Draenor

Draenor – currently called Outland – is a planet in the Warcraft universe, a fictional universe in which a series of games and books are set. The planet is the homeworld of the Orcs and Ogres, and the adoptive homeworld of the Draenei.

General information

Draenor is briefly referred to in Warcraft: Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness; although in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne players visit this blasted hellish world of the Orcs.
Draenor was a planet with a relatively warm climate, moderate seasons, and the majority of its landmasses covered with prairies and woods of giant mushroom-like plants. However, primarily of note was the color of the sky, which varied from a vivid orange to deep red.
Draenor was the home of the noble and shamanic Orcs, the brutish Ogres, and the exiled Draenei.
After being chased by their corrupted Eredar brethren for many millennia, the Draenei - or "Exiled Ones" in the Eredar language - came upon the remote planet. They decided to settle there and name it Draenor, or "Exile's Refuge." They soon discovered the peaceful and shamanic Orcs. Despite some trading, both societies never gave much thought to the other.

However, the orcs were later corrupted by the Burning Legion and turned into ferocious and merciless warriors by the blood of Mannoroth. They also began to wield warlock magic that caused the corruption of the whole planet. Little by little, the prairies disappeared, giving way to red and blasted wastelands. Under the Legion's influence, the Orcish Horde slaughtered the Draenei, who up until that time were the dominant race in Draenor. While some of the remaining 20% of the Draenei fled the planet in their interdimensional ship "The Exodar" which was damaged in the attack and crashed in the Azuremyst Isles on Azeroth. Those left behind remained scattered and hidden, most were mutated physically by the warlock magic that they were exposed to, became known as "The Broken".

Later, the opening of too many waygates by Ner'zhul caused the partial destruction of Draenor. The chaotic energies from the portals violently shook the entire planet, ripping open large rifts into the Twisting Nether, rendering the world into pieces. Still, one remnant of Draenor, the Hellfire Peninsula and the majority of the southern continent remain after the explosion and is suspended as a still-habitable planetoid, thereafter referred to as the Outland.

One of the many brutal pit lords of the Burning Legion, Magtheridon, took control of the world with his demonic troops after Mannoroth was destroyed by Thrall and Grom Hellscream. The pit lord continued to rule by transforming most of surviving orcs into Fel Orcs (also known as Red Orcs) and assumed power, marking the center of his domain with the Black Citadel. From there he ruled over Outland with the aid of his most trusted lieutenants - The Master of Pain and The Mistress of Torment.

Illidan Stormrage fled to Outland with his lieutenants, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider and Lady Vashj, as well as their armies of Blood Elves and Naga. Illidan fled to Outland in hopes of escaping the Wrath of the Demon Kil'jaeden, whom Illidan had angered by failing to destroy Ner'zhul, the Lich King. Illidan successfully invaded The Black Citadel, shutting down the remaining demonic portals, enslaving the Pit Lord, and claiming the throne as his own.

Illidan now reigns over the Black Citadel in the Shadowmoon Valley, attended by a host of demons, Fel Orcs, Draenei, Blood Elves and Naga. Most of the Blood Elves, including Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, occupy The Mana Forges in the Netherstorm, along with the mysterious Tempest Keep; while Lady Vashj and her Naga are to be found in Coilfang Reservoir, in Zangarmarsh. Auchindoun, the Draenei temple/tombs which lie in ruins due to the Alliance Invasion of Draenor, occupies the center of the Bone Wastes, just south of the Draenei capital "Shattrath" in Terokkar Forest. The Dark Portal and Hellfire Citadel still stand to the east in Hellfire Peninsula, which serves as the prison of Magtheridon. Here, Illidan uses the Pit Lord's blood to experiment in ways of making his Fel Orcs even stronger.

Locales of Draenor
Hellfire Peninsula
* The Dark Portal
* The Hellfire Citadel, stronghold of the fel orcs of Outland
** Hellfire Ramparts
** The Blood Furnace
** The Shattered Halls
** Magtheridon's Lair
* Honor Hold ( Alliance outpost )
* Temple of Telhamat ( Alliance outpost )
* Thrallmar ( Horde outpost )
* Falcon Watch ( Horde outpost )
* Throne of Kil'jaeden, stronghold of Doom Lord Kazzak, leader of the Burning Legion in Outland

Zangarmarsh
* Coilfang Reservoir, the fortress of Lady Vashj and the Naga
** The Slave Pens
** The Underbog
** The Steam Vault
** Serpentshrine Cavern
* Cenarion Refuge (headquarters of the Cenarion Expedition)
* Sporeggar (home of the Sporelings)
* Telredor (Alliance outpost)
* Orebor Harborage (Alliance outpost)
* Zabra'jin (Horde outpost)
* Swamprat Outpost (Horde outpost)

Terokkar Forest
* Auchindoun, a former draenei necropolis and Horde fortress
** Mana-Tombs
** Auchenai Crypts
** Sethekk Halls
** Shadow Labyrinth
* Shattrath City (neutral city)
* Allerian Stronghold (Alliance outpost)
* Stonebreaker Hold (Horde outpost)

Nagrand
* Aeris Landing (outpost of the Consortium)
* Halaa (contested outpost)
* Telaar (Alliance outpost)
* Garadar (Horde outpost)

Blade's Edge Mountains
* Gruul's Lair, stronghold of the gronn overlords of Outland
* Sylvanaar (Alliance outpost)
* Toshley's Station (Alliance outpost)
* Thunderlord Stronghold (Horde outpost)
* Mok'Nathal Village (Horde Outpost)
* Evergrove (outpost of the Cenarion Expedition)

Netherstorm
* Tempest Keep, the Stronghold of Kael'thas Sunstrider
** The Mechanar
** The Botanica
** The Arcatraz
** The Eye
* Area 52 (neutral outpost)
* The Stormspire (headquarters of the Consortium)
* Cosmowrench (neutral outpost)
* Eye of the Storm, new 15-man battleground, level 61-70

Shadowmoon Valley
* Black Temple, fortress of Illidan
* Sanctum of the Stars (outpost of the Scryers of Shattrath)
* Altar of Sha'tar (outpost of the Aldor of Shattrath)
* Wildhammer Stronghold (Alliance outpost)
* Shadowmoon Village (Horde outpost)

Native creatures of Draenor
Humanoids
* Orcs
* Ogres
* New forms of Draenei:
** Draenei (pure and uncorrupted)
** The Broken (a degraded form of the Eredar Draenei)
** The Lost Ones (a further degraded form)
* Draenor Giants

Note: The Draenor giants are rarely mentioned or referenced. The only reference to them was concerning the Temples of the Damned used by the Orcs in the Second Great War and the Scourge in the Third. The temples are made from the bones of the petrified corpses of a race of giants that were native to Draenor.

Destruction
After the Second War, the Alliance finally breached the Dark Portal and invaded Outland, to find that Orc shamans under Ner`Zul were attempting to open several dimensional portals to other, yet unconquered planets. This both succeeded and failed. The portals were opened, but the planet could not bear the power of the magic used, and Draenor splintered apart. Outland is the only remaining part of Draenor that can be accessed by Azerothians, and is the main hotspot in the Burning Crusade-Illidari-Azerothi War, as it is the main point where all three powers converge. There may be as yet many other undiscovered parts of Draenor remaining in the Great Dark. However, one can safely assume that Outland is the largest piece remaining, and probably the only bit inhabited (Save for a few unlucky indivduals trapped on various chunks of rock floating around in space).

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu