Storm Peaks: Thorim, Hodir and Dwarven Origins

The story of the Storm Peaks is the story of the titans in Northrend: Ulduar stands there, Thorim mourns the death of Sif there, and the Sons of Hodir guard Dun Niffelem there. It is also where Brann Bronzebeard discovers that the dwarves came from the earthen.

In WotLK 3.3.5a, the Storm Peaks are a level 77–80 zone in northeast Northrend. Almost everything there requires a flying mount.

What are the Storm Peaks in the story of WotLK?

When the titans ordered Azeroth, Odyn had the Forge of Wills installed in these mountains, the forge that created the earthen. Later, the Keepers raised Ulduar there. The fortress was the main stronghold of the titan-forged and, at the same time, the prison of Yogg-Saron.

The highest peak in the zone is the highest point in Northrend. On it stands the Temple of Storms, Thorim's home.

When the player arrives, the Keepers are gone. In the quest "Fate of the Titans" (Alliance), you visit the temples of Mimir, Hodir, Freya and Tyr. All of them are empty.

This post covers the quests and lore of the zone. For the raid, see the Ulduar raid guide.

Who's who in the Storm Peaks

| Name | Who they are | | --- | --- | | Thorim | Keeper of storms. Lives in the Temple of Storms. | | Loken | Thorim's brother, corrupted by Yogg-Saron. Rules Ulduar. | | Hodir | Keeper of winter. Imprisoned in Ulduar. | | King Jokkum | King of the Sons of Hodir, son of Arngrim. | | Hyldnir | Tribe of frost vrykul who serve Thorim. | | Brann Bronzebeard | Dwarf explorer chasing the origin of his people. | | King Yorg Stormheart | King of the Frostborn. In truth, Muradin. |

How it begins: the goblins of K3

The way in is K3, a goblin town in the south of the zone. The goblins came for the region's titan machines.

One of their expeditions was building a transmission tower in the mountains when the Hyldnir attacked. The vrykul took all the men and let the women go. Gretchen Fizzlespark asks for help: her brother, Zeev, is among the captives.

The "They Took Our Men!" chain looks like a simple rescue. In fact, it is the start of the Sons of Hodir storyline.

Who are the Hyldnir?

The Hyldnir are the main tribe of frost vrykul in the Storm Peaks. They are also called the Brunnhildar, after their village, Brunnhildar Village. Their society is matriarchal. The men become slaves in the Forlorn Mine.

They serve Thorim and fight the Sons of Hodir in his name. They refused the Lich King. The sisters of Valkyrion, however, betrayed the tribe and capture proto-drakes for the Scourge.

A vrykul prisoner, Lok'lira, helps you free Zeev. Then she convinces you to enter the Hyldsmeet, disguised as a Hyldnir. It is the tournament that decides who will rule at Thorim's side. The fights are on polar bear mounts, in the Pit of the Fang.

The final test is "The Drakkensryd". You fly a proto-drake to the Temple of Storms and fight with a harpoon. At the end, you meet Thorim. He says: "Sif... is that you?"

Thorim, Sif and Loken's betrayal

In "Sibling Rivalry", Thorim tells his own story. He guarded Ulduar, the Terrace of the Makers and the pacts with the frost giants.

Then Loken, corrupted by Yogg-Saron, killed Sif. He then made Thorim believe the culprit was Arngrim, king of the frost giants and his friend.

Thorim hurled his hammer, Krolmir, at Arngrim, who was fighting a clan of frost dwarves. The blast killed everyone nearby and froze the scene forever. The place became Thunderfall. In his last act, Arngrim put a rune on the hammer so no enemy could take it.

Thorim realized his mistake too late. He spent thousands of years motionless on his throne. Loken kept Ulduar. Loken's fall has its own post: Loken's betrayal.

The Sons of Hodir and the reconciliation

The Sons of Hodir are a clan of frost giants. They live in Dun Niffelem, a fortress of ice and iron chains in the Valley of Ancient Winters. They treat Hodir as father and creator. Their king is Jokkum, son of Arngrim.

Thorim needs his old allies to retake the Terrace of the Makers. In "Mending Fences", he sends you to kill Fjorn and the iron giants besieging Dun Niffelem. Then come "A Spark of Hope" and "Forging an Alliance". In "Krolmir, Hammer of Storms", Jokkum gives the hammer back to Thorim.

Arngrim remains in Dun Niffelem, as a spirit that is always hungry.

In the endgame, the Sons of Hodir sell the WotLK shoulder enchants. See the Sons of Hodir reputation guide and the shoulder enchants.

The Reckoning: how Loken captured Thorim

With Krolmir in hand, Thorim advances on his brother's forces in "The Terrace of the Makers", "Loken's Lackeys" and "The Earthen Oath".

In "The Reckoning", he asks you to just watch: "You will not aid me -- this is personal." The two fight on a bridge near the Temple of Wisdom, southwest of Ulduar.

Loken wins. He captures Thorim and has him taken, along with the proto-drake Veranus, to Ulduar. Then he reveals the trap: he lured Thorim out of the temple, where his brother was strongest. To do it, he used the form of Lok'lira.

Jokkum swears revenge. In the Halls of Lightning, Stormherald Eljrrin gives "Diametrically Opposed", to kill Volkhan, and "Whatever it Takes!", to kill Loken.

In Ulduar, Yogg-Saron tries to drive Thorim mad, and Veranus becomes Razorscale. Hodir is imprisoned there too, serving the Old God. When the raid breaks that control, the two agree to help. More in Ulduar, the Titan Keepers and Yogg-Saron.

Brann Bronzebeard and the origin of the dwarves

Brann is looking for a key in two halves: Norgannon's Shell and Norgannon's Core. The first is in the Inventor's Library. There, the console greets the disc with "Welcome back, Keeper Mimir." In the Horde version, when Brann joins the halves, the guardian of the Temple of Invention says: "Go to Ulduar and learn the answers to your questions."

The answer comes in the Halls of Stone. Brann asks for an escort to the Tribunal of Ages, an archive Loken created to replace the Discs of Norgannon, stolen from Ulduar. Three stone faces, Kaddrak, Abedneum and Marnak, tell the story while you protect Brann.

What the archive says:

• The Old Gods left the earthen defenseless against assimilation. Brann calls it the Curse of Flesh.
• The Makers contained the threat inside the world, because destroying it would destroy Azeroth.
• The storm and earth giants, the Aesir and Vanir, went to war. The archive points to Loken as the source of the conflict.
• Loken put several "seed races" into stasis: earthen, giants and vrykul.

Brann concludes: the earthen woke up already changed and had become "proper dwarves". In other words, the dwarves descend from the earthen.

But the archive is flawed. Loken altered history to hide his own crimes. To see the curse in other races, read The Curse of Flesh: Yogg-Saron and mortals.

Frosthold: the king who was Muradin

For the Alliance, the center is Frosthold, the city of the Frostborn, the frost dwarves. According to Velog Icebellow, they descend from the earthen of Northrend. Unlike the iron dwarves, they made friends with the Explorers' League.

Archaeologist Andorin's chain runs from "On Brann's Trail" to "The Brothers Bronzebeard". At the end, you escort Brann to Frosthold. There, he recognizes King Yorg Stormheart: it is Muradin, the brother believed dead, with his memory in pieces.

Magni arrives from Ironforge. Muradin swears to face Arthas, leaves his Storm Hammer with Fjorlin Frostbrow and departs. Velog becomes the new king. More about the family in the Bronzebeard clan: Magni, Muradin and Brann.

And the Horde in the Storm Peaks?

Grom'arsh Crash-Site is a camp in the wreckage of a goblin zeppelin. There, Boktar Bloodfury starts "The Missing Bronzebeard", and the Horde also helps Brann with the key.

Camp Tunka'lo is a taunka village high in the east. Its chain tells the story of Stormhoof, a hero who faced the elemental North Wind and fell before winning. The North Wind rewrote history to paint him as an executed rebel.

For both sides, Bouldercrag's Refuge shelters earthen driven out of Ulduar. They fight the Stormforged, Loken's iron dwarves, who also came from the Forge of Wills. The chain ends in "The Iron Colossus".

Where to see it in WotLK

• K3 (40, 85): Gretchen Fizzlespark and "They Took Our Men!".
• Brunnhildar Village (48, 69): the Hyldsmeet and the Pit of the Fang.
• Temple of Storms: Thorim, "Sibling Rivalry" and "Mending Fences".
• Dun Niffelem (64, 58): King Jokkum, Arngrim and Lillehoff, the Sons of Hodir quartermaster.
• Frosthold (29, 73): Alliance, up to "The Brothers Bronzebeard".
• Grom'arsh Crash-Site (35, 49) and Camp Tunka'lo (64, 52): Horde.
• Bouldercrag's Refuge (31, 38): the exiled earthen.
• Halls of Stone (77–79): Brann and the Tribunal of Ages.
• Halls of Lightning (79–80): Volkhan and Loken.
• Ulduar (raid): Razorscale, Hodir, Thorim and Yogg-Saron.

If you are leveling now, see the best zones for rushing levels and the quick guide to Halls of Stone and Halls of Lightning.

Read more:

• WoW History: Wrath of the Lich King
• Keepers and Watchers
• Northrend beyond Arthas

Frequently asked questions

Who killed Sif?

Loken, Thorim's brother, corrupted by Yogg-Saron. He blamed Arngrim, and Thorim attacked the giant king with Krolmir.

Do the dwarves come from the earthen?

Yes. At the Tribunal of Ages, Brann discovers that the earthen came out of stasis changed and became dwarves. But the archive was altered by Loken.

Who are the Sons of Hodir?

A clan of frost giants from Dun Niffelem, led by King Jokkum. In the game, they sell the WotLK shoulder enchants.

Is Muradin alive in WotLK?

Yes. He is King Yorg Stormheart, of Frosthold. Brann recognizes him in "The Brothers Bronzebeard", an Alliance quest.