Northeron
Northeron was the northernmost part of the Twilight Highlands.[1] Inhabited by Wildhammer dwarves,[1][2] it was known for its mysterious ironwood trees,[3] the torrential storms from its frozen mountains,[4] ominous and foreboding peaks,[5] and jagged ice cliffs.[6]
Some of the Wildhammer gryphon riders who fought in the Second War hailed from this place,[5] including Kurdran Wildhammer.[7]
History
War of the Three Hammers
After the War of the Three Hammers and the loss of Grim Batol, some of the Wildhammer clan settled in the Northeron region, though Khardros Wildhammer led the majority of the clan to settle in the Hinterlands farther north.[2]
Second War
During the Second War, the region was attacked by the Old Horde. The dwarves of Northeron offered the service of their gryphon riders to the Alliance to assist in the decimation of orcs that desecrated their homeland.[5]
While working in a mine, Carrick Irongrin received word of an orcish attack and rushed to his home. From atop a hill, Carrick saw how the Dragonmaw clan orcs, mounted on their enslaved red dragons, descended on his burning village while dwarven gryphon riders battled them. The dwarf ran down the hill to his burning home, but it was already too late. His daughter, Rhona, was one of the casualties.[8]
Cataclysm
In the Cataclysm brought about by Deathwing, Northeron's famed icy cliffs rapidly melted due to the catastrophic climate shift, and most of the independent dwarves who lived there were killed in the subsequent buildup of Twilight's Hammer forces and the emergence of Iso'rath. Some of the wreckage is still visible along the northern coast.[39, 9] Even though most of Northeron was destroyed, the nearby spiritual center of Kirthaven remained intact.[1]
In Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans
In the canceled Warcraft Adventures, one scene would have had Thrall interacting with Wildhammer clan dwarves in an area known as Northeron Pass (Aviary in the map), which was a dwarven aviary northeast of Tyr's Hand.
A ballista and a cannon tower were nearby, and the aviary contained a forge, a harnesses and shields workshop, as well as a gryphon roost.
Background.
Exterior.
Interior.
The Aviary in the northeast of the map.
Notes
- The elder gryphon riders and high shamans of the Northeron Wildhammer often adorned their gryphons in ornate, feather-clad pieces, indicating their rank and status.[9]
- Kirthaven, the area surrounding Iso'rath, the Ring of the Elements, and the nameless Wildhammer ruins northwest of Iso'rath are the only confirmed remnants of Northeron.
- Assault on Blackrock Spire refers to the area as the "Northeron wildlands".
- The Warcraft II manual mentions the region as the Mountains of Northeron.[4]
- Northeron is mentioned in The Dragonflight Codex, under the Bastion of Twilight section: "A piece of windswept terrain sits between a line of towering peaks and an endless, roiling sea. It is a land of refuge and resilience, upheaval and coexistence among the creators, invaders, and former captives of Grim Batol. Here upon the ancient site of Northeron, the dwarves and orcs draw a tenuous peace, united in their mistrust for the mysterious Bastion of Twilight rising in the west."[10]
- Northeron was first mentioned in Warcraft II, but it is not included on any of the game's maps and neither the game nor its manual ever explicitly describe its location. The only possible indication of its location is that two of the passages in the manual that mention Northeron also mention connections to Quel'Thalas: specifically, that Northeron's gryphon riders are said to have allied themselves only with "the Elves of Quel'Thalas",[5] and that those same elves are said to have sought to study Northeron's ironwood trees.[3] Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans (which is non-canonical) and a map of the Eastern Kingdoms sketched by Chris Metzen early in the development of World of Warcraft (and which differs greatly from the final canonical map) both place the region just southeast of Quel'Thalas. Northeron's location in canon remained unspecified until Round II of Ask Creative Development in June 2011, which revealed that it was part of the Twilight Highlands.
Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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Original area
It is not clear what the original extent of Northeron was. Blizzard stated that its remains are in the northernmost part of the Highlands,[1] indicating that the unnamed ruins there were a town within Northeron once. It is also stated that Iso'rath and the Twilight's Hammer forces served to put an end to this location and its many inhabitants.
The area that has been described as within Northeron.
What might have been its original borders.
A more extended possibility.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Ask CDev Round II
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 156
- ^ a b Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Alliance Buildings, Elven Lumber Mill
- ^ a b Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Mage Spells
- ^ a b c d Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Alliance Air Units, Gryphon Rider
- ^ Day of the Dragon, pg. 123
- ^ The Fall of Auchindoun (WC2 Human)
- ^ The Jade Hunters
- ^ Mount Journal entry for Adorned Northeron Gryphons
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Dragonflight Codex, pg. 161
