The Blasted Lands lay at the southernmost end of the Eastern Kingdoms. They had not originally borne that name, but a series of later events had led to the change. In that respect, they were much like the Eastern and Western Plaguelands: both had been renamed after suffering devastation caused by others.
The climate here was dry and hot during the day, but bitterly cold at night. Mountains blocked the moisture from the Swamp of Sorrows to the north, and no rivers flowed through this land. Sometimes storms from the sea struck the eastern coast, but their sudden rainfall merely washed over the surface before returning to the ocean.
The light of a portal shimmered.
A hazy purple vortex appeared out of thin air above the red earth.
Rex stepped slowly out of the portal.
The discussions at the Alliance assembly had gone exceptionally smoothly, and its many members had soon reached a consensus. Whatever came of Medivh's prophecy, no one opposed restoring Nethergarde Keep.
With Varian and King Genn pushing the matter forward, each kingdom had also sent a force to garrison Nethergarde Keep.
However, rather than the ten thousand troops per kingdom Rex had expected, each had sent only a thousand.
Together with the keep's existing guards, they brought the total to ten thousand soldiers.
Rex had hesitated over this outcome, but ultimately accepted it. Ten thousand would be enough to begin with. Even if something drastic happened at the Dark Portal and demons poured out after it opened, they could not destroy ten thousand men in an instant.
As long as the defenders held out long enough to send word, reinforcements would soon arrive.
With the archmages' portals at his disposal, Rex now felt thoroughly confident.
During the previous surprise attack on Darrowshire, transporting several thousand troops