User:Matix/The Maelstrom Cataclysm

Forgive any errors, English isn't my primary language.

Aftermath of the War against the Lich King
The armies of the Lich King lies defeated, and Yogg-Saron has been vanquished. When armies of the Alliance and Horde retreating from the frozen continent, Argent Crusade began construction of Justice Keep, which meant to serve as their new headquarters. Knights of the Ebon Blade however, returned to Acherus to practice their dark arts. The Kirin Tor remained in Northrend to serve as the safe haven for visitors and traders alike. The Wyrmrest Accord has accepted the remainder of the Blue Dragonflight again into their ranks. Since Malygos has been slain, Kalecgos had taken over the command of the dragonflight. The conflict between Horde and Alliance began to grow, and it's outcome is yet to be seen...

Prelude
The Horde and the Alliance, respectively seen an opportunity to take their expeditionary forces into the Great Sea - in order to gain better position in the ongoing war, and not only to conquer the seascape - but also end the Naga threat as well. Varian Wrynn managed to contact Admiral Tandred Proudmoore, back in Kul Tiras and use the nation as a staging point of the expedition. Meanwhile, Thrall decided to launch a scouting party into Tel Abim, successfully managing to build an outpost there.

Revelations
As the expeditions moved deeper and deeper, they encountered heavy Naga and Mur'gul activity. It was certain that they are up to something. The Alliance decided to move into the long silent Gilneas, to discover what's going on in there. The Naga besieged the nation from the south, while the north teemed with Worgen activity. King Greymane secluded himself in his palace, and his forces are desperately defending it from the enroaching enemies. The Horde made a pact with the Zandalar tribe, which recently had trouble with Mugamba ice trolls' revolt. Their motives are unknown, but they are supposed to practice dark magics deep in Zul'Muga. In the archipelago southwest of Kezan, a big number of people wearing black bandanas were spotted. The factions sent their agents to uncover this mystery, and the result was shocking. They are former Defias Brotherhood, who now under the name of Gospel Syndicate want to unleash their vengeance upon the Alliance and Horde.

New hero class
In the Maelstrom Cataclysm, the second hero class is introduced. Runemasters are monk-like arcane spellcaster and melee fighters who empower themselves with magical energies by inscribing runes onto their bodies. He merges brute strength with arcane magic, covering his body with mystic tattoos and often imbuing them with magical energies to increase his skill in hand-to-hand combat. Runemasters are proficient with simple weapons, but not with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a runemaster’s movements, which can cause his empowerments with somatic components to fail. A runemaster begins with a single simple rune. As his understanding of the runes grows, he can add others. Runemasters fill many roles. They are adept melee combatants. They possess runes to enhance themselves and their allies, as well as to ward certain areas and otherwise make life difficult for their opponents. Unlike death knights, only four races can become a runemaster. Also to create the runemaster you need at least one level 60 character. Runemasters start in the desert south of Un'Goro Crater, named Ulduran Canyon. Similiarly to death knigts, the aspiring Runemasters must complete introductory quest chain before they can join the main world.

Runemaster armor:


 * Cloth (armor contribution is increased, cannot equip shoulders, chest, bracers and gloves)

Runemaster talent trees:


 * Warfare (Melee combat)
 * Arcane (Caster)
 * Empowerment (Healing)

Runemaster races:

Alliance

 * Dwarves
 * Night Elves

Horde

 * Tauren
 * Blood Elves

Kul Tiras (78-82)
Led by Admiral Tandred Proudmoore, this nation is a powerful member of the Alliance. The main settlement here is Boralus, and the territory is Alliance-favored. The Horde has a small Forsaken town, Severville. Both Horde and the Alliance here had problems with local Naga tribes and invading from the north Kvaldir recently.

Tel Abim (78-82)
The Horde's scouting party, led by Shadow Hunter Najazz has built a settlement called Drek'Dar Hold, and it's the first stop of the Horde adventurers, that decided to begin the levelling process here. The outpost is besieged by the Tidemaw naga tribe and their Mur'gul minions. The Alliance also made a settlement here, called Feathermoon Landing.

Gilneas (81-84)
By over twenty years, the Kingdom of Gilneas loomed silent and forgotten. But now the denizens are locked in the two-front war against the Naga and the Worgen. The expeditions from Alliance had contacted King Greymane recently, and he has appreciated any help from them. Meanwhile the Forsaken managed to break through the Greymane Wall, and taken over the nearby village from the Worgen. And if it's that not enough, Darion Mograine sent his forces to Gilneas to contain the worgen threat, which origins point to the Kuldargarde Keep. The Scythe of Elune storyline ends here.

Zandalar (81-84)
The Zandalar tribe has recently witnessed the revolt of the Mugamba Ice Trolls. The local Alliance and Horde forces agreed to help the trolls repel the invading forces, and send adventurers to achieve this goal. Mugamba are suspected to practice dark magics deep in Zul'Muga, and their goals are yet unknown. The local naga are also seen the Zandalar problems are the best time to strike.

Kezan (83-85)
The Isle of Kezan is a home to many of the Goblins. It's the place, where the Goblin capital of Undermine is located. Recently, Steamwheedle Cartel had a problems with heavy naga presence in the north, and the Bloodsail Buccaneers in the south. Overwhelmed, they ask the adventurers to end the threat once, and for all.

Plunder Isle (84-87)
The main stronghold of the Bloodsail Buccaneers. Led by Duke Falrevere, they are staging attacks on the Horde and Alliance vessels present here. Both Overlord Kurgnar and Sentinel Alande Moonsinger want Falrevere's head. They are supposed to have something to do with Gospel's recent activity on the seas.

Aldanar (85-88)
Aldanar is the archipelago southwest of Kezan. The Gospel Syndicate has recently built their outposts here, and entrenched themselves deep in the greatest temple present on the islands. They are led by the local night elf overseer, Ashanti the Cunning. They also collaborate with the local Bloodsails led by Captain Vurann.

Gillijim's Isle (85-88)
Although the isle is named after Gillijim, he has nothing to do with the events taking place here. The Horde and the Alliance managed to gain a foothold at the island, building their encampments there to serve as their supply bases throughout the sea. Meanwhile, the local Makrura face off the Naga assault in the northern reaches of the island, and Cenarion Expedition defends their outpost, Cenarion Watch in the south. The adventurers help their factions to hold their outposts, and help Makrura and the Expedition repel the naga from the isle.

The Broken Isles (87-90)
The site of the Tomb of Sargeras, these islands teem with Naga activity. The Alliance and the Horde, using their airships observe Naga movement on the islands. Meanwhile, at behest of Makrura adventurers are tasked with elimination of the naga encampments. The greatest of them contains a portal site, which lead to the ancient Naga capital, Nazjatar.

The Island of Doctor Lapidis (87-90)
The mad Doctor Lapidis resides within his laboratories, trying to create a weapon of mass destruction. Number of reports indicates that he's alligned with the Gospel. The Alliance sees him as a threat and wants him dead. The Horde also run a risk of being Lapidis' target, so they also send their agents to undo his work. The true mastermind behind the Gospel activity is later revealed: They are led by Edwin VanCleef's daughter, Catherine - who had sworn to avenge her father.

Ulduran Canyon (60-63, Runemaster starting area)
The starting zone for all runemasters, located south of Un'goro Crater. Their capital is Ulduran, a Titan complex. The Council of Ulduran recently had problems with the enroaching Silithid, coming from the Silithus at the west, and the Twilight's Hammer clan. As the runemasters progress through the questline, they unveil more and more shocking facts about their motives. After the completion of the quests, Ulduran Canyon remains as a zone, but does not contain any quests. There are only mobs and NPC's present here. City of Ulduran is marked as Sanctuary.

Factions and organizations
Various organizations, factions and new races are highlighted in the expansion.

Alliance Naval Forces
The combined forces of the Alliance, led by Admiral Tandred Proudmoore of Kul Tiras.


 * Kul Tiras
 * Led by Admiral Tandred Proudmoore, son of Daelin and brother to Jaina. Unlike his sister, he is fully dedicated to the conflict with the Horde.


 * Gilneas
 * Besieged by the Naga and Worgen, Genn Greymane is forced to join the Alliance again. Their main settlement is Greymane Keep.


 * Feathermoon Sentinels
 * Led by Shandris Feathermoon, these night elves has been tasked by Tyrande to uncover the secrets of the Naga transformation, and to salvage the ancient relics of the Night Elven race.

Horde Expeditionary Forces
The Horde factions tasked with conquering the seas.


 * The Might of Durotan
 * The main armies of the Horde in the Great Sea, led by Conqueror Krunsh. Their main settlement is Drek'Dar Hold.


 * The Dreadsail Corsairs
 * The Forsaken naval forces, tasked with taking territories south of Silverpine Forest.


 * Darkspear Tidewalkers
 * Trolls' expeditionary force, bent on recovering the mysteries of their former home. Led by Shadow Hunter Najazz.

Major villains

 * The Naga
 * Their numbers has been increasing lately, and they pose a great threat not only to the Alliance and Horde, but also the Goblins of Kezan, the Makrura and the Zandalar. They are led by Empress Azshara and her warlords.


 * The Gospel
 * The Gospel is the criminal organization primarily based on the Aldanar archipelago. Their ranks consist of highly skilled mercenary thugs, assassins, casters and even death knights. Adventurers are first tasked to investigate their operations on Zandalar and Kezan, and it is ultimately revealed that is in fact new incarnation of the Defias Brotherhood, led by VanCleef's daugther, Catherine.


 * Bloodsail Buccaneers
 * The band of pirates, led by Duke Falrevere are the most feared threat among the traders. Recent activities report that they allied themselves with the Gospel. They are a threat to Horde and the Alliance alike, and both want Falrevere dead.


 * Mugamba Tribe
 * The Ice trolls of Mount Mugamba recently began a revolt against the Zandalar. Their motives are unknown, but it has something to do with a powerful, evil force, because they are practicing dark arts deep in Zul'Muga.


 * Ulduran
 * The runemasters of Ulduran are under the leadership of Lord Kalovar. Their headquarters are located at the Ulduran Canyon.

Opposing forces

 * The Makrura
 * The makrura are a race of humanoid lobsters from the capital city of Mak'aru that live primarily in the sea, but are capable of surviving on land for short periods of time. They oppose various Naga tribes that recently attacked their settlements.


 * The Earthen Ring
 * The Earthen Ring is the shaman organization of Azeroth. They are led by the Elder Council. Its main goal is to maintain the balance between the world and the elementals that dwell upon it. Talking to and dealing with the spirits of the elements, members of the Earthen Ring try to keep the spirits pacified as well as prevent them from raising havoc on Azeroth.


 * The Hand of Acherus
 * Darion Mograine took an interest in helping the Alliance and Horde, respectively. He sent his death knights into the various locations of the sea, mostly Gilneas as they see Worgen as the possible threat.


 * The Zandalar Offensive
 * This faction focuses on the thwarting the Mugamba threat. The Offensive is led by King Rastakhan himself, and seeks to make a final push against the ice trolls in Zul'Muga.

Undermine

 * The Tinkers' Union
 * The Tinkers' Union is a union of Goblin tinkers. The Tinkers' Union headquarters is a major portion of the goblin capital of Undermine. The leader of the Tinkers' Union is Director Riddlevox. They are the opposition of Venture Co.


 * Venture Trading Company
 * The Venture Trading Company is the most notorious goblin organization, deforesting and plundering the world for its natural resources. Mogul Razdunk owns and runs the Venture Company. It is an independent faction. It provides employment to all of the sentient races of Azeroth. They are the opposition of the Tinkers' Union.

Tidemaw Caverns (5-player, level 80-82)
Tidemaw Caverns are the staging point of the Naga invasion of Tel Abim. The hub contains one instance for level 80-82 players.

Encounters:

The Halls of the Mist (two 5-player wings, level 81-83 and 90)
The Halls of the Mist are the ruins of the local Alliance mine system in Kul Tiras, now covered in the mist and taken over by the Kvaldir. The hub contains two wings.


 * The Halls of the Mist (81-83)
 * The Halls of the Deeps (90)

Halls of the Mist Encounters:

Halls of the Deeps Encounters:

Related characters:
 * Captain Mishan Waycrest (Tandred's lady-friend and advisor, orders Alliance adventurers to eliminate Vajrann)
 * Captain Ryth Treabon (Dreadsail Corsairs' captain, orders Horde adventurers to eliminate Vajrann)

Zul'Muga (5-player wing, 10/25-player raid)
The Mugamba ice trolls are practicing their dark arts within the ancient subterranean city. King Rastakhan personally leads the Zandalarian offensive against the Mugamba tribe. It contains two wings.


 * Mugamba Peak (84-87)
 * Zul'Muga (90 Raid) (Encounters soon)

Mugamba Peak Encounters:

Kuldargarde Keep (two 5-player wings)
Kuldargarde Keep is a worgen-infested keep of Gilneas, and the source of their operations. It looks similiar as Shadowfang Keep. The Hand of Acherus personally wants to end the worgen threat, while Alliance and Horde focus on the naga. Scythe of Elune storyline ends here. It contains two wings.


 * Kuldargarde Crypts (86-88)
 * Kuldargarde Keep (90)

Kuldargarde Crypts Encounters:

Kuldargarde Keep Encounters:

Related characters:


 * Velinde Starsong (Specter of the past, part of the Kuldargarde Keep questline)
 * Commander Nevaree (Hand of Acherus commander, orders adventurers to recover the Scythe from Ivan)

Bloodsail Hold (85-87 level 5-player instance)
Bloodsail Hold is the fortress of the Bloodsail Buccaneers on Plunder Isle. This large fortress stands atop Plunder Isle's west coast. Bloodsail Buccaneers led by Duke Falrevere are staging the attacks against Horde and the Alliance fleets. Both factions want his head.

Encounters:

Related characters:


 * Alande Moonsinger (Sends Alliance adventurers to kill Duke Falrevere)
 * Overlord Kurgnar (Sends Horde adventurers to kill Duke Falrevere)

Laboratories of Doctor Lapidis (two 5-player dungeons)
The mad Doctor Lapidis is currently working on the weapon of mass destruction. He is presumed to be working with the Gospel. The rumor is true, and the true mastermind behind their operations is revealed. It contains two wings.


 * The Conservatory (87-89)
 * The Exo-Labs (90)

The Conservatory encounters:

The Exo-Labs encounters:

Related characters:


 * The Super Soldier (subject of Lapidis' genetical experiments, boss in Temple of Aldanar)
 * Catherine VanCleef (Edwin's daughter, appears as hologram after defeat of Doctor Lapidis. Final boss of Temple of Aldanar)

Mount Kajaro (two 5-player wings)
Mount Kajaro is the most recognizable mountain on the island of Kezan, and is a landmark for ships and flying travelers. It is a volcano, and still active. Kajaro is sacred to Kezan’s jungle trolls, but not only to them. The Black Dragonflight continues their experiments with Twilight Dragonflight here. It contains two wings.


 * Kajaro Caverns (85-88)
 * Kajaro Depths (87-89)

Kajaro Caverns encounters:

Kajaro Depths encounters:

The Tomb of Sargeras (level 90 5-man instance)
Tomb of Sargeras was used by the Guardian Aegwynn to contain the avatar of Sargeras which she defeated. The tomb was sent to the bottom of the Great Sea by the Aspects, but was much later raised by Gul'dan who believed that the body of Sargeras contained the power to make him a god, but was torn to shreds by the demons. Many years later, the tomb was visited by Illidan who was searching for the Eye of Sargeras to destroy the Frozen Throne. The tomb was destroyed by the Betrayer in hopes to kill Maiev Shadowsong, but the ruins still contain demonic presence.

Encounters:

Related characters:


 * Drak'Thul (Gives quest to kill Karokk)

Caverns of Time: The Pursuit for Illidan (88-90 level 5-man instance)
The fifth wing of the Caverns of Time feature the pursuit for Illidan Stormrage by Maiev Shadowsong and her watchers, the race to Nendis. The Infinite Dragonflight will try to stop Maiev in reaching her goal, so Illidan can safely depart to the Broken Isles without Watchers on his tail.

Encounters:

Related characters:


 * Illidan
 * Maiev
 * Naisha
 * Chromie

Chamber of Aspects: The Bronze Sanctum (10/25-man raid)
The second wing of the Chamber of Aspects features one boss with three drakes, who will help him if not killed, similiar to Sartharion. The sanctum has been corrupted. The Infinite Dragonflight storyline continues here.

Encounters:

Temple of Aldanar (10/25-man raid)
This ancient Night Elf temple once was a place of worship. Now the shattered remains of the majestic halls serve as the Gospel Syndicate's main base of operations. Under leadership of Catherine VanCleef, they are digging the ancient relics, by time the Catherine's mad lust for revenge upon all of Alliance and Horde alike grows. It is intended to be one grade in difficulty above Zul'Muga and the Bronze Sanctum.

Encounters:

The Aquatic Core (10/25-man raid)
It is the raid instance, similiar to Molten Core. Neptulon resides here.

Bosses:

Coming soon.

Nazjatar (10/25-man raid)
Nazjatar is the great capital city of the naga and is built into the walls of the Rift. It is where most naga dwell and their queen, Azshara, holds court within a beauteous palace even larger than her former home on land.

Bosses:

Coming soon.