Utgarde Keep

"Land! Land!"

Shouts from the watchman, heavy with fog. The morning had come sooner than expected and the whole deck was buzzing with cautious excitement. The voyage wasn't a treacherous one by any metrics but it wouldn't be a lie to say that most of the crew was afraid. Afraid of landing, actually, and the excitement was probably (and in fact assuredly) more fear than anything else —but this was a truth only for their own heart. The ship needed unwavering hands and skillful mastery. They all knew what was expected of them, they all wanted to prove their worth; most of all, they wanted to return safely to their loved ones, but again, this was a hope they carried silently. This was a hope that accompanied their every gestures, gave them the courage to wake up, and most of all, pushed them to carry on. And fragile they were when faced with the harsh coldness of the freezing north.

The Northrend was new land for most of them. Its waters, calm, deep and of an abysmal blue, almost black. Its peaks piercing the azure sky with the poise of timeless trees. Its forest seemingly endless, with canopies as dense as the night sky on a moonless night. Rife with dangers. The crew was infinitely small compared to the magnitude of the threat. So small, in fact, was this crew that it was but one of many. The flotilla was in fact so large that no one had ever seen anything like it. Hundreds of boats, all flying the Alliance's banners. One last War. A King to dethrone. And maybe new allies.

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This album follows an adventurer's journey through the icy landscapes of the Howling Fjord, the first area many a player of World of Warcraft called their home for the better part of two years. As an avid World of Warcraft player myself back in the day, I've always fondly remembered this zone, with its incredible signature bagpipes musical ambiance, frozen shore, and remarkable dungeons.

Arthas, the fallen human Prince of Lordaeron, now Lich King and most vile and treacherous general of the undead armies, has only strengthened his grasp on the Northrend, the forgotten northern continent, home to the ancient race of the Vrykuls. In secrecy, he has plotted the fall of all that is living, while the Alliance and the Horde were busy fighting ancient enemies in other realms.
As the threat he poses only grows, a rare peace finally holds between the Alliance and the Horde, and thus, their vessels finally set sail for the icy shores of the Northrend. Alliance forces arrive at the Howling Fjord, while the Horde forces arrive at the Borean Tundra, and together, they plan on meeting in the middle, Icecrown, the Lich King's fortified abode. But old grudges never really die...

We follow our adventurer's journey - who is by no means one of the heroes of World of Warcraft's story, but rather a simple soldier. As we finally step on this ancient land after a tiresome voyage, we rest our weary feet at the tranquil Valgarde Inn, meet up with our brothers the masons of Stormwind, whose work is essential to the Alliance's advance, travel down an ancient Lift, tread the dangerous beauty of the ancient pine forests, experience foreboding dreams of eternal frost, and finally end our journey towards the Grizzly Hills, our next stop.