A short overview of the lands in World of Warcraft

Everyone knows Azeroth. Whether you are a World of Warcraft player or a fan of the RTS, this fictional land created by Blizzard has become so popular that any gamer would probably know of it.

It is not known where the word Azeroth came from. A lot of references point to the Christian reference to Astaroth, who is a duke of hell or the demon from Syrian lore which was called Azeroth. Other sources say that it came from C.J. Cherryh “Fires of Azaroth” book, while others conjecture that it came from the Bible itself which refers to places of similar sounding names such as Hazeroth. Regardless of its etymological background, this word has come to mean the lands of Warcraft.

The entire Azeroth can be split into four main locations: Northrend, Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms. Aside from these, a major feature that scars the territory is the Maelstrom which was caused by the Elves in the days of yore, but that is a story for another time. Each major location is a fountain of knowledge for those who would care to delve into these things. We know that it would be impossible to chronicle all the events in one account alone, this is just to give most players an overview of each land.

Each of these lands played an important role in the history of Azeroth in general. There are far more things that can be said about each location, but those are stories for another time. Perhaps it would be best to end this here, but be sure to keep checking back for more history on the lands of Azeroth here on QJ.

The full article awaits after the jump!

Everyone knows Azeroth. Whether you are a World of Warcraft player or a fan of the RTS, this fictional land created by Blizzard has become so popular that any gamer would probably know of it.

It is not known where the word Azeroth came from. A lot of references point to the Christian reference to Astaroth, who is a duke of hell or the demon from Syrian lore which was called Azeroth. Other sources say that it came from C.J. Cherryh “Fires of Azaroth” book, while others conjecture that it came from the Bible itself which refers to places of similar sounding names such as Hazeroth. Regardless of its etymological background, this word has come to mean the lands of Warcraft.

The entire Azeroth can be split into four main locations: Northrend, Kalimdor, and the Eastern Kingdoms. Aside from these, a major feature that scars the territory is the Maelstrom which was caused by the Elves in the days of yore, but that is a story for another time. Each major location is a fountain of knowledge for those who would care to delve into these things. We know that it would be impossible to chronicle all the events in one account alone, this is just to give most players an overview of each land.

Northrend:

This land is perhaps one of the most maligned locations considering the fact that this has become the base of operations for the Lich King Ner’zul. This land used to belong to the Nerubians and their underground city of Azjol-Nerub. When the Lich king took over this icy wasteland, the Nerubians fought valiantly with hit and run attacks. They were eventually overrun by the undead minions of the Lich King and were converted to the side of the Scourge.

There are a lot of important locations in Northrend such as Drak’Tharon Keep, Icecrown Glacier and The Great Dragonblight. While these are quite popular WoW places there are other lesser known locations that have acted as turning points in the history of Warcraft. A fine example would be the Nexus in Coldarra where Malygos the Dragon Aspect of Magic resides. Another would be the Stormpeaks where Sargeras and Aegwynn fought over 800 years ago.

Kalimdor:

Located in the western part of Azeroth, most know this as the lands where the Orcs, and later, the Alliance sought refuge from the coming of the Burning Legion in Warcraft III. The Orcish capital of Orgrimmar can be found in this location as well as the City of Darnassus, the capital of the Night Elves. Other areas of note is Mulgor, where the Tauren City of Thunderbluff is located.

Argurably, the most important location in this area is Mount Hyjal – the site of the Third War where the spirits of the Ancients sacrificed themselves to stop Kil’jaden from taking the power of the World Tree. Most should also know that a new world tree is growing in Teldrassil.

Eastern Kingdoms:

The location of the Kingdom of Azeroth and Lordaeron, the land is a supercontinent with two areas. In the south, you will find one of the last strongholds of the humans on Azeroth. In the north lies Khaz Modan, the land of the Dwarves where King Magni Bronzebeard resides.

Lordaeron:

The homeland of Arthas is attached to Azeroth by the Thandol Span in northern Khaz Modan. This was a temperate location which Humans have found to be a suitable habitat for themselves. Unfortunately, Kel’tuzad let loose the Plague of Undeath which all but wiped out the humans living in the area. This place is now home to the Dark Lady Sylvanas Windrunner and her forces known as the Forsaken.

Locations of note include the Tirisfal Glades, where you will find the underground fortress of the Forsaken known as The Undercity and Quel’Thalas where the High Elves used to reside until Arthas destroyed it. Recently, the former High Elves, now known as Blood Elves led by Kael’thas Sunstrider, have rebuilt the City of Silvermoon to serve as their base of operations in Azeroth.

The Kingdom of Azeroth:

The Kingdom of Stormwind was the most powerful bastion of the humans. When the Dark Portal was opened , most humans ran to Lordaeron for protection. After the war, they rebuilt the Kingdom of Stormwind to the best of their abilities. With the coming of the third war and the loss of Lordaeron, most migrated back to the Kingdom of Stormwind. To this day it remains one of the most powerful strongholds of the humans in the world of Azeroth

Each of these lands played an important role in the history of Azeroth in general. There are far more things that can be said about each location, but those are stories for another time. Perhaps it would be best to end this here, but be sure to keep checking back for more history on the lands of Azeroth here on QJ.