User:GoldenYak/Shadowcrown Glacier

Related to Spider Kingdom Expansion Concept

Shadowcrown Glacier is a zone located deep beneath Northrend, encompassing a subterranean region that stretches from Icecrown to Storm Peaks. The region can only be accessed through the Vile Wound in Storm Peaks.

The Hidden War
The Shadowcrown Glacier is the region of underground ice caves that lies beneath the glacier of Icecrown itself, far from the howling windstorms that wrack the surface. The deep caverns and winding ice tunnels were once filled with tol'vir and earthen, servants of the Titans, who constructed and maintained the city-sized mechanisms of the Ulduar complex.

Before the Sundering, the glacier was the sight of a vicious hidden war between the Titan servitor races and the newly arrived aqir who had fled their devastated homeland in ancient Kalimdor. Battle-hardened by their brutal conflict against the trolls, the aqir swarmed out of the deepest tunnels and assaulted the Ulduar complex with insectile fury. The Titan servitors held the line against the attacking insect-men, some of them whispering that the twisted creatures sought to release the Old God that lay imprisoned in the depths of Ulduar. Most of the tol'vir were exterminated in the battle while the earthen labored above to produced weapons of war that could turn the tide. Many tol'vir were taken captive and twisted by evil magics into obsidian destroyers, living batteries of dark energy. Eventually, the servitor races called upon the ancient might of the Titans themselves and swept the aqir away from their home. The aqir retreated into the darkness of the underworld, using their captured slaves to lay the foundations of what would become the Spider Kingdom of Azjol-Nerub.

The Rise and Fall of Yogg-Saron
Within his prison, the Old God Yogg-Saron raged at the failure of the aqir to free him. He turned his attention away from the insects and sought instead a more subtle approach - a low corruption of his own jailers. Eventually all the watchers of Ulduar fell to his influence, and he schemed to free himself from his prison. His mightiest servant, Loken, used the Titan creation engines within Ulduar to bring forth new beings to serve Yogg-Saron - the iron races of dwarf, giant, and vrykul. These iron races were infused with Yogg-Saron's own metallic blood, making them bound to their lord and master symbiotically. The Titan servitor races that maintained Ulduar were overwhelmed by the iron races, and driven from their home. Without the aid of the now absent watchers, they stood little chance of reclaiming Ulduar or halting Yogg-Saron's scheme. In the end, it was timely intervention by champions from the Alliance and the Horde that turned the tide of war against the iron races.

Led by Brann Bronzebeard and his mercenary forces, these champions fought through Yogg-Saron's iron army and entered the halls of Ulduar itself. One by one, Yogg-Saron's pawns were freed from his influence, until at last the heroes of Azeroth stood within the prison of the fiend itself, as the Old God threw off his shackles and attempted to erupt back into the world. His power depleted from the loss of his forces and the might of the Titan watchers, Yogg-Saron was seemingly slain, and his eldritch carcass, drained of life, slide back beneath the ice of his prison, his metallic blood flowing in rivers from his sundered flesh.

With Yogg-Saron's defeat, the iron races fell into an unnatural slumber. Mimiron, one of the watchers of Ulduar, became fascinated by the iron races and placed them in storage within Ulduar to study them, in the hopes of possibly purging them of Yogg-Saron's influence and restoring them as a true race of the world. Many iron creatures, however, were spirited away by the Twilight Cult, mortal worshipers of Yogg-Saron, and subjected to experiments with Yogg-Saron's metallic blood in efforts to revive them. The Twilight Cult eventually succeeded in restoring some of the iron dwarves to mobility, but found them weak and listless without Yogg-Saron's will to guide them.

The Watcher in Darkness
In time, a new power appeared in the depths of Shadowcrown. The Twilight Cult were approached by a powerful being who provided them with a new breed of iron dwarf, imbued with a metal called dread iron. This being revealed himself to be Tyr, the missing watcher of Ulduar who left before Yogg-Saron's bid for freedom subverted the other watchers. Tyr had been lurking in the shadows, preparing for the moment to show himself. With Yogg-Saron's demise, Tyr had returned, apparently with designs to seize the power of the Old God's slain body and make full use of its ancient power for himself. Refining Yogg-Saron's metallic blood into the substance dread iron, Tyr infused it into the lifeless shells of the iron dwarves, reviving them as dread iron dwarves, a new breed under his complete control. With an affinity for shaping the metal blood of Yogg-Saron, the dread iron dwarves have constructed a great fortress in the depths of Shadowcrown - Dreadstorm City.

At the heart of their new city lies a vast construct made entirely of Yogg-Saron's black blood, the Dreadforge. Built to Tyr's design, the Dreadforge mechanism is capable of drawing upon all of the ancient power of Yogg-Saron released by his death. Tapping into the oceans of his blood that flow through the underworld, the Dreadforge is Tyr's ultimate invention, one that he will use to carry out his dark designs and engulf the world in chaos.

Geography
Shadowcrown Glacier is divided into three distinct regions.

Shadowcrown's Sub-Regions

 * The Vile Cascade - A region of glacier caves and underground lakes. The entire area has been polluted with dark energy due to Malykriss crashing into it. Twisted fragments torn from the damaged necropolis lie scattered about, and the dark energies leaking from Malykriss have caused unusual creatures to manifest.
 * Sea of Saronite - A vast underground ocean, filled not with water, but with the black blood of Yogg-Saron. The rivers of blood that flow from Yogg-Saron's ruined body have pooled here, creating a vile sea. Spires of solidified blood have formed a forest of twisted, metallic spines the size of small mountains. Hideous abominations mutated by the blood swim the murky 'waters', and undying tendrils rise from the depths to grasp the unwary. Swimming in the sea would mean a swift and horrible demise, so adventurers must proceed with utmost caution.
 * Dreadstorm City - The stronghold of the dread iron dwarves. Every wall and building of the city is molded out of saronite, the undying blood of Yogg-Saron. It is a dark and twisted reflection of the glorious Titan city of Ulduar.

Instances
- Thunderfury Ramparts - The imposing fortress of Thunderfury surrounds the Dreadforge itself, and is the most heavily fortified area of Dreadstorm City.

- Twilight City - A portion of the dread iron dwarves fortress city has been given over to the Twilight Cult for use as a base of operations while Malykriss is repaired.

- The Dreadforge - At the heart of Dreadstorm City is the Dreadforge, an infernal device that harnesses the dark power of the blood of Yogg-Saron.

Quests and Storylines
Shadowcrown Glacier provides a wide range of quests for players to complete, and contains level 94-95 content. Players are likely to have reached level 94 before arriving, or will be very close to it.

Quests in the Vile Cascade

 * Twilight's Fall - Brave the depths of the Vile Cascade and discover what has become of the fallen necropolis of the Twilight Cult.
 * The Watcher in Darkness - Battle the newly created dread iron dwarves and the machinations of their maker, Tyr.
 * The Obsidian Scythe - Secure passage deeper into Shadowcrown Glacier with the aid of new allies - the Obsidian Scythe, a faction of tol'vir native to Northrend.

Quests in the Sea of Saronite

 * The Devouring Coast - Rally the people of the underworld with the aid of the Obsidian Scythe to oppose the forces of Tyr.
 * The Sea in the Depths - Navigate the perilous waters of the Sea of Saronite, an underground ocean polluted by the black blood of Yogg-Saron.
 * Gathering Storms - Infiltrate Dreadstorm City, the stronghold of Tyr and his dread iron forces.

Quests in Dreadstorm City

 * Wall of Iron Thanes - Shatter the iron walls of Dreadstorm City. Players will be assisted by a mysterious cloaked giant as they advance further into the sinister kingdom.
 * Peals of Dark Thunder - Sabotage the diabolic instruments of war that have sprung from Tyr's twisted genius.
 * The Dreadforge - An engine forged of pure saronite looms over the city of the dread iron dwarves. Tyr's diabolical plan must be thwarted here.