Pandaria is a legendary place of bambus forests[citation needed] and the mysterious pandaren of the Pandaren Empire located in the southern oceans of Azeroth, somewhat mirroring Northrend in location. Shrouded in fog by Shaohao using Sheilun, Staff of the Mists since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of indigenous races and exotic creatures. It is the homeland of the enigmatic pandaren, a race that celebrates life to the fullest even while under siege by an ancient menace.