Thrall (Warcraft)
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| Thrall, Warchief of the Horde | |
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Orc |
| Character class | Shaman (World of Warcraft) Far Seer (Warcraft 3) |
| Affiliation | The Horde |
| Occupation | Warchief of the Horde |
Thrall, chief of the Frostwolf Clan and Warchief of the Horde, is a fictional character in the Warcraft universe, and one of the main protagonists of the games and books. He is considered the greatest orc in the world, and he is the undisputed master of the Horde.
The character was originally intended as the protagonist of Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans, an adventure game in the world of Warcraft, but the game was cancelled prior to completion.
Consequently, much of Thrall's background is told in the Warcraft III manual, and later (re)introduced in the novelisation of the aforementioned game: Warcraft: Lord of the Clans.
Thrall is also a playable character in Warcraft III, wherein he leads the Horde to Kalimdor. He is also present as an NPC in World of Warcraft.
[edit] Background and Infancy
Thrall was the son of Durotan, who was the chieftain of the Frostwolf clan and the only clan chieftain that refused to drink of the tainted blood of Mannoroth, a Pit Lord of the Burning Legion. Seeing the savage effect the blood had upon the orcs, and the growing hold the demons held over them, Durotan approached the Orcish warchief, Orgrim Doomhammer, with his fears. However his pleas went unheard, and so unnerved was the warchief that he ordered the immediate death of Durotan and his family. This was revealed to be false - Doomhammer was framed; as the real assassins were Rend and Maim, sons of Blackhand (from the original Warcraft) of the Black Rock Clan. So it was that Durotan was assassinated and his family left to perish. By some stroke of luck, the assassins chose not to kill Durotan's infant son, instead leaving the helpless baby to the mercy of the wilderness.
[edit] Childhood and Adolescence
In a stroke of fate, the child was not found by a hungry animal, but by Aedelas Blackmoore, an ambitious Lieutenant in the Alliance. Blackmoore sought to raise this orphaned orc as his personal slave (hence the name Thrall), and to become a fearsome gladiator orc (which was to compete in gladiator matches, subsequently giving Blackmoore profits from gambling), and eventually come to rise to take over the Horde and subjugate humanity in Blackmoore's name. He gave the child over to one of his servants who was already nursing, paying the woman handsomely to take care of the Orc until he could take over his rearing himself.
However, Taretha Foxton, the young daughter of Blackmoore's servant, came to see the young Orc as her own little brother. She showered him with friendship and love, secretly communicating with him in letters she wrote every week, showing him that not all humans are evil. This philosophy was to be carried till his adulthood (as in the case of allying with Jaina Proudmoore to fight a common enemy during Warcraft 3.)
Another strong influence on the young Thrall was a man known only as Sergeant, who trained Blackmoore's troops. Sergeant always treated Thrall fairly, even over Blackmoore's objections, and despite a harsh training regimen that often included Thrall being a living practice dummy for teaching the soldiers to fight Orcs, taught Thrall everything he knew about not only combat and tactics, but honor and mercy as well.
Thrall eventually discovered his true heritage when a captured Orc was brought through the Keep. The Orc saw Thrall, practicing with the trainee soldiers. With the strength and fire seemingly lost after the war, the Orc broke free of his bindings and charged towards Thrall, screaming in the Orcs' native tongue, before being finally overwhelmed and killed by the guards (Thrall would later discover that the Orc was trying to save him, yelling for Thrall to run while he held the Humans off).
After a savage beating after Thrall lost the last battle of a gladatorial contest (having to face an Ogre after eight previous straight fights), he finally realized that he could no longer remain as a slave-soldier, and with Taretha's help, escaped from the Keep. He eventually made his way to an Orc internment camp, where he discovered the sad state of his people. From there, he would learn where to find the last known free clan of Orcs.
[edit] Young Adulthood
Making his way to the remnant of his father's clan he quickly learned of his past and that of his people, thanks to Grom Hellscream, leader of the Warsong clan. Before they accepted him, however, they gave him a series of tests to determine his worthiness. Thanks to his combat skills and respect of innocent civilians (which he demonstrated when he did not want to slaughter children), he was accepted by Grom and his clan.
He then sought out to find the legendary Frostwolf clan, where his people tested his abilities and taught him the ways of the Orc Shaman. His teacher was the Far-seer, Drek`Thar, who become one of Thrall's most trusted advisors later on. In a test, he encountered the legendary Orgrim Doomhammer who tried to challenge him (pretending to be a threat to the Frostwolf tradition). Once he succeeded the test, Doomhammer introduced himself and taught him the skills needed to liberate the Orcs in internment camps.
Later on, he set about freeing the now defeated Horde from their prisons and introducing them once more to their native shamanistic ways; as a result of this, he successfully influenced a few elder Orcs which assisted him in his liberation of the orcs.
[edit] The New Horde
Thrall liberated many Orcs from the human camps, and freed them of the demonic pact with Mannoroth. The Orcs were united under one banner, as the New Horde, under the wise experience of Orgrim Doomhammer. During the liberation of one camp, Orgrim was mortally wounded, and passed on his legendary Doomhammer and black plate armor, as well as the leadership of the Horde, over to Thrall.
Thrall led the Horde to lay siege to Durnholde Keep, central base of the internment camps, and Thrall's former home. In response to Thrall's demand of surrender, Lord Blackmoore gave Thrall something else entirely: the head of Taretha Foxton, executed for helping Thrall. Enraged, Thrall led the Horde to storm the Keep, and slew Blackmoore in single combat. Allowing Sergeant to evacuate with the innocent civilians and surviving soldiers, Thrall summoned all of his power, razing Durnholde Keep with a massive earthquake. From then on, Thrall continued to liberate his people and unite the Orcs in the New Horde.
[edit] Thrall in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
After the destruction of the internment camps, Thrall and the Horde hid out in the lands of Lordaeron, until a dream sent to him by a mysterious prophet directed him to take the Horde and set out west. Stealing a number of human ships, the Horde set sail for Kalimdor, the "Land of Eternal Starlight". Thus the orcs managed to avoid the devastation of Lordaeron and the Kingdom of Azeroth by the Scourge. On their journey, Thrall would meet up with the Darkspear Tribe, a tribe of Jungle Trolls exiled on a remote island. Thrall would help the Trolls escape from a group of maurauding Murlocs, earning the tribe's loyalty, and taking them with him to Kalimdor.
Upon their arrival to Kalimdor, the orcish ships were separated. Thrall ended up in the Barrens and thus encountered the Tauren chieftain, Cairne Bloodhoof. In mutual respect, and understanding of each other's needs, they formed an alliance.
Later, once again at the behest of the mysterious prophet - now revealed to be Medivh - Thrall joined with his enemies of old, the humans, led now by Jaina Proudmoore, in order to defeat Grom Hellscream, who had become possessed by the blood of the demon Mannoroth. Thrall convinced Grom that he was on the wrong path, and together they managed to destroy Mannoroth and end the taint of his blood in all orcs though Grom had sacrificed himself to do so.
Thrall and Jaina allied themselves with the Night Elves at the battle of Mount Hyjal in the defeat of the demon Archimonde.
[edit] Thrall in Warcraft III: Frozen Throne
Thrall set up the nation of Durotar - named for his father - in the Barrens of Kalimdor, a haven in which orcs might hope to live peacefully as once they had long ago. Unfortunately, this peace was shattered when Admiral Proudmoore, the father of Thrall's friend and ally Jaina, arrived on Kalimdor with his marines and attacked the orcs - refusing to accept or honor any treaties with them. Jaina, horrified at his insatiable lust for vengeance, betrayed her father to his defeat by allowing the Horde to attack Theramore Isle. Thrall's fight was with the Admiral, so he ordered the Horde not to attack the native defenders of Theramore, and after the Admiral's death, they left Theramore in peace, but the true damage had been done. Relations between orc and human deteriorated, despite the best efforts of Thrall and Jaina to contain them.
[edit] Thrall in Cycle of Hatred
Three years passed, and Orgrimmar swelled. However, a series of minor incidents between Durotar orcs and Theramore humans threatened the stability of the entire area. Thrall and Jaina desperately attempted to keep the peace, but Thrall was eventually forced to send an army to Northwatch, the same keep Proudmoore used for his operations. After the battle began, however, Jaina contacted Thrall with information that his chief warrior, Burx, was working for the Orcish end of the Burning Blade cult. Infuriated at the idea that an orc would once again serve the Legion (the demon Zmodlor was pulling the strings of the cult), Thrall immediately stopped the battle (with some impressive aid from the Spirit of Fire) and denounced Burx. When the warrior protested that he was acting within the Horde's interests, Thrall smashed his skull with the Doomhammer.
The events prompted Jaina and Thrall to pursue a more official Horde/Alliance treaty. Despite the rise of tensions in the last year or so, their actions have halted, though not completely broken, the cycle of hatred.
[edit] Thrall in World of Warcraft
In the MMORPG World of Warcraft, Thrall is a world leader NPC. He can be found in his throne room in the Valley of Wisdom section of Orgrimmar, Durotar. Thrall's role in the game is less direct than in Warcraft III - Horde players can only receive a few quests from him, and Alliance players can fight him. Killing a world leader grants a huge honor rating bonus to the entire war party. Thrall is the hardest of all Horde faction leaders to defeat. Not necessarily because of his strength, but more of the sheer number of Horde players that pour in to defend once they realize that Thrall is being attacked, and the fact another raid difficulty boss (Vol'jin) is nearby and will fight alongside him.
Thrall will have significance in The Burning Crusade expansion in one of the instances set in the past via the Caverns of Time involving escorting Thrall out of Durnholde keep. Note however the established storyline for Thrall's escape changes drastically due to the interference of a rogue group of dragons named the "Infinite Dragonflight" (and of course, the players).
Instead of breaking out on his own, the players throw Durnhold Keep into panic to provide a distraction and then free Thrall, encountering alliance guards and other resistance along the way. Upon a successful escape, Thrall decides to find Taretha, who is in Tarren Mill. Thrall and the players head there and fight through the town defense and find Taretha in the inn. The reunion is cut short, however, as a voice commands Thrall to leave the inn, saying Taretha's life now hangs in the balance. Thrall, confused by this, turns around to see Taretha unconscious on the ground. Thrall and the players head outside and find a member of the Infinite Dragonflight. The dragon says that he had hoped for Thrall to be eliminated subtly, but since that failed he would kill Thrall now. The dragon sends Dragonspawn to attack Thrall and his allies. If the Dragonspawn fail to kill their targets, the dragon attacks personally. If Thrall and the players kill the dragon and save Taretha, Thrall and Taretha thank the players for what they've done and leave.
There is also a long sequence of missions that a Horde player can complete for a group of brown-skinned orcs known as the Mag'har that live in a village called Garadar in Outland. At the end of these missions, their leader Greatmother Geyah reveals that her son was Durotan, making her Thrall's grandmother. She also explains that Garadar is named after her late mate Garad, the chieftain of the Frostwolf clan before Durotan, and Thrall's grandfather. Thrall then journeys to Outland and meets with his grandmother.
[edit] Cities named after Thrall
The Thrallmar outpost, on the Hellfire Peninsula in Outland, is the Horde's staging area to recolonize the orcs' former native planet. Although few individuals will remember their planet before it exploded (Drek'Thar, for example, told the Mok'Nathal Rexxar that he fought alongside other Mok'Nathal on Draenor), all orcs will be shocked to see in which state it is now.
[edit] Thrall as a peaceful ruler
His relationship with Jaina Proudmoore is still the same as he only asks his warriors to attack other Alliance cities and not Theramore. Thrall also seems willing to get along with the other Alliance races, especially the Dwarves of Khaz Modan. In a quest Thrall asks the player to go rescue the daughter of King Magni Bronzebeard from the evil Emperor of Dark Iron, Dagran Thaurissan.
[edit] Known Traitors to Thrall
Although loved by the majority of the Horde, Thrall has known several traitors in his ranks.
- Grom Hellscream: betrayed him by luring fights with the human refugees during the Third War (Although he was forgiven by Thrall after Grom sacrificed himself to save the orcs from Mannoroth's curse.)
- Burx: Joined up with the Burning Blade to start a war between Durotar and Theramore. Killed by Thrall's Doomhammer.
- Neeru Fireblade: Orcish warlock, current leader of the Burning Blade, is currently feigning allegiance to Thrall, unaware that the warchief knows he is a fraud.
- The new Burning Blade clan: This new clan, and its sister branches, were all created shortly after the creation of Orgrimmar. The main objective, like the other warlocks 4 years ago, is to usurp Thrall's throne. Their influence is great since many orcs are affiliated with this sinister clan.Thrall, knowing of this clan but unable to react, asks adventurers from all Horde races to do what they can to slow down or completely stop the clan.
[edit] Relationship between Thrall of Durnholde and Jaina Proudmoore
After Jaina and Thrall's forces were forced to work together after the meeting with Medivh, the two leaders soon became good friends. Thrall stated that Jaina reminds him strongly of Taretha, but it is not known why Jaina chooses to treat Thrall with civility. Their relationship is nonetheless strong, even having endured the battle of Durotar, which cost Jaina her father and Thrall many of his warriors. They still consider each other allies. Some fans have speculated that Thrall and Jaina were romantically involved at some point or will be, but the only "clue" in game is the children's rhyme in binary seen in Gnomeregan.
[edit] Quotes
- “The beginning of wisdom is the statement 'I do not know.' The person who cannot make that statement is one who will never learn anything.And I have prided myself on my ability to learn.”
- “We don't go do stupid things when somebody yells ‘For the Horde!!’.”
- “I may have been raised by humans, but I am no fool.”
- “You're a natural leader. You remind me of Hellscream in a way.”
- Grom Hellscream: “I... have freed... myself...”
Thrall: "No, old friend... you've freed us all." – when Grom dies after having defeated Mannoroth.
- “Be very careful, Burx. Lady Proudmoore – Jaina – has earned my respect. You, on the other hand, are rapidly losing it.”
- “Blackmoore gave me the name so I would never forget that I was something he owned, that I belonged to him. I never will. I will keep the name and one day, when I see him again, he will be the one who remembers what he did to me, and regret it with all his heart.”
- Thrall's battlecry: Lok'Tar Ogar!
- I don't know what this is all about...but I'll play along.
[edit] External links
- Thrall at WoWWiki, a World of Warcraft wiki
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