User:GoldenYak/Shadow Web Caverns Subregions
Shadow Web Caverns Subregions
Listed below are summaries of the various subzones located in the Shadow Web Caverns of Azjol-Nerub.
Ahn'Vekir, the First City
If the nerubian records are to be believed, then Ahn'Vekir was the first city of the Spider Kingdom, the first to be constructed in the darkness of Azeroth's underworld. When the great empire of Azj'Aqir, fell, refugees fled to the depths of Northrend, in time becoming the nerubian people. Though they dwelt for a time in the city of Ahn'Vekir, the nerubians eventually abandoned it entirely, leaving it to moulder in the darkness of the underworld.
While the nerubians may have abandoned the city in ancient times, it stirs with life once again. The Newbreed have arrived to plot evil anew in the home of their ancient ancestors. Prince Chizo'kahn, a powerful leader of the Newbreed, leads the forces of the nerubians in Ahn'Vekir. His subordinates N'kai the Bloodweaver, Shek'krik Doomweb, and Y'aakk Shuddercreep control the outer regions of the city.
Azj'Aqir Worldgate
Lying at the heart of the city of Ahn'Vekir and towering high above it is the Worldgate of Azj'Aqir, one of the oldest structures in the Spider Kingdom. Its purpose is lost to the darkness of time, but the nerubians oldest legends claim that it was present even before the aqir laid the first stones that would become Ahn'Vekir.
Brann Bronzebeard suspects that the Worldgate may have a connection to the Waygates of the Titans, due to the similarities in their construction. The Worldgate is certainly not a Titan gate that has been subverted or reconstructed, but the parallels in design are unmistakable. Therefore, it is possible that the Worldgate may somehow connect to another physical location in Azeroth through mystical means.
Blacksand Beach
Far south of the Spidermire, the swamplands gradually give way to cold black sands, an underground beach stretching across the length of the cavern. The frigid waters of Northrend's great sea lap upon the obsidian shore, while fragments of iceberg bob in the distance. Crabs and lobsters and other scuttling things pick their way along the beach, while murlocs and cave sharks prowl the nearby waters. Like so much of Azeroth's underworld, the ecology of the underground beach is a shadowy reflection of the abundant life of the surface world.
The Bitterslime Murlocs eke out a living in the tidal pools along the northern beach. Their strongest leaders and spell-casters are of the deep murloc variety, who are rarely seen outside tribes that dwell in the deepest oceans. They honor the great cave shark Dread Fathom, one of the oldest and largest predators of the nearby waters.
Drak'Tharon Catacombs
The troll kingdom of Zul'Drak has been all but annihilated, but its bones run deep into the earth of Northrend. The lowest depths of Drak'Tharon Keep, the mighty Drakkari stronghold, stretches down into the Shadow Web Caverns, forming a series of catacombs where the frost trolls traditionally entombed their dead heroes. When the Undead Scourge began to ravage the lands of the Drakkari, several bands of frost trolls took shelter among their honored dead and sealed off the catacombs to prevent the forces of the Lich King from resurrecting their fallen heroes as servants of the Scourge. There they held off marauding Scourge during the great war with the Alliance and the Horde, and through the fall of their own kingdom, ignorant of events taking place on the surface. At last, their dwindling supplies have forced them to break open their catacombs and venture out into the Shadow Web Caverns.
The frost trolls will permit no one to approach their holdings, and have already begun to come under assault by the Newbreed. They are led by Zhova'jin the Soul Herder, a powerful witch-doctor and summoner of Loa spirits. The Drak'Tharon Catacombs provide a passageway to the surface of Northrend, allowing players to move between the Shadow Web Caverns and Drak'Thaon Keep's upper levels in Grizzly Hills and Zul'Drak.
Edge of the Pit
The Shadow Web Caverns lie perilously close to the gigantic sinkhole known as the Wound of the World, a colossal pit stretching deep into darkness, perhaps all the way through the center of Azeroth itself. Travel over the pit is impossible - those who make the attempt are driven near to madness by evil whispers that grow louder and louder the further one flies, inevitably forcing one to return or go insane.
Even the cliffs and crevasses around the edge of the sinkhole are not safe for the unwary - giant spiders, feral nerubians, and marauding cave bats prey upon any they find, and the mysterious and hostile Faceless Ones can be frequently found on unusual pilgrimages around the pit, forever circling the Wound of the World without apparent rhyme or reason. But who could fathom what might pass for reason in the mind of such creatures? One Faceless One has been sighted several times, distinctly larger than the others. Those who lay eyes upon him are assaulted with mental whisperings in an alien tongue, forever repeating "Zith-Yig! Zith-Yig! Zith-Yig!"
The Gate of Mists
The secret of the kvaldir's stealth is revealed at the Gate of Mists, an area of mist-shrouded water that acts as the kvaldir's passageway to the surface. The Kvaldir ships are able to submerge and travel underwater like marine creatures, passing through sunken caves and underwater tunnels to reach the coastal waters of Northrend.
The Gate is vital to the kvaldir's raiding efforts, and is guarded by several of their ships. Fleetmaster Geetor commands the raiders who protect the region.
The Hanging Tower of Naz'Zuraq
A curious structure lies in the heart of the Shadow Web Forest - an immense stalactite stretches down from the cavern ceiling, one hollowed out and fortified by the nerubians long ago. Ringed by stone platforms secured with webbing to the central structure, it is an imposing sight to behold. Once a place where the sages and spell-casters of the nerubian empire met and exchanged knowledge, it has become home to darker powers.
The arach'layn have made the Hanging Tower their stronghold. The Disciples of Zephon, an order of highly trained arach'layn warriors, protect the outer walls under the command of Rayek Wraithbone. Within, their strongest leaders and most skilled mages plot to overthrown the kingdoms of the surface world, and plunge Azeroth into darkness.
The Maw of Mists
In the depths of the subterranean seas of the Shadow Web Caverns lies a terrible devouring maw, worshiped by the kvaldir as a dark god. To appease the dreadful hunger of this creature, the kvaldir have sacrificed the captives and slaves they capture during their frequent raids. In reality, this god of hunger is Yogg-Kek, the Laughing Maw, one of the thousand maws of Yogg-Saron, an appendage of the Old God's horrific form. With Yogg-Saron's demise, his unearthly flesh has undergone a dreadful transformation all throughout the underworld of Northrend, and each fragment of his body seeks independence as its own being, even as it rots away to nothing.
Having become an Undying Maw, Yogg-Kek's hunger has grown even greater, and the kvaldir have been driven into a frenzy of raiding and sacrifice in order to appease the monstrosity. They conduct their sacrifices upon a small cliff face overlooking the whirling vortex of water that surrounds the devouring maw. The roar of the waves is all but deafening, but nothing can drown the out the horrible, endless laughter that echoes in the mind of all those who approach the Maw of Mists.
Nidhogg's Lair
The roots of the fallen World Tree, Vordrassil, give shelter to uncountable horrors, creatures that have ruled the darkness of Azeroth's underworld for millennia. The fiercest and most terrible fiend to lurk in the darkness is Nidhogg, a titanic protodragon, twisted by centuries of exposure to the evil of the Old Gods. As the power of the Old Gods continues to increase, this monstrous creature is roused from its lair, burrowing up through the caverns of mighty roots of fallen Vordrassil. Before long it will reach the surface, and rain untold destruction on the lands of Northrend.
Deep within the twisted root-cavern flow rivers of saronite, the black blood of Yogg-Saron, flooding the deepest regions of the cavern. The roots of Vordrassil are stained with the stuff, glowing with an unhealthy, eldritch light.
Roots of Vordrassil
In ancient times, after the war of the ancients, night elves planted the great tree Vordrassil in Northrend, in an effort to increase their power. Intended as a World Tree to rival the legendary Nordrassil, Vordrassil grew quickly, it's branches shrouding the Grizzly Hills in a twilight pleasing to the night elves, and its strong roots burrowing deep into the underworld.
However, the roots of Vordrassil dug too deeply... before long, they pierced ancient caverns long hidden from the surface, where rivers of liquid saronite flowed - the black blood of Yogg-Saron, the Old God. Tainted by the corruption of the Old God, Vordrassil failed as a World Tree, and was destroyed. But it's twisted, poisoned roots lived on... growing throughout the Shadow Web Caverns, feeding on the corruption there.
The roots give shelter to the Terrormaw and Horrowmaw Furbolg, who have fallen completely under the sway of corruption. It is rumored that they are attempting to again call forth their slain bear gods from beyond, restoring them to life, this time knowing that the ritual will create a corrupt and wicked demigod, devoid of any good. The Terrormaw champion, Kurnog the God-touched, will stop at nothing to see their mad ambition fulfilled.
Saron Crevasse
The Catacylsm left no corner of Azeroth untouched by devastation, not even the deep places of the underworld. Mighty cracks and been ripped open in the underground cliffs and mountains of the Shadow Web Caverns, forming deep chasms that stretch down into the deepest reaches of Northrend. In the eastern regions of the Shadow Web Caverns, these crevasses have exposed heavy deposits of saronite ore, the solidified blood of the Old God, Yogg-Saron. In some regions, great molten rivers of the deadly substance flow freely, illuminating the depths with ominous light.
The indigenous wildlife of the region have been saturated with saronite vapors, killing most and driving the survivors into mutated madness. Giant oozes have begun to form from the saronite rivers and are slithering outwards from the crevasse. Undying tendrils grow, the decaying limbs of Yogg-Saron flailing mindless in the death throes of the Old God. For those who can brave the horror and the danger, they will find their trial is only just beginning. The Terrormaw furbolg, led by their elder shaman Rullok Sunderbellow, guard the gates of their fortress, where their demigod Ursol has been resurrected.
Scylagarde Keep
The mighty fortress of Scylagarde Keep towers high above Skalagrim Cove, and is the throne of Morthal Droteoch, Lord of Dark Water, master of all the Kvaldir. From here, he interprets the will of Neptulon, passed on to him through his enchanted trident, a reflection of the one wielded by the Elemental Lord of Water himself. He orders the Kvaldir captains to take their crews on pillaging raids, and he commands the cursed mist that follows them and cloaks their every movement.
Scylagarde Keep was one of many strongholds that the vrykul sheltered in during their long hibernation after the War of the Ancients. When the ancient Sundering tore apart the world, Scylagarde Keep sank underground, becoming partially submerged in the ocean as well. As the vrykul slept in their tombs, the sea water engulfed them, but they did not drown. Perhaps it was the adaptability of the Titans creations or the preserving nature of the hibernation, perhaps the Curse of Flesh that had compelled them to sleep in the first place or the influence of nebulous Neptulon, but something caused the slumbering vrykul to take on the nature of the ocean itself, and when they emerged from hibernation millennia later, they had become the Kvladir that are dreaded across the seas of Azeroth to this day.
Shadow Web Gate
This large nerubian gate is the only passage through the Scourgewall to the Upper Kingdom. The gate is an immense round portal emblazoned with a stylized spider. Living nerubians have seized the region and it's surrounding fortifications, and the forces of nearby Doorward are locked in pitched battle to drive them away. Attacking the Inner Kingdom from the Upper Kingdom would be suicide - the Twilight Scourge forces in Ahn'Saron are too heavily entrenched. The only hope of attacking the Inner Kingdom is to travel through the Shadow Web Caverns and attack on the Twilight's undefended front.
The cavern-side of the Shadow Web Gate overlooks the vast Undergrove, an underground marshland that fills the cavern floor. From high above, it appears as a sea of mist, with enormous fungal growths breaching through the fog like icebergs on the sea.
Ships of the Kvaldir
The fleet of the Kvaldir fill the underground sea of the Shadow Web Caverns, always preparing for raids upon the surface world. The means by which the Kvaldir ventured to and from their underground stronghold was a mystery to many, until the forces of Doorward spied upon Scylagarde Keep and learned the truth. The ships of the Kvaldir, enchanted by the same magic that produces their dreaded mist, enables them to travel underwater like sharks, sailing on underwater currents through sunken tunnels, allowing them to rise from the depths and retreat without a trace.
The standard raiding vessels of the Kvaldir are as imposing as any ships that sail the seas of Azeroth, but are all dwarfed by the mighty and terrible flagship, the Scyla.
Skalagrim Cove
Though murlocs and naga are ever-present in the deep water regions of the Shadow Web Caverns, it is the Kvaldir who reign uncontested. Dominating the southern beaches, they have built a sprawling village around a great fortress of ancient vrykul construction. Moored along the beachfront are the many sailing vessels of the Kvaldir, swathed in the dreaded supernatural mist that follows them on their sea raids. The cove is one of the most well-kept secret locations in Northrend, but the Kvaldir's many enemies would think twice about attacking this heavily fortified area even if they knew where it was.
The Spidermire
This web-choked swamp is one of the deadliest natural wildernesses of Azeroth's underworld. Giant spiders stride across the surface of the bog, descend from above on lines of webbing, or leap out from within swampy burrows to strike. Fumes from the bog mix with clouds of fungal spores to form an impenetrable fog that shrouds the region in darkness, making navigating the Spidermire all the more treacherous.
Beyond the varied and deadly species of spiders that prowl the mire, adventurers are in constant danger from twisted nature elementals, marauding undead, and giant swamp bats large enough to carry a man into the air. One vicious specimen of bat, known as Fangstrom, holds terrible dominion over the dismal region.
Terrormaw Hold
Carved from the roots of Vordrassil and the canyons rent into the Shadow Web Caverns, this imposing furbolg fortress houses the Terrormaw furbolg tribe, who have become completely corrupted through exposure to Vordrassil's taint. Mutated and insane, the Terrormaw have successfully resurrected their demigod, the bear ancient Ursol. Unlike the first bear ancient, Ursoc, Ursol is completely devoid of any of his former nobility and goodness, and has become an unspeakable abomination. Feeding on the saronite that flows through the depths of the Hold, Ursol will soon be powerful enough to lead the Terrormaw on a campaign of destruction that will leave the surface world devastated.
Twilight Scourge Camp
The forces of the Twilight Scourge continue to spread their insidious influence throughout the underworld, forging alliances with the nerubian Newbreed and the arach'layn. They have combined the underhanded tactics of both the original Cult of the Damned and the Twilight's Hammer, sending agents to infiltrate factions opposed to their cause and forment discord.
The Undergrove
Even in the chill dark of Azeroth's underworld, life has found a way to flourish in abundance. The giant mushrooms that grow tall as great trees form a great protective canopy overhead, while luminescent fungi bring a hauntingly beautiful light to the seemingly alien landscape. The spores of these great fungal growths were used by the Scourge to engineer their dreaded plague, but death in the Undergrove is only a prelude to rampant, unrestrained growth. The nerubians used many varieties of fungus as a food source - this diet may explain in part their high resistence to disease.
Quest and Travel Hubs
Mistwatch
This Doorward outpost overlooks the underground sea of the Shadow Web Caverns. From here, the forces of Doorward study the dreadful entity known as Yogg-Kek, the Laughing Maw, also called the Maw of Mists by the Kvaldir.
Doorward Camp
At the base of the northren cliffs, the forces of Doorward have established a base camp. From here, Baelgun Flamebeard intends to lead his troops into the Inner Kingdom of Ahn'Saron, and strike at the heart of the darkness in the Spider Kingdom. The nearby Drak'Tharon Catacombs, however, still crawl with Drakkari trolls, driven to madness by their empire's collapse.
The Sundered Monolith
This ancient nerubian temple-city gives shelter to the unlikeliest of allies to the people of the surface world - a community of nerubians who oppose the rise of the new Spider Kingdom. Led by the queen Azhuul'Mehab, these nerubians have forsaken the worship of the Old Gods, and revile the Newbreed that now infests their once great kingdom. Despising the new spider queen, Nezar'Kali, the nerubians of the Sundered Monolith have reached out to other races in search of aid in putting a stop to the dark machinations of the Newbreed.
The Sundered Monolith is a mighty stronghold, where the nerubians held off the marauding forces of the Scourge even after the greater part of the empire crumbled under the undead onslaught. It has withstood several assaults by the Newbreed, but the nerubians dwelling there will require aid from the Alliance and the Horde if they hope to make any headway against the growing numbers of Nezar'Kali's children, and her deadly allies, the Arach'layn and the Twilight Cult.
Dungeons
The Hanging Tower of Naz'Zuraq
High above the blighted marshlands of the Spidermire is the imposing Hanging Tower of Naz'Zuraq, a triumph of nerubian architecture. The tower itself is not actually founded on the swampy ground of the Spidermire, but hangs down from the cavern ceiling, an immense salactice that has been hollowed, carved, and embellished by nerubian artisans. Hanging spires and exterior balconies surround the mighty central spire of the tower, overlooking the boglands far below. An intricate walkway spun from crystalized webbing allows entry to the tip of the tower from the surface.
The Tower of Naz'Zuraq was an ancient center of learning for nerubian mystics, who traveled from all over the Spider Kingdom to meet with the elder sages there. The tower was ravaged by the Scourge and its necromancers, and in the years since the fall of Azjol-Nerub has been occupied by the arach'layn. Their mighty mage-lord, Prince Luth'rahn of the Darkholt, holds court here - he is a powerful spell-caster who has walked the world since the War of the Ancients, over 10,000 years ago.
Terrormaw Hold
The Terrormaw furbolg long ago abandoned the surface world and journeyed into the darkness beneath Northrend. There, they found the blessings of the Beast with a Thousand Maws - the black blood of Yogg-Saron, the dark metal saronite. Flowing in great, glowing molten rivers beneath the roots of Vordrassil, the substance that is the very life blood of the Old God become a source of worship and power for the Terrormaw. Taking the substance, they forged weapons and armor, and in time the greatest champions even drank the black blood to gain its strength. Their bodies twisted and molded by the will of Yogg-Saron, they become a dread danger to anyone who ventured into their territory.
With the death of Yogg-Saron, and the near-resurrection of their fallen patron deity Ursoc, the Terrormaw have been driven into a frenzy. Determined to revive their other fallen bear god, Ursol, they have conducted dark and dreadful rituals within their fortress-home of Terrormaw Hold. Rituals that have succeeded. The bear ancient walks again, a dark mirror of his former majesty. Ursol lives again.
Ahn'Vekir, the First City
Thousands of years ago, the insect empire of Azj'Aqir was destroyed after a series of costly wars. Its people were scattered across Azeroth and settled in many remote regions, slowly rebuilding their might. The aqir that came to the region that would be known as Northrend adapted to the harsh winter climate and eventually became the nerubian people. Burrowing into the darkness of Northrend's underworld, the nerubians founded the first temple-cities that would come to be the mighty Spider Kingdom of Azjol'Nerub.
Ahn'Vekir, known as the First City of Azjol'Nerub, is as its name suggests the first of the cities built by the nerbuians' ancestors who settled in Northrend. It was here that they began their slow metamorphosis into the spider-like forms of the nerubians. Ahn'Vekir stood for many centuries, as the nerubians spread and reproduced and colonized caverns further and further away. Over time, as the Spider Kingdom grew and their culture evolved, the nerubians grew less and less comfortable living in Ahn'Vekir. The subtle aqir heritage in the architecture and layout of the city filled them with unease, a sense of living in a mausoleum or the unquiet dead. Eventually, the nerubians abandoned Ahn'Vekir altogether.
In recent times, the forces of the Newbreed have begun to venture into the sprawling ruins of Ahn'Vekir, gradually transforming it into an impregnable stronghold protecting the Inner Kingdom of Ahn'Saron. If the Newbreed share any of the fear the older generation once felt for the home of their enigmatic ancestors, they show no sign of it.
Raids
Nidhogg's Lair
The roots of the fallen World Tree, Vordrassil, give shelter to uncountable horrors, creatures that have ruled the darkness of Azeroth's underworld for millennia. The fiercest and most terrible fiend to lurk in the darkness is Nidhogg, a titanic protodragon, twisted by centuries of exposure to the evil of the Old Gods. As the power of the Old Gods continues to increase, this monstrous creature is roused from its lair, burrowing up through the caverns of mighty roots of fallen Vordrassil. Before long it will reach the surface, and rain untold destruction on the lands of Northrend.
Deep within the twisted root-cavern flow rivers of saronite, the black blood of Yogg-Saron, flooding the deepest regions. The roots of Vordrassil are stained with the stuff, glowing with an unhealthy, eldritch light.