Gnomeregan


 * A technical marvel, the subterranean city of Gnomeregan is wrought-iron evidence of gnomish brilliance, ambition, and ingenuity. It was carved into the stony foothills of Dun Morogh, and winds deep into the heart of the land. From their wondrous techno-city, gnomes provided invaluable support in weaponry, vehicles, and energetic troops to the Alliance of dwarves, humans, and high elves. Currently a battleground between the founding gnomes and the traitor Sicco Thermaplugg, the once-gleaming metal hallways of this labyrinthine city are slowly being retaken.

Gnomeregan was the capital city of the gnome race until a trogg invasion led to its tragic downfall, pulled from their sleep by the upheaval of titan sites. In a desperate attempt to kill the troggs, their ruler, High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque, on the advice of his advisor Sicco Thermaplugg, ordered the gnomes to open the pressure valves of their giant, grinding machines and released toxic radiation throughout the city. Though the radiation killed some of the troggs, it empowered others. Meanwhile, the radiation killed the gnome people just as quickly. Nearly eighty percent of the gnomish race died within days, while others were transformed into horrific, mindless, evil-doing leper gnomes, who still live there. A few loyal gnomes still left in the city fought desperately to keep the troggs at bay. Their ruler, thought by certain gnomes to have abandoned them, eventually sent a rescue force of adventurers on a recon mission.

The city is currently a mid-level dungeon.

History


Originally, when the first mechagnomes left Uldaman under the effects of the Curse of Flesh, they dwelt in mountain caves in Dun Morogh. Focusing purely on survival and expanding their technological knowledge, the early gnomes eschewed any form of record keeping and thus forgot their heritage. When the transformed earthen from Uldaman, now being fleshy creatures called dwarves, arrived in Khaz Modan, they discovered the gnomes in their mountain caverns. Enthralled by their technological knowledge, and sensing a kinship between the two species, the dwarves aided the gnomes in laying the foundations for what would later become Gnomeregan. During the Second War, the Orcish Horde tried to siege the city. They were defeated by the ingenuity of the gnomish inventors, whose booby traps and rigged explosives claimed many orcish lives while the city itself was shielded by an impenetrable iron gate. Eventually, Doomhammer called off the attacks after weeks of fruitless siege. Instead, the Bleeding Hollow clan, who controlled Khaz Modan, would ensure that no gnome would leave the city.

Following the conflict and until the Third War, from their wondrous techno-city, gnomes provided invaluable support in weaponry, vehicles, and energetic troops to the Alliance of dwarves, humans, and high elves. When Lordaeron fell, the gnomes mysteriously withdrew all their aid. It would be only after the Third War that the rest of the Alliance would learn the reason: Gnomeregan had come under attack by the brutish troggs that emerged from the earth after having been awakened by the dwarves digging around Uldaman. The creatures were attracted the gnomish machinery and built tunnels to breach the lowest reaches of the city. In order to avoid drawing Alliance troops from the battle against the Scourge in the north, High Tinker Mekkatorque decided that the gnomes would defend Gnomeregan alone. For five years, the gnomes fought the troggs, but were overrun. The troggs simply dug around their defenses and breached into their engineering quarters. To defeat them, Mekkatorque agreed to the plan proposed by Sicco Thermaplugg, which involved bathing the lower levels of the city in radiation. To his horror, the bomb affected not only the troggs, but also the gnomes, and made the troggs even more violent. The few survivors fled their city. Seeking refuge in Ironforge, the gnomes debated on their next course of action. Some advocated retaking Gnomeregan immediately, but Mekkatorque declined in favor of supporting the Alliance.




 * Located in Dun Morogh, the technological wonder known as Gnomeregan has been the gnomes' capital city for generations. Recently, a hostile race of mutant troggs infested several regions of Dun Morogh - including the great gnome city. In a desperate attempt to destroy the invading troggs, High Tinker Mekkatorque ordered the emergency venting of the city's radioactive waste tanks. Several gnomes sought shelter from the airborne pollutants as they waited for the troggs to die or flee. Unfortunately, though the troggs became irradiated from the toxic assault - their siege continued, unabated.  Those gnomes who were not killed by noxious seepage were forced to flee, seeking refuge in the nearby dwarven city of Ironforge. There, High Tinker Mekkatorque set out to enlist brave souls to help his people reclaim their beloved city.  It is rumored that Mekkatorque's once-trusted advisor, Mekgineer Thermaplugg, betrayed his people by allowing the invasion to happen.  Now, his sanity shattered, Thermaplugg remains in Gnomeregan - furthering his dark schemes and acting as the city's new techno-overlord.

In Gnomeregan's heyday, inventors would compete for status by pitting their creations against one another.

Operation: Gnomeregan
Prior to the Shattering, the gnomes, with help from the Alliance, launched an assault on Gnomeregan in an effort to liberate its lost capital, code name: Operation: Gnomeregan. The operation was successful, as they were able to recapture Gnomeregan's surface and part of the city, an area they have named New Tinkertown. The gnomes seem to be gaining ground in the city as new gnomes assist in the defeat of the lepers on the surface of the city and the killing of one of Thermaplugg's most important lieutenants.

Cut Short


Gelbin has determined that after the city has been retaken, it will be due for a major remodeling to make a more open, airy layout.

Cataclysm
The city is turned into a war zone between the Gnomeregan Exiles and the leper gnomes. Gnomeregan is now the starting area for gnomes, and its quests will be centered around reclaiming the city and trying to force all of Thermaplugg's forces out. The G-Team, a gnomish organization, with the help of adventurers, finally succeeds in eliminating Sicco. New gnome players start out as irradiated, and through a series of quests they cleanse themselves before permanent damage can be done.

The dungeon itself is largely the same, but most of the original quests have been removed. Instead, players assist the S.A.F.E. organization in a new quest line that is obtained from within the instance.

Battle for Azeroth
Horde engineers and the Alliance detected some strange spikes of electric usage in Gnomeregan. Adventurers were sent to investigate the situation and worked with chief engineer Micro Zoox, who is in charge of keeping the robots in Gnomeregan under control. While in the Launch Bay, which was overtaken by erratic elementals, they found that all of the defensive mechanisms were activated, with Bomb Bots and critters filling the corridor to the Tinkers' Court. The Court itself was guarded by the Gnomeregan Defense Force, consisting of mechanical inventions. A suspicious night elf teleported in, stunned the hero, stole something from the Pulverizer Bot Mk 6001 and was teleported out of the city. After the adventurer defeated the Pulverizer, Micro scanned the area and stated that the defensive mechanisms were now disabled and normal.

Starting area
S.A.F.E., led by Nevin Twistwrench, are organizing an effort through the Train Depot, Old Dormitory and Loading Room to save survivors and keep irradiated gnomes in.

In the RPG
Gnomeregan is built into Ironforge Mountain. When the troggs invaded, they destroyed the city, forced the Ironforge gnomes to move to Ironforge and to Kalimdor. Now in the hands of the Rockjaw troggs, the city is little more than a ruin. The troggs use the city as a base to stage attacks against Ironforge patrols, merchants and other travelers.

Notes and trivia

 * In Legion, Gnomeregan was the setting of Imminent Launch, a scrapped Mage Tower encounter where heroes would aid Gelbin Mekkatorque in stopping Sicco Thermaplugg and a missile aimed at the Broken Isles.
 * Once, all the cloth and leather were vaporized by Fimble Finespindle's cousin.
 * There seems to be tracks similar to the Deeprun Tram running from the east wall of the aptly named Train Depot (now the Loading Room) to right before the Tinkers' Court. A line seems to have also gone into the destroyed hallway off of the Hall of Gears. No cars can be seen at any point on these tracks. It is unknown how, or if, the Loading Room (now the Old Dormitory) was able to load any cars from its position, presumably with the arm that was there.
 * The loss of Gnomeregan is the topic of many conspiracy theories, one of them involving the Dark Iron clan.