Duskwood

Duskwood, originally called Brightwood, is a fiefdom of the Kingdom of Stormwind located in the southern-central part of Azeroth, south of Elwynn Forest, east of Westfall, west of Deadwind Pass, and north of Stranglethorn Vale.

Beneath the everlasting night, which gave Duskwood its current name, the fel magic unleashed by Medivh upon his death has transformed what was once a beautiful part of Elwynn Forest into a land covered in gnarled trees, along with the black fog hanging over the woods.

The most prominent geographical feature of the region is an ancient and long-dead volcano crater, which teems with life and features one of the Great Trees with a portal leading into the Emerald Dream. The woods also feature several abandoned farmsteads, as well as the prominent Raven Hill Cemetery, which holds the graves of numerous people who have known tragic fates.

Duskwood is inhabited by a defiant people who still cling to their holdings in the face of overwhelming adversity. On all sides lurk dangerous creatures, from hideous undead to ferocious Nightbane worgen and overgrown spiders. Ogres moving in have brought up even more problems. To fight against all these threats, the militia of Duskwood, known as the Night Watch, patrolled the main thoroughfare and protected Darkshire, wary of anything moving through the shadows.



Felling of Andrassil
4,500 years before the Dark Portal, Fandral and his followers secretly cut six enchanted branches from the boughs of Nordrassil. With the branches in hand, they traveled the world to locations where saronite blooms had sprung to life, including a remote region of the Eastern Kingdoms that would later be known as Duskwood. The branch quickly took root, and became a new tree all its own, acting as a conduit and channeling the powers of the Emerald Dream into the waking world, strengthening the nearby wildlife and scouring the saronite deposits.

Before the First War
Centuries ago, throughout the Eastern Kingdoms, the disparate human nations flourished, among them the smallest and most isolated of the kingdoms was Stormwind. Over the years, it found prosperity through the farmsteads that dotted the surrounding fertile region, and as its population grew, small towns sprang up in the nearby regions, notably in Brightwood. Also known as "Southern Elwynn Forest", the region was the location of two sizable towns called Grand Hamlet and Raven Hill.



During the First War
Eventually, during the First War, the Warchief Blackhand ordered raiding parties to cut deep into Stormwind's lands, as he wanted to drive the human populace to panic. Entire villages in Westfall fell to the Old Horde's control, their inhabitants either killed or forced to flee. Later, the region was cursed when Medivh died, fel energy being unleashed by his death, turning the surrounding land into a dangerous, thorny blight. The area would later become known as Duskwood.

Long ago, Elwynn Forest was populated with a group of spiders that lived peacefully among the woods. However, when the curse fell over Duskwood - turning the once peaceful woodland into a realm of terror - the spiders began to mutate and grow to monstrous proportions. The lurking venom spiders began hunting their hapless prey in all of the shadowed corners of the land. Possessing both deadly acidic venom and powerful webbing, these cruel beasts stalked any foolish wanderers who stray too far into the haunted woods.

World of Warcraft
Years ago, humans introduced the rat snakes into Duskwood to cull the local rat population.

The reason Duskwood now teems with the undead is because of the vile necromancer Morbent Fel.

A night elf by the name of Velinde Starsong came to the woods carrying the Scythe of Elune. Hunted by Varkas, Velinde was killed and the Scythe of Elune was lost in Roland's Doom. The powerful weapon was later found by members of the Defias Brotherhood excavating the mine, including a skittish man named Jitters. Jitters picked up the weapon, triggering its effect of summoning. The mine was immediately filled with worgen, who then proceeded to rip the men apart, while Jitters escaped with the weapon.

In his escape, Jitters lost the weapon in the woods and hid in the barn of the Yorgen Farmstead, but the appearance of the scythe attracted the Dark Riders from Deadwind Pass, who slaughtered Sven Yorgen's family in front of Jitters' eyes. Now the people of Duskwood have to fight against the undead but also the worgen, under the threat from the Dark riders in search of the scythe.

Pre-Cataclysm
Mere days before the Fall of Gilneas, the Scythe of Elune was liberated from Duskwood.

It was rediscovered by the worgen around Manor Mistmantle and Roland's Doom, who served the Wolf Cult. Seeking to clear his name, Mardigan sought out the cult on his own, questioning the Night Watch before seeking the worgen in the woods. He was followed soon after by Karlain, Revil Kost, and Ambrose, who killed the local worgen leader Gervase, saved Mardigan, and claimed the Scythe of Elune.

The scythe was given to the night elves, and was taken to Gilneas by Valorn days later.

Cataclysm
During the Cataclysm, Duskwood saw its share of turmoil.

A handful of Gilneans arrived in Duskwood. In Darkshire, Tobias Mistmantle sought the whereabouts of his brother, Stalvan, taking up temporary residence in the town until discovering his brother's fate at Manor Mistmantle. In Raven Hill, Oliver Harris and his team made camp among the ruins and performed alchemical testing on captured Nightbane worgen, saving Sven Yorgen from the mindless state. In Addle's Stead, the Defias agents have since vanished, and several forlorn wraiths appear in their place. In the Raven Hill Cemetary, Morbent Fel has returned and now holds dominion over the undead from underground.

Legion
During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, several artifacts passed through Duskwood.

Seeking the downfall of Stormwind, the Night Watch and the leadership of Darkshire joined the Veiled Hand. While other members of the cult stayed in Raven Hill, Darkshire's former guardians sacrificed many of the townspeople to the Burning Legion, plotting to summon demons inside Stormwind Keep. These plans were thwarted by the Uncrowned, who sent Garona Halforcen and an assassin adventurer to investigate.

Meaning to pass the Scythe of Elune to the balance druid adventurer, Belysra Starbreeze and Valorn transported it from Darnassus to the Twilight Grove in Duskwood. Its presence was felt not only by the Nightbane worgen, but the Dark Riders as well, who killed Valorn and stole away the scythe. They were followed by the feral Nightbane, followed in turn by the balance druid adventurer and Revil Kost, who then found and recovered the Scythe from the Dark Riders.

Battle for Azeroth
During the Fourth War, Duskwood saw more activity in Raven Hill and the Twilight Grove.

Vassandra Stormclaw joined Oliver Harris and the other residents of Raven Hill in studying the worgen curse. Nightbane worgen were captured and used for testing. During this time, the residents were plagued by a particularly ferocious member of the Nightbane pack named Bloodeyes. In Manor Mistmantle, a rare bloom called Elune's Grace appeared around the manor, and a pack of Mistfang wolves had taken up residence.

Some time after, Tess Greymane wished to become a worgen to better understand her people. When her father refused to bite her, Tess Greymane and the Gilnean adventurer traveled to Duskwood to meet Vassandra Stormclaw and find an alternative. There, while Tess was busy with her own tasks for the druid, the adventurer captured Bloodeyes, collected fangs from Mistfang wolves, and collected Elune's Grace. In the Twilight Grove, Vassandra used these items to summon Goldrinn through the dream portal, who then provided Tess a vision, in which she relived the fall of Gilneas as a worgen.

Terror by Torchlight
In the aftermath of the Fourth War, a necromancer attempted to overwhelm Duskwood and Darkshire with an army of undead by corrupting the Torch of Holy Flame, placed by the watcher Sarah Ladimore in front of Morbent Fel's home to dispelling dark enchantments in the region and keeping the undead docile in the cemetery.

As Darkshire is still active and free from the Veiled Hand, the advance of the undead was slowed down by the efforts of the watchers, now lead by Sara Ladimore, until Mathias Shaw and Flynn Fairwind defeated the necromancer and recovered the purified holy torch, saving Duskwood from the army of undead. The Spymaster announced to Ladimore that he would send Stormwind guards as reinforcements after the necromancer hinted that the threat was not over.

Getting there

 * Horde: From Grom'Gol in Stranglethorn Vale, follow the main road north across the bridge across the chasm and right into Duskwood.
 * Alliance: From Three Corners in the Redridge Mountains, follow the road south across the bridge into Duskwood. From Westfall, by crossing the bridge to the east. Also, by swimming through the river south of Elwynn Forest.

Geography
There are no dungeons of any kind and no battlegrounds in this area. The Redridge Range lies on the eastern border of this zone, as these mountains stretch from the zone of the Redridge Mountains to the zone of Deadwind Pass.

Maps and subregions


Topographic map of Duskwood

Flight paths from Darkshire

 * Stormwind, Elwynn Forest
 * Goldshire, Elwynn Forest
 * Sentinel Hill, Westfall
 * Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains
 * Raven Hill, Duskwood
 * Rebel Camp, Northern Stranglethorn
 * Booty Bay, Cape of Stranglethorn
 * Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands

Flight paths from Raven Hill

 * Sentinel Hill, Westfall
 * Darkshire, Duskwood
 * Rebel Camp, Northern Stranglethorn

Portal at Twilight Grove

 * Emerald Dreamway, a portal hub within the Emerald Dream.

Notable characters


Duskwood is home to several humans of note. In Darkshire, Commander Althea Ebonlocke sends willing adventurers to battle back the evil denizens of the dark woods. At the northwestern corner of the forest, Sven Yorgen directs budding heroes to uncover a magical weapon with which to weaken the evil Morbent Fel located in his dark house on Forlorn Rowe. And at Raven Hill, a frightened man nicknamed Jitters hides from his dark past.

Resources



 * Cloth:
 * Linen Cloth
 * Wool Cloth
 * Silk Cloth
 * Herbalism
 * Mageroyal
 * Swiftthistle
 * Briarthorn
 * Bruiseweed
 * Wild Steelbloom
 * Grave Moss
 * Kingsblood
 * Skinning
 * Light Leather
 * Medium Leather
 * Heavy Leather
 * Mining
 * Copper Ore
 * Tin Ore
 * Silver Ore
 * Iron Ore
 * Gold Ore

Dig sites
Duskwood has two dig sites:
 * 1) Vul'Gol Ogre Mound; contains Fossil Archaeology Fragments.
 * 2) Twilight Grove; contains Night Elf Archaeology Fragments.

Battle pets

 * Skunk
 * Fossilized Hatchling - Archaeology only
 * Small Frog
 * Squirrel
 * Mouse
 * Roach
 * Dusk Spiderling
 * Pterrordax Hatchling - Archaeology only
 * Black Rat
 * Rat Snake
 * Widow Spiderling
 * Chicken
 * Darkwidow
 * Blackfang
 * Webwinder

Wild creatures



 * Abominations
 * Ghouls
 * Ghosts
 * Ogres
 * Skeletons
 * Spiders
 * Wolves
 * Worgen
 * Unseen

Treasure of Duskwood
Duskwood is rather unique with regard to its treasure chests. In most zones on Azeroth, treasure chests spawn next to or inside buildings or ruins, often in the middle of a camp of hostile mobs and virtually always with at least one mob guarding it. In Duskwood, especially north of the main road that cuts across the zone, treasure chests will spawn randomly in the forest next to trees and often without any hostile mobs near them. Chests also spawn at ruined buildings in Brightwood Grove and at the remains of a small house near Addle's Stead, generally with only a single hostile beast wandering nearby and it is fairly easy to loot the chests without drawing aggro. For an Alliance character in a level range of mid-to-high 20s, treasure hunting in Duskwood can be a fun and profitable adventure.

In Cataclysm
Duskwood was a level 18 - 30 zone prior to Cataclysm, but returned for levels 20 - 25. Adventurers are sent here following their experience in Redridge Mountains. Areas affected:


 * Beggar's Haunt – Abercrombie is now here, no Horde presence
 * The Hushed Bank – mobs changed to owls and bears; camp of Lars and Sven Yorgen taken over by Grave Robbers
 * Raven Hill – flight master, small Worgen camp established
 * Raven Hill Cemetery – Abercrombie moved closer to Darkshire
 * The Yorgen Farmstead – no humanoids, but new elemental mobs - Corpseweed
 * Vul'Gol Ogre Mound - an NPC named Apprentice Fess is on the road outside of the area
 * New Hunter Pets - Barn Owl

Warcraft III map
Beasts with green scales inhabit this jungle, making it hard to spot them. The tileset is called "Ashenvale".

In the RPG
Technically part of the Alliance and under Stormwind's protection, its distance from the mighty fortress and its close proximity to more malevolent forces in the south and east make it a realm of horror.

The undead roaming the woods were said to have appeared after the beginning of the Third War and to belong to the Scourge.

Notes and trivia

 * Duskwood was previously described as having entered its current state shortly after the Second War due to darkness inside the nearby Karazhan.
 * A "Flight to Duskwood" ride features in the Blizzard World map in Overwatch.