Twilight Highlands Twilight Highlands is found in northeastern Khaz Modan , east of Wetlands . It was once known as Northeron , and is location of the ancient dwarven fortress , Grim Batol , and also contains many Twilight ' s Hammer clan settlements . The cult , under the leadership of , is working with and his black dragonflight . The red dragonflight fights against them , though their numbers are small . The Wildhammer clan is fractured internally while facing the cult , and the Dragonmaw clan is ruled by a despot unwilling to join forces with the Horde . Both clans must be brought to their full strength in order for the cult ' s plans to be thwarted . Description from site . " Azeroth ' s inhabitants endure a lifetime of struggle and conflict . They ' re subject to violence from neighboring enemies and rampaging beasts at an early age , and must learn to take up arms to defend themselves against predators . Regularly forced to cope with the deaths of friends , family , and members of their tribes , clans , cities , and guilds , these scarred survivors become stronger by reinforcing their walls , banding together with new allies , and raising sharp , careful , resilient children . They adapt . They change . " Few places on Azeroth exemplify this ever - changing dynamic more than the " Twilight Highlands " of the Eastern Kingdoms . The highlands have undergone constant upheaval throughout its history , with races and factions thriving , collapsing , and changing seemingly without pause . The fortress - city of Grim Batol has played host to no fewer than three potent factions : the Wildhammer dwarves , who abandoned their home after a Dark Iron curse left it uninhabitable ; the red dragonflight , which was forced to fight for the Horde in the captivity of the Dragonmaw orcs during the Second War ; and , of course , the Dragonmaw themselves , who were driven from Grim Batol when the red dragonflight was finally freed from their grasp . The Dragonmaw now cling to the edges of the highlands . They ' re no less wild and difficult to deal with than when they ruled Grim Batol , but their knowledge of dragons and warfare is of unquestionable importance , especially amidst the chaos of the Cataclysm . The Wildhammer dwarves dwell in forested outposts among the highlands ' mountains ; though long friendly with the Alliance , they have only now begun to consider casting their lot in with Stormwind and Ironforge thanks to the entreaties of their cousins , the Bronzebeard clan . Even the mighty red dragonflight has suffered greatly in recent months : its members have been decimated by a frenzied , newly aggressive black dragonflight attacking relentlessly from the petrified Obsidian Forest . Amidst this upheaval , a new power has come to possess the highlands . Though the environment has been given many names throughout its history , it ' s only been dubbed " Twilight " thanks to the dominance of its current masters . The fanatical Twilight ' s Hammer cultists appreciate the name , but there are more functional features to the swath of land they ' ve chosen as their headquarters . It ' s rimmed by massive mountain peaks that scrape at the sky like fingernails , making invasion by land nearly impossible , and the highlands ' black - glass beaches ensure that marine assaults are fraught with terror ; ships docking on the peninsula risk running aground . More important to the cult , however , is the promise of worldly extinction and change that permeates the land . In the dimness of the highlands , shadows are deeper . The sun and the rest of Azeroth seem distant . The elements themselves are more pronounced : fires burn hotter ; rain forces its way into the ground ; and the heaves and shudders of the land call to mind some colossal being stirring beneath the earth . This doesn ' t frighten the members of the Twilight ' s Hammer ; it lulls them to sleep . Their dark work is done here in a manner that could never have been realized in Silithus . The devoted of the Twilight ' s Hammer train in the halls of mighty fortresses , not tiny compounds and outposts . They summon dangerous , mercurial elementals who loathe each other to the point of outright war but still pause their feuds momentarily to work towards the destruction of the other races . Outside the highlands , the cult is fractious and divided . Here , it is guided on its mission of destruction by some of the cruelest and bloodiest names in history , yet the names associated with this cabal belie the true extent of its leadership . These dark whisperers chose the highlands as their base of operations for a reason . They can feel the presence of the Old Gods in the air and see their victory in the darkness . The shifting landscape , battling factions , and wicked elements embody the cult ' s vision of what its world will become as it is finally purged of life and order . The rest of Azeroth will follow the Twilight Highlands into oblivion , one way or another . Geography . The Highlands largely consist of gently rolling hills , covered in waves of green grass and scattered trees . Three quarters of the zone borders the Forbidding Sea , with great sand beaches . The northern and northwestern borders consist of the mountainous regions , with the northeastern section held by the Wildhammer clan . The other mountainous areas have been conquered by the Twilight ' s Hammer clan , with the exception of the secluded Vermillion Redoubt to the northwest . From the western heights , Loch Verrall spills into the lower Highlands , the Verrall River winging its way through the heart of the zone . It splits the Highlands in two before emptying into the Verrall Delta and Forbidding Sea to the east . Two islands of note rest in the Sea : Krazzworks to the north , controlled by Horde goblin s , and Highbank to the south , controlled by the Alliance . There are a few caves in the region , all home to dangerous creatures of one sort or the other . All are on the eastern half of the region and highlight the difficulties heroes have to face . The Twilight ' s Hammer cult are stealing red dragon eggs and shipping them via a portal in the Vermillion Redoubt ; two ogre magi loyal to Cho ' gall perform dark acts of magic within the Den of the Disciples in the west ; spirits haunt the cave at The Gullet ; and one of the last breeding black dragon s has made the Obsidian Lair her home to the south . Near the Obsidian Lair is the Obsidian Forest , a once - thriving canopy of green that has been reduced to cinders by the black dragonflight . The Twilight ' s Hammer clan has lit fires of their own , most notably in the Humboldt Conflagration , where one of their Elemental ascendant s has taken over , crushing the Wildhammer there and leaving their town in ruins . In fact , much of the Highlands is littered with dwarven ruins , from where the Wildhammer have had to retreat due to the overwhelming might of the cult . The largest of these is the Dunwald and Thundermar Ruins . The Dragonmaw clan fights endlessly with the dwarves over control of the latter . Travel . Getting there . Alliance : Players can depart the Greenwarden ' s Grove in the Wetlands and travel east through Dragonmaw Pass . For quest related purposes , Alliance players need to complete the introductory quests to the zone , beginning with . Zeppelin locations . " The zeppelins fly between the two points below . " Notable characters . The two most notable characters that Alliance players will interact with are Kurdran Wildhammer and Mathias Shaw . The former has returned to the Highlands in an attempt to unite the fractured Wildhammer clan , but infighting and dwarven stubbornness make that all but impossible . Players act as liaisons between the various clans , as well as emissaries for the Alliance , in hopes of assisting Kurdran and also bringing the Wildhammer into the ranks of the Alliance . Mathias Shaw is met after these delicate negotiations are settled , leading the way against the Twilight ' s Hammer clan and eventually aiding players against . For Horde players , the first notable they will meet is Zaela . She is just one of many Dragonmaw orcs at Dragonmaw Port unhappy with the rule of their warlord , . Players assist the Dragonmaw in overthrowing their wicked leader , and Zaela takes the mantle of leader for the clan , pledging her allegiance and troops to the cause of the Horde . Players later find Garona Halforcen , joining in her fight against the Twilight ' s Hammer clan and eventually fighting by her side against . Both factions try to gain the favor of the red dragonflight , led by Alexstrasza . Much of this activity takes place within the Vermillion Redoubt , as well as Dragonmaw Pass . Players witness a battle between Alexstrasza and Deathwing in the air over Grim Batol , the fight helping to stall Deathwing ' s plans but leaving Alexstrasza greatly weakened . Quests . As already stated above , the majority of the introductory quests for both factions have to do with bringing the local clans into the fold , the Wildhammer for the Alliance and the Dragonmaw for the Horde . Most of the activity for the Highlands focuses on the ongoing battle with the Twilight ' s Hammer clan , though the Wildhammer and Dragonmaw cross swords on occasion . Players also perform tasks for the Earthen Ring at the Ring of the Elements , where the clan has summoned forth a massive servant of the Old Gods , Iso ' rath . For those wanting to do a higher - level version of the Ring of Blood and Amphitheater of Anguish , groups can go to the Crucible of Carnage in the middle of the zone .