Old Haunts: Agamand Mills
I’ve been running around in Tirisfal Glades the last few days, as part of a secret RP project that will be revealed within the next week. In doing so, I came across the quests that bring you to Agamand Mills. The Agamand family owned a prosperous farmstead, and when the Scourge came, they ordered their farmhands to stay and defend. Many did. The youngest Agamand, Devlin, betrayed the family and its workers, slaying guards in the dead of night so the Scourge could infiltrate.
The story itself is one of desperation as the Scourge closed in, in those first days of the plague’s spread through Lordaeron. What I noticed as my little deader shambled his way through the area, though, was how gorgeous it was.
Yes, it’s gloomy and dark and overrun by ghouls and skeletons, but the mills themselves, especially backlit by moonlight (as you can see in this flickr photoset), have an eerie kind of beauty about them. The windmills stretch up into the night, the fields between them lie fallow. While I think Elwynn Forest is one of the best put-together starting zones quest-wise, and while Azuremyst and Eversong are gorgeous in their own rights, I find Tirisfal to be the most visually stunning of the starter zones.
It might be that I’m slightly morbid; I’ll grant you that.
But here you are, looking on a countryside that’s been ravaged by plague. You’re travelling through a dead kingdom, and through the place where the brightest hope for humanity became its worst nightmare. An immense sadness permeates the zone, but at the same time — especially when you reach Brill — there’s a stony defiance, too, a sense that its inhabitants will not only rebuild, but thrive.
Comparing Brill to Goldshire (and yes, leaving out the catgirl factor), I can’t help but feel that more care was put into Brill. Goldshire is comprised of a handful of buildings right on top of one another. Brill has its own main thoroughfare, including stables and a town hall. Even its cemetery is impressive.
This evening I’ll get some screenshots up for you, but for now, I’m going to recommend you experience it for yourself, especially if you’ve never played a Forsaken. Go take a ride through Tirisfal, or even better, a stroll. Range northwest of Brill, to the Agamand Mills. Go due north, to the coast and look out over the sea. To the east, pause at the forgotten grave of Archbishop Alonsus Faol.
One caveat, of course. Brill looks amazing all decorated for the holiday, but since Hallow’s End is going on, you’re going to hear the Headless Horseman’s shouts all the time. If that’s going to drive you crazy, I’d suggest either turning off in-game sounds or waiting until after the pumpkins and wickermen are packed away for another year.
Filed in Forsaken,Horde,Lore,PVE,RP,World of Warcraft 4 Comments so far
Arrens on 20 Oct 2009 at 10:49 am #
There’s a reason I’ve stated that Tirisfal is my favorite starting zone. And that’s it, exactly. The mood that resonates throughout is in stark contrast to the quests and the way the NPCs talk. Their defiance in the face of the doom & gloom is what appealed to me when I first created my rogue and what causes me to keep re-rolling Undead characters.
Anna on 20 Oct 2009 at 11:08 am #
Tirisfal is one of my favorite starting zones as well (and I also have a long standing love of Duskwood) for the same reason. It manages to be gritty and real, but also visually well put together. The atmosphere just works for the forsaken, and I love it.
ZombiePirate on 21 Oct 2009 at 5:00 am #
After reading all that I was all set for taking out my newly created but never played Forsaken Warlock out for her first forays into Darkshire, yet then you reminded me it’s Hallow’s End and therefore my Priest may have things she wants to do.
Corise on 21 Oct 2009 at 12:52 pm #
Tirisfal was the third starting zone I ever saw, after Elwynn and Dun Morogh, and it left the strongest impression on me. It’s quite pretty, in a spooky sort of way, and the mood is both pervasive and affecting. I remember starting an undead warlock in my first days of WoW and watching Brill appear in the distance as I walked down the road; it’s hard to explain the feeling, but it was like a beacon of meager comfort in the confusing and otherwise comfortless existence of my newly-awakened Forsaken. The NPCs were mostly brusque and unfeeling, extending few words of genuine sympathy, and yet there was a sense of camaraderie, as well; they’d all gone through it before, too, and one day, I’d be like them. We all shared the same curse, but we were all going to find strength and unity in it.