Unrefined Ore Sample

South of the Barrens, within the canyon walls of Thousand Needles, a clan of kobolds known as the Gravelsnout burrow endlessly through stone and earth. Travelers returning north through the Barrens brought word of a curious mineral discovered among the slain vermin—an unrefined ore unlike the standard veins found across Kalimdor. While the travelers refused to surrender their prize to the Horde, the subterranean diggers and surveyors of Thousand Needles carry raw chunks of the stone straight from their excavations.

In Camp Taurajo, the weaponsmith Tatternack Steelforge labours directly under orders from Warchief Thrall to develop stronger armaments for the Horde. Tatternack was infuriated by travelers who hoarded knowledge of the deposit, deeming it an insult to the Horde's war effort. By securing a raw sample of the mineral, Steelforge aims to test its tensile strength and temper, hoping to smelt it down and fashion a prototype blade worthy of Orgrimmar's approval.