Stonetalon Mountains

The Stonetalon Mountains are a range of high peaks and forested valleys in western Kalimdor, covering levels 15 to 27. The druids of the Talon keep a sacred retreat on Stonetalon Peak, but the goblins of the Venture Company are logging the lower valleys bare, and the zone's quests are mostly about the damage they leave behind. Both factions have a base here, the Horde at Sun Rock Retreat and the Alliance at Stonetalon Peak.

Geography

Stonetalon lies between Ashenvale to the northeast, The Barrens to the east, Desolace to the southwest and Mulgore to the southeast. It is a jumble of rocky ridges and narrow valleys, and the roads twist through them.

• Stonetalon Peak, the tallest mountain, rises in the north. The night elf druids keep the Talon Den there, and the Alliance quest hub sits at its foot.
• Windshear Crag, in the northeast, is a forested valley the Venture Co. is clear-cutting with shredders and a lumber mill.
• Mirkfallon Lake lies in the middle of the zone. The Webwinder Path, a long valley full of spiders, runs southeast toward the Barrens.
• Sun Rock Retreat, the Horde town, sits on a high ledge in the west.
• The Charred Vale in the southwest is a burned valley held by Bloodfury harpies and fire elementals.
• Boulderslide Ravine in the south is a kobold mine where the Resonite crystals are dug.
• Malaka'Jin, a troll camp, and the Grimtotem tauren camps lie on the southeastern edge near the Barrens.
• The Talondeep Path is a tunnel from Windshear Crag north into Ashenvale.

History

Stonetalon Peak has long been a holy place for the night elf druids, who keep a den there and guard its ancient trees. In recent years the Venture Co., a goblin cartel with no loyalty to anyone, moved into Windshear Crag to strip the valley of timber and ore. Its new boss at the site, the cyborg gnome Gerenzo Wrenchwhistle, is cruel even by Venture Co. standards; his own goblin staff are unhappy with him.

The fighting between the goblins, the forest's guardians and the elementals set the Charred Vale ablaze. Both factions see the destruction as a crime against the land. The tauren treat it as a wound to heal, while the night elves want the goblins out of their forest.

Quests and notable NPCs

Stonetalon has about 45 quests in our database, from level 17 to 29.

Horde

• Seereth Stonebreak, on the road in from the Barrens, gives The Spirits of Stonetalon, then Goblin Invaders and Shredding Machines, in which players destroy the shredders XT:4 and XT:9.
• At Malaka'Jin, Witch Doctor Jin'Zil wants an odd list of reagents in Jin'Zil's Forest Magic, and Xen'Zilla wants spiders killed in Blood Feeders.
• At Sun Rock Retreat, Maggran Earthbinder posts Harpies Threaten and Bloodfury Bloodline against the harpy Bloodfury Ripper in the Charred Vale.
• Mor'rogal sends players into Boulderslide Ravine in Boulderslide Ravine and then to face the earth elemental Goggeroc in Earthen Arise.
• Tammra Windfield has players plant seeds to regrow the burned land in Cycle of Rebirth and New Life, and Tsunaman wants fire elemental embers for Elemental War.
• The escort Protect Kaya protects Kaya Flathoof, and Kill Grundig Darkcloud targets the Grimtotem leader Grundig Darkcloud.
• Ziz Fizziks, a goblin fired from the Venture Co. by Gerenzo, wants revenge: Super Reaper 6000 and later Gerenzo Wrenchwhistle.

Alliance

• Keeper Albagorm on Stonetalon Peak greets players arriving with Journey to Stonetalon Peak and wants the Charred Vale retaken from the harpies in Reclaiming the Charred Vale.
• Gaxim Rustfizzle, a gnome inventor, plans a sabotage mission against the lumber mill. The chain sends players across the world for parts and ends with Covert Ops - Alpha, Covert Ops - Beta and a meeting with Tyrande Whisperwind in Reception from Tyrande.
• Kaela Shadowspear and Sentinel Thenysil want fire elementals and corrupted ancients dealt with in Enraged Spirits and Wounded Ancients.

Dungeons

Stonetalon has no dungeon. Players at this level usually run Wailing Caverns in the Barrens, Blackfathom Deeps in Ashenvale, or Razorfen Kraul.

Getting there

• Horde: the main road leaves the western Barrens near Malaka'Jin and climbs to Sun Rock Retreat, which has a wind rider master.
• Alliance: the Talondeep Path tunnel leads in from southern Ashenvale, and Stonetalon Peak has a hippogryph master.
• To Desolace: a road runs south out of the mountains into Desolace.

Later history

In Cataclysm (2010), Stonetalon was rebuilt around a war between the Horde's Krom'gar Fortress and the Alliance. The original layout survives in Classic.

Sources

• Stonetalon Mountains, Warcraft Wiki
• Sun Rock Retreat, Warcraft Wiki
• Gerenzo Wrenchwhistle, Warcraft Wiki