Durotar

Durotar is the red, sun-scorched land the orcs took as their own when they came to Kalimdor. Thrall named it for his father, Durotan, the Frostwolf chieftain murdered before Thrall could ever know him. After the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Thrall led the freed orcs here with the help of their tauren allies, and within a few years they had raised Orgrimmar in the canyons of the north as the Horde's new capital.

The land was not empty when they arrived. The Razormane quilboar held much of it until the Horde drove them back during the Third War, and stragglers still raid the roads. Harpies nest in the dry ravines and prey on caravans.

Two older grudges shape the coast. To the south lie the Echo Isles, first home of the Darkspear trolls. The witch doctor Zalazane turned on his own people there, and the Darkspear fled to the mainland and built Sen'jin Village on the shore, named for the chieftain they had lost. To the east, Tiragarde Keep still flies the colours of Kul Tiras. Admiral Daelin Proudmoore came to destroy the Horde and died for it; Lieutenant Benedict holds the keep in his name.

Not every enemy comes from outside. The Burning Blade, demon-worshipping orcs who never gave up the old ways, hide in the caves around Skull Rock and work against Thrall from within. Young orcs face their first trials in the Valley of Trials before taking the road north to Razor Hill and, in time, Orgrimmar itself.

Written for this site from the game's lore. Further reading: Durotar on Warcraft Wiki.