Stormwind
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Stormwind is the Human capital city in the fantasy Warcraft Universe. It is the capital of the human kingdom of Azeroth.
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[edit] History
The Kingdom of Azeroth was one of the strongest nations in the World of Azeroth, and Stormwind was built as a symbol of this might. During the events of the First Great War, under the rulership of King Llane, the Orcish horde defeated Azeroth and forced the entire city to flee. Much of the populace was able to escape, however, thanks to the leadership of Lord Anduin Lothar. After the formation of the Alliance and the defeat of the Horde, Stormwind was reclaimed, although much of the city had been destroyed.
In the MMORPG World of Warcraft we learn that Stormwind was unaffected by the ravages of the Undead Scourge that destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Lordaeron and now stands as one of the last bastions of human power. Stormwind was repaired by the Stonemason's Guild lead by the engineer Edwin VanCleef. However, the nobles of Stormwind refused to pay the Stonemasons. After being forcibly removed from the castle, VanCleef swore revenge and formed the bandit organization known as the Defias Brotherhood.
The child-king Anduin Wrynn has ruled Stormwind since the disappearance of his father, King Varrian Wrynn, who succeeded the assassinated King Llane.
[edit] Structure
The city is made up of roughly rectangular districts separated by canals:
- The Valley of Heroes (causeway area in front of main gate with statues of famous heroes from the Second War)
- The Trade District (just north of the main gate)
- Cathedral Square (north from the Trade District)
- Old Town (east from the Trade District)
- The Mage Quarter (west from the Trade District)
- The Park (northwest from the Trade District)
- The Dwarven District (northeast of the Trade District)
- Deeprun Tram (located in the Dwarven district, runs between Stormwind and Ironforge)
- Stormwind Keep (northeast of the Old Town, Southeast of the Dwarven District, it is roughly northeast of the Trade District)
- The Canals (between Trade District, Cathedral Square, Old Town, Mage Quarter, Dwarven District and the Park)
The Valley of Heroes is just beyond the city's main gate, and is the first area of the city most visitors encounter (The other being the Dwarven District for those that come via the Deeprun Tram.) It contains the large stone statues of the High Elf Ranger Alleria Windrunner, Dwarf Kurdran Wildhammer, Human Archmage Khadgar, Mercenary Danath Trollbane and General Turalyon, the heroes of the expedition that travelled through the Dark Portal into Draenor after the Second Great War, and never returned. The trade district is the first place you see, unless you arrived by tram. The gryphon master, the inn, the mail box, the auction house and the bank are here. If you want to make a guild or a guild tabard, you can find the guild master in the Visitor's center. Cathedral Square is named for the massive Cathedral of Light, which dominates the area. It is the center of the Religion of Light and is thus home to paladin and priest trainers as well as a first aid trainer, and it gives rise to the common human NPC greeting "Light be with you." The city's town hall is also located in Cathedral Square, where the day to day business of running the city is handled. The Cathedral of Light is where Archbishop Benedictus presides. There is also a Mage's Quarter, where mage and warlock trainers can be found along with tailoring and enchanting trainers as both of those professions are common among magic users. There also is a portal here, but since World of Warcraft's beginning it has been blocked by a portcullus and to this day is unenterable, although speculation exists that it is the entrance to a future instance (or dungeon) within the city. Still, Blizzard has not said a single word about its purpose. The Stockades dungeon is found near the center of the city, surrounded by canals. The Dwarven District is home to hunter trainers as well profession trainers for mining, blacksmithing, and engineering. The district also has forges and anvils, and a smokey plume hangs perpetually overhead. The Stormwind end of the Deeprun Tram line is accessible through a tunnel on the east side of the district; it leads to the Tinker Town, the main concentration of gnomes in Ironforge following the loss of their underground city, Gnomeregan.
[edit] Instances
Stormwind contains no fewer than four instanced areas:
- The Stockade - Located to the immediate north east of the Mage District, The Stockade are one of Stormwind's two prison complexes, intended to hold lesser criminals. The Stockade have recently been overrun by its inmates, mostly captured Defias thugs, and the guards have been driven up to the surface. It takes the form of an instanced dungeon for characters of approximate levels 25-32, for whom there are six quests available for clearing the Stockade. Although it is possible for a horde player to enter the instance most horde players don't bother.
- Champion's Hall - This is an instanced chamber accessible only to Alliance characters with a PvP rank of 6 or above. The Hall of Legends is situated in the Old Town district, near the headquarters of the Stormwind Army; there is an equivalent Officers-only area for the Horde in Orgrimmar.
- The mystery instance - This is an instance in the southeast section of Stormwind, between the Trade District and the Old Town district. The instance is inaccessible to regular players of the game, since the entrance is blocked by a gate. It was rumored to be a testing ground for GMs(Gamemasters), however through interviews with some developers it appears to be the location of the housing district if Blizzard ever decides to implement it. Currently, it is possible to get into the small tunnel behind it using exploit, but nothing is there; the forks of the tunnel both go into nowhere.
- The Deeprun Tram - Located in the eastern section of the Dwarven District, it is a free mode of transportion between the Alliance cities of Stormwind and Ironforge.
[edit] Trivia
- In Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Stormwind was sometimes referred to as Stonewind Keep.
- Stormwind is the only Alliance capital city that has an instance inside the city area. The only exception is the Deeprun Tram, however, the Deeprun Tram is merely an instanced mode of transportion, and not an instance in the sense that while in the tram a player can see and interact with people not in their group. A horde city, Orgrimmar, also houses an instance named Ragefire Chasm, as well as the Champion's Hall equivalent, Hall of the Brave.
[edit] External Links
Gnomish aerial imagery of Stormwind
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