Mount Hyjal

Mount Hyjal is a region of Cataclysm, and a mountain located in Northern Kalimdor. Hyjal is under heavy siege by Ragnaros, who is trying to destroy the World Tree located in the mountain's summit, Nordrassil. Malfurion Stormrage is returning from the Emerald Dream, and commands the armies of Cenarius, known as the Guardians of Hyjal. The zone makes extensive use of the terrain phasing technology.

Early history and War of the Ancients
The massive forested peak of Mount Hyjal was the original refuge and sacred place to the Wild Gods, protected and watched over by Freya shortly after the ordering of Azeroth. The dark trolls, ancestors of the night elves used to live in the networks of deep caverns stretching under Hyjal.

The Kaldorei have held this great mountain sacred and it remained untouched by their sprawling empire by the orders of Queen Azshara. The public believed it was out of respect for strong ties the mountain had with nature, but the Queen secretly feared the Wild Gods that resided on it. When the first Well of Eternity was destroyed in the War of the Ancients, the resulting implosion triggered the Great Sundering. Mount Hyjal endured, however, and the night elven resistance, who had escaped to the Summit, emerged to rebuild their society — though without arcane magic this time.

After the Sundering, Illidan Stormrage created a new Well of Eternity atop Mount Hyjal. After the night elves learned of this, they planted the world tree Nordrassil on top of it. It was blessed by three dragon aspects: Alexstrasza, Nozdormu and Ysera, and served two purposes: to keep others from abusing the magic of the new Well, but also to prevent the second fount’s power from growing too great over time. Nordrassil grew deep roots into the earth, spreading life-giving energies and healing the land around the mountain. It also empowered the kaldorei against diseases and aging. Illidan was in turn imprisoned in one of the barrow dens under Hyjal.

Third War


Archimonde led his demonic army towards the Summit, destroying the woodlands around him, in order to get to the second Well of Eternity. He used the Skull of Gul'dan to further despoil the forest, thus creating the Felwood. The fel magics seeped up all the way to the edge of the new Well It is here that the united forces of orcs, humans and night elves fought in the final battle of the Third War. At the end of the battle, the wisps of Hyjal converged on Nordrassil to defeat Archimonde. In the ensuing explosion, Nordrassil was damaged, its enchantments destroyed, and the immortality of the kaldorei was thus gone.

The dark trolls of the Shadowtooth clan were eventually wiped out by the Twilight's Hammer.

Cataclysm


For years, Mount Hyjal and the wounded World Tree, Nordrassil, remained cut off from the rest of Azeroth. Sealed away within a protective field of dense foliage by Malfurion Stormrage, Nordrassil slowly recovered from the devastation of the Third War, when Malfurion called upon the tree's power to destroy the archdemon Archimonde and repel the forces of the Burning Legion and the Scourge.

With the impending Cataclysm, the World Tree's well-being was threatened once more. The Dragon Aspects gathered here to bless Nordrassil in order to speed the process of rejuvenation of the world tree and the world. Learning of this Deathwing unleashed Ragnaros and his minions on the land. With the aid of the Twilight Hammer, they burst into Hyjal from the Firelands within the Elemental Plane, and prepared to set Nordrassil ablaze, a conflagration that would endanger all life on Azeroth. The Guardians of Hyjal revived Goldrinn, Aviana, and Cenarius from the Emerald Dream, as well as saved Tortolla from imprisonment at the Twilight's Hammer's hands, and fought off Ragnaros. Hyjal later served as the invasion point for Cenarion Circle's attack on the Firelands. Malfurion gathered the defenders of Hyjal for a counterattack against the fire elementals, eventually establishing the Molten Front within the Firelands. After heavy fighting, they pushed into Sulfuron Keep itself and destroyed Ragnaros, re-establishing peace at Hyjal. The aspects yet again gathered at Nordrassil, and channeled their energies into the great tree, reviving the surrounding wildlife and healing the land once more.

Legion
The Burning Legion was able to destroy most of Hyjal's Well, but some of its magical waters yet remained. According to Celestine of the Harvest, as long as at least one drop remains there was still hope. While the Well was harmed, Nordrassil was undamaged.

The Emerald Nightmare created an illusion of Hyjal to trap Malorne in a nightmare of his death during the War of the Ancients. The druids of the Dreamgrove came to his rescue.

The Legion would later attack and destroy the Shrine of Aviana, making the Druids of the Talon to relocate at the Dreamgrove.

Battle for Azeroth
During the Fourth War, Azerite scars and elementals appeared in the area under the World Tree, disturbing the local faerie dragons. Tholo Whitehoof and Anren Shadowseeker fought against them and Hyjal Wardens stood in defense as well. Aviana came to assist the Hyjal defenders as well, fighting against an Azerite Leviathan that emerged in the lake. Magni Bronzebeard felt that Nordrassil was in danger and arrived with an adventurer wielding the Heart of Azeroth to provide further help, both protecting Hyjal and healing the sudden wounds that had erupted.

Shadows Rising
After the Fourth War, Nordrassil has become a temporary home for the night elves following the destruction of Teldrassil, and was where a tense meeting between members of the Horde Council and Tyrande Whisperwind, Malfurion Stormrage, Shandris Feathermoon and Maiev Shadowsong took place.

Geography
Mount Hyjal is a massive mountain located in Northern Kalimdor. Its highest point, Hyjal Summit, is where the second Well of Eternity and the World Tree Nordrassil are located.

Portals
The portals to Mount Hyjal in the Eastern and Western Earthshrines unlock after players complete a quest underneath Nordrassil. Those portals will always drop players off underneath the World Tree.

Portals At Nordrassil

 * Stormwind, located on the north side of the main structure.
 * Orgrimmar, located on the south side of the main structure.
 * Emerald Dreamway, a portal hub within the Emerald Dream, located on the western shores of the Well of Eternity, nestled in Nordrassil's roots.

Factions

 * Black dragonflight
 * Guardians of Hyjal
 * Twilight's Hammer clan

Quests
The quest line in Hyjal is intensively phased and takes players from Nordrassil to the four shrines to Darkwhisper Gorge and finally to Sulfuron Spire. Hyjal is one of the few non-starting-experience zones that has a phased zone map as well as phased terrain, unlocked halfway through the storyline.

At level 85, adventurers are called once again to Hyjal, this time for the Firelands Invasion against the Druids of the Flame and eventually Ragnaros himself.

Resources

 * Herbalism
 * Stormvine
 * Cinderbloom
 * Azshara's Veil
 * Mining
 * Obsidium Ore

Wild creatures

 * Air elementals
 * Basilisks
 * Bats (Within Hyjal Barrow Dens)
 * Bears
 * Beetles
 * Buzzards
 * Chipmunks
 * Deer
 * Eagles
 * Faceless ones (under Ashen Lake)
 * Faerie dragons
 * Terrorfiends
 * Fire elementals (invading via the Firelands)
 * Core hounds
 * Fire ascendants (Twilight's Hammer cult)
 * Lava elementals
 * Molten giants
 * Phoenix (One, Blazewing)
 * Hawks
 * Lashers
 * Lizards
 * Moths
 * Nightmare aberrations
 * Owls
 * Rabbits
 * Rats
 * Ravens (presumably Blaithe)
 * Roaches
 * Rocs
 * Songbirds
 * Spirit beasts
 * Squirrels
 * Turtles (Children of Tortolla)
 * Vipers
 * Voles
 * Wisps
 * s
 * s

The zone before Cataclysm
Before World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, two versions of the Hyjal zone were present in the game. The first one in terms of lore-chronology is the map used for the Caverns of Time instance "Battle for Mount Hyjal". This map, however, was a retouched version of the zone which was already present in the game from the very beginning but was inaccessible via normal means. Nevertheless, it used to be possible to access the pre-Cataclysm zone, known then only as Hyjal, via Winterspring with some skillful rock climbing, or a glitch that allowed you to die close to the zone's entry gate then resurrect on the other side. However, after patch 2.1.2, Blizzard implemented a "No Man's Land" teleport that removed players from the zone. It was still possible for a shaman to chain-cast Far Sight from neighboring zones such as Winterspring to see inside Hyjal.

The ruins of the Alliance and Horde bases from the Battle of Mount Hyjal do not appear in the Cataclysm-era Hyjal, most likely either due to retconning or game mechanics. In place of the former Alliance bases are the Grove of Aessina and the Shrine of Goldrinn, and the Verdant Thicket is located in place of the former Horde base.

In the early alpha, Hyjal was concepted to be "an ultra high-level raid zone", filled with demons and dragons battling each other. The challenge would have been to re-purify the Well of Eternity, with a "familiar skeleton chained to a rock" nearby.

Description from official site
''In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, players will have the opportunity to explore the newly reopened Mount Hyjal as Azeroth's heroes, with the help of Ysera, Malfurion Stormrage and Hamuul Runetotem, are called upon to push back the armies of the Firelord, banish Ragnaros to the Elemental Plane and lay waste to the twilight dragon stronghold in nearby Darkwhisper Gorge. This all-new level 78-82 zone will feature multiple quest hubs, phased terrain and quest lines, portals to micro-zones within the Firelands, an all-new raid dungeon, and much more.''

The World Tree
Players will be able to enter Hyjal by way of Moonglade, to take on a series of high-stakes quests in a historic location alongside some of Azeroth's most renowned heroes. With a longstanding rivalry among the night elf leadership threatening to undermine the campaign against Deathwing, players will quickly discover the task of defending Nordrassil is more daunting than they had anticipated. In order to succeed, they must seek out the help of extremely powerful allies: the Ancients.''

The Ancients
To protect Nordrassil and heal the devastation the invading fire elementals are causing across Mount Hyjal, players must first recapture the shrine of the wolf god Goldrinn. The ogres surrounding the shrine will not leave peacefully, but seizing the shrine will allow players their first opportunity to infiltrate the Firelands and shut down a key Twilight portal, slowing the advance of the nearby Twilight's Hammer in Hyjal. With the first portal dismantled, players will soon be sought by the wilderness spirit Aessina to assist in cleansing and healing the nearby forest, ultimately returning the land to its former splendor. This small victory, however, isn't enough to deter the Twilight Remnants from attempting to scorch the forest once more. As you struggle to keep these foes at bay, you'll also need to help the Guardians of Hyjal -- a new neutral faction of druids and worshipers of the Ancients—repopulate the forest with animal life. It's even rumored that Malorne has been spotted in the wilderness. Perhaps further investigation is necessary.... Amid the chaos, the Druids of the Talon will need players' assistance to resurrect the goddess of winged creatures. Players begin the process by helping to slay a group of black dragons and closing a second Firelands portal from within. Just when you think things might be heating up, you'll need to fight through a burning night elf town to shut down the third and final portal with the assistance of the turtle god Tortolla.

Darkwhisper Gorge
Your successes in Hyjal will ultimately lead you to the assembly of the Ancients, who have set a plan in motion to bring a powerful ally and demigod back into this realm. Before that can happen, however, you will need to infiltrate Darkwhisper Gorge disguised as a follower of the Twilight's Hammer, acting quickly to sow discord within the entrenched faction, weakening it for the coming struggle. Only time will tell if the Ancients' plan is a success—but you'll need to do your part if there's any hope of saving Mount Hyjal from the twilight dragons, Ragnaros, and his minions of the Elemental Plane. ''

Description
The massive summit of Mount Hyjal is one of the most impressive places in Kalimdor. Here, the World Tree known as Nordrassil regrows, with the second Well of Eternity below. The site of the final battle of the Third War, the land here is now as well protected as anywhere in the world — protected by the power and majesty of dragons. The blue, red and bronze dragonflights keep a constant vigil over the recovering World Tree here, seeking to prevent the Burning Legion from ever again reaching the shores of the Well of Eternity and the branches of the sacred tree. From the lofty peak, one can see much of Ashenvale, Winterspring and Felwood far below.

Three important groups form the bulk of the people at Mount Hyjal. The first are the night elves, humans and others who steadfastly guard the World Tree against future attacks. These demon hunters are some of the most experienced and powerful adventurers in the world, and rightly so; most of them either fought in the Battle of Hyjal in the Third War or otherwise have considerable experience tracking down and destroying demons. These demon hunters are assisted by dryads and keepers of the grove, who have an even greater investment in Mount Hyjal’s safety. Hyjal’s summit is sacred to the dryads and keepers, just as it is to the night elves, but it is also their home — in some cases, for many thousands of years.

Finally, three dragonflights carefully watch over the massive tree, their high numbers perhaps a form of compensation for their noted absence during the Third War. The blue dragonflight is particularly devoted to this cause, and while their numbers here are not large, they guard the tree from lower on the mountainside in their caverns of Mazthoril

Few elves live at the peak of Mount Hyjal, but the mountain and the World Tree shelter the night elves in the forests and shores at the foot of the mountain. The forests and rocky mountain slopes harbor many dangerous beasts. With the magic of the Well of Eternity and the World Tree saturating the air and infusing the groundwater, the creatures of the forests are stronger and smarter than those anywhere else on Kalimdor. Deadly black tigers and bears prowl the forests, as do powerful stags. These creatures do not fear fights; they even seek them if the prey looks weak enough. Even smarter and deadlier beasts inhabit the forests. Hippogryphs and chimaera are a common enough sight among the forested peaks of the Summit. Hippogryphs, magical beasts that look like a stag crossed with a raven, patrol the skies and attack anyone they deem a threat to the forests. Although friendly to night elves, they do not show kindness to strangers or to those they consider a menace. Wild dire wolves also lurk on the mountain slopes. They have no natural enemy and are fearless even when met with several armed hunters. The forests of Hyjal are also known to be home to the occasional treant and stray ancient. These sentient, mobile trees protect the night elves' towns and the surrounding forests.

History
The Kaldorei have long held this great mountain sacred. When the first Well of Eternity was destroyed in the first demonic invasion, the resulting implosion triggered a cataclysm that made the world shudder. Mount Hyjal endured, however, and the night elves emerged to rebuild their society — though without arcane magic this time.

One of the fleeing night elves — Illidan Stormrage, brother to the mighty druid Malfurion Stormrage — had taken a portion of water from the Well of Eternity. Illidan could not bear to live without the Well's magic. After the Sundering, he poured this water into a lake at the peak of Mount Hyjal, creating a second Well of Eternity. The night elves were outraged at this act, for it was the first Well's energies that originally brought the demons to Azeroth. Illidan was imprisoned, and Malfurion met with three great dragons to create the World Tree Nordrassil. The World Tree grew over the Well to obscure and protect it. In the centuries that followed, the night elves were a constant presence, nurturing and protecting the World Tree that stood in the valley between the twin peaks of Mount Hyjal. The Burning Legion targeted the World Tree during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, but, infused with the combined power of Azeroth's mortal races, it blasted Demon Lord Archimonde into oblivion and freed the world of the demon menace.

Mountain
Mount Hyjal is the name of a massive mount in Northern Kalimdor. It was the site of the Battle of Mount Hyjal, the final conflict of the Third War. Two gray peaks rise high above the surrounding forests. The arcane Well of Eternity lies on Hyjal Summit and the great World Tree Nordrassil, blackened and wounded in the Third War, stands over it. Divine magic permeates Mount Hyjal and the animals that make their homes in its forests are more intelligent than any others. Nightsaber and frostsaber cats slink through the trees, while hippogryphs and chimeras fly overhead. Bears and wolves prowl the forests. These creatures are friendly to the night elves that live here, but attack intruders. Winterspring Valley, near the summit, is a small realm of perpetual winter where blue dragons clash with night elves and frostsaber panthers.

Geography
The geography of Hyjal Summit is dominated by temperate rugged and forbidding mountains. Hyjal Summit rises high above northern Kalimdor, surrounded by Winterspring, the Moonglade, and Felwood. The mountain's twin peaks are the highest points on Kalimdor and home to Nordrassil, the massive World Tree. The climb to the peak takes travelers past everything from dense forests at the foot to rocky meadows with sparse growth as the grade gets steeper. Nordrassil's sheer enormity strikes awe into any who have the rare honor of approaching it. The root system spreads over the entirety of Hyjal's peak, and its vast, charged branches seem to touch the sky. Damaged in the recent war, it now heals itself at a rapid rate. Although the World Tree rests upon a high mountain peak, its magic keeps the weather pleasant and warm year round - until the year after Battle of Mount Hyjal, when Hyjal saw its first winter. Otherwise, the air remains warm and crisp and the sky is always a dark blue peppered with a blanket of stars. The night elves hope the regenerating tree will begin to regulate the weather again soon.

The top of Mount Hyjal shares the plight of Ashenvale: it is mostly uncorrupted, but bears scars and gashes from the battles of the Third War. In the center of the summit is the World Tree, stretching far above the mountaintop even in its damaged state. The forests are inhabited by the usual untainted beasts, which the dryads and keepers of the grove care for. The dryads and keepers are friendly, having worked alongside mortals in the Third War, and are much less shy and worried than those encountered in Ashenvale. Night elves control the majority of the area, but a number of small camps and ruins are spread over Hyjal Summit. Its capital is considered to be Astranaar with 4,000 inhabitants, and the area total population is 5,000.