Where Wyverns Dare (WC3 Orc)

Where Wyverns Dare
Location	Stonetalon Peak
Result	Horde victory
Belligerents   Orcish Horde   Human Expedition Lordaeron Brigade Kul Tiras Elite Corps
Commanders and leaders   Orcish Horde Thrall Cairne Bloodhoof   Human Expedition Random Archmage Random Mountain King
Casualties and losses   Orcish Horde Moderate   Human Expedition Moderate to Heavy
Previous	The Hunter of Shadows
Next	The Oracle

This article contains lore taken from Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the manuals, and/or official bonus maps.

Where Wyverns Dare is chapter 6 of the Invasion of Kalimdor campaign. It was the culmination of the battle between the Horde under Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore's forces for control of Stonetalon Peak and the oracle who lay within.

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reforged.

In the Reforged remaster, the stage is renamed to Where Wind Riders Dare.

Loading screen

At that same moment, near the base of Stonetalon Peak...

Creeps

• 1 Centaur Khan
• 10 Centaur Impalers
• 3 Centaur Outrunners
• 4 Centaur Sorcerers
• 1 Harpy Queen
• 5 Harpy Rogues
• 5 Harpy Scouts
• 3 Harpy Storm-hags
• 5 Harpy Windwitches
• 4 Lightning Lizards
• 6 Quillboar Hunters
• 5 Razormane Brutes
• 1 Razormane Chieftain
• 3 Razormane Medicine Men
• 1 Razormane Scout
• 1 Thunder Lizard

Critters

• 7 Pigs

Prelude

After passing the Human forces guarding the base of Stonetalon Peak and sending the Warsong Clan north, Thrall subsequently sent a party to scout the peak, who informed him that the humans had entrenched their fortifications all the way to the summit. Soon after, Cairne Bloodhoof and his tribe pledged their service to the Horde. Even with the aid of the tauren, however, the Horde forces still had very formidable human defenses, not to mention resistance from the local inhabitants to contend with.

Quests

Main Quests

Stonetalon Peak

• Destroy the Human base guarding the peak

The mysterious Oracle lies within the dark hollows of Stonetalon Peak. Destroy the Human base to reach the craggy summit to enter the recesses of the foreboding peak.

Optional Quests

Wyverns

• Find the Wyverns
• Save the captured Wyverns (reads "Save the Wyverns from the vile Harpies" after quest completion)

You must seek out the noble Wyverns of Kalimdor and enlist their aid.

Defiled Fountain

• Kill the Centaur Khan
• Return the Glyph of Purification to restore the Fountain

The Fountain of Health, blessed by the goddess Elune in ancient times, has been fouled by the wicked Harpies. You must recover the Glyph of Purification from the local Centaur Khan and use its energies to restore the Fountain's holy waters. Once that is done, the purified waters will replenish your warriors' health.

Transcript

Prelude

A Horde Zeppelin makes its way past several Alliance bases before stopping at Thrall's base and dropping off an Orc Scout.

Orc Scout: Warchief, we scouted the peak as you ordered. The humans have entrenched their fortifications all the way up to the summit.

Thrall: What are they up to? If they're looking to pick a fight, they've had ample opportunities before this!

Cairne Bloodhoof and his tauren arrive at the camp and greet Thrall.

Cairne Bloodhoof: Ish-ne-alo por-ah, young warchief!

Thrall: Cairne! What are you doing here?

Cairne Bloodhoof: Our debt to you orcs can only be repaid with blood. We've come to help you reach the Oracle. However, those metal-clad pinkskins look like trouble.

Thrall: Those pinkskins are called humans. They are our enemies from across the sea. They seem intent on keeping us from the peak.

Cairne Bloodhoof: Hmm. The Oracle's wisdom belongs to all. Perhaps the wyrvens that live nearby can be use to us? They have no love for hostile intruders!

Optional Mission

Thrall: This place has been defiled. I sense that the spirits have fled.

During the Mission

A group of harpies ensnare two wyverns in nets.

Cairne Bloodhoof: The harpies have enslaved the wyverns!

Harpy Queen: Be warned, old fool. Stonetalon Peak is ours. Neither these brutes nor the humans will leave this place alive. Attack, my sisters!

Thrall calls down lightning to break open the wyverns' cages and free the beasts.

Cairne Bloodhoof: There! These proud beasts will now aid us in reaching the summit.

Outro

Thrall and Cairne approach the entrance into Stonetalon Peak. Suddenly, however, Jaina Proudmoore—flanked by two Knights—appears.

Cairne Bloodhoof: Hold, Warchief.

Thrall and Cairne watch as the humans enter the cave.

Thrall: That's the young sorceress Grom told me about. It appears that she seeks the Oracle as well.

Cairne Bloodhoof: Be wary, young one. That cave is the perfect spot for an ambush.

Thrall: Don't worry, Cairne. I was raised by the humans. I know their tricks and stratagems. There's no way that I'll let them stop me from reaching the Oracle.

Thrall and Cairne head into the cave.

Battle

Cairne suggested enlisting the aid of the wyverns who dwelt nearby. Upon reaching their nesting grounds, the two leaders discovered that a band of harpies had captured and enslaved the wyverns. Encountering fierce local resistance, a force led by Thrall and Cairne fought their way to they harpies' lair and slaughtered the vile bird-women, freeing the wyverns. The Horde made good use of their new allies, who allowed Orc shamans to mount them and served as powerful aerial assault units. Thrall also defeated a centaur khan who held a glyph which purified a befouled fountain and secured its healing powers for the Horde. With new allies and a healing fount at their disposal, the Horde advanced toward the human positions. A fortified camp which had been sending attacks against the Horde's position was encountered along the slopes of the mountain and rapidly levelled. The Humans' main position lay high on a ridge at the summit, with no direct access for ground forces. Using the goblin zeppelins that they had acquired, Thrall led a force to attack the ridge and establish a beachhead, from which the Horde launched a massive all-out assault which overran the human defences. Jaina Proudmoore and the human survivors fled into the depths of the mountain, closely followed by Thrall and Cairne.

Forces

Orcish Horde

• 1 Far Seer
• 1 Tauren Chieftain
• Grunts
• Troll Headhunters
• Raiders
• Orc Shamans
• Troll Witch Doctors
• Tauren
• Kodo Beasts
• Wyverns
• Orc Catapults
• Orc scout

Human Expedition

• 1 Archmage
• 1 Mountain King
• Footmen
• Riflemen
• Knights
• High elf Priests
• High elf Sorceresses
• Mortar Teams
• Steam Tanks
• Dwarven Gyrocopters
• Wildhammer gryphon riders

Notes

• The scenario's name is a reference to the song "Where Eagles Dare" by the Misfits.
• The Orc Warlock unit in the scenario's files has its tooltip changed to "Level designed by Deltree."
• According to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3, Thrall and Jaina led their people on different paths up the Stonetalon Mountains and into the caverns.
• Although the Orc Scout is a Raider, the voice of his cinematic line is that of a Blademaster, hinting there may have been plans to include one in the mission, perhaps scouting with Wind Walk, the hero's signature ability. In spite of this, the Orc Scout's in-game voicelines are still the same as a regular Raider.

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reforged.

• In Reforged, the name of the "Orc Scout" is changed to Raider.
• The Kul Tiras Elite Corps' team color changed from blue to green.
• Southwestern portion of the map is slightly modified.
• Since patch 1.33, the enemy random heroes have unique names referring to World of Warcraft NPCs:
  • Torq Ironblast for the Human Expedition
  • Archmage Tervosh, Horace Alder, or Archmage Xylem for the Lordaeron Brigade