Durotar

**Durotar**[58, 50], the land named after Thrall's father, Durotan,[1] lies on the eastern coast of Kalimdor. It borders the Barrens to the west and the coastal lands of Azshara to the north. The land of Durotar is rocky, and the soil is cracked and red, not unlike the orcs' Draenorian homeland. The land has many crags and canyons, where various dangerous creatures take residence. It is a harsh land to survive in; it is very dry and hot, and the vegetation and freshwater access is sparse. The orcs, however, see a harsh beauty in the land that reminds them of their home world. Durotar is a proving ground for young orcs, who are sent to the Valley of Trials to complete several rites of passage before they are considered fit for the challenges that lie ahead. Durotar is the new homeland of the orcs and the site of the orcs' principal city of Orgrimmar. While the orcs founded their city of Orgrimmar here, Durotar has become something of a haven for all of the Horde races, especially the trolls.

## History

For many years, Durotar was home to the quilboar. Then Thrall, Warchief of the orcs, brought his race to Kalimdor in search of a new homeland. The quilboar were tenacious but ultimately no match for the unified might of the orc clans. The bristled "boar men" were driven back in a series of decisive orc victories along the northern canyons and ultimately pushed to the most remote regions of Durotar and even into the Barrens. The orcs claim the coastal realm as their own, but the quilboar vow to reclaim it someday. The realm of Durotar - named by Warchief Thrall in honor of his father, Durotan - occupies the east coast of Kalimdor, just across the river from the Barrens. The goblin port of Ratchet stands to the south, with the ruined shores of Azshara some distance to the north. The region is warm and rocky, but not as arid as the rest of the Barrens. A fair amount of vegetation grows thanks to the warm easterly winds blowing in from over the ocean, but truly fertile soil is rare, making farmland precious. Sagebrush on the plains and thin pine forests at higher elevations combine with rugged hills and canyons to break up the landscape. Orcs are by far the major inhabitants of Durotar.

Quilboar cluster in the canyons along the northwestern borders and encroach from the Barrens to the west. Centaur warbands make the occasional foray, and furbolgs and undead have been seen in more than one instance. Herd animals such as deer and goats roam the land, preyed upon by wolves and coyotes.

A number of Horde settlements have been established throughout the region, but much of the land has yet to be tamed. The cities and towns scattered along the frontier are heavily fortified against attacks from quilboar raiders, centaur warbands, rogue furbolgs, and even sudden appearances by undead and the occasional demon. Caravans are common targets, creating a strong market for caravan guards.

The few large cities are distant from one another, with a variety of smaller encampments and villages scattered in between. Given that Durotar is the orcs' new homeland, Horde races and independents are welcome throughout the region. Alliance races risk their lives when they venture into Durotar.[2]

Razor Hill

The orcs and the Darkspear trolls led by Warchief Thrall landed here after their exodus from the Eastern Kingdoms. They proceeded to explore the area, helping the tauren drive out the cruel centaurs who were harassing Cairne and his people.

After the war against the Burning Legion, Durotar was founded as a nation and the new orcish homeland by Thrall. The young warchief named the land after his father, Durotan. Upon this land, he laid the ground for the orcs' new capital city Orgrimmar, named for the previous warchief and hero of the Horde, Orgrim Doomhammer.

## People and culture

Durotar is the most populated of all Horde-controlled regions, as well as their cultural center. Here, young orcs, tauren, and trolls study shamanism and hunting. There is a strong sense of unity here, although a number of Horde members are disturbed by the growing presence of the Forsaken in their lands. I expected this central point for the Horde to also be a major battlefield, and that I would be attacked on sight — I couldn't have been more wrong. Most of the people here are trying to live normal lives, focusing on agriculture and spiritual pursuits. That doesn’t mean their guards didn’t try to rough me up, but after I put the first couple of them on the floor, the rest were smart enough to realize they would be dead if I wanted them to be. After that, most of the people left me alone — a few were even willing to talk to me. I suspect some of them had never seen a dwarf before.

Beyond the Horde, harpies, centaur and quilboar are prevalent in specific regions of Durotar, attacking caravans and neighboring villages. These prove to be some of the first challenges for young warriors before they move on to bigger battles; these creatures are hardly organized enough to pose a major threat

## Geography

The geography of Durotar is similar to that of the orcs’ original homeland of Draenor, which is probably part of the reason why they are so comfortable settling here. The land is dry, baked red by the sun and littered with cacti and watering holes. The landmass itself is a long expanse separated from mainland Kalimdor by the Southfury River. Durotar is south of Azshara. The southern tip of Durotar ends at the Great Sea. The eastern coast is littered with sunken ships and considered to be a prime scavenging spot. The wildlife of the land includes boars, scorpids, raptors, crocolisks, thunder lizards, and makrura.