Northrend

**Northrend** is one of the four known continents of Azeroth. Located in the far north, it is largely an unforgiving land of tundra and mountains, with certain key exceptions. It is also one of the most magically charged areas of Azeroth.

## Major Regions

### Azjol'Nerub

A network of caverns, tunnels, and great chasms lie beneath the icy surface of Northrend, carved by slave

hands and the blood of the native Jormungar. This labyrinth was once the home of the great Empire of Azjol'Nerub prior to its fall to the Undead Scourge, teeming with the endless skittering number of the Nerubians. Now the sinister beauty of the subterranean cities is largely empty, the vast bulk of the inhabitants killed off. A scant handful of Nerubian Remnants struggle to secure a foothold to begin constructing their once vast empire anew.

### The Borean Tundra

A great expanse of volcanically active tundra, the Borean Tundra is home to many of Northrend's tribal creatures. Gorlocs, Taunka, Murlocs, Ogres and Tuskarr all call the region home - as do the Naga of the Riplash Strand, once the seat of a Naga Empire. With the Lich-War over, the region is now a much quieter place than it has ever been. The once contested hill of the southern peninsula is largely silent, the garrisons of Valiance Keep and Warsong Hold rarely mustering more than a glower over their battlements in the vague direction of the other. While the Tuskarr of Kaskala - the religious centre of the walrus-men

    - live as they always have, the Taunka of Taunka'le have yet to return to their homes, and the caves that once bellowed with the roars of magnataur are now silent save for the chittering of their kobold slaves.

The most peculiar place in the Tundra is now almost certainly the frosty beaches possessed by the Winterfin Tribe of murlocs. These intelligent creatures have expanded in the absence of the Scourge and the diminished influence of the Blue Dragonflight, and now roam freely in the strait between the Tundra and the Isle of Coldarra.

### Coldarra

   A deep basin ringed by forbidding cliffs, this mysterious isle is the home of the Blue Dragons and their legendary Nexus, a towering citadel carved from the enchanted ice. A frosty and inhospitable place, Coldarra is not without life. The native frostberries are a delight, and even in the Blue Flight's darkest hour, Dragonkin still roam freely in the isle's hollow depression and Ancients creak through the scant pine forest, leaves whispering secrets to the wind. Unannounced visits are not advised.

### The Crystalsong Forest

A verdant and peaceful woodland on one hand, and a bizarre land of crystalline trees that chime and sing in resonant harmonies with the breeze on the other. The Crystalsong Forest, a hauntingly beautiful land, is the product of powerful and mysterious Dragon magics coupled with the influence of a portal to the Emerald Dream. Here, life clashes with creeping crystals in an eons-old battle. Pure arcane magic runs through the soils and the streams, clashing with the seeping invigorations of the Dream.

Since the end of the war, the Forest has been home to many expeditions by mages and druids alike, seeking to explore its mysteries and unlock its power. The scourge-repellant nature of the heartwood and the ancient Highborne ruins both serve to draw in scavenging parties from across Northrend and even the Eastern Kingdoms, seeking to fortify their homes and castles against the remaining undead or any second Scourging.

Today, in the reclaimed areas of Lordaeron, it is considered very prudent to sink a recovered marble cornerstone for any new structure. In time, the Forest may be left a ruin of what it once was, picked clean of the majestic ruins of Shandaral and pillaged for its crystalline trees.

#### Dalaran

    *For a history of Dalaran, see Dalaran.*

### The Dragonblight

A vast and forbidding expanse of snow, the Dragonblight is dominated by Wyrmrest Temple - and by the bones of a thousand thousand dead dragons.

    This largely flat region is nonetheless far more varied than simple endless plains of wind-driven snow. The mountains in the North harbour the great Taunka city of Icemist and the strange plateau of Wintergrasp, while the West-most extense of the Blight is covered in a resilient forest and dotted with Night Elf ruins.

The Blight saw some of the heaviest fighting in the Lich-War. Between the Battle of the Wrathgate (which saw two thousand Alliance slain) and the Siege of Naxxramas, more dead fought living here than anywhere else in Northrend save for Icecrown itself. Another testament to the struggle between living and dead, New Hearthglen lies today an empty ruin, scoured by the lashing winds and rain of the coast and long picked clean of anything of the slightest value.

### The Grizzly Hills

The home of the great Furbolg city of Grizzlemaw, built in the ruins of Vordrassil, this region is dominated by a vast redwood pine forest

     and by towering mountains along the border with the Howling Fjord. The region is also the site of conflict between Giants and Iron Dwarves, Horde and Alliance forces, and the mercantile logging camp established by the Venture Company.

Bordering the region is the city of Zul'drak, but the great Drak'tharon Keep stands barrier.

### The Howling Fjord

A region of towering cliffs

     and relatively mild temperatures, the Fjords are a green landscape of forests, mountains, and rivers. The site of the great Vrykul hold of Utgarde Keep - the capital of the Dragonflayer Kingdom - and other Vrykul cities, the region was one of the bloodiest battlefields of the War Against the Lich King. With Utgarde Keep today largely empty, the region is increasingly contested by the Tuskarr, Wolvar and Taunka.

### Icecrown

        A bleak expanse of desolate tundra, Icecrown was once covered by a glacier and a great 'sea' of icemelt. Following the rise of the Lich King, these ancient ice-walls were carved away and demolished to expose the barren and frozen soils below - and with them, the ruins of the Vrykul civilization's ancient home, Jotunheim. The exposed spines of the mountains became the site of the Scourge's greatest fortress complex, and the Icecrown left behind by the War bears no resemblance to its former glory. Today, it is a vast wasteland of broken bones and shambling undead, battered Saronite walls, and howling winds.

### The Northern Isles

Located in the farthest northern latitudes of the world, the Northern Isles lie predominantly off the coast of Icecrown and the Storm Peaks. Largely barren and frozen, most of the islands are too small to sustain significant wildlife or major populations. The handful of exceptions are traditionally Tuskarr territory, but in recent years remnant Vrykul populations have increasingly migrated to them in search of isolation and refuge from their enemies.

### The Storm Peaks

Part of the great mountain chain that dominates the Northern edge of the continent, the Storm Peaks is a region of intense and intimidating beauty. Mountains that tower above every other peak on Azeroth pierce the clouds, and ancient Titan ruins lie in the snow-coated valleys, emerging from the ice every spring thaw.

The Peaks are home to the great Titan city of Ulduar,

     and to the related war between the forces of Loken and the Titan loyalists. The mountains echo with the crash of iron on stone even now, as the rallied forces of the Earthen and their giant allies continue to war with the surviving members of Loken's great Iron Army.

Here the Vrykul remain strong in Brunnhildar Village, where many women from the defeated tribes have congregated. In this place, where they never served Arthas, there may yet be a hope for this ancient people's spiritual and cultural rebirth, and a relief from the great depression that has afflicted them since the fall of the Lich.

### Zul'Drak

The great city of the Drakkari trolls, Zul'drak is a marvel of ancient Troll architecture. Though largely fallen into disrepair as the Trolls might crumbled before Scourge forces, the region remains one of the single largest temple-cities in the known world, easily rivalling the great cities of Stormwind and pre-fall Suramar.