Stranglethorn Vale

Stranglethorn Vale, also known as Stranglethorn Valley, or simply Stranglethorn, and sometimes spelled Stranglethorne, is a vast jungle south of Duskwood. After the Cataclysm, Stranglethorn Vale was split by a large sinkhole containing a raging whirlpool called The Sundering at its center. The areas of Stranglethorn are now known as Northern Stranglethorn (aka Stranglethorn Jungle) and The Cape of Stranglethorn.

The region is remarkable for three aspects. Its exotic and dangerous jungles, which requires preparations of antidotes against its deadly flora and fauna. Its jungle trolls, rarer than in the glory days of the Gurubashi Empire, but still present and hunting in the lands of their ancestors. They are known to be strong for close combat. Last but not least, its pirates, swarming in the region, the most notable of them are members of the Bloodsail Buccaneers.

Ancient history
The Vale was the primary center of the trolls of the Gurubashi Empire, and their cities were dotted all over the region.

In troll legends, it is said that the Stone of the Tides first made its appearance on the coast of Stranglethorn. It was found and picked up by a wandering troll warrior. Intrigued by the blue stone he found, he took it with him on his journey. As time passed, the troll discovered that the stone gave him control over water. He could summon water elementals, manipulate the tides, and accomplish feats that only the powerful mages of the Kirin Tor were able to manifest. The warrior traveled back to Zul'Gurub to show his newfound abilities to the Emperor. He gained the court's audience easily with his powers and gained the title "Tidebearer", leaving his old name behind. The troll also received a place of honor in the Court of Gurubashi. Tidebearer served the Gurubashi Empire for years, but as time wore on, he became more reclusive. The Stone of Tides carried a curse as well. The Bearer of the stone would start to fade over time until he would disappear from the physical world forever. Keeping this secret from the Empire, the Tidebearer went to the beach where he found the stone and walked into the water, where he disappeared. Many generations later the stone would wash upon the Vale and be picked up by a new Tidebearer. This process would continue, and Tidebearers would come and go just as the last before them.

1,500 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the powerful Gurubashi Empire was torn apart by a massive civil war. An influential group of Gurubashi priests called forth the avatar of an ancient and terrible blood god named Hakkar the Soulflayer and named themselves the Hakkari, soon a large amount of Gurubashi joined and became devout followers of Hakkar. With their newfound power, the Gurubashi Empire began to soundly defeat nearby gnoll clans, murloc tribes as well as trolls who opposed Hakkar. Under Hakkar, the Gurubashi and Hakkari began conquering large swaths of land as well as outlying islands around the South Seas, achieving all that they had hoped for.

The Zandalari began to observe the events from afar, at first pleased with how the Gurubashi had begun to return to conquest and traditional worship. Though it soon became clear that Hakkar's bloodlust would never be sated, the fiendish god would drive not only the troll race to destruction but the entire world as well.

It did not take long before the Zandalari rallied their forces and set sail towards the Eastern Kingdoms where they met with Gurubashi trolls who had hidden their dissent from the Hakkari. The Zandalari and their new Gurubashi allies quickly learned that a faction of Hakkar's most zealous priests, the Atal'ai, were attempting to summon the loa's spirit into a living form. This would awaken terrible new dimensions of his power and spell certain doom for the troll race.

Horrified by the plans, the Zandalari hosts stormed the Gurubashi capital of Zul'Gurub. Battles raged among the vine-covered ziggurats of the temple city day and night. Though finally, atop of Hakkar's bloodstained shrine, the Zandalari defeated Hakkar and most of his crazed followers. A number of his fanatical Atal'ai priests had though escaped into the jungles surrounding Zul'Gurub, in time these trolls finally settled in the Swamp of Sorrows north of the Gurubashi capital. In the heart of the wild marshland, they secretly constructed a great temple to their bloodthirsty loa: the Temple of Atal'Hakkar.

The last emperor of the Gurubashi was Var'gazul. From his capital, he prepared plans of war, an invasion on an unknown enemy. However his plans were thwarted by the appearance of Neptulon and his kraken, which destroyed the land west of Zul'Gurub and sunk the city of I'lalai.

After the Empire's fall, the cities of the troll empire fell into ruin, although they are still populated by trolls.

At some point after the Guardian Aegwynn went rogue, she was found and confronted by Tarthen of the Tirisgarde in Stranglethorn Vale. In terms of the power used by the two magi, the duel that ensued was one of the greatest to have ever occurred between a Tirisgarde and the renegade Guardian. But it was also one of the shortest. Tarthen bore Ebonchill in battle--the greatstaff reported stolen some months ago. When he unleashed the weapon's stored power on Aegwynn, she immediately turned the energies back on him with a counterspell. A storm of frost magic surged over Tarthen, encasing him in a layer of diamond-hard ice. Despite the hot weather in the region, Tarthen was still frozen solid when the members of the Council of Tirisfal found him. It took considerable effort to thaw his corpse and free Ebonchill from his lifeless hand.

Booty Bay
Booty Bay was originally a former small port town inhabited by humans which was overrun by trolls. Eventually, the goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel managed to drive out the trolls from the immediate area to claim the shores of the cove for their new center for operations in the Eastern Kingdoms &mdash; Booty Bay. This happened prior to the First War, as Booty Bay was already territory of the Steamwheedle Cartel by then.

First War
When the Horde invaded Azeroth most of their forces waged war against the humans of Stormwind. However Kilrogg Deadeye led his Bleeding Hollow clan into Stranglethorn Vale, which reminded the orcs of their ancestral home of Tanaan Jungle. Thus the Bleeding Hollow were determined to claim Stranglethorn for themselves, however the Gurubashi refused to share their lands with outsiders and the two forces would clash in battle. Though the Gurubashi were weakened by the Gurubashi War their knowledge of the land allowed for them to launch a guerrilla campaign to drive the invading Bleeding Hollow out of the region. Kilrogg and his Bleeding Hollow would eventually be ordered to retreat by Warchief Blackhand after he learned of the conflict and concluded that too many orcs were dying for no apparent gain.

At an unknown point in time the Darkspear tribe were forced out of Stranglethorn.

World of Warcraft
The crafty goblin trade princes set up their mining and deforesting operations here. The goblins have maintained a tenuous hold over these remote facilities, but they remain threatened by the jungle trolls' growing obsession with purging their ancient lands of any and all foreign invaders.

Stranglethorn is as deadly as it is beautiful. The Vale is inhabited by a large variety of beasts and hostile creatures that low level characters should not face alone. The primary sapient inhabitants are the Bloodscalp and Skullsplitter trolls, in the northwest and east respectively. The troll city of Zul'Gurub sits in a valley in the northeast, which was once the capital of Troll civilization in Stranglethorn. In the north is a small village controlled by the renegade Colonel Kurzen. Other inhabitants include an encampment of ogres. Off the southeast coast is Jaguero Isle, inhabited by the enormous gorilla King Mukla. There is a renegade group of sailors, known as the Bloodsail Buccaneers, who have built camps on the southwestern and southern shores of Stranglethorn Vale. A small population of Naga can be found in the southwest, and murlocs inhabit some underwater ruins in the northwest. The Venture Company also has two mining operations in Stranglethorn. In the northwest, the Zandalar Tribe has its base in Yojamba Isle. The Water Gate from Deadmines can also been seen north of Yojamba Isle, though it cannot be entered.

Prior to the start of the invasion of Outland, Stranglethorn Vale was invaded by a group of Burning Legion demons led by Highlord Kruul.

Cataclysm
Stranglethorn Vale has been split by a large sinkhole containing a raging whirlpool called The Sundering at its center. The areas part of Stranglethorn are now know as Northern Stranglethorn (aka Stranglethorn Jungle) and the Cape of Stranglethorn.

The Explorers' League puted together a new Alliance encampment called Explorers' League Dig Site while the goblins built besides massive oil pipes in the water also a new Horde town called Hardwrench Hideaway. Another Alliance camp called Fort Livingston was also errected while the Zandalari moved from Yojamba Isle along with their structures. Players learn in Northern Stranglethorn about the political changes Zul'Gurub, rescue an adorable raptor, and partake in Nesingwary's expanded hunting operations. The Cape of Stranglethorn traces the escalating conflict between the goblin pirates of Booty Bay and their rivals, the Bloodsail Buccaneers. Booty Bay is still the major city run by goblin pirates.

Stranglethorn later came under attack by a renewed Zul'Gurub under the command of the Zandalari.

Mists of Pandaria
The Silvershard Mines battleground introduced in the expansion was set in Stranglethorn Vale.

Legion
By the time of the end of the Argus Campaign, Kirygosa is known to be quietly living here, enjoying a permanent summer.

Maps and subregions


Topographic map of Stranglethorn

Notable characters
Stranglethorn Vale is home to several characters of note. In Booty Bay, Baron Revilgaz and Fleet Master Seahorn seek aid in the battle against the Bloodsail Buccaneers. In Grom'gol Base Camp, Kin'weelay attempts to rid the jungle of the bloodthirsty Bloodscalp and Skullsplitter Tribe. In the Rebel Camp, Lieutenant Doren and his men seek to usurp the choke hold the evil Colonel Kurzen has put on the northern forest, and at his expedition camp, Hemet Nesingwary Jr. sends bold hunters into the deepest parts of the vale in search of rare and exotic animals. Gnaz and Knaz Blunderflame have a small gnome house in the mountains above the Mosh'ogg ogre mound. They both sell engineering supplies to those who can find them.

Warcraft III
A Warcraft III map exists called Stranglethorn Vale.

In the RPG
Jungle trolls patrol this steaming rainforest. Ancient Gurubashi trolls once ruled the region, and the ruins of their great cities crumble in the jungle's heat and growth. Naga hunt along the coast and vicious animals and plants, including the eponymous strangle-thorns, make travel dangerous. The Arena, a center for gladiatorial games set in a ruined Gurubashi fighting stadium, draws shady characters of all races. The Blackwater Raiders, a vile group of pirates, make their home in Booty Bay, on the Stranglethorn's southern coast.

Notes and trivia

 * There is a group of humans living in the Vale, namely from Booty Bay, such as Makasa Flintwill. The humans of Stranglethorn have a tradition where they carefully remove weapons from a corpse before burial. After all, how could a soul rest if he must carry the cause of his death with him forever? They are also honorbound to repay someone who has saved their life, a tradition shared with the Stromic people.
 * One of the classic game boards in Hearthstone is themed around Stranglethorn Vale.

Speculation
The southern part of the vale could be Ulmat Thondr.