claim the city was built on the site of the Frost Paw tribe ’ s lodge and made large enough to accommodate several tribes at once . The Frost Paw then invited other friendly tribes to shelter the winter with them . The resulting ties changed the furbolgs from scattered hunters to a stronger , more unified race , and the Grizzly Hills from ancestral hunting grounds to a loosely defined nation . It is surrounded by a tall wooden palisade surrounding massive stone and wood houses . Guard towers mark the four corners , and smaller ones flank the double doors in front . Furbolgs are simple and uncomplicated , and so is their home . Furs cover the floors and furniture , which is large and comfortable , and woven tapestries lend some color to the walls . Weapons and other trophies are mounted above doors and windows , which have thin sheets of skin to keep out the cold . Large fire pits stand at the center of every house , and some large rooms have their own smaller pits down the middle . Andrassil and Vordrassil . Vordrassil was a failed attempt at a World Tree , located in the Grizzly Hills of southern Northrend . Destroyed by the ancient druids , it is now the site of the furbolg city of Grizzlemaw . The Old God Yogg - Saron sleeps beneath its roots , and appears to have been responsible for the corruption of the furbolg . Yogg - Saron ' s corruption was also the motivation for the destruction of Vordrassil . In Wrath of the Lich King . Thousands of years ago , the ancient druids planted the great tree Vordrassil in the Grizzly Hills of what is now Northrend , an early attempt at the creation of a World Tree . However , once it was fully grown , the druids destroyed it , having discovered that it was tainted . The furbolg eventually moved into the stump left behind and built their city of Grizzlemaw . Vordrassil fell to earth in several segments spread across the west - central portion of the Grizzly Hills , where they rooted deep into the ground . Foul oozes surround these segments - known as Vordrassil ' s Heart , Vordrassil ' s Limb and Vordrassil ' s Tears - and a corruptive darkness resides in the depths . The corruption has also spread to the furbolgs in Grizzlemaw itself , and it is here that the players on both sides ( sent by Hierophant Thayreen at Amberpine Lodge for the Alliance and Windseer Grayhorn at Conquest Hold for the Horde ) begin their investigation into what went wrong . Collecting samples of oozes as well as readings of the darkness within the fallen tree , the players eventually encounter the children of the bear god Ursoc , who was killed during the War of the Ancients . Ursoc ' s son , Orsonn , explains thusly : However , the Ursoc that had returned was also corrupted by the same magic . Players are then sent into Grizzlemaw to burn the sapling of Vordrassil and return with its ashes , and to collect Vordrassil ' s seeds to prevent the furbolg from regrowing it . Once the ashes are purified , they journey to Ursoc ' s Den to confront the corrupted Ancient . After defeating him and sprinkling Vordrassil ' s ashes on his corpse , the freed spirit of Ursoc appears and reveals the horrifying truth : The furbolg of Grizzlemaw are all hostile , and are around level 73 - 75 . They are part of the Redfang and Frostpaw tribes , which are constantly at war . Killing furbolgs from one side can make you temporarily neutral with the other for five minutes ( unless you kill more of the opposition , in which case you may remain so as long as you ' re nearby ) .