The newly formed ground might have been barren igneous rock, but at least it was clean soil, with no plague to poison the elves upon it.
Before the war began, Patrick had made it clear that Andorhal would belong exclusively to the Forsaken, or rather, the Horde. As such, he also needed to secure exclusive blood elf ownership of Caer Darrow Island. This was a perfectly reasonable demand, and the Banshee Queen had agreed.
Throughout the Battle of the Western Plague Lands, the Forsaken had contributed very little. They had watched Patrick lead the allied forces hither and thither, while their soldiers mostly cleared the area and cleaned up the battlefields.
Caer Darrow Island occupied an important geographical position at the junction of the Eastern and Western Plaguelands and the Hillsbrad Foothills. It was a strategic hub for all three regions and could form a connected defensive line with Undercity to the west and the Ghostlands to the east, allowing complete control over the Eastern Plaguelands, the Western Plaguelands, and Tirisfal Glades.
Meanwhile, Lake Darrowmere covered an enormous area and connected to three rivers. The Thondroril River divided the Eastern and Western Plaguelands, while the Tarren Mill River connected directly to the sea. The last, the Andorhal River, flowed east from the Alterac Mountains into Lake Darrowmere. The city of Andorhal, the former Kingdom of Lordaeron's transportation hub, stood on its northern bank.
During the Second War, the Lake Darrowmere region had been an important defensive stronghold for the Alliance of Lordaeron's fleet. Admiral Daelin Proudmoore had stationed substantial forces in these waters, indicating that the deepest channels throughout the Darrowmere river system could accommodate the draft of large warships. Although the orcish "fleet" of the Second War had received help from goblins, it had amounted to little more than