Blackwing Lair

Blackwing Lair is Nefarian's sanctum at the top of Blackrock Spire, the fortress in the upper part of Blackrock Mountain between the Searing Gorge and the Burning Steppes. The dwarf master mason Franclorn Forgewright designed the Spire as a monument to Dark Iron power, and the Dark Irons held it for centuries. The mountain's volcanic depths are the seat of Ragnaros the Firelord, whom Emperor Thaurissan summoned long ago during the dwarven civil war.

Nefarian, the eldest son of the black dragon Deathwing, seized the upper Spire with his dragonkin and made war on the Dark Iron holdings below. When he learned that Ragnaros led the dwarves, he vowed to crush the Firelord and take the whole mountain for himself. He gathered the remnants of the Dark Horde, a rogue army of orcs, trolls and others who kept the old Horde's demonic bloodlust, and set their warchief, Rend Blackhand, to defend the Spire. In Blackwing Lair he is preparing the final step toward destroying Ragnaros and leading his army to rule over every race of Azeroth.

Nefarian rules the lair and also takes the human guise of Lord Victor Nefarius, Lord of Blackrock. He mixes the blood and eggs of every dragonflight to breed chromatic dragons, the unstoppable warriors his father failed to create. Razorgore the Untamed guards the black dragon eggs, Broodlord Lashlayer holds the Halls of Strife, and the black drakes Firemaw, Ebonroc and Flamegor patrol the laboratories. The two-headed Chromaggus, one of Nefarian's creations, guards the last hall before his master's chamber.

Only those branded with the Mark of Drakkisath can use the Orb of Command near the Spire's entrance to teleport into the lair. Adventurers learn this from a letter by Warchief Rend Blackhand, found on the Scarshield Quartermaster, and claim the brand that General Drakkisath guards in Upper Blackrock Spire. Nefarian's head goes to Highlord Bolvar Fordragon in Stormwind or to Thrall in Orgrimmar. Baristolth of the Shifting Sands at Cenarion Hold, who seeks a champion to rebuild the Scepter of the Shifting Sands, asks for the head of Broodlord Lashlayer.

The red dragon Vaelastrasz had guarded the Red Scepter Shard for a thousand years and had sworn to hunt the black dragonflight. In the guise of Vaelan, he helped adventurers forge the Seal of Ascension, the key to Upper Blackrock Spire, then followed Nefarian into the lair, where Nefarius bent him to his will and took the shard. When adventurers reach him, he asks them to recover the shard from Nefarian before it is destroyed, then gives them a share of his power and begs them to flee before he loses control.