Alterac Mountains

Alterac Mountains is the location of the former nation of Alterac and the city-state of Dalaran, and its chief settlements included the City of Alterac, Dalaran and Strahnbrad. The central mountains have been overrun by ogres, while the organization called the Syndicate controls Strahnbrad and other areas. Dalaran was enclosed within an impregnable magic shell before the city was lifted in the air and moved to Northrend. A high, wooded region, the Alterac Mountains see much rainfall and its skies are constantly overcast. Crushridge ogres and the Syndicate, a wicked group of rogues led by fallen human nobles, clash repeatedly for control of this land.

The Second War
The Alterac Mountains have traditionally been a home for the humans of Dalaran and Alterac, members of the Alliance. Once the smallest nation in the Lordaeron Alliance, Alterac’s ruler, Lord Perenolde, betrayed the Alliance in the Second War. Alterac's honor has been blemished ever since. The rogue faction known as theSyndicate struggles to regain control of a wild land, while ruins dot the mountainsides and ogres patrol their territory.[2]

The three settlements were all bases of peaceful activity, and were in the beginning at peace with each other. Then, during the second war, Alterac betrayed the Alliance and sided with the Horde. Enraged, the Alliance exiled the lord of Alterac and destroyed his capital, sending its people fleeing in all directions. Some of these people nurtured a hatred for the Alliance and formed a new band of rogues and assassins dedicated to overthrowing the other human nations and reclaiming their home.[3] They call themselves the Syndicate.

The ruins of the city of Alterac has since been claimed by a tribe of ogres, and the majestic city of Dalaran was annihilated by the demon lord Archimonde during the third war. The Dalaran mages warred against the Forsaken while they rebuilt their city, only to move the city to Northrend via powerful magic. What little Alliance activity is left in the region is centered around Dalaran Crater and the entrances to Alterac Valley, where the Stormpike and Frostwolf factions vie for supremacy.

Geography
The Alterac Mountains are high peaks rising up north of the Hillsbrad Foothills, and spreading to the border of the Western Plaguelandsin the north and The Hinterlands in the east. Covered with snow at their highest point, these mountains were once the location of three major human settlements. Now two of these settlements, the City of Alterac and Strahnbrad, lie in ruins and are controlled by hostile forces. What remains of the third settlement, the city of Dalaran, is now a crater. The mountains themselves are home to several kinds of high-altitude flora and fauna, such as yeti, mountain lions and the rare herb  [Wintersbite].