The Western Plaguelands are located in
northern Lordaeron, wedged between Tirisfal Glades to the west, the Eastern
Plaguelands to the east, and the Alterac Mountains to the south. It is a
reclaimed portion of the tainted lands of the former Kingdom of Lordaeron,
predominately held by the Argent Crusade, though the land is still haunted by
the remnants of the undead Scourge.
The plague covering the region was mostly
dispelled, thanks to the efforts of the Cenarion Circle. Although life starts
to emerge once again, war still rages in such places as Andorhal and Gahrron's
Withering. After the Battle for Andorhal between the Alliance forces, commanded
by the death knight Thassarian, and the Horde Forsaken, commanded by Sylvanas
Windrunner and the death knight Koltira Deathweaver, the Forsaken manage to
gain control over the city of Andorhal casting out the Alliance and ending any
Scourge presence.
The largest Scourge-controlled area left
here is Caer Darrow, beneath which is an underground complex housing the
undead’s Scholomance. The Argent Crusade is based in their leader's home town,
Hearthglen, which was reclaimed from the hands of now fallen Scarlet Crusade. One
of the most notable places in this region is Uther's Tomb.
History
The area now called the Western Plaguelands
was a beautiful forested farmland east of Tirisfal Glades stretching from
Lordaeron in the west to the Eastweald in the east. The town of Hearthglen was
the seat of the regional administration, while the town of Andorhal was the
center of grain distribution in Lordaeron's Northern provinces.
Knowing that the quickest way to spread the
Plague of Undeath would be via the grain exported from Andorhal, the
necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned infected the grain with the
Plague, and set up four massive plague cauldrons in the fields of the area's
four largest farmsteads. As Lordaeron collapsed, the farmlands and the forests
began to die. The trees in the Plaguelands pulsate with tumor-like growths, and
the needles of the pines are a sickly brown. With the Kingdom collapsed, the
Scarlet Crusade attempted to salvage what little of their lands remained,
taking possession of Mardenholde Keep in Hearthglen as a regional headquarters.
Some time later after the fall of the Scarlet Crusade and the war in Outland,
the fight against the Scourge was brought to Northrend and victory claimed by
the Ashen Verdict, the town of Hearthglen was reclaimed by it's former lord and
the leader of Argent Crusade, Tirion Fordring; it now serves as a main base of
operations and training ground for the Argent Crusaders in Lordaeron.
Despite being where the Plague took hold in
Lordaeron, the Western Plaguelands were in surprisingly better condition
(though still quite dead) than the Eastern Plaguelands. It may be one of the
factors that helped the Cenarion Circle nurse the majority of this land to its
former state.
Getting
there
There are several ways to get there on foot
(or mounted):
From Tirisfal Glades: Follow the main road
east of the Undercity, passing through the Bulwark. Alliance players beware:
Though there are Argent Dawn NPCs there, the Bulwark is a Horde encampment.
Stay on the main road, do not pass into any of the camps.
From the Hinterlands: Between Aerie Peak
and the Quel'Danil Lodge is a narrow pass known as the Plaguemist Ravine. It
runs through the mountains and comes out along Darrowmere Lake, not far from
the gates of Caer Darrow. Horde players beware: Aerie Peak is an Alliance town,
and the high elves of the Quel'Danil Lodge are hostile to Horde players (though
if you are high enough level to enter the plaguelands, these elves should not
pose much of a threat).
From the Hillsbrad Foothills: The main road
leading north from the west of Tarren Mill splits once inside Alterac; one road
leading west to the Ruins of Alterac, the other east to Strahnbrad. Take the
east road through Strahnbrad, and follow it as it curves north, through
Chillwind Point. Follow it north until you enter the Western Plaguelands. Horde
players beware: Though there are Argent Dawn NPCs there, Chillwind Camp
(located almost on the border between WPL and Alterac) is an Alliance
encampment. It is advised to remain on the far right side of the road (the camp
is on the left), to avoid aggroing any Alliance-flagged NPCs.
An alternate path through the Hillsbrad
Foothills is to follow the river north from Sludge Fields to Chillwind Point,
than go north to the road leading to Chillwind Camp, or follow the river all
the way to Darrowmere Lake in the south part of the zone.
The Flight-master in Aerie Peak offers a
one-way trip to Andorhal even for those who have never been to Western
Plaguelands before.
The quest The Battle for Andhoral allows the
player to be teleported to Andorhal once, from Booty Bay.
Geography
The Western Plaguelands contain the
instanced dungeon Scholomance, aimed towards level 40 players. There are no
other dungeons or battlegrounds in this area.
Notable
characters
Darkmaster Gandling
Tirion Fordring
Thassarian
Koltira Deathweaver
Lindsay Ravensun
Quests
See Western Plaguelands storyline
Aid the Argent Crusade and the Cenarion
Circle as they work to further heal the land, but be warned that the Horde and
Alliance conflict has reached the zone as adventures are tasked with aiding
their faction in the Battle for Andorhal.
Wild
creatures
Abominations
Bears
Bog Beasts
Carrion Birds
Foxes
Ghosts
Ghouls
Gnolls
Liches
Mastiffs
Oozes
Shades
Skeletons
Spiders
Wolves
Wraiths
Zombies
In
the RPG
Like their eastern counterparts, the
Western Plaguelands were once fertile and beautiful but are now gray, blighted
and noxious. Once at its border, you can see how the land itself grows darker,
and a baleful shadow seems to engulf the horizon. There are a lot of terrible
stories about these lands so it is advised to travelers to proceed with caution
because even the air is an enemy in this accursed wasteland.
Undead wander the land and haunt the
abandoned towns and farmsteads. The largest Scourge city here is Andorhall,
beneath which is an underground complex housing the undead's School of
Necromancy. The Scarlet Crusade strikes against the Scourge from Hearthglen.
The only place of any sanity in the Western Plaguelands is Uther's Tomb, a
consecrated monument to the fallen hero Uther Lightbringer. The tomb is tended
by the priest Thel'danis and he needs all the help he can get.
History
Once Lordaeron's agricultural center, this
region was one of the first to fall to the Scourge. Since that time, the land
has wasted and blackened, the trees have fallen to corruption and the undead
creatures have tightened their grasp. They wander the landscape and are under
the command of Kel'Thuzad in the east and, ultimately, Arthas the Lich King.
Scourge forces slay all living creatures within their realm.
The Scarlet Crusade also maintains a
presence in the Western Plaguelands albeit they are just as nutty as their
eastern counterparts. They struggle valiantly and foolishly against the Scourge
and send occasional patrols into Tirisfal who end up killed by the Forsaken
dreadlord Varimathras. The Western Crusade is led by Taelan Fordring and a
human priest, High Inquisitor Isillien, who is completely insane, devoted to
destroying all undead and anyone else who may carry the plague — evil or good.
He is a thoroughly unpleasant individual wholly absorbed in his mad, vengeful
campaign who is manipulating Taelin do fulfill his will.
Tirion Fordring, the former Paladin
Governor of the region and father of Taelin, freed an orc prisoner some years
ago and was banished for it. Since then he has been wandering the land lending
help when he can. He is a seasoned warrior and is hoping to rescue his son
before the Scarlet Crusade consumes him.
In an attempt to expand the Scarlet Crusade's
influence, Taelan Fordring led an expedition to retake the small community of
Cinderhome a dozen miles to Hearthglen's east. He and his men slayed the
undead, but before they could bring in settlers and reinforcements, a Scourge
host arrived and laid siege to the village. Tirion Fordring, who observed this
whole endeavor, is worried for his son. He desperately needs heroes to help him
break through the undead line and save the Crusaders within. He hopes to use
this situation as an opportunity to extirpate Taelan from the Crusade's grasp
or, failing that, as a way to prove that not all those who wander the
Plaguelands are evil.
Geography
The Western Plaguelands is a flat, gently
rolling country dotted with abandoned farms and windmills that turn forlornly
in the tainted air. Stands of enormous toadstools mark where trees once stood.
Elevation rises in the south toward the Alterac Mountains, and the Western
Plaguelands' northern border stretches across Lordaeron's coast.
The land resembles the Eastern Plaguelands
in most respects. The earth is gray and sick with blight. The trees are
corrupted and transformed into enormous, spotted mushrooms, and the same toxic
mist that pervades the Eastern Plaguelands haunts this realm as well. Even the
air seems darker. Though the Scourge capital of Stratholme is many miles away,
you can still feel Kel'Thuzad's presence in the land. Undead monstrosities roam
the land and infest the ruined farmsteads that dot this flat landscape. Scarlet
Crusaders fight a hopeless war against the undead.
The Western Plaguelands is west of the
Eastern Plaguelands, east of Tirisfal Glades and north of the Alterac
Mountains. Lordamere Lake borders the region to the southwest.
Notes
The Western Plaguelands used to often see
the inadvertent death of curious new players who venture too far east from
Tirisfal Glades and get killed by one of the high-level beasts near the zone
border. See also Welcome Bear.
Affiliation: The Forsaken, Alliance, Argent
Crusade, The Scourge, Cult of the Damned, Cenarion Circle
Location: Central-northern Lordaeron
PvP status: Contested territory
No comments:
Post a Comment