#wildhammer stronghold

[findmeinshattrath]

Okay so...

To the best of my knowledge, there is only one known NPC in the game who was born in Outland to members of the Sons of Lothar: Caretaker Dilandrus, who watches over the graveyard in Honor Hold. I, however, do not for one second believe that he could possibly be the only one. They were in Outland for over 20 years with no idea if they would ever be able to leave; even with all of the challenges, I think people would end up trying to develop some sort of life in that situation and children wouldn't be an unlikely possibility.

I am so interested seeing more characters like that and learning what life in Outland must've been like. I mean that for all residents of Outland, but the Sons of Lothar are in the unique position of being aliens trapped in an unfamiliar and shattered world that they have minimal experience with and any children they have would have a pretty unique upbringing.

I don't really have many fleshed out head-cannons about this currently, but the few I can think of now are:

Any children that they did have would at least attempt to be taken to be raised in the Allerian Stronghold, which was the only base they had in a remotely healthy landscape and seems like the one with the smallest amount of imminent threats (Honor Hold would become surrounded by demons and Fel Orcs, same for Wildhammer Stronghold plus all the lava, and Kirin'Var was in the most shattered location and had to deal with the mana storms)

Definitely at least had Draenei influence since they started interacting before Draenor even shattered, even if it was a limited capacity initially.

A fair number of hybrid children. I know Blizzard tends to treat this as a rare thing for whatever reason they give, usually some form of fantasy racism, but 20 Years plus a limited pool of potential partners, casual or serious, seems like it would have happened a decent number of times.

[wowlorecraft]

On the evolution of High Elves

"High Elf" as a category no longer applies to the elves of Azeroth. Those who retain the monicker are actively raciating, becoming what we would call Highvale and Light Elves, respectively. These Bel'dorei and Al'dorei practise different arts, eat different foods, adorn their bodies and houses differently, and are beginning to physiologically look different, too. As such, I posit that the term "High Elf" has finally and officially been eclipsed by distinct elven identities and the high elven category has gone entirely dormant as of this writing.

~ Lorekeeper Kalith

No more are the High Elves: In their place stand the Sin'dorei, Blood Elves of the Horde; banished from their ranks are the Ren'dorei, Alliance Void Elves. The Highborn have since become the Night Elves: Alliance Kaldorei, including the Eldorei or Shen'dralar, those who hid in Eldre'Thalas; in Suramar, they have become Nightborne, Shal'dorei, allies with the Horde and cousins of the Nightfallen and Fal'dorei.

Those Kaldorei who were exiled took to the sun and Sunwell instead. The story is well-worn; it is the small, yet fruitful, remnants who maintain their ties with the Alliance that we discuss here:

Quel'dorei, "Children of Noble (lit. high) Birth," made their home in Quel'Thalas at Silvermoon, with their spiritual centre at Quel'Danas, the Sunwell. After the destruction and splintering of their nation, three major splits happened: One sought refuge in their Lodges, the other stayed amongst the Humans and other magi, particularly at Dalaran, and the last went to Draenor.

(Those who made their home in Quel'Lithien have succumbed and become Wretched. Discussion and analysis of the various Wretched and Withered is to come.)

Dalaran, Quel'Danil, and the Allerian Stronghold became centres of High Elven activity within the Alliance. Those of the Kirin Tor and Silver Covenant both distanced themselves from their Blood Elven kin and warmly welcomed back those of the Alliance Expedition. Danassian Elves practise light and arcane magic and are led by Vareesa Windrunner

These Elves have come together and, holding true to their roots when first exiled from the Druidic, moon-worshipping Kaldorei, forged a new name for themselves, one in direct opposition to the Sin'dorei Sunreavers . They have found community in the Human, Gnomish, and other magi of Dalaran and other Alliance cities. Within their ranks are numerous Half-Elven communities, whom they publicly call Shan’are "honoured ones" but privately label Vor'dorei "Children of the Broken."

Danillian Elves, on the other hand, have found community with the Wildhammer Dwarves most especially. In addition, some Draenei have made Quel'Danil their home, and these Highvale Draenei follow the shamanic path first laid by Nobundo, learning to become druids. With Seradane so close, the Wildhammers, Danai,* and Highvale Elves commune with the Kaldorei and Worgen. Thus the Highvale Elves begin to consider themselves a distinct elven nation. In their concordance with the Wildhammers, their bodies (adorned with tattoos) become thicker and more stout, becoming the shortest and widest of elves. Similarly, these Highvale Draenei, or (*) Danai, come to intermix with their neighbours resulting in browner and greener, tattoo'd, and more nature-y space goats

Thus:

Kaldorei - Children of the Stars - Night Elves

Eldorei - Children of Eldre'Thalas - Shan'dralar

Shal'dorei - Children of the Night - Nightborne

Fal'dorei - Children of Falanaar / followers of Aranasi

Sin'dorei - Children of Blood / of the Bloodline - Blood Elves

Quel'dorei - Children of Noble (lit. High) Birth

Some useful Thalassian words:

Quel - High, Noble

Belore - Sun

Alah - Light

Thas - Forest

Danil - ? Peak

(*)For the goats:

-nai = "with / person of a place" e.g., Kurenai, Auchenai)

-dor = settlement (e.g., Talador, Telredor)

Quel'Danil > Danidor (in Draenic, a borrowing) > Danai

(There is no word for mountain in-game in the language, so I did my best with "Danai")

For the Elves...

Highvale Elves: Either keep Quel'dorei for its literal use of "high"/"quel," or transition to Thas'dorei (ew), or Bel'dorei, a shortening of Belore'dorei "Children of the Sun" as both a way to stay true to Sun-worshipping heritage, keep in allied complementary opposition to Kaldorei's Elune worship, and a nod to the new Night Elven home of Bel'Ameth. I convinced myself writing this: Bel'dorei for Highvale Elves

Danassian Elves: These are the elves that still 'shun' nature worship, maintain an arcane practice, and follow the Light. They are spread around, but their capital is Dalaran now. They oppose the Blood Elves but still need to sate their needs and thus still utilize the Sunwell as the font of power it is. They are Children of the Light, or Light Elves, and Alah'dorei or, for short, Al'dorei in Thalassian (now Danassian)

Danai - Those from Danidor (Quel'Danil) - Highvale Draenei

Bel'dorei - Children of the Sun - Highvale Elves

Al'dorei - Children of the Light - Dalarani (&c.) High Elves

[amberesinite]

Shaz’gul / Anguish Fortress --> Wildhammer Stronghold

The Shadowmoon Orcs were once a clan of astrologers, mystics, and seers with close ties to the spiritual world. When the Iron Horde rose up and marched through Shadowmoon Valley into Shaz’gul, the peaceful Shadowmoon clan became caught up in the war, ultimately choosing to fight alongside their fellow Orcs rather than risk their lives by standing against them.

Having nothing to offer the Iron Horde and fearing for his peoples’ lives, Ner’zhul, the Shadowmoon chieftain, called upon a dark and ancient magic bestowed upon his ancestors to raise the dead and create an army for the Iron Horde. Repulsed by his actions, Ner’zhul’s wife, Rulkan, left the Shadowmoon clan with a small following of other Orcs in order to rise against the corruption.

In the current timeline, the ancestral home of the Shadowmoon Orcs has been replaced with a stronghold founded by Kurdran Wildhammer, a Dwarf gryphon rider and one of the Alliance champions who led the expedition into Draenor. Because this stronghold was built from the remains of Shaz’gul and the ancient burial grounds at Anguish Fortress, the land is forever haunted by the ghosts of the fallen Shadowmoon Orcs.

[keladryhawklight]

17 Sep 627 - Present

Aldair arrived the next day, just before noon, his horse blowing softly as he rode into the camp. "Lord Bainscor," he called, waving. His mouth was a hard line. What have they determined to be my fate? she wondered absently, watching him carefully. She was exactly where they had left her, remanded to a small prison tent. It was by no means comfortable, but it was better than nothing. They had at least taken care to give her some dried meat and water-- the only rations they had befitting a living soul. But that was it. Sleep evaded her still-- until she reached the peak, she must survive. Even if it meant watching the Ebon knights that prowled the camp. It was disconcerting to her, being amongst the dead. Set her very soul on edge. She watched them, but try as she might, she simply could not read his face. Bainscor's head came up as Aldair dismounted, waiting for his subordinate to join him. They conferred quietly, casting glances her way. Her lips moved, forming silent words as they parried words.

Light, oh glorious Light-

I feel your courage within whilst I traverse this darkened path,

I beseech you now when my path seems overwhelmed-

lead me not into darkness-- deliver me safely from this evil,

Lead unto the fortress of safety, the towering Peak,

Where mine enemies cannot breach,

Let me live in the warmth of your sanctuary,

Safe, in the comforting bask of your glow.

A snarl escaped Bainscor and he turned towards her with a glower. What that meant, she had no idea. "Well well Hawklight," he hissed, coming right up before her. "It seems fate has smiled upon you today." His voice dropped, infused with a chill that set the hair on her arms on edge. "We ride to the Peak. You are to be held in the mountains."

They.. what? Her heart beat heavily, a slow thud as she struggled to understand. "To the Peak..?"

"Yes," he hissed, gripping her by the arms. Yanking her upright in an uncouthly jerk, she had to smother a quiet whimper as a jolt of pain shot through her leg. "The Wildhammer fools have agreed to house you in their dungeons. It seems the living have no inkling of the undead blight."

She inhaled sharply as they all but dragged her towards a wagon waiting outside. Little had she noticed, but during the conversations, the camp had managed to ready itself for movement in moments. They bustled, packing and preparing with practiced ease. It seemed they had in little time, erased their presence from the area before they finally moved. By nightfall, they passed under the gates leading up to the Aerie. The great face of the Wildhammer Gryphon loomed over the lands, lit by the flickering of torches along the mountainside road.

"Prisoner for isolation," Aldair hissed at an inquisitive guard who approached.

"Aye, tha's the one then," the guard nodded. Indicating to a point not far into the city, he explained. "Been expectin' ye. Head on down tha' way'n ask fer Seamor Stonefeather. He's tha' one tha'll look after this one fer tha' next fortnight."

Aldair nodded, flipping the reins to set the steeds back in motion. He had no answer to offer the dwarf.

Aerie Peak was silent, it's denizens withdrawn into their mountain stronghold. It had been over a year since Kel had been here last, but the changes were felt. The city used to be so welcoming, cheerily lit for all travellers taking their respite in the arms of the fabled dwarven hospitality. The sound of hooves clopping along the dirt path was muffled. There were no folk about that evening, save their wagon. It was as if the mountain itself knew what horrors touched it's lands.

"One fer the dungeon then?" came the quietly whispered question from just ahead of them. "She's tha' one we've been waitin' on?"

She could only assume this was Seamor Stonefeather, their warden of the under-mountain dungeon. Standing about four feet, he was barrel chested, with a no-nonsense look about him. His beard was wild, flaming red with beaten metal beads woven into the strands. Rings of blue circled his wrists, biceps and neck, while the the dips and swirls curled under his shirt.

"Yes," Aldair acknowledged. "In the back. She is yours now."

He nodded. "Lass, come along," he stood aways from her, eyeing her carefully. Distrust and disgust filled his face. "Outta the cart with ye, and inta the cell inside. S'fer yer own good, y'understand."

"Ah, yes.." Kel murmured, sliding down gingerly from the cart. Her leg protested the movement fiercely, a hot spear of pain shifting through her bones. Her face whitened and her fingers clutched at the side of the wagon for the briefest of moments. Two of the Ebon Knights grasped her by the arms and lifted her just barely off the ground, dragging her through the entryway to the under-mountain.

"A fortnight ye'll be down here. Yer to remain quiet'n keep t'yerself. Not tha' ye'll have much of an option to make friends. Yer in isolation. Fer all we know, yer a bloody blighter, jes like tha' rest'a them comin' outta tha' south. The Wildhammers won't have ye muckin' up our home with yer contamination. We'll see ye taken of, but yer to remain in confinement. Yer a prisoner fer now, naught more. Y'understand?" His words were harsh. A prisoner of the Wildhammers? They used to be welcoming. What has happened in these Northern lands to produce such a response? Her thoughts spun out dizzily, spitting out question after question as they walked. Her fever was back, clouding thoughts as quickly as they came.

"Ah.." she breathed. "Sir Stonefeather? Will you pass a message for me? Please, send word south."

He shook his head as they walked. "No, I canna. The pass is blocked, and 'tis too dangerous fer our people to roam. Ye'll have t'wait 'till the dangers passed, lass."

"Please," she asked again. "Please send word south. I.. I.." What could she do? These weren't humans. Dwarves had an entirely different set of values. She doubted they'd take a bribe even if she did have the money to offer. And the Ebon knights certainly didn't have a care for it. "I.. please. Send word to a Sergeant Sandor in Stromgarde." Her voice dropped to a low plead. At least send word to him. Give him hope that she was alive. She couldn't imagine what turmoil he must be feeling.

"Sorry lass. The answer is no, and remains no."

The word was final. She was a prisoner, simple as that.

[gaminghardware0]

Come see WoW’s Stormwind City rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4

While most of the Alliance is busy exploring a somewhat retro version of Stormwind City in WoW Classic, one fan has been considering a more up-to-date version of the human capital. In their most recent video, YouTuber Daniel L has recreated the Alliance stronghold in Unreal Engine 4.

The fly-through video (which you can check out for yourself further down this article) opens on Daniel L’s take on the Valley of Heroes, with Alleria Windrunner, Archmage Khadgar, Kurdran Wildhammer, Danath Trollbane, and General Turalyon looking out over Stormwind. In the distance, the towering spire of the Cathedral of Light can be seen.

From there, the video takes a more microscopic view of Stormwind, winding along between the city’s taverns and merchant houses. It’s a hugely impressive level of detail, with everything from cobbled streets to creeping vines, from tankards on the tables of quietly-lit inns to Alliance banners hanging from windows and ramparts.

View the full site

RELATED LINKS: WoW Classic leveling guide, WoW Classic guide for new players, WoW Classic servers list from https://www.pcgamesn.com/world-of-warcraft/wow-stormwind-city-unreal-engine

[anthai-of-stormwind]

Unprepared Pt. 3

The wind howled around her as Lauren clung tightly to the gryphon flying her to Icecrown Citadel. She didn't care much for flying in any case and even less for her destination. It had been so long since she and Kem and Khazarath had been a part of the assault on the Citadel, but the memories of fallen comrades - those who had been under her protection - clawed at her like the chill of Northrend's heart.

The Citadel itself came into view as they began the descent from Dalaran. Its saronite spires pierced the sky, promising pain and death to any mortal foolish enough to dare its heights. Lauren glanced at Kem to avoid looking down, seeing the dwarf riding straight in her saddle with a giant grin on her face. Must be that hint of Wildhammer blood, Lauren thought wryly.

The gryphons landed a short ways out from the base of the Citadel, understandably not wanting to get too close. The paladins dismounted, Kem petting her gryphon reassuringly. "Ready?" she asked Lauren.

"Not even in the slightest," Lauren said. She strapped on her shield and drew her sword. Normally, she'd have her father's hammer with her, but it was too heavy to be wielded in one hand. Light, but she wished her father was with her - alive, not just in spirit. She forced down the memories and focused on the mission.

The pair approached carefully. The front gate was open, broken since the assault all those years ago, and they stepped inside. Within, the Citadel was tomb-silent and in disrepair. It was apparent no one had returned to this place since the fall of the Lich King. No one would want to. Any treasures within would have been acquired by the heroes who'd slain Arthas, and the possibility of stray Scourge or just simply the feel of cold death permeating the stronghold was enough to keep even the hardiest adventures away.

"Falstad's beard, can ye feel that, Lauren?" Kem said in a voice as hushed as if she'd been in a church. "The...wrongness of this place. 'Tis as if nothing alive has ever been allowed here."

"I don't think you're wrong," Lauren said, equally as quiet. "But Khazarath said there was...something. I wonder if--"

Lauren didn't have the chance to finish her sentence. The fortress rumbled, and great jets of ice erupted from the walls, barring the way forward. Lauren jumped back, calling on the Light to raise a sacred shield of light around her, protecting her from the deadly blast.

A shape formed within the wall of screaming ice, becoming a bluish-white figure of an armored man. Lauren recognized him.

"...Magroth?" Lauren said, incredulous. The spirit of Magroth, defender of Lordaeron, who'd died at Arthas' hands in the Third War, nodded once.

"I am Magroth who was," the spirit said. "You cannot be here, Lauren Kensington, nor you, Kem Redbraid. This prison of ice is no place for the living. It is his will. It cannot be denied."

"His..." Kem said, eyes widening in horror. "The Lich King? Light have mercy, is that bastard Menethil still alive?"

"Arthas Menethil is dead, and more than dead," the spirit replied. "Frostmourne consumed his soul, as it consumed mine. Mine and so many others." The spirit seemed to struggle for a moment, as if he was holding something back. The Citadel rumbled again. "I beg you both, flee. What lies within Icecrown is not meant for you. He does not want you here. Flee, lest he imprison your souls in death as well."

"Magroth, please, what is happening? Why are you here? Who is 'he'?" Lauren begged. None of this made any sense. The Lich King was dead, she knew he was dead, she hadn't seen it happen but Tirion had assured them all...

...Tirion...

...Tirion wasn't around these days, was he?

The spirit grew desperate. "Lauren, please! Leave now, I can't--" The ice flashed white and screamed, enveloping the spirit as if it had been angered. Beneath them, the ground began to break apart as dozens upon dozens of Scourge broke free and hurled themselves mindlessly at the paladins.

Lauren and Kem reacted instinctively, the former shouting a battle cry as fingers of holy light lashed out from her body and destroyed the closest few undead, the latter swinging her huge two-handed blade in a divine storm of destruction.

"I thought the Scourge were gone!" Kem shouted as she decapitated a slavering ghoul.

Lauren prayed quickly to consecrate the ground beneath her, the light pulsing out in waves to send the Scourge to true death. "I don't know what's happening!" she shouted back. Righteous fury filled her veins as she taunted an abomination away from her fellow paladin. "Something's wrong, there shouldn't be this many..."

But there were. Wave after wave of undead attacked the pair, unceasing, the stench of death making Kem gag. They started a slow retreat back out the gate, but the Scourge were everywhere, surrounding them, blocking the exit. Whoever "he" was who Magroth had spoken of, he wasn't going to allow them to live. Lauren was strong and could hold out for a very long time, but she wasn't invulnerable.

She and Kem were going to die here.

Not here, not like this, Light please don't let me become a Scourge, please give me peace when it happens, don't let me please oh please oh Light oh Father...

Lauren braced herself, determined to go out fighting, afraid for Kem, preparing one final burst of holy wrath.

Before she could unleash it, the ground erupted in flames, incinerating the undead and obliterating them completely. Lauren raised her shield, both she and Kem raising divine barriers around them against the overwhelmingly destructive fires that burned the Scourge to ash all around them.

"Hey, girlfriend. Bad time?"

The smoke cleared slightly, the ground still glowing red-hot as a familiar woman stood in front of them, rimmed in flame and wielding a magnificent Sin'dorei blade.

"Anthai?" Lauren said incredulously.

[xabidar]

World of Warcraft - Allied Races

Everyone seems to be doing it, so here’s my list of “Allied Races” I would love to see in World of Warcraft.

Frostwolf Orcs - After the intense fighting between the Forsaken and Gilneans in Silverpine Forest, a pack of feral worgen flee into the Alterac Mountains and Valley - and into the Frostwolf’s territory, spreading their terrible curse. Basically worgen for the Horde, but they turn back into orcs instead of humans. They would be able to be shamans of course, to help differentiate them from Alliance worgen. I imagine their opening quests would involve the Frostwolf stronghold getting attacked by the feral worgen and perhaps Drek’Thar could be given the proper warrior’s death he deserves. Also orc druids!

Eredar - With their leaders dead, the scattered remnants of the Eredar people are attempting to regroup and move on with their lives. Perhaps there was a more “fence sitting” group of Eredar that were never fully committed to the Burning Legion’s ideals, but were attempting to sabotage them from the inside. Now their charade is over, but the Draenei and Lightforged will have nothing to do with them, so they turn to the Horde for help. They can of course be warlocks and I would imagine not paladins or priests. They would mostly have red skin tones to fit in better with the Horde “aesthetic” and fit in nicely with the contrast of the blue draenei in the Alliance. It also fits the Japanese yōkai folklore of red oni vs blue oni.

High Elves - C’mon, people want ‘em, put them in. I mostly play Horde and I’d still love to see the Alliance get them. Yeah sure, we already have a bunch of playable elves, but... so? They’re obviously popular, so why not?

Wildhammer Dwarves - Same as High Elves, it just feels “right” to make them playable. Does the Alliance need three races of Dwarves? The three clans exist in lore, so sure, why not? Give them some cool tattoo designs or something. Maybe let them be druids too, to help them feel different?

Taunka - They’d need to make a unique female model, which which isn’t currently in-game. I just like the idea of snow bison and they’re basically already a part of the Horde, we just don’t see them anywhere.

Tuskarr - This one is more of a stretch, but I’d love some neutral Tuskarr. Just reskin the pandaren models and boom, playable Tuskarr.

Other Races - Ogres, Furbolgs, Broken, Jinyu, Hozen, Arakkoa, Cenarius's Children (dryads), Ethereals, Vrykul, Naga, and Murlocs (and many others) are all wonderful ideas for playable races, but not as allied races. The whole point of Allied Races was that they are all more or less quick reskins of the current playable races. Each of these would require extensive work to make them playable, with new animations. I think they’d be much better suited as full-on new races, not just reskins for already existing races.

[wowlorecraft]

Gnomish, Dwarvish, and Human leaders come together to discuss this for two purposes. The first is in the interest of Allied security. Troop and goods movement is integral in wartime, and it is pertinent to rebuild strong and fast after the last war

The second is national integration into the Alliance and straight up basic diplomacy. Dark Irons see opportunity in the Gnomish desire to fully and finally reinhabit Gnomeregan and request an extension to Shadowforge City. Fearful of the Horde's potential access to such a weak point, in this time of peace, the Alliance (through a network of spies and connections) find that the Blackrock Orcs, recently sated by the recent Kosh'arg and lead by Eitregg, a fellow Blackrock, would stay away from such a project so long as there are joint-rebuilding efforts. These would see Dark Irons, Blackrocks, and Black Drakes working together (not at all in a lovey-dovey hippy way) to rebuild and, indeed, beautify the mountain

--

Edit: With the terminus of the Aerie Peak line at Kirthaven coming into such close quarters with the Dragonmaw Orcs, Eitregg pacifies the unrest across the clans by reaching out to Gazlowe and the Bilgewater Cartel in order to contract a similar rail line, connecting Goblin, Troll, Tauren, and Orc centres on Kalimdor.

The unrest cannot be fully quelled, and this leads to conflicts Azeroth's champions can participate in. However, the expansion of the Grimrail is done in a sort of dick-measuring arms race: Between Horde and Alliance, between Gnome and Goblin, between Orc and Troll and Dwarf and Human, et cetera

--

With such a success, the Alliance start working on the second phase, bridging the span by connecting Stromgarde through Dun Algaz. The Stormpikes lead the charge, ever suspicious of the Dark Iron fraternization with the Orcs. However, while the Raventusk Trolls are (/wish to be) content in their village, the Vilebranches come to attack the construction happening across the Span. This speeds up the construction process but provides a constant PvP zone in Arathi Highlands (recalling back the olden days)

Reaching Stromgarde, the Wildhammers, Danillian Elves, and the Half Elves conspire with the Gilneans to extend the Tram both west- and north-ward. For the Alliance, this connects the two major continental ports and provides aerial manoeuvrability via the Wildhammers and increasingly sky-bound High Vale Elves

However, Durnholde has never been a stable stronghold, and its station frequently comes under attack by the Alteraci Syndicate (PvP n.2); likewise, Southshore both evolves and devolves into again a stand-off (with great peace potential) with the Forsaken.

This next bit is straight-up headcanon fiction: The extension through Southshore into Gilneas goes through Dun Modr, which gets cleaned up but requires the assistance of Calia Menethil. There, the spirits of Dwarves and Humans are restless (yadda yadda) request to be Lightborne undead. However, the Forsaken feel they have the right to that land (yadda yadda) PvP n.3 in Hillsbrad

[amberesinite]

Lunarfall --> Shadowmoon Village

Initially a grove of trees and some scattered ruins, the area south of the Tanaan Channel became home to the Alliance Garrison, Lunarfall, following the expedition into Draenor.

In contrast to Shaz’gul, the Orcish village which became the Alliance-aligned Wildhammer Stronghold, in the current timeline, the location of the Alliance Garrison in Shadowmoon Valley is now home to the Horde settlement of Shadowmoon Village.

While many became corrupted under the Burning Legion, the remaining Orcs that retained their humanity and reformed the Horde now reside within Shadowmoon village.