Plaguelands

For further reading, see Western Plaguelands and Eastern Plaguelands.

The Plaguelands
Level: 35 - 60
Capital(s)	Stratholme Hearthglen Andorhal
Races	Scourge  Human  Forsaken  Forest troll  Undead troll  High elf  Wretched  Tauren  Night elf  Gnoll
Former ruler(s)	Terenas Menethil †
Major settlements	Tyr's Hand Scarlet Enclave Zul'Mashar
Minor settlements	Light's Hope Chapel Caer Darrow Corin's Crossing Terrordale Northdale
Affiliation	Scourge, Argent Crusade, Forsaken
Location	Northern Lordaeron

The Plaguelands, also referred to as the Plagues and originally called the Eastweald, and sometimes including all of the Northlands (that is globally composed by the northern regions of Lordaeron), are the regions that were most corrupted by the Scourge during the Third War.

History

Ancient times

Before being called the Plaguelands, the northeastern reaches of the Kingdom of Lordaeron were known as the Eastweald. The region sometimes includes the Tirisfal Glades. The Eastweald was a stretch of fertile foothills located east of the Tirisfal Glades. During the Troll Wars, military leaders from Arathor constructed "crude" forts throughout the Eastweald prior to the kingdom's direct confrontation with the Amani Empire around 2,800 BDP. After the war, those forts would become populated trading centers from which many modern cities would spring. The settlements built on the Eastweald like Light's Hope Chapel, Stratholme, Andorhal or Tyr's Hand were the most important holy sites of the Church of the Holy Light in Lordaeron.

Scourging of Lordaeron

Just before the Third War, Kel'Thuzad directed the Cult of the Damned to unleash the Plague of Undeath on the northern nation of Lordaeron by tainting the grain from Andorhal (the primary distributor of grain in the northern provinces) and shipping it to outlying villages and towns. The virulent plague killed thousands throughout the provinces and raised them as mindless undead in the service of the Lich King, and caused the land to become tainted, the plant and animal life becoming diseased. A small resistance, led by Prince Arthas Menethil and Uther the Lightbringer of the Knights of the Silver Hand, was able to destroy the infected granaries and temporarily halt the spread of the plague. Not long after the time of Arthas' eventual fall, beginning with the Culling of Stratholme and coming to its climax with the murder of King Terenas, the majority of the population had been converted into the undead, had fled or were regrouping trying to fight the living dead in any way they could.

The name Eastweald was still used during the days of the fall of Lordaeron but as time passed the name was replaced by the Plaguelands.

Plaguelands civil war

Main article: Plaguelands civil war

Following the Scourge's defection from the Burning Legion after the Third War, and the later splintering of the Forsaken, the Plaguelands became divided between the minions of the Lich King and the new followers of Sylvanas Windrunner.

Recent times

In the following years, the Scourge continued to corrupt the Plaguelands, spreading the Plague of Undeath from strategically-placed cauldrons that tainted not only the land but the air and the wildlife as well. There were many others besides the Forsaken and the forces of the Alliance who fought the undeade in the Plaguelands. The Scarlet Crusade, an organization of maddened zealots who attacked anyone who opposed them as fervently as they destroyed the undead, took control of some of the few surviving towns in the region, such as Hearthglen and Tyr's Hand, but eventually lose them by the time of the Cataclysm with the Scarlet Monastery being their last bastion. The Argent Dawn, formed by former members of the Scarlet Crusade who opposed its corruption, fought the Scourge for some time striking against key leaders and locations throughout the Plaguelands until they joined with the remaining Knights of the Silver Hand around the area and formed the Argent Crusade.

Geography

The proper Plaguelands are the Western and Eastern Plaguelands, including the Scarlet Enclave.

Maps and subregions

Map of the Western Plaguelands.

Map of the Eastern Plaguelands.

Map of the Plaguelands: The Scarlet Enclave.

Western Plaguelands Andorhal/Ruins of Andorhal The Bulwark Charred Outpost Chillwind Camp Dalson's Farm/Dalson's Tears Darrowmere Lake Caer Darrow Scholomance Felstone Field Gahrron's Withering Hearthglen Mardenholde Keep Taelan's Tower Malicia's Outpost The Menders' Stead Northridge Lumber Camp Plaguemist Ravine Redpine Dell Sorrow Hill Path of Uther Sorrow Hill Crypt Uther's Tomb Thondroril River The Weeping Cave The Writhing Haunt

Eastern Plaguelands Blackwood Lake Browman Mill Corin's Crossing Crown Guard Tower Darrowshire Darrowshire Hunting Grounds Death Cultist Base Camp/Scarlet Base Camp Death's Step Eastwall Gate Eastwall Tower The Forbidding Sea The Fungal Vale The Infectis Scar Ix'lar's Domain Lake Mereldar Light's Hope Chapel Crypt Sanctum of Light Light's Shield Tower The Marris Stead Northdale Northpass Tower The Noxious Glade Pestilent Scar Plaguewood Plaguewood Tower Terrordale Quel'Lithien Lodge Ruins of the Scarlet Enclave Acherus: The Ebon Hold Crypt Death's Breach Siege Vise Stratholme Terrorweb Tunnel Thondroril River Tyr's Hand The Scarlet Basilica Tyr's Hand Abbey Hall of Arms Main Hall Library Wing The Undercroft Zul'Mashar Mazra'Alor

Plaguelands: The Scarlet Enclave Acherus: The Ebon Hold Hall of Command The Heart of Acherus Browman Mill Crypt of Remembrance Death's Breach The Forbidding Sea Havenshire Havenshire Farms Havenshire Lumber Mill Havenshire Mine Havenshire Stables King's Harbor Light's Hope Chapel Light's Point Light's Point Tower New Avalon Chapel of the Crimson Flame New Avalon Forge New Avalon Orchard New Avalon Town Hall Scarlet Hold Scarlet Tavern The Noxious Glade Pestilent Scar Scarlet Overlook Tyr's Hand The Scarlet Basilica Tyr's Hand Abbey Hall of Arms Library Wing Main Hall

Undisplayed locations Blackwood Darrowmere River

Lore locations Hearthglen Woods

Warcraft III Hearthglen Hills Pandaren relaxation area Vandermar Village (speculated)

Warcraft II Tyr's Bay

Warcraft RPG Cinderhome Greenrush River Isle of Darrow

Other regions of the Plaguelands

• Tirisfal Glades
• Northern Lordaeron, a closed zone (presumed)

Plagued regions outside the Plaguelands

• Ghostlands
• Silverpine Forest - It could be considered part of them, but not always because there are many places without Scourge soldiers, but their influence is evident. Also, World of Warcraft Master Guide: Edition 2 says that the Scourge have a "loose and rotting hand" over Silverpine.
  • In some RPG books Silverpine Forest is considered part of the Plaguelands.

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Main article: Western Plaguelands#In the RPG

Main article: Eastern Plaguelands#In the RPG

Notes and trivia

• Balnazzar referred to ruins of Capital City or Tirisfal Glades as Plaguelands.
• Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas were referred to as the toxic Plaguelands.
• According to Rhonin after the Third War, the Scourge intended to make a vast Plagueland.
• In The Frozen Throne and early concept maps for World of Warcraft, the Plaguelands were a single area instead of having a western and eastern distinction.
• "Weald", as in the Plaguelands' original name of Eastweald, is an Old English word meaning forest.

Gallery

• 

  Plaguelands in The Frozen Throne.
• 

  Plaguelands in The Frozen Throne.
• 

  The Menders' Stead.
• 

  The Eastern Plaguelands.
• 

  The Plaguewood.
• 

  Plaguelands Forest concept, digital painting by Bill Petras.
• 

  Plaguelands Forest concept, digital painting by Bill Petras.
• 

  World of Warcraft wallpaper.

Maps

• 

  Plaguelands in The Frozen Throne.
• 

  The Plaguelands as a single area in an early WoW map.
• 

  Similarly in another concept map.
• 

  Map of the Western Plaguelands in Classic.
• 

  Map of the Eastern Plaguelands in Classic (including the PvP towers).
• 

  Map of the Eastern Plaguelands in Wrath of the Lich King.