Warcraft/Characters/The Horde

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Orgrim Doomhammer

"I rule the Horde now, Gul'dan. Not you, not your warlocks. Doomhammer alone. And there will be no more dishonor. No more treachery. No more deceit and lies!"

The second Warchief of the Horde, Doomhammer was originally the second-in-command of his chieftain and the previous leader, Blackhand. Doomhammer was among the only orc leaders who didn't drink demon blood during the corruption of his people, at the insistence of his good friend Durotan (the father of Thrall). After the First War and the original fall of Stormwind, Doomhammer was visited by the then-exiled Durotan, who wanted to steer the orcs to a better future, but was assassinated by Blackhand's sons. Doomhammer reacted by challenging the Warchief to single battle and killing him, thus becoming the chief himself.

In the ensuing Second War, Doomhammer led the Horde to take over Azeroth, knowing that their defiled homeworld of Draenor would never support their numbers anymore. He recruited allies such as forest trolls, ogres and goblins to match the might of the newly formed Alliance. After a long and bloody war, he was able to defeat the humans' Grand Marshal, Anduin Lothar, in battle, but was captured. While being hauled off to Lordaeron for a trial, Doomhammer escaped.

After years of hiding and running, the exiled Warchief met a young kid named Thrall, who showed optimism and idealism about the future of orckind. Together the two planned to free their people from the internment camps of the Alliance, and Doomhammer took the mantle of Warchief once again. During one skirmish, Doomhammer was run through from behind by a human lancer, and with his last words named Thrall the next Warchief.

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Tropes associated with Doomhammer:

• Ancestral Weapon: The Doomhammer.
• The Atoner: His role after he lost the war.
• Badass Normal: He didn't even drink demon blood, and yet stands out as one of the greatest orc warriors of the first two wars.
• Cool Old Guy: In Lord of the Clans.
• Drop the Hammer:He isn't called Doomhammer for no reason.
• The Horde: He led the Horde when it was still this trope.
• Obi Wan: To Thrall.
• Old Soldier
• Player Character: Doomhammer is the player in Warcraft I, for the orc campaign. There is no equivalent character for the human campaign, as the orcs canonically won.
• Weapon of Choice: The Doomhammer.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Current lore showed him as willing to kill of the human race in an attempt to secure a home for his endangered race.

Ner'zhul

"The other orcs are lost. They have served their purpose. All that we gain will be ours alone. I am the Horde, and I will survive. Choose me, or choose death."

Once the elder shaman of the orcs, Ner'zhul was the first among his kind to be contacted by Kil'jaeden of the Burning Legion. After being fooled for a while, he managed to see the truth and tried to undo the corruption he'd started. Unfortunately for him, his apprentice Gul'dan took over his position and role willingly. Years later, Ner'zhul led the nigh defeated orcs as warchief in the aftermath (expansion pack) of the Second War. After creating portals to other worlds, seeking to conquer them, he escaped the Alliance through one only to be caught by Kil'jaeden.

The demon lord ripped Ner'zhul to pieces, yet preventing him from dying. The orc eventually vowed to help the Legion create another army to attack Azeroth with in exchange for the promise of a new, healthy body. Ner'zhul was turned into the Lich King, beginning the existence of the Scourge.

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• Affably Evil: He is not exactly a Smug Snake...
• And I Must Scream: His apparent final fate, permanently trapped in a helpless spirit form within the Lich King's overall persona, thanks to the most recent Word of God (more of a shrug really) saying his story is finished after Wrath of the Lich King (which ended in Arthas' death, but not Ner'Zhul's, who no longer has a body to kill).
• Anti-Villain: He's actually something of a sympathetic character in Rise of the Horde.
• The Dragon: The Ogre mage Dentarg was his right hand when he was Ner'zhul. After he became the Lich King, Arthas took this role for him
• Fate Worse Than Death: What Kil'jaeden did to him after he escaped through a portal was not pretty.
• Older Than They Look: For an ancient orc, he looked like he was in pretty good shape.
• Start of Darkness: In the novel Beyond the Dark Portal.
• Unwitting Pawn: Manipulated by Kil'Jaeden, then betrayed by Gul'dan. Got his revenge in Warcraft III.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Just read the quote.
• What A Senseless Waste Of Orcish Life: In Beyond the dark portal (the game), he pointlessly causes many instances of Civil Warcraft that could have been easily been avoided. A good example being after finding out a Captain of the Bonechewer orc clan wears the skull of Gul'dan. Ner'zhul's response? Slaughter the entire clan.

Gul'dan

"I am Gul'dan...I am darkness incarnate. I will not be denied."

The ambitious pupil of Ner'zhul and betrayer of the orcs. Founder of the Shadow Council. Also the true leader of the Horde via his pawn Blackhand. Also the inventor of Death Knights.

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• Badass Boast: Subverted. The above quote is said after being mauled by demons and bleeding to death.
• Deceptive Disciple
• Evil Sorcerer: Obviously.
• Karmic Death: Dies alone realizing that in the end that he was simply a pawn all along, and without any power.
• It's All About Me
• The Orc Behind The Warchief: The power behind Blackhand.
• Skull Of Doom: Even after Death Gul'dan still manages to cause trouble. In fact his skull is a usable item by players in World of Warcraft.
• The Starscream: After he "submits" to Doomhammer he plans on betraying the usurping Warchief.
• Younger Than They Look: His white hair makes him elderly but he's actually in his middle age.

Zul'jin

This, is OUR LAND. You wanna stay here, you stay FOREVER. We gonna bury you here.

Infamous Forest Troll and chieftain of the Amani tribe. Before the Second War he had led several daring raids against the elves of Quel'thalas. During the Second War, he joined up with the Horde after being rescued. After the Horde's defeat though, he left and disappeared. Many years later, he appeared, again as leader of the Amani, turning out to have been captured by the High Elves and tortured. He opposes not only his old Alliance foes, but also the Horde for allying with the Blood Elves.

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• Badass Boast: In the Zul'Aman trailer.
• Badass Grandpa
• Eyepatch of Power: Well sorta, he lost his right eye, but doesn't use an eyepatch.
• Eye Scream: Yeowtch, we see how an elf is mere inches away from poking out his right eye before the scene changes.
• Final Exam Boss: Turns into each of the Amani loa in turn after a brief phase in his troll form, and each phase has different mechanics, from managing debuffs to dodging tornadoes to stacking and healing to burning him down.
• Handicapped Badass: Turned out that the elves captured and tortured him after the Second War, which is why he lost an eye, though the loss of the arm was self-inflicted.
• Life or Limb Decision: Cuts off his own arm to escape capture.
• Old Soldier
• Scarf of Asskicking
• Sequential Boss
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: When Zul'Aman was re-launched as a Level 85 Heroic instance, he was replaced by Daakara the Invincible. Daakara shares most of his abilities, with only a few minor changes to the mechanics, notably that instead of switching forms every time he loses 20%, he only switches at 80% and 40% health, either to a bear then an eagle, or a lynx then a dragonhawk.
• Too Many Belts

Thrall

"I may have been raised by humans, but I'm no fool."

The previous Warchief of the orcs, son of Durotan. Despite the orcs' background as a brutish people, Thrall is more cultured and sets a good example for his race, returning it from demon-worship to their old shamanistic ways. He doesn't like unnecessary war, but will fight when he has to. Unfortunately, the world at large doesn't seem ready for his idealism.

Thrall was found in the woods by a Lord Blackmoore after his parents were murdered. Having been put in charge of the defeated Orcs' internment at the end of the second war, he wanted to use them as his own personal army to conquer the Alliance, and thus began to shape Thrall to be the perfect puppet leader for his new Horde. He was given the name Thrall and placed into the care of a servant woman who recently lost her infant son.

The woman had a daughter named Taretha, who was more than happy to have another brother (even a green one), and remained close to Thrall, even in secret after he was taken from her. Meanwhile, Thrall learned the arts of war, not only as a gladiator, but as a tactician as well. But shortly after learning of his true self, he decided that he could no longer remain a slave, and escaped with Taretha's help.

Eventually, Thrall would find the interred Orcs, as well as the free Orcs led by Grom Hellscream and the Frostwolf clan. From the Frostwolves, he wold learn the ways of the Shaman, and eventually started to free the Orcs from their captivity. He eventually laid siege to Blackmoore's fortress where he learned that Taretha had been executed for helping him. Furious, Thrall stormed the keep, slew Blackmoore in battle, and razed the fortress to the ground.

Thall has recently stepped down as Warchief, handing the title to Garrosh Hellscream. Many players were unimpressed by this.

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Tropes associated with Thrall:

• The Alliance: His version of the Horde has actively moved away from its truly hord-ic past and into this.
• Appropriated Appellation: The name "thrall", a Common word meaning "slave", was given to him by Blackmoore so he would never forget what he was. Thrall kept the name so that when he would never forget what Blackmoore did to him.
• Badass Beard
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: Sort of. In Rage of the Firelands, Thrall's spirit is divided into four pieces, and each piece is sent into an Elemental Plane. The player and Aggra must go to all four planes and fight the elementals possessing his spirit. In each plane, Thrall is battling with his suppressed emotions, each element representing an emotion: doubt (wind), desire (water), patience (earth) and rage (fire). After restoring his spirit, he becomes whole again.
• Base Breaker: As of Cataclysm, DEFINITELY. Thrall has taken up a Messianic Archetype role in many events lately, some of which fans are crying out have nothing to do with him, such as restoring the World Tree. Thrall's powers as a Shaman have also increased dramatically, and some have even gone as far as to call him a Canon Sue. Needless to say, he's one of the most controversial characters recently. You can usually tell if someone isn't a fan if they call him "Go'el", as when Thrall took up that name is when the change from Warchief to Messianic Archetype started.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Whoo-BOY.
• Dead Little Sister: Taretha.
• Drop the Hammer: The Doomhammer.
• Fatal Flaw: He is far too forgiving/trusting for his own good... Though how far one interprets this as a flaw is his own business, and Lord knows it is the cause of no small debate among the fandom.
• Genius Bruiser
• Gladiator Revolt: His origin story; he was raised as a slave by humans, but then escaped his master to rejoin his people. He eventually killed his old master, too.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Has been this as of late, certainly since the events of Wrath of the Lich King. Between putting Garrosh Hellscream in a position of power (first as the commanding general of the Horde's Northrend offensive, then by making him Warchief), to letting Trade Prince Gallywix live after everything he did to the Bilgewater goblins, it seems like he's being unreasonably nice to a lot of the characters many of the fanbase feel are Scrappys. His alliance with the Forsaken may be considered this even before the events of Wrath, though in Thrall's defence it was always an alliance of convenience, and the Forsaken hadn't yet plague-bombed both the Alliance and Horde, throwing the two factions back into direct conflict...
  • He still trusted Varimathras, a dreadlord and former lieutenant of the Burning Legion. Definitely not the best judge of character.
  • Subverted when Neeru Fireblade thinks that he's tricked Thrall, only for Thrall to tell the player that he knows Neeru is with the Burning Blade cult and is leaving him around to get information out of him.
• Hypocrite:Doesn't exactly enjoy his past as a gladiator slave, he still lets gladiatorial slaves combat in Orgrimmar
• Magic Knight: He is represented as more like a magical warrior (Far Seer in Warcraft 3), but he's no slouch when it comes to physical combat.
  • In the franchise's novels, Thrall is a warrior first and a shaman second.
  • Subverted come Cataclysm. In order to unleash his full shamanistic potential (which he needs to help stop the world from destroying itself), he is told he must forgo his armor and weapons to fully embrace the power of the elements. His new character model has him donning a hood akin to traditional orc Far Seers.
    • So basically, he respec'd from Enhancement to Elemental.
• Meaningful Name: His real name, Go'el, is derived from the Hebrew word for "Liberator," and is a reference to his freeing the Orcs from the internment camps.
• Messianic Archetype: In Rage of the Firelands, this proves to almost be his undoing, as he had been putting the needs of everyone else ahead of himself, creating an imbalance that Fandral Staghelm exploited.
  • Given the nickname "green jesus" for a reason
    • He is closer to Moses though.
• My Biological Clock Is Ticking: One of the rare male examples. Appears in the desire chapter of the elemental bonds questline, and alluded to in the Cataclysm ending.
• Never Got to Say Goodbye: The last time he saw Cairne Bloodhoof, the two had an argument over his appointing Garrosh warchief. Thrall was planning on apologizing for his stubbornness after his return, and that he was unable to do so made Cairne's death harder on him.
• Our Orcs Are Different: And he'd like to emphasize that.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy
• Ship Tease: "Thrall and Jaina under a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G".
  • Ship Sinking: Ends up falling in love with a Mag'har Shaman from Nagrand named Aggra. He eventually married her (or the orc equivalent).
• Warrior Poet

Garona Halforcen

Half-orc/half-draenei assassin who killed King Llane Wrynn of Stormwind while brainwashed. Has a half-human son named Med'an , fathered by Medivh, who is shaping up to be The Chosen One, and has the powers of a Mage and Shaman, and is training as a Paladin.. Current whereabouts unknown; however, as of the latest issue of the tie-in comic, she's been smuggled out of Theramore by a draenei paladin who turned out to be her uncle. Thought to be half human at one point, but she wasn't.

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• Action Girl
• Amazonian Beauty / Beastess: there's a reason why she's so popular
• Berserker Tears: when she (unwillingly) murdered King Llane, as witnessed by young Varian.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: A frequent problem for her. Until Cho'Gall is killed, she can potentially be controlled again.
• Child by Rape
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: A common fan theory before she reappeared in the story was that possessed Medivh had cursed her to betray anyone she felt loyalty toward. This was due to a paragraph in Warcraft the Last Guardian:

"Let me show you my world, Garona," said Medivh. "Let me drive my own divisions and doubts into you. You'll never know who you serve and why. You'll never find your place."

• Continuity Snarl: Her parentage. First, she's half-human. Oh no wait, she was born before the orcs came through the portal. Must be a half-draenai. Wait, those ugly things Illidan teamed up with are draenai? They don't look very human. This was finally resolved when the introduction of the player draenai. It had gotten bad enough that the tabletop RPG spoofed it.
• Half-Human Hybrid: A victim of a retcon as regards to her parentage. She went from being Half-Human to being half-something else to being Half-Draenei. (Her son, however, does fit this trope.)
• Mama Bear: As of the World of Warcraft comics.
• Ms. Fanservice: Garona is one of Blizzard's iconic babes.
• Nonhuman Humanoid Hybrid: She's half-orc, half-draenei. Was part of her retcon.
• Plot-Relevant Age-Up
• Really Seven Hundred Years Old: Because of her Draenei blood, she still looks like she's in her mid-twenties.
  • Though, she could just be middle aged and very well preserved.
• Retcon: In Warcraft 1, she was originally half-orc, half-human. Later on, when Warcraft lore developed and it was revealed there were no humans on Draenor, she was retconned into a half-orc, half draenei. Her saying she was half-human is still considered canon, but was Hand Waved as Gul'dan tricking her into believing as such so she could get closer to King Llane and Medivh.
• Spanner in the Works: Her intrusion of the incredibly shaky diplomatic meeting between Varian Wrynn and Thrall while Brainwashed and Crazy royally screwed up all potential of peace between the two.

Grommash "Grom" Hellscream

"The Warsong is supreme!"

Warchief of the Warsong Clan, and mentor to Thrall. Accompanies him in the exodus to Kalimdor, but ultimately fell to the corruption of the Burning Legion again. However, Thrall quickly freed him and he goes to perform a Heroic Sacrifice, freeing the orcs from their curse.

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Tropes associated with Grom:

• Anti-Hero: Type V. He spends most of his life serving the Old Horde, and even in Thrall's side, is quite willing to go into battle and kill people. One of his few good acts, and the one he is most often remembered for, is his Heroic Sacrifice.
• The Atoner: After being freed from the curse.
• Badass Long Hair
• The Berserker
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Yes, he (with a little help from Thrall) struck down Mannoroth. And he sacrificed his life to do so.
• Enfant Terrible: He was 12 when drank the blood of Mannoroth the Destructor.
• Generation Xerox: His son Garrosh is just as as much of a Berserker and Blood Knight as he was, much to the chagrin of his more experienced and much wiser peers.
  • One common fan theory states that since Garrosh grew up thinking his father was a monster, but was proven otherwise, he has somehow come into the conclusion that ALL the stuff his father did was great, such as slaughtering innocents and whatnot.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom
• Heroic Sacrifice
• Heroic Sociopath: Grom really TRIED to be a better Orc than he was. Thrall tries to remember Grom as he was at his death, rather than the psycho he frequently degenerated into.
  • The books describe him as being "off" and "psychotic" before he drank Mannoroth's blood. Drinking the blood merely made him worse
• The Horde: At its most nasty and also as it started to get better.
• Leeroy Jenkins

Thrall: All right, we're moving through the Stonetalon Peak. Don't attract any of the humans. Then... Grom: Ah, screw it. Let's go purge these humans! GRROOOOOMMMMM!!! HEEEELLLSCREEEAAAAMMM!!! Thrall: Oh my god, he just ran in... SAVE HIM!

• • And no, this is not real dialogue from Warcraft III. But this is essentially what happened.
• Lean and Mean: Grom's noted as being abnormally skinny for an orc, Thrall even notes that he looked like he'd been wasting away the first time he saw him. Artwork tends to ignore this; Samwise, Blizzard's lead artist, is physically incapable of drawing men as anything but uberbuff, and most of their other artists take after his example.
  • Played straight with his model in Warcraft 3. While he's still very muscle, he's still a lot skinnier than his artwork. This is probably because his model is based off the ladder map model of his class, the Blademaster – which is technically an agility hero.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Why, dooming the orcs to the demonic curse again. He resolves to make amends. HARD.
• Not So Different: Played straight at first, in a speech to Thrall. Later, Mannoroth tries the same thing, and regrets it.

Mannoroth: Heh heh heh... the boy believed you could be saved. But he didn't know what burns within your soul... when, in your heart, you know we are the same! Grom: NOOOO!!!!

• The Obi-Wan: To Thrall.
• Old Soldier
• Perma Stubble: His tattooed jaw gives him this appearance.
• Redemption Equals Death: He doesn't survive turning against Mannoroth, being killed in the explosion caused by Mannoroth's death.

Grom: Thrall, the blood haze has lifted! The demon's fire has burnt out in my veins! I have... freed... myself... Thrall: No, old friend... You freed us all. RAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

• • Considering what Grom said, and the fact his eyes were no longer red, it may be that the demon curse has been keeping him alive longer than he would have. One has to remember that Grom was quite old for a warrior, 50 or 60 depending on the source.
  • Some Horde characters, such as Cairne and Varok question how much he was redeemed by this act, though.
• Screaming Warrior
• Unstoppable Rage
• Unwitting Pawn: There's a pool of Demonic Blood like we so desperately crave and are addicted to. Just what we need to kill the Nature Spirit Demi-God that's been troubling us. Gee, this is convenient!
• Villain Protagonist

Cairne Bloodhoof

"I pray this old body does not fail me."

Leader of the Bloodhoof Tauren and ruler of Thunder Bluff. With the help of Thrall and his Horde, Cairne succeeded in driving the centaur from Mulgore, where the Tauren city of Thunder Bluff would be established. In return, he accompanied Thrall on his quest to find Grom Hellscream and the Oracle Medivh, and he was also part of the resistance against Archimonde in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Owing a blood debt to Thrall, he pledged his allegiance to the Horde.

Prior to the events of Cataclysm, Carine died in a duel with Garrosh Hellscream. While the duel was meant to be an honourable battle, Garrosh's weapon was unwittingly poisoned by Magatha Grimtotem. His son Baine has since taken over as cheiftain of the Tauren.

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Tropes associated with Cairne:

• Badass Grandpa
• BFS: In Warcraft III it's a halberd. In World of Warcraft it's a totem pole.
• Blade on a Stick: Said halberd.
• Demoted to Extra: Played a big role in Warcraft III but hasn't done anything in WoW.
  • And then when he finally plays a role, he dies.
• Gentle Giant
• Heroic BSOD: Cairne has one after his son is kidnapped by Centaurs.
• Killed Off for Real Dies after being poisoned by the Grimtotems in Cataclysm
• A Load of Bull
• Old Master: Despite being fairly old for a tauren, he was beating the crap out of Garrosh during their duel. Until he slipped enough for him to get in a lesser wound, but as mentioned...
• The Stoic
• Worf Had the Flu Falters from being poisoned during his duel with Garrosh, enabling Garrosh to get a fatal blow on his neck.

Baine Bloodhoof

"The world is torn, and our Horde allies have turned down dark paths. We must guide them. Even in the darkest hour, we will bravely hold our heads high, and honor the Earth Mother in all we do."

Cairne's son. And the new Chieftain of the Taurens, after Cairne's demise.

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• Alliterative Name
• Badass Boast: "It took a coward's poison and the fury of Hellscream to bring my father down. WHAT CHANCE HAVE YOU?"
• Carry a Big Stick
• Cruel Mercy: He exiles Magatha for her treachery.
• Easily Forgiven: Averted with Garrosh Hellscream. He knows he didn't deliberately kill his father, but was partly responsible, but rather than challenge him like his father did, decides to work with him for the sake of the Horde.
• Generation Xerox
• Gentle Giant
• It Was a Gift: Fearbreaker. Anduin's personal gift to him.
• A Load of Bull
• Missing Mom: His mother died a long time ago. Goes into full-on Parental Abandonment in The Shattering Prelude to Cataclysm when his father dies, too.
• Not So Different: Him and Anduin.
• Odd Friendship: With Anduin. Borders in Forbidden Friendship, considering their position, by no fault of their own.
• Wise Beyond Their Years

Magatha Grimtotem

The leader of the Grimtotem Clan of Thunder Bluff, a group of incredibly aggressive and supremacist taurens who contrast with their peaceful counterparts. She became matriarch of the clan through an arranged marriage with its previous leader and has taken complete control since his death in a "climbing accident." Her hatred of Cairne is no secret, and it is rumored that she is secretly plotting against him.

As of Cataclysm, Magatha has indeed shown her true colours. She secretly riggs a duel between Garrosh Hellscream and Cairne Bloodhoof, leading to the tauren cheiftain's death. In the confusion following, her Grimtotem clan take over Thunder Bluff, but she is quickly deposed by Cairne's son Baine, who exiles her and her tribe as punishment. She later shows up to 'aid' the player in stopping the Twilight's Hammer in Thousand Needles, though to what ends is currently unknown...

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• Affably Evil: In her appearance in the Legends manga, she's good-natured and supportive toward the protagonist, even requesting First-Name Basis, while sending her on a mission that (possibly unbeknownst to her) furthers her plans to overthow Cairne.
• Blatant Lies: Most likely the case with that "tragic climbing accident" her husband died from.
• Enemy Mine: In Thousand Needles, she aids the player in stopping the Twilight's Hammer...but only because she's after an artifact of theirs. After you stop them and give her the artifact, she vanishes and warns the player to never cross her again.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Disowns her nephew Arnak when she finds out about him kidnapping and committing murder, partly because of his lack of discretion.
• Evil Chancellor
• Fantastic Racism: The Grimtotem are quite xenophobic.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast
• Obviously Evil
• The Starscream
• Ungrateful Bitch: In Cataclysm, there is a quest to save her from the Twilight's Hammer cult after she has fled from Thunder Bluff. True to her nature, she shows no gratitude and threatens to murder the player if you cross her path again.

Rexxar

"The beasts around me are nothing compared to the beast within."

One of the few Mok'nathal on Azeroth, Rexxar was a soldier of the Horde during the Second War. He abandonned them due to their brutish ways, and swore to live the life of a nomad, the animals of the wild as his only companions. After years of solitude, he travelled to Kalimdor where he met the orc Warchief Thrall. Learning that the Horde had reformed, he chose to aid Thrall in setting up the orcs' new nation of Durotar, and played an integral role in defending the orcs from a renewed human threat. He has since become hailed as a hero of the Horde, and though he prefers to live in solitude, he still shows up to aid the Horde in times of great need.

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• Anti-Hero: Type III
• Badass: Even Thrall is impressed with all that Rexxar can do.
• The Beast Master: He's essentially the inspiration for the Beastmastery aspect of Hunters in World of Warcraft.
• Dual-Wielding
• Everything Is Worse With Bears: Misha, Rexxar's preferred pet.
• Number Two: More or less Thralls' 'go to' man during the Orc campaign in The Frozen Throne.
• Hermit Guru: Rexxar is as wise and noble as Thrall. Mostly from living in the woods and staying the Hell away from the craziness of Orc society.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Rexxar pretty much just retires back to the life he was living before after single handedly saving the entire Horde.
• Klingon Promotion: How you get to be ruler of the Ogres.
• Loners Are Freaks: Subverted, Rexxar is a nice guy but prefers animals to the company of the people and at the end chooses to wander the wilderness rather then stay in Orgrimmar.
• Nature Hero: Rexxar generally doesn't care for the trappings of civilization.
• Nonhuman Humanoid Hybrid: He's Half-Orc, Half-Ogre.
• Player Character

Varok Saurfang

"Honor, young heroes. No matter how dire the battle; NEVER forsake it!"

A legendary orc warrior who premiered in World of Warcraft. He came to prominence during the Ahn'Qiraj War as the Supreme Commander of the Might of Kalimdor, and then went on to become one of Garrosh Hellscream's chief generals during the war against the Scourge in Northrend. He developed a huge fan following in Vanilla WoW due to his ability to do massive damage to enemy players.

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Tropes associated with Saurfang:

• An Axe to Grind
• Badass
  • Badass Grandpa
  • Retired Badass: Since the end of Wrath of the Lich King he has remained in Warsong Hold, and has not taken any kind of role in Cataclysm. Whether or not he'll continue to stay out of the action remains to be seen.
• Character Development: Saurfang started off as a generic, if very, very powerful NPC who acted as a glorified quest giver in Orgrimmar (you used to turn in Nefarian's Head to him). After proving his badassery in the War of the Shifting Sands, he got promoted to a major character in Wrath of the Lich King, acting as Garrosh Hellscream's second-in-command and gaining more elaboration on his character. According to one of the Story Q&A's conducted by Blizzard, Saurfang has even been retconned into Orgrim Doomhammer's second during the Second War. However, this has been mostly due to unintended bugs. During the AQ event, a glitch kept people from entering AQ, thus leading them to stay outside the instance in awe, as Saurfang fought an endless tide of mobs while game mechanics kept him functionally immortal.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted in Icecrown Citadel where he wore a helmet, but before that he only wore a metal jaw/neckguard as headgear.
• Well that was a kind of helmet albeit an odd one
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Serves as this to the hot-headed and overly aggressive Garrosh Hellscream.
• Hey, It's That Voice!: Hey! It's Jonah Orion and the Weirdboy!
• Old Soldier
• One-Handed Zweihander: "Two-handed" is only a suggestion.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: looks stellar compared to Garrosh, realizes the horde is slipping into its old ways and is the only one to acknowledge and regret the near genocide of the draenei by the orcs
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: He has still never really gotten over the atrocities he committed during the days of the evil Horde.

Dranosh Saurfang

"Rise up, sons of the Horde! Blood and glory await us!"

Also known as Saurfang the Younger. Son of Varok Saurfang and Commander of the Kor'kron Vanguard. He fell at the hands of the Lich King during the Battle of Angrathar the Wrathgate.

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Tropes associated with Saurfang:

• An Axe to Grind
• Ascended Extra: Yeah, that NPC of no real consequence from Negrand is now a 'hero of the horde'.
• Badass
• Came Back Wrong: As Deathbringer Saurfang.
• Cliché Storm: Everything he has ever done. It will either make you jump over how 'awesome' he is, or it shall make you cringe.
• Face Heel Turn: Again, as Deathbringer Saurfang.
• Meaningful Name: We named him Dranosh. It means "Heart of Draenor" in orcish.
• Missed the Call: Word of God states that if he had not died at the Wrathgate, he would have gotten leadership of the Horde over Garrosh.
• Vitriolic Best Buds / Worthy Opponent: Dranosh and Bolvar. They're more interested in bringing down the Lich King than continuing the struggle of the Alliance and Horde.

Sylvanas Windrunner

"We are the Forsaken. We will find our own place in this world and slaughter anyone who stands in our way."

The Banshee Queen of the Forsaken. The Ranger-General of Quel'thalas, the high elf homeland, during the Third War, she led the defense against Arthas and his Scourge onslaught. Her valiant defense was crippled after a succession of battles, and in the sack of Silvermoon, the elven capital, Arthas had her dragged before him, tortured horribly, and, despite her demand for a clean death, murdered. The angry Prince then defiled her spirit and raised her as an undead banshee. A slave in mind and body, Sylvanas was turned against the defenders of her beloved capital. For her efforts she was eventually rewarded with a return to her mortal body, and became one of Arthas' lieutenants in the months between the fall of Quel'Thalas and Arthas' return to his ravaged homeland.

During the months after the Battle of Mount Hyjal, the Lich King began to weaken, and many of his undead servants were freed from his dark influence. Sylvanas, one of these, leaped at the opportunity to betray Arthas as part of a Legion-sponsored coup, but refused to join the Legion in ruling what was left of Lordaeron. With the aid of her freed undead fellows, she led them in a series of brutal battles against both undead forces led by Legion-allied Dreadlords. During this she first allied with, then betrayed, the bigoted and corrupt human warlord Garithos. With no other allies and learning that the living humans of the Alliance would never accept "abominations" like herself, she eventually applied for membership of the Horde for her Forsaken. Despite being reluctantly accepted with great suspicion, she hasn't really shown any real hostility towards the Horde. She also sponsors the Blood Elves' membership.

Since Wrath of the Lich King, things haven't gone well for Sylvanas. Her second-in-command, the Dreadlord Varimathras, staged a coup with the aid of Sylvanas' own Royal Apothecary Society. They kicked her and her subjects out of the Undercity, started summoning demons, and worst of all, the Apothecaries launched a surprise attack during the Battle of the Wrathgate in Northrend which killed a large number of Horde, Alliance and Scourge forces. While Sylvanas was able to retake the Undercity, she has since been looked upon with even greater suspicion and hostility by everyone; the Alliance are more certain than ever the Forsaken are a dire threat and complete monsters, while the Horde blames them for restarting war with the Alliance and killing allied troops.

Despite needing to regain the trust of her allies, Sylvanas is doing little to alleviate those fears in Cataclysm. She is not a fan of new Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, and goes against a number of his direct orders. Also, with the Forsaken unable to repopulate by normal means, Sylvanas has allied with Arthas' old Val'kyr servants to raise new soldiers for the Forsaken, using the corpses of their enemies. Garrosh fears that Sylvanas is becoming as bad as the Lich King himself (though the blues confirm this). While Sylvanas still claims to be an ally of the Horde, only time will tell if she is truly loyal to her current allies, and just how far she will go to attain her goals.

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Tropes associated with Sylvanas include:

• Anti-Hero: Type V. She cares for her people and tries to help them escape persecution, but her ruthlessness in doing so often suggests that the living races' distrust of the Forsaken is justified.
  • A bit of a YMMV, but since she is no longer aiming at the complete monsters of the Scourge, and is aimed at the Lawful Good to True Neutral Alliance, many might argue that she has delved into villain territory and no longer qualifies as an anti-hero, even in name.
• The Archer: Being called the best archer in Azeroth speaks a lot.
• Author Appeal: At least two major male POV and possibly Self-Insert characters end up with sisters of Sylvanas...
• Character Development: Sylvanas has been the beneficiary of a lot of development from her first appearance.
• Dark Action Girl
• Fate Worse Than Death: And she makes sure to remind everyone within earshot as often as she possibly can.
  • Fully subverted later on. Sylvanas gets a good, long look at what awaits her in the afterlife. It is horrific, complete with And I Must Scream played straight as her soul is torn to pieces. It's even reduced Arthas into a crying coward. She realizes that it's a fate not worse than death after all.
• Happily-Failed Suicide: "Happy" is a bit of a stretch for whom we're talking about. Sylvanas definitely plans to make the most of her pact with the Val'kyr she met while leaping off the Frozen Throne.
• She Who Fights Monsters: After the death of the Lich King, Sylvanas seems to be turning the Forsaken into Scourge 2.0. She even laughs when Garrosh calls her out on her hypocrisy.
  • Also sort of a Motive Decay, given that she's dabbling in necromancy to raise more people into the condition she once considered a curse.
    • Edge of Night suggests that, after the Happily-Failed Suicide noted above, Sylvanas may no longer view her condition as the curse she once did.
• Ice Queen
• Idiot Ball: Her majordomo is from a race of demons known specifically for lying to and betraying mortals, and she is really and truly surprised when it turns out that he lied to and betrayed her.
  • She specifically mentioned keeping Varimathras on a short leash in Warcraft III. It is possible her surprise was due to the fact that he got away with it despite her efforts.
• I Have Your Wife: Takes the leader of the Gilneas Liberation Front's daughter hostage in order to force a cease fire in Cataclysm.
  • Came Back Wrong: She's a bit... different after she's revived...
• Kick the Son of a Bitch: She betrays and kills Garithos after falsely promising to help him retake Lordaeron. This would otherwise come off as an obviously evil act (as Varimathras points out), except Garithos was a racist and generally unpleasant person.
• Lady of War: Of course.
• Ms. Fanservice: Everyone wants Sylvanas.
• Nothing Left to Do But Die: How she feels after finding the new Lich King. She got better.
• Precision B Strike "Give my regards to hell, you son of a bitch!"- in one of the cutscenes in Frozen Throne.
  • Garrosh pulls one on her in Cataclysm

Garrosh Hellscream: Have you given any thought to what this means, Sylvanas? What difference is there between you and the Lich King now? Lady Sylvanas Windrunner: Isn't it obvious, Warchief? I serve the Horde. Sylvanas mockingly salutes Garrosh. Garrosh Hellscream: Watch your clever mouth, bitch.

• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Her plans for Arthas and the Scourge. Revenge is practically Sylvanas' reason for life.
  • And when Arthas finally dies at the hands of the heroes, she finds satisfaction, but realises she needs a new purpose in life (or un-life, rather).
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: The Undercity doesn't run itself, as Sylvanas is quick to point out to anyone who bothers her with trivialities. Especially in Cataclysm, where she shows up in at least two zones to give the player character instructions and even aid them in battle.
• Servile Snarker: IN SPADES while she is a ghostly banshee under Arthas's control. It often gets her tortured, but she seems to think it's worth it as long as it pisses him off.
• Soul Jar: Her Valkyr serve as an undead Type-2.
• Stripperiffic: Especially when her model was altered to look more like a high elf.
• Sugar and Ice Girl: Sylvanas is remarkably cold and callous, and rarely shows many signs of positive emotion. But if the player is fortunate enough to find a pendant owned by her sister, you get...
  • Tear Jerker: "Lament of the Highborne". Dear gods, "Lament of the Highborne".
• Unexplained Recovery: Killed in Cataclysm but brought back to life by the Val'kyr
• Unwitting Pawn: Sylvanas earnestly believed that she had Varimathras firmly under her heel. Of course, being a Dreadlord, that's what he wanted her to think.
• Villain Protagonist: Sylvanas was the Protagonist of much of the Undead campaign of Frozen Throne. Even in World of Warcraft, she is still dark-natured enough to be one of these. Despite being a very sinister character, she's also always been painted with great sympathy.
  • Of course, considering what she's been through, that sympathy isn't exactly unfounded...
• We Have Reserves: In the Icecrown Citadel dungeons, Sylvanas seems to hold the soldiers of the Horde in contempt, even calling them weaklings after they give their lives on her order. Before proceeding into the Halls of Reflection, she says she must send back one of her Dark Rangers for more "fodder".
  • She seems to have grown out of this as of Edge of Night, at least where her own Forsaken are concerned.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Garrosh of all people delivers one of these to her once he finds out about her decision to use the Val'kyr to raise the fallen enemies on the battlefield as Forsaken to replenish their ranks. He even goes so far as to compare her to the Lich King.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After Garithos helps her retake Lordaeron, she orders Varimathras to kill him.

Varimathras

"I love it when a plan comes together."

The Dreadlord Evil Chancellor of the Forsaken. Varimathras was one of the Nathrezim sent to keep an eye on the Lich King during the Third War, but evidently a low-enough-ranking one that he was made to stay behind and supervise the destruction of Lordaeron and the Eastern Kingdoms rather than join the assault upon Hyjal. Unaware of the events that transpired at that final battle, Varimathras' first inclination that things had changed came when Arthas made a grand entrance back into the capital city of Lordaeron and announced that in his new undead kingdom, the Dreadlords would no longer be necessary. He and his brothers fled the Death Knight's wrath and plotted their revenge, including extending a hand to the bitter Banshee Queen. Together they drove Arthas from Lordaeron, but then things went sour when Sylvanas refused to play along.

Trounced in battle by Sylvanas' forces, Varimathras joined her cause to save his own life. He even assisted her in butchering his two surviving brothers. (It seems he was aware that at least one of them, the dreadlord Balnazzar, would return from the dead, so this is, in retrospect, not much of a betrayal.) As naturally manipulative as any of his kind, he quickly amassed quite a following among the liberated undead and appeared to make himself useful enough that Sylvanas continued to tolerate him. Throughout the early parts of World of Warcraft's storyline Varimathras seems to have served as a corrupting influence upon the Forsaken, twisting them further to evil and sponsoring the genocidal urges of the Royal Apothecary Society. This comes to a head during the Wrathgate storyline, where the entire Society rebels against Sylvanas and the Horde, dropping their deadly corrosive Blight plague upon the assembled forces of the Alliance and Horde. Sylvanas and Thrall, alongside the player and the faithful members of the Forsaken, swear revenge, lead an army into the captured Undercity, and destroy the treacherous dreadlord once and for all.

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Tropes associated with Varimathras include:

• Ape Shall Never Kill Ape: Claims that he's forbidden to kill other dreadlords, but reluctantly complies with Sylvanas' order to kill Balnazzar but it's later revealed Balnazzar survived.
• Cavalry Betrayal: The Apothecary, presumably under him In Wrathgate
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: "I'm always on the winning side." Amusingly, even when he was not openly revealed as a backstabber, Varimathras would casually allow people to fight Sylvanas without helping her out unless he had to.
• Civil Warcraft: An instigator.
• Evil Chancellor
• Heel Face Mole
• Large Ham
• The Mole: Honestly, this wasn't really a surprise; Sylvanas thinking Varimathras was anything else can be chalked down to his powers of persuasion and her being slightly preoccupied.
• Most Definitely Not a Villain: From the perspective of the player Varimathras' evil is extraordinarily obvious, but from the characters' perspective he's highly manipulative.
• Not So Different:Claims this of Sylvanas after learning of her plan to betray Garithos, prompting him to object.
• The Starscream

Vol'jin

"...when tha time comes dat ya failure is complete and ya "power" is meaningless, I will be dere to end ya rule, swiftly and silently. Ya will spend ya reign glancin' over ya shoulda and fearin' tha shadows, for when tha time comes and ya blood be slowly drainin' out, ya will know exactly who fired da arrow dat pierced ya heart."

Chief of the Darkspear Trolls. He joined up with the Horde in Warcraft III (as seen in the Frozen Throne expansion) after Thrall & co. save his tribe from the wrath of a Naga Sea Witch and her Murloc minions. He took the role of leader after the death of his father Sen'jin.

For most of WoW's life, he has played a minor role compared to other Horde leaders. However, as of Cataclysm, he has begun taking a more active role in both Horde politics and the world as a whole; most notably, retaking his people's home in the Echo Isles. As of the Rise of the Zandalari patch, he has also begun actively opposing the Zandalari trolls, who are threatening to rebuild a united troll empire.

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Tropes related to Vol'jin:

• Arch Enemy: Zalazane, a Witch doctor who went mad, took over the Echo isles, and used his powers to enslave most of the Darkspear trolls. He finally faced off with him in the retaking of the Echo Isles.
• Baleful Polymorph: He has a multitarget version of the shaman's Hex spell, which turns enemies into frogs. He also transforms Rexxar, Rokhan, and Chen Stormstout into invisible wyverns in Frozen Throne.
• Badass Beard: In the mosaic.
• Character Development: He's had more characterization in Cataclysm than at any other point during WoW lore.
  • His faction leader short story details the trials he undertook to become a Shadow Hunter.
• Demoted to Extra: He essentially did nothing but hang out with Thrall after turning Rexxar and Rok'han into spirit wyverns in Frozen Throne, until taking back the Echo Isles just before Cataclysm.
  • Subverted come Cataclysm, as he plays a significantly bigger role in the new troll starting area, and has since played an even bigger role during the events of the Rise of the Zandalari patch, gathering both the Horde and Alliance together to stop the rise of the Zandalari tribe and their new allies.
• Double Weapon: Being a Shadow Hunter, Vol'jin uses a long double edged knife.
• Ensemble Darkhorse: As noted by a number of the entries here, he became this in Cataclysm, to the point that when Blizzard announced that Thrall would be reinstated as Warchief, Vol'jin was one of the most common names dropped as a more preferred option for the position. Just about his only opposition were players who believe that the spot should belong to an orc.
• The Lancer: He was Thrall's de-facto second in command, when Thrall was still acting Warchief.
• Only Sane Man: Vol'jin is, as of Garrosh's increasing ascendandy, the most pragmatic, rational, and, in a way, moral of the Horde's major leaders. He's willing to accept the Alliance's help in dealing with the Zandalari.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Prior to Cataclysm, he was this. With leaders like Sylvanas and Thrall around, he didn't get much to do. He still got to do a bit more than poor Cairne & Lor'themar Theron, like tapping the first keg at Brewfest.
  • And then gets heavily subverted in Cataclysm. It helps that he flipped off resident Scrappy Garrosh Hellscream as one of his first acts in the new expansion.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Tells Garrosh that he posseses his father's lust for battle even without having drunk demon blood, and predicts that Garrosh will ultimately alienate his people until Vol'jin assassinates him.
• The Smart Guy: He was also Thrall's top advisor.
• Take Up My Sword: Takes the position of leader of the trolls after the death of his father Sen'jin.
• Took a Level In Badass: Basically everything he does in Cataclysm. Many a fans, Alliance AND Horde, gained new respect for him when they saw him flip off Garrosh Hellscream in the troll starting area.
  • And before that, he got some awesome moments in the retaking of the Echo Isles. He even got a costume upgrade to go with it.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Happened three times. The first time before he was born, the Darkspear were kicked out of Stranglethorn vale by the other troll tribes. The second time their island was sunk by the ghostly Sea Witch and her murloc minions. Then finally in WoW his home in Kalimdor, Echo Isles was taken over by a renegade troll witchdoctor. However, he has finally succeeded in retaking the Echo Islands come Cataclysm.

Lor'themar Theron

"Be strong. Kael'thas has betrayed us and what we know is in flux, but do not lose heart. We will endure, as we always have. Arthas did not crush our spirit when he swept through our land, and neither will Kael'thas. Let it serve as a lesson to us all as we move forward to our prosperous future."

Who? Oh, now I remember.

The Regent Lord of Silvermoon and current leader of the Blood Elves. He had a major role in the defeat of the Blood Elf traitor Dar'khan Drathir, but has had little involvement in World of Warcraft. He was originally a place holder ruler until Kael'thas' return, but once the Prince's betrayel and allegience to the Legion became common knowledge he became acting ruler of Silvermoon. He can be found with Ranger General Brightwing and Grand Magister Rommath, discussing unknown topics.

Lor'themar has become a running joke in the WoW fandom as being the only faction leader who hasn't played a major role in the game so far. While he has received character development in a number of outside materials, such as appearing in the final volume of The Sunwell Trilogy manga and the winning entry of Blizzard's first global writing contest which has since become canon, his personality portrayal is inconsistent and he has had little in-game presence.

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Tropes related to Lor'themar Theron:

• And Zoidberg: A meta example, in that his lack of prominence in the game has led to fans not knowing who he is compared to other faction leaders. Lampshaded in a WoW-based parody of the Discovery Channel's Boomdeyada videos, which since spawned this famous line:

Lor'themar: My name is Lor'themar! Random Blood Elf: Who?

• Arch Enemy: Dar'kahn, who befriended Lor'themar in the past so the Scourge could get into Quel'thalas. Though Lor'themar misses out on fighting him, twice.
• BFS: His new sword as of Cataclysm.
• Becoming the Mask: Lor'themar puts on a very willing mask around his superiors, such as Lady Sylvanas, when negotiations in his favour fail. His willingness to be used as a pawn in her schemes is somewhat reflective of Kael's own approach to politics with Illidan years before, something Rommath is rather worried about having to witness again.
• Canon Immigrant: Along with Kalecgos, though he doesn't seem to have much involvement.
• Character Development: He gets a LOT of this in his faction leader short story, In the Shadow of the Sun. Sadly, none of it has been shown in-game yet.
• Depending on the Writer: Lor'themar is portrayed very differently in The Sunwell Trilogy, World of Warcraft, and In Shadow Of the Sun.
  • His relationship with other characters varies too. In The Sunwell Trilogy Lor'themar is on good terms with Sylvanas but in In Shadow Of the Sun their relations are more strained. Halduron is portrayed as Lor'themar's best friend in the The Sunwell Trilogy and In Shadow Of the Sun, but WoW seems to have Halduron secretly disliking Lor'themar.
    • More likely he's just frustrated with him. He does tell Vereesa to shut it when she calls Lor'Themar a coward. The two have probably just hit a rough spot.
• Demoted to Extra: He had a somewhat important role in the comic as the Secret Keeper, but nothing ultimately came of it.
• Eyepatch of Power: In the Sunwell trilogy he was missing an eye. In WoW he has both due to Only Six Faces. Artwork even portrayed him this way until his official short story came out, which included the picture that's now on this article.
• Fantastic Racism:In the Korean Sunwell Trilogy, he is shown to have a bit of patronizing attitude toward Half elves. Though he's surprisingly ok with humans and undead.
  • This is standard for the high and Blood Elves in regard to half elves, to the point the standard practice is for the elvish parent to abandon the half-elf child (normally leaving it with the human parent)
• The Generic Guy: Probably the least popular leader because of it, with a generic voice and appearance and he does nothing in the game.
  • Thankfully, he's improved a little in Cataclysm; He's got some new armor and a voice.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars:A good scar over his missing eye.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: While his title is ranger he has never been seen using a bow in WoW or The Sunwell Trilogy. Instead he seems to prefer melee combat with a sword.
  • In the new mosaic, he's shown with Spellbreaker armour, which is what most people believe him to be. Although he's not missing an eye there either, so its accuracy is questionable.
  • He appears to be more of a guard than a ranger in The Sunwell Trilogy.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: He is supposedly this with his second-in-command Halduron Brightwing, though as stated above it seems their relationship might be more strained than it appears.
• Regent for Life: Of his own choosing, it would seem, since — regardless of the traitor prince's decree — more than one of Theron's associates believe he has a valid claim to the throne at this point.
• Stop Poking Me: One of few faction leaders to get a Stop Poking Me line. "Do not. Touch. THE HAIR."
• Took a Level In Jerkass: In the Quel'delar event and 4.1, Lor'themar is negatively depicted (trying to confiscate the sword from any non-Blood Elf player) and his best friend Halduron is shown to resent him. In 4.1, he objects to the High Elven "exiles" coming onto his land to fight their common enemy, the Amani Trolls.
• Unwitting Pawn: In the Shadow of the Sun portrays him as this to Sylvanas. She blackmails him into aiding the Horde offensive in Northrend right after the events of the Sunwell Plateau (when, by Lor'themar's own words, they hadn't even had a chance to bury the dead) by threatening to pull her troops from the Ghostlands.
• White-Haired Pretty Boy: In WoW.
• You Don't Look Like You: Lor'themar in WoW looks nothing like he did in the comic books.

Grand Magister Rommath

Grand Magister Rommath is the Horde's primary magic-man, a former servant of Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider who chose loyalty to his people over his prince after his mentor's struggle with trouble. Rommath narrowly avoided a similarly dark fate, having been a slated traitor to the Horde during the early stages of Cataclysm, though this was later revised and the grand magister's character was preserved. As the man responsible for the spreading of Illidan Stormrage's teachings back home in Quel'Thalas, the now-iconic green eye glint of the blood elves could be personally attributed to Rommath's doing.

Despite the changes sweeping Quel'Thalas with the Sunwell restored, Rommath remains an ever-present reminder of darker days not too far gone. His will was severely tested by the betrayal of his twisted prince, and has motivated him to get proactive when it comes to the welfare of his people and country.

Rommath's status as "Kael'thas lite" has led him to gain popularity among many blood elf fans, several of which tend to put him on a higher pedestal than their nigh-on forgotten leader above.

• Anti-Hero: Though never presented as a particularly pleasant chap to be around, Rommath's ruthless MO was, at the end of the day, for the welfare of his people, not adverse to using political scheming nor straight up mind control to keep the country united.
• The Archmage
• The Atoner: Played with. Rommath does express a certain degree of mild regret for his past misdeeds, though prefers to think of the future than seek complete redemption for the past.
• Badass: One of the very few characters with the balls to call out Lady Sylvanas on her shenanigans.
  • Badass Longcoat: Well, more of a "badass robe," but you get the picture. Played straight with Rommath's mentor.
• Break the Haughty: The betrayal of Prince Kael'thas hit Rommath the hardest of all, and the grand magister has been portrayed (by turns) as having kept his brusque personality, though intermingled with the hollow arrogance of a broken man.
• Brainwashing for the Greater Good: Rommath had his magisters employ this.
• Broken Pedestal: Rommath was left more shattered of anymore after Prince Kael'thas went batshit. Romm was pretty much his mouthpiece in Quel'Thalas, spread his teachings without question, relayed tales of the glorious future the prince had in store for his people, and was unquestionably Kael's most "loyal advocate." Ouch.
• Brutal Honesty: Played with at the start. Though fully aware of the prince's dark deals with Illidan, Rommath kept it a secret, though publicly asserted that the radical new techniques at his disposal were essential to reclaiming the elves' homeland. Played straight post-Burning Crusade, as seen during his interactions Aethas, Lor'themar, and even Sylvanas.
• Character Development: Subtle yet gripping, from the eternally loyal servant to the embittered and cautious master, treading a dangerous line between repeating the mistakes of the past and guiding his people into an era of prosperity. Somewhat ironic considering most of this came from a canonized fanfiction.
• The Confidant: He and Halduron are this to Lor'themar.
• Dark Is Not Evil: A rare Warcraft example that doesn't end with him going insane and arbitrarily killed for loot.
• Deadpan Snarker: Hints of this in Lor'themar's leader short story.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Played with, prior to the blood elves' Heel Face Turn at the end of TBC. Though fully aware of how to drain fel-power from demons, Rommath never shared those particular teachings with his people; only the repercussions of absorbing arcane magic can really be laid at his doorstep.
• Green Eyes
• Hidden Depths: Though long-considered a fervently loyal servant of Prince Kael'thas, Rommath is not above calling his fallen prince out on the actions that led to his downfall.
• Hypocrite: Judges Sylvanas for her manipulative tendencies, though seems to forget how similar an outlook they shared once upon a time.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As much of an asshole as he can be, Rommath does genuinely love his people and his country. Naturally, we see far more of this after his Heel Face Turn.
• Kick the Dog: Has his share of this. He pretty ruthlessly criticizes the less adept Aethas over his agenda and affiliation with the Kirin Tor, though the gripe is rather legitimate.
  • Pet the Dog: Rommath practically begs Lor'themar to do what he views as "the right thing" at the climax of In the Shadow of the Sun, truly showcasing a far more weary and broken side of the grand magister than we had seen prior. Mutual kicking entails when Theron writes him off and tells him to do as he's told, and Rommath likens him to Kael'thas.
• The Man Behind the Man: Played straight during the earlier era of The Burning Crusade; Rommath was rarely referenced by name, though his influence and machinations ensured Lor'themar's rule proceeded soundly.
• Manipulative Bastard: During The Burning Crusade, Rommath quite happily employed mind control and political ploys to put the government of Quel'Thalas ahead. Ironically, he later calls out Sylvanas Windrunner for doing the very same.
• Odd Friendship: Rommath and Halduron, who lead the two most opposed, diverse, and unalike facets of blood elven culture. According to Halduron, it kicked in around the time Romm chose to fight for Quel'Thalas instead of their treacherous prince.
• Pragmatic Villainy: Most of his earlier actions (and orders) fit into this.
• Smug Snake: Played with. He displays hints of this, especially to Aethas Sunreaver, though observations made by Lor'themar suggests they may be a wary (and increasingly weary) front more than anything else.
• The Stoic: Likes to give this impression, and for the most part it works. Lor'themar is not too convinced, though.
• Street Smart: He's certainly been around the (political, at least) block a few times, and is portrayed as far more politically-savvy than his compatriots.
• Token Evil Teammate: Played straight at the start. Portrayed as precious more than the evil Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider's voice in Quel'Thalas, he gradually broke out of this little dome, culminating in a subtle Heel Face Turn.
• Villain with Good Publicity: Side effect of being able to forcibly command dissidents to sing you praises.

Halduron Brightwing

The Ranger-General of Silvermoon and the leader of the Farstriders, a blood elven group of rangers dedicated to defending their homeland against any and all threats to its safety and prosperity. A ranger of prodigious talent himself, Halduron was promoted after the fall of his predecessor, Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner during the Scourge invasion that saw Quel'Thals nearly destroyed. Halduron was largely the Token Good Teammate for the blood elves prior to the end of their focal expansion, proving a more conservative and moderate voice in the affairs of people, contrasted by the more radical approaches of Rommath and his Magisters and Lady Liadrin and her Blood Knights.

A close friend of the current sin'dorei leader, Lor'themar Theron, Halduron's early appearances painted him as Theron's most trusted confidant and advisor. Halduron seems to have spread his wings in recent times, however, becoming more active with his Horde allies and expressing his ability to see the "bigger picture" where Theron seems to be failing, as witnessed outside the gates of Zul'Aman.

Halduron is also the canon wielder of one of the game's most coveted weapons, the legendary bow Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury.

• The Archer: Bows are his weapon of choice. Fitting, considering his status as the supreme leader of the blood elven rangers.
• Badass Boast: "Did you think we could not sense you befouling our forest? You are not welcome here, creature, and you will not be suffered to live."
  • Colonel Badass: After Sylvanas went down, Halduron became the country's military leader due to his skill, martial prowess, and leadership ability.
• Blond Guys Are Evil: Subverted. He's a pretty nice guy.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Halduron's "nice guy" rhetoric is made somewhat more amusing by his deadly martial skill, and his status as the country's military commander.
• Big Damn Heroes: He and Lor'themar show up in just the nick of time to fight Dar'Khan... for all the good it does.
• Foil: To both Lor'themar and Rommath. In regards to Theron, Halduron represents the life the regent lord was born to lead, yet robbed of by taking up the mantle of leadership. As the former second-in-command to Ranger General Sylvanas, it would probably have been Lor'themar who ascended to her place instead of Halduron, had he not been chosen as regent. In regards to Rommath, Halduron represents the polar opposite end of the spectrum: tradition vs progress, the past vs the future, conservatism vs proactivity, etc. They clash nicely.
• Heterosexual Life Partners: With Lor'themar, though a slight rift seems to have developed as of late.
• Limited Wardrobe: Like Lor'themar, it took him a strong three years to get a model upgrade.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Played with. He's all for fighting for his country, though was not blind to the faults of its government.
• Mr. Fanservice: A rare male example for Warcraft, described as highly attractive as well as graceful and elegant. His Warcraft model is also pretty imposing (read: hot) post-update.
• Number Two: For Lor'themar. While Lor'themar has lost touch with his ranger roots after years of playing politics, Halduron is as skilled as ever.
• Odd Friendship: With Rommath. Despite being rivals when it comes to the government of Quel'Thalas, Halduron developed a respect and trust for the grand magister after Rommath remained loyal to Silvermoon in the wake of Kael'thas' betrayal.
• Scarily Competent Tracker: His stalking and subsequent disposal of the Amani troll Ter'lij certainly was a surprise, especially after taking into account said troll's brimming confidence.
• Token Good Teammate: Halduron was this for most of The Burning Crusade, teased as early as the first bout of Blood Elf Paladin lore hit. While the government was run mainly by the proactively aggressive magisters and the first generation Blood Knights were fast-gaining popularity, Halduron strived to preserve the soul of the Farstriders, such as strongly opposing the maltreatment of M'uru. He represents the more conservative side of Quel'Thalas, and is one of the blood elves most in touch with the roots of their fallen high elven society.

Lady Liadrin

The matriarch and supreme leader of the Blood Knight order, Lady Liadrin is an Iron Lady and Ice Queen whose hands were stained dark with evil by the climax of The Burning Crusade. After seeking forgiveness for her role in the downfall of the naaru M'uru (and learning that events were put into motion far beyond her control), Liadrin began her journey towards redemption, culminating in the restoration of the blood elves' sacred Sunwell. This monumental event has wrought on a new perspective for the Blood Knight matriarch, who has since embraced the positive teachings she had once disdained, and now seeks to break the magical addiction ravaging her people and restoring the sin'dorei to their greatness.

• The Atoner: After receiving forgiveness for her part in M'uru's exploitation, Liadrin began an arc-long quest towards redemption. Fighting alongside the faction formed to take down the twisted prince, Liadrin was present to see the Sunwell restored firsthand. This, in turn, wrought on another perspective for the Blood Knight matriarch: Liadrin has since openly stated that the road towards reclaiming the blood elves' glory of old will be a hard one, but with the more positive fate provided by the Sunwell awaiting them, they will achieve it.
• Break the Haughty: Liadrin was humbled (as in, physically overwhelmed) by the power of the restored Sunwell. That, combined with her revised Iron Lady act, certainly qualify her.
• Disproportionate Retribution: The Alonsus Chapel. Liadrin doesn't think the false paladins of the world acknowledge her order as #1, so she burns their chapel, kills an otherwise friendly paladin NPC, and then takes down a raid of other paladins waiting outside.
  • Rendered somewhat dubious canon with Cataclysm pretty much retconning the bulk of this particular quest, but still.
• Evil Matriarch: Played straight until the redemption arc, during which she deconstructs it soundly.
• Green Eyed Red Head
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Liadrin's dependence on M'uru to fuel her order would backfire spectacularly, when the man who had "gifted" the naaru to her in the first place stole him away.
• Hot Mom: Liadrin adopts Salandria, a young blood elf orphan who feels she has a good chance at becoming a formidable Blood Knight.
• Karma Houdini: Played with, around the initial Sunwell patch. Despite the self-admitted "evil (she) had wrought," little more than an apology was enough to get in the good books of the Sha'tar.
• Morality Pet: Salandria, though not truly explored. It was more the gesture that counted.
• Prophecy Twist: Liadrin and her Blood Knights were heading quite towards the "dark destiny" awaiting the blood elves teased on the encyclopedia. Though somewhat accurate to begin with, a late expansion twist saw Liadrin engage in a Heel Face Turn to stop the true blood elven villain from damning the entire race: Prince Kael'thas and his ilk.
• Small Name, Big Ego: We don't even know her surname. Her quest for dominance was not hampered by this in the slightest.

Garrosh Hellscream

"You will serve the Horde... or be crushed beneath it!"

Son of Grommash Hellscream, Garrosh spent the earlier part of his life in the traditional orc village of Garadar on Draenor. As the years passed, Garrosh became the heir to the chieftain position of Garadar. However, he was greatly ashamed of his father’s legacy, realising that Grom’s actions condemned the orcs and drove Draenor to destruction. This all changed during the events of The Burning Crusade, when he met Warchief Thrall. Thrall showed him a vision of his father’s sacrifice against Mannoroth, and how Grom freed his people of the demonic curse. With renewed vigor, Garrosh was stirred from his stupor, and took pride in his heritage at last.

Choosing to go to Azeroth with Thrall, Garrosh became a warrior of the Horde. However, his renewed vigour brought out his father’s fighting spirit in him, and unfortunately his hot-headedness. He believed the Horde should be taking a harder line against their enemies and gathering resources, and crush anyone who stood in their way; namely, the Alliance. He came to resent Thrall’s passiveness towards the humans and their allies, and butt heads with the Warchief on the issue many a time.

When the Lich King attacked Orgimmar directly, it was Garrosh who suggested a direct offensive on Northrend. As such, he became the leader of the Warsong Offensive, and led the Horde forces against the Scourge. While his tactics were considered reckless and often times costly, he made great advances in his battles, and became hailed as a hero by orcish soldiers and citizens alike. However, his aggressive actions directly provoked the Alliance, and he became a key player in re-igniting conflict between the two factions.

After the war in Northrend, Thrall was forced to step down as Warchief to deal with the growing elemental chaos. With no-one else suitable to take his place, he chose Garrosh as his successor. Since becoming Warchief, Garrosh has been a very polarizing figure. He has made great gains for the Horde, gaining them more supplies and land than they’ve ever had since the orcs settled in Durotar. However, he has also stepped on the toes of the orcs’ allied races, including the trolls, the tauren and the Forsaken. Time will tell whether his legacy will be one of prosperity for the Horde, or if he will doom them to failure.

In Mists Of Pandaria through methods unknown, Garrosh has crossed a Moral Event Horizon involving a huge war crime, causing the Horde to turn on him and ally with the Alliance to dethrone him and his remaining loyalists. He's currently slated to be the final boss of the expansion.

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Tropes related to Garrosh:

• Age Is Relative: Older than Thrall, even though he seems immature when they're working together.
• All There in the Manual: Garrosh's faction leader short story, Heart of War, fills in a lot of the gaps of Garrosh's development between Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King; namely, why he began to resent Thrall's leadership and why he grew to hate the Alliance.
• An Axe to Grind: Previously wielded two axes, but as Warchief he wields his father's axe, Gorehowl.
• Anti-Hero: Type V.
• Bald of Awesome: After he became Warchief of the Horde.
• Berserk Button: Do NOT hurt enemy civilians or children under his watch. You WILL end up dead. Period. Dishonouring the dead is another big one, as Sylvanas finds out in Cataclysm. Precision B Strike included for added irony.
  • Any "cowardly" tactics, used by either side push his Berserk button.
  • Use of fel magic is another big no-no, as the player finds out the hard way in Splintertree Post questline in Ashenvale. This shows that he has at least gotten Genre Savvy enough to avoid another race-wide corruption of the orcish race.
• Character Development: To the surprise of many, he's gradually becoming less of a bloodthirsty Jerkass in Cataclysm, in that he is disgusted by Sylvanas using Val'kyr against Gilneas and a Horde army leader massacring Night Elf civilians (he probably wouldn't have gave a damn if he was in his WoTLK phase.
  • A hefty chunk of this comes from The Shattering, when he realises the consequences of his actions and what he must do to become an effective leader.
  • Also, for people still confused by his sudden change from praising Thrall as his personal saviour to telling him why he's a terrible Warchief, his faction leader short story Heart of War shows how; he learned that the orcs barely eked out a living on dangerous land while seemingly being threatened by the Alliance, which held much better land within easy reach.
• Dual-Wielding: Used two axes in Wrath of the Lich King. In Cataclysm, he is promoted to Warchief, and now wields his father's Ancestral Weapon, Gorehowl.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Used excellently against Overlord Krom'gar in the ending of the Stonetalon Mountains storyline.
• Face Heel Turn: In Mists of Pandaria.
• Heroic BSOD: Was essentially living in one until Thrall (after being prompted by the player) visits him in Nagrand.
• Hot-Blooded: Most definitely. It causes diplomatic problems, to put it lightly.
• Hey, It's That Voice!: Hey! it's Kaptin Bluddflag and Lord Abaddon the Despoiler!
• It's All About Me: A somewhat minor case, but after Cairne dies, he seems primarily concerned about his personal loss of honor, and Cairne's son, Baine calls him out on that.
  • Killing the leader of one of the races of the horde and waiting to see who wins the ensuing coup isn't minor
• Moral Myopia: Tends to gloss over the old Horde's atrocities against the Alliance while being indignant about the actions the Alliance takes against the Horde.
• Only Six Faces: Every Mag'har in the game uses the same wide eyed, scarred face and Garrosh is no exception. (He gets a unique model in Cataclysm.)
• Took a Level In Jerkass: And how. After being passive and weak-willed in The Burning Crusade, he jumped straight to flipping off Thrall and telling him how to run the Horde, and provoking fights with the Alliance for little reason.
• Tyrant Takes the Helm: Highlighted in his take on the orcish Battle Cry. Instead of "never surrender and fight to the death", his phrasing implies "succeed or I'll kill you."

"Live by these words! Lok'tar ogar: victory...or death!

• • This will reach a climax in Mists of Pandaria, where both Alliance and Horde will lay siege on Orgrimmar in order to bring him down.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: As Warchief.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Gives one to Overlord Blackscar in the short story "Heart of War" when he finds out that he expressed approval for Horde soldiers attacking the Alliance forces trying to take the Death Gate, and tells him that he has one more chance before he demands his head. Receives one from Baine Bloodhoof and Eitrigg, for contributing to Cairne's death.
  • Also gives one to Sylvanas when he learns she's going to raise Val'kyr as a part of the Forsaken.

Ji Firepaw

Leader of the Horde-alligned pandaren. Brash and boisterous, Ji embodies the Houjin monk teachings; the belief that inaction is the greatest crime, and that fighting real battles to protect home and family, regardless the cost, is the only way to live. He joins the Horde because he's drawn to their nature of tragic monsters defending themselves in a world that hates them.

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• Blue Oni Red Oni: The red to Aysa's blue

Drek'thar

The elder shaman of the Frostwolf clan, Drek'Thar served as Thrall's tutor many years ago. Blind since birth, Drek'Thar had to prove his worth during the Horde's dark period, being one of the first shaman eager to learn the dark arts of warlock magic. He found the spirits of the elements to be close companions, so shamanism became his path to might. Despite his power over the elements, Drek'Thar always maintained his meekness and wisdom.

Since Cataclysm, Drek'thar has become senile and is now under care. With his senility, however, he has been receiving odd visions which have been proving eerily accurate. He has also become openly opposed to the Horde’s alliance with the Forsaken, believing they are a menace. However, his warnings have fallen on deaf ears, and he has been abandoned by his old allies.

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• Badass Grandpa
• Blind Seer
• Cassandra Truth: His advice is heed way too late.
  • Actually, in Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, his advice is heeded right away. He foresaw an orc attack on a meeting of Druids and troops are sent out to protect it, but it ends up being a false alarm as it turns out that the meeting Drek'thar saw was one that occurred later. But in between that his visions do get dismissed until his caretaker realizes that he was right all along.
• Dual-Wielding
• Handicapped Badass: At least until he became mostly senile.
• Old Master: To Thrall.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: Deeply regrets his deeds as part of the Old Horde, and as he believes the Forsaken commits atrocities without feeling anything, refuses to help them, much to Cromush's dismay.
• Walking Shirtless Scene

Trade Prince Jastor Gallywix

"I never cover up the things I'm proud of. If the world was gonna split in half tomorrow, I’d buy the Dark Portal, slap a toll booth on it, and charge refugees the last of their pocket change, the rings off their fingers, a bite of their sandwiches, and a contractual obligation to build me a rocket palace in the skies of Nagrand. It's the goblin way! Supply and demand! Deal with it!"

Trade Prince of the Bilgewater Cartel, Jastor Gallywix is the wealthiest, most powerful goblin on the isle of Kezan. Having backstabbed his way to the top of goblin society, he resided in a wealthy beachfront palace, where he spent the better part of his days extorting money from his subjects.

When Deathwing's emergence caused Mount Kajaro to erupt and rain fire on Kezan, Gallywix took the chance to pull the ultimate extortion: he charged an exorbitant fee to allow his followers to escape on his personal barge, but instead of letting them go afterwards, he captured them and planned to sell them into slavery. However, he came into a naval crossfire between the Alliance and the Horde, destroying his ship and causing the goblins to wash up on the shores of the Lost Isles.

Surviving, Gallywix continued to plot against his own people, brainwashing them and forcing them to work under his will. However, when his biggest rival (i.e. the Player Character) showed up with the aid of the orcs and their former Warchief Thrall, Gallywix’s plans were foiled once and for all. Instead of killing the corrupt Trade Prince, however, Thrall offered to spare Gallywix if he and the Bilgewater Cartel swore to serve under the banner of the Horde. Gallywix agreed, and has since pledged his people to aiding the new orc Warchief, Garrosh Hellscream.

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• All Girls Want Bad Boys: His only love interest was of this sort. That said, deposing her father, Trade Prince Maldy, proved too much for her.
• Batman Gambit: His plan to topple the former Trade Prince and take his place in his backstory.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's bad, even by goblin standards.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Dads: As shown in his short story, "Trade Secrets of a Trade Prince".
• Even Evil Has Standards: Inverted; goblin society thrives on and encourages manipulative and amoral business practices, but even by their standards, Gallywix is considered absolute scum.
• Fat Bastard: Oddly enough, only in artwork; he has yet to recieve a proper in-game model (at the moment, it's simply a regular goblin in slightly fancy clothes, riding a generic mechanical walker).
• Jerkass: And HOW!
• Karma Houdini: Remains in charge of the goblins even after Thrall and the player defeat him.
  • Easily Forgiven
• Lonely At the Top: Invokes this, then subverts it by declaring that he has never been happier.
• Masochism Tango: For the lack of a better example. Gallywix was in love with Trade Prince Maldy's daughter and she did like him up to the point Gallywix deposed Maldy. Every year since, Maldy sent her a painting of himself enjoying his riches. In return, she sends him a bomb.
• Nice Hat: Only in artwork so far.
• Smug Snake
• Spider Tank: Pilots one against the player.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Is not very gracious about the mercy the player and Thrall show him. Nor is he grateful that the player saved his life.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: After the Lost Isles, Gallywix disappears, not found in his palace in Azshara. The fact that he has aggro and "killed a player" sound files implies that they just haven't put him in yet.
• You Don't Look Like You: The official art shows a large overweight goblin in a Nice Hat, the in-game model is a normal sized goblin with red hair and a beard. The giant Mt. Rushmoresque head of him in Azshara does look like the art, complete with the hat.

Sassy Hardwrench

"Okay, this'll work out just fine. We'll throw your party and by the time it's over I'm sure that the dragon will be long gone and the ground will stop shaking."

A Bilgewater Goblin secretary working at the Kajaro Trading Company in Kezan. When Deathwing attacked Kezan, Sassy, along with the goblin player character was able to get everyone off the island. Then on the Lost Isles, it was more or less Sassy's initial idea for the Bilgewater Goblins to rejoin the Horde. After the Catacylsm, she opened a trading post/souvenir stand in Stranglethorn.

• Action Girl
• Battle Butler
• Beleaguered Assistant
• Girl Friday
• Hypercompetent Sidekick
• Meaningful Name: Definitely lives up to her first name.
• Only Sane Man: Amongst the goblins as a whole.
• Servile Snarker

Hobart Grapplehammer

"Come here. I have a ... "special project" requiring your assistance."

The Bilgewater Goblin Mad Scientist among Goblin Mad Scientists. Among other things, responsible for creating a race of sentient velociraptors, making Gilgoblins, and attempting to develop a series of laxitives for giants. After Kezan is blown up, he sets up shop in Azshara, where he ends up having to deal with constantly exploding laboratories and his gnomish rivals.

• For Science!
• Gadgeteer Genius
• Mad Scientist
• Noodle Incident