Redridge Mountains

The **Redridge Mountains** (also known as the **Red Ridge Mountains** or **Redridge Range**)[1] are located east of Elwynn Forest, northeast of Duskwood, and south of the Burning Steppes. Although it may be considered contested, Hordecharacters have no settlements or NPCs and it is thus a place they use mostly for passing through to reach Flame Crestor Stonard.

An idyllic region of rushing rivers, towering elms and rising elevations, the Redridge Mountains are under Stormwind'sprotection, and remain one of the last peaceful regions in Azeroth. Their inhabitants supply Stormwind with timber, fish, and crops. A force of Blackrock orcs from the Burning Steppes has secured Stonewatch Keep, but so far the orcs keep to themselves.[2] In comparison with Westfall, Redridge is still relatively stable.

On the northern bank of Lake Everstill is the Alliance town of Lakeshire, the central hub for this faction's adventurers, offering many services and quests, as well as flight paths. As the town is under constant siege by gnolls and Blackrockorcs, its people are often victim of kidnappings or even killings and can be seen protesting at the Town Hall. Adventurers should use extreme caution around this town.

The enemy-held Stonewatch Keep and Tower of Ilgalar are connected with quests, but are also very dangerous and require a party to handle properly.

The crossroads known as the Three Corners, located in the southwest corner of the zone, connects the town of Lakeshire with Elwynn, Duskwood and, via the Lakeridge Highway, Stonewatch Keep. The highway itself is quite a dangerous place occupied by gnolls, murlocs, and wild animals. There are also a few camps located in Redridge — an orc camp inRender's Valley, Shadow Hide gnoll camps near the Tower of Ilgalar, and murloc camps near the lake. While the lake's surface appears peaceful enough, murlocs reside beneath the waves, and rumours of sightings of a sea monster persist.

## History

Geographically, the Redridge Mountains form the spine of the continent of Azeroth, although its many limbs and valleys have come to be known by separate, often ominous names such as 'Deadwind Pass'[3] and the 'Burning Steppes'. Although claimed by the humans[4], the dwarven Dark Iron clan founded its own kingdom in the northern reaches, fleeing defeat in the War of the Three Hammers. Summoning the Firelord Ragnaros to aid them, their leader Thaurissan inadvertently caused the eruption of a new, immense volcano; Blackrock Mountain. This not only destroyed his clan's new city, but utterly devastated the ecology of northern Redridge, forever leaving it an ash-choked wasteland.

The humans of Stormwind remained dominant in the unblemished southern ranges. Now a much smaller region, the Redridge Mountains were eventually conquered by the Orcish Horde in the First War[5], in which the southern kingdom was forced into exile. The humans eventually returned triumphant and began rebuilding their former holdings. Yet the orcs of the Blackrock and Black Tooth Grin clans would also return, this new "Dark Horde" plaguing the town of Lakeshire from their former stronghold of Blackrock Mountain.

Eventually, the orcs allied with the wicked human warlock Morganth and his Shadowhide gnoll lackeys, and seized the eastern half of Redridge, capturing the human castle of Stonewatch Keep before the events of *World of Warcraft*. Weakened by political turmoil in Stormwind, Lakeshire was left with little military aid to fend off the encroaching orcs until the return of Reginald Windsor.

The region remains heavily contested. Desperate, the people of Redridge seek help from outside sources, recruiting passing adventurers to help in the defense of Lakeshire and the liberation of Stonewatch.

## Geography

The Redridge Mountains contain no dungeons, raid dungeons, or battlegrounds. The micro dungeon Stonewatch can be found in this zone. The Redridge Range stretches from the zone of the Redridge Mountains to the zone of Deadwind Pass.