The Battle at Crestfall The Battle at Crestfall was a large battle between the Alliance of Lordaeron and the Orcish Horde during the Second War . Despite heavy casualties , the Alliance succeeded in destroying the Horde ' s naval power and forced them to retreat after the destruction of Alterac . Briefing . " With the destruction of Alterac , the Orcish armies in the north have staged a massive retreat . " " Admiral Proudmoore sends word that Gnomish Submarines have located the Horde ' s main naval base near Crestfall . " " Proudmoore believes that the Orcs plan to launch the remainder of their armada and retreat to the mainland of Azeroth . " " Lord Lothar has ordered that you destroy the base at Crestfall before the fleet can escape . " Background . The Alliance ' s first problem was feeding the large number of troops stationed inside the base , so the construction of two more farms was urgently necessary . These they placed at the northern opening to impede enemy landing parties . Then their workers went to work in the mine ; the resulting flow of income went for training of even more peasants . During this time , they gathered all of their forces safely inside the base and brought their ships close to shore with a flying machine overhead to watch for enemy giant turtles . With this new threat in mind , they raised a gnomish inventor laboratory for the construction of more fliers , and eventually their own submersible craft . Preparations for defense were completed with several towers along the northern perimeter of town . The next task was to collect oil for a naval force . Fliers reported a barren island far to the north with a dark patch on its side , so they loaded up a transport with two ballistae and a peasant in preparation for building on it . By that time they had another flier in the air , which escorted the transport and two oil tankers to the island , approaching it from the west side to avoid detection . After they had landed , a tower was quickly raised on a small patch of flat ground that would allow giant turtles to be spotted and sunk by the ballistae . On the north end of the island , a refinery was built at the same time as the tankers constructed a platform over the oil . When the task had been completed , a second shipyard went up on the west side of the island and they began constructing submarines at both . While waiting for the submarines , their ships sailed out to the northeast , escorted by a flier , to remove an enemy oil platform and stanch their flow of oil . This would help ensure that the sea remained clear after their subs had had their fun sinking ships and turtles . More fliers were constructed as spotters for the subs , and once their naval power had been reduced to flotsam , a foundry was built for the construction of battleships . These vessels were then fitted with the best cannons and armor they could make , and a flotilla of six sailed out to pound the enemy coastline . They were very careful to draw the Horde ' s catapults to shore , where they were much easier to destroy . Next went the towers guarding their shoreline structures , and finally the structures themselves . Aftermath . Crestfall was the Orcish Horde ' s main naval base . Now , though , it has been rebuilt , and many farmers , mercenaries , and boaters make their home here . These people do not like strangers — some visitors are nearly shot when approaching a town at night on this island . The riflemen are constantly on guard , for the naga have been plaguing them recently . Rumors abound that a large naga force , under a warlord called Zethresh , hides near Crestfall ’ s west shore . Zethresh reputedly seeks to cleanse the ocean and her isles of human encroachment .