Teron Gorefiend

This article is about Teron Gorefiend from the main universe. For his boss encounter in the Black Temple, see Teron Gorefiend (tactics). For the alternate universe character, see Teron'gor. For other uses, see Teron Gorefiend (disambiguation).

Teron Gorefiend
Title	Lord
Gender	Male
Race(s)	Orc soul in an undead human body
Class	Death knight, Warlock, Necromancer, formerly Shaman
Affiliation(s)	Himself, Shadowmoon clan, Illidari
Former affiliation(s)	Old Horde, Shadow Council, Horde of Draenor
Occupation	Leader of the death knights of Draenor
Former occupation(s)	Warlock of the Shadow Council
Location	Various
Status	Deceased (lore), Killable

“I was the first, you know. For me, the wheel of death has spun many times.”

— Teron Gorefiend

Teron Gorefiend, born Teron'gor, was one of the first orcish warlocks taught by Gul'dan, and a founding member of the Shadow Council. In death, he became the first of the Horde's death knights—necromantic terrors created by Gul'dan from the souls of the Shadow Council and the bodies of human knights. Gorefiend commanded the death knights during the Second War before leading them back to Draenor, where he later convinced Ner'zhul to form the Horde of Draenor and invade other worlds. As one of Ner'zhul's seconds, he led the efforts to steal artifacts from Azeroth necessary to open new portals, but was slain by Turalyon at the Black Temple at the end of the Invasion of Draenor. Years later, he tricked mortals into resurrecting him once more and returned to the Black Temple, where he allied with Illidan Stormrage before being defeated again.

A "bastard" in life and an "unmitigated terror" in death, Gorefiend was both strong, malicious, and extremely cunning. Although he served many masters over the years—Ner'zhul, Gul'dan, Orgrim Doomhammer, Ner'zhul again, and Illidan—his true loyalty, as with all death knights, was solely to himself.

Biography

Draenor

Teron'gor the warlock, as depicted in Hearthstone's Book of Heroes.

Teron'gor was a young but highly respected shaman of the Shadowmoon clan. His chieftain, Ner'zhul, later recalled him as being one of the most promising young shaman he'd seen in terms of ability and cleverness, though not in empathy. In 7 BDP, Gul'dan met Teron'gor and won his loyalty by showing him the power of fel magic. Teron'gor had spent too long trying and failing to call on the elements for aid (unaware that the orcs' recent troubles with the elements were caused by Gul'dan), and upon seeing the fel believed that he'd found a way to make a difference in the world and help his troubled race. Teron'gor was the first Shadowmoon shaman to become a warlock, but not the last. Gul'dan slowly won others to his side, and fel energy corrupted their minds until they became loyal to him alone. Teron'gor grew into a confident and clever warlock, one of Gul'dan's closest allies and extremely powerful in his own right. He and the other Shadowmoon warlocks made up the initial members and inner circle of the Shadow Council, which Gul'dan formed the following year to lead the Horde in secret.

After the Horde's conquest of the Temple of Karabor in 4 BDP, the Shadow Council took charge of the draenei prisoners. The surviving draenei clerics were marched out and told they'd be taken north to the Citadel, but instead Teron'gor killed them all in cold blood. Their vengeful spirits remain outside the walls of Karabor to this day.

Following the fall of Shattrath City in 3 BDP, Gul'dan dispatched Teron'gor and his most powerful Shadow Council agents to root out the draenei who'd retreated to Auchindoun and prevent them from summoning the spirits of their ancestors against the Horde. Teron'gor and the warlocks stormed the city but met fierce resistance from Exarch Maladaar's forces. As Maladaar and the draenei closed in, Teron'gor and the warlocks pooled their powers to try to summon a powerful demon, but instead accidentally summoned the elemental Murmur. The shockwave of Murmur's arrival destroyed Auchindoun and much of the surrounding forest and killed many of the draenei. Teron'gor and his forces bound the surviving draenei in chains and contained Murmur within Auchindoun. A few warlocks stayed in the city to keep the creature imprisoned, including Teron'gor's friend Vorpil. Teron'gor later assisted Gul'dan in creating the Dark Portal.

First and Second Wars

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

The soul of Teron'gor being instilled in a fallen knight of Stormwind, as depicted in Hearthstone's Book of Heroes.

At the end of the First War in 4 ADP, while Gul'dan was in a coma, the new warchief Orgrim Doomhammer and his soldiers stormed the Shadow Council's secret headquarters in Blackrock Spire and killed the majority of the warlocks. The warchief killed Teron'gor personally. When Gul'dan recovered, he submitted to Orgrim and promised to create warriors that could counter humanity's spellcasters. He placed the souls of Teron'gor and rest of the Shadow Council, which still lingered on the mortal plane, in the corpses of knights of Stormwind and sacrificed the necrolytes to create jeweled truncheons. As Gul'dan and Orgrim watched, Cho'gall placed the first truncheon in the hand of Teron'gor's host body. The necromantic energies raised the body into undeath, transforming him into the first death knight. Teron'gor became known under a new name, Teron Gorefiend, and acted as the death knights' leader. He and the other knights swore allegiance to Orgrim. During an assembly at Blackrock Spire a week later, they revealed themselves to the rest of the Horde and vowed to fight alongside them. In reality, the death knights cared only about themselves and the preservation of their own existence.

Gorefiend encountered Kurdran Wildhammer at some point during the Second War. During the war, Gul'dan told the death knights about powerful Azerothian artifacts he'd learned about from Medivh's memories, but not their exact locations.

When Orgrim split his forces near the end of the war, leaving Gul'dan and his followers in Quel'Thalas, Gorefiend and the death knights went with the Horde's main force to participate in the Siege of Capital City. Upon learning that Gul'dan had abandoned the Horde for the Tomb of Sargeras, Orgrim asked Gorefiend if he and the death knights also intended to go to their former master. Gorefiend replied that they did not and that they'd remain loyal to the Horde, and to Orgrim as long as he was its leader. Orgrim ordered the knights to protect the Horde as they retreated from Capital City. Following the defeat at Blackrock Spire, Gorefiend and his death knights led part of the Horde to the Black Morass to escape through the Dark Portal back to Draenor. In the ensuing battle, they used their necromantic abilities to stall Turalyon's Alliance forces long enough for the Horde to slip through the portal before the Alliance destroyed it.

Beyond the Dark Portal

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Teron Gorefiend in Warcraft II: Remastered.

Teron Gorefiend during the Invasion of Draenor.

Gorefiend was not prepared to give up and remain stranded on the dying Draenor. He devised a plan to reopen the Dark Portal, steal some of the artifacts Gul'dan had told the death knights about—the Book of Medivh, the Eye of Dalaran, and the Scepter of Sargeras—and use them to open dimensional gateways to other planets for the Horde to conquer. For their own part, Gorefiend and the death knights desired to open a portal to a world they could claim as their own. In 8 ADP, two years after the Dark Portal's destruction, Gorefiend sought out Ner'zhul, told him of the death knights' plan, and convinced him to come to the forefront and unite the remaining clans into the Horde of Draenor. Ner'zhul appointed Gorefiend and Grommash Hellscream his seconds, with Gorefiend overseeing the death knights and ogres.

After Ner'zhul and the death knights reopened the Dark Portal, Gorefiend headed through it and greeted Kilrogg and the Bleeding Hollow clan, who had been on Azeroth since the Second War, and sent them back to Draenor to rest. While Grommash's forces distracted the Sons of Lothar in the Blasted Lands, Gorefiend led a hunting party of three other death knights and the orc Pargath Throatsplitter on a mission for the artifacts. They infiltrated the Royal Library of Stormwind Keep in the form of a magical wind, only to find the Book of Medivh gone and the guard slain with an Alteraci blade. They continued to Blackrock Mountain, hoping to gain the support of the Blackrock clan and use their enslaved red dragons to expedite the journey to Alterac. On the way, Gorefiend contacted Gaz Soulripper, who sent Fenris Wolfbrother, Tagar Spinebreaker, and some of their Thunderlords and Bonechewers to reinforce the group. Gorefiend met with Dal'rend and Maim Blackhand in Blackrock Spire, but they refused to lend their help and sent him out empty-handed. Gorefiend's party was instead approached by Deathwing, the Aspect of the black dragonflight, who informed the death knight of the locations of the other two artifacts and offered the aid of his black dragons in exchange for being allowed to bring the eggs of his brood to Draenor.

Gorefiend dispatched Fenris, Tagar, and Ragnok Bloodreaver to the Tomb of Sargeras for the Scepter of Sargeras, while he and the other death knights went north on the other black dragons. Gorefiend rode on Deathwing's back to the occupied Alterac City, where he demanded the book from its imprisoned king, Aiden Perenolde. The mad king turned over the book in exchange for the dragons slaying the city's Alliance wardens. The group then traveled to Dalaran, where Deathwing and the dragons attacked the city's outer defenses while Gorefiend and his knights snuck through the city streets, broke into the Arcane Vault, and stole the Eye of Dalaran. This tripped the Kirin Tor's alarm, and Gorefiend and the death knights dueled Archmage Antonidas and his allies inside the vault before teleporting to a balcony of the Violet Citadel and escaping on the backs of Deathwing and the other dragons. Before leaving, Gorefiend tossed a gold coin into the city fountain as "payment" for the Eye.

Gorefiend returned to Draenor with the artifacts and Deathwing's eggs, leaving Grommash's soldiers to guard the Dark Portal. Unbeknownst to Hellscream, Gorefiend had the orc Malkor plant a bomb, presented as a shield device, on the portal to destroy it and prevent the Alliance from following, even if it meant killing or stranding Grommash's forces. Gorefiend and his death knights accompanied Ner'zhul on the march from Hellfire Citadel to the Black Temple, where he'd perform the ritual to open new portals. Although Ner'zhul needed Gorefiend's magical knowledge, he privately felt that the death knight's power and cunning would soon become a threat to his authority. When the Horde was overtaken by Wildhammer gryphon riders in Terokkar, Gorefiend used a spell to knock Kurdran Wildhammer from his mount, allowing the Horde to capture him. Ner'zhul's forces escaped the Alliance pursuit into Auchindoun, using the knowledge Gorefiend had obtained of the place during the war against the draenei to find tunnels that provided a shortcut to Shadowmoon Valley. They also encountered and gained the support of the Cabal, including Gorefiend's old friend Vorpil, who'd lived in the city for years. Vorpil and the orcs were initially frightened by Gorefiend's form, before recognizing his spirit inside the human corpse.

At the Black Temple, while some of the other death knights joined Ner'zhul in casting the Spell of Conjuration, Gorefiend himself was among the soldiers guarding the temple entrance from the attacking Sons of Lothar. When Turalyon tried to enter, Gorefiend blocked his passage and engaged him in a duel. He initially overpowered the paladin with his magic, before Turalyon recovered and used the Light to cleave through the death knight's body with his hammer. Gorefiend's soul rose from the broken corpse and escaped into the skies of Shadowmoon Valley before Turalyon could destroy it. Shortly after, Ner'zhul and his followers abandoned the Horde and escaped into the Twisting Nether just as Draenor tore apart as a result of their spell.

The Burning Crusade

This section concerns content related to The Burning Crusade.

“Death incarnate has been released upon the world once more! Teron Gorefiend has returned...”

— Gorefiend announces his resurrection after being freed from the Altar of Shadows

Gorefiend fighting Karsius the Ancient Watcher.

At some point during the intervening 18 years, Gorefiend's soul was imprisoned in the form of an Ancient Shadowmoon Spirit at the Altar of Shadows, where he was guarded by a draenei spirit, Karsius the Ancient Watcher. During the Invasion of Outland, Zorus the Judicator and Chief Apothecary Hildagard tasked adventurers with clearing out the ghosts of Shadowmoon orcs haunting Wildhammer Stronghold and Shadowmoon Village, respectively. The ghosts—harbingers and zealots—spoke of being bound to Gorefiend and that he'd avenge them. At this point, Gorefiend's defeat during the Invasion of Draenor was apparently not common knowledge. While he was assumed long dead, stories abounded about him, and few knew even among the Alliance exactly what had happened to him after he returned to Draenor after the Second War. The ghosts' claim that Gorefiend was still active therefore unsettled Zorus and Hildagard, and they sent the adventurers to the Ancient Shadowmoon Spirit in the belief that he'd have more information about the death knight, oblivious to the fact that Gorefiend and the spirit were one and the same.

The spirit told the adventurers a fabricated account of history, one in which Gorefiend—upon his return to Draenor—had executed his fellow death knights and then killed himself, both out of despair over his new form and the loss of support from his "beloved" leader, Gul'dan, and out of a wish to become immortal. The other death knights became the Ghostriders of Karabor roaming Shadowmoon Valley. The spirit claimed to be ignorant about Gorefiend's return but told the adventurers that he could divine information on the matter if they brought him the death knight's possessions from the ghosts of his victims: his truncheon, held by the Ghostriders; his cloak, held by the clerics of Karabor; and his armor, held by the black dragon Vhel'kur.

Teron Gorefiend at Gorefiend's Vigil in the Black Temple.

Upon being brought the items, Gorefiend's spirit revealed his true identity and possessed the adventurer, trapping their spirit in the Altar of Shadows and using their body as a host to destroy Karsius and his other captors and allow him to break free from the Altar of Shadows. He then mounted his undead horse and rode off in the direction of the Black Temple, after telling the adventurer that they'd meet again. Zorus and Hildagard told the adventurers that they had to kill Gorefiend if they got the chance, since his return was their fault.

Sometime after his resurrection, Gorefiend aligned with the Illidari and served Illidan Stormrage in the Black Temple. From Gorefiend's Vigil, he seemed to command the Shadowmoon clan within the citadel. He was later defeated by adventurers. He said the "wheel of death" had spun many times for him, and when struck down he remarked that the wheel was spinning again; it remains to be seen if he will return once more.

At some point before the death knight's defeat, the nether dragon Mordenaku took advantage of Gorefiend's allegiance to fake a letter from Gorefiend to Overlord Mor'ghor as a part of his gambit to liberate his people from the Dragonmaw clan.

Location

Notable appearances
Location	Level range	Health range
Shadowmoon Valley	72	22,140
Teron Gorefiend (tactics)	??	4,382,070

Quotes

For his Warcraft II quotes, see Quotes of Warcraft II#Teron Gorefiend. For his quotes in Shadowmoon Valley, see Teron Gorefiend, I am...#Notes. For his quotes in the Black Temple, see Teron Gorefiend (tactics)#Quotes.

Tides of Darkness

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

• "I am still an orc, despite this shell. I live for the Horde, and I will serve you and our people. You killed me but I do not hold that against you, for it has resulted in this powerful new form. I am well pleased with the trade." (To Orgrim Doomhammer)
• "Gul'dan has forsaken our people. We shall not. The Horde is all, and it retains our loyalty—as do you, as long as you lead it." (To Orgrim during the Siege of Capital City)

Beyond the Dark Portal

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

• "Dead I am indeed, but not gone. Your old apprentice Gul'dan found a way to bring us back, and into these rotting carcasses. It suffices." (To Ner'zhul)
• "Two years since the portal collapsed, and you have been hiding in your village while the clans slaughter each other. All they need is guidance and then they will be powerful again! Between your supporters and my death knights, we can force the clans to obey you. With Doomhammer dead or imprisoned on Azeroth, you are the only one left who can lead them." (To Ner'zhul)
• "I have far more knowledge of rifts and portals than you do. Ner'zhul will need my help with the ritual, or I would stay here and teach these humans a thing or two about magic." (To Dentarg)
• "You cannot win. I am already dead—what is the worst you could do to me?" (To Turalyon)

In the RPG

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

Gorefiend has not been seen since the Second War. There are rumors that he is the one who has taken control of Karazhan and the ghosts and ogres of Deadwind Pass. Brann Bronzebeard thinks that this is "entirely possible" but suspects that it is more likely a piece of Sargeras' essence that's responsible.

Notes and trivia

Death knight named "Teron" at the 2007 BlizzCon presentation of Wrath of the Lich King.

• The aforementioned fake letter from Gorefiend that was forged by Mordenaku mentions in passing that the adventurer has "no future as a death knight". Upon reading the letter, Overlord Mor'ghor agrees (saying: "A death knight? You couldn't shine the boots of a death knight, maggot") but does not question the idea of new death knights as such. This implies that Gorefiend created or planned to create new death knights from fel orcs during his time in the Illidari, or at least that a high-ranking Illidari like Mor'ghor could buy the idea that he was planning to do so. This notion has never been brought up elsewhere.
• "Teron Gorefiend" was originally treated as having been the character's name even before his death. Warlords of Draenor introduced his alternate universe counterpart, Teron'gor. Chronicle Volume 2 confirmed that the main universe character was also originally named Teron'gor and that his name changed after he became a death knight.
• The Wrath of the Lich King website described Gorefiend as having been a necrolyte before his death. Other sources consistently describe him only as a warlock.
• At the launch of The Burning Crusade, Gorefiend used the model of an orc wearing a modified version of Corruptor Raiment during his appearance in  [25-30] Teron Gorefiend, I am.... At the launch of patch 2.1, with the addition of his appearance as a boss in the Black Temple, he was given a unique model better befitting his lore as an orc spirit trapped in a human body, while still incorporating elements of Corruptor Raiment (specifically the shoulderpads, chest, and belt) in its design.
• Teron Gorefiend was the second playable character from Warcraft II to be an instance boss in World of Warcraft (after Kargath Bladefist).
• When the death knight class was announced at BlizzCon 2007, one of the first examples shown was humorously an orc named Teron.
• Gorefiend is the namesake of the death knight talents [Guile of Gorefiend] and [Gorefiend's Grasp], as well as the death knight legendary item  [Service of Gorefiend] and the [Gorefiend's Domination] runecarving power based on it.
• Gorefiend has an unused mounted model which depicts him riding a unique skeletal horse matching his armor, as seen below. Despite being fully functional, modeled and textured, the model is not used in-game; instead, when riding his steed in  [25-30] Teron Gorefiend, I am..., Gorefiend uses his regular unmounted model and mounts up on a green skeletal warhorse. In addition, he has an unused NPC detailing a mounted combat phase, which ironically does not use the model either. The reason for this is unknown.
• Gorefiend appears as a legendary minion in the Ashes of Outland expansion for Hearthstone. His card effect destroys all friendly minions and later resummons them in buffed form, and his flavor text reads: "You’re fine, friendly minions! You're fine! Don’t tell Mom!"
  • He is also a playable hero in the Battlegrounds mode.
• Gorefiend is voiced by David Lodge in The Burning Crusade.

Gallery

• 

  Teron Gorefiend in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.
• 

  Gorefiend in the Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal manual.
• 

  Gorefiend preparing to ride to the Black Temple.
• 

  Gorefiend at the Altar of Shadows (model before patch 2.1).
• 

  Gorefiend in combat with Karsius the Ancient Watcher (model before patch 2.1).
• 

  Gorefiend's unused mounted model.

Trading Card Game

• 

  Teron Gorefiend, I Am..., The Hunt for Illidan
• 

  Crushing Shadows, Black Temple
• 

  Doom Blossom, Black Temple
• 

  Teron Gorefiend, Timewalkers

Hearthstone

• 

  Teron Gorefiend from the Ashes of Outland set
• 

  Teron'gor as a shaman in Book of Heroes
• 

  Spirit of Teron'gor in Book of Heroes
• 

  The newly-raised Teron Gorefiend in Book of Heroes

Fan art

• 

  Turalyon and Teron by Daniel Brewer.

Patch changes

• Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): Model updated. Now a boss in the Black Temple.
  
• Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): Added.
  

See also

• Teron Gorefiend, TCG card from the Black Temple set
• Teron Gorefiend, TCG card from the Timewalkers set

External links

• Wowhead
• WoWDB

Preceded by: Ner'zhul

Position: Leader of the Shadowmoon clan

Succeeded by: Incumbent