Research Report: The Ley Lines of Durotar

By: Zanbor Emerson 

Submitted to: The Stormwind Circle of Magi on 9 May, 31LC

Overview
The ley lines of Durotar are an understudied field in Alliance research, but are a field that if properly studied and used effectively, could be a huge asset to the Alliance. Seeing as there are no ley line patterns of any real note in Durotar and it is the heart of the New Horde territories, it has been hard for Alliance researchers to find any interest in studying the ley lines of the area and even harder yet to gain access to them. With some help from various trustworthy sources, including but not limited to; current and former members of the Kirin Tor, contacts in the port city of Ratchet, and surviving members of the Kul Tiran expedition to Durotar. I have compiled the following report, over the last few months, in the hopes that the Circle and ultimately the Grand Alliance will get some use out of it. The ley lines of Durotar are not as powerful as in some areas, but are strong enough to host divinations spells should a competent group mange to set up the required spell work to cast such spells from safe locations. I have split Durotar into four different regions and excluded Orgrimmar from my report as the city requires one of its own. The one major ley line runs from Orgrimmar south to Razor Hill and then splits into several smaller lines south of Razor Hill. The settlements of the Valley of Trials and Razor Hills are ley line nexuses, where one or more ley lines converge.

The Echo Isles
The Echo Isles is the home of the Darkspear troll tribe. They are situated directly off the South-East part of Durotar. The ley lines around the Echo Isles were the hardest to get information about; this is due to the Darkspears having several people on the isles skilled in the arcane arts. From what I could gather the ley lines are commonly used by the trolls and it would be difficult to use the ley lines to actively spy on isles without notice. If we could get some Alliance magi close enough to the isles without detection, one of the outlying and unpopulated isles would be the best option, and given enough time, I am certain that they could tap into the ley lines in and around the isles and report on the activities of the trolls. In my opinion, the resources needed to accomplish such a task would be better used elsewhere where success is more likely.



South Durotar
Southern Durotar contains the settlements known as Sen’jin Village and the Valley of Trials, it also contains Tiragarde Keep, which was once used by Kul Tiras to harass and spy on the Horde with some success. It is my opinion that the small valley to the south of the Valley of Trials and west of Sen’jin Village will provide the best area to access the ley lines to spy on the previously mentioned locations. As with the trolls of the Echo Isles, Sen’jin Village could provide some difficulty of divining without notice,  though if spying on Sen’jin is seen as necessary the best option would be to access the small ley lines, from the aforementioned valley, that lead underneath Sen’jin. The divining would not be ideal and could be misleading if the trolls catch wind of it. On the other hand the Valley of Trials is where the orcs train many of their up and coming soldiers. Spying on the Valley by magical as opposed to physical means would not only save resources better spent elsewhere it would also be far less risky as detection from the orcs. There are several small ley lines that loop around the valley and meet right underneath the settlement there. Accessing one of the ley lines would give diviners access to the whole valley with absolute clarity. It is my belief that the orcs won’t notice and if they do it will take them some time to block the diviners as they would have to call in someone from outside the valley.



Central Durotar
​ Unfortunately based on what I was told the ley lines around Razor Hill and the nearby watershed have been weakened by the cataclysm and the damage it brought to the area. The only ley line of any use would be the major line previously discussed that runs through Razor Hill right along a road that leads to Orgrimmar. Attempts to access it by Alliance magi would prove to be unwise as capture and death is almost certain.



North Durotar
North Durotar is almost impossible to access by member of the Alliance due to all the military buildup, but there are a few key places where access to the ley lines could prove useful and possible. A contact in Ratchet informed me that an area known as Thunder Ridge was once home to a coven of warlocks who used the ley lines running from the ridge to Orgrimmar to contact other members of the coven within the city. I cannot personally confirm this as true, but if it is, it would be a huge asset for the Alliance to tap into the ley lines in the ridge and use the magics left behind by the warlocks to spy on the city. It also appears the Thunder Ridge was flooded by the cataclysm. If an operation is undertaken there it would be necessary to bring along breathing apparatuses or magi who can use under water breathing spells. The other ley line of use runs from Orgrimmar, south east to an area called Deadeye Shore, before turning abruptly to the North and running up the coast to Azshara. Accessing the ley line at Azshara would prove to be useless as it becomes too strained with all the remnants of Highbourne magic. The best course of action would be to access it at Deadeye Shore. The area is rather deserted and I see no problems any possible team could encounter. The only reason I offer this suggestion is because the Thunder Ridge ley line is stronger and therefore better suited to the purpose of intelligence gathering.