Aerie Peak

Aerie Peak (or the Aerie (s)) is the capital of the Wildhammer clan of dwarves affiliated with the Alliance. It is located in the Hinterlands in a mountainside to the northwest, and it has a range of different services including a gryphon master or a leatherworking trainer.

History
Aerie Peak is the home of the Hinterlands Wildhammer dwarves, a faction that broke off from the rest of dwarven society after the War of the Three Hammers. Following the total defeat of Thaurissan during the war, the Wildhammers returned to their home in Grim Batol. What they had found was that the death of Modgud had left an evil taint in their fortress. The Wildhammers found Grim Batol uninhabitable and founded a new home in the Hinterlands. Because of the horrific underground battles the Wildhammers were forced to fight against the Dark Iron dwarves during the war, the Wildhammers chose to build most of their dwellings above ground, instead of burrowing into the mountain as is typical of dwarven designs.

Second War


Located to the southeast of the Capital City, the Hinterlands are home to the Wildhammer clan, renowned for their use of gryphons. Led at that time by Kurdran Wildhammer, the Wildhammer clan came under attack by what ultimately proved to be a diversionary tactic by Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer. The Warchief deduced that if he sent a force to attack the Hinterlands, the Alliance would respond, allowing him to take the remainder of his forces into Quel'Thalas with the aid of Zul'jin and the Amani tribe. Realizing their plans, Anduin Lothar dispatched Turalyon and Khadgar, along with half the Alliance forces, to travel north to Quel'Thalas and come to the aid of the elves, while he aided Kurdran in clearing out the remaining Horde forces in the Hinterlands. Kurdran pledged his and his kingdom's aid to Anduin Lothar after the human Alliance aided them in forcing the invading orcs and forest trolls out of their homeland.

Kurdran and his Wildhammers later came to the aid of Daelin Proudmoore's forces in the Great Sea, allowing the Admiral's ships to focus on the ships while the gryphon riders battled the dragon riders of the Horde. Meanwhile, Falstad Wildhammer and other Alliance heroes, reached Grim Batol and fought in the final battle there to free the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza.

Following the Second War, Kurdran Wildhammer went to Draenor as part of the Alliance Expedition. Falstad stayed in Aerie Peak to succeed him as the High Thane and rule the Wildhammer Clan. Kurdran and his gryphon riders participated in the Invasion of Draenor and was one of the heroes willing to sacrifice their lives to safeguard Azeroth. Kurdran Wildhammer would later have a statue in his likeness built in the Valley of Heroes to honor him for his heroic deeds.

Third War
The daring dwarves of the Wildhammer clan have responded once again to answer the call to war during the Third War. They've brought the mighty gryphons of the Aerie Peaks to aid the Alliance in its time of need. Armed with their trusty, lightning-powered Stormhammers, the fearless wilddwarves seek to keep the skies of Lordaeron free from enemy forces. The proud gryphons share their riders' implacable resolve and stand as noble symbols of the Alliance's fortitude.

The Alliance of Lordaeron seemed to have crumbled following Terenas Menethil's death at the hands of his son, Arthas. Arthas, now the head of the undead Scourge, destroyed his own kingdom in the name of the Lich King and left Lordaeron in shambles. Othmar Garithos tried to rally what remained in his Alliance resistance, though his terrible leadership led to his undoing and all who followed him.

World of Warcraft
The dwarves of Aerie Peak are master gryphon riders, and their contributions to the Alliance during war cannot be overstated. Their High Thane, Falstad Wildhammer, rules over the Wildhammer dwarves from the top of the Aerie. The Wildhammers of Aerie Peak were not part of the reformed Alliance after the Third War, but were still friendly and helpful to Alliance adventurers that have proven their worth to them. The rugged terrain of the Hinterlands is not only home to the Wildhammer dwarves and their gryphons, but also to hostile forest troll tribes. The trolls view the Wildhammers as squatters on their ancestral lands and spare no opportunity to accost the dwarves by attacking the gryphon aeries. The Wildhammers count the Witherbark tribe, Vilebranch trolls, and the Horde aligned Revantusk trolls as enemies. Though they remained independent of Alliance affairs, the Wildhammer Dwarves of Aerie Peak did strike an alliance with the high elves of Quel'Danil, much to the ire of their common enemy, the Revantusk trolls.

Cataclysm
In order to prevent political turmoil in Ironforge, Falstad Wildhammer will help govern Ironforge as part of the Council of Three Hammers. With Falstad's inclusion into Alliance affairs, the Hinterland Wildhammer dwarves have pledged themselves to the Alliance. Since Falstad Wildhammer left for Ironforge, Gryphon Master Talonaxe took over the coordination and defense of Aerie Peak. Ambassador Rualeth also presides at the Aerie as an Alliance emissary.

Flight

 * Ironforge, Dun Morogh ( 4:16 )
 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands ( 0:53 )
 * Andorhal, Western Plaguelands ( 1:10 )
 * Refuge Pointe, Arathi Highlands ( 1:15 )
 * Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands ( 2:44 )
 * Acherus: The Ebon Hold ( 3:52 )

NPCs


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Profession (tradeskill) trainers

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In the RPG
Aerie Peak, the massive Wildhammer capital, is carved into an enormous mountainside of the same name. After the War of the Three Hammers the Wildhammers founded their new kingdom atop Aerie Peak, staying on top of the mountain instead of dwelling within.

The city is located in the northwestern Hinterlands and overlooks Darrowmere Lake. Aerie Peak resembles a gargantuan gryphon head, with open spaces at its eyes and nostrils. Generations of Wildhammers worked on this undertaking, and the sculpture is an excellent likeness. Even the individual feathers are apparent. Wildhammer structures and battlements jut from the cliff's base. Gryphons make their nests in the carved head and the mountain, and forever flap around the place like bees about a real gryphon's head.

The Wildhammers know who their friends and enemies are. They welcome the former and savagely defend their city against the latter. Aerie Peak's architecture is reminiscent of Ironforge's, but its buildings jut into the air with open ceilings to allow the Wildhammers to see the sky. The dwarves practice gryphon riding and hammer tossing on the ground and cliffs surrounding Aerie Peak.

Brann Bronzebeard suspected that the necromancer Linnena Hallow could be sniffing around the city.

Notes and trivia

 * Although the in-game appearance of Aerie Peak looks like a small town, it's described as a majestic, sprawling city in the lore.
 * The in-game model of the elaborate carving at Aerie Peak could be viewed as the front of a gryphon on its forelegs, or simply an eagle perching, since no lion features are shown. However, several sources state that Aerie Peak is shaped like a gryphon.
 * While they are Wildhammer dwarves, they are not tagged with the Wildhammer Clan faction, thus they give no reputation.
 * Considering the presence of Aerie Gryphons in Alterac Valley, it seems an expedition from the Wildhammer clan participated in the battle there.
 * Aerie Peaks was originally the name of a zone that was renamed to Hinterlands during the development of World of Warcraft.
 * Aerie Peak was originally concepted as a lonely big single mountain amidst some plains as per older maps like those of Warcraft III, concept maps of World of Warcraft, and some of the RPG books.