Nethergarde Keep



Nethergarde Keep, a Dalaran fortress of dour mages and paladins, keeps watch over the Dark Portal, and the demons and ogres that would abuse its power. Nethergarde Keep is a heavily defended Alliance town located in the Blasted Lands. The stronghold is home to about 300 members of the Alliance. Although technically it is a castle like Northwatch Hold in the Barrens, none of the Guards are PvP-enabled except the Gryphon Master and a few questgivers.

History
Nethergarde Keep was built after the Second War — following the destruction of the first Dark Portal — at the behest of Archmage Khadgar to ensure that there would be no further invasions from Draenor. It stands on a high bluff along the only road into the Blasted Lands, a road often travelled by both the Horde and the Alliance as they prepare to do battle with the demonic forces in the region.

The construction of Nethergarde was funded by the various kingdoms of the Alliance of Lordaeron (though some more willingly than others), and constructed by the Stonemasons under the supervison of Edwin VanCleef. The archmages of the Kirin Tor, along with the help of King Terenas, Thoras Trollbane and the young king of Stormwind Varian Wrynn, convinced the members of the Alliance that the high costs involved with constructing the fortress was well worth it considering the dangers involved with a possible "second invasion".

Khadgar was master of Nethergarde until the reconstruction of the Dark Portal by Ner'zhul, and his clans, on Draenor. When the orcs began attacking Azeroth once more, Khadgar and his friends Turalyon, Danath Trollbane, Alleria Windrunner, and Kurdran Wildhammer rallied their troops and led the Alliance Expedition through the Dark Portal in order to destroy the Horde and seal off the Portal once and for all. When Ner'zhul opened more portals, which began to tear Draenor apart, the five leaders remained behind to seal it from Draenor in order that the backlash would not affect their beloved world of Azeroth.

For twenty years thereafter, the Dark Portal was silent.

After the Portal was sealed, the mages of Dalaran kept Nethergarde in operation both for the Kirin Tor and the Alliance. They focused their efforts on studying the effects that the Portal's energy had on what had become known as the Blasted Lands - the mutations to the wildlife and the tainting of the soil. When Dalaran was destroyed by Archimonde during the invasion of the Burning Legion, Nethergarde's continued survival depended on support from the nearby Kingdom of Stormwind, and by warriors of the Alliance who travelled into the Blasted Lands. Then Lord Kazzak, the demon commander in Azeroth, found an artifact to reopen the Dark Portal, and join the Legion's ranks in Outland. Now, with the way to Outland open again, Nethergarde is now the major hub of activity between Stormwind and the Dark Portal.

In Cataclysm
The southern wall of the keep is opened and a path now leads from the keep to the beach, where many Gilnean ghosts wander amid their shattered ships.

Flight

 * Stormwind City
 * Darkshire
 * Morgan's Vigil
 * Surwich