Aerie Peak

Aerie Peak (or the Aerie (s))Day of the DragonNight of the Dragon, chapter 1 is the capital of the Wildhammer clan of dwarves affiliated with the Alliance. It is located in the Hinterlands in a mountainside to the northwest, and it has a range of different services including a gryphon master or a leatherworking trainer.
==History==
Aerie Peak is the home of the Hinterlands Wildhammer dwarves, a faction that broke off from the rest of dwarven society after the War of the Three Hammers. Following the total defeat of Thaurissan during the war, the Wildhammers returned to their home in Grim Batol. What they had found was that the death of Modgud had left an evil taint in their fortress. The Wildhammers found Grim Batol uninhabitable and founded a new home in the Hinterlands. Because of the horrific underground battles the Wildhammers were forced to fight against the Dark Iron dwarves during the war, the Wildhammers chose to build most of their dwellings above ground, instead of burrowing into the mountain as is typical of dwarven designs.War of the Three Hammers (History of Warcraft)
===Second War===
thumb|Wildhammer gryphon rider from the Second War.
Located to the southeast of the Capital City, the Hinterlands are home to the Wildhammer clan, renowned for their use of gryphons. Led at that time by Kurdran Wildhammer, the Wildhammer clan came under attack by what ultimately proved to be a diversionary tactic by Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer. The Warchief deduced that if he sent a force to attack the Hinterlands, the Alliance would respond, allowing him to take the remainder of his forces into Quel'Thalas with the aid of Zul'jin and the Amani tribe. Realizing their plans, Anduin Lothar dispatched Turalyon and Khadgar, along with half the Alliance forces, to travel north to Quel'Thalas and come to the aid of the elves, while he aided Kurdran in clearing out the remaining Horde forces in the Hinterlands. Kurdran pledged his and his kingdom's aid to Anduin Lothar after the human Alliance aided them in forcing the invading orcs and forest trolls out of their homeland.Tides of Darkness, chapter 10
Kurdran and his Wildhammers later came to the aid of Daelin Proudmoore's forces in the Great Sea, allowing the Admiral's ships to focus on the ships while the gryphon riders battled the dragon riders of the Horde. Meanwhile, Falstad Wildhammer and other Alliance heroes, reached Grim Batol and fought in the final battle there to free the red dragon Queen Alexstrasza.
Following the Second War, Kurdran Wildhammer went to Draenor as part of the Alliance Expedition. Falstad stayed in Aerie Peak to succeed him as the High Thane and rule the Wildhammer Clan. Kurdran and his gryphon riders participated in the Invasion of Draenor and was one of the heroes willing to sacrifice their lives to safeguard Azeroth. Kurdran Wildhammer would later have a statue in his likeness built in the Valley of Heroes to honor him for his heroic deeds.
===Third War===
The daring dwarves of the Wildhammer clan have responded once again to answer the call to war during the Third War. They've brought the mighty gryphons of the Aerie Peaks to aid the Alliance in its time of need. Armed with their trusty, lightning-powered Stormhammers, the fearless wilddwarves seek to keep the skies of Lordaeron free from enemy forces. The proud gryphons share their riders' implacable resolve and stand as noble symbols of the Alliance's fortitude.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual, Human Units, Gryphon Rider
The Alliance of Lordaeron seemed to have crumbled following Terenas Menethil's death at the hands of his son, Arthas. Arthas, now the head of the undead Scourge, destroyed his own kingdom in the name of the Lich King and left Lordaeron in shambles. Othmar Garithos tried to rally what remained in his Alliance resistance, though his terrible leadership led to his undoing and all who followed him.
===World of Warcraft===
The dwarves of Aerie Peak are master gryphon riders, and their contributions to the Alliance during war cannot be overstated. Their High Thane, Falstad Wildhammer, rules over the Wildhammer dwarves from the top of the Aerie. The Wildhammers of Aerie Peak were not part of the reformed Alliance after the Third War, but were still friendly and helpful to Alliance adventurers that have proven their worth to them.Troll Necklace Bounty The rugged terrain of the Hinterlands is not only home to the Wildhammer dwarves and their gryphons, but also to hostile forest troll tribes. The trolls view the Wildhammers as squatters on their ancestral lands and spare no opportunity to accost the dwarves by attacking the gryphon aeries. The Wildhammers count the Witherbark tribe, Vilebranch trolls, and the Horde aligned Revantusk trolls as enemies.A Gesture of Goodwill Though they remained independent of Alliance affairs, the Wildhammer Dwarves of Aerie Peak did strike an alliance with the high elves of Quel'Danil, much to the ire of their common enemy, the Revantusk trolls.Message to the Wildhammer
===Cataclysm===
In order to prevent political turmoil in Ironforge, Falstad Wildhammer will help govern Ironforge as part of the Council of Three Hammers. With Falstad's inclusion into Alliance affairs, the Hinterland Wildhammer dwarves have pledged themselves to the Alliance.Hero's Call: The Hinterlands! Since Falstad Wildhammer left for Ironforge, Gryphon Master Talonaxe took over the coordination and defense of Aerie Peak. Ambassador Rualeth also presides at the Aerie as an Alliance emissary.
==Appearance==
The area contrasts to that of the dwarves of the south. Rather than snowy mountains, the hills of the Hinterlands are vibrant and green. Aerie Peak spans the entire length of the mountain that flanks the entryway to the Hinterlands. Most iconic is the large gryphon aviary that crests at its center. This aviary looks very similar to the way they are depicted in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and is the only one in game depicted this way. At the other end of Aerie Peak is the mighty Wildhammer Keep, and a graveyard decorated with several carved trees and gryphon fetishes. Although the in-game appearance of Aerie Peak looks like a small town, it's described as a majestic, sprawling city in the lore.
Canonically, Aerie Peak has an interior that is not accessible to players. It can be seen briefly in Warrior: Divided, as the Wildhammer elder, Mastran tells stories to the younger Wildhammers before a mighty hearth. This hearth seems to be accessed in some way from the gryphon aviary, as Lieren, Keers, and Kardan are seen having exited from this hall. Later on in the story, a massive dormitory that sprawls underground, can also be seen and is accessed from within the mountain; as Kardan and Lieren later are seen leaving from atop massive battlements that sprawl against the mountain face. These battlements can also be seen in game.
==Travel connections==
===Flight===
; Ironforge, Dun Morogh (4:16)
; Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands (0:53)
; Andorhal, Western Plaguelands (1:10)
; Refuge Pointe, Arathi Highlands (1:15)
; Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands (2:44)
; Acherus: The Ebon Hold (3:52) 
==NPCs==
===Merchants===
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===Services===
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===Quest givers===
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===Profession (tradeskill) trainers===
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===Other===
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===Guards===
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===Removed===
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==In the RPG==
Aerie Peak, the massive Wildhammer capital, is carved into an enormous mountainside of the same name. After the War of the Three Hammers the Wildhammers founded their new kingdom atop Aerie Peak, staying on top of the mountain instead of dwelling within.Lands of Conflict, pg. 100Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 143
The city is located in the northwestern Hinterlands and overlooks Darrowmere Lake. Aerie Peak resembles a gargantuan gryphon head, with open spaces at its eyes and nostrils. Generations of Wildhammers worked on this undertaking, and the sculpture is an excellent likeness. Even the individual feathers are apparent. Wildhammer structures and battlements jut from the cliff's base. Gryphons make their nests in the carved head and the mountain, and forever flap around the place like bees about a real gryphon's head.
The Wildhammers know who their friends and enemies are. They welcome the former and savagely defend their city against the latter. Aerie Peak's architecture is reminiscent of Ironforge's, but its buildings jut into the air with open ceilings to allow the Wildhammers to see the sky. The dwarves practice gryphon riding and hammer tossing on the ground and cliffs surrounding Aerie Peak.
Brann Bronzebeard suspected that the necromancer Linnena Hallow could be sniffing around the city.Lands of Mystery, pg. 190
==Notes and trivia==
*The in-game model of the elaborate carving at Aerie Peak could be viewed as the front of a gryphon on its forelegs, or simply an eagle perching, since no lion features are shown. However, several sources state that Aerie Peak is shaped like a gryphon.Fire and Iron, pg. 1Lands of Conflict, pg. 100
*While the inhabitants are Wildhammer dwarves, they are not tagged with the Wildhammer Clan faction, thus they give no reputation.
*Three of the trees at Aerie Peak's graveyard (see below) feature carvings of a hammer, gryphon footprints, and a mountain under a thundercloud. These are identical to tree carvings seen at the Wildhammer burial site on Thunderstrike Mountain.
*Considering the presence of Aerie Gryphons in Alterac Valley, it seems an expedition from the Wildhammer clan participated in the battle there.
*Aerie Peaks was originally the name of a zone that was renamed to Hinterlands during the development of World of Warcraft.World of Warcraft: Looking for Group
*Aerie Peak was originally concepted as a lonely big single mountain amidst some plains as per older maps like those of Warcraft III, concept maps of World of Warcraft, and some of the RPG books.
==Gallery==
Warcraft Adventures - World map.png|In the Warcraft Adventures map, the aviary to the northeast could be Aerie Peak since it is roughly located in the same spot and is populated with Wildhammer dwarves.
LordaeronWC3.JPG|Aerie Peak can be seen as a lonely mountain near Stromgarde in Warcraft III.
WoWCE - Lordaeron.jpg|Concept map of World of Warcraft with the Aerie Peak mountain in the middle of a zone with the same name.
ABE - Lordaeron and Khaz Modan map.jpg|The singular mountain can be seen in the same region.
Aerie Peak mountainside.jpg|The mountains behind Aerie Peak.
Aerie Peak graveyard.jpg|Aerie Peak's graveyard.
==References==
==External links==
Category:Forts
Category:Cities
Category:Nests
Category:Wildhammer dwarf territories
Category:Alliance quest hubs
Category:Lands of Conflict
Category:Lands of Mystery
Category:Alliance Player's Guide
es:Pico Nidal
pl:Aerie Peak