Harrogath
Background
In Lord of Destruction Harrogath is a city in the frozen north, situated on the slopes of Mt. Arreat. It is located in the Barbarian lands, and all of the NPCs are Barbarians of one type or another, though they are hospitable to characters of other classes as well, once they've proved their worth.
Harrogath was a town at the foot of Mount Arreat forming one of the last barriers of defence. It was the safe town area of Act 5, and withstood the host of Baal when the elders (except Nihlathak) sacrificed themselves casting a forbidden druid spell which blocked demonic energies from entering. However, it was later destroyed in the powers unleashed by the shattering of the Worldstone.
Destruction of Harrogath
One confusing aspect of the destruction of Harrogath [1], is that even though it was apparently destroyed by the Worldstone, at the end of Diablo 2 you can go back and talk to the people about it. They seem relatively happy about the outcome, although there is more than a little confusion about the imminent destruction of the Worldstone:
- "You have done the impossible, hero. Your defeat of the last of the three prime evils is a great victory for the light. Strange that you say the Worldstone must be destroyed. The prophecy said nothing about that. Perhaps all we have fought for will be lost. Or, perhaps, we will never need fight again." - Anya, Diablo 2x final speech
This is at the heart of the controversy about Tyrael. In any case, no-one seems to be evacuating the city, so we can only assume that no-one knew it would explode. On the other hand, we know of at least two survivors of the destruction of the city - the Barbarian, and Cain, so maybe the mountain exploded in parts, and the residents had time to evacuate through a portal or waypoint.
Reference
[1] The Return of Harrogath? [Blizzard Post - 10 October 2009]
