Archimonde

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Archimonde, the Defiler

Gender	Male
Race	Eredar
Character class	Demon Lord
Affiliation	Burning Legion
Occupation	Leader of the Burning Legion's Invasion

Archimonde is a demon lord and warlock who originated from the world of Argus and then The Twisting Nether in the fantasy Warcraft Universe. He is among the most feared and evil characters within warcraft.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Archimonde, along with Kil'jaeden and Velen, was one of the three rulers of the Eredar on the planet Argus. Impressed by the mortal Eredar's magical talent, Sargeras, ruler of the Burning Legion, approached the three leaders and asked that their race to join his growing demonic army in return for eternal life and great power. Archimonde and Kil'jaeden accepted on behalf of their people, but Velen refused, fleeing Argus with his followers.

Chosen as a champion, along with Kil'jaeden, by Sargeras, Archimonde the Defiler was the leader in the Burning Legion's First Invasion. He gathered a group of Pit Lords with Mannoroth the Destructor as their hellish leader and created his own elite force of destruction. His mission failed when Sargeras attempted to enter Kalimdor through the portal in the Well of Eternity. The battle between the Burning Legion and the Night Elves caused the vortex beneath the waters of the lake to explode. The following explosion shattered the world and banished the Burning Legion.

Ten thousand years later, Archimonde attempted to conquer the world of Azeroth again. He entered the world of Azeroth through a portal created by the lich Kel'Thuzad, and proceeded to single-handedly demolish the city of Dalaran as a show of power and a mark of the Legion's might. Archimonde then led the Undead and the Burning Legion to Mount Hyjal in an attempt to corrupt the World Tree for its magical powers. However with the combined might of the Orcish Horde, the Human Alliance and the Night Elves, Night Elf Druid Malfurion Stormrage raised the Horn of Cenarius and called upon the ancient guardians of the Tree — The Wisps, the physical form of the Night Elves' dead — which arose and surrounded Archimonde as he approached the Tree. Filled with extreme amounts of magic — more than even he could withstand — Archimonde exploded, burning the World Tree and severing the Legion's bounds to Azeroth. With his death, and the absence of the Tree's magical energies, the Burning Legion once more crumbled before the might of the mortal armies and were banished from the world.

Some suggest Archimonde's name is in fact an omen, since it is probably derived from the prefix "arch" (main) and "monde", which seems to be just an anagram of the word "demon" — so "the main demon". However a simpler explanation is probably more accurate; an anagram derived from literal interpretation: Arch (Chief; principal: their arch foe.) Monde (world).