On the northern coast of Lordaeron lies the eerie Tirisfal Glades. The unofficial kingdom to the Forsaken, servants of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, the wooded hills are seeped through with the curse of the Lich King's plague. The sky over Tirisfal is eternally gloomy and tinted a blighted green, and the trees and other flora desperately cling to their last shreds of life.
Although tainted and melancholy, Tirisfal still very much has its own unique, haunting beauty, particularly in such areas as the stony North Coast, the village of Brill, and the deep atmosphere of the ruined Agamand Mills.
Tirisfal Glades is home not only to the Forsaken, but to their enemies as well. The Scarlet Crusade has several outposts here, including the seat of their religious faith, the Scarlet Monastery. The minions of the Scourge are also ever present, tainting the derelict farmsteads and dilapidated mills with their foul presence.
The region that would come to be known as Tirisfal was first inhabited by Dragonflayer clan vrykul fleeing King Ymiron, who had ordered his people to destroy the fleshy children they had begun to give birth to humans.
The keepers Tyr, Archaedas, and Ironaya later passed through the region, having stolen the Discs of Norgannon from keeper Loken. They were leading groups of vrykul, mechagnomes, and earthen to the safety of the south, far from Loken's wrath. They were attacked by Zakazj and Kith'ix, two C'Thraxxi sent by Loken. While Archaedas and Ironaya continued south, Tyr held them off in a great battle that lasted for a straight week.
Tyr sacrificed himself to save his friends and allies, expending his life in a cataclysmic explosion that killed himself and Zakazj, and grievously wounded Kith'ix, who fled. The other keepers and a group of titan-forged returned to the site to see what had happened, and found the bodies of Tyr and Zakazj. They were buried together where they had died, and Tyr's massive silver hand was set atop the burial place.
The region was named Tyr's Fall (or Tirisfal in the vrykul language), and many grateful vrykul stayed behind to watch over the hand and the area until the end of their days.
The Tirisfal Glades were the landing place of the Highborne (later high elves) led by Dath'Remar Sunstrider after the night elves exiled them from Kalimdor. Forging inland, the high elves founded a settlement within the tranquil Tirisfal Glades. After a few years, many of them began to go mad. It was theorized that something evil slept beneath that particular part of the world.
In truth, the madness was caused by the chaotic mixture of residual light and shadow energies created by the bodies of Tyr and Zakazj buried beneath their feet. The Highborne were never able to discover the exact cause of their afflictions, and they later packed up their encampment and moved northward towards another land rich with ley energies, Quel'thalas.