Orgrimmar has been the central hub of the orc community since the end of the Third War. The city was founded by Thrall and named after his friend and mentor, the former Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer. It is a fortified complex guarded by stout walls, massive gates and tall towers. The mountainous ranges of northern Durotar form a natural barrier to the rear of the fortress, and parts of the complex are carved into the mountain itself.

Orgrimmar is openly hospitable to all members of the Horde and is an important center of commerce. Visitors may fly into the city by way of zeppelin  or wyvern , or simply walk through the fortress’s main gates.

People and Culture

Although orcs comprise the majority of the city’s inhabitants, there is a strong troll presence here as well, primarily in the Valley of Spirits . The simple, rustic architecture of the orcs is used to maximum effect, creating a network of wooden towers and mud-hut style structures. The Horde races also use Orgrimmar as a center of trade, not only of physical goods, but ideas as well. For example, a number of different holidays are celebrated here, including a tauren festival for the winter solstice and a number of others.

Although Thrall’s “new Horde” turns away from demonic influence and the brutish aggression that it was once known for, some remnants of the Horde’s darker days linger. It is rumored that the Burning Blade steadily infiltrates Orgrimmar via underground tunnels beneath the city, in the Cleft of Shadows, a dark cavern where warlocks and rogues dwell.

The most significant figure in Orgrimmar is undoubtedly the warchief himself.

Geography

Orgrimmar is located in the far north of Durotar, at the foothills of the mountain range that separates Durotar from Azshara. Several valleys have been dug out from the mountain and provide a way of naturally dissecting the city into various zones, including the Valley of Spirits, Valley of Strength, Valley of Wisdom, and the Valley of Honor.

Several specialty shops are found in the Drag, a dark pathway that leads from the Valley of Strength to the Valley of Honor. Those searching for potions or training in the darker arts of the rogue or warlock find a tunnel leading down to the Cleft of Shadow from the Drag.

History

Thrall led the orcs to the continent of Kalimdor, where they founded a new homeland with the help of their tauren brethren. Naming their new land Durotar after Thrall's murdered father, the orcs settled down to rebuild their once-glorious society. The demonic curse on their kind ended, the Horde changed from a warlike juggernaut into more of a loose coalition, dedicated to survival and prosperity rather than conquest. Aided by the noble tauren and the cunning trolls of the Darkspear tribe, Thrall and his orcs looked forward to a new era of peace in their own land.

Thunder Bluff was settled fairly recently by the tauren, who successfully drove out the marauding centaur from their lands. Thunder Bluff is the first city of its kind; for centuries, the tauren wandered the plains as nomads, unable to claim a permanent home. All Horde visitors are welcome here, and the expertise of the tauren in the fields of everything from leatherworking to shamanism, druidism to hunting are all taught here. Fortunately, the peaceful nature of the tauren also makes Thunder Bluff the most accessible of the major Horde cities to Alliance members.

Thunder Bluff’s location makes it resistant to enemy attack. Visitors must either ride wyverns to one of the four towering mesas that make up Thunder Bluff, or be lifted via rope and wood elevators, an invention unique to the tauren.

 People and Culture

The shamans here conjure them openly, leaving little doubt to the power of their magic. The tauren constantly work to improve and expand their massive city, which explains how it appeared practically out of thin air. While some tauren probably regret their departure from a nomadic lifestyle, they all are proud to finally have a home and spend much of their time trying to make it better. They also are thrilled to have the help of a good number of orcs and trolls, but less thrilled at the presence of the Forsaken, who they grudgingly tolerate due to their alliance. The tauren place a strong emphasis on the value of life, and the unlife of the Forsaken stands as an affront to their beliefs.

 Geography

Thunder Bluff is composed of four towering mesas, or rises. The only entrances from the plains below are elevators leading to the central platform. The central rise is connected to the others through large wooden bridges.

Thunder Bluff is located in the far north of Mulgore, among the sprawling flatlands of the Golden Plains. Due to its height, the air around Thunder Bluff is thinner than at ground level, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Mount Hyjal for example is much, much worse. The weather is almost always warm and sunny, with intermittent breezes carried in from the Barrens.

 History

The centaur were driving the tauren out of their homeland around the time of the Third War. When Thrall and his Horde arrived on the continent , an alliance was forged between the Horde and the tauren. Following the defeat of Archimonde and the end of the war, Thrall helped the tauren rout the centaur and reclaim their land. Shortly thereafter the tauren founded the city of Thunder Bluff and began the process of settling into their old surroundings and repairing the ecological damage the centaur had wrought. Thunder Bluff grows and expands at a tremendous rate.

Rises

The various rises in Thunder Bluff act a bit like neighborhoods or quarters in a human city.

Thunder Bluff has a central mesa divided into three rises, surrounded by three additional mesas with distinct names:

• Central Rise (In-game is split in to the Lower Rise, Middle Rise and High Rise)
  • Lower Rise (southwestern lifts from main north road)
  • Middle Rise (northeastern lifts from plains)
  • High Rise (east from wind rider roost)
• Elder Rise (rope bridges from middle and high rise)
• Hunter Rise (rope bridges from lower and high rise)
• Spirit Rise (rope bridges from lower and middle rise)
  • Pools of Vision (cave entrance from Spirit Rise)