Deadwind Pass is a contested zone located in central Azeroth, joining the southeastern reaches of the Kingdom of Stormwind (via Duskwood) from the east to the Swamp of Sorrows (and, eventually, the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands) from the west. It was, a score of years ago, considered a part of the Redridge Mountains.

The Ivory Tower of Karazhan, once the dark wizard Medivh's seat of power, stands in the center of this jagged region and leaks evil magic into the land. The trees are petrified and leafless, and a terrible wind keens through the canyon. Ogres, demons, undead and a few human gypsies roam the interior. Deadwind Pass connects Duskwood and the Swamp of Sorrows, and travelers are advised to move quickly whispers tell that a new force has claimed the Ivory Tower, and that the ogres and demons are under its sway.

The tower's builders have been lost to time, but surely they were great and terrible people to have built such a foreboding and yet magnificent structure. Medivh was sought out and killed during the First War, and the tower has since been apparently abandoned, though unknown dangers yet lurk within.

It is unclear who murdered all the villagers in the southern part of the chasm. It may have been Medivh or some force he summoned. Another theory states that it was the Black Riders, who have a hunger for death and seek to obtain the dangerous Scythe of Elune for their own purposes.

Deadwind Pass is another region of the continent of Azeroth dominated by evil magic. It sits in the very middle of Azeroth and connects Duskwood and the Swamp of Sorrows. The Ivory Spire of Karazhan, once the seat of Medivh, still stands. It leaks corrupting magic, destroying the region's flora. A foul wind constantly blows across the decimated canyon, giving it the name Deadwind. Although Deadwind does have a handful of inhabitants, few run across them.

The fates of many people in Azeroth and the surrounding continents were forged here. Medivh made his home here and planned the Dark Portal's creation and opening. His evil is felt in this region more strongly than anywhere else, the land corrupted with the foul taint of his magic. Currently, the pass has little significance. People move through quickly, wishing to avoid ogres, undead and demons. It is rumored that the attacking monsters do not kill those they capture, but take them back to the tower.