Output >> "Hello, Azeroth" >> openRP();

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Table of Contents

ACCESSING: HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

At the fall of a world past, the Titan Pantheon realized their cycle could not continue as it was. The Destroyer led his burning crusade across the stars, razing planets barely past their infancy. The Pantheon could not turn chaos to order if every victory was inevitably doomed to defeat. Before a primordial world, one that would come to be known as Azeroth, they considered casting it aside. What worth was a planet, already corrupted at its core, to be the herald of a new cycle? Yet, they would find its merit, in the forging of a world that could withstand both the evils in its own heart and those that clawed at the verge of the Nether.

The Titans descended and vanquished the legions of warring elementals and sealed their chaotic puppeteers, the Old Gods. With the advent of a new dawn, they strode upon the surface to remake the world. However, unlike those they had previously forged, they would not settle for a picturesque landscape for the seed races to develop. These mortals would need more. The Pantheon worked tirelessly, crafting a world built upon the latent magic running through its veins. Unfortunately, despite the power it afforded, its instability rendered it largely uninhabitable. They scoured their work, and atop it raised one based upon their own machinery.

Once more, their experiments failed. The world of pure technology could not be sustained, and would inexorably sputter and expire. The Pantheon wiped clean the slate, and came to the conclusion that to achieve the ideal they strove for, they must combine their methods. Idyllic nature and complex technology must be woven together by the threads of arcane, a triptych that would become the foundation for the new world order.

They crafted one continent, christened Kalimdor, upon which the seed races could grow, and at its center stretched a vast font of magic, energy, and data—the Well of Eternity. Satisfied with what they had wrought, the Pantheon concluded by bestowing the infant world their final gifts. The cities from which they worked became laden with the Titan’s own technology. The races they carved from earth and iron would guard these caches diligently, to open the doors when the mortals needed them most.

Then, they empowered the primordial leviathans, the dragons; to mentor the races and teach them to use the technology they had been permitted. Five dragonflights rose above their brethren to answer the call. To the Bronze, and their father Nozdormu, was given dominion over time to preserve its verity. To the Green, and their matriarch Ysera, was accorded stewardship of the Dream, a digital realm born of the prototype worlds the Titans discarded. To the Blue, and their sire Malygos, was entrusted the jurisdiction of magic to ensure its stability. To the Black, and their patriarch Neltharion, was granted control of technology to avoid its disrepair. Finally, to the Red, and their queen Alexstrasza, was bestowed the preservation of life and nature.

With their work completed, the Pantheon departed the newborn world, assured that the failsafe they had left behind would annihilate their creation should it fall beyond redemption. Unfortunately, even the best preparations can fall short.

Sargeras was drawn to Azeroth, like a moth to a flame, by the pure energy of the Well of Eternity. Though the Titans had built the defenses of the world thick, they could not safeguard against the sins of mortals. Playing upon the vanity and greed of Kalimdor’s radiant queen, the Fallen Titan convinced Azshara to herald him into the world. With the aid of the decadent Highborne, the Burning Legion launched an unsuspected invasion upon the planet crafted to keep them at bay. The War of the Ancients had begun. Rising up, the lower caste kaldorei took the demons by surprise with their cultivated cybernature and command of technology. However, despite the Legion’s defeat, the pride of the Light of Lights still tore Azeroth asunder.

All the while, the Old Gods proved that their influence would not be suppressed by the mere walls of their prisons. Sullying the work of the Titans, the eldritch beings afflicted the Pantheon’s servants with flesh, corroding their noble forms of stone and metal. Soon after, whispering madness to the patriarch of the technology whose creators they so loathed, they corrupted Neltharion into a monstrosity. Now known as Deathwing, the Black Aspect and his brood became cybernetic horrors, and bathed in the blood of their former kin.

The single landmass of Kalimdor was now shattered continents, adrift around the chaotic Maelstrom. Divided and scattered, the races of the world built up their civilizations. The western continent, keeping the name of its progenitor, became the home of the night elves and the tauren, both of whom embraced the mystique of the Dream and caring for the world’s augmented flora. Across the sea, the Eastern Kingdoms was inhabited by the dwarves and gnomes, races born from the Curse of Flesh and masters of technology, and the high elves, who split from the kaldorei for their love of magic rather than nature. The frozen realm of Northrend, near the crown of Azeroth, was home to the vrykul, whose flesh was once iron, and who would become the forebears of humanity. The troll homeland of Zandalar was fragmented into several empires, all which rejected technology as blasphemous.

During this time, the sane dragons of Azeroth did not abandon the charge the Titans had given them. They continued to guide the mortals, often living amidst the races in order to better teach and mentor them. The dragons had the wisdom to understand the demons had merely been defeated, not destroyed. The Burning Legion would return.

Their foresight proved true in an age when humans had dominated the Eastern Kingdoms. In the depths of a shadowed morass, a prophet possessed by Sargeras tore open a gateway to a primitive world. From beyond came a horde of the Legion’s newest servants, a green skinned race of warriors known as orcs. Infused with the blood of demons and armed with fel charged machinery, the orc army swept over the Kingdom of Azeroth and cut a bloody swath through the unprepared human nation. The southern Eastern Kingdoms fell under orcish rule, as human refugees fled from their burning cities to seek aid against the barbaric menace.

The kingdom of Lordaeron heard the plight of the refugees and forged an alliance between the other human nations. All save Gilneas, who chose to lock itself away and stand alone, and Alterac, who believed they could not win, joined forces with the dwarves of Khaz Modan to scour the orcs from the ruins of Azeroth. At the same time, the orcish horde discovered an ancient artifact, known as the Dragon Soul, that contained a virus programmed by Neltharion in the initial throes of his madness, and used it to enslave Alexstrasza. Despite the advantage of subjugated red drakes, the orcs were defeated and the survivors were cast into internment camps across Lordaeron.

For the orcs’ failure, the Legion cast the spirit of one of their shamans, Ner’zhul, into the frozen heart of Northrend to play a new part in their crusade. The Lich King, as he was now called, crafted a plague born not of technology to ravage the nation of Lordaeron. The dead rose, claiming countless lives to bolster their own ranks as they descended upon the kingdom. In pursuit of justice, Lordaeron’s prince traveled north, but fell prey to his own desire for vengeance and swore service to the Lich King, destroying his own people and the quel’dorei. His former companion, a sorceress, went west at the behest of the prophet who started it all, following the path of a former orc slave who freed his people from their imprisonment. Together, their forces came to the aid of the kaldorei, whose forests were under siege by demons. That eve, three armies made a final stand at the base of the world tree, Nordrassil, to destroy the demon lord Archimonde. They succeeded.

In the aftermath of the Third War, nations fell, others rose, and some rebuilt.

For the time, the Titan’s creation has kept the Destroyer at bay, though the day will come when the Legion will finish nursing its wounds once more. Yet, the shining surface of this cybernetic world hides a permeating squalor and the tribulations it wrestles with amongst its own quarreling inhabitants.

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LOADING…

The man’s face was lit by a sickly green glow, the only source of illumination in the otherwise dark room. It highlighted the sweat drop sliding down his nose, despite the fact that the room was currently almost freezing. In his immediate vicinity, the hum and whirr of gigantic fans permeated the background. In the darkness around him, lights blinked on and off, while numbers scrolled up the screen in front of him.

He glanced behind him, then back at his screen. It was close, so close. The numbers began to slow, then stopped. In front of his disbelieving eyes, a message popped up.

Access Granted

The man let out a triumphant gasp, and reached his hand forward to press the button, to download the files. He knew someone who would pay through the nose for what was on this computer. He’d never have to live from job to job again. All the food, women and drugs that he could want.

Well, at least until he blew through it all.

He pressed the button, and the computer began to dump its contents into the memory implant, located on the backside of his brain, just above his long term memory node. As the last file blinked into place, the door slammed open. The man turned in horror, just in time to see three Stormwind Peace Corp officers piling into the server room. The man turned and began to run, pounding up a flight of stairs and into the lobby of an expensive, upstanding looking firm. The secretary got to her feet, screaming, as he slammed through the glass front of the building and out into the street.

The officers came tearing up the stairs a moment later and out into the building. They quickly split, forming a search, but it was hopeless.

The man was gone.

The man bent over, panting raggedly. He glanced left and right, but the alleyway was empty.

Well, it was empty when he reached there. No longer, however. Even as he watched, the shadows of the alley stretched forward, darkening into pure blackness. Blue and white lines erupted around the shadow, and a figure stepped forth. He wore a blue and grey striped tank top, with dark red shorts and a cap over curly brown hair. That wouldn’t be too weird, except for the fact that one arm had been replaced by a long, dark grey prosthetic. That, too, wouldn’t be too odd, especially not on the streets of Stormwind.

However, it was lined with spiked, jagged, curved runes of blue, black and white. Runes that hadn’t been seen in decades.

“You have it?” he asked.

“Of course,” the man replied, standing up straight and watching warily. “You have the money.”

“Yeah,” he replied, holding up a card. “Exactly what you asked for.”

“Really?” the man asked, not daring to believe.

“Really,” he said with a grin. “Trust me, you’ll be as rich as a king for the rest of your life.” He held out his arm, the metal one, palm up. The man stepped forward and pressed a finger to his forehead. Green energy, taking the form of symbols, far too many to read at once, flowed into the palm of the metal hand. As soon as the flow stopped, he clenched his fist, absorbing the light into his arm. With his other hand, he handed the man the card. “Pleasure.”

The man nodded and made to run from the alley. As he turned, however, the world turned sideways.

Wait.

He was turned sideways.

The man gasped as the other bent over and tugged the card from his hand. “Sorry, mate,” he said apologetically, crouching down by the man’s head. “I feel bad about this. I really do. But I can’t have any loose ends, you know?”

Whistling, he tucked the card into his pocket and melted into the wall.

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RETRIEVING: GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

KALIMDOR

AZUREMYST ISLES

In the waters off the northwestern coast of Kalimdor lies an archipelago known as the Azuremyst Isles. The central, largest island of Azuremyst provides the namesake, and is home to a diverse array of plant and wildlife alongside a crumbling elven ruin that stands on the southern shoreline. As a result, Silvermyst, a small island just off the south coast of Azuremyst, has been transformed into a research center where kaldorei druids and biologists are studying the local ecosystem. It also doubles as a small port so supplies can be sent to and from the mainland.

The northern island of Silvergale is only slightly smaller than its southern neighbor. Before the Sundering, it was the location of an ancient Highborne city. Within the walls of Loreth’Aran were based a group of dragon riders, blessed by Ysera herself to ride upon the backs of her brood. However, during the War of the Ancients, the black dragonflight razed Loreth’Aran to the ground. Today, the derelict city stands dark, its power long since drained, and haunted by the ghosts of the kaldorei riders and the spirits of both emerald and obsidian dragons.

DARKSHORE

Though most of Kalimdor’s northern coastline is treacherous, rocky crags, one area, Darkshore, levels out into grainy beaches. Auberdine, the region’s city, sprawls across the shoreline and provides the night elves with numerous docks. Unfortunately, in the shadow of its betters, Auberdine is a destitute district of barely maintained residences located on uneven terrain, the dwelling place of elves only just managing to earn their livelihood with the business from the expansive harbor.

To the north of Auberdine reside the Highborne ruins of Bashal’Aran, which is currently being used as housing much to the chagrin of researchers, and Mathystra, a desolate city where Sentinels are currently fighting naga for control. To the south of Auberdine are the ruins of Ameth’Aran, where historians are failing to evict squatters from the premises. The Grove of the Ancients, in southern Darkshore, is a secluded clearing where druids commune with the dormant ancients. Nearby, is a quarantined area known only as the Master’s Glaive, where a dead aberration lies sunken in the ground.

MOONGLADE

After the decimation of Felwood, Moonglade was cut off from conventional travel when its only land passage was sealed off. Now, the enigmatic, secluded grove is even more mysterious, even to its own people. Though the city of Nighthaven spans the entire region, its only inhabitants are druidic trainees, their mentors, and the staff needed to maintain the city’s sizeable network of datacenters.

In the center of Moonglade rests the vast Lake Elune’ara, a wellspring of information that also has the anomalous effect of weakening the veil between reality and the Dream. To take advantage of this rift, beneath the surface of Nighthaven spans an extensive system of vaults. Within, elder druids rest in life sustaining pods so they may freely enter the Dream to speak with its spirits and study its depths.

WINTERSPRING

The frozen land of Winterspring, though often beautiful, is a perilous environment. In order to protect the most important districts of their city from freezing blizzards, the upper echelons of Starfall erected a magical barrier around the heart of the city. Unfortunately, the outlying boroughs remain beyond the barrier’s reach and at the mercy of bitter storms.

When Kalimdor was found by the eastern races at the end of the Third War, they began diversifying the population of many elven cities—though none as greatly as Starfall’s. Most notably, a large populace of goblins has set up shop in a section of the city, and has taken to calling it the Everlook Quarter.

As Starfall takes up the good majority of northern and central Winterspring, the southern region is far more desolate. The Highborne ruins of Kel’Theril sit just beside the outskirts of Starfall, but are haunted by the lamenting souls of the former city, who jealously guard the relics and artifacts within. At the southernmost reaches is the Darkwhisper Gorge, a blackened, twisting ravine giving refuge to an abandoned splinter of the Legion army.

FELWOOD

Formerly an upper class suburb of modern kaldorei society, the city of Jaedenar was ravaged by the actions of Illidan Stormrage after the demon hunter consumed the skull of Gul’dan. The demonic energies that were unleashed as a result overloaded the city, obliterating countless lives and leaving nothing but a husk of its former glory behind. The night elves, hurrying to contain the situation, quarantined the region by cutting off access from Moonglade and Ashenvale.

Now, pieces of elven technology, haywire on fel magic, rampage through the derelict streets and massacre anything in their path. The heart of the city of Jaedenar, a section of Highborne ruins that sheltered the entrance to a druidic vault, is now inhabited by demons and cultists who surmounted the challenge of gaining entrance to the cordoned off region.

HYJAL

The pinnacle of elven civilization resides at the summit of the world, basking beneath the boughs of the world tree Nordrassil. Despite the extensive damage that Nordrassil suffered during the battle that defeated Archimonde, kaldorei druids took up the challenge of repairing the world tree. With the aid of the dragons, who renewed their original blessings upon the crown of the heavens, Nordrassil survived its wounds, and would remain the centerpiece of a rebuilding society.

Hyjal, the kaldorei capital, sprawls across the entirety of the mountain that gives the city its name. Though some sections of the city are still in disrepair following the second demonic invasion, the majority has been diligently restored. The city is powered by the fount in which Nordrassil’s roots are steeped, a spring born from a vial of the original Well of Eternity. This constant flow of power and information indulges a decadent lifestyle amidst the aristocratic night elves of Hyjal, reminiscent of the Highborne they once loathed.

Within districts of the city lay shrines dedicated to the druidic ancients: Goldrinn, Aviana, Aessina, Malorne, and Tortolla. The Dream easily bleeds into reality from these areas, making them ideal locations for interacting with spirits from the Dream, though they are protected from any binding attempts by the druids who guard the shrines. Of the five shrines, Goldrinn’s is the only one not taken care of by night elves, but rather by orcs and trolls.

AZSHARA

When Azeroth was sundered, entire cities of ancient elven society were lost to the churning depths of the sea. However, remnants still stand atop the fragments of the world. This is most prevalent in Azshara, an area that was once the crown of Highborne civilization, and holds the ruins of a mere fraction of Zin-Azshari, which still dominates the region. Within the dilapidated buildings, impoverished kaldorei live on top of the relics of a bygone era.

Amidst the ruined structures are also the decaying shrines of ancients whose names and aspects have been lost to time. Some of these archaic shrines were built atop the temples of trolls, and the hostile loa spirits are unwelcoming of the trespassing elven tenants. Alongside the Dream spirits who have drifted through the veil, and the tethered ghosts of deceased Highborne, Azshara is a haunted city inhabited out of necessity.

ASHENVALE

The region of Ashenvale rests beneath the high court of Hyjal but above the poverty stricken districts of Azshara and Darkshore. Beneath a shroud of eternal twilight rests the expansive, ethereal city of Astraanar that stretches across most of Ashenvale. The western section of the suburb that resides along the coast is currently under siege by naga. On the opposite side of the city, the orcs have occupied the southwestern districts of Astraanar as a blessing from Goldrinn. However, the night elves are actively against the decision and are trying to expel the orcs from Ashenvale.

Unfortunately for the orcs, they are not only opposed head on by the Sentinels, but also being flanked by a pair of dreadlords who have based themselves in Demonfall Canyon. To the northeast is a secluded grove known only as the Bough Shadow. Within this clearing stands one of the four Dream portals, beams of light that allow any soul to physically enter the Dream.

STONETALON MOUNTAINS

At the far outskirts of kaldorei territory, marked by the Stonetalon Mounatains, there reside more ruins than people. The treacherous landscape of impassible cliffs and steep peaks is scattered with the husks of numerous Highborne cities. At the northern tip of the region, atop Stonetalon Peak, a kaldorei research base has been created out of an old elven facility so that historians and researchers may remain in arm’s reach of the ruins.

Other races have attempted to stake a claim in the relics the derelict structures may be hiding. A group of orcs and trolls have erected a makeshift base, Sun Rock Retreat, from which to begin digging. At the same time, the goblin run Venture Company has begun demolishing the ruins in Windshear Crag in their reckless pursuit of ancient artifacts.

DUROTAR

After the orcs secured their freedom, they found themselves inhabiting the barely hospitable region of Durotar. Undeterred by the challenge of forging a society in the barren wasteland, the orcs built their capital of Orgrimmar across the land. The surface of the city appears surprisingly bare, with squat, fortified buildings surrounding fields of cultivated plant life, both their homeworld’s flora and Azeroth’s cybernature, the orcs use in their biochemical experiments. However, these structures extend beneath the surface into an enormous underground city of laboratories, factories, and training fields.

One quarter of Orgrimmar is the home of a group of Alterac and Arathi hackers and soldiers who helped the orcs escape their internment camps. Having earned the respect of the orcs, these humans followed the warriors west to Kalimdor, and have been helping them understand how to modify the weapons they were given by the Legion and create new ones.
Off the southern coast of Durotar are a group of jungle islands known as the Echo Isles. Here, the Darkspear trolls practice using technology in defiance of their race’s creed with a promise of protection from the orcs.

THE BARRENS

The savannah known as the Barrens was once home to many of the lesser races, but was taken over by the orcs soon after they had expanded throughout Durotar. The northern half of the region is primarily under orc control, with their main base of operations being a town known as the Crossroads, at a junction between two highways. Though not as extensive as Orgrimmar, the Crossroads does have a sizeable underground system.

Along the eastern coast is the goblin controlled port of Ratchet, a smoky, polluted city that is a surprisingly profitable as a legitimate enterprise. However, it isn’t a shock that its underhanded dealings are just as, or even more, lucrative.

The southern Barrens are held by the tauren, who have a small, sleek city known as Camp Taurajo. From the outpost, the tauren are currently studying the outbreak of unnatural flora around the Barrens’ oases. The worst of these anomalies has spread into a network of caves, which fluctuates in size and shape, called the Wailing Caverns.

MULGORE

The lush plains of Mulgore are home to the peaceful tauren. Their advanced capital of Thunder Bluff is spread across the towering mesas that dominate the northern half of the region. The majority of the city’s flat, sleek buildings are built upon layered terraces, some natural and others manmade. In addition, the rises are hollowed out, though it’s often the poorer tauren that are relegated to living within the claustrophobic caverns.

Mulgore is surprisingly bare of any other cities, as the tauren prefer to nurture the cybernature that surrounds them as opposed to building atop it. The only other tauren structures atop the plains are outposts, usually composed of only two or three buildings, where they carefully monitor the local ecosystem. However, with the introduction of the eastern races to Kalimdor, both dwarves and the Venture Company have encroached on Mulgore to excavate minerals, at the price of the land’s balance.

DESOLACE

Though most of Azeroth’s wastelands are at least inhabited by some sort of advanced society, Desolace is an infertile, forsaken region that has become Kalimdor’s refuse heap. Ruins and bones have been utterly forgotten, buried under mounds of unwanted, broken, or malfunctioning technology left behind by the kaldorei, orcs, and goblins. Desolace is a favored location for scavengers who can brave the potential lethality of the area.

There are only two real groups dwelling in Desolace. One of them, the centaur of Maraudon, is effectively barricaded in their home by the enormous waste piles. The other is the warlocks and demons residing in Mannoroc Coven, who are shifting through the discarded machinery in order to find pieces suitable to further the Burning Legion’s goals.

DUSTWALLOW MARSH

Treacherous and deadly, Dustwallow Marsh is a region that has deterred settlement for ages. The black dragonflight has claimed the territory, and have caused the swamp’s cybernature to grow hazardously out of control with thorns and spikes. The far southern reaches of the marsh are known as the Wyrmbog, where the broodmother Onyxia is rumored to reside.

Despite the best efforts of the swamp’s crazed inhabitants, Jaina Proudmoore was able to gain a foothold by the skin of her teeth. The nation of Theramore was established on an island just to the south of the marsh’s eastern inlet, though holding it is an uphill battle. Off the northeastern coast of Dustwallow is a much larger piece of land, known as Alcaz Island, where naga and black dragons have been spotted infesting a hastily erected, but heavily fortified, base.

FERALAS

Though the elves have laid claim to Feralas, the distance of the region from their home territory makes holding the land difficult. A contingent of Sentinels and their civilian families reside on an island off the western coast in the well defended outpost of Feathermoon Stronghold. Straight south of this island is another, ominously named the Isle of Dread, which is the staging point for an army of naga. At Azshara’s behest, they are storming the shores of Feralas in full force to reclaim Dire Maul, the ruins of the Highborne city of Eldre’Thalas. The splinter of the kaldorei army is slowly losing the battle to hold them at bay.

South of the Dire Maul are the much smaller, and much less important, ruins of another ancient elven city formerly known as Isildien. East of those is an enormous silithid hive, which has crept over the mountainous border between Feralas and Silithus. The insectoid race is being opposed by the tauren, who are staged at the small town of Camp Mojache to the north of the hive. The far northern reach of Feralas houses a small grove, the Dream Bough, which contains another portal into the Dream.

THOUSAND NEEDLES

The craggy ravine of Thousand Needles is dotted with hundreds of precarious, rocky columns. The western side of the region, close to the border with Feralas, is the home of the centaur clans who were pushed from the Barrens by the tauren. However, their influence does not spread very far, as they’re corralled into a corner by the uncontrolled expansion of a goblin city.

Known as Gadgetzan, the city has its beating heart located in the vast salt flats that spread across the bottom of a rocky basin in the eastern reaches of Thousand Needles. The original settlers, unable to get a foothold in Tanaris because of the trolls, grudgingly started their city on the flats and struck oil. Gadgetzan became a boom town, and is now famous for its extensive racetrack and heart-pounding arena battles.

TANARIS

Across the blistering hot sands of the Tanaris desert stretches the sandstone empire of Zul’Farak. Having forsaken the technology the Titans blessed the world with, the Farakki trolls instead made a pact with the Qiraji and their eldritch master in order to hold off the expansion of the advanced races, especially the goblins vying at their northern border.

As a part of their alliance, the silithid have established a small network of hives along the western sands, where they slay any trespassers who try to ascend the path from Un’Goro. The desert is also home to the Caverns of Time, home of Nozdormu and his brood. However, the entrance is constantly in flux, never revealing itself for more than a moment to those not destined to see it.

UN’GORO CRATER

The jungle basin of Un’Goro Crater is a vibrant region, rife with advanced cybernature born from the Titan’s experiments when they were forging the world. The Titanic structures that made up the Un’Goro outpost have withstood the test of time, and became the site of one of the caches of technology the Pantheon left behind after they departed Azeroth. Though the dragons picked the city clean in order to first introduce the Kalimdor races to technology, researchers still gather from across Azeroth to study the architecture and attempt, with little success, to access the Titan archives and databanks.

Unfortunately, the influence of the Old Gods has spread into the sanctity of Un’Goro. Farakki saboteurs helped destroy a portion of the region’s defense matrix, allowing the silithid to steadily infest the southern half of the basin.

ULDUM

Though there stands no proof to support them, there are rumors that unopened Titan caches still exist on Azeroth. Theorists suspect one is located below Tanaris, at the very southern tip of Kalimdor. However, all scans of the region suggest that nothing exists, or has ever existed, there.

SILITHUS

The scorching wasteland of Silithus is home to the silithid, the insectoid servants of the Old God C’thun. Dominating the dunes are the silithid hives, a roiling mass of ever-expanding creep led on by the primal insects, whose only goal is to destroy whatever technology they come across. At the borders of Silithus, kaldorei outposts from the War of the Shifting Sands are being consumed by the hives that have almost exhausted the desert’s resources.

Far to the south, beneath the ancient Aqir city of Ahn’Qiraj, is imprisoned C’thun. Yet, the Old God has managed to turn the jail into a stronghold, guarded by the chosen Qiraji, until the gates of the city can be destroyed. The eldritch being is wracked with a burning hatred for the Titans and their technology, and seeks to devolve the advanced races into medieval chaos.

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EASTERN KINGDOMS

ISLE OF QUEL’DANAS

Upon the high elves’ exodus from Kalimdor, they brought with them a vial of the original Well of Eternity. When they arrived in their new homeland, they found a crossroads of the leylines on an island north of the mainland and on that spot poured out the vial and created the Sunwell. The fount of data and raw magic sustained the quel’dorei for millennia, until the corrupted Prince Arthas led the armies of the undead across the sea.

Cutting their way through the defenders of Quel’Danas, Arthas arrived at the Sunwell to resurrect the necromancer Kel’Thuzad. With his knowledge of technology, the prince uploaded a virus into the Sunwell and used its corrupted energies to revive the necromancer as a bionic lich. At present, the tainted Sunwell still stands, along with the abandoned, derelict city that once stood to defend it.

EVERSONG WOODS

The northern portion of Quel’Thalas is known as Eversong Woods, the land of eternal spring. It was the location of the proud high elven capital of Silvermoon, a beautiful, sunset city that sprawled across the woods. Enormous libraries, successful academies, and productive laboratories all resided within the borders of Silvermoon, until the Scourge invasion ravaged the land. Now, Silvermoon is but a ruined husk compared to its past, inhabited by the lamentable remnants of the quel’dorei.

At the height of its glory, Silvermoon was a city with a blatantly self indulgent aristocracy, so it came as no surprise to find the destitute forced to hide beneath golden spires. However, these districts of squalor are the standard since Arthas’ campaign through the elven capital. The Dead Scar, as it has become known, is the wake of the prince’s crusade, a warpath of decimated buildings and tainted ground.

Other sections of the city were destroyed by the undead’s physical and virtual assault. The districts lay in ruins, and the streets are prowled by wretched elves and haywire constructs. The remains of the quel’dorei, now known as the sin’dorei, struggle to rebuild what they can.

GHOSTLANDS

Southern Quel’thalas, prior to the Scourge Invasion, was known as the Blackened Woods and contained the shining suburbs of Silvermoon City. However, during the undead assault the high elves took drastic measures to try and halt the Scourge’s advance. Despite overloading the power of the suburban city, the undead were not deterred, and the Dead Scar creates a devastating slash through the city’s buildings.

Now, the powerless streets are haunted by the souls of those butchered by the undead, and the Scourge forces left behind when Arthas departed Quel’Thalas. Nevertheless, despite the peril and hazards, the citizens of certain districts, the largest of which being Tranquillien and the Farstrider Enclave, refuse to abandon what is now called the Ghostlands. In the southeastern corner of the region, the small troll nation of Zul’Aman hides behind its stone walls from the undead, and gathers its strength after having been corralled and oppressed by the quel’dorei.

EASTERN PLAGUELANDS

At one time, the human kingdom of Lordaeron once stretched across most of the northern Eastern Kingdoms. Since the Third War, this once mighty nation now lies in ruins, inhabited by the corpses that helped bring the kingdom to its knees. The Eastern Plaguelands, a province of Lordaeron that was the site of the metropolis city of Stratholme, is now the powerbase for the Scourge on the mainland continents. Though the old generators were ruined during the Third War, under Arthas’ command the Scourge have built their own power sources to fuel the derelict city.

To oversee the construction and progress of the Scourge, the lich Kel’Thuzad resides in the floating necropolis Naxxramas over the heart of Stratholme. In direct defiance of the Lich King, an order of paladins, known as the Argent Dawn, has wrested control of the Light’s Hope District so they can fight against the undead. Similarly, the fanatical Scarlet Crusade has taken the Tyr’s Hand District, and have crafted a precarious truce with the Argent Dawn.

WESTERN PLAGUELANDS

The derelict suburbs of Andorhal are located in a western province of Lordaeron, now referred to as the Western Plaguelands. Once, it was a connecting city between the capital and Stratholme, but now is a staging point for the Scourge attempting to retake Lordaeron City from the Forsaken. Their position in Andorhal is not as entrenched as it is in the Eastern Plaguelands, so the undead find themselves scavenging from the city’s machinery to press their attack.

In the center of a lake to the southeast there resides an island with the small academic stronghold of Caer Darrow. Now popularly known as Scholomance, it has been repurposed as a training center for necromancers. The Scourge’s main opposition comes from the west, by the Forsaken trying to hold their border, and from the north, by the zealous Scarlet Crusade based in Hearthglen.

TIRISFAL GLADES

In the midst of the Scourge invasion, a splinter of the undead army was freed from the Lich King’s control. They called themselves the Forsaken and took up residence in the ruins of their homeland. The capital of Lordaeron was once an incredible city, spanning most of Tirisfal Glades, though after its decimation at the hands of its own prince, it is nothing more than a shell of its once glory.

Most of the districts are blighted with the aftereffects of the plague, making them toxic to the living, and leaving the Forsaken struggling to repair the derelict city. In the mean time, they’ve occupied the labyrinth of catacombs and tramways that Arthas had been converting into his own personal stronghold, and have dubbed it the Undercity.

Their rebuilding efforts are being harassed by a group of religious extremists, known as the Scarlet Crusade. Claiming that technology is blasphemous to the Light, the Crusade seeks to purge heretics and raze the advanced cities of Azeroth. They are based in an archaic monastery, built atop the ruins of a Lordaeron district, in northern Tirisfal. In the far western reaches of the glade, there resides an ominous, empty grove that is rumored to house an ancient evil beneath its surface.

SILVERPINE FOREST

The Lordaeron suburbs of Silverpine were another unfortunate region afflicted by the plague of undeath and the Scourge invasion. The northern half of the region is inhabited by Forsaken who are trying to keep a hold on the territory. The Forsaken have their sights on claiming Fenris Isle, which lies to the east in Lordamere Lake, and are currently fighting the necromancer, and his undead army, that are holed up in the island stronghold.

Shadowfang, the southern district of the Silverpine city, is under the control of bionic humans under the influence of a phenomenon known as the worgen virus. The virus, afflicting those with cybernetic implants, mutates the infected into feral beasts. The Shadowfang worgen are led by the mage Arugal, the theorized source of the virus, who is keeping the Forsaken at bay with his feral army.

GILNEAS

In the midst of the Second War, King Genn Greymane of Gilneas chose to seal his people away rather than take part in the conflict, believing Gilneas was strong enough to stand alone. On the king’s orders, a massive barricade was erected between the peninsula nation and Lordaeron to keep people both in and out. At the same time, Gilneas’s programmers activated firewall, to achieve the same goal technologically. Ever since, the rest of Azeroth has heard nothing of Gilneas, and the isolated nation stands alone as it deals with its own tribulations.

HILLSBRAD FOOTHILLS

Though the Hillsbrad Foothills were a province of Lordaeron, they remained surprisingly untouched by the Scourge invasion that decimated its northern neighbors. However, it has not escaped conflict entirely. The southern district of Southshore has remained in the hands of Lordaeron humans, and refuse to allow undead, free willed or no, to occupy their lands. As a result, they are constantly skirmishing with the Forsaken seized district of Tarren Mill, to the north.

The western region of Hillsbrad is filled mainly with greenhouses and their caretakers, who are doing their best to avoid getting involved with the raging conflict in the central foothills. To the east are the abandoned, dilapidated remains of Durnholde, one of the most infamous orc internment camps from the aftermath of the Second War.

ALTERAC MOUNTAINS

The human nation of Alterac had opted to not join the Grand Alliance during the Second War, unwilling to believe they had a chance of winning. Instead, they attempted to sell out their fellow humans to the orcs, but were caught in the treacherous scheme. Now, the kingdom is in ruins, the city at a lack for power and at the mercy of the icy elements. Most of the citizens, having nowhere to go, live in squalor under the heel of the Syndicate gang, who exploit them.

In the southwest, along the coast of Lordamere Lake and stuck between Lordaeron and Alterac is the independent city-state of Dalaran. A famous city of mages and higher learning for the arcane arts, Dalaran was decimated by Archimonde during the Third War when the demon lord raided the city. The small nation is now scarred, its violet spires crumbled and its schools of learning rubble. The mages of Dalaran have hidden their city beneath a magic dome in order to rebuild their shattered home.

Across the region, in the east, is the frozen Alterac Valley. While most orcs went west, the Frostwolf tribe remained in the Eastern Kingdoms and settled in the Valley, though the Stormpike dwarves are doing their best to push them out.

ARATHI HIGHLANDS

During the time when tribes of humans first walked the Eastern Kingdoms was when the great nation of Arathor arose. The Arathi Highlands was its heart, the site of the great city of Strom. However, this kingdom was not meant to last, and fractured soon after the Troll Wars when the quel’dorei taught the humans magic. As the fragments built up new nations, those that remained in Arathor would never achieve the same height of glory. Stromgarde, as it is now called, is a city of once great buildings that have lost their luster and a people that live in the slums of their shadows.

The far eastern reaches of Arathi were once used as internment camps for the orcs. These outlying districts are now being occupied by the same race they were meant to prison, as the orcs are using them as a foothold in the Highlands.

THE HINTERLANDS

Having left their abandoned their subterranean capital of Grim Batol to its curse, the Wildhammer dwarves trekked north to the Hinterlands and established a new capital on the surface. Aerie Peak, as the city is called, extends throughout the western half of the Hinterlands. As masters of the air, the industrial capital is home to the greatest airfield and construction yards for gyrocopters and airships, along with the largest aeries for gryphons. Unlike their Bronzebeard cousins, the Wildhammers have done their best to keep the air clear for the gryphons, despite their manufacturing.

The eastern half of the region is controlled by three tribes of forest trolls under the Amani Empire. The trolls constantly harass the Peak, stealing supplies and destroying machinery. In the north, there is a secluded grove across a river, called Seradane, which contains one of the four portals into the Dream.

WETLANDS

A perilous, cybernature swamp, the Wetlands has been the site of many a dwarven battle in history. Though many an industrial stronghold has risen, all have been torn down by war and the unforgiving wildlife that inhabits the marsh. Stubbornly, the dwarves managed to set up a port city along the coast, known as Menethil Harbor. Unfortunately, while the shipyards and trade are profitable, only a fraction of the money ever finds its way into the pockets of the destitute dockworkers crammed together in the crowded city down the shoreline.

Dragonmaw orcs, invading from the Twilight Highlands, have set up encampments in the southern and western regions of the Wetlands, and harass supply convoys as they travel towards the Harbor. The small outpost of Dun Modr, to the north, watches over the Khaz Modan side of the Thandol Span, which connects the two halves of the Eastern Kingdoms together.

THE HIGHLANDS

The original homeland of the Wildhammer dwarves, the Highlands is a region east of the Wetlands. Grim Batol, the original Wildhammer capital, was cursed during the War of Three Hammers and promptly abandoned by the dwarves who lived there. Though most went north to the Hinterlands, the refugees who remained are locked in a struggle with the Dragonmaw orcs, who also claim the Highlands as their territory.

In the far northwestern corner of the region there exists a verdant grove, the Vermillion Redoubt, where a group of red dragons make their home. These dragons, in contrast to the rest of their kin, refuse to associate or deal with mortals because of the crimes committed against their dragonflight during the Second War.

DUN MOROGH

Once a frozen valley covered in sheets of snow, Dun Morogh’s icy exterior has become shrouded in a cover of ash. The Bronzebeard dwarves of Khaz Modan have spread their industrial capital of Ironforge across the region. Factories and foundries ceaselessly belch smoke and fire to a sunless sky, though the Great Forge, in the heart of Ironforge’s largest mountain, is by far the most productive of them all. Unfortunately, the unchecked manufacturing has made Dun Morogh’s air toxic, lethal after enough direct exposure.

Though the dwarves have expanded over most of the valley, a small area in western Dun Morogh houses the massive entrance into the gnomish city of Gnomeregan. A technological wonder, the capital of the gnomes is an enormous labyrinth of underground levels and layers that seem to stretch on forever. Their innovative inventions have proved crucial to helping an already advanced society develop, and allowed the gnomes themselves to enslave the troggs after the degenerate race attempted to invade.

A section of the northern mountains of Dun Morogh have been leveled to make an airstrip. The Ironforge Airfield is run by Wildhammer immigrants, who help keep the airways open so that trade can flow between Ironforge and Aerie Peak.

LOCH MODAN

The Ironforge suburb of Thelsamar is located in the marshy landscape of Loch Modan. Though still an industrial city, the region around Thelsamar is considerably less polluted than Ironforge, due in part to the clean energy generated by the Stonewrought Dam. The great dyke acts as a power plant for the city, and is also home to a vast quantity of Titan technology powered by the Dam itself.

However, one piece of the ancient machinery has been steadily weakening the veil between Loch Modan and the Dream. As a result, spirits have begun drifting in and out of the Dream in the vicinity of the Dam and around the Loch itself. While spawning a great deal of legends and ghost stories, it has also made Loch Modan a favored spot to bind Dream spirits.

BADLANDS

The Badlands are an arid wasteland where the dwarves have taken to discarding their unwanted refuse. Large piles of broken, faulty technology and machinery gather in the southern reaches of the region, while the northern reaches serve as a gathering place for researchers. Near the border with Loch Modan is the entrance of Uldaman, a Titan cache already emptied by the dwarves long ago. Yet, researchers still come to study the archives and immovable tech that have piqued their curiosity for decades.

On the opposite side of the wastes is the small, orcish settlement of Kargath. While it mainly serves as a gathering place for orcs and their allies exploring in Khaz Modan, it also functions as a scavenger camp for those who are searching through the dwarves’ junk.

SEARING GORGE

The fiery, blackened caldera known as the Searing Gorge is the main base of operations, outside of Blackrock Mountain, for the Dark Iron dwarves. In the center of the region, the Cauldron, the Dark Irons force their captured slaves to tirelessly mine out the volcanic Slag Pits. The ore is then carted off to Blackrock Depths to be used to outfit the Dark Iron soldiers inside the mountain.

However, in the northern mountain range, a group of dwarves have split from the Dark Iron Clan and created their own faction, the Thorium Brotherhood. They run a small industrial city called Thorium Point, which is open to all races that are willing to spend coin. The Thorium Brotherhood also launches guerilla attacks on the Cauldron to steal supplies from the Dark Irons, denying their enemy’s army while also bolstering their own.

BLACKROCK MOUNTAIN

Separating the Searing Gorge and the Burning Steppes is a massive mountain range, but the largest and most ominous of the peaks belongs to Blackrock Mountain. The mountain was created by the Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan’s summoning of the Firelord Ragnaros into Azeroth, which sundered the surrounding countryside into the fiery wasteland it currently is.

Ragnaros enslaved the Dark Irons soon afterward, and used them to build a gigantic, sprawling industrial city inside Blackrock Mountain. The upper levels were known as the Blackrock Spire, while the lower levels were known as the Blackrock Depths. The Firelord himself dwells within the deepest, volcanic caverns of the Depths, in the Molten Core. The Depths’ foundries are always staffed and its forges always billowing, so the corridors of Blackrock are oppressive with heat and smoke.

In the center of the mountain, the middle terraces of the city are the site of a massive war. The Dark Iron dwarves clash against Blackrock orcs, who have, with their black dragon masters, seized control of the Blackrock Spire. Lording over the upper halls is Nefarian, son of Deathwing, who has filled the laboratories of the Spire with his horrific projects. Experimenting on both mortals and other dragons alike, Nefarian intends to create atrocities to one day unleash upon Azeroth.

BURNING STEPPES

The rugged, ashen wastes of the Burning Steppes are the home of the Blackrock orcs. During the Second War, Blackrock Spire was their stronghold, though after the orcish defeat they soon found themselves working under the black dragon Nefarian. The volcanic landscape is dotted with Blackrock encampments, the largest of which is in the central southern Steppes, the Pillar of Ash.
Close by stand the ruins of Thaurissan, the former capital of the Dark Iron dwarves established after they were exiled. However, they were obliterated when the city’s namesake summoned Ragnaros. In the far northwestern corner of the Burning Steppes is a sinister shrine known as the Altar of Storms. The altar permeates an aura of powerful demonic magics, and Blackrock warlocks often converge there for rituals.

ELWYNN FOREST

When Lordaeron fell, the greatest human power on Azeroth became the kingdom of Stormwind. The shining, expansive city spreads throughout Elwynn Forest and is home to a vast myriad of different races in its numerous districts. Though on the surface its towering buildings and hardworking populace may seem noble, the lustrous exterior only serves to better hide the corruption that pervades the streets and the worst of its slums.

The regency of Stormwind, for reasons unknown to the general people, has called the majority of the guardsmen from the capital’s suburbs to better defend the city. Despite this, the police are at best complacent, allowing gangs to wage war in the destitute districts of the city and only intervening when the violence may get too close to the more noteworthy boroughs of Stormwind.

As Stormwind is perhaps the largest city in the Eastern Kingdoms, it isn’t a surprise to find some of the kingpins of Azeroth’s worldwide Mafia steeping their fingers into activities both legitimate and not. Strangely unopposed, most actions taken against them are far too late, and case leads are left untouched until they become worthless.

WESTFALL

The region of Westfall, formerly known for the bountiful harvests from its greenhouses, now bears the proof of the regency’s apathy. Abandoned by the guardsmen who kept the farms safe, the citizens of Westfall have been left to the mercy of the Defias Brotherhood. The Defias gang now rules the streets, based out of the capital, southern district of Moonbrook.

However, in central Westfall, a resistance has marshaled together to fight back against the oppressive tyranny of the Defias. The local militia, and other citizens who have grown tired of being exploited, have set themselves up in the central district of Sentinel Hill. Despite all odds, the Westfall Brigade has managed to hold off the gang, and is in the process of planning how to best take back their home.

REDRIDGE MOUNTAINS

Though one of Stormwind’s suburbs, Redridge Mountains appears to be surprisingly well off considering the state of its fellow outlying neighborhoods. However, beneath the profitable façade the city is barely managing to nurse its wounds. The city of Lakeshire surrounds the banks of Lake Everstill, though only the eastern half is now controlled by humans.

It was not long after the Stormwind guards departed Redridge that the Blackrock orcs invaded from the Burning Steppes. The orcish army has occupied the western district of Stonewatch and has an encampment fortifying the border with the Steppes. Without support from Stormwind, Redridge is forced to rely on its own to defend against the Blackrock orcs who have taken over their city and ruined their once proud bridge.

DUSKWOOD

No one suffered more from the abandonment of the guardsmen than the residents of Duskwood, the last of Stormwind’s outlying districts. When the shroud of darkness fell upon the city and terrors descended from the night and rampaged through the streets, most people fled for their lives. The city is now almost completely deserted, with only the Darkshire district still inhabited by citizens, all of whom are apathetic, at best, to their situation.

Undead infest the streets, most notably in the Raven Hill district, which is overrun by the living dead. It’s rumored that it is also home of the necromancer who raised the vast army. The city is also inhabited by bionics afflicted with the worgen virus, prowling abandoned buildings for any wayward strangers to pass their curse onto. In the center of the region is a secluded caldera, called the Twilight Grove, in which rests a solitary portal into the Dream.

STRANGLETHORN VALE

The peninsula of Stranglethorn Vale sits at the very southern tip of the Eastern Kingdoms. Northern Stranglethorn is dominated by the jungle troll empire of Zul’Gurub, a massive city of stone temples and wooden huts. The evil of Duskwood has kept the Gurubashi from expanding north, so they stand locked in a stalemate with the goblins of the southern region at the center of the jungle.

In the southern reaches, the goblins have dug their greedy fingers into the peninsula. The cybernetic port of Booty Bay scrawls across the jungle, right up to the troll’s border. The Gurubashi Arena, unfortunately caught on the goblin side of the region, has been converted into a high tech arena of death traps and underground labyrinths.

Jaguero Isle, a large landmass off Stranglethorn’s southeastern coast, is a small harbor for the Bloodsail pirates. From the island, they constantly harass and raid goblin ships, all while keeping their position extremely well defended from counterattack.

DEADWIND PASS

Unlike the vast majority of Azeroth, Deadwind Pass remains relatively untouched by the hand of civilization. The desolate region is filled with steep cliffs, sharp rocks, and ominous peaks that ensure that nothing can be built upon it.

However, where the leylines of Azeroth converge at the southern tip of the pass, a wellspring of information and power exists. Atop this spot was built the only artificial structure in Deadwind: Karazhan, a cybernetic spire infused with the latent magic of the region, built by the hands of the prophet Medivh. A solitary, deserted building in a desolate landscape has drawn more than one adventurer to its halls… though none return.

SWAMP OF SORROWS

To the east of Deadwind Past is a murky cybernature swamp, aptly named the Swamp of Sorrows. The eastern region is the location of a massive stone structure, Temple of Atal’Hakkar. The troll temple is partially sunken into the lake in which it was built, and so descends beneath the surface of the swamp in a labyrinth of corridors and rooms. Inside, fanatical Atal’ai priests commit unspeakable voodoo rituals in order to summon more power for their war against the advance races.

The southern marsh, close to the border with the Blasted Lands, is where the orcs have stubbornly dug out an encampment, Stonard. Though constantly harassed by trolls and the deadly wildlife, the orcs have managed to keep their foothold in the dreary region.

BLASTED LANDS

Where once the swamp known as the Black Morass existed now stands the desolate Blasted Lands, warped and ruined by the energies of the Dark Portal. Here, in the southernmost reaches of the land, the prophet tore open the gateway and allowed the orcs to invade from the world of Draenor. The landscape surrounding the closed Dark Portal is infested with fel-charged machinery that has made it difficult to build any long term outpost near the demonic gate.

In the northeast resides the Dalaran stronghold of Nethergarde Keep, where the inhabitants faithfully carry out their duty of retaining vigilance over the Dark Portal. On the opposite side of the northern region is the orcish outpost of Dreadmaul Hold, also meant to keep an eye on the portal. Though the two cities have the same goal, the lack of resources in the Blasted Lands means they quarrel often. The southwest region is a blighted ravine known as the Tainted Scar, which demonic forces openly inhabit.

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NORTHREND

BOREAN TUNDRA

The region of Borean Tundra is primarily split between the blue dragonflight and the indigenous mortal races. Far to the east, off the coast, is the massive frozen island known as Coldarra. In the icy valley stands the heart of magic itself on Azeroth, the Nexus. Home of the blue dragonflight, the Nexus is a sprawling city of technology and magic that houses expansive collections of tomes, grimoires, and other arcane artifacts. The Frostbridge is a highway that runs from Coldarra all the way to Dragonblight.

Aside from the dragons, the tundra has few other inhabitants. One is the tuskarr, a race of aquatic mammals who have a number of primitive villages along the coastline. The other is the taunka, a cousin race to the tauren, who similarly keep watch over the chilly ecosystem of Borean Tundra.

DRAGONBLIGHT

When the Titans uplifted the dragons, the Pantheon gave them more than simply a duty. In the region known as the Dragonblight stands a massive Titan city called Wyrmrest, which was left as a capital for the great leviathans. The Aspects gather at Wyrmrest Temple, which resides in the center of the city, in order to hold council. Each flight holds a district of the city, which are referred to as ‘shrines’, where the dragonflight’s drakonids and dragonsworn are permitted to reside.

After the events of the War of the Ancients, the servants of the black dragonflight were corralled into their dragonshrine. Ever since, the Obsidian Dragonshrine has been sealed off from the rest of Wyrmrest and kept under constant guard.

HOWLING FJORD

Despite the strength of the Titans, their work was not strong enough to resist the influence of the Old Gods. The vrykul, progenitors of humanity, traveled south from their original home of Storm Peaks after their iron skin was wasted by the Curse of the Flesh. They settled in the Howling Fjord and founded the stronghold capital of Utgarde Keep. Utgarde sprawls across the lower reaches of the Fjord, while other cities dot the tops of the steep cliffs.

At some point, the vrykul chose to seal their whole race in sleep. Now, beneath their dormant cities like chambers of comatose vrykul, waiting to one day be reawakened. Far to the west, on the shoreline of a sizeable island, is the tuskarr fishing village of Kaskala, unfortunately harassed ceaselessly by the Northsea pirate who lurk on the remaining isles to the south.

GRIZZLY HILLS

The picturesque landscape of Grizzly Hills was the location of another small holding of the vrykul before their slumber, based in the south in Voldrune. More noteworthy is the Drakkari presence that has expanded into the shadow of Drak’Tharon Keep, the border between the Hills and Zul’Drak. The eastern reaches are also occupied by iron dwarves, servants of the forces of the Old Gods in Northrend

In the heart of the hills are the remains of Vordrassil, an ancient elven attempt to create a second World Tree. When it became apparent that the tree had already been afflicted by the taint of the Old Gods, it was cut down and left to languish. Now, the Grizzlemaw tribe of furbolgs resides in the fallen cybernature trunk, at the mercy of the corrupted growths that have overtaken it.

SHOLAZAR BASIN

Within the cradle of life known as Sholazar Basin stands another enormous Titan city left behind when the Pantheon departed Azeroth. Overgrown by the surrounding jungle flora, the city hides another cache of the Titan’s machinery. Unlike its mainland counterparts, however, the vaults of Northrend have barely been touched.

Calling the dormant Titan city home are two enigmatic races, the wolvar and the gorlocs. While neither is intelligent enough to use the technology that surrounds them, the gorlocs revere and clean the Titan tech, while the wolvar are happier defacing it to try and make weapons out of it. These two races, because of their differing habits, often clash.

WINTERSPRING

High above the Sholazar Basin resides a smaller Titan stronghold built around the shores of a frozen lake. The defenses of Winterspring are far greater than those of the jungle city below, as the vault the stronghold hides contains some of the most powerful pieces of Titan machinery the Pantheon left behind for mortal hands.

CRYSTALSONG FOREST

At the very heart of Northrend is a sheltered valley, ringed on all sides by high peaks. Rivaling the size of these mountains are towering, crystalline trees, whose luminescent branches reach to the stars. In the region known as Crystalsong Forest, the triptych of the world is displayed at its paramount. The forest seamlessly blends magic, nature, and technology into the massive, sparkling boughs.

Within the trees the veil between reality and the Dream is incredibly weak. Dream spirits walk the forest floor and reside in the ruins of the Highborne city that used to exist within the valley. There is rumored to be another portal into the Dream somewhere in Crystalsong.

ZUL’DRAK

The enormous realm of Zul’Drak is perhaps the largest empire to have fractured from the remains of Zandalar. Here, the Drakkari trolls have crafted an enormous, terraced city of stone. The upper terraces, to the east, are home of the chosen Drakkari who lord over the lesser castes. Looming above all other buildings are the temples dedicated to the jealous Loa spirits of the north.

To the west sit the lower terraces, home of the destitute troll castes. The might of the Drakkari warriors easily holds Zul’Drak’s borders from the attacks of both Scourge and the Titans. However, should any of those attacks ever breach the defenses, the trolls packed tightly in small huts between stone walls will become a delaying defense for the privileged Loa priests.

STORM PEAKS

The region of Storm Peaks is a treacherous, frozen realm, difficult to traverse due to its enormous, steep cliffs and jagged mountains. To the south is a low plain, frosted and barren aside from primitive tribes of magnataur. Looming above the level wastes are more dormant cities, where tribes of frost vrykul, like their cousins, slumber under the surface. In the east is Dun Niffelem, home of the frost giants, and in the west is the Frosthold, home of the frost dwarves.

Stretching across the northern reaches of the Storm Peaks is the Terrace of the Makers. Here stands an impressive Titan City, filled with archives and databanks and computers. The terrace is watched over by six temples, each of which is home to a Watcher charged by the Titans to safeguard the contents of the terrace and to act as the wardens of the prison to the north.

Ulduar, a massive jail constructed for the Old God Yogg-Saron, towers above the rest of the Storm Peaks across an enormous ravine at the tip of the world. Though its primary purpose is to shackle its eldritch prisoner, Ulduar also contains part of the safeguard the Titans left behind on Azeroth to avoid the world’s utter corruption. Despite all the precautions, the Titanic region is still prey to the subtle machinations of an Old God not fully silenced.

ICECROWN

Upon returning to Northrend, Prince Arthas trekked across the wastes of Icecrown Glacier to the Frozen Throne, where he donned the armor of his master and fused with the Lich King. Deep within the most unforgiving reaches of Northrend, the Scourge is constructing a cybernetic citadel out of Yogg-Saron’s hardened blood, fueled by necromantic magics.

Along the northern cliff side and in the center of the glacier are large vrykul settlements. As the Lich King spreads his influence, the Scourge has stumbled upon these dormant cities, and is beginning to unlock the secrets of reviving the comatose giants.

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LOADING…

Beep, beep, beep, beep, be-

A large hand smacked down onto the blaring alarm clock. With a yawn, the dark-skinned woman rolled over, sliding out from beneath her covers and onto the floor. Sitting there for a moment, she yawned, running a hand up and through her short hair.

Placing the hand against the bed, she picked herself up, shaking her head.

Beep, beep, beep, beep...

Samantha's eyes shot to her still silent alarm clock. The beeping instead came from the other side of the room, a screen placed into the wall. It's display was that of a green phone, shaking back and forth as it beeped.

Stumbling, the woman sat down in front of the screen. Light shined from below it, a thin image of a keyboard filling the air. Her hands reached up, tapping at the illusionary keys.

The image faded. In it's place a blonde, petite woman appeared on the screen. "Samantha." She greeted, nodding. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

"Maybe a little." The woman yawned. "I hope you remember it's my day off."

"About that..." The Police Chief sighed. "You might want to check the news."

"What do you mean?" The officer raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have much time to talk, just go and turn it on. Madison out." The woman stated, ending the call and causing the screen to fade to black.

Samantha leaned back, biting at her lip. Reaching out, she slowly tapped at the keys again, the screen returning to life.

Bars sat at the bottom and sides of the screen, text scrolling through them as a woman spoke. The camera man moved around, giving a rather shaky view as a bodybag was carried away from the scene. Words registered in the officer's head as she only half-listened to them.

Another murder victim, found in an alleyway. Arms crossed and holding a rose. She grit her teeth.

The camera man returned to the reporter, his efforts to show the body in vain. "Oh, there's the Police Chief now!" She exclaimed, rushing over. Madison once more took up the computer screen, the reporter stopping her. "Ma'am, do you have any word on relations between this death and the recent trend of murders?"

"I don't have any comment at this time." The blonde woman replied quickly and professionally, ducking into a police car and avoiding the camera.

Samantha leaned back in her chair, sighing. It was always on her days off.

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ANALYZING: RACIAL PROFILES

HUMANS

■ The origin of humanity has been a long debated topic, and the truth remains elusive to historians and archaeologists alike. Millennium ago, the Curse of the Flesh afflicted the stone vrykul of Northrend, decaying their hardened exteriors into flesh. As time passed, it also affected their children, and the infants were born small and weak. Despite a command to cull these tiny aberrations, some vrykul families hid their children and eventually sent them south, to grow up far from the frozen shores of Northrend.

Washing up on the coast of the Eastern Kingdoms, the fledgling humans became a primitive, tribal race, until the advent of the Troll Wars. In a time when the troll empires were threatening to overtake the eastern continent, the scattered human tribes were gathered into the great nation of Arathor. This attracted the attention of the dragons, who gifted the humans the technology to build the great city of Strom. Allying with the quel’dorei, who taught them the basics of magic, the humans fought a bloody war and eventually earned victory over the trolls.

However, during the profitable peacetime that followed, the city-states of Arathor fragmented into seven different, yet sizeable, kingdoms. Unfortunately, the glory of these nations would be ruined by the wars that began with the initial orcish invasion at the start of the First War. In the aftermath of the Third War, the only human nation that retains its grandeur from centuries past is the kingdom of Stormwind.

■ As the humans were a widespread race during the height of their power, it isn’t surprising to see them scattered across the world. While most major human cities are on the Eastern Kingdoms, one will find a sizeable human population in almost every other advanced city on Azeroth.

Currently, the seat of human power is the nation of Stormwind, in southern Eastern Kingdoms. Its capital, Stormwind City, stands in the region known as Elwynn Forest, with its suburbs stretching across the lands of Westfall, Redridge Mountains, and Duskwood. The leadership of Stormwind has been a chaotic affair ever since the abduction of King Varian Wrynn, an incident that has been skillfully covered up and kept out of the public eye, though rumors still abound. Until the King is found, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, advised by Lady Katrana Prestor, has been declared Regent Lord until the crown prince is of age to take power. Though the influential nobles of Stormwind approve of the current leadership and the extra protection they’ve been afforded, the voiceless masses despise the regency.

On the opposite end of the continent are the ruins of the nation of Lordaeron. The vast majority of the former human territory is split between the Scourge and the Forsaken. All that remains in human hands is the region of Hillsbrad, and even that is contested territory.
The nation of Alterac, residing in the midst of Lordaeron territory, was a small kingdom even prior to its fall from grace. Now, the frigid city is a hollow shell, most of its districts stripped of power, and ruled by the criminal gang known as the Syndicate.

After the city-kingdom of Dalaran was ravaged during the Third War, the mages chose to hide the city beneath a magical dome in order to safely rebuild. While Dalaran is not completely cut off from the outside world, as people are allowed to come and go through regulated portals and have computer access, its isolation makes it a lesser known location to many people. Dalaran is ruled by a collective of archmages, known as the Council of Six.

During the Second War, the nation of Gilneas cut itself off from the rest of Azeroth. At the time, the reigning monarch was King Genn Greymane, but the political situation beyond the Greymane Wall is unknown, as the kingdom stands silent to this day.

The great human nation of Arathor was reduced to one of the fragments left behind when the kingdom split apart some time after the Troll Wars. Its capital of Strom was renamed Stromgarde, and never managed to reach its former glory. The kingdom is run by Prince Galen Trollbane, who unsuccessfully attempts to control the gangs that have free reign of his destitute city.

Kul Tiras is the last of the great seven human nations, though the island kingdom has remained largely out of focus. After its leader, Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, was killed, the nation withdrew from the affairs of the mainland continents in order to deal with its own political situation.

The only major human hold on Kalimdor is Theramore, a large city in Dustwallow Marsh that was established, and is still ruled, by Jaina Proudmoore when she landed on Kalimdor’s shores during the Third War. While most cities have a diverse population, Theramore stands out as openly welcoming all races and cultures instead of holding a government bias.

■ Humanity has dipped into all facets of the ternion magic spectrum, though appear to have a dual affinity for the technology and arcane subsets in particular. The guile and resourcefulness of humans make them particularly suited for both hacking and illusions. Among the religions of Azeroth, the majority of humans adhere to the principles of the Light, and therefore holy is the most common divine magic utilized by humans.

The technology utilized by humans across Azeroth is average, balancing aesthetics and functionality into a practical format. Replacement limbs and implants are crafted to closely resemble what they replace, albeit obviously mechanical.

Human cities tend to be made of densely clustered buildings. The structures tower straight into the sky, with jagged, angular silhouettes. The lights of the wealthy districts loom in the skies over the slums they’re built above. In the impoverished sections of the cities, power is often unstable, and at worst unavailable, and buildings become more and more rundown.

ORCS

■ The orcs are a race native not to Azeroth, but to an alien world known as Draenor. On their homeworld, the brown skinned orcs were a mighty tribal people with a society built upon personal honor and shamanism. They lived peacefully alongside the draenei, a kindhearted people who had fled to Draenor and settled down on the world. Unfortunately, the demons pursuing the draenei did not give up their quarry, and were led right to Draenor.

The demon lord Kil’jaeden tricked the orcs into committing genocide against the draenei and taught them fel magics and necromancy. The influence of fel energy began to corrupt the entire orcish race, turning their skin green. Soon after, the orcs drank the blood of demons, driving them into a demonic rage that did not end with the ravaging of the draenei. Summoned by the prophet, the orcs crossed the boundary between worlds to invade Azeroth.

Armed with the technology of demons in order to stand a chance against the advanced races of Azeroth, the orcs instigated the First War and decimated the humans in southern Eastern Kingdoms. Unfortunately, despite their strength, the orcs were defeated and imprisoned in internment camps at the end of the Second War. An orcish slave, known as Thrall, escaped his prison, rallied his people, and eventually crossed the sea to Kalimdor, where he claimed the region of Durotar as a home for his people.

■ While the orcs have not been long on Azeroth, the effectiveness of the Horde war machine meant that they have settlements in almost every corner of the world. Unfortunately, with the events of the past three wars fresh in everyone’s minds, orcs are not particularly welcome in the cities of most races. Yet, some still brave the prejudice, and mainly reside in the lower districts.

The largest population of orcs, known as the New Horde, resides in the region of Durotar, where they’ve constructed their capital of Orgrimmar. While they’ve spread out across Durotar, they have few other holdings aside from territory in the northern Barrens. The New Horde is ruled by Warchief Thrall, who led his people from their captivity. Because Thrall has proven to have noble intentions for his people, some dragons have chosen to extend their knowledge to aid the New Horde.

In the northern Eastern Kingdoms there is a secluded, frozen valley in the Alterac Mountains. Here resides the Frostwolf clan of orcs, led by the farseer Drek’Thar, who had refused to partake in the blood of demons back on Draenor. At present, the Frostwolves are fighting against the Stormpike dwarves who have invaded their home for the relics within.

At one time, the Blackrock orcs were the greatest of the clans, spearheading the orcish invasion through the Dark Portal. Leadership of the Blackrock clan changed hands a number of times between the First and Second wars, and eventually the clan was split in half. The splinter led by Orgrim Doomhammer was imprisoned alongside the other orcs at the end of the Second War. However, the faction led by Rend Blackhand has set up in Blackrock Spire and allied themselves with Nefarian, and have encamped in the volcanic wastes of the Burning Steppes.

Not far to the north, in the Highlands, is the Dragonmaw clan. During the Second War, using the Demon Soul, the Dragonmaw managed to enslave the Aspect of Life, Alexstrasza, and other members of her brood. Unfortunately for the Dragonmaw, when Alexstrasza was freed she ravaged her orcish captors and devastated the clan. The remnants are led by Nek’rosh Skullcrusher, and war against the Wildhammer dwarves in the Highlands while holding a handful of encampments in the Wetlands.

■ As a result of Kil’jaeden teaching them fel magics and necromancy, the orcs gained an aptitude for the arcane branch of ternion magic. However, amidst the New Horde and the Frostwolves these practices are banned. The orcs have also found that they have an impressive amount of skill in the nature branch, and certain ones have taken to the druidic path by following the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn, who has taken a liking to the orcish race. The orcs of the New Horde and the Frostwolf clan have once more chosen to follow the divine path of shamanism.

When the orcs crossed through the Dark Portal, they were given technology powered by fel magics. Though the Blackrock and Dragonmaw clans continue to use it, both the New Horde and the Frostwolves have forsaken it. The humans allied with the orcs have helped them augment their machinery to run on the power of elementals rather than fel. Alongside it, the orcs have been utilizing biotechnology, making use of Azeroth’s cybernature and plant life brought over from Draenor.

Orcish cities, on the surface, are a meager sight. Flat, dark bunkers of various sizes are scattered between fields of carefully cultivated plants. However, the bunkers open into the vast, underground cities hiding beneath the surface. The labyrinth of chambers contains everything from factories and foundries to living quarters and arenas. Impoverished sections of orcish cities tend to be hollowed out networks of natural caverns, as opposed to metal plated rooms.

NIGHT ELVES

■ After the Titans crafted the original continent of Kalimdor and created the Well of Eternity, a primitive tribe of dark trolls settled along its banks. Exposure to the Well’s incredible power evolved the trolls into the first night elves, who began calling themselves the kaldorei. With the help of the dragons, they built an expansive empire that rivaled that of the Amani and Gurubashi. The aid of the winged leviathans proved instrumental in staving off the trolls from overwhelming the infant elven society.

The queen of the kaldorei, Azshara, was much beloved by her people. Unfortunately, this love fueled her swelling pride, which hit a climax when she was offered power by a ‘god’, the Fallen Titan Sargeras. Azshara and her decadent Highborne allowed the Burning Legion passage into Azeroth, and pitted the continent of Kalimdor into the War of Ancients. The demons were taken aback by the defense the lower caste kaldorei managed to marshal, but were not easily defeated. Despite the fact the night elves claimed defeat over their invaders, the cost was the utter Sundering of Kalimdor.

What remained of the elven race washed up on the shores of the westernmost continent that fragmented from the original landmass. They named it Kalimdor, and rebuilt their society around a new, smaller Well of Eternity. Atop this new Well, Alexstrasza grew a massive world tree known as Nordrassil. Ysera blessed the night elves with a connection to the Dream through the tree, and Nozdormu granted them the boon of immortality. Millennium later, the demon lord Archimonde would attempt to destroy Nordrassil, but would fail to do any lasting damage to the eternal kaldorei.

■ Though one of the oldest races on Azeroth, the kaldorei’s pride and xenophobia have kept them secluded within the continent of Kalimdor. The eldest of the night elves refuse to leave kaldorei territory, but it isn’t unusual to see younger, more adventurous elves exploring the rest of the world and dwelling in other race’s cities.

The kaldorei capital of Hyjal sits upon the summit of the mountain with the same name, and is home to the upper echelons of the elves. Their society spreads throughout most of northern Kalimdor, with Winterspring and Ashenvale being the residences of more middle class citizens. Felwood was formerly a high class suburb, before its ruining. The last of the main elven holdings are Azshara and Darkshore, both of which are blatantly impoverished regions. High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind leads both the Sisterhood of Elune and the night elves as a whole, while Archdruid Fandral Staghelm leads the kaldorei druids, while bitterly resenting Tyrande’s greater power.

Feralas is a region, though claimed by the night elves, not technically under their control. Shandris Feathermoon leads the contingent of Sentinels attempting to drive back the naga so the kaldorei may reassert their control of the area.
Within the ruins of Eldre’Thalas lives a faction of Highborne, led by Prince Tortheldrin, who has kept themselves immortal by siphoning the magic of demons in order to continue their millennium of research.

■ The ancient night elves have had thousands of years to use all parts of ternion magic, though as a society have looked down upon arcane practices, no matter their strength in it, since the War of the Ancients. Elven druids and nature mages are some of the best, but due to their inherent connection to the Dream, the kaldorei have a much greater affinity for tech magic. The predominant divine magic amidst the night elves comes from their patron goddess, Elune.

Since the aftermath of the War of the Ancients, elven technology has been built upon the seamless combination of nature and machinery. The kaldorei have carefully pushed the boundaries of how much they can augment the natural flora of the world by cultivating cybernature. They’ve also created a process by which they can repair lost limbs by growing nearly identical replacements. The more base technology of elven society, such as vehicles or computers, goes for a sleek design inspired by their architecture.

As the kaldorei have a close connection with the Dream, their cities are heavily inspired by the structures within the Dream. Elven buildings are large, sleek structures with clean silhouettes that lean heavily towards aesthetic beauty in the more aristocratic terraces of kaldorei society. The buildings of poorer regions tend to still be smooth, but have more angular edges.

TAUREN

■ The exact origins of the tauren are unclear, aside from the fact they were once a nomadic people who walked on Azeroth long before the arrival of the Titans. After the dragons were uplifted, they offered Titan technology to the tauren, who initially refused. However, once the events of the War of the Ancients began, the tauren accepted the dragons’ machinery in order to help defeat the demons. Despite their presence in the war, they could not prevent the Sundering of Kalimdor.

When the fragmented landmasses spread across the seas, tribes of tauren were separated. One of these tribes, ending up on Northrend, would evolve into the taunka. However, the main tribes of tauren were found on the now western continent of Kalimdor, roaming the central plains. As they did, they continued to learn about the technology they had been given, both through the dragons and by exploring the Dream their druids had access to.

Their discoveries allowed the tauren to drive the marauding centaur from Mulgore and the Barrens, as well as quarantine the primitive quillboar, who had similar dreams of conquest. The tauren built their capital of Thunder Bluff in the northern mesas of Mulgore, and now carefully maintain the balance of nature within their realms.

■ The tauren have proven themselves to be a kindhearted and forgiving race, and thus have established good relations with many of the other races of Azeroth. Tauren cities are unheard of outside of central Kalimdor, but their people can be found in elven, orcish, and even human locales. The only race the tauren are known to be at odds with are the dwarves, because of the latter’s reckless pollution of the environment.

Northern Mulgore is the home of the tauren capital of Thunder Bluff. Cairne Bloodhoof is chieftain of the tauren, and is advised on one side by the wise Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem and the scheming Elder Crone Magatha Grimtotem. The tauren have encampments throughout the plains of Mulgore and southern Kalimdor, along with a small holding in Feralas, and are content to remain where they are.

One offshoot of the tauren is the taunka, who reside in the frozen region of Borean Tundra. They make their home in the large Icemist Village, near the border with Dragonblight, led by High Chief Roanauk Icemist.

■ The tauren pride themselves in their respect for the natural world, so it comes as no surprise that they are masters of nature magic. Their connection to the Dream and tutoring under the dragons has also revealed their aptitude for tech magic. Of the ternion branches, arcane is the only one the tauren have very little skill in. Tauren also have access to divine magic through their deep culture of shamanism.

In fitting with their original nomadic lifestyle, tauren technology tends to focus on the practical far more than the elaborate. After coming into contact with the New Horde, the tauren have slowly been shifting their technology over to being powered by the elements, rather than the standard magic system they had been previously relying on.

Similarly to the night elves, the tauren’s cities are influenced by the Dream. However, their structures have flat silhouettes and very plain aesthetics, rather than grandiose designs. Outside of Thunder Bluff, tauren buildings are created so they can easily be deconstructed and moved.

DWARVES

■ One of the races the Titans had forged to guard their caches and continue shaping the world were the Earthen. Unfortunately, much like other creations of the Titans, the Earthen succumbed to the influence of the Curse of Flesh. The result was the dwarves, a short and stout subterranean race, with a natural connection to the earth inherited from their forebears. The dwarves, split into three clans ruled by one High King, were spread across the central Eastern Kingdoms, a land known as Khaz Modan.

Unfortunately, the three clans of dwarves did not share their mountain home of Ironforge peacefully. When their high king died, a civil war, the War of the Three Hammers, broke out amidst the three clans. In the end, the Bronzebeard Clan held Ironforge, the Wildhammer Clan moved to the mountain of Grim Batol, and the Dark Iron Clan relocated to the Redridge Mountains. Bitter about their defeat, the Dark Irons launched a two part attack on Ironforge and Grim Batol to conquer all dwarves.

The Dark Irons were defeated on both fronts, though the defeat of the Sorcerer-Thane’s wife, Modgud, in Grim Batol cursed the mountain city and forced the Wildhammer Clan to flee to the Hinterlands. In retaliation, the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer united to try and defeat the Dark Iron, only for the Sorcerer-Thane to summon Ragnaros and end the war, at the cost of his people’s freedom. Now, the three clans of dwarves stand as the unmatched industrial giants of Azeroth.

■ Dwarves are natural builders and laborers, making them a common sight in the cities of other races in the Eastern Kingdoms. Unfortunately, the dwarves’ reckless manufacturing and the resulting pollution of their homelands means they are less welcome in the western continent. Though uncommon, some dwarves fed up with the culture of their race can be found in Kalimdor cities.

The largest of the dwarven clans are the Bronzebeards, who have spread the city of Ironforge outside of its mountain namesake and into the rest of Dun Morogh. Their industrial practices have covered the frozen valley in ash instead of snow, polluting the air to the point of toxicity outside of buildings, where air purifiers churn ceaselessly. They have other holdings, mainly in the Loch Modan and the Wetlands. King Magni Bronzebeard leads his people, advised by the Senate of Ironforge, though the weight of their decisions is up for debate.

After Grim Batol was cursed, the Wildhammer dwarves fled the Highlands and settled in the Hinterlands of northern Eastern Kingdoms. They established the city of Aerie Peak, led by High Thane Falstad Wildhammer, above the ground and have turned it into a hub of air travel, both through gryphons and industrial aircrafts. The Wildhammer that remain in the Highlands are ruled by no one leader, and are instead separated into small, family clans across the region.

When the Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan summoned Ragnaros into Azeroth, the Firelord’s arrival sundered the surrounding region into a burning wasteland and created Blackrock Mountain. Ragnaros promptly enslaved the Dark Irons and had them create the industrial city of Blackrock Spire. The Dark Irons are currently led by Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, who answers to Ragnaros, from Shadowforge City deep in the Blackrock Depths.

In the far north, an unknown clan of frost dwarves lives in the mountains of Storm Peaks in their small capital of Frosthold. They are led by Yorg Stormheart, an amnesiac, non-frost dwarf, but a powerful warrior nonetheless.

■ Unsurprisingly, being natural masters of machinery, the dwarves excel at the technology subset of ternion magic. Additionally, while all dwarves have the potential for the arcane subset, the Dark Irons have a particular affinity for it due to their history of sorcery. Nature magic is an unknown territory for dwarves, one that is shunned by the vast populace of all the clans. Of the divine magics, the Bronzebeards have a number of priests and paladins who follow the Light and the Wildhammer have numerous shamans among their people.

Dwarven technology is masterfully crafted, efficient, and durable, but not pretty. Replacement limbs, though empowering their owners with newfound strength and ability, are ugly mockeries of the natural flesh they replace. Dwarves are also masters of arms, and create some of the greatest, mass produced weapons on Azeroth.

The industrial cities of the dwarves are shrouded in smoke and smog that billows from their foundries and forges. Of the three clans, the Wildhammers keep their cities the cleanest to benefit their gryphons. Dwarven structures are naturally spacious and blocky, with destitute sections of their cities often being little more than hovels in mountainside tunnels or rundown factories where the pollution is unbearable.

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GNOMES

■ One of the Titanic Watchers of the Storm Peaks is Mimiron, a mechanical construct known as the Grand Architect. A master of machines, Mimiron created a race of clockwork servants in his own image and called them mechagnomes. Faithfully, the mechagnomes helped their creator created wondrous inventions and Titan machinery that would later be locked away to aid the mortals. Unfortunately, Mimiron’s creations were not spared from the Curse of Flesh.

The small, clockwork creatures became a diminutive race known as the gnomes, who retained the technological genius their robotic forms had been programmed with. After the Sundering, the gnomes retreated into the underground of central Eastern Kingdoms and forged a complex, advanced society. They were sought out by the dragons, who were surprised to find the gnomes had achieved without their influence. As a result, the gnomes and dragons struck up a mutually beneficial relationship.

For thousands of years, the gnomes went unheard of by the surface races, but were improving and tweaking machinery the dragons brought out from the Titan caches and then distributed to the other mortals. Approximately two centuries before the First War, the dwarves stumbled upon the entrance to the gnomish city of Gnomeregan, in the western reaches of Dun Morogh. Instead of isolating themselves, the gnomes became fast friends with the fellow technologically minded race, and are now a common sight on the surface of Azeroth.

■ Gnomes, having indirectly aided the advancement of many Azerothian races, are a surprisingly important people. As they’ve managed to keep friendly relations with the other races, small populations of gnomes dwell in most Azeroth cities in order to help with the repairs and innovations of basic infrastructure. Most underground rail systems are actually built by the gnomes.

Despite the potential the gnomes had to spread their civilization far and wide, the city of Gnomeregan is quite neatly contained. The labyrinth that is the technological city of wonders sprawls almost entirely under Dun Morogh, with only a district or two poking into Loch Modan’s underground and under the western ocean. The current leader of the gnomes is the wise and inventive High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque, who helped create the Deeprun Tram, an underground railway that connects most of the major Eastern Kingdoms cities.

Rumors have it that there is a tribe of primitive gnomes living under the sands of Tanaris, though most dismiss the claim as the feverish hallucinations of dehydrated travelers.

■ The gnomes are perhaps the greatest master of the tech branch of the ternion spectrum, and it isn’t unusual for apprentice tech mages to seek out gnomes as teachers as a result. Though much less skillful in it, the gnomes do have some aptitude for the arcane, but have shown little to no skill in nature magic at all. Due to their extreme dedication to machinery, most gnomes have no source of divine magic to call upon.

Gnomish technology is heavily reflective of their origins, but also of their intense belief in innovation and experimentation. The base of their inventions can be traced back to a Titan design, but will always be covered in quirky additions of their own making. A lot of their more popular inventions can be seen in cities across the world, usually repurposed into the design of the culture that has adopted it.

The city of Gnomeregan follows a similar philosophy. The main districts’ infrastructure is very Titan inspired, though appropriately scaled down for their residents and visitors, adjustments first made when the dragons arrived in much taller mortal guises, but made distinctly gnomish with clockwork augmentation. Unfortunately, the more impoverished the district, the less Titan influence comes in, and the less well maintained the city appears.

FORSAKEN

■ Unspeakable horrors were committed against the kingdom of Lordaeron at the beginning of the Third War. The plague of undeath swept through the streets, killing hundreds, even thousands, and raising their corpses back into mindless zombies in service to the Lich King. However, there was a point at which the Lich King’s hold faltered on his minions, during his duel with Illidan Stormrage in the heart of Northrend, and a contingent of the Scourge were strong willed enough to break free of his will.

Though they were at first grateful for their freedom, they were met with the deeds they had done as servants of the Scourge. Some were driven to madness, but those that could withstand the painful realization were united under the banner of Sylvanas Windrunner, former ranger-general of Quel’Thalas. She named their faction the ‘Forsaken’, and in turned, the Forsaken proclaimed her to be their ‘Banshee Queen.’ Soon after, the Forsaken purged the majority of Scourge forces from Lordaeron City and proceeded to occupy the ruins and the underground labyrinth constructed by Arthas.

Unfortunately, most were convinced the undead were a blight upon Azeroth, and were unconvinced the Forsaken had regained their freewill. The worst offenders were the remaining Lordaeron humans, who refused to give up their homeland, or share it with the monsters who had destroyed it. However, Sylvanas was persistent, and sent emissaries to every major race in hopes of garnering allies. Though few were outwardly willing to support the Forsaken, the races of Azeroth have chosen to hold a strained peace to carefully watch these free-willed undead.

■ The Forsaken are a small nation of free undead, who inhabit the ruins of northern Lordaeron. Unfortunately, since the Third War is still fresh in the minds of others, the Forsaken are barely, if at all, trusted by others despite the peace. Still, some Forsaken can be found in the streets of other cities, trying to find a purpose in life beyond revenge against the Lich King. The Forsaken themselves are extremely accepting of outcasts from other societies, who can find a home amidst an entire race of outcasts.

Lordaeron City’s ruins stretch across the entirety of Tirisfal Glades. The Forsaken are hard at work attempting to repair the damaged infrastructure of the city, though progress comes slowly. While some undead live on the surface, many dwell in the Undercity that sprawls beneath the glades, a labyrinth city constructed by Arthas, as it has working power and generators. Alongside Tirisfal, the Forsaken have also managed to take control of the northern half of Silverpine Forest and the town of Tarren Mill in the Hillsbrad Foothills.

■ While the Forsaken is made up mainly of undead Lordaeron humans, the Scourge had no discrimination of who they raised, and as such, the Forsaken had no such discrimination after they were freed. Both the strengths of one’s ternion and divine magic depend on the original race of the Forsaken in question. However, on average, the Forsaken have more strength in tech and arcane than they do in nature. To help cope with their state of undeath, the Forsaken founded the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow and draw a source of divine magic from it.

Since the Forsaken reside in the ruins of Lordaeron, they mainly use human technology. The diversity of the Forsaken’s members, however, means that the original machinery is often heavily augmented to suit whoever is using it. They’ve also modified human technology to run off shadow magic in order to exploit the generators left behind by the Scourge when they were purged from the city. As typical healing is ineffective on their undead bodies, Forsaken commonly rely on a combination of cybernetics and shadow magic to mend their wounds.

The architecture of the Forsaken follows in much the same way as their technology. While the base structure of Lordaeron City is human, the repairs are being done by the diverse Forsaken, and so the styles of other cultures tend to appear in the rebuilt districts of the city.

TROLLS

■ One of the few races that predated the Titans, the trolls have had a long and bloody history. Originally united under one Zandalari Empire with a rigid caste the systems, the lower classes chose to rebel against their betters and created their own empires. For thousands of years until the discovery of the Well of Eternity, the trolls warred against the Aqir, an insectoid race with a sprawling nation. However, the trolls’ onslaught forced the Aqir into exile and tore their race in half.

After the Titans shaped the world, the powerful troll empires chose to try and fight against their evolved brethren, the kaldorei, but were unable to defeat the elves’ newfound technology and their draconic protectors. When the dragons attempted a show of good faith by offering the trolls Titan technology, the empires refused out of bitter hatred and the jealousy of their Loa gods. When the Sundering occurred at the end of the War of the Ancients, the troll empires were dispersed amongst the fragmented continents.

The trolls swore a war against the advanced races of Azeroth, and the Amani Empire were the first to truly act upon it by instigating the Troll Wars. They laid siege to the elves of Quel’Thalas, and would have achieved victory had the elves not appealed to the humans for aid, and yet, it was still only a narrow defeat. Despite the original splintering of the Zandalari, the remaining troll empires have managed to avoid the same fate, and their enormous stone cities are a testament to their strength.

■ The sprawling troll empires stand fast across the continents of Azeroth. However, trolls are an uncommon site outside of their cities, as they refuse to associate peacefully with the advanced races of the world. As a result, the only trolls one will see in the major cities of Azeroth are members of the Darkspear tribe.

The original, and once the greatest, troll empire was that of the Zandalari. Located on the island of Zandalar, which rests out in the middle of the sea, the empire no longer stands with the same strength and size it once commanded. Isolated as they are, the Zandalari have not taken up the same crusade as their mainland kin, and instead continue their pursuit of knowledge and power under the leadership of King Rastakhan.

In the far north, upon the continent of Northrend, stands the empire of Zul’Drak. Allowed to expand with little opposition, the Drakkari trolls now command one of the greatest troll empires on Azeroth. Compared to their brethren, the Drakkari are much larger and savage, and serve the arctic Loa spirits of the north. Under the leadership of Frost King Malakk, the Drakkari have a sizeable foothold on the eastern territory of Northrend, and have expanded past their borders into the Grizzly Hills.

Prior to the Sundering, the Sandfury trolls were part of the Gurubashi empire. However, after the world was torn apart, this tribe of trolls was left in the wastes of the Tanaris desert. Over the millennium they spent traversing and expanding through the desert, the Sandfury naturally adapted to their new environment. In Tanaris, they built the sandstone empire of Zul’Farrak, and their leader, Chief Ukorz Sandscalp, made a deal with the Old God C’thun in order to better hold their territory against the encroaching advanced races.

Northern Eastern Kingdoms, within the elven territory of the Ghostlands, stands the small empire of Zul’Aman. Kept corralled by the quel’dorei after they defeat during the Troll Wars, the Amani have been languishing for a chance to enact their revenge. Unfortunately, the Scourge beat them to the deed. As a result, the Amani Warlord Zul’jin has chosen to use this opportunity to build up his forces and expand his territory in order to start up a new Troll Wars. Tribes of the Amani empire also have territory in the Hinterlands, where they wage a guerrilla war against the Wildhammer dwarves.

On the opposite side of the continent from Zul’Aman stands Zul’Gurub, the seat of the Gurubashi empire, which sprawls across the northern half of the Stranglethorn peninsula. While they war against the greedy goblins to the south, their leader, Jin’do the Hexxer, prepares a sinister ritual meant to usher one of the Gurubashi’s dark Loa gods into Azeroth.

One of the tribes that made up the Gurubashi empire was the Darkspear tribe. Unlike their brethren, the Darkspear did not follow the anti-technology crusade the rest of their empire had subscribed too. When they began dabbling in technology they captured from their enemies, the Gurubashi attempted to hunt them down for blasphemy. The original chieftain, Sen’jin, was murdered by the Gurubashi. His son, Vol’jin, fled with the Darkspear across the sea and found protection under the orcs of Durotar, who promised safety to the trolls, and a home on the Echo Islands, in exchange for allegiance.

■ For the most part, aside from the few that dabble in the arcane subset, most troll tribes refuse to deal with ternion magic. On the other hand, the Darkspear have attempted to learn all three branches, and have been moderately successful at all of them. All trolls draw divine magic from their patron Loas, most of who are vehemently against technology, except for those the Darkspear now revere. In addition, Darkspear trolls have also taken up shamanism from the orcs.

Troll technology is nonexistent, as a result of the fact that they rejected the initial technology offered by the Titans through the dragons. Darkspear trolls initially began experimenting with goblin machinery, but are now studying a combination of orc and human technology that has been given to them.

The troll empires are usually built of stone and wood. The lower troll castes live in wooden huts, packed tightly together between enormous stone walls that section them off from the rest of the city. Massive temples, dedicated to the Loas of the various empires, are elaborately carved with statues and inscriptions relating to their patron. While the Darkspear still live in wooden villages on the Echo Islands and the southern coast of Durotar, they have begun mixing in pieces of orcish technology.

GOBLINS

■ Ages ago, the goblins were a primitive race native to the Isle of Kezan. The jungle trolls that inhabited the island enslaved the goblins in order to strip mine the caverns inside of the island’s towering Mount Kajaro, which contained a precious mineral known as kaja’mite. The trolls wanted to use the powerful mineral in their voodoo rituals, but underestimated the effects the kaja’mite would have on their slaves. Long term exposure to kaja’mite increased the minds of the goblins, giving them the intellect and cunning needed to rebel and overthrow their masters.

Unsurprisingly, the goblins had soon taken over Kezan and claimed the island’s city, the Undermine, for themselves. Further exposure to kaja’mite helped the goblins advance their society further, which attracted the attention of the dragons, who brought Titan technology with them. Unfortunately, this instilled a prevalent sense of greed into the goblins, which escalated to the point where the dragons actually refused to help the goblins any longer.

The damage had already been done, however, and soon the goblins had built up a large enough fleet of ships that they were able to travel to the mainland continents. Now, the goblins are influential in every corner of Azeroth, having set up a number of prominent trade cities, established shops across the world, and created both legitimate and crime cartels.

■ The goblins are a race that have, for better or for worse, slipped themselves into the society of nearly every race on Azeroth. Not only do they have numerous holdings in the world, they exist in influential numbers in practically every major city. If there’s a vaguely destitute district in a city, you’re sure to find a goblin or ten trying to scam the last shred of livelihood from those who live there. Goblins also have a fierce rivalry with gnomes, who the goblins think are inferior inventors, and a terrible relationship with dragons, who consider them to be, at best, pests.

While not a city in its own right, a major populace of goblins lives in the kaldorei city of Starfall. They’re so numerous that they’ve taken over a section of the city, and have started calling it the Everlook District, a nickname that has stuck with the locals.

Further south is an actual city, a profitable port town known as Ratchet. Led by Gazlowe, a goblin kingpin of the Steamwheedle Cartel, the city manages to operate successfully in both legal and illegal ventures. Ratchet sprawls up and down the coastline of the northern Barrens.

The last goblin city on Kalimdor is Gadgetzan. Though originally meant to be established in Tanaris, to milk the money from dehydrated travelers, the Farraki trolls pushed the goblins out of the desert. As a result Gadgetzan was founded on the salt flats of Thousand Needles, where the goblins accidentally struck oil and the town exploded. Now, Gadgetzan stands as a wealthy pleasure city led by Chief Enginer Bilgewhizzle.

On the other continent, the only holding the goblin’s have is the expansive harbor town of Booty Bay. Stretching along the southern peninsula of Stranglethorn Vale, Booty Bay is a busy industrial city of constantly active ports and factories crammed beside permeating slums. The leader of Booty Bay, Baron Revilgaz, is another goblin kingpin of the Steamwheedle Cartel, who has his fingers dipped into all business practices, legitimate or no.

The goblin’s homeland of Kezan has been completely taken over, both the surface and the underground, by the polluted, industrial city of the Undermine. Divided up into multiple districts, Kezan is lorded over by numerous trade princes all trying to cheat, con, and backstab each other in pursuit of the largest hoard of wealth.

■ Goblins, due to their culture revolving single-mindedly around money and technology, have focused all their efforts into improving their skill in the tech branch of ternion magic. As a result, their skill in arcane and nature is practically nonexistent. The goblins hold fast to their belief in no higher power other than money, and as a result are blatantly cut off from access to divine magic.

Unlike most races on Azeroth, goblin technology is only slightly influenced by Titan technology, as they received very few pieces during the short time they were tutored by the dragons. Most goblin machinery is clunky, loud, and often explosive. This tendency has, however, made the goblins masters of creating bombs and other explosives.

Goblin cities are industrial, polluted regions. Unlike dwarven holdings, however, goblins have no organization or structure, and are merely haphazard buildings thrown together, with obviously unsafe factories churning out black clouds of smoke. The slums of goblin cities outnumber the decent housing, though the goblins don’t seem to mind the squalor, and still find ways to cheat each other despite the terrible conditions.

HIGH ELVES

■ After the Sundering, the kaldorei all but outlawed the use of arcane magic in an attempt to avoid the same catastrophe they had just barely survived. Unfortunately, the surviving Highborne suffered withdrawal as a result of the harsh prejudice, and attempted to appeal to their leaders. The upper echelons of the elves refused to listen to the Highborne’s pleas, and so in a desperate attempt to protest the druidic mindset, the Highborne unleashed a devastating arcane storm.

The kaldorei, instead of wiping out their kin, decided to exile the Highborne from elven lands. Setting sail across the seas, the Highborne eventually found a home in the northern Eastern Kingdoms. They founded the nation of Quel’Thalas and began to call themselves high elves, or quel’dorei, and shed the moon worshiping beliefs of their kindred in favor of embracing the sun. As a result, they lost their connection to Nordrassil and the Well of Eternity, which in turn caused them shrink in size and become paler in complexion.

To sate their magical addiction, the high elves created the Sunwell from a vial of the original Well on an island to the north of Quel’Thalas. Unfortunately, the power of this fount would later draw the corrupted prince Arthas to the quel’dorei’s realm in order to resurrect the necromancer Kel’Thuzad. Utterly decimating the high elven population, Arthas and his Scourge army corrupted the Sunwell and left the quel’dorei broken and without a magical source. Now, their race is divided, with a majority of the population having taken up a new identity as sin’dorei, or blood elves.

■ The result of Arthas’ crusade through Quel’Thalas resulted in the genocide of almost the entire high elven race. The remnants of the high elves are scattered across the Azeroth, while the blood elves attempt to rebuild Quel’Thalas and find a new source of magic for their people. Both the quel’dorei and sin’dorei can be found in the cities of other races, struggling with their addiction.

With the majority of surviving high elves having become blood elves, the quel’dorei who chose to keep their racial identity are left with no leader and dispersed amidst the world, attempting to cope with their addiction and find a home. A sizeable amount of high elves reside in the rebuilding city of Dalaran. Some have taken refuge in the Undercity, willing to follow their former Ranger General despite her deathly appearance. Others have made the lengthy journey to Stormwind City, in order to try and forge new lives for themselves.

In the aftermath of the destruction of Quel’Thalas, the kingdom’s prince, Kael’thas Sunstrider, sought out his surviving people and united them together. In honor of their fallen brethren, he named the survivors sin’dorei, children of the blood. He left a majority of the blood elves behind in Silvermoon City to rebuild the nation, and took the remainder with him to search for a magic to quell their addiction. Past the Dark Portal, they were taught how to siphon fel magic from demons, a solution soon passed back to Silvermoon. Unfortunately, the sin’dorei became newly addicted to fel magic, and much as it had changed the orcs, the blood elves’ eyes were permanently tainted green.

■ Both the high elves and blood elves find their heritage in the ancient Highborne, the original practitioners of arcane, meaning their skill in the ternion arcane exceeds the majority of the Azeroth races. In spite of that, some elves have chosen to try practicing both ternion tech and nature, and have shown some degree of skill at both. As for divine magic, some high elves were priests of the Light, and still some have managed to hold their faith through the tragedies against their race.

High elven technology draws its roots from its ancestry, and therefore retains a sleek design inspired by the Dream. However, unlike their kaldorei cousins, the quel’dorei were far more concerned with creating arcane powered tech than marrying their machinery with nature. There is very little conventional technology where high elves are involved, as everything from the mundane to the complex is powered by the arcane.

The quel’dorei nation of Quel’Thalas is filled with radiant, smooth walled buildings that resemble those of their night elven kin. In contrast, the high elves have built enormous, golden spires and ornate, almost archaic embellishments on their structures. Unfortunately, most of this beauty stands tarnished and ruined, as the vast majority of the city is dilapidated slums after Arthas’ invasion.

DRAGONS

■ Before the Titans arrived on Azeroth, the frozen wastes of the world were dominated by a barely intelligent race of reptilian, winged leviathans. The Titans chose to uplift five flights of these massive creatures, shaping their bestial bodies into majestic forms. These creatures became known as dragons, and the Titans blessed the greatest among them with dominion over aspects of Azeroth, and as such appropriately became known as the dragon Aspects.

When the Pantheon departed their newly forged world, they charged the dragons with both warning the mortal races about the Burning Legion and preparing them for demons’ inevitable return. The dragons were given access to the Titan caches around Azeroth and were instructed to bring the technology to intelligent races and teach the mortals how to use it wisely. The first race the dragons helped to advance were the night elves, who dwelt on the shores of the Well of Eternity.

Unfortunately, the vain queen of Kalimdor sought more power than the magic and machinery at her disposal, and turned to the very demons her resources were meant to defend against. The War of the Ancients was a devastating event for dragons. In the midst of the chaos, the black dragonflight and its patriarch were corrupted by the Old Gods, into insane aberrations. Yet, after the Sundering, the remaining dragons refused to give up. They continued to fulfill their charge, uplifting the races, protecting them from the blacks, and attempting to avoid what set the War of the Ancients in motion.

■ As a result of their widespread duty, dragons are common across the far reaches of Azeroth. In most cities, they are treated as honored guests and official ambassadors, but sometimes they fulfill their plans on more secretive terms. Dragons have good relations with the majority of Azeroth’s races, except for the goblins, who are the only race they have regretted uplifting.

The capital of the dragons resides on the icy continent of Northrend, in the region known as the Dragonblight. Wyrmrest, as it is known, is an enormous Titan city built for the sake of the dragonflights. In the center stands Wyrmrest Temple, a structure that towers over every other, where the Aspects will meet to discuss. Each of the dragonflights has their own section of the city, commonly referred to as the flight’s dragonshrine, where they may reside with their drakonids and dragonsworn.

When the dragons were uplifted, the red dragonflight was given dominion over both Azeroth’s nature and the aspect of life. Their leader, Alexstrasza the Lifebinder, is also known as the Dragon Queen, and represents all dragons when necessary. Within Wyrmrest, they reside in the Ruby Dragonshrine, a section of the city that is overgrown with natural, non-augmented, flora. They are most often the ambassadors to races who practice nature magic.

Alexstrasza’s sister, Ysera the Dreamer, is the matriarch of the green dragonflight. Ysera and her brood preside over the Dream, the technological paradise that exists parallel to Azeroth, created by the discarded prototypes of the Titans. Unfortunately, the Dream has been compromised by a subtle, infectious virus that has begun influencing its caretakers. The green dragons are commonly found in the cities of mortal races who practice druidism and take an interest in the technology of the Dream. They reside within the Emerald Dragonshrine of Wrymrest, a district where the Dream bleeds heavily into Azeroth, causing structures to become indistinct and the streets filled with powerful Dream spirits.

The most reclusive of the dragons are the bronze dragonflight, led by Nozdormu the Timeless One. The Titans blessed the bronze with stewardship over the timeline, and as a result of their eternal scope they find it difficult to interact with mortals at all. Their main home, the Caverns of Time, has its entrance in the Tanaris desert, and is a constantly shifting labyrinth of timeways from which the bronze patrol and protect the sanctity of time. In Wyrmrest, a handful of bronze can be found in the Bronze Dragonshrine, where time is ever in a flux and shades of the past and future can be seen wandering the streets.

Malygos, the Spellweaver, is leader of the blue dragonflight, warders of arcane and Azeroth’s leylines. Prior to the War of the Ancients he was good friends with the black Aspect, Neltharion. But after Neltharion went insane, Deathwing turned on his once-friend and attempted to genocide the blue dragonfilght. Though some blue dragons still survived, Malygos did not emerge from the encounter with his sanity intact. Now, the Spellweaver hides within the Nexus, the blue dragon’s home in Borean Tundra, and allows his brood to handle his affairs. The Azure Dragonshrine, in Wyrmrest, is charged with latent arcane energy and has a large magical conduit in the center of the district. Blue dragons are normally ambassadors to arcane-wielding races.

The last of the Aspects is Neltharion, once known as the Machine Warden, who was given the important task of maintaining the technology the Titan’s had granted the world. Unfortunately, Neltharion’s charge attracted the ire of the Old Gods, who loathed the Titans and their machinery. As a result, the eldritch beings corrupted Neltharion, driving him to madness and creating a bionic monstrosity that took the name Deathwing. Instead of safeguarding the world’s technology, Deathwing and the mad black dragonflight seek only to destroy and corrupt it. The Obsidian Dragonshrine, in Wyrmrest, used to be a technologic hub, but is now a corrupted, flesh-ridden district the other dragons have sealed off from the rest of the city.

Deep within the halls of Blackrock Spire, Deathwing’s son Nefarian conducts horrifying atrocities in order to create the perfect dragon. The experiments, born of the blood of all five flights, are known as the Chromatic flight. While most either die naturally or are killed, some rejects survive, though are both mentally and physically unstable.

■ The dragons, due to their unique position on Azeroth, do not easily conform to the mortal understanding of magic. While the red, blue, and black dragons preside over the nature, arcane, and technology magics respectively, and their skill is greater than that of mortals, they are unable to practice the other ternion branches. The magic of green dragons is directly related to the Dream, and therefore their influence in reality is heavily dependent on how strong the presence of the Dream is in a region. Powerful green dragons have the ability to tear through the veil separating the two worlds on a whim. On the other hand, the time powers held by the bronze nearly transcend mortal understanding entirely, and where the power over time exists on the magic spectrum is the question of the ages for researchers.

Prior to the War of the Ancients, the dragons’ technology was that of the Titans, and the black dragons had enhanced it as they saw fit. After the blacks were corrupted, the other dragons discarded and destroyed what traces remained of the blacks’ augmented machinery outside of the Obsidian Dragonshrine. Now, the dragons rely solely on the technology of Wyrmrest and that of the mortals they often dwell amongst.

As the dragons have dwelt in Wyrmrest City since their uplifting, their dwellings are composed of Titanic architecture. Areas made solely by dragon hands, such as the Nexus, draw the basic design of Titan structures, though often with differing embellishments and materials.

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LOADING…

When they first stepped foot on Azeroth, the feet of the Orc forces has been shrouded by fel magics. A fine green fog-like mist, spilling out of the Dark Portal as their army poured outwards. A sea of green: green flesh, green mist, green fire.

That was all changed under Thrall's rule. Fel magics had been shunned by the Orcs, and many viewed themselves as more Shamans than Warlocks.

Heavy boots smacked against the tiled floor. The large man stepping through the laboratory. Vials, tubes, cups, and beakers lined the shelves around him. All filled with liquids that glowed green. His green skin was obscured by his long white lab coat, and a white cloth held over his mouth, keeping potentially toxic fumes out of his nose.

He stopped suddenly, standing before a large metal table. Its black surface shimmered against the green glow that filled the room. Resting upon it was a body. The Orc was emaciated, tears upon his body where bones stuck out, having broken him in their attempt to change him.

Change him into something more, something better. Demon's blood, Orc sweat, Tauren tears, Troll mojo, and even some Scorpid poison for good measure. It was the man's work, his life goal. Through it, he would create the perfect Orc, and lead them to a new age.

If any of his subjects could survive it.

He roared, flipping the table over. "Worthless, all of them!" The man shouted. "Not a single soul in this city is worthy of my dream!" He turned, swinging his arms along a nearby shelf. Glass crashed, green smoke billowing upwards as the liquid evaporated quickly.

A crack pulled his attention back to the table. There was a screeching sound as the heavy metal object was shoved along the tiles, like nails on a chalkboard. A loud bang signaled that whatever was holding it upwards was no longer doing so.

A booted foot stepped back as more cracks signaled the movement of the formerly dead Orc. The body rose, many bones and tendons visible as they moved. The flesh of the man was merely being worn, as if in mockery of what the creature once was. Its head raised, flesh twisted and stretched over whatever had become of the Orc's skull.

The scientist watched as the reanimated beast took a stance on its knuckles and feet, like a large cat, prepared to pounce.

And in that moment, pouncing was exactly what it did. With a roar, the creature flew through the air, taking the Orc down with in to the floor. Arms raised at inhuman angles, flailing downwards and smacking into the would-be prey.

The man was no pushover, however. Grabbing an arm, the Orc roared in defiance. Twisting, he snapped bones apart; hurling his creation to the side. Crashing, the beast toppled into a cart, sending more vials spilling to the ground.

Green smoke billowed upwards, filling the room as the two got to their feet; charging each other in a blood frenzy. Fists flew and bones cracked as the combatants were obscured. Reaching out, the Orc grabbed the monster's head; squeezing at it with all his strength. A hand reached up, tearing at his face and ripping his mask free.

Clenching his teeth, the man squeezed harder, until his fingers finally moved, a loud crack ringing in his ears as the skull splintered in his hand. The abomination fell limp before him, allowing him to back away. Desperate, he waved his arm, trying to clear the smoke that blinded him.

His efforts were for naught, however. Coughing, the Orc collapsed to the floor, remaining there as the green mist drifted upwards and out the vents. The world faded away from him, slowly becoming a blob of green.

The Orcs entered this world in a sea of green. And so, it seemed, he would leave in a sea of green.

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EVALUATING: MAGIC SPECTRUM

Magic has been an integral part of Azeroth since even before the Titans arrived on its surface. Since the Titans themselves added even more facets to the scope of magical compass, it isn’t surprising that magic itself is a complicated subject.
In general, magic can be initially divided into two categories: divine magic and ternion magic, which further branch into different paths. Divine magic typically describes magic that has existed since before the time of the Titans, and requires the benefaction of a deity or a force resembling a deity to call upon. On the other hand, ternion magic is used to describe the magic that the Titans implemented when they forged primordial Azeroth, and requires willpower, knowledge, and dedication to tap into the resources the Titans left behind.

DIVINE MAGIC

Because divine magic encompasses numerous forces, spirits, and deities, all of which have different agendas and domains, it is generally simpler to categorize them based on how they tolerate the technology the Titans bestowed the world.

LOAS

The Loa spirits are revered and worshiped by the troll empires across Azeroth, with each empire having their own pantheon. From the primordial forces of the Loa, the trolls draw their powerful voodoo spells, hexes, and enchantments that have allowed them to stand toe-to-toe with the advanced civilizations of Azeroth. As the major Loa are jealous beings, they despise technology. The Darkspear trolls have ceased revering major Loa as a result, so must draw their voodoo skills from minor Loa who are apathetic to the crusade of their seniors.

LIGHT

None is truly sure whether or not the Light is merely a force or a deity, but regardless it bestows its followers with a radiant power. The Light can be used for healing wounds, protecting allies, or smiting the wicked. While the Light refuses to be used as a power source, it is indifferent to whether or not its followers use technology alongside it.

ELUNE

The moon goddess of the night elves, Elune has influenced her people since their infancy. The power she has bestowed upon her chosen priestesses allows them to heal others and call down a hail of stars to defeat those who would seek to destroy the kaldorei or slander Elune. While Elune has blessed pieces of elven technology with her power, the majoirty night elves refuse to actively seek to utilize it in such a manner, not wanting to abuse the gifts of their goddess.

SHADOW

In contrast to the Light, the Shadow does not seem to be a sentient force at all, but something that the Forsaken and Scourge have managed to call upon. The Shadow, while harmful to other races, is able to heal undead where other magic will cause them harm. Due to its indifferent state, the Shadow cares very little if those that follow or utilize it use technology, or even decide to use its power in order to fuel their machinery and inventions.

ELEMENTS

The elemental spirits of Azeroth are called upon by shamanistic cultures, such as the orcs and tauren, for wisdom, healing, and strength. After judging that the orcs of the New Horde had forsaken the practice of fel magics, the Azerothian spirits offered the orcs an alternative solution to their energy problem. The orcs were granted the knowledge of how to tap into the primordial, chaotic elements of the elemental planes in order to use as fuel sources, as long as they would continue faithfully on a shamanistic path.

TERNION MAGIC

The ternion magic spectrum, as it has been formally named, is most commonly referred to as ‘ternion magic’ by the average mortal spellcaster. Ternion magic is the collective, magical aspects of the triptych the Titans used when forging the world: nature, arcane, and technology.

ARCANE

The source of arcane energy is crisscrossing lines of power, laid down by the Titans across Azeroth, known as ley lines. Like blood in the veins of a creature, the ley lines carry raw arcane energy throughout the world. Arcane mages are able to tap into this powerful network, draw forth the energy, and shape it to their purposes with their force of will.

There are numerous ways to manipulate arcane, including the creation of illusions, shaping the energy into different forms such as fire or frost, and laying down enchantments. Though to a lesser degree than the other two facets of ternion magic, arcane mages have some influence over the Dream. In the event of an emergency, arcane mages can tap into the latent energy of the dream as opposed to the leylines.

A highly specialized subset of arcane mages, known as dreamcasters, has chosen to only utilize the resources offered by the Dream. Another subset, known as runecasters, does not bend the arcane energy of the leylines to their will, but instead channel it in its natural patterns.

Arcane magic is recognizable in its raw state by its violet hue.

TECHNOLOGY

Popularly called the ‘tech’ branch of the ternion spectrum, technology magic is the manipulation and augmentation of technology on a magical level. The source of tech magic is the fabric of the Dream itself, which the mage will then bend to their will in order to influence the machinery they’re working on.

Tech magic is utilized in a variety of ways, including programming pieces of technology, wiring complex machinery, and hacking computer networks. Additionally, and more controversially, tech magic is also used to bind spirits of the Dream into subservient Artificial Intelligences for use in technology. The more powerful the spirit, the more intelligent and complex the AI becomes. Elementals of the elemental plane can also be bound as AIs, though they cannot handle complicated tasks and are most often used in machines of war. The practice of binding is banned amongst druidic societies, such as the night elves and the tauren, but advocated by technological minded races, such as the dwarves or gnomes.

Specialized tech mages, called loremancers are able to physically walk the Dream by pulling themselves into it. A group of loremancers created the Dreamsphere, a vast digital hub that connects thousands of networks into one interconnected network via beacons they placed in the Dream.

Technology magic is recognizable in its raw state by its cerulean hue.

NATURE

The nature facet of ternion magic is drawn from the natural life of Azeroth itself. Most of the flora surrounding civilized societies has been augmented with technology into cybernature. However, this has helped, not hurt, nature mages, as now even the most neophyte practitioners of nature magic are able to draw energy from the natural world.

Nature mages are able to use this energy in various ways, including healing the wounds of their allies, growing and cultivating crops for food, and manipulating cybernature offensively. Surprisingly, despite its technological makeup, nature mages have a close connection to the Dream via the spirits that inhabit the realm. As a result, nature mages are extremely sensitive to the Dream and are able to have their spirit traverse it during their sleep.

Druids are highly skilled nature mages, who have strengthened their connection to nature to the point where they can both manipulate the non-augmented nature of Azeroth and communicate with the spirits of the Dream. Some druids even apprentice under the wisest and most powerful of the spirits, sometimes known as Ancients, in order to take their form in the real world.

Nature magic is recognizable in its raw form by its emerald hue.

LOADING…

Professor Werbenstein bent over his machine, giving the insides one final check before beginning. The interior of the machine was a complex assortment of electronic devices, from bronze coils to printed microchips. Cables led from two large generators into a smaller black box, which sprouted its own wires. These led into the only somewhat empty space in the machine: the area surrounding a crystalline black and green tree, which hummed softly. Its leaves were angular pieces of hard light, while the core was formed of some sort of metallic substance. These wires plugged directly into the base, which hovered half an inch or so off of the ground.

Satisfied, Werbenstein closed the machine and stood back. Several other men and women, clad in white lab coats, milled around the machine, attaching cables and pressing at arcane series of buttons. Slowly, the machine began to hum softly, while a row of lights on top turned amber yellow.

The hum grew steadily louder, until it rattled the walls and forced the technicians to insert earplugs, lest they go deaf. The row of lights along the top began to darken towards a deep crimson, prompting the professor to gesture to one of his assistants, who threw a lever and input a quick series of commands into a computer screen embedded into the wall. After a moment, the hum began to die down, until it was barely noticeable. The lights flickered out, then relit themselves, shining a bright green.

The assistants removed their earplugs and gathered around one side of the machine, waiting. A moment later, a voice issued from a speakerbox next to the professor. “Greetings. Sir. How may. I ser.Ve. You. Today.”

“And that, ladies and gentlemen,” Werbenstein said, nodding at the machine, “is how to capture a spirit of the Dream for use as a database and research assistant. Any questions?”

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APPENDING: FOOTNOTES

PRELIMINARY

■ Oh gosh it’s a monster.
■ Greetings, Lore and Roleplaying forumgoers, from Funden, Atik, and Hyper (who’s writing this). Welcome to the newest giant RP!
■ This has been in the making for the past two weeks or so (I actually lost track of how much time since we came up with the idea, so don’t quote me on that) and I’m glad we can finally unveil it.
■ Yeah it’s another RP where the footnotes get their own post.
■ lol guyz, itz cyberpunk WoW. Have fun, and no g-modding, kayz?
■ More seriously, yes, this is cyberpunk Azeroth, which should probably help make everything you just read make a lot more sense. Unlike a lot of these types of RPs, this isn’t Azeroth in the future, but an alternate universe. This allows you to keep your current characters, or even radically change them for the fun of it!
■ Have I mentioned this is longer than IndAz?

CLARIFICATIONS

■ Even keeping in mind this is a cyberpunk setting, I’m aware that a lot of what you just read is still complete nonsense, so here’s a brief list of major points.
■ History
- The Titans forged Azeroth to be super duper crazy advanced from the getgo, by making caches full of technology and uplifting the dragons to hand it out like Happy Meals™.
- The Emerald Dream in this universe is just called the Dream, and is basically Tron’s Grid.
- Most of history has gone relatively the same after the Sundering. While I only recapped WotA and First-through-Third wars in the intro, rest assured other conflicts did happen.
- We’re effectively in Vanilla WoW, timeline wise.
■ Zones
- Unless otherwise stated in the zone description, assume that cities are large urban metropolises that cover most of the zone they’re located in.
- Teldrassil was never created in this universe.
- Because we’re in Vanilla, the Dark Portal is still closed.
- Also, Pandaria is still shrouded in Mists.
- Oh and Arthas is stuck on his frozen butt.
■ Races
- If you’re seeing the trend here: no draenei, brown orcs, or pandaren.
- Goblins are awful.
- Lesser races (Quilboar, furbolg, kobolds, gnolls, etc.) are either nearly extinct (quilboar and furbolg and centaur) or enslaved (kobolds and gnolls and murlocks.)
■ Magic
- Hyper why is magic so complicated (I don’t know!)
- The Dreamsphere is the internet, deal with it.
- The whole AI thing is a little complicated so here’s a more concise version of it: Dream spirits/elementals can be forcibly bound to serve as artificial intelligence. If they’re unbound after being enslaved, they tend to go crazy and unstable. Spirits can also be bound willingly, though finding a compliant spirit is no easy task.
- Tech magic is cool yo.

TECHNOLOGY

■ Technology is relatively modern to an Azeroth degree: you’ve got computers, TVs, the interweb, all that sweet jazz. There’s a mix of both hard light tech and regular keyboards and stuff depending on the culture and whether you’re in the ghettos or not, so pick your poison.
■ I had to resist typing ghetto so much in the intro I was thinking it so hard.
■ Transportation wise we’ve got motorcycles, cars, helicopters, and more advanced Warcraft airships. We don’t got airplanes and stuff yet. Also there’s boats and metro stuff like subways and trams.
■ Cellphones too because hey we’ve got everything else.
■ This isn’t really technology but feel free to have characters in more modern outfits. I mean can you really imagine some dirtbag running around in leather armor here?
■ NO MECHAS (okay I lied but they are experimental, pricey, and comparatively small.)

FINAL NOTES
■ Geez why is this thing so huge.
■ Goblins are still awful.
■ Obligatory: Communication! \o/
■ Hyper, let’s not kill this RP by going overboard, because that would be terrible.
■ If you have any questions, run it by me (as in Hyper), Atik, or Funden on Steam if we’re around or slap it in the Q&A, we’ll do our best to answer.
■ And lastly, have fun!

Сообщение от Monday

Character: Andrew
Location: Stormwind

I stepped out of the Dream about three blocks away from the downed thief. It was a shame, what I had to do to him, but necessary. The fast acting poison on the card had taken him down with barely a fight, and would leave only symptoms of cardiac arrest behind.

Of course, those who knew what they were looking for would have no problem figuring out who had done it.

Of course, they weren't the ones I was worried about, either.

Character: Damian Gray
Location: ?

Damian awoke with a start. The room around him was cold and dark. Wet, too. What light seeped into the room came courtesy of a small window set high in the stone wall above him.

Odd, he hadn't fallen asleep here.

Сообщение от Atik

Lucien Greyfang
Stormwind City

In the heart of the capital city of Humanity, the time of day was all but irrelevant. Buildings towered high into the hair, mixing with smoke that filled the sky, blocking out all but the most pitiful bits of sunlight.

The light instead came from those very buildings. Massive glowing windows lined them, streetlights flickering along the sidewalks. Cars roared by, their headlights offering their own light, tires splashing through puddles that filled the road.

A hand fiddled inside a pocket of the long, black jacket. Fingers fumbled for a moment, finding openings in the large metal object. They slipped themselves within, offering grip around the cylindrical handle. On the other side, from the knuckles, a flat metal bar shot outwards; meant to augment one's punches. In contrast, from the main grip, a blade grew; creating a sizable dagger meant for stabbing.

Lucien drew the hybrid weapons from both his pockets, gripping them as he though. His leather coat obscured his form, aided by his wide-brimmed hat that covered his head, long hair falling to his shoulders from beneath it.

Сообщение от 470415

This post was from a user who has deleted their account.

Сообщение от Atik

Lucien Greyfang
Stormwind City, Trade District

Lucien nodded. "Same here." He stated. "But you don't exactly just waltz into a bank and start stealing things." He added.

Across the street, rising miles into the air and glowing brightly in the darkness, sat the largest bank in Stormwind City. Within it was the largest collection of valuables. Banks had mostly stopped holding money when Credits had become the accepted currency of the advanced races.

Instead, the buildings that once housed mountains of golds were now giant storage vaults for the rich. Although, gold was still counted among the secured goods; having its uses in dealings with lesser races or 'off the grid' transactions.

Then again, most of the patrons were probably so rich they could stand to lose a coin or two. Or a hundred.

"And here we go..." The boy noted, glancing to the side at a roar. A massive armored truck moved down the street, pulling a long boxy container behind it. It turned slowly; moving to the side of the bank and shifting the other way to move behind the building.

"That's our queue..." Lucien nodded, stepping out onto the street; raising a hand as a car stopped to let the duo cross.

Samantha Ahren
Old Town, SWPD Station

Having been dragged into work on her day off, Samantha shoved her way through the crowd. Her police jacket was wrapped around her waist, leaving her torso covered by a sleeveless white undershirt. "Whoever this person is, they owe me some vacation time..." She commented, approaching the table.

Сообщение от Monday

Character: Sorin Baldursson
Location: Stormwind

"Or it could be a copycat," the blonde man commented. He sat on a chair with his feet up on the back of another. "A lack of cohesion could indicate multiple suspects."

Сообщение от 470415

This post was from a user who has deleted their account.

Сообщение от Monday

Character: Sorin Baldursson
Location: Stormwind

"I'm not saying that it's probable," Sorin said with a shrug. "Just saying that we should consider all possible angles."

Сообщение от Atik

Lucien Greyfang
Stormwind City, Trade District

Lucien crossed the street, slipping around the corner of the building after the now out-of-sight truck. Slowly, the back lot came into view, a massive open space for the armored delivery vehicle to maneuver. Armed guards were spaced out around the truck, mostly moving to stay out of the way and avoid getting run over.

"Alright, let's move." The boy nodded, sticking to the shadow of the building as he slipped along the wall.

Samantha Ahren
Old Town, SWPD Station

"Agreed. There has to be something about those." Samantha nodded. "Some sort of lead. Roses aren't an easy thing to come by."

Sashastrasza
Stormwind City

Sasha sat down in the small seat. Carefully, she sat the metal tray down on the tiny table. The fast food was wrapped in plastic coverings, presumably to make the meals look more presentable.

She wasn't going to complain though. She was hungry, and warm food wasn't exactly an every day luxury.

Сообщение от Stabhorn

Character: Furious, Drakarzz Marshuun
Location: ?

"I WILL NOT BE BOUND!" The fire elemental screamed as chains, humming with energy, dragged him towards the massive complex of computers, "I! WILL! NOT!"

"Oh please," tall, handsome, and clad in a black suit, Drakarzz Marshuun was the model of perfection. Strong lean muscles highlighted his strong chin. Dazzling blue eyes were framed by long golden hair. The human shaman smiled, "Do you actually think you can resist me, Furious?"

"Why?" The fire elemental was inches away from the device, "Why?"

Drakarzz strode over to the offline machines, "It's certainly nothing personal, Furious. I simply need my computers power while I am visiting Stormwind. My last elemental met an unfortunate end." Furious slipped, losing the fight, "In you go, then."

"Noooo!"

Dead silence. The screen of the nearest monitor flicked on.

B
BO
BOO
BOOT
BOOT
BOOT

The human sniffed, "23OMEGA42: Activate Command; Dragon Fire!"

Activation Command; Dragon Fire; accepted. Rebooting personal settings. The 23OMEGA42 is now online. Loading....Loading....Loading...100101010...All systems loaded and operational. Good morning Master Drakarzz. What is your command?

The philanthropist turned away from his computers, "Access System Z-98; Subsection; Doom. Passcode: Arcane Anomaly."

Passcode; Arcane Anomaly accepted. System Z-98, Subsection: Doom, is now ready for launch.

Drakarzz headed for the exit to his mansion, "Run program. Expect my return within 72 hours."

System Z-98, Subsection: Doom is now running. Have a good trip, Master Drakarzz. Results will be sent to you when they arrive.

"Very good, 23OMEGA42."

Output >> "Hello, Azeroth" >> openRP();

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