Eastern Plaguelands

The Eastern Plaguelands is the more heavily devastated half of the Plaguelands that were once known as the Eastweald, and it was part of the Kingdom of Lordaeron. They are located east of the Western Plaguelands, north of the Hinterlands, and south of the Ghostlands.

This region remains the main bastion of the Scourge in Lordaeron but is not as important as it was in the past. They still retain at least some control over the city of Stratholme. The ground is brown, ugly, and sick, the trees corrupted into giant mushrooms and the air is polluted with orange mist. The Plaguewood is the most infested part of the region. Undead, necromancers, and Damned cultists still prowl the land. The Argent Crusade attempts to rid the land of the undead infestation one day and trains their faithful soldiers in the renovated Light's Hope Chapel and watch over the land from their towers scattered across it. The forest troll hold of Zul'Mashar in the north is in danger and could become a bastion for the undead as its inhabits are being transformed.

The former Scarlet Crusade has fallen into disarray and retreated shortly after the fall of Scarlet Enclave and departure of the leadership to Northrend. The remnants were slain and risen into undeath by Balnazzar, who returned from Twisting Nether after his defeat in Scarlet Bastion years ago.

While the ravages of the plague linger, they are fading slowly. The Argent towers and other areas are oases for those who traverse the Eastern Plaguelands.

History


Like the Western Plaguelands, the Eastern Plaguelands were once beautiful and brimming with farms and small villages known collectively as Eastweald. The regional government was centered around the city of Stratholme, the second largest city in Lordaeron. Also nearby were the towns of Darrowshire, Corin's Crossing, and Tyr's Hand, and to the east of Stratholme was the pass leading into the southern boundaries of Quel'Thalas.

During the Second War, the bordering area with Quel'Thalas saw fighting between the Alliance of Lordaeron and the Old Horde that invaded Quel'Thalas. A small band of orcs broke off from the main invading force and burned the small town of Blackwood to the ground, killing all of its inhabitants in spite of the valorous defense marshaled by its lord.

Third War and aftermath
In the opening hours of the Third War, the investigations into the origins of the Scourge led Prince Arthas and Jaina Proudmoore through the Tirisfal Glades and what is now the Western Plaguelands (more specifically, the towns of Andorhal and Hearthglen), where they confronted the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned. Kel'Thuzad told Arthas to seek out the leader of the Scourge in Lordaeron, the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis, at Stratholme. While en route via Hearthglen, Arthas and Jaina were joined by Lord Uther, master of the Silver Hand. When they arrived at Stratholme, Arthas realized that the villagers had been infected with the Plague of Undeath. When Uther refused to obey Arthas' command to purge the city, Arthas relieved Uther of command and disbanded the Silver Hand, then slaughtered the townsfolk himself. After hunting down Mal'Ganis in Northrend, Arthas returned as one of the Lich King's death knights and toppled the Kingdom of Lordaeron by murdering his own father, King Terenas. After the fall of Lordaeron's capital, the plague spread throughout the northern regions of Lordaeron, turning them into the blighted lands they are today.

The resistance against the Scourge was particularly bloody at Darrowshire, where the ghoul Horgus the Ravager and the death knight Marduk Blackpool (alias Marduk the Black) led an army of Scourge against the town. Only surviving paladins under Davil Crokford and the Darrowshire militia under Captain Joseph Redpath were able to stand in their way. Though they put up a valiant fight, the defenders of Darrowshire were not enough to stave off the endless legions of Scourge. Davil managed to defeat Horgus in combat, but he succumbed to the horrific wounds the ghoul had inflicted. Captain Redpath fell to Marduk's necromancy, his soul taken from his body and corrupted into the service of the Scourge, where he proceeded to turn on his fellows and tear Darrowshire apart, killing everyone who hid in their homes.

After the fall of Lordaeron, Alexandros Mograine formed a Crusade from the remnants of Lordaeron's Knights of the Silver Hand and attempted to retake the shattered kingdom from both the Scourge and the undead renegades known as the Forsaken. In the Eastern Plaguelands, they took control of both the town of Tyr's Hand and the western districts of Stratholme, where they battle the forces of Baron Rivendare to gain control of the destroyed city. After the death of Alexandros Mograine, the Crusade went through a schism; forming factions such as the Brotherhood of the Light and the Argent Dawn which established themselves in Light's Hope Chapel, and with those who remained in the original Crusade renaming themselves the Scarlet Crusade.

World of Warcraft
Meanwhile, the Alliance and Horde continued to fight over the abandoned Lordaeron towers scattered around the Eastern Plaguelands. Eventually, the master of the Scourge in Lordaeron made his return to the blighted lands. From his citadel of Naxxramas, floating over the Plaguewood near Stratholme, he prepared to continue the work he began in the name of his master, the Lich King.

The dread citadel Naxxramas stood in this region, and with it Kel'Thuzad's reign was enforced and undisputed. With the help of the Argent Dawn, Darion Mograine infiltrated the floating Scourge citadel and tried his luck at bringing it down. He ultimately failed, losing his life in the process. However, he managed to free his father, Alexandros Mograine (formerly the wielder of the Ashbringer), from undeath, finally giving his spirit rest. Without him, the dark fortress was left severely weakened as he was one of the Four Horsemen who led the military forces in Naxxramas. And so, with this in mind, the Argent Dawn led an all-out assault on the fortress and defeated Kel'Thuzad, but failed to actually kill him. The Citadel ended up "vanishing" from the Plaguelands not too long after.

Some other events happened such as the Crimson Courier, who could be seen roaming from Tyr's Hand to Stratholme. She was usually escorted by four Crimson Bodyguards. Demetria, the Scarlet Oracle, could also be made to leave Tyr's Hand alongside eight Scarlet Troopers. By the time of the Cataclysm, she was gone.

Prior to the start of the invasion of Outland, the Eastern Plaguelands were invaded by a group of Burning Legion demons led by Highlord Kruul.

The area was also invaded twice by the Scourge in the years leading to the war against the Lich King.

Recently, Naxxramas floated away from the Plaguelands and reappeared over Dragonblight in Northrend, though it was replaced by Acherus: The Ebon Hold over the far eastern portion of the zone. From there, Arthas sent his death knights to exterminate both the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn and leave his grip over the Plaguelands unchallenged. But, there is that old saying about the best-laid plans of mice and men (and Lich Kings)...

Wrath of the Lich King
The Eastern Plaguelands have been expanded somewhat to include a small area for death knights, including their home base of Acherus: The Ebon Hold, a massive Scourge necropolis floating above the hills behind Light's Hope Chapel. It is here that the death knight trainers, as well as their leader Highlord Darion Mograine, can be found.

Death knights start out in Scourge service in a special instanced area east of Tyr's Hand known as the Scarlet Enclave. As they progress in their training, death knights are tasked with laying waste to the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire, which lay below the fortress. The towns are left in ruins as the death knights sweep through them with the Scarlet Crusade inhabiting them all but destroyed. After sacking both towns, death knight players participate in a final, epic Battle for Light's Hope Chapel. After the battle is concluded, the death knight is deposited into the "main" (non-instanced) Eastern Plaguelands, where they begin their service to the faction their race belongs to. In the "main" Eastern Plaguelands, the Scarlet Lands - consisting of Tyr's Hand, New Avalon, and Havenshire - are left completely in ruins, their once-green pastures devoured by the blight that permeates the rest of the region.

The ruins of the towns of New Avalon and Havenshire, collectively referred to as the Ruins of the Scarlet Enclave, are reachable from two directions. First, players may travel through Tyr's Hand, and take the final fork in the road to the north. Alternately, players may travel through Browman Mill into the Noxious Glade and follow the south wall to a cave which leads to Death's Breach, at the northern end of the Ruins.

Cataclysm
Since the Cataclysm, the Argent Crusade has strengthened its presence in the Plaguelands, claiming not only outposts formerly held by the now-defunct Argent Dawn, such as Light's Hope Chapel, but also the former Scarlet Crusade town of Hearthglen, and the four towers through the Eastern Plaguelands; around which the plague has receded. They have also joined forces with the Cenarion Circle to help heal the Plaguelands from its plagued state.

Despite Montoy's treachery, the Brotherhood of Light eventually triumphed over the Scourge in Northrend and have returned to the Eastern Plaguelands. They have begun their own campaign against the remaining Scourge and Risen forces in Lordaeron; attempting to reclaim the cities of Stratholme and Tyr's Hand for the Argent Crusade. Though the Brotherhood and the Crusade are still allied with one another, the Argent Crusade is concerned with the Brotherhood's recklessness, and their dislike to the Crusade's rigid code of ethics.

Their campaign concludes with the capture of Tyr's Hand from the undead, but also with the capture of the Scarlet Bastion and Alonsus Chapel now under the control of the Argent Crusade after the death of Balnazzar and Lord Aurius Rivendare.

The amount of corruption in the land itself seems to have diminished somewhat, roughly to levels displayed by the Western Plaguelands before the Cataclysm. The plague has been cleansed from Argent Crusade controlled territory, such as Light's Hope Chapel and the five towers, and water flows again in formerly drained riverbeds.

Geography
The Eastern Plaguelands contain a normal instanced dungeon (Stratholme), and formerly contained the raid dungeon Naxxramas. The micro dungeon Tyr's Hand can also be found here. Light's Hope Chapel serves as a travel hub for both the Horde and the Alliance. There are no battlegrounds in this zone, though it is a world PvP area.

Maps and subregions


Topographic map of Eastern Plaguelands

Elite areas

 * Tyr's Hand

Flight paths from Thondroril River

 * Undercity, Tirisfal Glades
 * The Bulwark, Tirisfal Glades
 * Tarren Mill, Hillsbrad Foothills
 * Stormfeather Outpost, The Hinterlands
 * Hiri'watha Research Station, The Hinterlands
 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands
 * The Menders' Stead, Western Plaguelands
 * Crown Guard Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Crown Guard Tower

 * Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Shield Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Northpass Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Plaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Light's Shield Tower

 * Crown Guard Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Eastwall Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Plaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Light's Hope Chapel

 * Ironforge, Dun Morogh
 * Undercity, Tirisfal Glades
 * Stormfeather Outpost, The Hinterlands
 * Aerie Peak, The Hinterlands
 * Revantusk Village, The Hinterlands
 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands
 * Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Shield Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Eastwall Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Fuselight, Badlands
 * Tranquillien, Ghostlands
 * Hatchet Hills, Ghostlands
 * Sun's Reach, Isle of Quel'Danas
 * Acherus: The Ebon Hold, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Eastwall Tower

 * Light's Shield Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Northpass Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Plaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Northpass Tower

 * Crown Guard Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Eastwall Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Plaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Plaguewood Tower

 * Hearthglen, Western Plaguelands
 * Crown Guard Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Shield Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Eastwall Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Northpass Tower, Eastern Plaguelands

Notable characters
The Eastern Plaguelands are home to several characters of note. At Light's Hope Chapel, Lord Maxwell Tyrosus leads the Argent Dawn in the fight against the Scourge. At the Marris Stead, Nathanos Blightcaller sends bold heroes of the Horde against the Scarlet Crusade. At his home by the Thondroril River, Tirion Fordring seeks to eradicate the dark horrors that the Plaguelands offer. And in the halls of Acherus, high above Light's Hope Chapel, Highlord Darion Mograine commands the Knights of the Ebon Blade.

Quests
The main plotline in Eastern Plaguelands deals with an adventure of a worgen merchant named Fiona and her two paladin friends, Gidwin Goldbraids and Tarenar Sunstrike that run a caravan riding across the zone, as the story progresses. Gidwin and Tarenar along with the adventurer later join the Argent Crusade forces stationed in Light's Hope Chapel in order to rid the land of undead infestation.

Resources

 * Herbs
 * Arthas' Tears (One of the few regions where you can gather it)
 * Khadgar's Whisker
 * Liferoot
 * Sungrass
 * Ore
 * Iron Deposit
 * Gold Vein
 * Mithril Deposit
 * Truesilver Deposit

Wild creatures

 * Abominations
 * Bats
 * Bears
 * Boars
 * Crypt fiends
 * Darkhounds
 * Forest trolls
 * Gargoyles
 * Ghosts
 * Ghouls
 * Maggots
 * Mastiffs
 * Oozes
 * Skeletons
 * Water elementals
 * Wretched
 * Zombies

In the RPG
The Eastern Plaguelands are dominated by the Scourge, and the archlich Kel'Thuzad commands the region from the ruined city of Stratholme, the Scourge capital in Lordaeron. Undead roam the land freely, and one might run into a dozen of them upon entering the area. The entirety of the Plaguelands is polluted and wretched, blighted by the Scourge. The undead plague has corrupted the people and nature itself. Noxious orange mists known as the Poison Mist, float like living entities over the blackened, filthy soil. The Scourge's power here is absolute, and they undoubtedly hoard vast magical power and potent artifacts in its cities.

Despite the undead's power, humanity and other forces gather in pockets of resistance. Forest trolls from Zul'Aman in the north battle the Scourge to reclaim their ancient kingdom, and a crazed human group, the Scarlet Crusade, struggles courageously and vainly against the undead. The only safe place in this wretched land is the human city of Tyr's Hand, the Crusade's base of operations in the region.

Description
The Scourge controls the Plaguelands. The undead are intelligent and draw their power from the Lich King far to the north. Now that the Lich King has regained his power, all the Scourge's members are utterly loyal, and it cannot be expected to see more defectors such as Lady Sylvanas and her Forsaken. Cultists, necromancers, zombies, ghouls, skeletal warriors and worse roam the lands, slaughtering the few survivors when they find them. The undead need no rest and never complain.

Against this indomitable force battles the Scarlet Crusade. As their name implies, these human warriors and priests dress in bright reds — a stark contrast to the devastated gray landscape. The Crusaders are frenetic, desperate to destroy the Scourge, but well and truly crazy. The Crusaders are fearless zealots. Drawing strength and conviction from the Holy Light, they are dedicated to eliminating undead and offering protection to human survivors. Unfortunately, the Crusaders tend to think that anyone unassociated with them carries the undead plague and simply kill refugees more often than not. They are well armed and armored, and keep their equipment highly polished. Though their hearts are in the right place, their minds are addled — the tiny group is a pathetic force against the Scourge's might. The Scarlet Crusade must be incorporated into a larger army to be successful. And someone has to kick the righteousness out of it.

A large forest troll force has also moved into the region. Striking south from Zul'Aman, these trolls are led by Thresh'jin, and they seek to regain their ancestral kingdom. Forest trolls are no friends to dwarves or humans, but they are enemies of the Scourge. If promised their kingdom, they might join an alliance.

Geography
The Eastern Plaguelands are north of the Hinterlands and east of the Western Plaguelands. Darrowmere Lake borders the region on the south, while Zul'Aman and Quel'Thalas lie to the north. The land is blighted, the plants and animals soiled and corrupted. The blight has altered the trees, transforming them into stands of gigantic mushrooms, which are recommended not to eat. Darrowmere Lake provides reasonably fresh water, but the longer the Scourge remains the fouler the water grows. To the north, the elevation rises toward Quel'Thalas and Zul'Aman. Kel'Thuzad's minions are the only creatures that roam the land.

Notes and trivia

 * Near Quel'Lithien Lodge, there is a small path that leads to Quel'Thalas &mdash; more specifically, to the Ghostlands. Guarding this path is single high elf NPC by the name of Adon, a reference to the addon/expansion: The Burning Crusade. The path was previously blocked by fallen trees, some of which still can be seen to the left of the current road, which goes through a mountain pass. The pass goes through an instance portal, which blocks those without the expansion from entering the blood elves' homeland.
 * The Undead Scourge has also set up a small siege camp near the gateway to Quel'Thalas. Scourge Siege Engineers are found around here, along with many meat wagons. Lord Solanar Bloodwrath (and previously, Lady Liadrin herself) sent aspiring Blood Knight Masters to destroy the meat wagons and the engineers as a demonstration of loyalty.
 * Upon entering the Eastern Plaguelands, players will receive the buff Echoes of Lordaeron, which increases damage done to Undead mobs up to 5%. Which rank of the buff players receive depends on how many towers are controlled by their faction.
 * This forest, like much of Lordaeron, lies under a light covering of pine. However, in Old Stratholme, the area around the city itself is covered in a deciduous forest reminiscent of Elwynn Forest far to the south, with not a pine to be seen. The exact reason why there is such a drastic change in vegetation has yet to be explained. It is likely that the developers just used existing models for living trees, instead of redesigning the dead trees to be alive again.