Alterac Mountains

The Alterac Mountains are a snowy range in southern Lordaeron, once the seat of the human kingdom of Alterac. The zone covers levels 30 to 40 and has no friendly town for either faction. Players come here from Hillsbrad Foothills to fight ogres, yetis and the Syndicate, and later to reach the Alterac Valley battleground.

Geography

The zone climbs from Hillsbrad's northern edge into high, snow-covered peaks. It is full of ruins and hostile camps, with no inn or flight point.

• The Ruins of Alterac, in the center, are what remains of the kingdom's capital. The Syndicate holds them.
• Strahnbrad, in the east, is a former town now used as a Syndicate base.
• Crushridge Hold and Slaughter Hollow, in the north, are strongholds of the Crushridge ogres.
• Dalaran, on the western shore near Lordamere Lake, is the city of the Kirin Tor mages. In Classic it sits behind a glowing violet dome and cannot be entered.
• Lordamere Internment Camp, near Dalaran, was one of the camps where captured orcs were held after the Second War.
• Ravenholdt Manor, hidden in the eastern hills, is the home of the Assassin's League. Only rogues are welcome there.
• Gallows' Corner and The Uplands fill out the rest of the zone. Yetis live in caves in the high ground.
• The entrance to the Alterac Valley battleground lies in these mountains.

History

Alterac was one of the seven human kingdoms. In the Second War, its ruler, Lord Aiden Perenolde (written Aliden in the game), secretly made a deal with the Horde, hoping to spare his people. The betrayal was discovered, Alliance armies occupied the kingdom, and Alterac was dissolved.

The exiled nobles of Alterac did not accept the loss. They formed the Syndicate, a criminal network of thieves and assassins that now spreads across the Alterac Mountains, Hillsbrad and the Arathi Highlands. They are opposed by Lord Jorach Ravenholdt and his Assassin's League, who see them as amateurs giving rogues a bad name.

Dalaran was badly damaged when the Scourge army attacked it during the Third War, and the demon Archimonde destroyed the city. The surviving mages are rebuilding it under the protective dome, while some of them hunt for relics in Silverpine Forest and Hillsbrad.

Quests and notable NPCs

Our database places only about 15 quests directly in the Alterac Mountains, but many more from Southshore and Tarren Mill send players here.

The Syndicate

• From Southshore, Magistrate Henry Maleb sends players against the Syndicate in Syndicate Assassins and Noble Deaths, which collects signet rings from Alterac nobles. The chain moves on to Dark Council and Baron's Demise, the killing of Baron Vardus.
• A Syndicate agent, Henchman Valik, can be bribed with a mug of Southshore stout in Valik.
• Letters found on Syndicate members lead to Prospector Stormpike in Ironforge, who deciphers them in Letter to Stormpike and Stormpike's Deciphering.
• From Tarren Mill, Krusk sends Horde players to kill the Alterac noble Lord Aliden Perenolde in Lord Aliden Perenolde. His mistress, Elysa, holds a pendant tied to Thrall's past.

Ogres and beasts

• Marshal Redpath of Southshore posts bounties on the Crushridge ogres (Crushridge Bounty, Crushridge Warmongers).
• Horde players kill the ogre leader Mug'thol for The Crown of Will chain.
• Frostmaw, a giant yeti, is the target of Frostmaw from a Thunder Bluff hunter.

Ravenholdt

Rogues are sent to Ravenholdt Manor in The Manor, Ravenholdt. Lord Jorach Ravenholdt leads the League from the manor, and rogues can earn reputation with the Ravenholdt faction there.

Dungeons

Alterac Valley (Alterac Valley) is a 40-versus-40 battleground fought between the Stormpike dwarves and the Frostwolf orcs. It opened in patch 1.5 in 2005. Players enter it from the Alterac Mountains. The zone has no regular dungeon.

Getting there

The roads north from Southshore and Tarren Mill in Hillsbrad climb into the mountains. Neither faction has a flight point in Alterac, so players fly to Southshore or Tarren Mill and ride in. Ravenholdt Manor is reached by a hidden path through the hills.

Sources

• Alterac Mountains, Warcraft Wiki
• Syndicate, Warcraft Wiki
• Ravenholdt Manor, Warcraft Wiki