Zul'Drak
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| This article concerns content exclusive to Wrath of the Lich King.
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 Zul'Drak
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|---|---|
| Level 73-76 | |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Population | 38,000 |
| Capital | Gundrak (13,000) |
| Ruler | Frost King Malakk |
| Government | Tribal |
| Races |   Ice troll (36,100)
|
| Location | Northeastern Northrend |
Zul'Drak is an area located in eastern Northrend. It is home to the Drakkari Ice Trolls and their Frost King Malakk. Their capital is the city of Gundrak. Zul’Drak belongs to the Drakkari, who roam in hunting parties searching for prey. Old troll ruins are strewn across the countryside and the Scourge hovers just beyond the western border, waiting for a chance to strike. Climate-wise, Zul’Drak is the least pleasant of the eastern regions. It’s colder than the Grizzly Hills or the Howling Fjord, less majestic than the Storm Peaks, and more crowded than any of them. And most of the crowd is Drakkari. This region is the trolls’ homeland, and they swarm the place looking for intruders and prey. It has Drakkari ruins, which are interesting. Most other races avoid this region, and for good reason. Travelers do not need to go there for passage north or south — they can stick to the Grizzly Hills, which surround Zul’Drak on both sides and reach all the way up to Crystalsong Forest and the Storm Peaks. The only reason anyone would want to visit Zul’Drak is if they were explorers hoping to meet the Drakkari — and they better have a large group of armed warriors with them when they do.[1]
The Drakkari have recently gone mad after they sacrificed their animal gods in an attempt to fight off the Scourge. The Argent Dawn faction will return to play a role in Zul'Drak and the zone itself will be a giant ziggurat of the now broken civilization. [2]
Contents |
History
The Drakkari ice trolls are an old race, one of the first in Northrend and perhaps one of the first in all Azeroth. They were building homes in Zul’Drak before the Great Sundering and never departed, though some of them may have migrated south and become the jungle trolls and the other troll races. The furbolgs of Grizzlemaw have fought the Drakkari for many years.
Drakkari are tribal, and early in their history each tribe established its own territory and fought off any trespassers. Then one tribe conquered another and enslaved its warriors. These slaves were forced to build the victors a new and larger home, and their children became part of the dominant tribe. This tribe continued to conquer its neighbors, each time absorbing them, until finally it was powerful enough to claim all of Zul’Drak as its kingdom. Any tribe that resisted was destroyed. Those tribes that accepted the powerful tribe’s dominance were allowed to keep their own territories, provided they accepted any orders from the ruling tribe. Thus the Drakkari nation truly began. The central tribe’s home became Gundrak, the capital city. The tribes still war among themselves, and the Frost King allows this because it keeps his people strong and aggressive. He coordinates border patrols and establishes protocols for calling all the tribes together should an army attack them in force. Many tribe chieftains thought these efforts foolish until they encountered the walking dead. Then the Frost King organized the other Drakkari and drove the dead from their lands. Thus far the Scourge has not penetrated into Zul’Drak to any degree, though it claims Drak’Tharon Keep, an old Drakkari stronghold in the Grizzly Hills just beyond Zul’Drak’s southwest edge.[3]
People and culture
This is the Drakkari homeland. Judging by the ruins, their culture was here long before the Great Sundering. They live here by the thousands, which at least means they aren’t anywhere else. It’s amazing this one land can support so many trolls, especially since fresh meat is their principle food. Fortunately for them, wild beasts roam the area as well and provide plenty of prey. Drakkari are unpleasant. They epitomize the nastiness and barbarism of trolls everywhere. They’re large, bigger than any other troll and crude, and they prefer violence to discussion or negotiation. They’re a barbaric people who practice voodoo and worship strange spirit-gods and devour their enemies — and sometimes their friends — raw. The only thing a Drakkari respects is strength and the only thing they want from others is fear and flesh. Fortunately, Drakkari are tribal. They live in small tribes throughout Zul’Drak and wage war among themselves. Some bands of Drakkari slaughter each other simply because they met along the border between their two tribes. Such conflict helps keep the troll population down. No one else is foolish enough to share the region with them.[4]
Geography
Zul’Drak is a single large valley between the arms of the Grizzly Hills, Crystalsong Forest, and the Storm Peaks. The trees here are smaller than the southern forests but numerous and upright, and provide excellent cover when sniping trolls. Some grass and other plants poke up through the snow, and frozen ponds and streams dot the land. Obelisks and ziggurats are everywhere, often at the centre of active troll camps. Ruins show where troll tribes must have lived long ago — most of these look like they were destroyed during battle rather than simply abandoned. The valley teems with life. In addition to the Drakkari, giant wolves, wendigo and other animals live among the trees and grass. Furbolgs wander up from the Grizzly Hills to hunt and clash with the Drakkari. The trolls maintain patrols along their border, both to drive out intruders and to kill anyone they find.
Troll villages are everywhere in Zul’Drak. Most of these are small, crude places, a handful of wood or stone buildings around a single larger hall. Some are built on the ruins of older structures or surround an ancient obelisk or ziggurat, carved from stone and more impressive than the more recent structures. The only large settlement is Gundrak, the capital city.[5]
In Wrath of the Lich King the zone of Zul'Drak will be a massive outdoor zone roughly the size of Shadowmoon Valley.[citation needed] The entire zone is a massive tiered ziggurat.[6][7]
Map and subregions
| Gundrak |
Dungeons
| Dungeon Name | Level Range | Approximate Run Time |
|---|---|---|
| Drak'Tharon Keep Unnamed Wing | 74-76 | ? |
| Gundrak[8] | ? | ? |
Travel hubs
Unknown
Unknown
Adjacent regions
| Zone Name | Faction | Level Range | Direction | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragonblight |   | 71-75 | Southwest | By foot, or (presumably) by flight path |
| Grizzly Hills | | 74-76 | South | By foot, or (presumably) by flight path |
| The Storm Peaks | | 77-80 | Northwest | By foot, or (presumably) by flight path |
Notable characters
Unknown
Quests
Unknown
Resources
Unknown
Wild creatures
Unknown
Images
 Exterior of a building in Zul'Drak. |
 Interior area of Zul'Drak. |
 A partially ruined interior area. |
 A lich performing a ritual inside a large room in Zul'Drak. |
 Detail of Zul'Drak masonry. |
 An exterior area. |
 A large ziggurat. |
 A frontal view of a large Zul'Drak ziggurat. |
 A particularly large ziggurat. |
 Orc Hunter fighting a Night Elf Druid(?) in Zul'Drak |
References
- ^ Northrend, Zul'DrakLoM 111, 113
- ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=138018&page=2
- ^ Northrend, Zul'Drak, HistoryLoM 112, 113
- ^ Northrend, Zul'Drak, People and CultureLoM 111
- ^ Northrend, Zul'Drak, GeographyLoM 111
- ^ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=138018&page=2
- ^ http://pc.ign.com/articles/872/872841p2.html
- ^ http://www.worldofwar.net/articles/413336/wotlk-report-may-2008/page6
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