Atop the Woodlands

Objective: Kill Lieutenant Ta’zinni in the Lothalor Woodlands, loot the Ley Line Focus Control Amulet, and use it on the Ley Line Focus. Return to Modera.

Quick Facts

• Location: Lothalor Woodlands, southeast of Stars’ Rest [~32, 72]
• Chain Position: 4th quest in the ley line investigation chain. Follows The Focus on the Beach. Leads to Search Indu’le Village.
• Do Alongside: Strengthen the Ancients (from Sarendryana at Stars’ Rest). Same area, same trip. Pick it up before heading out.

Walkthrough

Travel to the Lothalor Woodlands

• From Stars’ Rest, head southeast. You’ll see a path leading into the woods around [28, 66]. Follow the path uphill through the treeline. The area is dense with Dragonblight Mage Hunters and Arcane Serpents (flying arcane wyrms). Modera’s warning that “those woods are very dangerous” is not an exaggeration. The mob density is high, especially for melee classes who can accidentally pull multiple packs.
• The Ley Line Focus (the arch-like structure) and Lieutenant Ta’zinni are at approximately [32, 72].

Kill Lieutenant Ta’zinni

• Lieutenant Ta’zinni is a level 72 troll who patrols in a circle around the Ley Line Focus with a single Dragonblight Mage Hunter escort. Clear any nearby mobs before engaging so you don’t get overwhelmed.
• Abilities: Frostfire Bolt (ranged damage with 40% movement slow plus a fire DoT over 9 seconds) and Dragon’s Breath (frontal cone fire damage with 3-second disorient). Melee should stay behind him when possible to avoid Dragon’s Breath. The Frostfire Bolt slow can make kiting or escaping adds difficult, so engage when you have a clean pull.
• Aggro quote: “Ya shouldn’a taken the boat north, mon!”
• Death quote: “Ah, Deino, mah sistah. Ta’zinni die now.” (References his sister Deino in Orgrimmar.)
• Respawn timer: Approximately 2 minutes.

Loot the Amulet

• Loot the Ley Line Focus Control Amulet from his corpse. Like the ring from the previous quest, the amulet may not visually appear in the loot window, but should be in your bags. It’s a 100% drop rate while on the quest.

Use the Amulet on the Focus

• Stand near the Ley Line Focus arch (same location where Ta’zinni patrols) and use the amulet from your inventory. Wait a few seconds for the quest completion message.
• The amulet channels information that reveals the ley line energy is being used to empower the mage hunter forces, and that the power continues to flow eastward.

Return to Stars’ Rest

• Report to the Image of Archmage Modera. Her reaction is telling: the mage hunters are being empowered by the redirected ley line energy, but she notes they aren’t that powerful. This means the real use of the redirected magic must be at its final destination, wherever the ley line terminates. The investigation pushes eastward with Search Indu’le Village.

Companion Quest: Strengthen the Ancients

• Strengthen the Ancients from Sarendryana at Stars’ Rest takes place in the same Lothalor Woodlands. You talk to Woodlands Walker treants (they turn hostile), kill them for Bark, then use the Bark on friendly Lothalor Ancients to heal them.
• The ancients are being corrupted by the arcane wyrms that have risen from the ground due to the blue dragonflight’s ley line tampering. Grab this quest before heading to the woods to avoid a second trip.

Lore Context

Lieutenant Ta’zinni’s story mirrors Captain Emmy Malin’s from the previous quest.

He’s a troll mage coerced into Malygos’s service under threat to his family, specifically his sister Deino. His death quote makes his situation painfully clear. However, unlike the Alliance version where Emmy’s letter gives her story voice, Ta’zinni’s letter does not drop for Alliance players.

Alliance players only witness his death quote as a hint at his tragedy. The full letter (addressed to Deino, vowing to protect her family and sabotage the blue dragonflight from within) is exclusive to Horde players doing their version of this quest chain.

The Lothalor Woodlands represent the collateral environmental damage of the Nexus War. The blue dragonflight’s ley line manipulation has corrupted the ancients, spawned arcane wyrms from the ground, and turned a once-peaceful forest into a dangerous war zone. 

Easter Egg

• Ta’zinni’s sister Deino is a mage trainer in Orgrimmar’s Valley of Spirits. Classic WoW Horde players who trained under her will recognize the name when they hear Ta’zinni’s dying words.
• After Horde players complete the letter quest, visiting Deino in Orgrimmar reveals new dialogue where she cries and thanks you personally.