Burning Steppes

The Burning Steppes hold the only accessible land passage from the Kingdom of Stormwind to Khaz Modan and Lordaeron. The highway is thus well traveled, but still very dangerous. Passing over rugged foothills and mountains, the road is frequented by enough travelers to be safe, but beasts will sense when you leave the road and pounce on you instantly. While many use the Burning Steppes as a thoroughfare, it is populated by one of the few successful orc settlements in Azeroth. These orcs do not honor Thrall’s truce with the Alliance, instead following the barbaric practices the orcs used from before the Third War. It's hard to blame their hatred of the Alliance however, as Stormwind parties hunt them frequently. Deeper into the region, ogres, dragons, and the Dark Iron clan of dwarves can be found. With the volcanic activity and lava flow, the weather is perpetually hot and dry.

The Burning Steppes are located north of the Redridge Mountains and south of the Searing Gorge. It is dominated by Blackrock Mountain in the northwestern area. It is a central location housing the black dragonflight and various creatures. It also has quite a few high end instances. It is recommended that characters be at least level 55, as the creatures are some of the most powerful in the game.

The Blackrock orcs maintain a lasting settlement around the volcano known as Blackrock Stronghold, staying hidden from the road but always keeping watch for Alliance attacks. These orcs are more typical of the type of the First and Second wars rather than the current Horde in Kalimdor. Bloodthirsty and savage, they mine the mountains around Blackrock Spire for metals with which to make weapons and armor. The Firegut ogres from the south study arcane magic, but their massive bodies still allow them to excel in combat. Give an ogre sorcerer a club and she’s still likely to bash out the brains of the strongest dwarven fighter. This violent race is dedicated solely to claiming the Burning Steppes as ogre territory. The Alliance — not to mention the orcs, the Dark Iron dwarves and the dragon folk — will not let this happen, as they refuse to lose control of the only passage to the north. The black dragons are elusive, and one who wishes to avoid getting torn apart doesn’t approach without considerable firepower. They will attack solitary travelers for the sport of it and consider anyone approaching their usurped fortress free game.

History
These steppes were formerly part of the Redridge Mountains before the Dark Irons came here after their exile. They established a colony called Thaurissan, but their sorcery turned out to be their undoing. Their thane, a mad sorcerer named Thaurissan, summoned the fire elemental king Ragnaros to aid them in the war against the Ironforge dwarves. Ragnaros’ arrival melted several mountains in this range and forged a great volcano in the blast’s epicenter. Now, the remaining Dark Irons live as puppets to Ragnaros and his fire elementals, who dwells under Blackrock Spire. Orcs also came here after the Second War and maintain settlements around and within the volcano, the climate being to their liking. The Horde conquered Blackrock Spire and used it as a base of operations during the campaign against Lordaeron in the Second War. Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer slew the human hero Anduin Lothar by the foot of the volcano at the war’s end, though Lothar’s death turned the tide and spurred the Alliance on to crush the failing Horde.

Geography
Lacking the grace and beauty of Khaz Modan’s peaks, the Burning Steppes’ mountains show the force of the energy that twisted them. The very rock melted when the volcano was formed, and lava changed the surrounding areas forever. The Blackrock Spire is awe-inspiring in its sheer mass and obvious devastation, while the rest of the land visibly attempts to recover from the damage done by the summoning of the Firelord, Ragnaros.

In the northwest of the Burning Stepps sits the impossibly high Blackrock Mountain. It is a volcano that is still active over 500 years after its birth at the summoning of Ragnaros. The Burning Steppes are mostly under the control of the Black Dragons and thier Blackrock orc underlings. Only in the east does the draconic grip loosen with the ogre stronghold of Dreadmaul Rock. In the midst of the barren Steppes are the Ruins of Thaurissan, the ancient Dark Iron capital that was destroyed in the summoning of Ragnaros. In the southeast, the Alliance has developed the outpost known as Morgan's Vigil.

Maps

 * GamePressure.com &gt; topographic map of Burning Steppes &amp; additional info

Dungeons
None (See Blackrock Mountain).

Flight paths from Morgan's Vigil

 * Stormwind
 * Lakeshire, Redridge Mountains
 * Thorium Point, Searing Gorge
 * Nethergarde Keep, Blasted Lands

Flight paths from Ruins of Thaurissan

 * Stonard, Swamp of Sorrows
 * Kargath, the Badlands
 * Thorium Point, Searing Gorge

Resources

 * Herbs
 * Sungrass
 * Golden Sansam
 * Dreamfoil
 * Mountain Silversage
 * Black Lotus (One of the few regions where you can gather it. Rare.)
 * Ore
 * Iron Deposit
 * Gold Vein
 * Mithril Deposit
 * Truesilver Deposit
 * Dark Iron Deposit
 * Small Thorium Vein
 * Rich Thorium Vein

Wild Creatures

 * Black Dragons
 * Dark Iron Dwarves
 * Dragonspawn
 * Earth Elementals
 * Grells
 * Molten Giants
 * Ogres
 * Scorpids
 * Whelps
 * Worgs