Man'ari eredar

This article is about the demonic eredar. For the eredar in general, see eredar.

Man'ari eredar
Kurzon the False in the TCG
Faction/Affiliation	Burning Legion (Shadow Council, Sargerei), Alliance (Penitents), Illidari, Black Harvest, Independent
Character classes	Assassin, Felsworn, Mystic, Necrolyte, Necromancer, Sorcerer, Warlock, Warrior, Wrathguard, Vindicator
Racial capital	Antorus Exodar
Racial leader(s)	Velen   Arzaal
Formerly	Kil'jaeden †   Archimonde †
Homeworld	Argus
Area(s)	Throughout the Great Dark Beyond and the Twisting Nether
Language(s)	Eredun

The man'ari (pronounced man-ah-ree) eredar (or simply by the broad category 'man'ari'), are eredar that have been turned into demons by the Burning Legion. 13,000 years ago, the Dark Titan Sargeras shattered the tranquility of Argus by offering the eredar immeasurable knowledge and power. He then bathed the eredar in his fel might and corrupted them into his service.

The man'ari eredar acted as some of the most powerful weapons in the Legion's arsenal. Skilled sorcerers in both fel and shadow magics, they were often found in command of contingents of demon forces. When facing the eredar of great power, large armies are useless for the most part. Their corruptive powers over mortal souls are such that only the strongest-willed can even stand face to face with them. Cunning and powerful, they became the most stalwart enemies of the draenei, a faction of uncorrupted eredar who fled Argus to escape the corruption of their brethern.

Following the third invasion of the Burning Legion, which led to the imprisonment of Sargeras and ended the Burning Crusade, a group of man'ari eredar led by Arzaal, named the Penitents, wished redemption for their past sins. After they met Prophet Velen and proved themselves by securing the Brilliant Star, they were ultimately allowed to join the draenei and thus the Alliance. Man'ari eredar are now accessible as a playable option in the form of a skintone for the draenei race upon the first completion of the  [Seeing Red] achievement.

History

The corruption of the eredar

This section concerns content related to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1.

Kil'jaeden, Velen, and Archimonde, leaders of the eredar when Sargeras appeared.

Thirteen thousand years ago, the dark titan Sargeras came to Argus seeking to have the eredar join his Burning Legion. The eredar were highly advanced, a race far more intelligent than any other Sargeras had encountered. They hungered for knowledge above all else. By attaining it, they believed they could shape the universe into a better and more benevolent place. Sargeras communed with them under the guise of a radiant and elegant being, promising their three leaders, Archimonde, Kil'jaeden, and Velen, knowledge and unimaginable power. He showed them worlds beyond count over which they might hold dominion, primitive places that the eredar could transform into sanctuaries of peace and intellectual thought. Sargeras vowed to share with the eredar not only the most obscure secrets of existence but also the final answer to what he believed was the fundamental flaw in creation. In return, the denizens of Argus would devote themselves to Sargeras's grand work and help him remedy that flaw.

The offer awed both Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, who were honored to be part of this grand undertaking. Velen, however, was not convinced. He sensed something strange about the seemingly beautiful and all-knowing creature who had appeared to them. A troubling vision soon came to Velen, who saw the eredar transformed into unspeakable demons. But despite Velen's misgivings, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden agreed to join Sargeras' Legion. Kil'jaeden was one of the eredar race's most beloved leaders. When he joined the demonic Burning Legion, a good deal of eredar blindly followed his path.

The Triumvirate divided in Lore in Short.

Velen despaired at the fate of his people. In this moment of desperation, the same beings who had granted him his vision of the eredar's downfall reached out to him. One of the naaru, K'ure, contacted the eredar leader and offered to shepherd him and his closest allies to safety. Filled with renewed hope, Velen sought out other eredar whom he believed he could trust. Velen specifically asked Talgath, an old friend and member of the Council to the Triumvirate, to bring his wife and son to the highest mountain of the land. Unfortunately, Talgath was himself seduced by Sargeras' promises and betrayed Velen and his cohorts to Kil'jaeden. As Sargeras arrived on Argus to corrupt the unsuspecting eredar, Velen and his followers made their daring escape. They gathered aboard a massive naaru dimensional fortress known as the Genedar and fled their homeworld forever. From that day forward, Velen and his followers would be known as the draenei, or "exiled ones."

Talgath and the demonic eredar coming for their remaining uncorrupted brethren.

Argus, after being conquered by the Legion.

On Argus, Sargeras bent the other eredar to his unholy will. Fanatical fel whisperings surged through the minds of the world's inhabitants, drowning out their ability to reason. Sargeras also infused the eredar with fel energies, twisting their forms to resemble hideous demons. The draenei would call their demonic brethren "man'ari" from that point on, meaning "unnatural beings" in their tongue. Sargeras found quick use for his new fel-corrupted converts. The eredar settled in as commanders within the Burning Legion. Kil'jaeden and Archimonde would stand as the most gifted and powerful among them. The eredar primary language, Eredun, would become the Legion's common language. Argus became a demon world and the stronghold of the Legion.

Under the eredars' leadership, the ranks of the Burning Legion swelled with new demonic races, gathered from the Twisting Nether and the worlds of the Great Dark Beyond. Pleased with his burgeoning forces, Sargeras launched the demons into the Great Dark, renewing his Burning Crusade against creation. In the ages to come, the Legion would scour countless worlds and civilizations from existence.

War of the Ancients

This section concerns content related to War of the Ancients Trilogy.

The Ancient Guardian Malorne battling Archimonde during the War of the Ancients.

Ten thousand years ago, many man'ari eredar participated in the War of the Ancients. The reckless experimentation on the Well of Eternity by the Highborne attracted the attention of the Burning Legion. Discovering Azeroth's location, Sargeras mobilized his demonic legions and sought a way to reach the world. As he had done with the eredar on Argus, Sargeras reached out to the Highborne and capitalized on their hubris. He promised them immense power in exchange for summoning his agents to Azeroth. Enthralled, Queen Azshara and the Highborne used the Well's energies to bring the Legion's minions into their world, unleashing a wave of destruction.

Archimonde himself was eventually summoned into the world. Under his direction, the Burning Legion's portal to Azeroth grew increasingly powerful, allowing more demonic reinforcements to flood through. He then personally led the charge against the defenders of Azeroth. One of Archimonde's most significant acts in the war was his battle against Malorne, the great demigod stag and father of Cenarius. In a brutal confrontation, Archimonde utilized his immense magical prowess to grow in size and power, ultimately overpowering and killing Malorne.

During this conflict, Sargeras sought to break the will of the people of Azeroth with Ulthalesh, a weapon of unfathomable strength, which he gave to Sataiel, the first necrolyte. Sargeras commanded her to reap the souls of Azeroth's rebellious denizens, starting with the area that would later be known as Deadwind Pass. Countless trolls were methodically slain, their spirits consumed by Ulthalesh, fueling its power to murder more. Sataiel also turned the blade on the land itself, draining it of life. The explosive force from the ritual carved a massive crater into the ground, and it roiled with unnatural energies, forming a magical nexus. Being notoriously ambitious and fearless to the point of arrogance, Sataiel decided to keep the magical nexus for herself, and she cast potent wards to hide it from the outside world. Then she cut off all contact with the Legion, biding her time until she and Ulthalesh had the strength to challenge Sargeras himself.

Despite the initial success of the Legion under Archimonde's command, the resistance, bolstered by the efforts of the night elves, their allies, and the intervention of powerful beings like the dragon Aspects, managed to slow their advance. Eventually a desperate assault against Zin-Azshari itself was executed, which culminated with the destruction of the Well of Eternity and the Legion portal it was sustaining, sucking Archimonde and the demonic invaders back into the Nether.

Hunt for the draenei

This section concerns content related to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 and 2.

Talgath, a high-ranking man'ari who tracked down the draenei for millennia across the Great Dark Beyond.

Velen's rejection of Sargeras's grand vision and his subsequent escape had enraged Kil'jaeden. Even though the draenei had vanished without a trace, the Deceiver vowed never to stop hunting them, bent on vengeance for what he saw as Velen's betrayal. The Legion hounded Velen and the draenei across dozens of worlds for thousands of years. Every time it seemed that the draenei had found a new home, the Burning Legion would fall upon them. The indigenous races of these worlds were oftentimes mutated by the eredar's malevolent warlock powers and turned into demons, marking these twisted beings as man'ari themselves. One such world was Fanlin'Deskor, whose surface was ripped apart by the Legion, after which nothing was left behind.

Another was Shar'gel, where the draenei were only able to escape through the heroic sacrifice of the priestess Askara, the wielder of T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru, and seventy other draenei who were able to distract the Legion and buy the rest of their kin enough time to escape from Shar'gel. After the battle, T'uure fell into the Burning Legion's hands. Kil'jaeden bestowed the staff to Lady Calindris, a man'ari priestess with an intimate knowledge of T'uure and the holy magics of the draenei.

Twelve years BDP, Talgath, who had been personally tasked by Kil'jaeden to track down the draenei, discovered them on the world known as Draenor, where they had settled after crash-landing their dimensional ship on the planet a couple hundred years prior. When the Genedar crashed on Draenor, the impact sent waves of holy energy surging through the Twisting Nether. Talgath sensed this influx of power and investigated the strange phenomenon. For more than a century, Talgath tracked the contrails of holy power until he reached Draenor. Talgath relayed information about the draenei and their way of life to Ki'jaeden, along with details of the orcs and the world's other indigenous races.

Kil'jaeden initially desired to immediately annihilate the draenei, but he refrained from doing so. Under the direct orders of Sargeras, he and the other commanders of the Burning Legion were tasked with discovering new races to join their forces. Kil'jaeden saw potential in the orcs for this purpose. Consequently, he instructed Talgath to continue monitoring Draenor and its inhabitants. Kil'jaeden needed to gather more information about the orcs and their customs before making any further decisions.

Kil'jaeden learned that the orcs are a resilient and manipulable race, ideal for vengeance against the draenei and future use in the Legion. He recruited Gul'dan, an exiled orc, promising power in exchange for corrupting the orcs. Gul'dan mastered fel magic and created chaos among the orcs, leading to their desperation and uniting them under false pretenses against the draenei. Kil'jaeden's manipulations led to the formation of the Horde, with Gul'dan influencing the orc leader Ner'zhul and later appointing Blackhand as the Horde's leader. Kil'jaeden facilitated the orcs' corruption by having them drink Mannoroth's demon blood, binding them to the Legion.

The orcs waged a genocidal war against the draenei, destroying their cities and forcing Velen and survivors into hiding. Sargeras, pleased with the results, saw the orcs as a force to weaken Azeroth's defenses for a future Legion invasion, leading to the opening of the Dark Portal and the start of the First War.

First and Second Wars

This section concerns content related to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2 and 3.

In the years before the First War, the man'ari Balaadur and his minions attacked mages loyal to the Council of Tirisfal. He created rifts in reality, forcing powerful conjurers and archmages into the Twisting Nether, where he killed them and took their weapons as trophies. As orcs rampaged through Stormwind, the mage Arrexis, following advice from Medivh who had been possessed by Sargeras, conducted a ritual at Karazhan meant to protect against demonic incursions. Instead, it opened a path to the Twisting Nether, leading to Balaadur's minions slaughtering Arrexis and his apprentices. Balaadur took Arrexis' staff, Ebonchill, as a trophy.

Following Orgrim Doomhammer's takeover of the Horde and resulting in its victory in the First War, Kil'jaeden reestablished contact with Gul'dan, telling the warlock to support Doomhammer. However, Gul'dan abandoned the Horde at a crucial moment, having grown disillusioned with Kil'jaeden's promises, by going after the power within the Tomb of Sargeras instead. This led to the defeat of the Horde by the Alliance during the Second War, thus dooming what would have also been a momentous victory for the Burning Legion.

Meanwhile, Talgath also made his way to Azeroth. There, he stumbled upon an effective method of corruption: targeting the selfish, greedy, and ruthless to compete for power. This tactic proved effective with Azeroth's pirates. Talgath created a pair of nimble cutlasses to corrupt them to the Burning Legion's cause. The Dreadblades would eventually end up in the hands of Admiral Eliza Goreblade who, under Talgath's direction, terrorized the South Seas for many years.

After the Horde's defeat in the Second War, Kil'jaeden sought to avoid past mistakes by finding a powerful and loyal spirit to lead a puppet army. He chose Ner'zhul, who was captured and tortured, agreeing to serve Kil'jaeden in exchange for release. Transformed into the Lich King, Ner'zhul was bound to armor and a runeblade, tasked with creating a necromantic plague to weaken Azeroth's defenses for a Legion invasion. Kil'jaeden sent the Lich King to Icecrown Glacier in Northrend and assigned dreadlords to oversee him. While appearing loyal, the Lich King manipulated the dreadlords, hiding his true power and intentions, and planning his eventual revenge against Kil'jaeden.

Battle of Mount Hyjal

This section concerns content related to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3.

Archimonde assaulting the world tree Nordrassil during the Battle of Mount Hyjal.

The Lich King proved to be an effective agent for Kil'jaeden, enveloping Northrend and Lordaeron in death and chaos and eventually opening the way for a new demonic invasion on Azeroth. However, though Kil'jaeden had laid the foundations for the Legion's second incursion to Azeroth, it was Archimonde, being the more seasoned battle commander, who would lead it. After being summoned on Azeroth near Dalaran, Archimonde immediately targeted the city and cast a spell, reducing it to rubble, fearing the magi would hinder the Legion's plans. He then transferred control of the Scourge to the dreadlords, believing the Lich King had fulfilled his purpose by creating an undead army for the Legion. He also ordered his forces assembled in Lordaeron to annihilate the remaining Alliance forces, ensuring no resistance would follow the Legion to Kalimdor. Archimonde sent Mannoroth and Tichondrius ahead to Kalimdor to prepare the way for the Legion's invasion.

The invasion of Kalimdor began after the death of Cenarius, which was caused by Mannoroth's machinations. Archimonde left some demons and undead in the Eastern Kingdoms to maintain control while launching the rest of his forces into Ashenvale. Despite some resistance, the demon army made swift progress. However, Archimonde, who was a seasoned war leader, sought every advantage. He ordered Tichondrius, who possessed the Skull of Gul'dan, to corrupt the forests and clear a path to the second Well of Eternity. This led to the creation of Felwood.

As the Legion advanced up Mount Hyjal toward the second Well of Eternity, thousands of night elf Sentinels and druids, along with forest spirits, gathered to defend it, joined by Horde and Alliance forces. Despite their numbers, the defenders were fragmented and mistrustful. Sensing victory, Archimonde was unaware of Medivh's presence and plans. Medivh united the Thrall, Jaina Proudmoore, Tyrande Whisperwind, and Malfurion Stormrage, convincing them to set aside their differences. Malfurion proposed a drastic plan to ignite the powerful enchantments within the World Tree Nordrassil, causing an explosion that would destroy Archimonde and the Legion but also strip the night elves of their immortality. As the defenders fought to buy time, many perished. When Archimonde reached Nordrassil, the druids had completed their work. Wisps emerged and channeled their energies into the World Tree, creating a shockwave that destroyed Archimonde and most of his forces, ending the Legion's hopes of seizing the second Well of Eternity.

After the Third War

This section concerns content related to World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3.

Kil'jaeden's fiery visage appears before Illidan at the Black Temple, after Magtheridon's defeat.

Despite their defeat, Kil'jaeden believed the Burning Legion could still succeed using the Lich King, the remaining dreadlords, and the Scourge. However, the Lich King, growing independent, rallied Arthas Menethil, Kel'Thuzad, and the Scourge in Lordaeron, forcing the dreadlords to flee. Kil'jaeden realized the Lich King was a significant threat and sought a new weapon: Illidan Stormrage. After consuming the Skull of Gul'dan, Illidan gained immense power and caught Kil'jaeden's attention. Kil'jaeden offered him anything to destroy the Lich King, unaware of Illidan's true goal to destroy the Legion. Illidan pretended to ally with Kil'jaeden, seeing it as a chance to learn more about the Legion and eliminate the Lich King, a Legion-created weapon.

Illidan failed to destroy the Lich King, however, and, fearing Kil'jaeden's wrath, sought refuge in Outland. There, he overthrew Magtheridon with his allies' help. Kil'jaeden, learning of Illidan's actions, appeared before him and demanded he return to Azeroth to kill the Lich King, threatening to destroy him if he disobeyed. Illidan obeyed but, despite his best efforts, failed again, stopped by Arthas Menethil. He retreated to Outland again, drawing Kil'jaeden's ire, who eventually launched an attack on Outland to punish Illidan.

In Outland, Illidan built a formidable army and found ways to attack Legion-controlled worlds. Kil'jaeden realized Illidan aimed to destroy the Legion, possibly even striking Argus. To counter Illidan, Kil'jaeden sent an army led by Highlord Kruul. However, Illidan had closed many portals, delaying the Legion's advance. Fearing Illidan's potential attacks, Kil'jaeden devised a new strategy. He planned to manipulate the Horde and the Alliance into attacking Illidan, using their fear of his demon-fueled army. This would distract them and leave Azeroth vulnerable to a Legion invasion on a second front.

Kil'jaeden decided to lead this attack himself, recognizing that previous failures required his direct involvement. Instead of targeting the heavily guarded Well of Eternity, Kil'jaeden saw an opportunity with the Sunwell, which Kael'thas Sunstrider, an ally of Illidan who had helped him defeat Magtheridon and the leader of the blood elves, had destroyed but which could be restored. Kil'jaeden learned of Anveena Teague, an avatar containing the Sunwell's energy, through his spies in Quel'Thalas. Kael'thas Sunstrider was crucial to Kil'jaeden's plan. Kil'jaeden eventually managed to sway Kael'thas to his side and planned to use him to transform the Sunwell into a gateway for the Legion's invasion.

The Burning Crusade

This section concerns content related to The Burning Crusade.

Kil'jaeden emerging into Azeroth at the Sunwell.

At some point after the death of Medivh, the tower of Karazhan sealed itself. Before the closing, demonic agents of the Burning Legion, led by Prince Malchezaar, managed to enter into Karazhan, as the tower is a portal into the Twisting Nether.

When Velen and his followers decided to commandeer the Exodar and seek allies in Azeroth, Kil'jaeden, aware of their plan, chose not to intervene; despite his desire to exterminate the draenei, he believed that them reaching Azeroth would incite its inhabitants to fight Illidan and inadvertently aid the Legion. While the draenei managed to take control of the vessel and take off for Azeroth, a man'ari eredar named Sironas, alongside a group of blood elves who had been inside the Exodar when it left Netherstorm sabotaged the Exodar causing it to crash-land in Azuremyst Isle. After surviving the crash, Sironas rounded up the blood elven survivors of the wreck and retreated to what became Bloodmyst Isle. From there, they began causing major problems for the budding outpost of Blood Watch.

In year 26 ADP, Kil'jaeden ordered the demon forces in Outland and what demons remained in Azeroth from the Third War to gather on their respective sides of the Dark Portal. Kil'jaeden guided them in a great ritual that led to the opening of the portal for the first time since the Second War. Soon after, the Horde and the Alliance mobilized their armies and launched them into Outland. While at first their focus was on the gathered Burning Legion forces, soon they set their eyes on Illidan and his forces, who had also caused much harm to the inhabitants of Outland.

Quite a few man'ari eredar were present in Outland throughout this campaign. In Hellfire Peninsula, adventurers faced Arazzius the Cruel, who commanded the Legion ground forces in Hellfire. In Terokkar Forest, Levixus, a draenei turned man'ari, had been binding the tortured souls of Auchindoun to his will. In Nagrand, Reth'hedron the Subduer lorded over Twilight Ridge, while Demos oversaw Forge Camp: Hate. In Blade's Edge Mountains, Baelmon the Hound-Master maintained the ritual that kept the portal in Death's Door functioning, a portal from which Wrath Hounds were being summoned. Another man'ari of note in the area was Terrordar the Tormentor, who used to lead the demon forces at Forge Camp: Terror.

In Netherstorm, the Burning Legion forces there were led by Socrethar, who was once Exarch Othaar but betrayed the draenei at some unknown point after their arrival in Draenor. A wrathguard named Azarad served as the overseer of Manaforge Ara. Furthermore, inside the Arcatraz, Wrath-Scryer Soccothrates, who held a position of honor among the wrathguards, was being detained. In Shadowmoon Valley, Warbringer Razuun served as the Legion's overseer in Legion Hold. While most man'ari in Outland served as commanders and overseers for the Burning Legion troops, some, such as Illidari Lord Balthas served Illidan instead.

Eventually, Illidan and his forces fell against the combined efforts of the Alliance and the Horde. Though Kil'jaeden had expected this outcome, he made sure that his minions returned the fallen prince, Kael'thas Sunstrider, to life. While the Horde and the Alliance directed their forces at the Black Temple, Kael'thas was sent to Azeroth, where he infiltrated Silvermoon City, took the dark naaru M'uru, and traveled to the Isle of Quel'Danas, where he planned to use the Sunwell as a gateway for Kil'jaeden to enter the world. Adventurers fought their way through Kael's minions and Burning Legion demons, including many man'ari such as Grand Warlock Alythess and Lady Sacrolash, to reach the Sunwell, just in time to see Kil'jaeden begin pulling himself through. Anveena was held in an arcane barrier, her powers being drained to feed the portal, but later in the battle she sacrificed herself to weaken the Deceiver, who was then successfully banished back into the Nether.

Wrath of the Lich King

This section concerns content related to Wrath of the Lich King.

At the time of the war against the Lich King, Lord Jaraxxus was summoned by Grand Warlock Wilfred Fizzlebang in an attempt to summon a doomguard for the next challenge of the Trial of the Crusader. Jaraxxus killed Fizzlebang for his efforts, and next planned to kill the adventurers and open a portal to let the Burning Legion invade Azeroth once more. However, Archmage Timear of the Kirin Tor had foreseen the event, and the Council of Six had therefore sent adventurers to participate in the trial and kill Jaraxxus, which they also succeeded at doing.

Warlords of Draenor

This section concerns content related to Warlords of Draenor.

The Halls of the Sargerei inside of Hellfire Citadel.

Archimonde in Hellfire Citadel.

After Garrosh Hellscream's defeat in the Siege of Orgrimmar and subsequent escape to an alternate timeline of Draenor with the help of the bronze dragon Kairoz, he convinced Grommash Hellscream to distrust Gul'dan, preventing the orcs' corruption by the Blood Curse and ruining Kil'jaeden's plans. Garrosh and Grommash gathered the orc clans, creating the Iron Horde and building a new Dark Portal in Tanaan Jungle. They launched an invasion of Azeroth, quickly overtaking parts of the Blasted Lands. However, the Alliance and Horde united to repel the Iron Horde and managed to push the invaders back through the portal and into this alternate Draenor, where they waged a war against the Iron Horde. With Kil'jaeden's plan falling to pieces, Archimonde took control of the Legion's invasion of Draenor himself. Under Archimonde, the Burning Legion was much more forceful and out in the open than they were in the main timeline.

Just like in the main timeline, Exarch Othaar betrayed the draenei and became a servant of the Burning Legion, transforming into a man'ari and changing his name to Socrethar. However, this time around, he also formed the Sargerei, a faction consisting of draenei loyal to his cause, a lot of whom transformed into man'ari as well. Before the reveal of his betrayal, he unsuccessfully tried to get rid of Exarch Maladaar by giving him up to the Iron Horde and assassinated Exarch Hataaru. Sargeri agents helped the Shadow Council infiltrate Auchindoun where Teron'gor feasted on the souls of the dead. In Shadowmoon Valley, they had opened a summoning portal where they were planning on summoning an army of demons. Eventually, the Sargerei were able to take over Shattrath, but their occupation was short-lived, and Socrethar was killed in the offensive.

After Gul'dan claimed control of the Iron Horde, he brought his "gift" to the Sargerei, transforming them all into man'ari when before only a few had been. Soon thereafter, the Sargerei, led by Tyrant Velhari, assaulted Auchindoun again and blew a hole into its lower grounds in order to find Teron'gor. They also attacked the Temple of Sha'naar in Tanaan. The Sargerei relocated to Hellfire Citadel, where most of them were killed by the champions of the Alliance and Horde when they raided the fortress, including Tyrant Velhari and Socrethar, who was able to return by inserting his soul inside a fel-twisted vigilant body.

Ultimately, Gul'dan summoned Archimonde himself into Draenor, but the demon lord was defeated by the combined efforts of the Alliance, the Horde, and their allies. Before his death, Archimonde launched Gul'dan through a portal to the main timeline Azeroth.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

Gul'dan encounters his master once again.

After Archimonde's defeat, Gul'dan was guided telepathically by Kil'jaeden to the Tomb of Sargeras on the Broken Shore, where he was to open a portal to the Twisting Nether and start a new demon invasion of Azeroth. There, Gul'dan faced Archmage Khadgar in battle, whom he was able to defeat after convincing Kil'jaeden to infuse him with the tomb's power. After his victory, instead of opening the portal for the Legion, Gul'dan used his new power to confront Kil'jaeden directly, accusing him of betrayal. Kil'jaeden, however, managed to convince Gul'dan to stay loyal to the Legion this time, unlike what happened with the main timeline Gul'dan, and thus the portal was opened and the Burning Legion's third great invasion of Azeroth began.

Countless man'ari were deployed in this invasion, many of whom were present in the Broken Shore during the Alliance-Horde offensive, and were later seen all around Azeroth. After the joined faction assault in the Broken Shore failed, the Legion launched invasions in different parts of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, plenty of these invasions were commanded by man'ari lords, and scores of other man'ari served under them as soldiers. The Vault of the Wardens was also assaulted by a Legion army led by the man'ari Bastillax, forcing the wardens to release the demon hunters that had been imprisoned there after Illidan's defeat in the Black Temple.

After Dalaran was moved in the skies above the Broken Isles, the champions of Azeroth gathered under the banners of different Class Orders and went seeking powerful artifact weapons that would aid them in the war, some of which claimed after defeating various powerful man'ari eredar. The Tirisgarde tracked down Balaadur and claimed Ebonchil from him. The Council of the Black Harvest faced off against Lady Tyrana and Pain Mistress Nikta while hunting for the Skull of the Man'ari and Spine of Thal'kiel. The Conclave defeated Lady Calindris and restored T'uure to the light. Yu'lon bestowed Fu Zan, the Wanderer's Companion upon the monks of the Temple of Five Dawns after they helped defend the Temple of the Jade Serpent from a demonic invasion led by Lord Korithis. And the Uncrowned defeated Akaari Shadowgore and take the Fangs of the Devourer from her.

Soon, the Alliance and the Horde set their eyes upon the rest of the Broken Isles, where they hoped that by collecting the Pillars of Creation they might be able to stop the demonic invasion, there they faced more man'ari along the way. Notably, in Highmountain, Marakhan corrupted the Bloodtotem tribe, making them allies of the Legion. In Stormheim, Azariah was leading the Drekirjar into corrupting and enslaving the Thorignir, and personally captured and was in the process of subduing Thrymjaris. And in Suramar, Azoran was in charge of Felsoul Hold and planned to use the Burning Legion command ship, the Lightbreaker, to destroy Dalaran.

Some powerful man'ari were also faced by the class orders later in their campaigns. The Eredar Twins were subdued by the Netherlord, with the help from the rest of the Council of the Black Harvest, weakening Mephistroth's army. Lady Ran'zara led the invasion of Ulduar battling against the titan watchers and the Battlelord and even taking the Keeper Hodir prisoner in Niskara. And Lady Keletress fought against the monk order leading the invasion of the Peak of Serenity, Tian Monastery and the Wandering Isle.

In the Battle for the Exodar, High General Rakeesh laid siege to the draenei city, causing much chaos and destruction, and even killing the naaru O'ros, before he himself was vanquished by the champions who had come to defend the draenei. In the final confrontation with Rakeesh, Velen came to the realization that Rakeesh was his long lost son, who had been taken away from him after Talgath betrayed Velen during the flight of the draenei, and who had been twisted by Kil'jaeden into a man'ari eredar.

When demons once again infiltrated Karazhan, Elux'ara Darkscorn led the Legion force stationed outside Karazhan, having been ordered by Viz'aduum the Watcher to keep any mortals out of the tower while he completed a ritual that would anchor the structure to the myriad of worlds held by the Legion.

When the Nighthold was raided in order to topple Grand Magistrix Elisande and her loyalists, who had decided to ally with the Burning Legion, a group of man'ari summoned the doom lord Krosus in an attempt to kill the invaders.

The Tomb of Sargeras

Kil'jaeden aboard his Legion ship.

After all the Pillars of Creation were gathered, the Armies of Legionfall organized a new assault on the Broken Shore, aiming to break into the Tomb of Sargeras and close the portal from where the demonic tide was flowing through into Azeroth. In response, Kil'jaeden ordered major invasions around the Broken Isles. The man'ari were again present in vast numbers both in the Broken Shore and in other areas of the Broken Isles. Notably, Lord Commander Alexius was a powerful man'ari eredar in charge of the Assault on Stormheim, where he fought against the Valarjar forces there led by Odyn. The druids of the Dreamgrove, meanwhile, had to face off against Commander Katith'rax, who organized and led attacks on the wild gods Aviana and Goldrinn. The Tirisgarde, too, had another encounter with a powerful man'ari during their quest to strengthen Dalaran's defenses; they fought against a coven of extremely powerful Felborne abjurers led by Lady Remor'za.

Eventually, the Tomb of Sargeras was breached, and the champions successfully defeated the demonic forces inside and placed the Pillars of Creation in certain locations around the ancient temple in order to close the portal deep within the titan facility that the structure had been built on top of. When the defenders of Azeroth eventually reached the place where the Avatar of Sargeras had been imprisoned, Kil'jaeden himself showed up and awoke the ancient terror. When the avatar was defeated, Kil'jaeden escaped through the portal with Velen following after him, determined this time to put an end to Kil'jaeden once and for all. And so a great battle was fought on top of Kil'jaeden's command ship in the Twisting Nether, near Argus, culminating with his defeat. After Kil'jaeden's defeat and as his ship crashed toward Argus, he admitted envy of Velen's faith. Velen forgave Kil'jaeden, releasing his hatred. Kil'jaeden died in a fel explosion, destroying him and his ship. Before the ship was destroyed, Illidan used the Sargerite Keystone to create a massive tear in space, which transported the planet of Argus close to Azeroth.

Shadows of Argus

With Argus now looming in space, close enough to Azeroth to even be clearly visible with the naked eye, a new opportunity arose for the champions of Azeroth; it was now time to bring the war to the Burning Legion's main world. After the Battle for the Exodar, Velen had ordered the construction of a new space-faring vessel, the Vindicaar, similar in design to the naaru dimensional ships. Aboard this vessel, a new expeditionary force was formed and set off for Argus, aiming to meet up with the Army of the Light on board the Xenedar. The Xenedar was, however, shot down on the order of Chief Engineer Ishkar, a member of the Antoran High Command, after it revealed its location trying to rendezvous with the Vindicaar.

This being their homeworld and the Burning Legion's main base of operation, the man'ari eredar presence on the planet was greater than anywhere else in the universe, and droves of them would fall fighting the Army of the Light and the Azerothian forces throughout the Argus Campaign. In Krokuun, one particularly important man'ari faced was Lord Nath'raxas, who ruled over Nath'raxas Hold, one of the Legion's chief military fortifications on Argus. Defeating Nath'raxas and taking the hold bought the Army of the Light valuable time to prepare for a full assault on Antorus, Sargeras' seat of power.

In Eredath, Talgath once again made his appearance. Velen's forces, pursuing the Crest of Knowledge, clashed with Talgath's troops in the Arinor Gardens. This culminated with a confrontation with Talgath at Kil'jaeden's Terrace. Before Talgath was killed, Velen was able to deduce the Crest's location from him.

While the Burning Legion focused their defenses on Argus, Illidan tasked adventurers to take the fight to the Legion on other worlds. By sending his forces through Invasion Points on Argus, Illidan engineered numerous offensives on other Legion worlds where the adventurers faced crowds of man'ari eredar who had been deployed to those worlds.

Finally, after making the necessary preparation, the attack on Antorus began. Many man'ari fell in the raid, including all the members of the Antoran High Command: General Erodus, Admiral Svirax, and Chief Engineer Ishkar, who in the past had used their military expertise to help orchestrate a Burning Crusade that ravaged countless worlds. And also Portal Keeper Hasabel, who had maintained the nexus through which the Legion had unleashed its insidious armies upon countless worlds. In the end, Sargeras himself was subdued through the power of the Pantheon of Order, after they were freed from captivity in the Temple of Anguish inside Antorus, signaling the fall of the Burning Legion.

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

Chieftain Hatuun introducing Arzal'kal to Velen.

In the wake of the Legion's defeat during the third invasion of Azeroth, a new man'ari faction arose named the Penitents. The Penitents were man'ari who over time grew horrified by the bloodshed and ashes left in the Legion's wake but continued to serve due to fearing for their own lives more than their sin, since Kil'jaeden had a way of invading the mind. Any doubt would have been known to the Deceiver, which he considered as betrayal and therefore punishable by death. The leader of the Penitents, Arzal'kal, recognized that he couldn't undo his crimes and sought to prove that he was no longer a coward by openly fighting against the Legion in penitence. Seeking to speak with Velen and knowing that Chieftain Hatuun and the Argussian Reach had been in contact with the Prophet, he personally fought off several Legion ambushes by their side to win their trust.

By the time of the war against the Primalists, Hatuun called upon Velen to meet him on Argus, where he formally introduced the Prophet to Arzal'kal. After a tense first meeting, Arzal'kal was allowed to prove himself true, where he and his allies secured the Brilliant Star, one of the shards of the Ata'mal crystal, from a man'ari cult led by Speaker Nalridun, and delivered it to Velen. Upon receiving the shard, a grateful Velen made the decision to invite the Penitents to join with the draenei, an offer that was accepted, with Arzal'kal reclaiming his former name: Arzaal.

While man'ari adventurers went to Azeroth, Arzaal and the other Penitents stayed back on Argus, aiding the Krokul there, as they didn't want to upset the draenei on Azeroth with their presence. Nevertheless, Arzaal later came to Azeroth, upon Velen's invitation, to aid their kin with a problem on Bloodmyst Isle, which ended up being another plot from Sironas, who had come back from the Twisting Nether, to destroy the draenei. After the defeat of Sironas, the Penitents attended the Tishamaat at the Exodar.

Culture

Eredar society ceased to exist after Sargeras' corruption, and while the draenei still carry on many parts of eredar culture, the man'ari eredar were incorporated into the ranks of the Burning Legion and thus are more a military force than a people nowadays. High-ranking man'ari often take on the title of lord/lady. The most powerful man'ari wear Twisted Runebindings to amplify their abilities.

Like the old eredar, some man'ari still believe in the value of phrenology - the measurement of skulls in order to divine mental aptitude. Believing that an eredar's mental faculties, such as willpower, memory, and perception, could be attributed to the shape and size of various protuberances on that individual's skull, it was theorized that skulls of proficient spellcasters could channel magical energies even after death.

Eredun was once the language of the eredar; however, after their corruption, the man'ari eredar declared that it would become the Burning Legion's common language, knowing that other sentient beings would inevitably join the ranks of the demons.

Name

“Eredar... this word once held meaning.”

— Exarch Admetius

"Man'ari" is an Eredun term that translates to "unnatural beings". It was originally described as a word with no specific translation, used to describe something considered "horrifically wrong, something twisted and unnatural and defiled". "Man'ari" is most often used by the draenei to describe the eredar followers of Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, as the draenei believe that these demonic minions are no longer recognizable as true eredar, but it could reasonably be used to describe any species that Sargeras has twisted from their natural state to a demonic one (such as satyr).

Demonic eredar also appear to refer to themselves as "man'ari", and usage of it as a species name to refer to the eredar of the Burning Legion can be considered grammatically correct as Kil'jaeden appropriated the term for his own use, though the man'ari mostly refer to themselves simply as "eredar".

Biology

A male man'ari eredar.

A female man'ari eredar.

The man'ari eredar are bipedal ungulates, physically similar to their original shape, with a few minor differences (the original eredar shape has been preserved in the draenei). The most obvious difference is their skin color; though several man'ari eredar, such as Archimonde and Lady Sacrolash, retain a blue-gray skin color, most have blood-red skin but can also be brown, orange, and green. Their eyes glow fel-green; much like draenei, the glow in an eredar's eyes will fade away when they die. Many male man'ari lack cranial hair, and man'ari females have longer tails than their draenei counterparts. Eredar hands are clawed.

Any draenei that allows themselves to become corrupted can become a man'ari eredar, transforming from humanoid to demon. Two recent examples are Levixus, an eredar who was born as a draenei, and Exarch Othaar, who became a man'ari and took the name Socrethar when he swore himself to the Burning Legion. The poison of the deathweb spiders in Talador was shown to be able to transform a draenei into a man'ari.

Most significantly, many man'ari eredar tend to be larger than draenei, though few could match Archimonde's preferred height (he has been shown to be capable of changing his size at will). Kil'jaeden notably shows a greater amount of physical variation, having sprouted both horns and wings in his most recent incarnation in addition to the more regular man'ari mutations, though these additional appendages could be a result of his shape-altering abilities rather than the influence of fel magic.

While some demons slake their lust with coupling, just like mortals, the man'ari eredar prefer to do so with violence instead.

There exists a special kind of eredar, a select few, such as Eradication, trained by Kil'jaeden himself as covert assassins, that are capable of traversing the Twisting Nether unseen, something considered impossible for other demons, and disguising themselves at a whim. They have blackened, dead eyes that emit smoke, and they erode to dust when killed.

Sub-species

Some man'ari eredar go through further transformations, becoming even more demonic:

•  Wrathguard — Mutated man'ari that serve as elite frontline troops for the Burning Legion.
• Demonic tyrant — Man'ari eredar who undergo a transformation that turns them into hulking brutes.
• Doommaiden — Powerful winged female man'ari eredar.

• 

  Wrathguard
• 

  Demonic tyrant
• 

  Doommaiden

Notable

Jaraxxus, an Eredar Lord of the Burning Legion, in Hearthstone: Mercenaries.

Name	Description	Affiliation(s)	Status
Archimonde	The Defiler; commander of the Burning Legion's military.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Kil'jaeden	The Deceiver; acting leader of the Burning Legion.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Arzaal	Leader of the Penitents seeking redemption after the defeat of the Legion.	Penitents	Alive
Akaari Shadowgore	One of Sargeras's deadliest assassins, former wielder of the Fangs of the Devourer.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Illidari Lord Balthas	Servant of Illidan Stormrage in Shadowmoon Valley.	Illidari	Alive
Lady Sacrolash   Grand Warlock Alythess	The Eredar Twins originally fought in Sunwell Plateau, now servants of the Netherlord.	Council of the Black Harvest	Alive
Levixus	The Soul Caller; binds the tortured souls of the dead in Auchindoun to his will.	Shadow Council	Killable
Lord Jaraxxus	Eredar Lord of the Burning Legion, and one of the three greatest pupils of Archimonde.	Burning Legion	Killable
Prince Malchezaar	Master of Karazhan for a time.	Burning Legion	Alive
Sataiel	First necrolyte to walk Azeroth, former wielder of Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester.	Independent	Active
Sironas	Leader of the Sunhawk forces on Bloodmyst Isle.	Burning Legion	Killable
Socrethar	Leader of the Sargerei, former member of the Council of Exarchs.	Sargerei	Killable
Talgath	Agent of Kil'jaeden, responsible for discovering the location of the draenei on Draenor.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Arch Magus Velysra	Former Arc-Consul of Argus, leader of the Legion Invasions.	Burning Legion	Killable
High General Rakeesh	Son of Velen, turned by the Legion into the overlord of the Rakeeshi.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Lady Calindris	High priestess, former wielder of T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru and Relic Keeper of Argus.	Burning Legion	Killable
Aargoss	The Soulcleaver; former High Wakener of Argus and one of Archimonde's greatest pupils.	Burning Legion	Killable
Val'zuun	Informant of unknown origin who helped the Uncrowned acquiring the Fangs of the Devourer.	Independent	Alive
Tyrant Velhari	High ranking Sargerei fought in Hellfire Citadel.	Sargerei	Killable
Balaadur	Known as the Hunter of Mages, he was responsible for the death of many mages loyal to the Council of Tirisfal.	Burning Legion	Killable
Portal Keeper Hasabel	Maintained the nexus through which the Legion has unleashed its insidious armies upon countless worlds.	Burning Legion	Killable
Lady Keletress	Led the invasions of the Peak of Serenity, Tian Monastery and the Wandering Isle.	Burning Legion	Killable
Netrezaar	Highly skilled man'ari smith who created the  [Maw of the Damned].	Independent	Active
Lady Ran'zara	Powerful man'ari that fought against the Valarjar and led the invasion of Ulduar.	Burning Legion	Killable
Admiral Svirax   Chief Engineer Ishkar   General Erodus	The Antoran High Command, master tacticians who helped orchestrate a Burning Crusade that ravaged countless worlds.	Burning Legion	Killable
Eradication	A special kind of eredar, part of a select few trained by Kil'jaeden himself as covert assassins.	Burning Legion	Deceased
Lord Nath'raxas	The ruler of Nath'raxas Hold, one of the Legion's chief military fortifications on Argus.	Burning Legion	Killable

In Warcraft III

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos or its expansion The Frozen Throne.

Warcraft III concept art of an Eredar Warlock.

Born of the eredar race, warlocks are absolutely corrupt and unimaginably powerful. Their chaos magics have burnt out whole worlds and annihilated countless species over the aeons. Kil'jaeden taught the orcs the secrets of warlock magics, but the orcs could never master the powers of entropy and destruction as well as the wicked eredar. Under Archimonde's command, the warlocks serve as the Legion's tacticians and strategists.

Unit name		Level	Hit points / mana	Armor	Attack type	Damage per hit	Abilities
	Eredar Sorcerer	4	425 / 200	0 (flesh)	Ranged	21-24	Sleep Abolish Magic
	Eredar Diabolist	6	630 / 300	0 (flesh)	Ranged	28-34	Parasite Firebolt
	Eredar Warlock	9	1350 / 500	0 (flesh)	Ranged	49-55	Finger of Pain Mana Shield Bash
	Archimonde	10	3475 / 915	11 (divine)	Ranged	62-176	Dark Portal Rain of Chaos Bash Finger of Death
	Kil'jaeden	10	1150 / 870	10 (hero)	Melee	44-54	-

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

All demons, including the eredar, were mortal once, but have been transformed into demons by corruption caused by fel energy. This change included a powerful command of arcane energy. It is said that Sargeras believed that the demons originally were not corrupt, and that it was the Titan's ordering of the universe that was ultimately responsible for the demons' corruption. In this scenario, it would imply that the titans considered the various natural races that pre-existed on worlds they visited to be demons, but were actually corrupted by the titans themselves. Sargeras later came back and freed many of them, bent on using them to destroy the Titan's work.

Eredar were supreme sorcerers at the dawn of the universe. Some believe that they devoured their own world by using radical warlock magics. They consumed all life around them and set out to find more places of mystical power. The eredar were Sargeras's first recruits in the Burning Legion, serving as tactical advisors and intelligence officers. Until now, only the titans have ever challenged them. Each of the leaders, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, built a hierarchy of demons, jealously protected from the will of the other. Pit lords, doomguard, and eminences served under Archimonde and the dreadlords, while risen terrors and shadow priests followed Kil'jaeden. These groups strove for dominance of Azeroth and other worlds. But now, at long last, Archimonde is dead, killed by the forces of Azeroth. Individual eredar and a few hopeful heroes of the lesser races have decided that they are the best candidates to replace him. These prideful few have taken their first careful steps toward locating and eliminating the presumptuous competition that might seek to displace them.

These creatures are of impressive size, far larger than any human or orc, with a bulky muscular body and a long tail. Long pointed ears sweep back from its bestial face and horns sprout from its wide brow

Sociology

Pre-eminence in eredar warlock society depends almost entirely upon magical power. Those who command the greatest selection of paramount spells — and thus, in theory, the greatest magical arsenal — rise to higher ranks. Those whose arcane abilities top out at such pitiful cantrips as wish and shape change are grunts and lackeys, scarcely worthy of notice. Because of the very nature of magic, rank, magical power, and overall intelligence go hand-in-claw.

This rule of rank is never deviated from; Archimonde's status among his brethren is backed up by his mastery of the most destructive forms of magic, and his adeptness of all others (recall his single-handed destruction of Dalaran). However, while Archimonde is violent and destructive, Kil'Jaeden is ruthlessly cunning, and coupled with his powerful magic, may even make him an even more dangerous demon than Archimonde.

Combat

Eredar warlocks are spellcasters first. They have been known to flick their fingers in an enemy's direction, causing flesh, bone, and even steel to flare with entropic fire. They avoid combat with even an innocuous foe until they can establish a collection of defensive and self-enhancement spells. Most maintain a mage armor or frost armor effect continuously. If the enemy seems weak and not worth the expenditure of spells, eredar warlocks wade into combat with their claws. If the enemy is strong, an eredar warlock creates an advantage of numbers, summoning monsters, enchanting his opponents, and using spells that divide his enemies.

Notes and trivia

• In the World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade Battle Chest Guide, the race section has a separate page for the eredar and for the Burning Legion (with its many races).
• Originally, before the invention of draenei as a concept, the race of demons was known as "the eredar warlocks". Though, it may have been a sub-grouping that happened to include all encountered eredar. Warcraft III goes back and forth on the terms.
  • "Warlock" may have been a term for or within the eredar, like the relationship between the dreadlords and the nathrezim, but it did not catch on.
  • The Exodar Holographic Emitter says that "Eredar" are of the species "Eredar," but calls them the "eredar warlocks."
  • In the Warcraft RPG, they were sorcerers (because there was no warlock class in the Warcraft RPG), but in the World of Warcraft RPG, they are warlocks.
• Originally, male and female man'ari eredar used unique models, with unique armor features (although they still used the same animations as their draenei cousins). However, man'ari eredar introduced in patch 6.2.0 and onward instead use a slightly modified version of the updated draenei model, which allows them to wear different pieces of player armor, something that was not possible with the to early -era models. A new skintype was finally added in Dragonflight, allowing them to be playable after the completion of  [25-35] Seeing Red. These ones are missing the fel-pocked skin of their Warlords counterparts.
  • A female man'ari model was not introduced until the addition of the Eredar Twins in patch 2.4.0. Originally, Sironas, the only pre-2.4 female man'ari in the game, used a female draenei model.
• Players can turn into a man'ari eredar for a brief time using  [Jewel of Hellfire].
• Man'ari eredar males are voiced by Brian Silva.
• The term "fel eredar" is used to refer to man'ari eredar a couple of times in World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 4.

Gallery

See also: Archimonde#Gallery, Kil'jaeden#Gallery, Lord Jaraxxus#Gallery

World of Warcraft

• 

  Socrethar, a male man'ari eredar (old model).
• 

  The Eredar Twins, two female man'ari eredar (old model).
• 

  Lady Keletress
• 

  An Emblazoned Fire Tamer on Cen'gar.

Warcraft III

• 

  Concept art
• 

  Eredar Warlock and Eredar Sorcerer model.
• 

  Eredar Warlock and Eredar Sorcerer portrait.
• 

  Eredar Diabolist model.
• 

  Eredar Diabolist portrait.

Warcraft III: Reforged

• 

  Eredar Warlock model.
• 

  Eredar Warlock portrait.
• 

  Eredar Warlock showcase.
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  Eredar Sorcerer model.
• 

  Eredar Sorcerer portrait.
• 

  Eredar Sorcerer showcase.
• 

  Eredar Diabolist model.
• 

  Eredar Diabolist portrait.

Trading Card Game

• 

  Arazzius the Cruel
• 

  Levixus the Soul Caller
• 

  Eredar Chaosbringer
• 

  Eredar Deathbringer
• 

  Eredar Strategist
• 

  Prince Malchezaar
• 

  Eredar Wand of Obliteration
• 

  A Demonic Presence

Hearthstone

• 

  Prince Malchezaar
• 

  Demonologist Draan
• 

  Eredar Deceptor
• 

  Fire Breather
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  Eredar Skulker
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  Man'ari Messenger
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  Man'ari Mosher
• 

  Pressure Points
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  Demonic Presence

Other

• 

  Unique Starcraft II editor remodeled units from Warcraft III.
• 

  Early Warcraft movie concept illustration.