Western Plaguelands

The Western Plaguelands are located in northern Lordaeron, wedged between Tirisfal Glades to the west, the Eastern Plaguelands to the east, and the Alterac Mountains to the south. It is a reclaimed portion of the tainted lands of the former kingdom of Lordaeron, predominately held by the Argent Crusade, though the land is still haunted by the remnants of the undead Scourge. The plague covering the region was mostly dispelled, thanks to the efforts of the Cenarion Circle, and life starts to wake up once again, but the war still rages in such places as Andorhal.

The largest Scourge holding here is Caer Darrow, beneath which is an underground complex housing the undead’s Scholomance. The Argent Crusade is based in their leader's home town, Hearthglen, which was reclaimed from the hands of now fallen Scarlet Crusade. One of the most notable places in this region is Uther's Tomb, a consecrated monument to the fallen hero Uther Lightbringer.

History


The area now called the Western Plaguelands was a beautiful forested farmland to the east of the Capital City of Lordaeron. It was the lush eastern belt of the Tirisfal Glades stretching from Lordaeron in the west to the Darrowmere Forest to the east. The town of Hearthglen was the seat of the regional administration, while the town of Andorhal was the center of grain distribution in the Kingdom of Lordaeron's northern provinces.

Knowing that the quickest way to spread the Plague of Undeath would be via the grain exported from Andorhal, the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned infected the grain with the Plague, and set up four massive plague cauldrons in the fields of the area's four largest farmsteads. As Lordaeron collapsed, the farmlands and the forests began to die. The trees in the Plaguelands pulsate with tumor-like growths, and the needles of the pines are a sickly brown. With the Kingdom collapsed, the Scarlet Crusade attempted to salvage what little of their lands remained, taking possession of Mardenholde Keep in Hearthglen as a regional headquarters. Some time later after the fall of Scarlet Crusade and war in Outland, the fight against the Scourge was brought to Northrend and victory claimed by the Ashen Verdict, the town of Hearthglen was reclaimed by it's former lord and the leader of Argent Crusade, Tirion Fordring; it now serves as a main base of operations and training ground for the Argent Crusaders in Lordaeron.

Despite being where the Plague took hold in Lordaeron, the Western Plaguelands were in surprisingly better condition (though still quite dead) than the Eastern Plaguelands. It may be one of the factors that helped Cenarion Circle nurse majority of this land to its former state.

Getting There
There are several ways to get there on foot (or mounted):
 * From Tirisfal Glades: Follow the main road east of the Undercity, passing through the Bulwark. Alliance players beware: Though there are Argent Dawn NPCs there, the Bulwark is a Horde encampment. Stay on the main road, do not pass into any of the camps.
 * From the Hinterlands: Between Aerie Peak and the Quel'Danil Lodge is a narrow pass known as the Plaguemist Ravine. It runs through the mountains and comes out along Darrowmere Lake, not far from the gates of Caer Darrow. Horde players beware: Aerie Peak is an Alliance town, and the high elves of the Quel'Danil Lodge are hostile to Horde players (though if you are high enough level to enter the plaguelands, these elves should not pose much of a threat).
 * From the Hillsbrad Foothills: The main road leading north from the west of Tarren Mill splits once inside Alterac; one road leading west to the Ruins of Alterac, the other east to Strahnbrad. Take the east road through Strahnbrad, and follow it as it curves north, through Chillwind Point. Follow it north until you enter the Western Plaguelands. Horde players beware: Though there are Argent Dawn NPCs there, Chillwind Camp (located almost on the border between WPL and Alterac) is an Alliance encampment. It is advised to remain on the far right side of the road (the camp is on the left), to avoid aggroing any Alliance-flagged NPCs.
 * An alternate path through the Hillsbrad Foothills is to follow the river north from Sludge Fields to Chillwind Point, than go north to the road leading to Chillwind Camp, or follow the river all the way to Darrowmere Lake in the south part of the zone.
 * The Flight-master in Aerie Peak offers a one-way trip to Andorhal even for those who have never been to Western Plaguelands before.
 * The quest The Battle for Andhoral allows the player to be teleported to Andorhal once, from Booty Bay.

Geography
The Western Plaguelands contain the instanced dungeon Scholomance, aimed towards level 40 players. There are no other dungeons or battlegrounds in this area.

Maps and subregions




Travel hubs
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Flight paths from Chillwind Camp

 * Ironforge, Dun Morogh
 * Aerie Peak, The Hinterlands
 * Andorhal, Western Plaguelands
 * The Menders' Stead, Western Plaguelands
 * Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands
 * Light's Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Andorhal (Alliance Side)

 * Aerie Peak, The Hinterlands
 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands
 * The Menders' Stead, Western Plaguelands

Flight paths from Andorhal (Horde Side)

 * The Bulwark, Tirisfal Glades
 * The Menders' Stead, Western Plaguelands

Flight paths from The Menders' Stead

 * Chillwind Camp, Western Plaguelands
 * Andorhal (Alliance Side), Western Plaguelands
 * Andorhal (Horde Side), Western Plaguelands
 * Hearthglen, Western Plaguelands
 * Thondroril River, Eastern Plaguelands

Flight paths from Hearthglen

 * The Menders' Stead, Western Plaguelands
 * Plaguewood Tower, Eastern Plaguelands
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Notable characters




Quests
Western Plaguelands storyline

Resources


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Herbs

 * Arthas' Tears
 * Blindweed
 * Fadeleaf
 * Khadgar's Whisker
 * Kingsblood
 * Liferoot
 * Stranglekelp
 * Sungrass

Ore

 * Iron Ore
 * Gold Ore
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