((Lore Questions About Darrowshire))

[Xeran]

((I have been working on the story of Xeran’s becoming a Paladin and I have some questions surrounding the Battle of Darrowshire. Darrowshire and the battle for it will probably provide a decent backdrop for the story I have in mind. I am leery of bungling descriptions of the battle as well as relaying events that could not have happened based on the battle’s progression (ie: if the town was surrounded, people can’t just come and go as they please). I have reviewed the WoW Lore section on their site as well as the Wowwiki site. I am also partway through the Battle of Darrowshire quest line. I have not played a Warcraft game prior to WoW.

- How many Scourge v how many defenders? Hundreds? Thousands?

- Was the Scourge movement an envelopment of the town resulting in a siege or was there a “front” which was advancing on the town. One tactic suggests forces approaching from any direction would run into the army; the other tactic suggests that access to the town would be possible through non-hostile territory on one or more sides of the town.

- Were there survivors / escapees from the town (the quest line suggests there are)? If so, how did most escape?

- Was prep time available before the battle? Did the defenders know the Scourge were coming? How long in advance?

Any information will be appreciated.))

[Karkarov]

Ok first if you go to darrowshire you can tell from the geography of the town that it obviously wasnt "surrounded". It has high mountains behind it and at the sides to some extent. Obviously yes there was survivors. Carlin Redpath who gives you the quest is one of them and it never says others didnt make it.

Numbers? Hard to tell. I seriously doubt it was thousands, maybe a couple hundred at best on each side seems likely. I know the fighting was in fact, even. The scourge were actually losing until Morzan or however you say his name stole I think Joseph? Redpath's soul and he started possessing the slain of his own men and making them fight for the scourge.

As for attack? It was a moving front from what I would assume. The alliance knew they were coming. Repath formed up a group of the town guard, Davil Lightforge came with a group of paladins from the Silver Hand. Etc etc. So obviously this wasnt some surprise attack, they at least had some time. Also I would assume the battle mostly happened in one day. Scourge dont technically need rest so nothing else makes sense since they ultimately won. So a siege it wasnt. The town was scouted out and attacked in small waves many times before the real battle though.

How did people escape? I dont know, the old fashioned way I guess. Maybe they ran into the mountains when they realized they were going to lose. As stated at least SOME people lived through it. It never says how they escaped but other than riding on horses or fleeing before the battle went totally south I dont see anything logical. There is no river nearby, only road leads straight to what was likely a battle ground. Etc etc. I dont know if Andorhal was still standing at that time. If so they may have fled there.

Most of what I am saying here is from my own research, what I learned from the questline you are on, my own personal studies of the place in game.... and old fashioned guess work.

Most of the best info you will get is from the quest itself.

[Malebrignon]

How did people escape? I dont know, the old fashioned way I guess.

Yup. They bubble-hearthed.

[EnheilRas]

Honestly, I never did the plagueland quests.

Was never interested in the scourge quests. So.. I'm SOL on this one.

[Karkarov]

If it isnt an orc or a thrall fanboi/bugs in the desert topic enheilras knows nothing!

Yes indeed!!!!

I mostly researched alot of the scourge related stuff because uh dur. I am a forsaken. It also ties alot into my character history.

[Xeran]

Thanks for the info, all!

I was thinking of the in-game geography also, however, I'm also curious if the designers used any geographical "short hand" when creating certain spots in Azeroth (ie: sticking a big mountain where something else used to be for zone consistency). I'll just take it's current form as literal.

I'm sure the Silver Hand pallys present bubble-hearthed after casting Blessing of Protection on the casters. :)

[Fallacy]

Andorhal was the first city to fall to the Scourge, as it was the central area from which the Plague was spread. The Scourge made their headquarters there for the beginning of their invasion, and, after Kel'Thuzad was resurrected and Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron were decimated, Stratholme became their main base of operations, with Naxxramas nearby (it isn't there, yet, but is being summoned, part of the event which will unveil it in the next patch).

The battle incompassed most of what is now the Eastern Plaguelands, stretching from Stratholme to Darrowshire. The Silver Hand was most prominent there in fighting, although it led to their destruction at the hands of Arthas and with the death of Uther Lightbringer.

The survivors of Darrowshire mostly went to join the Argent Dawn after the Scourge and the Dreadlords were defeated by Sylvanas. The Redpaths were probably the most prominent family in Darrowshire, and has the most known survivors, from Carlin's sister living just outside of Andorhal, to his niece (who also joined the Argent Dawn) stationed in Winterspring. Due to Joseph's death (he was Carlin's brother, and the father of the girl living in Everlook, and also the girl who you see in Darrowshire as a ghost) and joining the Scourge, many of the souls of the fallen now haunt the area, forever tormented and forced to live out the moments of their deaths and constant fighting against the Scourge. Very few did survive, as it was the area most hard hit by the Scourge.

[Shadowspeak]

Some survivors fled to Gheanas right?

[Fallacy]

Gilneas? If they had been allowed in, they probably would have.

Another note on the Paladins that survived: After Uther died, many followed him into death, while others went into hiding, joined the Argent Dawn or the Scarlet Crusade, or gave up the Light entirely (like Tirion Fordring). The paladins that are of the Stormwind Church aren't in the same order as those who were in the Silver Hand, though there may be a few refugees there.

[Abric]

Don't take game terrain into effect when it comes to your story. While it is good you don't go *too* crazy... the maps of Azeroth have changed in every game they have made.

Also, technically, these towns and hovels and all that jazz are BIGGER than what we see... just because if it wasn't the population of the entire world wouldn't even reach 10,000. (Just throwing out a number - but I'll stick by it until I see facts. FACTS!)

<shrug>

For the entire lore - just do the Darrowshire line. It tells you everything you really want to know. Anything you want to fill in, the imagination will fix.

Just remember... they lost.

[Keraph]

Yeah, I mean look at Tarren Mill before it was destroyed in the Warcraft....manga thing, It was a large city!

[EnheilRas]

gave up the Light entirely (like Tirion Fordring).

Tirion didn't give it up, it was taken from him.

Somehow though, he managed to still be able to manifest the power.

[Keraph]

Can you really get the Light "taken away from you"? Sure, there's excommunication, but the Light isn't a diety so much as a belief, and those are hard to take away. Believe me, I collect em!

[EnheilRas]

I didn't completely understand it at all when it happened, but it happened.

[Soraxis]

All psychological, the guy believes that when he's excommunicated he suddenly can't believe in the light, even though he can he doesnt realize it and has it taken away from him essentially :)

[Xeran]

Thanks for the info all. It is much appreciated.

I have some follow up questions: the dwarves seem absent from a lot of what I've read about the third war, is it possible some survivors from Darrowshire made their way to Ironforge for a time? Wasn't Stormwind in ruins, or being reconstructed, as the events transpired in Lordaeron? (Ironforge would be a decent setting for a certain period in Xeran's story but it needs to be shortly after the Darrowshire events.)

[EnheilRas]

Why would dwarves be in Quel'thelas fighting for elves? WarCraft universe isn't above the standard sterotypical elf-dwarf hate. It's in the Lore.

The Elves were the last people to fall into the Alliance, but I digress:

Atthe time of Darrowshire, the nations of Lordaeron, Silvermoon, and Dalaran were all gone. The Alliance were all fleeing across the Thandol Span to Stormwind and Ironforge.

As for dwarves and their "absence" from the third war... ever hear of Muradin Bronzebeard, the Brother of King Magni?

[Fallacy]

The Battle of Darrowshire actually took place just before the invasion of Quel'thalas, and the destruction of Dalaran. Arthas destroyed most of it on his way to the elven capital to resurrect Kel'Thuzad. Most of what was to the west was destroyed, but the Scourge had yet to spread to the south or far to the east. It's actually the area where the Undead campaign begins in RoC.

[Xeran]

Why would dwarves be in Quel'thelas fighting for elves? WarCraft universe isn't above the standard sterotypical elf-dwarf hate. It's in the Lore.

The Elves were the last people to fall into the Alliance, but I digress:

Atthe time of Darrowshire, the nations of Lordaeron, Silvermoon, and Dalaran were all gone. The Alliance were all fleeing across the Thandol Span to Stormwind and Ironforge.


I did not say that the dwarves would be fighting in the Darrowshire events or in the Plaguelands in general, I merely asked what they were doing around the time the Darrowshire events took place. If, as you say, refugees from Alliance lands were fleeing to Ironforge, among other places, then that's good enough in terms of the story I have in mind.

[Fallacy]

Mostly, they didn't even know about it. The invasion of the Scourge happened so suddenly, due to the manipulations of the Cult of the Damned, that not even Lordaeron knew about it until Arthas killed his own father (as a hero, they thought the threat had ended with Mal'Ganis) and took command of the undead there. The other nations had almost no time to respond, and, when they did, Lordaeron was already lost. Many of the people also fled with Jaina to Kalimdor before the Scourge could completely destroy them, mostly due to the efforts of Medivh, who did the same for the orcs. Some went to Gilneas (just to be deterred at the Greymane Wall), some went to Strom and across the Thandol Span, some stayed to fight, and all the rest died.