Aerie Peaks

The Aerie Peaks (also known as the Aerie Peak region of Lordaeron) is a distant region of the fallen Kingdom of Lordaeron. It is characterized as a mountainous and cold region located separately from Quel'thalas where the Wildhammer dwarves live and ride the wild gryphons.

The dwarves living in the Aerie Peaks practice hurling their hammers for sport and war and the gryphons from this region are the symbol of resolve and fortitude among the wild dwarves of the Aerie Peaks. During the Third War, even though neither the Scourge nor the Burning Legion's remnants never touched these lands, they chose to side with the Alliance, bringing along their mighty gryphons.

Speculation


The fact that the city of the Wildhammer dwarves of the Hinterlands is called Aerie Peak indicates a relationship between the Aerie Peaks region and the Aerie Peak city in the Hinterlands. Aerie Peaks appears in RPG where it's implied that the city was named after the similarly-named mountains. Like its capital, the Aerie Peaks are described as being central to the culture of the Wildhammer dwarves.

This region makes no appearance in World of Warcraft, and in Warcraft III the Aerie Peaks is mentioned in the manual while Aerie Peak is shown in the in-game maps, demonstrating they could be differing locations as they may coexist at the same time if one is to assume theres an intentional distinction between the two terms.

Speculation on the mysterious area ranges from the region having been retconed out of existance or into something else, the name applying specificly to the mountain range on the northern side of the Hinterlands region where the city by the same name exists, or simply that the region has not been represented in the MMO like so many other locations.

Northeron
Although Northeron and the Aerie Peaks are listed separately, its possible they may be related, potentially one being a subregion of the other because both areas have similar orography and climatology and the same history in relation to the Wildhammer dwarves.

It is also interesting to denote that the Aerie Peaks is described as being "beyond" the realm of Quel'Thalas. This is likely due to the fact that Northeron is shown to be adjacent with Quel'Thalas in some of the early concept maps, predating Warcraft III, and even one alleged to be an early World of Warcraft concept map.

The Hinterlands
It is also possible both concepts (Northeron and the Aerie Peaks) have been folded into what is now known as the Hinterlands as neither the Aerie Peaks nor Northeron have appeared in recent releases (Tides of Darkness, published after the creation of the Hinterlands in WoW, retroactively confirms that the Hinterlands existed during the Second War). All share having clearly been presented as the homeland of the Wildhammer dwarves.