Burning Steppes

The Burning Steppes hold the only accessible land passage from the Kingdom of Stormwind to Khaz Modan and Lordaeron. The highway is thus well traveled, but still very dangerous. Now virtually abandoned by the Kingdom of Stormwind, the Burning Steppes is controlled by minions of the black dragonflight and agents of the firelord Ragnaros.

This rugged region is full of craggy foothills, scattered boulders and warring factions. Rivers of lava dot the landscape, as well as charred earth and burning ruins. The sky is a red hue here, due to sporadic eruptions from Blackrock Mountain. Blackrock Spire, an orc stronghold in the Second War, stands proud and defiant among the mountains. Black dragons and Twilight's Hammer cultists under Nefarian hold the spire's upper levels, while the remaining Dark Iron dwarves dwell in the depths. The surrounding countryside is home to Blackrock orcs and Fire-Gut ogres, all brutal castoffs from the Second War. The Molten Span, a massive stone edifice in the north, bridges a river of fire and leads to Khaz Modan.

While many use the Burning Steppes as a thoroughfare, it is populated by one of the few successful orc settlements in Azeroth. These orcs do not honor Thrall's truce with the Alliance, instead following the barbaric practices the orcs used from before the Third War. Deeper into the region, ogres, dragons, and the Dark Iron clan of dwarves can be found. With the volcanic activity and lava flow, the weather is perpetually hot and dry.

The Burning Steppes are located north of the Redridge Mountains and south of the Searing Gorge. It is dominated by Blackrock Mountain in the northwestern area. It is a central location housing the black dragonflight and various creatures.

The Blackrock orcs maintain a lasting settlement around the volcano known as Blackrock Stronghold, staying hidden from the road but always keeping watch for Alliance attacks. These orcs are more typical of the type of the First and Second wars rather than the current Horde in Kalimdor. Bloodthirsty and savage, they mine the mountains around Blackrock Spire for metals with which to make weapons and armor. The Firegut ogres from the south study arcane magic, but their massive bodies still allow them to excel in combat. Give an ogre sorcerer a club and he's still likely to bash out the brains of the strongest dwarven fighter. This violent race is dedicated solely to claiming the Burning Steppes as ogre territory. The Alliance — not to mention the orcs, the Dark Iron dwarves and the dragon folk — will not let this happen, as they refuse to lose control of the only passage to the north. The black dragons are elusive, and one who wishes to avoid getting torn apart doesn't approach without considerable firepower. They will attack solitary travelers for sport and consider anyone approaching their usurped fortress free game.

History
These steppes were formerly part of the Redridge Mountains before the Dark Irons came here after their exile. They established a colony called Thaurissan, but their sorcery turned out to be their undoing. Their thane, a mad sorcerer named Thaurissan, tried to summon elemental minions to aid him against the Ironforge and Wildhammer Dwarves, but instead he summoned the elemental fire lord Ragnaros. Ragnaros' arrival melted several mountains in this range and forged a great volcano in the blast's epicenter. Now, the remaining Dark Irons live as puppets to Ragnaros and his fire elementals, who dwells under Blackrock Spire. Orcs also came here after the Second War and maintain settlements around and within the volcano, the climate being to their liking. The Horde conquered Blackrock Spire and used it as a base of operations during the campaign against Lordaeron in the Second War. Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer slew the human hero Anduin Lothar by the foot of the volcano near the war's end, though Lothar's death turned the tide and spurred the Alliance on to crush the failing Horde.

The Shattering
Recent activities of the Blackrock clan have attracted the attention of both Horde and the Alliance. Having recently launched their attack upon Redridge and stalwart quelling of this invasion by Corporal John Keeshan and the Bravo Company, he now seeks to bring the fight to the home turf of Blackrock clan. The similiar goal is shared by Eitrigg and his son.

Getting There
The area can be reached from Searing Gorge, through the Blackrock Mountain; a passage from Redridge Mountains and a highway leading from the Swamp of Sorrows.

Geography
Lacking the grace and beauty of Khaz Modan's peaks, the Burning Steppes' mountains show the force of the energy that twisted them. The very rock melted when the volcano was formed, and lava changed the surrounding areas forever. The Blackrock Spire is awe-inspiring in its sheer mass and obvious devastation, while the rest of the land visibly attempts to recover from the damage done by the summoning of the Firelord, Ragnaros.

In the northwest of the Burning Steppes sits the impossibly high Blackrock Mountain. It is a volcano that is still active over 500 years after its birth at the summoning of Ragnaros. The Burning Steppes are mostly under the control of the Black Dragons and their Blackrock Orc allies. In the midst of the barren Steppes are the Thorium Brotherhood's town of Chiselgrip and the Ruins of Thaurissan, the ancient Dark Iron capital that was destroyed in the summoning of Ragnaros. In the southeast, the Alliance has developed the outpost known as Morgan's Vigil.

There are no instanced dungeons in the Burning Steppes themselves; however, Blackrock Mountain to the north houses quite a few high level dungeonsThere are no PvP battlegrounds in this zone. Several micro dungeons can be found here.

Flight Paths from Flamestar Post

 * Iron Summit, Searing Gorge
 * Chiselgrip, Burning Steppes

Flight paths from Chiselgrip

 * Flamestar Post, Burning Steppes
 * Flame Crest, Burning Steppes
 * Morgan's Vigil, Burning Steppes

Flight Paths from Flame Crest

 * Grom'Gol, Northern Stranglethorn
 * New Kargath, Badlands
 * Thorium Point, Searing Gorge
 * Chiselgrip, Burning Steppes
 * Bogpaddle, Swamp of Sorrows
 * Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows

Flight paths from Morgan's Vigil

 * Stormwind, Elwynn Forest
 * Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains
 * Dragon's Mouth, Badlands
 * Thorium Point, Searing Gorge
 * Chiselgrip, Burning Steppes
 * Bogpaddle, Swamp of Sorrows
 * Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands

Notable Characters

 * Eitrigg
 * John J. Keeshan

Quests


The main storyline deals with eradicating of the Blackrock clan armada that amasses in the Steppes.

Resources

 * Herbs
 * Firebloom
 * Sungrass
 * Dreamfoil
 * Leather
 * Thick Leather
 * Rugged Leather
 * Scorpid Scale
 * Ore
 * Gold Vein
 * Mithril Deposit
 * Truesilver Deposit

Wild creatures

 * Black dragon whelps
 * Black dragonspawn
 * Black drakes
 * Dark Iron dwarves
 * Grells
 * Kodos
 * Lava elementals
 * Mountain giants
 * Ogres
 * Scorpids
 * Whelps
 * Worgs