Thor Modan

Thor Modan is a ruined dwarven city located in the northeastern part of the Grizzly Hills in Northrend. It is the ancient home of the iron dwarves and its architecture is similar to the Alliance dwarven city of Ironforge; even down to the statue of Modimus Anvilmar at the end of the entrance hallway. Much of the main interior of Thor Modan is in ruins. Iron dwarves work with severe determination to repair the constant damage that is being done by an army of nature giants who constantly barrage the area with huge boulders and entire trees which have been ripped from the ground. Adventurers who come upon Thor Modan first will see a fierce battle between the Earthen and the Iron Dwarves. The Iron Dwarves are defending the territory and sending powerful stone golems out to engage the marauding Earthen.

Alliance relations
The Earthen are recognized as friendly towards a member of the Alliance and much of the questing that takes place here involves helping with the attack on Thor Modan. As the discerning adventurer delves deeper into Thor Modan, the trappings and belongings can be seen strewn across the landscape. Journal pages and in a few cases - corpses of unfortunate explorers can be seen laid out across the landscape.

Alliance adventurers who quest in this region will assist the Explorers' League in retrieving excavation information from fallen League members who ventured in and never came out. In addition assistance can be given to the earth giant - Kurun - A towering figure of rocks and trees standing on the highest point that looks out over Thor Modan. Kurun and his army of giants is in desperate need of assistance to thwart the Iron Dwarves and their nefarious movements. His battle goes on in the Boulder Hills area which sits on the rise behind Thor Modan. As well as attacking the Iron from the roof of the structure he is overseeing a ferocious battle between his army and the Iron Dwarves army of Runed Giants.

The purpose of the Ironforge dwarf Explorers' Guild excavations, is spurred by their search for more information on the titans and the origin's of their race.

In the RPG
Thor Modan is a small dwarven settlement midway up the eastern side of the Grizzly Hills, and halfway between the furbolg home of Grizzlemaw and Drakkari capital of Gundrak. The small force of dwarves that has settled here dislike the trolls, who constantly attack them, and hate the Scourge. Any hero from a typical Alliance race receives a warm welcome. Dwarves are greeted like long-lost family.

The dwarves here are researchers and archaeologists rather than warriors. They offer whatever aid they can, but do not fight unless their homes are threatened. They feed the heroes and give them basic supplies, but have little else to share beyond local knowledge and experience in fighting ice trolls. Living in Thor Modan, they seek clues and artifacts from their own past. They do know shortcuts to Gundrak, however, and can guide the heroes there unseen.

The dwarves have run-ins with furbolgs on a regular basis, since furbolgs feel the dwarf kinsmen are trespassers and grave-robbers. The dwarves were thrilled to see Brann Bronzebeard, and are eager for news of home. It seems they don't get that many travelers up there, particularly other dwarves. They are not there for socializing, though, and remain focused on their excavations. They have not yet discovered anything of note, but they are still hopeful.

Description
This little town looks like it was thrown together, which it was. Mismatched tents stand between rough wooden shacks and the occasional stone hut, and streets veer wherever someone has settled in their path. The expedition leaders slowly correct the settlement's haphazard construction, replacing the temporary buildings with permanent ones and straightening the paths, but they have still got a ways to go. That is not surprising, since they are more interested in digging for old dwarven relics rather than in setting up shop. Furbolgs attack frequently, so the camp has walls up and a guard in place. That at least gives it some shape.

History
The furbolgs claim they were the first people in the Grizzly Hills. So do the Drakkari, though they are concentrated to the north in Zul'Drak. But actually they are both wrong. Dwarves were here first. At least that's what Hardigan Ironjaw, of the Thor Modan expedition, tells. He says the Titans placed dwarves here, after they had created them. It was an experiment to see if they could survive on their own. They not only survived but flourished, spreading southward and into what would later become Kalimdor and the other continents.

Hardigan thinks he can find evidence of their ancestors in the hills, and uncover truths about their race's early culture. The Explorers' Guild thought it likely enough to send him here, at any rate. Brann Bronzebeard believes dwarves did start in the north, since the Titans were there, but he's not sure they ever settled up there. Regardless, all this was well before any surviving history. So no one really knows what went on here back then.

A dwarven prospector finally uncovered what the Thor Modan expedition was seeking — an ancient relic clearly made by dwarves. The relic is an enormous and heavy statue of iron. The problem is, he found the statue in a cave between Grizzlemaw and Drak'Tharon Keep. The heroes will have to find and retrieve the relic without getting caught by the Scourge or the furbolgs, all the while avoiding the wild beasts in the area.