Zul'Drak: Level 76 - Saturday, April 30, 2011

The home of the Drakkari trolls, the zone of Zul'Drak combines frozen tundra with burning forests, and has no shortage of challenges for players to overcome. At the Argent Stand, the blessed knights of the Argent Crusade have set up a base to repel the Scourge, who are invading from Drak'Tharon Keep.  

The Argent Crusade have managed to put aside their differences with the death knights of the Ebon Blade, who are stationed at Ebon Watch not far away.  

While doing some standard "destroy X scourge," quests for these groups, you come across a mysterious necklace.  You give it to one of the death knights who determines that this item was intended to reach you as a trap.  After neutralizing the threat inside (which would have turned you into a mindless ghoul,) you are sent to find out who set you up.  Your search takes you to The Reliquary of Agony, 

and the floating necropolis above...

where you find an old friend waiting for you.  

Yes, Drakuru, now an overlord for Arthas, ensured that the necklace fell into your possession in order to use you once again.  You pretend to play along with him, doing some menial tasks and building his trust, all the while trying to get an idea of what he's up to.  Eventually, you find out (army of giant trolls infused with the power of blight crystals), and turn on him, using his creations against him.  

In desperation, Drakuru calls to Arthas for aid.  Arthas shows up, but enraged at Drakuru for failing him and being unable to see through your ruse, beheads him.  He spares your life, however, for providing him with some amusement, and tells you that you will see him again.

Meanwhile, the remaining living Drakkari, who have gone mad due to the Scourge invasion, have begun to sacrifice their animal gods in an effort to stop the undead.  Naturally, this has thrown things completely out of whack, and some emissaries of the wise Zandalari Tribe in Stranglethorn Vale have arrived to try and stabilize things.  

The Zandalari send you to the altars of the various animal gods, which are scattered throughout Zul'Drak, to see which gods are alive, and which have already been sacrificed.

Some of the gods are too far gone to do anything for, like the giant polar bear god...

but others, like the leopard god, Har'koa, are still able to be rescued.  

Eventually, after visiting the altars of the various animal gods and saving who you can, (and helping put to rest those you can't,) your road leads into Gun'Drak, the capital of the Drakkiri, to try to stop the crazed troll clan.  

Like Nagrand, Zul'Drak also features an arena where parties of players can take on increasingly more challenging fights in an effort to win glory and powerful weapons in the Amphitheater of Anguish. 

Presented without comment, here is a picture of a colossal abomination that usually startles everyone their first time through Zul'Drak.