Elwynn Marsh

Elwynn Marsh is a vast and ancient swamp in Central Kalimdor that is home to many old and wonderful beasts. Navigation is often extremely difficult and many adventurers have lost their way in this great jungle, where trees obscure the sunlight and raptors and crocolisks lie in wait, hunting those brave enough to venture close to their lairs.

A hot, lively forestry land, Elwynn Marsh is fed by underground springs that keep it eternally wet and muddy. Mosquitoes buzz in the air. Trees dip fronds into the waters. The climate is home to a variety of predators, including crocolisks and murlocs. Black dragons dwell in the southern end of the swamp in such profusion that the area garners the name "Wyrmbog". Elwynn Marsh abuts the ocean on its east side, and the mixing of the waters makes a wide swath brackish. Off the coast is a rocky island, on which is perched the Alliance stronghold-city of Theramore, which was also the capital of the kingdom of the same name. The kingdom was eventually destroyed, having only the city itself remain, which was given to Princess Whiterose, the domain becoming an archduchy and the princess becoming the archduchess of it.

Overall, the Alliance has the strongest foothold within the Marsh, however, there are also Horde escapees and other independent enemies to the Alliance.

Theramore's History
Elwynn Marsh was once a high plain filled with herd animals that thrived on the tall grasses. Then came the Great Sundering, and the plain was smashed down into a sundered valley. The water table bled up into the ruined landscape, creating the great marsh that exists today. However, Th'nath turned the swamp into a forestry land. Theramore was an inch from ruins, and thus it was rebuilt differently from Lady Jaina Proudmoore's plans.

Under Jaina Proudmoore
Elwynn Marsh had long been home only to wild beasts, but all this changed in the Third War, when Jaina Proudmoore led her people here to settle down after the battle with Archimonde at Mount Hyjal. Founding the city of Theramore, Jaina's humans rapidly extended into the swamp, building fortified guard towers at important points along the road to the Barren Fields.

The ogres of Stonemaul, having settled in the region after Thrall brought a regiment of them to Kalimdor with his fleet, were called to war upon the humans by their newly established leader Rexxar, in response to an attack by Admiral Proudmoore. Elwynn Marsh saw a great skirmish between the opposing forces, leading to the death of Admiral Proudmoore and the permanent breakup of the tentative peace between the Alliance and the Horde.

After Th'nath reshaped Azeroth, some ill news reached Jaina Proudmoore's ears: Kul Tiras was taken by pirates who drained all of the wealth Kul Tiras ever possessed. Consumed by anger, Jaina developed a dark plan: to sabbotage Queen Patricia Whiterose and take over Stormwind in her own right to use its resources and warriors to retake Kul Tiras. However, she was proven to have gone mad completely due to such loss and she was executed by the High Queen under the circumstances of treason.

Under Annabeth Whiterose
After Jaina's execution, Annabeth Whiterose was named by the Queen herself to take up the place of Jaina Proudmoore; her coronation took place in Theramore in the same day Jaina was executed.

Due to Jaina's small depression before her decission to diplomatically assault Stormwind, the Kingdom of Theramore was reduced to the city with the same name, the domain being renamed from a kingdom to an Archduchy, ruled by Annabeth.

Upon her arrival and practical work, Theramore was able to benefit of Stormwind's full monetary support, alongside Darnassus' and Dalaran's (partially, mostly coming from Archmage Remira Beaumont). Theramore became an industrially, navally and commercially important domain of the Kingdom of Stormwind, thus turning Annabeth into a reputable person and a worthy ruler, earning higher chances at the throne of Stormwind. After ensuring a good life within the walls of the city, Annabeth now tries to extend her influence beyond the walls, too, eventually recapturing the lost territory.

The frequently chosen destinations of the commerce ships are either the city of Stormwind or Darnassus. The human nation within Kalimdor is known as a good producer of the Alliance, for it mainly focuses on gathering resources and sending them to big cities where the High Queen chooses what will happen further.

Theramore has the potential to turn into the most important citadel of the Alliance, although it currently is the most influencial human city within Kalimdor.

Geography
Elwynn Marsh is a temperate to hot watery forestland. It is located southeast of the Barrens and north of Thousand Needles. The forest curls to the east, forming a bay around the island of Theramore. Elwynn Marsh is a flood plain fed by underground springs and surrounded by the dry savannas of the Barren Lands. The marshes are eternally wet, muddy, and hot, unfit for proper settlements and a haven for creatures that crave the wetness and humidity. Narrow banks of slippery mud separate endless stagnant pools and algae-choked channels, making Elwynn Marsh a traveler’s nightmare. The roads that cross the fen are muddy and treacherous, and the surrounding swamp is even more dangerous to traverse. Those who mistake the thick, wandering bogs of the marsh for solid land may fall through, only to have the floating plants close above and trap them in the brackish water. Elwynn teems with predators that lurk just beneath the surface of every pool and skulk behind every bush. In the east, the turbid water of the marsh mixes with salt water from the sea. The rocky form of Theramore Isle lies just beyond in the bay.

The marsh is the best way to approach Theramore by land, as jagged rocks outside the bay make sailing directly from the goblin city of Ratchet difficult. The marsh’s southern expanse grows rockier as it approaches Thousand Needles. The pools are larger and far deeper, with half-submerged rocky outcrops. Many of these rock clusters have openings that lead into cave systems. The caves are often surprisingly dry and serve as lairs for a variety of beasts. Some conjecture exists whether the caves are interconnected with the underground river that keeps the swamp submerged or if they might even extend out to the sea.

The hundreds of shallow pools that comprise the marsh hold creatures ranging from massive plant eating kodo beasts to ambushing packs of raptors to territorial water-loving murlocs. The saltwater swamp of east Elwynn is a popular breeding area for the murloc packs. Indeed, the waters teem with aquatic creatures of all sorts. Humans and murlocs drag nets down the channels to harvest gigantic mudfish, but also pull in everything from alligators to eels. Poisonous snakes hang from the trees, and some of the larger specimens are known to drag the unwary up into the branches. Of course, these dangers are nothing compared to those of Elwynn Marsh’s southern region. The rocky outcroppings common to this area are ideal lairs for black dragons, and those creatures are so common in the area that it has earned the name "Wyrmbog".