#the underbog

[garreef]

🎮 The Underbog | Dungeon Entrance & Location | WoW TBC

[beenerdilyandthewow-blog]

The Underbog

[handmaidenoftheempress]

Fish Fridays Feature: Illidan’s Naga--Overseer Tidewrath and the Wrathfin Naga

[[ Image source: Wowwiki

((This is the second time I’ve posted this feature a day late--perhaps I should rename this to “Sea Cucumber Saturdays” ><))

Overseer Tidewrath was originally a boss of The Underbog dungeon during the beta and the first months of the release of The Burning Crusade. He was removed quite early on after the expansion came out. He and his naga were  meant to oversee the installation of a home for a formidable Hydra named Ghaz’an. Initlally, if the player ascended near  to his position and was able to see him, Ghaz’an would climb the platforms and eat him. If, however, the player reached him before the Hydra, he was killable and dropped decent loot for players at his level. After his removal from the Underbog, Ghaz’an became the sole part of the fight. Tidewrath now no longer exists as an NPC in World of Warcraft.

     The naga led by Overseer Tidewrath are known as the Wrathfin tribe, and appear to have the specific task of carving a niche in the Underbog, a place teeming with various wildlife native to Zangarmarsh, in order to create a home for Ghaz’an. Like the Bloodscale and the Darkcrest Naga, their presence threatens the denizens of Zangarmarsh, especially the the delicate ecosystem throughout the marsh and the Underbog.

     It is not known whether the Wrathfin were much affiliated with the Murkblood tribe of Broken, or their leader, Swamplord Musel’ek, who have taken up residence in the Underbog. It is speculated that the  Swamplord may have been an exiled Broken who had hidden with his tribe in the Underbog, and that the Murkblood themselves are either allies or slaves of the Lady Vashj, given their hostility to all other factions, and their presence in a dungeon which forms part of the Coilfang Reservoir complex. Swamplord Musel’ek appears as the second-last boss in the Underbog.

    As with the Bloodscale and the Darkcrest, the Wrathfin are part of Illidan’s Naga, and therefore it is safe to say that they were likely part of the Naga forces summoned by Illidan Stormrage, or sent by their Empress to him after the summoning. They would, therefore, have been a part of his task force during his assault on the forces of Maiev Shadowsong, in the Broken Isles. They would have fought with Illidan during his sacking of Magtheridons’  Black Citadel, as well as against Prince Arthas Menethil in Northrend. It is feasible that the Wrathfin also assisted Illidan’s  forces during many subsequent skirmishes in Outland, prior to the events of the Burning Crusade. It is unconfirmed, however, as to what degree Lady Vashj and the naga stationed in Zangarmarsh assisted Illidan during his struggles in Shadowmoon Valley after his loss to Arthas.

Fun Facts:

     In the quest “Lost In Action”, The player is required to find four lost members of the Cenarion Expedition, who were sent to discover the source of the steam pumps that drain the water from Zangarmarsh in the Coilfang Reservoir complex. Among them are the two druids Earthbinder Rayge, and Windcaller Claw. Upon finding Rayge, who is hiding in the Underbog, the player will learn that Swamplord Musel’ek, being a hunter, can control animals and thus caught Claw when he was in bear form, making him into his pet. The player then has to fight Claw in order to free him.

     The Hydra Ghaz’an, the second boss of the Underbog, has the abilities Acid Spit, Acid Breath, and Tail Whip, though the Acid Breath used to be a problem in Burning Crusade-era fights. The Acid Breath is a binary resist, (meaning a player can either fully resist it or take 100% damage), and is stackable up to ten times, which made the “Nature Resist” ability very helpful during the fight. The fight setup needed to be staged in a manner similar to that of the Onyxia encounter, due to players directly in front of Ghaz’an being vulnerable to breath attacks and players being vulnerable to being swiped off of the platform by his tail if they stood directly behind him.

     “Fish Fridays” is a look into the various Naga personalities that populate the waters of  Azeroth and Draenor, to gather all their histories and lore into one place, and to give our worthy readers a greater sense of the Naga world and the creatures Vashj often interacts with. Information is mostly gleaned from these sites: wowwiki, thottbot , wowhead , the world of warcraft tcg database, wowpedia, or my Warcraft roleplay books (apparently no longer seen as canon), artbooks and novels (copyright Blizzard Entertainment). ]]