Unforgotten Places – Loch Modan

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The Loch Modan area is a place that links Dun Morogh together with both the Badlands and Wetlands. This Dwarven controlled area is a little more tempered then their home country, mostly because it is located on a lower altitude in the mountains.

One of the wonders of Azeroth, the Stonewrough Dam, is located here or more precisely on the border between Loch Modan and the Wetlands. More of the dam later in this article.

 

Thelsamar

Located along the road between the South and North pass into Dun Morogh. This is a typical Dwarven settlement with a flight master, and a tavern. You can also find trainers for some professions here, like Journeyman Alchemist, Mining, Herbalism and fishing. While the fishing trainer is located north east of the town, the others are inside the small town and easy to find.

Silver Stream Mine

This Kobold infested mine is located between the North gate and Thelsamar. As this mine once was one of the main supplies of Silver for Ironforge, one can begin to wonder how come they ignore the new residents.

Stonewrough Dam
One of the wonders of Azeroth, the Stonewrough Dam, was once built by the Dwarves and it nicely dams up Loch Modan and thus uncovering most of Wetlands to a swamp instead of sea bed. Even though this is good for business in Wetlands, the water still needs to go somewhere and the dam has grown Loch Modan to around twice of its original size.
The Dark Iron dwarves try to sabotage the dam from time to time, and their raids have constantly increased during the last few years. So far, the Ironforge dwarves together with adventurers have successfully repelled all of the attacks but the threat level is fairly high for this place.
The Dam also is the home for an Engineering Trainer.

Mo’grosh Stronghold
Home of the Mo’grosh ogres in the north eastern parts of Loch Modan. This is a barren place containing a lot for burnt vegetation. The caves in this area holds most of the different varieties of these ogre’s.

The Farstrider Lodge
 
The Farstrider Lodge is a hunting lodge in the south eastern parts of the region, in the hills above Ironband's Excavation site. There are some hunting challenges available here with nice rewards for hunters and some even for other adventurers. The challenges are time based and involves tracking and hunting beasts that live in the hills and on the eastern shore of the lake. I did enjoy these challenges as they involve sneaking around other beasts to get to the targets.
The lodge also hosts a leather armor merchant who from time to time has green items in stock.

 

Valley of Kings
The first time that I travelled to this valley was when i needed to get to the Searing Gorge in a hurry. I had heard of a tunnel that could be used and the entrance to that tunnel was located in the Valley of Kings in Loch Modan.
Even though I was unable to use the tunnel at that time due to the fact that it was locked and the gate keeper, Mountaineer Pebblebitty,  didn't trust me to survive on the other side, the visit to the valley was worth the detour.
The beautiful nature and the fantastic statues of old kings.I've later come back to the gate keeper with proof that I can handle the things that lie on the other side of the tunnel and thus I am now a proud owner of the key to the tunnel between Loch Modan and the Searing Gorge. The tunnel is in reality of no use these days due to the flight point in the gorge but it is a nice memory and a nice way to reach the gorge if travelling over land.

 

Natural Resources
Mining: Copper Ore, Tin Ore.. Rumors say that there is silver as well but the most common are copper and Tin.

Herbs: Peacebloom, Silverleaf, Earthroot, Mageroyal, Briarthorn and Bruiseweed.

Skinners will find Light Leather and Medium Leather as well as some scraps.

Neighboring regions
Dun Morogh, Wetlands, Badlands and the Searing Gorge.

Unforgotten Places – Teldrassil

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For todays issue of Unforgotten Places I sent out Nowind to visit Teldrassil and she came back with a movie report. I do hope that you will enjoy this : )

Unforgotten Places – Dun Morogh

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Time has come for the Unforgotten Places series to visit the home land of the Dwarves, Dun Morogh. A fantastic place, if you like snow!
As seen on the map, Dun Morogh is located in the mountains between Wetlands to the north and Searing Gorge to the south. The altitude makes it so that the snow never melts here and the lakes are always frozen. On the eastern side of the area is Loch Modan.
There are some inaccessible parts in the region, mainly the airfield to the east of Iron Forge and the village on the mountain side towards the Wetlands.

Coldridge Valley

Located in the south wester part of the area is Coldridge Valley. This is where Dwarves start their studies in the various combat and healing disciplines.

Other interesting things about Coldridge is that the Frostmane Trolls, especially the whelps are no longer hostile. Pretty good diplomacy from the Alliance side.

Dwarven Mortar Team

Travelling on the road between Coldridge and Kharanos you will probabbly end up visiting the camp of Hegnar Rumbleshot, a nice gunsmith. A Dwarven Mortar Team also hangs around Hegnar’s camp.

Kharanos Kharanos, the best place to drink beer if it is not Brewfest. Even though it is located only a short trip south of Iron Forge, most people have not heard of the great beer and will rarely visit. Too bad for them I say, as they do not know what they are missing out on.

Iceflow Lake
In western Dun Morogh is a frozen lake called Iceflow Lake and the ice seems to hold as each time I visit, there is only one small area free of it and that is only thanks to the people in Brewnall Village who use it for fishing. The snow clad islands in are best left unvisited if you are afraid of a fight or two with wolves.

Gnomeregan
Gnomeregan, a place that I do not have much fondness for. The capital and home of the Gnomes even though most of them are living in exile in Iron Forge for the time being and I do understand why as I have been into the place once or twice. Every step you take inside is a potential misstep and Elune knows what kinds of mechanical things will come after you. Enter at your own risk. To get here the only thing you have to do is to follow the road west from Iron Forge until it ends.

Iron Forge
The capital city of the Dwarves, burried into the side of the mountain itself says something about the dwarven stubbornes. Many articles could be written about this place so I will not say more then that the best party of the year is held just outside of its front porch, The Brewfest!

Steelgrills's Depot
If you are into mechanical things more then flesh and blood, then you may like the mount vendor at Steelgrill’s Depot as she sells Mechanostriders. There are also a few siege engine pilots resting closeby.

Misty Pine Refuge
The  Argent Dawn. I never thought that I would run into them in cold Dun Morogh until I did. They have a small, and with small I do mean small, research camp located between Steelgrill’s Depot and Aberstill Ranch to the north of the road. And I did say small didn’t I? Father Gavin is the chief researcher here, and the only one. My guess is that they left him here to do his work and forgot about him when they left for the Plaguelands, and later Northrend.
I do feel sorry for him and I usually try to pay him a visit when my duties brings me to the region.

Amberstill Ranch
Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram! Here you buy Rams! They come in various sizes and colors and there is one for every rammy taste!
The ranch is located east of the Misty Pine Refuge and here you can also find a rabbit vendor, who wouldn’t want a rabbit?
The ranch is probably where most dwarves have learned their first riding skill.

Gol’Bolar Quarry
The Gol’Bolar Quarry is located southeast of Amberstill Ranch, the quarry and the Miners’ League camp can be seen from the road.
The Quarry and the mine that can be entered from it have both been taken over by Throggs meaning that the miners are paying adventourers to get rid of them.

Ironband's Compound
Further east from the Gol’Bolar Quarry lies Ironband’s Compound. This place is overrun with Dark Iron dwarves. The compound used to belong to Sturgy Ironband, a fine blacksmith tutor. Some even say that he was the best. The Dark Iron dwarves attacked the compound shortly after one of Ironband’s students brought him some rare ore called Umbral Ore.

 

I hope you will enjoy your next trip to Dun Morogh and do not be affraid to explore a bit.

Unforgotten Places – Ashenvale, part II

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In Ashenvale, part II we will go through the eastern parts of this area. Starting from Raynewood Retreat and all the way to Forest Song and beyond.

Raynewood Retreat

Raynewood Retreat is an Alliance controlled outpost, built originally by the Night Elves. It is there to protected Ashenvale from the corruption that flows in Felwood to the north. The area surrounding the retreat is populated with Laughing Sisters who are protecting Keeper Ordanus. Keeper Ordanus is one of the sons of the Forest God Cenarius. Both the Keeper and the Laughing Sisters are wanted by the Horde and adventourers regulary try to raid the Raynewood Retreat. Evidently the hair of a Laughing Sister is used by the Horde to create robes for their mages.

Silverwing Grove

Silverwing Grove and the Silverwing Outpost are located in the south of Ashenvale, close to the entrance to the Barrens. This is the location of the Alliance entrance to the Warsong Gulch battlegrounds where the Silverwing Sentinels battle the Warsong Outriders that want to turn Ashenvale to a wast logging camp.

Splintertree Post

The Splintertree Post is the main Horde encampment in Ashenvale, located between the Raynewood Retreat and Forest Song. The camp is mostly populated by Tauren and Orcish guards and scouts. This place can give travellers some trouble when they travel to Forest Song for the first time, before they get the flight path there. This place is also one of the more frequent targets for Alliance retaliation raids even though not as popular as Crossroads in the Barrens.

 Warsong Labor Camps

In the southern Ashenvale, east of the entrance to the Barrens, are the Warsong Labor Camps. This is where the Horde has harvested trees since Grom Hellscreams time, it was he who first established this camp. Today there are logging camps almost all the way to the Southfury River.
Demon Fall Canyon

Even further to the east from the Warsong Logging camp, and to the south of Forest Song is a demon infested area. It was here that the demon lord Mannoroth battled with the two orcs Grom Hellscream and Thrall. A memorial stone was erected in the memory of Grom, who died while striking the final blow on the demon.

Forest SongForest Song is the eastern camp for the Alliance in Ashenvale and it is located almost at the border to Azshara. It is recomended that during your first visit to Forest Song to also visit the camp and flight master in Azshara as it is directly on the other side of the border.
Forest Song is the residence of one of the ancients, Gnarl. Other residents are Night Elfs and a team of Draenei architects who are building a new town for them. The leader of the Draenei seems to be Architect Nemos. The location between Satynaar and Bough Shadow gives visiting adventourers little peace.

Bough Shadow - Portal to the Emerald Dream

One of the portals to the Emerald Dream is located close to Forest Song in a place called Bough Shadow. The area is crawling with dragonkin and inexperienced adventourers are quite often never heard of again if they decide to travel here.
From time to time one of the Dragons of Nightmare, also known as the Emerald Dragons, will visit this place.

 

So, this was all of Ashenvale. There are places in the area that were not covered in this article, but most likely you will stumble across some of them during your own travels.