Blasted Lands (Classic)

Overview

• Population: 2,000 (55% Dreadmaul ogre, 15% demon, 15% draenei, 10% human, 5% high elf).
• Government: Primarily tyrannical law within tribes.
• Rulers: Agramalor, Lord of Dreadmaul ogres (male ogre warrior-wizard); Lord Kazzak, Lord of Doomguard demons (male doomguard sorcerer); Archmage Thas’ranan, Commander of Nethergarde’s mages (male high elf archmage).
• Major Settlements: Nethergarde Keep (300), The Tainted Scar (300).
• Languages: Common, Eredun, Low Common, Orc, Thalassian.
• Faiths: Burning Legion, [Holy Light].
• Resources: Minerals.
• Affiliation: The Burning Legion.

Introduction

The Blasted Lands bear that name for a reason: they were twisted by the magic that brought the Dark Portal into being, spewing the rampaging Horde into Azeroth. Now, the wretched land hosts few inhabitants and no significant settlements. There is but one usable road in the Blasted Lands, guarded at the north by Nethergarde Keep’s grim mages. They have the unenviable task of watching the Dark Portal, guarding the rest of the continent from the demons in the south and protecting themselves from the ogre tribes that roam the desert. The weather here is dry and hot during the day and bitterly cold at night. Mountains block any moisture that may come from the Swamp of Sorrows to the north, and no rivers grace this land. The eastern coast will occasionally get storms from the sea, but these downpours come so quickly the water merely runs off the packed earth and back into the sea.

People and Culture

The keepers of Nethergarde may seem at first uptight and uncheerful, this disposition seems appropriate in light of the danger they face daily. The warriors and mages fight daily with the ogre magi and demons that threaten either to destroy the keep or take over the Dark Portal. This tightly knit community experiences little crime; however, those found breaking the agreements they take on when accepting a post at the Keep are sent for a time to the Stockade in Stormwind. These mages cannot afford any dissention in the ranks. If you must visit the Blasted Lands, remember that the Nethergarde mages are the only hospitable people in the entire region. And they’re not even that hospitable.

Geography

Magic that leaked through the Dark Portal warped the Blasted Lands, leaving an infertile desert landscape. This region does not welcome life of any form. The red rocks of the region do not come by their color naturally. The original tan color was transmuted into the unearthly crimson by searing heat and chaotic energies when the Dark Portal was destroyed.

Maps

Zone map from worldofwar.net

Adjacent Regions

• Swamp of Sorrows-North
• Deadwind Pass-West (inacessable)

History

This foul desert was once a dark fen of marshlands called the Black Morass; a sort of sub-region of the Swamp of Sorrows. This is the area that the orcish Horde first entered Azeroth through the Dark Portal, followed soon by their attack on the human lands to the northwest. The lands around the former Dark Portal are burnt and dead, forever warped by the powers that followed its destruction. Lightning strikes are constant, and the inhospitable land is home to groups of especially viscious and powerful creatures, including a sizable remnant of the Burning Legion, which has taken refuge within the Tainted Scar. It is still watched over by the wizards of Dalaran within the Fortress of Nethergarde, established by the Archmage Khadgar after the second war. The unique and dangerous oppurtunities presented in such a harsh landscape has also attracted the notice of the Blood Elves and the Horde.

As if the Horde weren’t enough, Dreadmaul ogres also came through the Dark Portal. Unlike the orcs, they remained in the Blasted Lands. Nethergarde’s mages tell that the ogres serve Lord Kazzak. Whoever their master is, he orders them to attack the Alliance’s keep on an uncomfortably regular basis.

Sub-Regions

Nethergarde Keep	The Tainted Scar	Dreadmaul Post	Rise of the Defiler
Altar of Storms	Dreadmaul Hold	The Dark Portal	Serpent's Coil
Nethergarde Armory

+50 Stat Potions

• These quests you can get from two elves standing just inside the border of the Blasted Lands.
• Each item rewards a +50 stat bonus to Intellect, Stamina, Strength, Agility or Spirit.
• Each potion is unique so you can only carry one of each kind at a time.
• The quests are repeatable but you'll only get experience for the first initial quest. The first quest grants an immediate 60 min buff in addition to the potion, the subsequent quests only give a potion. So make sure you plan it out, it can be quite useful.

	Stat	Item	Initial Quest Repeatable Quest	Reagents
http://i66.thottbot.com/en/Interface/Icons/INV_Potion_32.jpg	+50 Intellect	Cerebral Cortex Compound	The Basilisk's Bite Infallible Mind	10 Basilisk Brain 2 Vulture Gizzard
http://i66.thottbot.com/en/Interface/Icons/INV_Drink_12.jpg	+50 Stamina	Lung Juice Cocktail	A Boar's Vitality Spirit of the Boar	3 Blasted Boar Lung 2 Scorpok Pincer 1 Basilisk Brain
http://i66.thottbot.com/en/Interface/Icons/INV_Stone_15.jpg	+50 Strength	R.O.I.D.S.	Snickerfang Jowls Rage of Ages	3 Snickerfang Jowl 2 Blasted Boar Lung 1 Scorpok Pincer
http://i66.thottbot.com/en/Interface/Icons/INV_Misc_Dust_02.jpg	+50 Agility	Ground Scorpok Assay	Salt of the Scorpok The Decisive Striker	3 Scorpok Pincer 2 Vulture Gizzard 1 Blasted Boar Lung
http://i57.thottbot.com/en/Interface/Icons/INV_Misc_Food_30.jpg	+50 Spirit	Gizzard Gum	Vulture's Vigor Spiritual Domination	10 Vulture Gizzard 2 Snickerfang Jowl