Stemming the Aggressors

Quest Giver: Glorthal Stiffbeard — Frosthold, Storm Peaks [29, 75]

Objective: Kill 8 Frostfeather Screechers and 8 Frostfeather Witches.

Quick Facts

• Requires: Level 77, completion of Missing Scouts
• Chain: Offering Thanks → Missing Scouts → Stemming the Aggressors → Sirana Iceshriek

Walkthrough

Fly north from Frosthold into the harpy-infested valleys. Both mob types are abundant among the Frostfeather harpy camps in the valleys north and east of Frosthold, concentrated around Rohemdal Pass [~28, 71].

They’re densely packed, so you won’t have trouble finding enough of each type. Clear a path through the area and you’ll hit 8/8 on both before long.

Frostfeather Screechers use Piercing Screech, a short-range Shadow damage AoE (~147 damage). Frostfeather Witches cast Coldwind Blast, a ranged Nature damage nuke. Neither is particularly dangerous solo, but pulling multiples of both types at once can stack up, especially if a Witch gets free casts off while a Screecher is in melee range.

Do Alongside: Baby Stealers from Fjorlin Frostbrow (also at Frosthold). That quest sends you to collect 15 Stormcrest Eagle Eggs from nests scattered through the same harpy camps.

Note that Baby Stealers requires Loyal Companions from the same NPC first, and the egg nests around [33, 66] sit north of the harpy valleys rather than inside them, so plan a loop rather than expecting perfect overlap.

Bestiary: The Frostfeather Harpies

The Frostfeather are a matriarchy of black-plumaged harpies that nest throughout Rohemdal Pass and Bor’s Breath in the Storm Peaks.

Their current leader, Sirana Iceshriek, has been spurring them into increasingly aggressive raids against the Frostborn of Frosthold and the Stormcrest Eagles that share their territory. The harpies have developed a taste for eagle flesh, stealing eggs and raising the hatchlings as food.

All harpies in Warcraft descend from the Wild God Aviana, the Ancient Guardian of winged creatures and mistress of the Mother Tree G’Hanir. Aviana was slain fighting demons during the War of the Ancients 10,000 years before WotLK’s events.

Without their divine matriarch, her children gradually descended into violence and savagery, forsaking Aviana for darker masters or simply going feral. By the time players encounter them in Northrend, harpy matriarchies are scattered across Azeroth from Durotar to Teldrassil to the Storm Peaks, each one hostile and territorial.

The Frostfeather are one of the northernmost harpy groups in the game, adapted to the extreme conditions of the Storm Peaks. Their two combat castes reflect the typical harpy division between physical fighters (Screechers) and spellcasters (Witches), a pattern seen in matriarchies across every continent.

Cross-Expansion: Aviana was resurrected during the Cataclysm expansion at Mount Hyjal, where players help defend her shrine from both fire elementals and her own corrupted harpy children. In Legion, the Burning Legion stole the Idol of Aviana and attempted to corrupt harpies into fel servants to assault Dalaran.

Some Highmountain harpies also fell under the whispers of the Old God N’Zoth. Despite Aviana’s return, most harpy matriarchies (including the Frostfeather) never reconciled with their progenitor and remain hostile to this day.

Lore Context

Glorthal’s quest text reveals the Frostborn have beaten the harpies back “more times than I can remember,” suggesting a long cycle of conflict. This latest surge is different because Sirana Iceshriek is actively organizing the attacks rather than allowing typical territorial squabbles.

His completion text: “Now what was the name the scout mentioned… Sirana?”

This connects back to the dying Frostborn Scout from Missing Scouts, who named Sirana with his last breath.

Explore the Storm Peaks’ hidden easter eggs, lore mysteries, and connections across Warcraft history in Vikstone’s Storm Peaks Chronicles, along with the complete quest storyline.