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Other factions: The Old Horde/Iron Horde | The Scourge (Arthas Menethil) | Sylvanas and her followers (Sylvanas Windrunner) | Knights of the Ebon Blade | Illidan and his followers | Garrosh's Horde | Pandaria | Other mortals | The Void (The Old Gods) | The Light | Eternals | Shadowlands (Death) | The Titans (Arcane) | The Burning Legion (Fel) | The Dragonflights | Wild Gods |
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A character subpage for the WarCraft universe, including World of Warcraft. For the main character page, see here.

There are multiple dimensions in the Warcraft universe beyond the material universe where Azeroth is located, and one of them is the Shadowlands, the cosmic plane of Death. A mysterious plane at the edge of reality, the Shadowlands serves as the afterlife for the Warcraft universe's mortals (but not for immortals like demons or elementals), whose souls gain new bodies in one of the dimension's countless realms. Both these incarnated souls and the Shadowlands' various native creatures are fueled by anima, a kind of spiritual energy that the dead bring from the worlds of the living; the functioning of the Shadowlands is thus dependent upon a constant supply of new souls.

The denizens of the Shadowlands are generally not involved in the affairs of other worlds and are thus mostly unknown to the average inhabitant of Azeroth. The only exception to this is those Death entities that are actively involved in carrying the souls of the deceased, such as the troll god Bwonsamdi or the spirit healers that you can see while dead in-game. That being said, the anima magic coming from the Shadowlands is the source of all necromancy in the Warcraft universe, and many undead creatures found on Azeroth, such as the armies of the Scourge or Odyn's val'kyr, take their shape from the physical forms that dead souls take in its realms.

References to the afterlife have existed for as long as the Warcraft universe itself, and it was often referred to as "the shadow realm" or depicted as shadowy ever since World of Warcraft released. However, the Shadowlands were only given their proper name, and a place in the broader cosmology of the universe, in the first volume of Chronicle. They would then be properly fleshed out and explored in the World of Warcraft expansion of the same name, which introduced the idea of different Shadowlands realms, anima energy, and its own Pantheon of Death comparable to the Titans or the Void Lords. The expansion presents the Shadowlands in a broken state, with the mechanisms that guide dead souls to their respective afterlives no longer functioning and the remaining Shadowlands realms in disarray and deprived of anima. The goal of the players in the expansion is thus to restore the order of things and to defeat those responsible for the disaster.

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The Eternal Ones

Collectively referred to as the Pantheon of Death, the Eternal Ones are the patron deities of the Shadowlands, similar to the Titans or the Old Gods. They are responsible for maintaining the "machine of death", the established order that keeps the Shadowlands peaceful and supplied with anima. Each of the Eternal Ones also has their own Shadowlands realm.

The Arbiter

An ancient being that supposedly predates even the Titan Pantheon, who is responsible for the judgement of the deceased souls and assigning their afterlives based on their deeds in life.

Judgement of the Dead: The Arbiter determines where a deceased soul will be sent among the Shadowlands' infinite realms based on their deeds in life.
Killed Off for Real: After the Jailer extracts her sigil after the events of the Sanctum of Domination raid, her body dissolves into nothingness.
Omniscient Morality License: A final arbiter of the dead, the Arbiter possesses one of these; she decides where souls go, and if there is absolutely no chance of redemption, she has no problem sending them to the Maw. Even those horrible-but-potentially-redeemable souls who get sent to Revendreth do so with full knowledge that they will be inflicted countless torments upon, and self-sacrificing souls gets sent to the Kyrian of Bastion with the knowledge that they will be trained to forget who they once were.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Dragonflight reveals that if a Green Dragon dies in the Emerald Dream, or dies so corrupted they can't reincarnate as part of the Wild God cycle, the Arbiter disregards all of the rules of her usual judgements to send them to Aardenweald to join that realm's reincarnation cycle and go back to Azeroth, because Green Dragons are so close to nature and Elune they count as Life-aspected beings, which should never end up in the Shadowlands under normal circumstances.
Physical Goddess: An ancient deity capable of judging the history of a soul's deeds through a single glance.
Sealed Good in a Can: The Arbiter was incapacitated through unknown means, making her incapable of judging the souls of the dead in that state — and souls without judgement go by default to the Maw, enabling the Jailer to claim all of them.
Time Abyss: The Arbiter is supposedly even older than the Titans, making her one of the oldest creatures in existence, even before she became the Arbiter.

Zovaal the Jailer

The Banished One

Voiced by: Edward Bosco (English), Mikhail Belyakovich (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zovaal.jpg

"Death comes for the soul of your world! All that you see— all that you know— will be undone!"

A mysterious being known as the Jailer, that rules over the dreaded Maw. Not much is known about him, other than he had entered an alliance with Sylvanas few years before the events of the Shadowlands, allowing her to tap into the power of the souls trapped within the realm, including those who were unjustly imprisoned thanks to their machinations.

Always a Bigger Fish: To the Lich King, who only held a fraction of the power over death, and whose helmet was forged in the Maw. The Jailer is the supreme authority in Warcraft's equivalent of the Underworld and commands legions of even more vast army of ghastly forces, with Azerothian heroes theorizing it may even rival Legion's own in sheer numbers. He's even capable of claiming the souls of the Void creatures, as some of them are heard speaking in Shath'yar.
Arch-Enemy: To his former brothers and sisters for banishing him to the Maw, though one of them did become one of his Co-Dragons.
Bald of Evil: Naturally.
Big Bad: The chief threat of Shadowlands, with Sylvanas as his Dragon with an Agenda. The Jailer seeks to build an army of Mawsworn from the souls he is taking thanks to the broken machine of death. He intends to escape the Maw and then lay waste to all creation so that Death will be the only power left in existence, with himself ruling over Death. Multiple other highly powerful entities within the Shadowlands and various other planes of existence also work to advance his plans.
Breaking Old Trends: Out of all Big Bads in World of Warcraft, he's the first one to be the main antagonist in the expansion he was introduced in. Previous ones had already been established in earlier expansions, previous games, or in the Expanded Universe.
Chained by Fashion: The remnants of the chains that bound the Jailer still hang broken from his armor.
The Corrupter: Zovaal has managed to lure many powerful allies with promises of what they desire most, such as Sylvanas with the promise of a more fair afterlife or the Maldraxxi with the freedom to wage war as they please. However this fails with Anduin, forcing him to rely on directly using Domination Runes to bypass his will completely.
The Dreaded: Any mention of him presents him as the boogeyman of the entire Shadowlands. Nobody even knows what he looks like, but everyone fears him.
Final Boss: Of the Sepulcher of the First Ones raid and Shadowlands as a whole.
Gambit Roulette: His plans are not only dependent on the ambitions and actions of previous villains being beneficial for his schemes but are also dependent on the heroes being able to stop them in time. For example, his end goal of using Azeroth's wounded world soul relies on the heroes of Azeroth not only being able to defeat both Argus and Sargeras but also required that Sargeras get incredibly close to seizing Azeroth and that he spitefully stab the planet in his final moments before getting imprisoned.
Generic Doomsday Villain: Despite masterminding some of the most major events in the setting's history for his Long Game, Zovaal doesn't have much in the way of personality and barely has any lines. His goal of reshaping reality is for the sole reason of making Death the only element, because...reasons. There are hints he's supposed to be a Well-Intentioned Extremist, but he ultimately acts like a completely evil villain solely defined by the threat he poses to reality.
Greater-Scope Villain:
- He's already been active around the time Draenor was destroyed, as he forced the secrets of how to craft the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne, artifacts of Death that later found their way to the Nathrezim and then Kil'jaeden, from the Runecarver, resulting in the creation of the Lich King shortly after, who would spread Zovaal's influence oblivious of the fact that he was pulling the strings, instead believing that the Legion was his only puppet master.
- Zovaal begins to put most of his plans into motion in the latter half of World of Warcraft, since his pact with Sylvanas was established around the events of Edge of Night, but especially Battle for Azeroth. Some time after that, the machine of death has been broken due to the Arbiter being incapacitated, enabling the Jailer to claim all of the souls that died since the Legion's third invasion, including every single victim of the burning of Teldrassil, increasing his (and by extension Sylvanas') power.
- He was also the one who influenced Mueh'zala to give a dying Vol'jin the suggestion to nominate Sylvanas as warchief of the Horde during the Legion invasion.
- Furthermore, his schemes seem to center around claiming "the secret that the First Ones sought to hide." — all the death and destruction he caused in the world of the living was merely step one of that plan.
Judgement of the Dead: Broker research indicates that prior to his rebellion and imprisonment, Zovaal was actually the judge of the dead. The Arbiter was created as his replacement using a portion of his soul.
Long Game: Zovaal and Denathrius have been secretly working together since the former's imprisonment, engineering the current events to achieve their end goal.
Loophole Abuse: The Jailer is unable to leave the Maw thanks to the enchantments on the Heart of the Forest. When his attempts at causing it to die out via the anima drought are foiled, it renders him stuck in the Maw even though his forces can come and go. His solution? Use the anima of all the souls going straight to the Maw to extend it around Oribos, allowing him to go straight to the Arbiter and reclaim his own sigil.
The Man Behind the Man: To Helya and the first two Lich Kings, Ner'zhul and Arthas.
Omnicidal Maniac: He intends to destroy all of reality so that Death is the sole power remaining.
Outside-Context Problem: Barely anybody in the mortal plane knows he even exists, aside from select few individuals. Apparently no one who isn't Sylvanas or any of his cronies expected him to start stirring major trouble as well, and that includes the key figures of the Shadowlands themselves, barring Denathrius, who had made a deal with him.
Physical God: As an Eternal One he definitely has an important role in the cosmology of Warcraft. He was described by Ion Hazzikostas to be a Titan++.
Red Baron: Beings from the Shadowlands know the Jailer as "the Banished One", the Eternal One locked away in the Maw by his kin for his betrayal.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Some time at the birth of the Shadowlands, Zovaal was imprisoned within the Maw by his fellow Eternal Ones for a prior act of treachery. He intends to use the influx of souls to his realm to finally escape his prison and destroy all life in existence.
Sinister Silhouettes: The Jailer's appearance is partially obscured by shadows in the trailer, leaving only his silhouette and his glowing eyes.
Tin Tyrant: After absorbing the Arbiter's sigil, he forms a full set of plate armour in the shape of skulls and bones, with a face covering helmet to boot.
Torso with a View: For some reason, he has a quite big hole in his chest. It's where the other Eternal Ones took his sigil to forge the Arbiter.
Ungrateful Bastard: Mueh'zala tricked Vol'jin into appointing Sylvanas Windrunner as Warchief of the Horde, enabled her to start the Fourth War and increase the Jailer's power by sending more souls to his realm. However, after Mueh'zala was beaten and bound to Bwonsamdi's will, the Jailer abandoned him.
Vagueness Is Coming: His final words as he dies are to insist that "A cosmos divided will not survive what is to come."
Wardens Are Evil: Well, he certainly seems evil now. Before the Third Invasion he may have just been akin to an Almighty Janitor tasked with guarding the Maw.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Prone to this type of behavior. Sire Denathrius and Mueh'zala are both left behind by the Jailer when they are defeated after accomplishing their part of the Jailer's plan...and Sylvannas is essentially left at the mercy of Bolvar and his party after the Jailer gets what he needs from the Arbiter.
- Averted in regards to Kel'Thuzad, who he sends the Mawsworn to rescue after he's beaten at the end of the Necrolord/Venthyr campaign.
Your Soul Is Mine!: His actual goal is to gather as much souls as possible for his plan to succeed. That also includes Azeroth's own world-soul.

Sire Denathrius

Voiced by: Ray Chase (English)

"We Venthyr remain committed to bringing eventual redemption for all who desire it."

Sire Denathrius is the King of the Venthyr and master of the shadowy realm of Revendreth.

Archnemesis Dad: To Prince Renathal, who personally refers to him as his father.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Doesn't get much more evil than causing the anima drought that is plaguing every single other afterlife in the shadowlands so that he can funnel it all into The Maw.
Co-Dragons: Shares this position with Sylvanas and Helya to the Jailer. He is the one responsible for the anima drought in the entire Shadowlands, as he funnels every single one of them his followers manage to capture straight to the Maw.
Dark Is Evil: In contrast to Prince Renathal, Denathrius is rotten to the core, having starved the Shadowlands of anima for his own goals while also forging an alliance with the Jailer. Though General Draven and Renathal both remember fondly of the time when Denathrius was the driving force of good in Revendreth, that time has long passed.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Prince Renathal theorizes that the numberless sins that Denathrius has purged from others have found their way to him in one form or another as he consumed their anima. It's on full display in the Castle Nathria raid, with just about every sin fitting onto Denathrius himself.
Deal with the Devil: He made a deal with the Jailer, where he funnels the anima captured by his followers to the Maw, causing massive drought and ultimately setting all the other realms of Shadowlands against each other to fight for the scraps. He also claims it is for a greater purpose.
Death Faked for You: Judging from a conversation between the Tithelord and one of Kel'Thuzad's minions, the denizens of Revendreth believe he was killed during the Castle Nathria raid, not sealed away. Spreading this lie was perhaps the best choice on Renathal's part, considering Denathrius has no short amount of loyalists who'd be eager to free him.
Et Tu, Brute?: He's irritated that his "son", Renathal, the first Venthyr he created, is leading the rebellion against him. When he defeats Renathal and has him at his mercy, the normally ruthless Denathrius lets him live.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Usually ruthless, Denathrius has a soft spot for his "son", Prince Renathal. When he defeats Renathal, he lets him live rather than killing him, the Stonewright expected Denathrius to task her with destroying Sinfall with Renathal still in it and he didn't, and intercepted communications between naztherim infiltrators in Sinfall say that Renathal's death would upset Denathrius.
Fallen Hero: After his defeat and imprisonment, General Draven tells the Maw Walker that Denathrius was responsible for an unfathomable amount of good during his reign, and Renathal fondly remembers the father and mentor he used to be.
Fate Worse than Death: His final fate after Castle Nathria: He is bound to his sword, cast into the Light of a Naaru to burn to death, be reborn, and burn again for eons, all while being Forced to Watch as the Venthyr undo his schemes.
Faux Affably Evil: While a major antagonist to the Shadowlands storyline (as well as being the final boss for Castle Nathria), he is unfailingly polite, charming, and charismatic. He also has no problem starving all of Revendreth and the Shadowlands of anima for his own goals, or condemning a poor venthyr to death by the Light for "hoarding" his meager ration of anima (as seen in his Afterlives animated short). All the while, he proclaims how "compassionate and merciful" he is.
Sire Denathrius: Rest assured, we shall bring these miscreants to justice... with fairness and mercy, of course. I am, after all, nothing if not compassionate. [This is contrasted by having the "miscreant" forcibly exiled to the Light-scorched ruins to die, and the Sire cruelly smiling as he passes judgement.]
The Good King: Completely averted in the present. However, according to General Draven and Renathal, Denathrius was originally the Big Good of Revendreth and a father figure to Renathal.
The Heavy: Him pledging his allegiance to the Jailer has resulted in every single problem the Maw Walker encounters during their trek through the realms of the Shadowlands, since the anima drought he caused led to: Jailer claiming every soul that leaves its body on an universal scale, Devos swaying countless Kyrian to become Forsworn and Mawsworn, a conflict between Bastion and Maldraxxus, the latter's own civil war, Ardenweald groves withering and therefore indirectly enabling the Drust invasion from Thros, and finally a civil war in Revendreth itself. He also managed to imprison a naaru in his own castle for research purposes.
Heel–Face Turn: Invoked. Renathal is confident Denathrius's 're-education' will ultimately result in him seeing the error of his ways and reverting to the honorable man he once was, though he suspects the process will take eons.
I Am the Noun: When he finally has the Accuser captured, he pronounces her crimes for defying the will of Revendreth. The Accuser throws the claims back in his face that he has abandoned his charge and defied the will of the land. The normally composed Denathrius does not take the insult lightly.
Sire Denathirus: Defy Revendreth? I AM REVENDRETH!
Irony: Denathrius was in charge of Revendreth, and responsible for souls weighed down by their sins to find redemption. After selling out to the Jailer and being defeated, Renathal throws it back at him, as it is now his turn.
Long Game: The Nathrezim were his creations and everything they have done in the mortal world has been by his direction in order to bring about the current crisis.
Monster Progenitor: To the Venthyr race as well to all vampires, such as the Darkfallen. The Nathrezim are another creation but were banished long ago as part of his plan.
Obviously Evil: The most overtly sinister of the Covenant leaders, and the only one given an outright despotic portrayal in their animated short. And sure enough...
Talking Weapon: Wields a sentient greatsword called Remornia that floats on his back instead of being normally sheathed. In his Castle Nathria boss fight, it's quite eager to dispose of the adventurers.
Walking Spoiler: That the Sire is corrupt was known since the release of "Afterlives: Revendreth". The depths of his depravity are what make it difficult to talk about him.
White Hair, Black Heart: He has white hair and is directly responsible for the anima drought plaguing the Shadowlands.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After being taken captive, Sylvanas asks the Jailer what they'll do to recover him. He simply says that every soul has its purpose, and that Denathrius has fulfilled his.

Kyrestia the Firstborne

Kyrestia the Firstborne is the Archon of the Kyrian, the highest authority in the entirety of Bastion that resides in the Elysian Hold overlooking the realm.

Head-in-the-Sand Management: She gets better, but she initially is just as blinded as anyone else that the ageless order of the Shadowlands could ever be in jeopardy. When living mortals start showing up in the Shadowlands after escaping from the maw.. that's when she realizes the Maw isn't as inescapable as she thought.
Humble Pie: She believes that her philosophy and how the Kyrian operate should not be questioned. After the Forsworn rebellion and her life being saved by mortals, she starts to reconsider her position.
My Way or the Highway: What the Archon says, goes. If you don't like it, you don't have a chance for appeal. This is what causes Devos to deviate from the Path, because even with proof of the Maw's influence extending outside the Maw itself, the Archon ignores her.
No Ontological Inertia: In the Spires of Ascension dungeon it is possible to have the Archon die^note. Doing so results in the entire group being killed and a message saying that as the Archon dies, all life in the zone is wiped out. Despite this, both Devos' and Lysonia's plans would see Kyrestia dead, meaning this was either a story beat that was removed, or neither of them knew what the consequences of their actions would be.
Puny Earthlings: Well, 'Puny Mortals' at any rate; she truly believes that Kyrian are better for leaving their mortal lives, memories, and attachments behind. After the Spires of Ascension dungeon, and being rescued by mortals, she realizes that this staunch belief has caused a schism in the Kyrian that needs mending — once the Jailer is defeated.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She has ruled over Bastion since time immemorial, never needing to make much in the way of change; she and her realm had their arbiter-assigned charge, and it was her task to see that it was carried out — but when presented with proof that the Kyrian path is unsuited to deal with the threats coming to the shadowlands after Sylvanas shatters the barrier, she is nonetheless willing — after a serving of Humble Pie — to admit that Devos had a point, and the schism in the Kyrian faith needs to be mended once the Shadowlands aren't facing extinction.

The Primus

The Primus is the supreme ruler of Maldraxxus that presides over the Five Houses.

Big Good: He had a contingency plan to stop the Jailer in case he failed to personally defeat him, and he immediately travels to Korthia and takes charge of the efforts against the Jailer and his forces after he's freed.
Chekhov M.I.A.: He was mentioned to have been missing for a while before Shadowlands and into the first part of the expansion. He's later revealed to have been turned into the Runecarver, and is freed from the Jailer's control.
Crazy-Prepared: He had a reputation for this, which is proven when it's revealed he developed a contingency plan to stop the Jailer in the event he failed to defeat him personally, which is relayed through numerous pre-recorded messages.
Curb-Stomp Battle: At the end of assault on the Maldraxxi traitors, The Primus injures Helya (a godly being herself) badly enough to force her to retreat - cutting her off mid-sentence even - with a single casual tap of his staff on the ground that summons a ray of energy from above, exemplifying just how absurdly powerful he is.
Divided We Fall: One of his messages implores the covenants to unite as one against the Jailer, asserting that it's necessary to defeat him. By the end of the initial campaign and Denathrius's defeat, the covenants recognize the Jailer's threat and unite against him. Ironically, the Primus's own realm falls victim to this in his absence, mainly thanks to Kel'Thuzad.
The Ghost: Is never seen throughout the Shadowlands campaign, with only his 'voice', consisting of pre-recorded messages, being heard. However, thanks to the numerous statues depicting him, we know what he looks/looked like.
He's Back!: Bringing his Sigil to the Runecarver causes him to remember who he once was, and restore his strength in full. While the had the unfortunate effect of allowing the Jailer to steal the Sigil for himself, the Primus immediately makes for Korthia and resumes making plans to stop the latter's schemes.
Horned Humanoid: Statues in his likeness depict the Primus with thin antlers growing from his head.
Physical God: He was believed to be undefeatable. The Jailer proved otherwise.
Posthumous Character: The Primus goes unseen throughout the campaign, and judging by the other Eternal Ones after Sire Denathrius' betrayal, he's presumed dead. Subverted in that while he suffers from a case of Mind Rape-induced Laser-Guided Amnesia, he's still alive as the Runecarver.
Sizeshifter: He's normally larger than the Jailer, but he's more than capable of shrinking himself down to use Torghast's portals.
Ultimate Blacksmith: The Primus was heralded as one of the greatest weaponsmiths in all of the Shadowlands. The tools he crafted for the Maldraxxi were the stuff of legend. A clue that the Runecarver, who forges Legendary items, is him.
Uncertain Doom: All that's known for sure about the Primus's fate is that he went missing at some point before the "machinery of death" was broken. Some believe he's deceased, while others aren't so convinced. The Jailer is eventually confirmed to have been involved in his disappearance, and he is later revealed to have returned into the Runecarver.
What the Hell, Hero?: Demands to know what the player was thinking bringing his sigil into Torghast of all places.
The Worf Effect: The godlike leader of the Shadowlands' military was defeated in combat by the Jailer, cementing just how dangerous the latter has become.

Winter Queen

The Winter Queen is the leader of the Night Fae of Ardenweald.

Blue Is Heroic: Her robes and skin are several different shades of blue, and she is very self-sacrificing.
The Chains of Commanding: She is clearly not happy with having to sacrifice some groves to ensure others live — but doing nothing would ensure everything dies anyway.
Horned Humanoid: The Winter Queen has tree branches growing from her head in the shape of stag antlers. Small leaves grow from the horn branches.
Everything's Better with Sparkles: Her robes and aura are naturally sparkly. The massive Starfall spells she casts during the Night Fae finale show she also likes using this offensively as well.
Expy: Of Cate Blanchett's Galadriel. The winter Queen is likewise The High Queen of a forest-dwelling Fair Folk who is wise and powerful and speaks in a slow, regal alto.
Good Is Not Nice: Despite coming off as callous and uncaring, the queen is doing her best to keep her realm alive amist a terrible drought and being attacked by enemies on all sides. When the drust come knocking at her front door after killing her people in the finale of the Night Fae storyline, she's clearly not afraid to rain magic death on their heads.
Hidden Depths: Despite her serious demeanor, she does apparently enjoy watching the theatre plays her people put on.
The High Queen: Serves as the ruler of Ardenweald, and works to undo the damage caused by the drought.
Ice Queen: Similarity between her and the trope's name aside, her demeanor and speech is... emotionally removed. It's clear she feels emotions, and she can be seen smiling from time to time, but whenever she speaks, she does so in muted, yet authoritative tone. Whether it's the drought that has brought on this stiffness, or she was always that way, is unclear.
Irony: Despite being the most stoic and serious of the Covenant leaders, (aside from the unseen Primus) her people are the most light-hearted and humorous of Shadowland's races.
The Needs of the Many: She is not happy about it, but during the drought this is her strategy; she preserves as many groves as she can, draining others of their anima and leaving them to die. She is also not happy about having to spend the personal effort to resurrect a single wildseed — and it's only when it's pleaded that this wildseed, even while slumbering, has aided the groves that she resurrects its occupant, Ysera.
Noodle Incident: Something is clearly behind her dislike of Bwonsamdi, but it is currently unexplained.
Plant Person: Her horns are branches, complete with and leaves. They grow out of her head, spreading it apart into flower petals, and it's difficult to tell whether her clothing with very strong flower inspirations is part of her being or not.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Amidst the Anima drought, the Winter Queen actively goes about her realm determining which souls must be sacrificed for the good of the whole. She is also ready to fight on the front lines.
Sibling Rivalry: Well, "rivalry" is a strong word, but she is not pleased towards having to spend the effort (and personal anima) to ensure Ysera's resurrection, calling her her "sister's pet". While aiding in the ritual to save Tyrande from being overcome by the Night Warrior, she confirms this sister is in fact Elune herself. The Winter Queen's one-sided disdain is revealed to be caused by the belief that Elune turned a blind eye to the drought in Ardenweald — while in truth, Elune's attempt to aid her sister was blocked by the Jailer.
Single Tear: The Winter Queen's eyes shine with unshed tears in "Afterlives: Ardenweald" when she gives Ara'lon the choice to keep his dying grove and his oath to her or to cull the grove and help preserve Ardenweald. The act of culling the grove is as heartbreaking to her as it is to Ara'lon, but she soldiers on as is her duty.
Teleportation: The Winter Queen can appear anywhere within Ardenweald in an instant, often vanishing with the very wind. She makes liberal use of this because her realm demands a lot of her personal attention requiring her to be almost everywhere at once.

Oribos

The First Ones as a whole

The First Ones are mysterious beings whose existence predates that of the Titans and are centered around an entity known as The Arbiter. Their headquarters are situated in Oribos, the Eternal City, which is connected to every realm of the Shadowlands via transport gates tethered to the soulstreams of In-Between.

Recursive Precursors: These entities are very ancient, predating even the Pantheon itself.
Sufficiently Advanced Alien: Apparently responsible for creating the Arbiter, and with it the order of the Shadowlands as a whole — they are likely the reason why souls even go anywhere upon death.

The Attendants

The Attendants as a whole

Floating maintainers of Oribos, the Attendants serve to keep the 'Eternal City' running, following 'The Purpose' and through it ensuring that the Shadowlands fulfill their role as the afterlives of the living world.

In Mysterious Ways: The Attendants of Oribos follow what they call 'The Purpose' — a faith that everything happens for an Arbiter-deigned reason and it is not their duty to know why, but as long as they trust in it, everything will ultimately work out for the better. Some Brokers poke fun at how nonsensical this is by pointing out that you could drop Stewards on the heads of Attendants and they'd claim 'The Purpose' made you do that, and ponder the significance of it.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Is 'The Purpose' merely a glorified excuse for saying 'Everything happens for a reason', or is there more to it, considering that 'The Purpose' seemingly guides the Attendants to notice things no one else does?
Money Dumb: The attendants have no concept of 'ownership' or 'property' — They exist to maintain Oribos and serve the arbiter and have no need for such concepts. As such the concept of trade is likewise foreign to them, leaving the job of providing the mortals with goods and services to the Brokers

Tal-Inara

Tal-Inara the Honored Voice is the Arbiter's spokesperson and usually serves as an intermediary between her and the other entities. Due to Arbiter being incapacitated, Tal-Inara is now de facto the highest authority of Oribos that works together with the former Lich King, Bolvar Fordragon to restore the natural order of things in the Shadowlands and thwart Jailer's machinations.

Mouth of Sauron: Benevolent version: With the Arbiter incapacitated, she speaks with her authority.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite the misgivings of other Attendants, she devotes all resources to aiding the Maw Walker in any necessary steps to awaken the Arbiter, including spending the city's anima reserves to open the gates to other realms of the Shadowlands, and permitting other mortals to take sanctuary within Oribos for use as a base of operations.

Fatescribe Roh-Tahl

An attendant overseeing the inscription and recording of every mortal's fate upon their arrival in Oribos

Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Upon going through the Shadowlands intro on a second character, Roh-Thal offers the Player Character the choice of either going through the same path as 'Those who came before you', or choosing a different path of going through the Shadowlands. It makes Roh-tahl with all his Time Master abilities and knowledge of the fate of everyone very close to a Fourth-Wall Observer without being it.
Time Master: Roh-Tahl is more capable than merely a glorified bookkeeper. As Fatescribe, he sees the strands of fate themselves, and can even intervene in those who are otherwise Immune to Fate to offer them choices on how to proceed, doing so by stopping the passage of time for everyone except himself and them. It's also implied he sees the past, present, and future as one as he can transport others to specific points in time, guided by The Purpose.

The Brokers

The Brokers as a whole

A race of humanoid energy beings native to an unnamed realm of the Shadowlands. Independent from the Covenants and the Maw, they possess an innate affinity for anima and act as soul-traders that can move freely around the realm — They are savvy, adaptable, and keep their true intentions to themselves.

Dimension Traveller: The Brokers seem to have no problem travelling between realities in the Shadowlands — and though none have been seen in the waking world, there's nothing to suggest they cannot travel there too.
Expy: Humanoid energy beings with Dimension Traveller powers, organized into cartels and trading in exotic goods? You'd be forgiven if that description makes you think of the Ethereals.

Proud Merchant Race: The Attendants of Oribos have more or less handed over all handling of commerce to the Brokers, and different Cartels specialize in different trades. Cartel Ve specializes in information, Cartel Au specializes in craft works, Cartel Xy specializes in acquiring rare and powerful relics, Cartel Ta trades and trafficks exotic creatures, etc.

Cartel Xy

One of the broker cartels. For an as of yet unknown reason, two of the cartel's three known members (Dealer Xy'exa and Artificer Xy'mox) are hostile to the adventurers, serving as boss encounters in De Other Side and in Castle Nathria.

Flunky Boss: At certain points in his encounter in Sepulcher of the First Ones, Artificer Xy'mox is supported by Cartel Xy reinforcements.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: One Xy member has taken up residence in Korthia's base of operations as a quest giver. One of the first things he says on meeting you is an assurance that not every member of his Cartel is a bastard.
Mooks: Along with Xy'mox, quite a few unnamed Xy members are encountered in the first wing of Sepulcher of the First Ones.
Token Evil Teammate: They seem to be this compared to the other cartels.
Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Artificer Xy'mox flees after his defeat in Castle Nathria. He reappears as a boss in Sepulcher of the First Ones, where he is slain by the Adventurers.

Bastion

Those who have lived a life of service are drawn to Bastion to assumed the highest duty of all — carrying the souls to the Shadowlands. Amongst Bastion's gleaming spires and sweeping vistas await challenges to test the mettle of the steadfast kyrians.

Bastion is a beacon for those who lived a life of service. Souls worthy enough to stand upon its fields soon face challenges in pursuit of their highest calling of all — shepherding souls to the Shadowlands. A life of service determines who is worthy to tread upon the golden fields of Bastion. Stalwart commitment to their duties was their goal in life: ascension is their goal thereafter

Kyrian Covenant

The ruling covenant of Bastion, the Kyrians are angelic creatures who shepherd souls from the mortal realms into the Shadowlands. The leader of the Kyrians is the Archon.

The Kyrian Covenant of Bastion as a whole

Above Good and Evil: Whatever a mortal did in life, whether they lived the life of an Ideal Hero, or were a monster who Ate Babies, should be of no concern to the Kyrian. They judge the soul's readiness to move on, and leave the Judgement of the Dead to the Arbiter. This impartiality is why they force their aspirants to let go of their mortal lives; without it, the Kyrian would be in a prime position to become Judge, Jury, and Executioner — as Uther proved.
Amazing Technicolor Population: The Kyrians have bright blue skin as part of their otherworldly nature.
Ancient Grome: They have Classical Greek-sounding names.
Animal Species Accent: The stewards, being owl-like bipeds, tend to append 'hoo' to their long 'o' sounds, even if said sound is in the middle of a word.
Steward merchant: My wares for you-hoo.
Steward merchant as the player leaves: Come back soo-hoon
Bird People: The Kyrians are assisted by wingless owl people known as the Stewards, who diligently serve as Bastion's groundkeepers and artificers.
Blank Slate: Of a sort — to facilitate impartiality in their role as reality's psychopomps, the Kyrian require their aspirants to let go of any mortal attachments they had — whether it be friends, family, enemies, fears, or doubts, the Kyrian Aspirants are told that their former lives no longer matter; they lived and died those lives, and it is time to let them fade into memory and start anew to become Ascended. This said, the Kyrian don't abscond with experience, nor is it a requirement for one to become truly a Blank Slate before one can start on the path — it's viewed more as a Loss of Identity than an outright Death of Personality: You were someone before you died. Now it's time to become someone else — it's a gradual process that can take eons, but eventually a mortal life will seem insignificant in the face of an immortal existence.
Blind Obedience:
- The Kyrian are trained to consider themselves Humble Heroes in service to a purpose higher than themselves, a Path laid out by the Archon herself. They believe this Path to be unchanging, immutable, and eternal, and as such don't consider that Devos, a paragon, might be right when she claims mortals are using the Maw's power. It's this realisation that the path isn't flawless that causes Devos' Start of Darkness
- The Kyrian are noticeably slower to act than most other covenants to the winds of change arriving in Bastion — it's not until Maldraxxus invades that they realize something needs to be done — that their rigid obedience to a higher purpose has left them noticeably slower on the uptake than most.
- The Kyrian Ascended know the Arbiter is broken, and have known at least since the Burning of Teldrassil, but even so they continue to ferry souls to Oribos despite the only eternity awaiting the souls is being sent to the Maw. Whether they do it because it's their duty or because leaving souls on living worlds would be worse than sending them to the Maw is unclear — what isn't, is that they don't bother telling their aspirants about this before they see it with their own eyes as part of their ascension rituals — which has led to a high number of ready aspirants becoming disillusioned and joining the Forsworn.
Early-Bird Cameo: The Kyrian have been around since the very beginnings of World of Warcraft, with Kyrian Watchers taking the role of Spirit Healers, although this fact wasn't revealed until Shadowlands^note.
Fantastic Caste System: Stewards serve the Kyrian and maintain the realm and its automatons with the aid of the Kyrian forgelites, the aspirants devote their time towards completing their trials and ascending, the ascended do the duties for which they have ascended, the paragons and their disciples serve as exemplars and oversee the aforementioned trials, and Kyrestia, the Archon, rules the realm and makes the final calls on whatever actions should be pursued. Note that there is absolutely no Fantastic Racism amongst the individual rungs; even the Paragons respect the Stewards for their service.
Flight Is the Final Power: Only once an aspirant ascends do they grow their wings — and nearly all aspirants look forward to ascension partly because they want to experience flight.
Gold and White Are Divine: Fitting their angelic nature and theme, Kyrians typically wear flowing white robes with golden armor and decorations.
Golem: The Stewards build and maintain the Centurions, anima-fueled constructs which protect Bastion, assist in training Kyrian aspirants, enforce order, and curate the knowledge of the realm.
Happiness in Slavery: The Stewards are created to serve as the, well, stewards and custodians of Bastion, and are said to become rather depressed when they do not work (and in fact, when told to rest, Stewards instead start serving each other). As beings created by the Realm itself, it is unclear how much free will they have and if they could do anything besides serving the Kyrians. With that said, they do seem quite pleased with their lot in life, and (according to Kleia's Stop Poking Me!) one of them actually started to cry when she told them she didn't require aid.
Heavenly Blue: Kyrians are angelic guardians of the afterlife with bright blue skin to emphasize their divine nature.
Heroic Sacrifice: Bastion is not a Fluffy Cloud Heaven reward for a life well lived — rather, it is an eternal duty given only to those souls who in life were self-sacrificing and noble in their pursuits for the greater good — those souls who are willing to give up everything they once were solely for the benefit of others.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: Kyrian who share a soulbind know each other down to the smallest detail, as such they tend to be very close without overt romantic feelings, sometimes to the point of then using sibling terminology for each other.
Honor Before Reason:
- Or rather "The Path before reason" given their rather moronic dismissal of Devos's claims involving Frostmourne's Maw-powered Runes.
- Come the game proper, this is Defied — and even the Archon admits that 'circumstances have changed' when the Forsworn start openly attacking, not to mention when Sire Denathrius betrays the Shadowlands.
Humble Hero: The Kyrian are trained to think of themselves as serving a purpose higher than themselves, to the point that 'Go in service' is their way of saying 'goodbye for now'.
Individuality Is Illegal: Discussed across the Bastion campaign, and it's ultimately averted:
- For as much as The Kyrian require their aspirants to give up the identity, memories, and biases they had in life before they can ascend, they see absolutely nothing wrong with individuality between them. Love, friendship, camaraderie, wants, desires — everything that makes a person an 'individual' is not only not shunned, but outright encouraged, and the Stewards are happy to provide the Kyrian with everything they need while they figure out who they want to be without their mortal baggage.
- Even ascended, though they have their duties, are not just cogs in the machine, but a pure version of who their soul wanted to be, unburdened by mortal limits. As an example, those Kyrian who become Bearers often do so because of an intense desire to see the other worlds in the cosmos, while the Collectors is a designation given to those Kyrian who wish to ensure Bastion isn't lacking for anything crafted.
- The Maldraxxus Covenant Campaign implies that those who are picked to be Kyrian are those who would be the same kind of individual regardless of what happened during their mortal lives, which is why someone like Alexandros Mograine wasn't sent there, as his nobility and self-sacrificing nature are a consequence of his mortal life, and would not do the same if he gave up his memories.
Loss of Identity: Becoming a Kyrian means surrendering everything that you were in life, from your body's shape, your old personality, and eventually all of your memories of your past life, both negative and positive. The game sidesteps the moral questionability of this afterlife by pointing out the The Arbiter doesn't make mistakes, so only souls that are that self-sacrificing for the greater good would be sent there to begin with and if an Aspirant truly gives up and decides they can't make it as a Kyrian or sacrifice all that they were, they get sent back to the Arbiter to go to another afterlife. The sacrifice of one's past memories is also mandatory to facilitate impartiality; as the ones to guide souls to the afterlife, the Kyrian cannot permit biases to cloud their judgment. All of that said, it's also shown that this process can be wildly traumatic, spirit breaking, and the Forsworn and Mawsworn are a result of souls who were given Kyrian power by other means, who feel as though giving up their senses of self is unjust and unfair. This also isn't perfect as you can find a Kyrian body in Maldraxxus with a note describing how she found a trinket of her past life's mate she made before she lost her memory of him, and it made all of her memories return and left her rightfully embittered. After the Spires of Ascension dungeon and during the Kyrian covenant questline, all of these factors make Kyrestia begin to wonder if maybe this part of Ascendance might not be wrong after all, and after more consideration in 9.1, she decides to make this part of Ascendance optional — those who want to forget can, those who don't want to have a harder path to walk, but can still become Kyrian.
Mental Fusion: The process of 'soulbinding' is a bond shared between two Kyrian that is treated almost akin to marriage, during which both souls are drawn out, interact with each other, and then returned to their owners — after the ritual of soulbinding both Kyrian know everything the other has gone through, while retaining their own personality — rendering them Heterosexual — or Platonic Life-Partners from that day onward, as no one understands them quite like their soulbind. It's usually done between two aspirants, but after Sire Denathrius betrays the Shadowlands, this restriction is revealed to have been one of tradition, not capability; one can have multiple soulbinds without either of them suffering.
Non-Action Guy: The stewards don't fight unless absolutely necessary; they much rather run to Kyrian/Forsworn for help if threatened.
Our Angels Are Different: The Kyrians are blue-skinned angels who safeguard and shepherd mortal souls into the afterlife. People may also recognize them as the Spirit Healers which have been in the game since the beginning.
Pint-Sized Powerhouse: The Stewards look unassuming at first, but those muscles aren't meaningless — they can carry multiple of their own kind, gear included, without problem, and have areas in Bastion dedicated to being essentially outdoor gyms, where it's shown they lift dumbbells as long and wide as their upper and overarms combined, one handed, and benchpress weights that are as big as their torsos, which is saying something.
Psychopomp: The role of Kyrian Bearers is to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife, where they can be judged by the Arbiter, while the Kyrian Watchers stick around in a particular world and act as spirit healers.
Scenery Porn: The realm of Bastion consist of pristine white rock, golden fields, and lush trees, and this is after the drought has starved the realm. When offered a chance to view Bastion as Kleia recalls it, the anima abundance makes everything from the ground to the very air itself light up with magical wonders — she describes it's current state as akin to Scenery Gorn, yet Bastion is still by far the most paradisical-looking area ever depicted in the game.
Servant Race: The Stewards are a race of owl-like beings who exist to serve the Kyrian. Born of the magic of Shadowlands, these Stewards enjoy their servitude, and grow quite depressed when they can't serve the Kyrian — to the point that if they can't serve the Kyrian, they usually take turns serving each other as part of their relaxation.
Relaxing Steward: "Rest" caregivers say. "You must recover your strength." What are we if not serving the kyrian? Are we truly living if ears are not vigorously bouncing from work?
Recovering Steward: Have rested enough to be permitted minor duties. Cannot wait to do more!
Relaxing Steward: (in a conspiratorial whisper) I wish I could get back to work.
Sufficiently Advanced Bamboo Technology: At first glance, the Kyrian use tech that would make a gnome weep for the lost potential. Scrolls for record-keeping, quills for writing, forges for smithing, stewards for manual labor, but look deeper and the 'sufficiently advanced' part of the trope starts to show: the Centurions are peerless mechanical constructs which normally don't require recharging, capable of passively absorbing ambient anima; teleporters are everywhere; and their forge-crafted weaponry is strong enough to kick The Void out of their realm when it invaded in force; the scrolls shift and change their symbols to display more than what could ordinarily be on an equivalent punch card and the quills used to write on said scrolls never need to be filled, drawing on the anima of the scribe instead; even the stewards are shown to be a lot stronger than their size would suggest, capable of carrying more than six of their kind on their shoulders, with all the equipment that entails, while being more worried about the balance than the weight itself.
That Man Is Dead: An important part of an Aspirant's training is getting to a point where they can comfortably and honestly say these words about their mortal identities; that person lived and died, their life, biases, relations, deeds, etc. is a book that has reached its conclusion — their story is done, and who they are now is someone else.
Unfeeling Heavens: Downplayed — The Kyrian is reality's angelic Psychopomps, it is an assigned afterlife by The Arbiter only to the souls who were truly selfless in life... Because you have to be truly selfless to become a Kyrian: It entails giving up everything that made you, you; Your mortal identity, relationships, biases, doubts, and memories have no place in a Psychopomp, and thus everything you once were must be removed or forgotten before you can take on the impartial Above Good and Evil role of being a Psychopomp; but they are not antagonistic, fulfilling an important role in the cosmos, and The Arbiter doesn't make mistakes.
You No Take Candle: Stewards, on top of their Animal Species Accent, have a habit of skipping over words. It's not nearly as bad as the Trope Naming kobolds, and tends to convey their excitement when given tasks.
Steward: I fix!
Steward: We help good!
Winged Humanoid: Kyrian aspirants who have passed their trials ascend and earn their angelic wings.
Worthy Opponent: It is considered a great honor to be chosen by another Kyrian to train with them, as it indicates the asking Kyrian believes they have something to learn from training with them.

The Paragons

In general

I Am the Noun: The Paragons are sometimes simply referred to by what they are paragons of. Chyrus is thus sometimes simply referred to as 'Humility' and Xandria as 'Courage'.
Legacy Characters: The Paragons are ascended Kyrian which are no different from their other kin — they embody Kyrian virtues, but they aren't Anthropomorphic Personifications of said virtue; they can get hurt and die like everyone else, and if that happens, others take their place.

Chyrus, the Paragon of Humility

Humble Hero: Exaggerated — he's a paragon, yet he is almost always seen kneeling.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Chyrus is able to No-Sell Lysonia's attempts at forcing his pride to surface like she has done to so many Kyrian — simply because there's no pride to be found in him. Even when she tries to forcefully bestow her own pride upon him using the power of the Maw, while it does hurt, he remains pure despite it.
Named Weapons: His two-handed BFS is named "Compassion", and even has it's own title: 'The Blade of Humility' — it is also a Flying Weapon, and capable of remaining so even when separated from the wielder's vicinity unlike most other examples.

Devos, the Paragon of Loyalty later Doubt

Arc Villain: Of Bastion, where she serves as the final encounter of Spires of Ascension dungeon.
Cassandra Truth: She tried to warn the Archon that Arthas was wielding the power of the Maw, but was dismissed.
Fallen Angel: She leads the Forsworn, a group of fallen kyrian that rebelled against the Firstborne's authority, and she herself is in cahoots with the Jailer.
Ironic Name: Not her name itself, but it's her title that's ironic.
- She was the Paragon of Loyalty, but she was the only one of the Paragons to fall into Doubt due to Kyrestia's actions and the only one to turn against her.
- When she becomes Paragon of Doubt she becomes one of the Jailers most loyal minions, believing he will bring her people salvation.
Satanic Archetype: Pretty clearly takes inspiration from Lucifer from Paradise Lost. Once a high-ranking kyrian, she grows disillusioned with her God and attempts to take over with a rebellion convincing others to join her side. The kyrian are also Angel like beings, making the Fallen Angel angle pretty obvious.
Start of Darkness: Learning about Frostmourne's power and the flaws it revealed in the "Path" Bastion follows was what started her descent into villainy.
Villain Has a Point: While her methods of trying to change it are indefensible, she's not exactly wrong about the flaws of the Kyrian Path.
Villains Never Lie: Apparently believed in this trope, as she believed the Jailer when he said an injustice had been carried out on him by the Archon, not considering that the Jailer's story might be biased.

Thenios, the Paragon of Wisdom

Mentor Archetype: All the paragons fit this trope to one extent or another, but it is perhaps best observed with Thenios. While the temples of purity, loyalty, courage, humility work to remove burdens from their aspirants, teaching them to let go of their mortal selves so they can ascend, Thenios' temple centers around wisdom, archiving the knowledge and experiences of those who came before, and using those archives to teach lessons in turn. Following Uther's abandonment of the Forsworn, Thenios decides to take him under his metaphorical wings. Following the completion of the Kyrian campaign, they can both be found in Thenios' temple in deep concentration. Trying to figure out why Uther's soul was marked by the Maw, and what it means for a Kyrian who has has been marked thusly to not give in and become Mawsworn.

Vesiphone, the Paragon of Purity

Have a Nice Death: Vesiphone, like Bwonsamdi before her, hangs around on Bastion's graveyards, offering encouragement to players that die within it.

Xandria, the Paragon of Courage

Blood Knight: Perhaps emblematic of her being an exemplar of courage, Xandria is not one who relishes combat; she views it as necessary and something that should be done without fear — but she never takes outright joy in it.
Fire-Forged Friends: When Mograine shows up to make amends for Maldraxxus' attack on her temple, Xandria is initially hostile — over the course of the campaign, she and Mograine develop a respect for each other.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Xandria's temple of courage comes under attack by Maldraxxian forces of the houses of Rituals and Constructs early in the Shadowlands questing. When Mograine shows up in Bastion asking for help to take out the house of Constructs and their Margrave, Xandria doesn't need much in the way of persuasion to show up in person with an army at her back.
Warts and All: Perhaps befitting of someone embodying the Kyrian ideal of courage, Xandria is not afraid to admit that Bastion and the Kyrian have their faults and aren't the shining beacon of perfection that others make them out to be — while she takes a secondary role in terms of the Forsworn rebellion, her interactions with Mograine reveal she is very aware of the same points Devos is making — namely that the Kyrian require immense and often traumatic sacrifices from their aspirants, leaving them unrecognizable from their former lives.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When Mograine posits that the Arbiter sent him to Maldraxxus rather than Bastion by mistake as he spent his life in service to the Light, Xandria has him forego the usual trials that the Kyrian aspirants usually go through, instead leading him directly to confront that what would be considered burdens in Bastion — memories of his family — are what gives him strength. After Mograine realizes that Bastion isn't connected to the Light at all, Xandria reaffirms that although the assault by Maldraxxus upon her temple has shaken her faith in them, Mograine is nonetheless a man of honor and he is welcome within Bastion should he require time away from the battlefields to rest his soul and reflect upon his life.

Adrestes

Polemarch Adrestes is the Archon's will and overseer - when the Archon does not have time or ability to, he is the one in charge of delegating the tasks the Archon has given him.

Fish out of Water: By his own words, he spent eons serving the Archon willingly as an overseer. In all that time, Bastion remained unchanging - so when he is named Paragon of Devotion, a temple and tenet of the Kyrian that didn't even exist for those eons, even he is uncertain what the future brings - but he's ready to lead it onward through the trials of change.
New Era Speech: When he is rededicating the Temple of Loyalty towards Devotion, he uses the great Vesper to transmit a speech towards every single Forsworn in the temple grounds:
My fellow kyrian, I come to you with a message of compassion. Your plight has been heard, your suffering recognized. We ask not for your loyalty, but we offer a choice. None shall be forced to sacrifice their memories. Your decision will be respected by all kyrian. Let us stand united once more! Not out of loyalty, but devotion! A new path for Bastion begins!"
Number Two: Moreso than even the Paragons, Adrestes, as the Polemarch, is the one to actually lead the Kyrian as a whole in the Archon's stead. Each Paragon has their temple which they manage, and the duties of said temple, but Adrestes is the one person to actually oversee the happenings of Bastion as a whole when the Archon is unavailable.
Rank Up: As part of mending the rift between Forsworn and Kyrian Adrestes is named the Paragon of Devotion, having learned from his interactions with Uther that blind loyalty is exactly what caused the split in the first place.

Kalisthene

The first ascended that any aspirant meets on their arrival, Kalistene is the ascended charged with ensuring all find their way on the journey to becoming an aspirant

The Masquerade: It's revealed that she is the reason the Kyrian Aspirants know nothing about the nature of the drought - she was under direct orders from the Archon to keep them unknowing that every single soul was being sent to the maw. In the wake of Devos' fall, she considers it My Greatest Failure.
Mouth of Sauron: The Archon is usually far too busy to meet with aspirants as they go through their trial, and though she is by no means hidden, this means the responsibility of congratulating aspirants as they pass each of their trials falls to Kalisthene. In the same vein, contact to the Archon for the aspirants often go through Kalisthene.
Rank Up: As Adrestes ascends to the position of Paragon of Devotion, Kalistene takes his place as the Archon's Polemarch.

Mikanikos

Mikanikos is the Forgelite Prime of Bastion, a steward responsible for the creation of numerous automatons that are tasked with various functions around the realm's important facilities.

Dude, Where's My Respect?: He's The Maker of many of Bastion's automatons, the Mnemis line of Centurions. He's understandably ruffled when the forsworn turns some of them against the Kyrian, and therefore him, because he made them.
The Engineer: Or rather, the Forgelite Prime — if there's trouble with Bastion's mechanics or automatons, Mikanikos is your go-to guy for solving them.
Insistent Terminology: He insists he's thorough, not 'particular'.
The Maker: He personally made the first Mnemis Centurions because he wanted a centurion that was smarter than the rest.
Meaningful Name: 'Mikanikos' has just one syllable pronounced different from 'mechanical' — as Forgelite Prime, he takes great joy in everything mechanical.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much:
- Stewards are always unfailingly polite — the fact that Mikanikos is not is the first sign that he's different from the other stewards
- Stewards do not soulbind — Mikanikos notes that their are not granted the honor of doing so, yet he is allowed the moment he demands it.
- Stewards in general run at the first sight of combat. Mikanikos is all too willing to stick around, even if he usually does so mostly to give orders to the centurions.
- Mikanikos is Prideful — he doesn't just take pride in his creations, or pride in his servitude to the Kyrian, he actively thinks himself better than most.
  Oh you have value... but I have more.
Non-Action Guy: He's a steward, so this is expected. Even so, it bears repeating that he can still partake in the Trials of Ascension — but when he does, he brings Bron along to do the fighting, while he runs around gathering energy for him.
The Perfectionist: Mikanikos never settles for less than perfection in his craft, from his materials to his tools. Everything has to be as he needs them. He has a reputation for being "particular" because of this.
Pride: Mikanikos is unique in that he's a Steward who will take absolutely no lip from his creations; he's their maker! They better do as he says!
Ultimate Blacksmith: As Forgelite Prime, Mikanikos is the greatest crafter in all of Bastion.

Kleia

Kleia is one of the Kyrian aspirants and the first of her kind encountered by the Maw Walker upon their arrival in Bastion. She and Pelagos quickly become their companions during the path towards ascension.

Action Girl: Perhaps fitting of an Ascended^note, Kleia is an in-your-face fighter who even manages to impress the Curator during an excursion to Revendreth.
The Curator: Kleia made quick work of the venthyr in our path. She's truly a sight to behold.
The Atoner: As she reveals after her ascension, she's not happy about her thoughts when the mortals first showed up; she saw them as solutions to her own problems (namely the fact that no ascension rituals had been carried out since the drought started) moreso than people in their own right — it's something she wishes to make amends for by staying on the side of mortals despite her nature as an Ascended. She has her duties, but those duties take second priority to ensuring the safety of the Shadowlands.
Interface Spoiler: After you unlock soulbinds, Kleia is among them, and she is shown with the wings of an Ascended, revealing she is due to ascend — she is also shown with wings in the Path of Ascension, regardless of your story progress.
Like Brother and Sister: She's soulbound with Pelagos whom she sometimes refers to as 'her brother' rather than the more formal 'her soulbind' — it's rare for the two of them to be apart.
Overranked Soldier: Discussed by herself and the Mawwalkers: Kleia spent, in her own words 'too long' as an aspirant due to the drought. Then the mortals started showing up, and from there it was a blur. Within months she was ascended, and within a year - a miniscule amount of time for immortal beings like herself - she had fought paragons, escaped the Maw, multiple times, and established relationships with the other realms together with the mawwalkers. When she is named Hand of Devotion, she wonders if she really worthy of such a duty, but she endeavors to do it despite that.
Rank Up: As part of the creation of the new Kyrian tenet of devotion, the Archon places Kleia as the Hand of Devotion
Sword and Sorcerer: With Pelagos. She prefers to stand toe-to-toe with her opponents, while Pelagos specializes in ranged magical combat.
The Joy of First Flight: Kleia is noteworthy in that she places near-constant glee on her wings post-ascension. Constantly emphasizing how great it feels to have wings, and taking quite a lot of joy in acting as 'air support' when necessary.

Pelagos

Pelagos is one of the Kyrian aspirants and Kleia's soulbind. He and Kleia quickly become the Maw Walker's companions during the path towards ascension. At the end of the Zereth Mortis campaign, he becomes the new Arbiter to make sure the Shadowlands will return to what they were meant to be once Zovaal is defeated.

Anxiety Dreams: When you start questing in the Shadowlands, you find Pelagos failing a ritual to make him confront and face his doubts, with the doubts having nearly taken control before you intervene. Near the end of the Kyrian campaign, you find him in the same position, and it is here revealed what his greatest doubt is; whether or not he is good enough for Bastion.
Light Is Good: He gains golden skin and white clothing after he becomes the new Arbiter of the Shadowlands.
Platonic Life-Partners: He's soulbound with Kleia — it's rare for the two of them to be apart, even if it sometimes leaves Pelagos in situations he is physically not suited for; such as navigating Revendreth without wings like Kleia.
Supernaturally-Validated Trans Person: Kyrian aspirants are able to choose a form that reflects their true self. Pelagos, who presented as a woman during his mortal life, chose a male form in the Shadowlands.
You Are Not Ready: When Kleia goes to the final trial to ascend, Pelagos is not with her as he isn't ready for the perils of the trial. He takes it in good spirit despite her being his soulbind.

The Forsworn

A splinter group of Kyrian who see the Path as flawed and harmful to them. They rally under the newly named Paragon of Doubt to overthrow the Archon and remake the social structure of Bastion.

In General

Fallen Angel: The Forsworn are fallen Kyrian who have been corrupted after failing their trials, turning on their brethren in the process.
Not in This for Your Revolution: It's implied — Stewards can be found 'resting' ^note in specific places around Bastion — both Kyrian and Forsworn aligned stewards mingle with each other freely without any hostilities, which brings into question whether the Stewards turned because they agree with the Forsworn, or whether they did it simply because the Kyrian they were serving did. In fact, Forsworn aligned Stewards often have names such as "Misled", and you cannot actually kill these Forsworn, as they simply run away when their health gets low.
Paint It Black: When a Kyrian fully succumbs to their inner darkness (doubt, pride, fear), their hair, clothing, and wings, if ascended, turn black on the spot.
The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: The Forsworn have declared war against the Kyrian, attacking the Temples to corrupt Aspirant rituals and bolster their own numbers to eventually kill and overthrow the Archon.
Unfeeling Heavens: The root cause of their rebellion, believing the Kyrian too detached from mortal affairs, forcing their aspirants to go through needless, painful trials and sacrifices that are ultimately unnecessary. While this eventually decays after Devos' death into simply wanting the archon and all her followers dead for their supposed crimes, the original motive rooted in this trope is presented, both In-Universe and out of it, as having a very valid point.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Forsworn want to preserve their past memories, to not be forced to let go of who they were in life for the sake of some vague sense of the greater good. But they see Bastion as too flawed a system that needs to be torn down to be rebuilt into something better.

Lysonia

One of the first Forsworn Kyrian, who was crucial in orchestrating the mutiny against the current order in Bastion.

Arc Villain: Of the Kyrian campaign, as her predecessor, Devos, is dealt with fairly quickly.
Ax-Crazy: By the final confrontation with her, she's gone completely mad.
Co-Dragons: To a shadowy figure which is revealed to be Devos, alongside with Uther.
Don't Make Me Destroy You: She urges her soulbind to join the Forsworn to avoid being killed, in perhaps her only compassionate act.
The Dragon: Lysonia is the Hand of Doubt, in service to the Paragon of Doubt and leader of the Forsworn. When Devos falls, it is shown Lysonia threw herself completely into the service of the Maw, directly serving under Helya.
Dragon Ascendant: The Kyrian Covenant campaign reveals that she took over the Forsworn following Devos' death in the Spire of Ascension.
One-Winged Angel: By sacrificing her own Forsworn to the Maw and stealing as much power from Uther as she could, Lysonia becomes a fully realized Mawsworn Kyrian.
Sanity Slippage: She suffers this hard over the course of the Kyrian campaign.
We Have Reserves: Lysonia does not feel the same compassion for Forsworn lives as her predecessor did. She dismisses those who fall in battle as weak and easily replaced.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Initially. She starts off despairing over not being able to remember her past life, much like many of the Forsworn, but quickly becomes an unhinged monster after gaining power. Much like Garrosh, she clearly wasn't meant for a leadership position.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: She is all too willing to sacrifice Uther for a power boost once she has no further need of him. Using him as the catalyst for her ascension into a Paragon of Doubt to succeed Devos, Uther decides to leave the Forsworn as a result of this after the Kyrian interrupt the sacrifice, leaving him wounded but otherwise fine.

Uther

See The Light for information on him.

Maldraxxus

Maldraxxus is a realm of unending conflict. It is a place of brutality and bravery where its chosen are forged by the fires of war to answer a great calling: to protect the Shadowlands against any force that threatens its infinite realms. The First Ones who shaped the cosmos knew they needed to protect the Shadowlands from external threats and beyond. Maldraxxus was their answer.

Maldraxxus is home to the mighty, it is a station for souls consumed with great determination, or for those who maintain an unending drive to make their mark — Those who strove for greatness in life may have the chance to find it in death and it is a realm where ambition is rewarded and where the strong of body and mind thrive.

Necrolord Covenant

The warlike Necrolords rule the realm of Maldraxxus, where they experiment with necromancy to forge powerful armies to serve in defense of the Shadowlands. They have been led by a single leader for a long time, but his recent disappearance has led to a crisis of succession amongst warring Necrolords.

The Necrolord Covenant of Maldraxxus as a whole

Ambition Is Evil: Ziggzagged. One of the five aspirations of Maldraxxus as a whole is Ambition. While this has landed multiple villainous and morally-dubious characters like Vashj there, it's also shown that this ambition instills a desire to climb ranks that is treated as noble, and it constantly leaks over to every house to help them vie to improve, be it the house of Plagues developing new and more potent diseases, Constructs making stronger soldiers, Eyes perfecting their spycraft, Rituals making even deadlier spells, or the Chosen perfecting their martial power, this constant iteration and perfection is exactly what the main fighting force of the Shadowlands should need... At least when everything is working as it should be. Unfortunately with the Primus' disappearance, this philosophy of Ambition quickly makes the Margraves start to plot for power grabs which eventually leads to the Civil War with very little goading from Kel'Thuzad, arguably one of better examples of villainous ambition in the franchise.
Civil War: After the disappearance of the Primus, the houses of Maldraxxus began to vie for influence over the realm, with some of them being destroyed as a result of a conspiracy. Once the Maw Walker arrives searching for answers regarding an unprecedented aggression of the Maldraxxian forces upon Bastion, it's revealed that two belligerent Margraves intend to claim the ancient seat of the former ruler of Maldraxxus and wage war upon the other realms. Once they unwittingly reveal their plans to the last opposing house, it devolves into an outright civil conflict pretty fast.
Dark Is Not Evil: The Necrolords are not exactly good and experiment with necromancy on both the willing and unwilling, but they are explicitly noted by Blizzard to not be strictly evil and also serve as the military protectors of the Shadowlands.
Flesh Golem: A common practice in Maldraxxus is to scavenge the remains of their own fallen or their enemies to remake the flesh into empty vessels to be inhabited by a Maldraxxi soul. The House of Constructs are the chief producers of recycled soldiers and are always looking among corpses for serviceable parts.
Gladiator Games: Held frequently in the Theater of Pain. The Maldraxxi use the arena fights to always hone their fighting skills in what is supposed to be a safe environment of friendly competition.
Good Is Not Soft: While their role as military protectors of the Shadowlands puts the Maldraxxi in the side of good, their methods (such as necromancy or chemical weapons) are certainly not good in the slightest.
Meaningful Name: While it's a real-life title (stemming from German "Markgraf", i. e. count of a certain territory), it's no wonder that the leaders of several militant groups of undead are known as Margraves.
Mildly Military: The Undying Army of Maldraxxus serves as the standing army for the Shadowlands to protect the realms of death from outside threat with each House serving as a "branch" of the military. But apart from the Margraves and Barons, there doesn't appear to be much organized structure among the ranks even before the Civil War.
Necromancer: As their name suggests, the Necrolords are masters of necromancy and it's implied the Scourge gained a lot of its power from them.
Our Liches Are Different: While not stated to be liches, the leading Necrolords are skeletal sorcerers and masters of necromancy clad in dark robes. They are frequetly members of the sorcerous House of Rituals.
Plaguemaster: Chemical weapons and toxins are a favored tool among the Maldraxxi which the now fallen House of Plagues specialized in. Even with the House's collapse, survivors of the House now use the blighted remains as a testing ground and inspiration for new poisons and potions.
Rotten Rock & Roll: The zone is stated by Steve Danuser to have a very heavy metal theme and was designed to look like it would be a place on a heavy metal cover.
Succession Crisis: Their long-time leader has mysteriously disappeared, leaving the five most powerful Necrolords to vie for power in Maldraxxus.
Super Prototype: Being the very progenitors of necromancy, their entire war machine is this to Scourge's own. The Lich King made his army emulate a fair share of architecture, tactics and even constructs after the ones used by the Maldraxxi.
Warrior Heaven: Souls who sought personal greatness and improvement in life are the ones to join Maldraxxus in death. Great warriors, master spellcasters, skilled spies, and many more find themselves eternally honing their craft in service of protecting the Shadowlands from outside threats.
Xtreme Kool Letterz: Names such as Maldraxxus or Krexus abound, which is to be expected of a warlike afterlife.

House of the Chosen

Margrave Krexus

"You will recall your forces... or you will answer to my blade!"

Margrave Krexus is the Margrave of the House of the Chosen, one of the five Houses of Maldraxxus.

Advertised Extra: In the advertisement for Shadowlands he is set up as one of the major players. He's killed off-screen thanks to the betrayal of Vyraz near the end of the Maldraxxus leveling storyline.
Benevolent Boss: Offered Draka a place in the House of the Chosen when her original house was destroyed and Margrave slain. He also helped Alexandros Mograine move past his initial disgust of Maldraxxus as an undead infested realm, and showed him Maldraxxus was of honourable purpose. By all accounts, he was a very good leader.
Token Good Teammate: The only Margrave that still adheres to the principles laid by the Primus, valuing honor and duty to protect the Shadowlands above senseless conquest, which puts him at odds with Sin'dane and Gharmal.

Baroness Draka

See Horde -- The Old Horde for information on her.

Baron Alexandros "The Ashbringer" Mograine

See The Light for information on him.

Baron Vyraz

Baron Vyraz is one of the two initial barons of the House of the Chosen along with Draka. Though formerly the partner baron to Alexandros Mograine, the latter's disappearance into the Maw had left a vacancy that Draka filled.

Ambition Is Evil: Sent Mograine to the Maw and killed Krexus so he could ascend to Margrave himself. Though Mograine and the Maw Walker try to stop him, his cameo appearance as Margrave Vyraz in the Theatre of Pain dungeon shows that he succeeded in taking over the House of the Chosen, and the Chosen forces become hostile to the player following the end of the Maldraxxus campaign and Vyraz's takeover.
General Failure: With no reinforcements and not enough troops, he still commits to the attack on the House of Constructs even though it is suicidal. It took some quick thinking on the part of his subordinate Secutor Mevix to turn the battle around and strike a blow against the House of Constructs. Considering that he was trying to get the Maw Walker killed, this was intentional.
Killed Off for Real: In the 9.1 campaign, he's killed off in the Maw by Draka, Thrall and the Maw Walker.
Klingon Promotion: He kills Krexus and usurps control of the House of the Chosen.
The Mole: He was in league with the Houses of Constructs and Rituals, arranging for Mograine to be sent to the Maw and killed Krexus to ascend to Margrave himself.

House of Eyes

Margrave Akarek

Margrave Akarek was the Margrave of the House of Eyes, one of the five Houses of Maldraxxus.

Posthumous Character: He was killed in an attack that destroyed his necropolis in Afterlives: Maldraxxus.

Baroness Vashj

See Illidan and Followers for information on her.

Amber Kearnen

The Blade

See Alliance -- Stormwind for information on her.

House of Rituals

Margrave Sin'dane

Margrave Sin'dane is the Margrave of the House of Rituals, one of the five Houses of Maldraxxus.

Hazy-Feel Turn: After she's rescued from Kel'Thuzad's betrayal, she and the House of Rituals enter an uneasy alliance to turn their focus to fighting the Maw. There is no real atonement, but Sin'dane now recognizes the greater threat.
Humble Pie: Much like the Archon, she finds herself at the mercy of a subordinate — though in her case, she needs to be rescued by not only a mortal, but also her enemies. To her credit she takes it in stride, and she seems to become somewhat kinder as a result.
Interface Spoiler: Averted with one world quest, which is described as disrupting Sin'dane's forces. In reality, you're tasked with killing Kel'Thuzad's remaining supporters.
Know When to Fold 'Em: One interpretation of her Hazy-Feel Turn. Considering that the Undying Army slew her co-conspirator Margrave Gharmal and defeated the dreaded Kel'Thuzad, continuing her campaign of conquest would've been suicidally unwise. Moreover, since Kel'Thuzad was behind her decision to launch said campaign, as well, it's understandable she'd be turned off to the whole idea by the end of the Necrolord storyline.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She seems to be leaning towards this following the events of the Necrolord campaign. She rewards Balmedar for helping save her and the rest of the House of Rituals, even though it meant conspiring with their enemies, and allows the Maw Walker to freely wander the House of Rituals disguised as an acolyte as thanks for the service they've done for her house.
The Starscream: Ironically, she led a coup against her own predecessor, though it's implied her reasons were more legitimate than Kel'Thuzad's.
Straight Gay: Although she shows no signs of her sexuality throughout the story, Balmedar reveals she has a beloved female consort after you kill said consort as part of a ritual to disguise yourself as a member of the House of Rituals — as a precaution in case you decide to betray him. It's safe to assume this is one thing he doesn't come clean about after becoming her baron.
Took a Level in Kindness: Although she doesn't pull a full Heel–Face Turn, and she's specifically noted to be an uneasy ally, Sin'dane makes it clear she intends to fully cooperate with the Undying Army and even allows the Maw Walker to continue exploring her house incognito.
Unwitting Pawn: Kel'Thuzad had been manipulating Sin'dane for some time, pushing her to turn on the other Houses and invade the Shadowlands so he could work towards freeing the Jailer behind her back.
Walking Spoiler: As one can see, Sin'dane's role plays out significantly differently than one might initially expect.

Balmedar

Balmedar is a lich in the service of the House of Rituals, serving under Margrave Sin'dane.

Enemy Mine: Balmedar has no love for the Undying Army and was willing to work with the House of Rituals in conquest over protection. The reason he's helping the Undying Army is that not only does he suspect Sin'dane's new baron of duplicity, but he feels he was undercut for the position of baron himself.
The Mole: Plays a key role in the Undying Army's efforts to expose Kel'Thuzad's machinations, and ultimately have the House of Rituals forge an alliance with them.
Promotion, Not Punishment: While Sin'dane is not pleased that Balmedar went behind her back and conspired with the Undying Army in order to overthrow Kel'Thuzad, it did save her skin and the House of Rituals, and so she makes Balmedar her new Baron as "punishment", which was what he wanted to begin with.

Baron Kel'Thuzad

See The Scourge for information on him.

House of Constructs

Margrave Gharmal

"Where is your hunger for glory? Or has the House of the Chosen lost its appetite?"

Margrave Gharmal is the Margrave of the House of Constructs, one of the five Houses of Maldraxxus.

Ambiguous Gender Identity: Gharmal is inconsistently referred to with both he/him and they/them pronouns and is voiced by two voice actors (one male, one female) speaking in unison. It could be that they are a Supernaturally-Validated Trans Person like Pelagos (although non-binary rather than simply transmasculine)... or, alternatively, that there are literally several souls of different gender inside them.
Fat Bastard: They're even more corpulent than other abominations, and also probably the nastiest of the five original Margraves (the two other antagonistic Margraves, Stradama and Sin'dane, are much more sympathetic).
Killed Off for Real: They're slain during the Kyrian Covenant Campaign, with their heart being used to power the newly forged Seal of Ascension.
Voice of the Legion: This is a common trait among many Necrolords, but while most simply have a reverberating echo when they speak, Gharmal outright speaks with two voices at the same time.

Emeni

The Slaughter Daughter

Emeni is an abomination construct, who in life was a ruthless sethrak princess.

Blood Knight: You don't get a nickname like The Slaughter Daughter, in an afterlife entirely devoted to ruthless fights no less, if you're not one of these.
Born in the Wrong Century: The sethrak have this opinion of her, having been "born into an era of peace she did not belong to".
Cool Crown: The construct she inhabits has a crown on its back, fitting her status as a princess in life.
Defector from Decadence: She, alongside a cadre of souls and constructs, abandoned the House of Constructs following Gharmal's invasion of Bastion and subsequent assault upon the Seat of the Primus, providing the Undying Army with a supply line of custom abominations to reinforce their troops.
Disproportionate Retribution: While she tends to go with a murderous mentality, she still falls to this as, in her Ember Court quest, she specifically requests the Maw Walker to go and kill the descendants of a rival, a slightly annoying neighbour, and finally someone that didn't even know Emeni hated them.
The Dreaded: She's one of the most infamous fighters of the House of Constructs, bloodthirsty and easy to anger with fields of bodies left in the wake of her rampages. In an afterlife devoted to conflict, it takes a special type of brutal to earn nicknames like "Slaughter Daughter" and "Queen of Carnage".
Flesh Golem: What Emeni, and subsequently the other souls of the House of Constructs inhabit. She even opens access for the Maw Walker to stitch together abominations of their own!
Inheritance Murder: Which also doubles as Sibling Murder. She killed her hundreds of siblings in order to reach the throne.
The Long List: Not that the player ever gets to actually see it, but she mentions lists of targets in a few quests, which inevitably leads the Maw Walker to slay up to a hundred enemies.
Red Baron: She was known as "the Kinslayer of Slithering Gulch" in life, and now as the "Slaughter Daughter".
Snake People: Emeni was a sethrak in life.
Time Abyss: Having been born in an era of peace, this effectively places Emeni as living in a time before the appearance of the already extremely long-lived Sulthis, Vorrik and Korthek, and the appearance of the latter's Faithless empire. Emeni is one of the earliest known mortals from Azeroth.

House of Plagues

Margrave Stradama

"Behold my final work! My pride and my doom!"

Margrave Stradama was the Margrave of the House of Plagues, one of the five Houses of Maldraxxus.

Came Back Wrong: Though she survived the destruction of her house, it left her in a monstrous plagued ooze form and she was driven mad.
Shout-Out: Her name is probably one to Nostradamus.

Plague Deviser Marileth

Marileth was a necromancer in the service of the House of Plagues, but ended up going somewhat insane after the destruction of the house.

Driven to Madness: The destruction of the House of Plagues and exposure to dozens of poisons ruined Marileth's mind.
Mad Scientist: After his house was lost. It's to the point where he refers to the Maw Walker as his apprentice, even when it's the very first time they've ever met.
Nice Guy: Even if his madness has him peg you with a massive case of mistaken identity, Marileth is one of the nicest characters you'll meet in the shadowlands, always being thrilled to see you, being encouraging and patient with you and showering you with praise when you finish his quests. If you /hug him, he'll even hug you back!
Plague Doctor: He has the look, with a long robe and a beaky nosepiece, but with a couple of twists. Firstly, as his title implies, he makes plagues rather than curing them, and secondly, that's not a mask. It's part of his face.

Ardenweald

The vast forests of Ardenweald serve the natural aspects of life and death. Its wilds are a sanctuary for the great spirits of nature that seek respite and renewal before awakening to join the cycle anew. Ardenweald and the Emerald Dream are opposite blooms connected to the same tree. If the Dream is the personification of Life in the waxing stage, then Ardenweald is life when it is waning.

Night Fae Covenant

The Night Fae rule the realm of Ardenweald, where wild gods and spirits go to when they die, recovering until they can return to the mortal realms. They are led by the Winter Queen.

The Night Fae Covenant of Ardenweald as a whole

The Fair Folk: The Faeries are one of the lighter takes on this, being tricksters and illusionists who tend to be eccentric and excitable, and while a lot of Fauns and Tirnians get frustrated with their pranks, Faeries are true friends to those who have earned it and deceptively powerful for how small they are. The Wild Hunt is a bit more of an aggressive force, but since the players help them out the only ones on the other end of the classical "Fae Wrath" are the Drust and Gorm.
Fauns and Satyrs: Among other fae creatures, Ardenweald is also home to fauns, who unlike the demonic satyrs appear to be mostly good.
Killer Rabbit: Don't be fooled by all the spirits who are permanently Soulshaped into seemingly harmless creatures like squirrels, raccoons, otters and domesticated cats and dogs, many of them were shaman, druids, and other such warriors who served the natural cycle and are capable of holding their own as deftly as those who Soulshape as apex predators. In the Maw invasions, the Ardenweald residents shaped like harmless animals manage to keep an even pace with The Maldraxxi.
Land of Faerie: Similar to the Emerald Dream, Ardenweald is a land of fey creatures and nature spirits ruled by a monarch known as the Winter Queen. Unlike the Emerald Dream, Ardenweald is a lot more heavy on the fey theme and actually serves as the afterlife of the mortal realm's nature spirits and wild gods until they have recovered and return to life.
Metal-Poor Planet: Or, well, Metal-Poor Realm; the realm of Ardenweald is entirely alive — there is no metals — or rocks for that matter — to be found here. One tirnenn is visibly disturbed when you bring them a rune looted off a Drust invader, chiefly because it was etched onto stone. As a result, everything normally made from metal or rock is made from plants: Carts? Made from wood, including the wheels; Lights? Carved containers filled with bright moths; Roads? carved mile-long roots or branches; Bridges? Ditto. Weapons? Sharpened wood or amber. Jewelry? Dried berries. Even 'mining' entails dislodging pieces of 'Phaedrum', which looks more like hardened sap than anything metallic, from the dirt, and it yields wood splinters as a byproduct — and it's telling that the covenant's 'Plate Armor' looks more like someone wood-bent a hollowed-out a tree trunk than anything else.
Nature Hero: Aardenweald is an afterlife for not only wild gods, but also those who spend their life in service to nature and said Wild Gods. Their reward for a life spent in this kind of service to nature is to be given the approval of the Winter Queen and gain the ability to shape their bodies into any animals they wish whenever they wish to help the natural residents with whatever tasks they're needed for, while in their downtime getting to remain in the bodies of whatever animals they always wished to be in life, a sensation described by Te'zan as being incredibly liberating and paradisiacal.
Our Fairies Are Different: The Sprites of Ardenweald are small blue fairies who collect anima for the deceased nature spirits so they can recover and return to the mortal realm.
Pintsized Powerhouse: The Faeries of Ardenweald are about the size of a human's torso — but they are incredibly powerful magic users.
Ungrateful Bastard: Take this attitude towards Bwonsamdi, despite the fact without him the Night Fae would have been blind sided by Mueh'zala's forces.

Ysera

For information on Ysera, visit the Dragonflights page.

Huln Highmountain

A Tauren chieftain who led his people and fought in the War of the Ancients over ten thousand years ago. For his bravery and skill in combat, Cernarius blessed Huln with the Horns of Eche'ro, turning his bull horns into moose antlers. After the Sundering, Huln returned to his home mountain, which was renamed Highmountain in his honor. His blessing would spread to his people, creating the Highmountain Tauren.

After his death, the Arbiter saw his soul as part of nature, and he was sent to Ardenweald. He now serves the Wild Hunt as "the Horned Hunter", their greatest hunter and tracker.

Ancestral Weapon: Talonclaw, the Eagle Spear, was Huln's runespear when he was alive and passed down to his descendants after his death until it fell into the hands of the Huntmaster in Legion.
Mark of the Supernatural: His moose-like antlers are the mark of a blessing placed on Huln by the Wild Gods for his aid in the War of the Ancients.
Named Weapons: His legendary spear, Talonclaw the Eagle Spear.
Red Baron: In Ardenweald, Huln is known as "the Horned Hunter" among the Wild Hunt.
Scarily Competent Tracker: Huln is the greatest hunter in Ardenweald, able to stalk any prey and bring it down. He is tasked by the Wild Hunt to hunt and kill the invading Devourers threatening Ardenweald.
Voluntary Shapeshifting: Huln has an animal form in Ardenweald like other mortal souls, a great eagle. But unlike others, he is shown to switch between his original tauren body and the great eagle at will.

Thiernax and Qadarin

Thiernax and Qadarin are a married couple who become involved in the Night Warrior subplot of the Ardenweald campaign, as Thiernax used to be one himself.

Berserk Button: Anything to do with Elune and the Night Warrior in particular for Thiernax, which is understandable considering how the whole affair ended in his death, his husband's death, and his mother-in-law's death. He coldly dismisses any possibility of saving Tyrande when Shandris approaches him for help, for which he later apologizes, explaining the Night Warrior is a touchy subject for him.
Bittersweet Ending: Although they lost their lives in the process, Thiernax and Qadarin saved Fyzandi from the Old God and get to spend eternity together in Ardenweald.
Happily Married: Lady Moonberry comments they're very lucky to have each other.
Hero of Another Story: They saved their world, Fyzandi, from an especially powerful Old God, although Qadarin suspects their homeland can never be fully cleansed of the Old God's corruption.
Heroic Sacrifice: Thiernax by invoking the power of the Night Warrior, and Qadarin by attempting to share the Night Warrior's power to mitigate its negative effects.
Masculine–Feminine Gay Couple: Downplayed, but the smooth-voiced Thiernax comes across as more feminine than his partner, who speaks with a deeper voice.
My Greatest Failure: Thiernax still blames himself for Qadarin's death to some extent, even eons after the fact.
The Smart Guy: Thiernax comes up with the plan to have the Horned Hunter search for other Night Warriors in an effort to save Tyrande.
Straight Gay: Notably the first gay couple to be acknowledged as such in game, although Flynn and Shaw preceded them in expanded universe material. Neither displays any behavior that would be considered stereotypical out of universe.

The Other Side

Bwonsamdi, Loa of Graves

Voiced by: Alex Désert (English, Battle for Azeroth), Arthur Ivanov (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bwonsamdi_border_145.png

"My wanting be vast, troll. And my favor, great."

A spirit who takes souls of dead trolls into his care, worshipped as a loa by them, and master of a pocket dimension inside the Shadowlands known as the Other Side. A mysterious, morally ambiguous character, he serves as an advisor and patron to numerous troll protagonists throughout World of Warcraft, from Vol'jin to King Rastakhan and Queen Talanji. In Shadowlands, he's in conflict with Mueh'zala, another Loa of Death who attempts to usurp control of the Other Side from him.

A Form You Are Comfortable With: He takes the form of a troll, but given that he claims to pre-date trolls it likely isn't his true appearance. We don't actually know if he's a Wild God or something else.
Always a Bigger Fish: Following up on the quest chain that unlocks at Revered with the Zandalari Empire, Bwonsamdi mentions almost offhandedly that There's someone even he calls "Boss", and Vol'jin's spirit having gone missing has him very concerned about the reprisal he'll face for losing him. Who or what this creature that commands his respect isn't even slightly alluded to until Shadowlands, which is revealed to be Mueh'zala.
Badass in Distress: Powerful he may be, he's in serious trouble when during the events of 'Shadows Rising,' Nathanos and the Blood Trolls ally to destroy his shrines on Zandalar, weakening him enough he nearly dies. He's also in a pickle during the early part of Shadowlands, where his realm has been usurped by Mueh'zala and the players have to go in to save him.
Black-and-Grey Morality: Not the most benign deity on Azeroth, but he comes off as a saint in his conflict with the blood trolls.
Borrowin' Samedi: In case the name didn't give it away, he also hits many of the right notes. He is the god of death for a race heavily associated with voodoo, has a skull face, is frequently sinister even when he's ostensibly on your side, and always trying to make deals which he'll usually adhere to the letter of, if not the spirit.
Casting a Shadow: As expected for the Loa of Death.
Cool Mask: He doesn't wear one, but his face is described as looking like a Trollish Rush'kah mask.
Creepy Good: He has stitches and scars and exposed bones, makes bargains that scream Deal with the Devil, speaks in a voice that jumps between being soft spoken and hammy and is dripping with double-meaning and veiled threats, if he were any more openly malicious he would scream Affably Evil. His temple is a gloomy mire filled with mist and ghosts and a hellish blood moon always set to its backdrop. But despite his shady, extremely grey nature, he's a respected guardian of the dead, always honors his deals to the letter as long as they're not about trying to run away from death and is shown to be benevolent and kind to valorous individuals and worshipers that are genuinely loyal to him instead of fair-weather faith.
Dark Is Not Evil: He may be a god of death, but he does not condone necromancy, and firmly believes that the dead should stay dead. He's also never actively malicious, but it's made clear that the price he demands for his boon is high, and trying to betray him or go back on a bargain made with him is an incredibly bad idea.
Deadpan Snarker: While serving as the Horde's spirit healer, he'll usually have some amusingly biting quips to throw at them before shooing them off to pick up their bodies.
Deal with the Devil:
- Bwonsamdi is willing to barter with all trolls, even those who hate him and what he stands for. King Rastakhan makes a deal with him so in exchange for becoming Rastakhan's new Loa and helping him reclaim his kingdom, Rastakhan would bind his bloodline to Bwonsamdi so that he and all his descendants would serve the loa in life and in death forever.
- He's also willing to make deals with non-trolls as well. In Nazmir, he enters into a pact with the Horde player character regardless of race to grant them his blessings. In exchange, he asks for a million souls with the only time limit being their death, a task that sounds daunting, but given the body count your average PC racks up he could have reasonably tacked a few more zeroes to that without any complaining.
- He offers another deal during Talanji's coronation. If she kills Sylvanas Windrunner, he'll forget about the deal he made with Rastakhan to bind the latter's bloodline to himself.
Deity of Human Origin: In Shadowlands it is revealed that Bwonsamdi was once a mortal Farakki Troll who was raised to Loa-status by Mueh'zala.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: "You got some big mojo, Vol'jin!"
Don't Fear the Reaper:
- For Darkspear Trolls, spending the afterlife under Bwonsamdi's protection is considered a good thing. However, the souls of enemies that Darkspear Trolls slay in battle go directly to him as sacrifices.
- The Zandalari have similar views on him, but with his temple actually being within travel distance (if not a very dangerous travel) they're more willing to entreat with him directly. However, as they don't have his race-wide favoritism like the Darkspear do, they often go in wary of what he'll ask of them in return. And in cases where they try to use his blessings to avoid death he'll gladly play the role of Jerkass Genie to ensure they die eventually, just not by his direct machinations.
Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: He warns King Rastakhan not to anger him when he thinks the latter is getting too disrespectful in demanding his power.
Evil Laugh: He's not evil, but he lets out a pretty evil sounding laugh before he kills Zalazane.
Expy: Of the Haitian loa Baron Samedi. His new model◊ in Battle For Azeroth seems to take a few cues from Ryuk.
Friendly Enemy: Despite being the patron Loa of a Horde-aligned kingdom, he's perfectly willing to work with Alliance characters. He even jokingly tries to make sure there's "no hard feelings" between them regarding the Battle of Daza'alor.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Is on the receiving end from this from the Night Fae Covenant, despite willingly being an ally to their cause by helping them against Mueh'zala.
Glowing Eyelights of Undeath: His new model has two glowing orbs in his eye sockets. They flare brighter when something interests him.
Good Is Not Nice: None of the loa are especially nice people, and Bwonsamdi is no exception. But as long as you worship him and provide him offerings, he'll be fine.
The Grim Reaper: He is one of the big players in the realm of the dead. All trolls who die on Zandalar go to his domain by default, and he also gets any souls killed by his servants regardless of race.
Have a Nice Death: On Zandalar he appears in place of Spirit Healers, and snarks at players who die.
Bwonsamdi: Let me guess... ya got in over ya head?
- He also has class-specific lines. For example:
  Bwonsamdi: *to a shaman* Oh, da spirits be with ya now, man...
  Bwonsamdi: *to a rogue* Ya can't be hidin' from Bwonsamdi, little thing.
  Bwonsamdi: *to a priest* Oho... a priest! If ya ever consider a change of faith, be sure you let old Bwonsamdi know, you hear?
Humans Are Special: Substitute 'Mortals' for 'Humans' and he's a firm believer — perhaps because he used to be mortal himself. He's well aware that he's on a different level compared to mortals, and he's not opposed to using them as pawns for his own ends — but that's exactly because he believes mortals have potential that Loa like himself don't. If you need to do what otherwise seems impossible, get a group of mortals to do the heavy lifting and support them when necessary — the problems tend to not last long with that sort of arrangement.
Implied Death Threat: He's fond of giving them out to those who disrespect him.
- When Grand Ma'da Ateena tries to threaten him, Bwonsamdi remarks that she looks like a smart woman, yet here she is interrupting him within his own temple.
- He responds to Baine's impatience by telling him to mind his tone or he'll be speaking to his father real soon.
- When King Rastakhan continuously demands his power, Bwonsamdi ponders out loud if Talanji might make for a better ruler.
- After the Adventurers free him from Mueh'zala's grasp, he tells them that what he'll inflict on Mueh'zala is not something mortal eyes should witness.
It Is Not Your Time:
- Like Spirit Healers, he will resurrect dead players immediately at the graveyard if they choose, as he's invested in them and intends to see that investment pay off.
- Shadows Rising reveals that Bwonsamdi's been working overtime on this trope. With the Jailer stealing every soul that dies, Bwonsamdi's been busy preventing every troll soul he can reach from dying if they aren't already bound to the Other Side so as to keep them out of the Maw.
Large Ham: And that laugh was really hammy. As well as a lot of other lines.
Make Them Rot: He specifically identified himself as the Loa who made things rot and decay as part of the natural order.
Necromancer: While he is the Guardian of the Darkspear Dead, he also has the power to raise that dead up to fight the enemies of the Darkspear.
Neutral No Longer: After the Zandalari defile the Wild Gods during the events of Mists of Pandaria, he throws in his lot with Vol'jin.
Noodle Incident: Both Eyir and the Winter Queen clearly have beef with him due to as of yet unknown incidents in the past, reacting with hostility at his presence or the presence of his agents.
Oh, Crap!: Has a brief one at the end of a quest where he realizes Vol'Jin's spirit isn't in his urn anymore, stating that "Boss won't be happy".
The Older Immortal: In Shadows of the Horde he claims to remember what the trolls were before they were trolls, which puts him as positively ancient even compared to some of the other spirits in the setting.
Pet the Dog: He genuinely cares about his followers, especially those truly loyal to him, greeting one of his regular worshippers with surprising warmth when he arrives at Bwonsamdi's temple. It also seems like he genuinely likes the player and Vol'jin as friends, to an extent.
- After the events of Shadows Rising, it's implied he's genuinely growing fond of Talanji after she helps save him and she declines to sever their bond in spite of their deal to do so, and he rewards her with a visit with her father.
- It's revealed that in Shadowlands that he's been using a lot of his power to save as many Troll souls as he could, including Rastakhan, from being sent to the Maw after the machine of death was broken, so much so that Mueh'zala is able to stage a hostile takeover of his realm and the players have to enter the Other Side to save him.
Please Spare Him, My Liege!: Vol'jin asks him to spare Tyrathan from death. He does, with the caveat that whether he gets Tyrathan's soul now or later, he will eventually get him.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: He gives one to Zalazane before blowing his body up.
Bwonsamdi: Zalazane! What'cha t'inkin' takin' dat which be mine? De Darkspear dead are MY domain, sorcerer. And now, you're gonna be one o' dem!
The Problem with Fighting Death:
- As is demonstrated by Zalazane and multiple times on Zandalar, it doesn't end well when you defy him. Bwonsamdi is not kind to those who inhibit his worship, defile his dead or back out of his deals. Whatever else you do, it is wise not to antagonize him specifically, because the only way you escape his wrath is literal immortality.
- He also seems to not be a terribly large fan of things that are either undead (outside of undead raised by his will) or properly immortal, making a very vague overture of a threat to Death Knights and sending you to kill Liches in Nazmir, and telling Demon Hunters they have a particularly foul smell because of their immortal demon souls letting them avoid permanent death.
The Rival: To Mueh'zala, who seems to be in cahoots with the Jailer and also is a fellow Loa of Death.
Rousing Speech: He gives on when calling upon the spirits of the Darkspear dead to fight at Zalazane's Fall.
Bwonsamdi: Spirits of the Darkspear... ARISE! Take up de ancient mask! Take up de bloody spears! You be followin' Vol'jin now!
Skull for a Head: The upper half of his face is stripped to the bone.
Shout-Out: His name and association with the dead is a reference to Baron Samedi, the Loa of the Dead in Haitian Voodoo.
Spirit Advisor: As a Loa, he serves as one to Vol'jin, and any Darkspear Shadow Hunter or Priest who can speak to him.
Trickster God: He's a powerful god but very hammy and immature.
Your Soul Is Mine!: He gets stronger the more souls are in his care. If someone makes a pact with Bwonsamdi, the souls of everything they kill goes to him.

Hakkar the Soulflayer

"You overstepped your bounds, Jin'do. You toy with powers that are beyond you. Have you forgotten who I am? Have you forgotten what I can do?"

Voiced by: Chris Metzen (English)

Hakkar the Soulflayer, Blood God of the Gurubashi trolls and patron of all Wind Serpents, is a malevolent and destructive creature that controls the Gurubashi Empire's fallen capital of Zul'Gurub. Hakkar the Soulflayer was the final boss of the Zul'Gurub raid until it was removed with patch 4.0.3a and Zul'Gurub was turned into an ordinary subzone of Northern Stranglethorn. Though the world believed Hakkar to be dead, there were rumors that Hakkar might return one day. These ultimately proved true, when the troll Jin'do resurrected his spirit in order to drain the blood god's powers into himself. This caused the Blood God to Heel–Face Turn, free the players, and kill Jin'do. It is later revealed he retreated to the Other Side, where he resides alongside his Atal'ai followers.

Blade Below the Shoulder: He has Sinister Scythes for hands.
Blood Lust: He doesn't just demand blood sacrifices to increase his power — he also happens to like the taste.
The Corruptor: A world quest in Zuldazar states that Hakkar's raw influence in Zul'gurub has left permanent damage to every Gurabashi's psyche even a decade after he was summoned and killed, making them occasionally just go insane and violent for no reason in large numbers and softened them up to become conspirators with Zul's betrayal.
Diabolus ex Nihilo: Nobody knows where he came from, and titan records do not mention him. Only some of the oldest texts of the Zandalari talk about him at all, and what they say isn't pleasant. Shadowlands reveal that he's connected with the Troll afterlife.
The Dreaded: By most of Trollkind. Hakkar is described as the darkest and most evil known loa in any troll pantheon.
Enemy Mine: He assists the players by killing Jin'do when they free him from Jin'do's chains during the second assault on Zul'Gurub.
Expy: Of Quetzalcoatl, although he's never been described as benevolent.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: From opposing the players in the original Zul'Gurub raid, to helping them defeat Jin'do in the remade dungeon, to becoming a dungeon boss in De Other Side that intends to become The Starscream.
One-Steve Limit: Averted.
- Hakkar shares his name with Hakkar the Houndmaster, one of the Burning Legion's more powerful lieutenants that fought in the War of the Ancients. To differentiate between the two, they are often referred to with their titles, Soulflayer and Houndmaster.
- However, Hakkar shares his other title, the Blood God, with G'huun, the abomination inadvertently created by the Titans who were experimenting on the imprisoned Old Gods and sealed in Uldir.
Plague Master: His Corrupted Blood attack was incredibly contagious, leading to the mother of all Game Breaking Bugs before it got patched.
The Power of Blood: His magical domain is blood, and all the sacrifices he requested were ones of blood.
Red Herring: He was once implied to be behind the Emerald Nightmare, but later it was revealed to be N'Zoth.
Sadly Mythtaken: Hakkar is almost certainly based on Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl/Kukulkan, a god who didn't necessarily want human sacrifices, and according to some sources actually opposed the practice.
Ungrateful Bastard: After Mueh'zala helps resurrect him, Hakkar abandoned him and sought to destroy both him and Bwonsamdi in order to become the loa of Blood and Death.
Villain Decay:
- In Classic, Hakkar was an ancient Evil all trolls feared that almost brought the world to its knees twice. In Cataclysm, he is enslaved by the gurubashi and has to be saved by Adventures.
- Played with in Shadowlands. He intends on becoming the loa of Blood and Death, potentially turning the fight between Bwonsamdi and Mueh'zala into a three way fight. However Mueh'zala doesn't even register Hakkar's betrayal suggesting that the former doesn't really see him as a threat, and Bwonsamdi's only concern is to get some of the old mojo he once lent Hakkar. As a result Hakkar ends up feeling like a random dungeon boss, not seen as any more difficult than Millhouse Manastorm.

Uuetay no Mueh'zala, Loa of Death

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muehzala_edited.jpg

"This is not the day. The day comes. It comes. But Mueh'zala will not engage you here or now. Our battle is yet to come, yet to come... But it will come, child. It will come. And if you lose that battle, Mueh'zala feasts on all of Azeroth. All of Azeroth. All of Azeroth. All of Azeroth..."

A loa of death worshiped by the Sandfury tribe of Tanaris, Mueh'zala has taken control of the Other Side during the events of Shadowlands, putting him at odds with Bwonsamdi.

Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: He's pretty huge, even for Loa standards.
Arc Villain: Of Bwonsamdi's arc in Ardenweald.
Didn't Think This Through: Had his followers resurrect Hakkar the Soulflayer, in order for the later to serve in his army. However after his resurrection Hakkar bailed on him and sought to become the loa of Blood and Death.
Evil Mentor: Was this to Bwonsamdi, elevating him to a Loa, however, Bwonsamdi slowly became more popular and over time Bwonsamdi overtook Mueh'zala position as the Loa of death.
It's All About Me: All the horrible things he's done are because all trolls but the Sandfury tribe stopped worshiping him because of his cruelty. Betraying everyone to the Jailer and damning all troll souls, even his remaining worshipers, to the Maw just for more power.
It Is Not Your Time: In the Traveler book series, Aramar Thorne is captured by the Sandfury trolls to be made a sacrifice to Mueh'zala. When Mueh'zala appears before him, the loa decides not to claim him. Aramar was destined to be part of a great conflict which Mueh'zala decided to wait for. Because if Aramar failed, Azeroth would die and Mueh'zala would feast on all of the lost souls.
Small Role, Big Impact: He was the one who caused Vol'jin to name Sylvanas the Warchief of the Horde in his dying breath, paving the way for the Fourth War and ultimately cementing his own affiliation with the Jailer.
Red Baron: Father of Sleep, The Night's Friend, Son of Time.
The Rival: To Bwonsamdi, from which he had usurped control of the Other Side from.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After he's beaten and bound to Bwonsamdi, the Jailer seems to enact this by abandoning his loa ally to this fate.
Your Soul Is Mine!: Mueh'zala can and will devour the souls of trolls he comes across to increase his own power, damning those souls to Cessation of Existence in the process. This practice is probably why Bwonsamdi was able to usurp him by making De Other Side a place of peaceful worship and getting all other troll tribes besides the Sandfury to stop worshipping Mueh'zala.

The Drust

The Drust were a population of seafaring Vrykul that settled on Kul Tiras, wielding powerful death magic. They came into conflict with human settlers and sailors from Gilneas, going to war against them. The Drust lost the war, and live on has spirits in Thros the Blighted Lands.

Another Dimension: Thros the Blighted Lands, an intersection of the Emerald Nightmare and Ardenweald where death rules supreme.
Arc Villain: Of Drustvar in Battle For Azeroth and Ardenweald in Shadowlands.
Defector from Decadence: Many Drust, mostly the Thornspeakers, rebelled against Gorak Tul and fought with the Kul Tirans, hating how he perverted their formerly druidic ways with death magic.
Druid: Drust magic is druidic death magic, contrasting the red and black nightmare druidism of the void.
The Lost Woods: Thros looks like a decayed haunted forest, and they are responsible for Drustvar being such.
Mordor: Thros, a Lost Woods variant.
Necromancer A dark druidic kind, their creations being based on wicker and bone, though rather than undead most of their creations are Aberrations in nature, reflecting their overlap of void and death.
Our Giants Are Different: In contrast to the Jotunn-based regular Vrykul, they have a distinct Fomorian aesthetic about them.

Due to siding with the Kul Tirans, Ulfar is under the Alliance-Kul Tiras page.

Gorak Tul

The ancient deathshaper king of the Drust, a group of vrykul who inhabited Kul Tiras before the coming of the Gilnean colonists. He led his people in the long war to drive the humans out and once the Drust ended up being on the verge of extinction, he resorted to a twisted form of magic that combined necromancy and druidism, connected to an offshoot plane within the Emerald Nightmare, known only as Thros, the Blighted Lands.

Arch-Enemy: He hates Kul Tiran humans and wants to kill them, but he holds special contempt with Ulfar for abandoning the Drust and helping the humans. Ulfar in turn, hates Gorak Tul for corrupting their kind and twisting their ways.
Arc Villain: Of Drustvar and Jaina's Alliance Campaign subplot of Battle for Azeroth.
Deal with the Devil: Offers one to Meredith Waycrest regarding her ailing husband. He promises death won't part the couple and then promptly turns them both into his undead servants.
Make an Example of Them: When some of the Drust were content to live with humans rather than attack them, he responded by murdering Thornspeaker Sef Iwen and forced her to remain as a ghost for eternity. This however backfired, and would lead to the Thornspeakers abandoning the Drust and joining forces with humans.
Necromancer: While not using a traditional form of necromancy, he's nevertheless capable of turning living creatures into undead.

Gorak Zhar

Gorak of the Drust that rose to prominence during their invasion of Ardenweald, successor to Tul. She seeks to take control of Ardenweald's mechanisms of rebirth in order to revive her people in the mortal plane and free them from their confinement in Thros.

Arc Villain: Of Drust subplot of Ardenweald.
Flat Character: Unlike her fellow Arc Villains Lysonia and Kel'Thuzad, Gorak Zhar receives no development beyond being Gorak Tul's equally evil successor. However, this doesn't stop her from being detestable.
Hate Sink: Throughout the Ardenweald campaign, the Maw Walker witnesses the terrible effects of her invasion firsthand, including the deaths of numerous likeable, innocent characters. The fact said characters likely suffer Cessation of Existence due to experiencing true death makes her all the more reprehensible.
Hero Killer: Indirectly, she's responsible for Ara'lon's death.
Zero-Effort Boss: Thanks to the buffs provided by the Winter Queen during the Ardenweald campaign's climax, Zhar is far and away the easiest campaign Arc Villain to defeat.

Ingra Maloch

One of the warlords that have invaded the druidic afterlife of Ardenweald, he lead a group of Drust to claim the mighty tree, Tirna Scithe.

Revendreth

A realm of looming keeps and gothic villages, Revendreth is home to the venthyr, the harvesters of sin. The wretched souls who arrive here may find penance for their misdeeds... or merely indulge the appetites of their keepers.

Venthyr Covenant

"No forgiveness without atonement. No atonement without sacrifice. No sacrifice without suffering."

Ruling over Revendreth, the vampiric Venthyr serve as punishers of unworthy and sinful souls, but have gradually become more decadent and corrupt themselves. Denathrius is the Sire and foremost of the Venthyr, but it is whispered that he is no longer fit for his position and that replacing him might restore Revendreth to its former glory.

The Venthyr Covenant of Revendreth as a whole

Aristocrats Are Evil: The Venthyr are aristocratic vampires who have become decadent and corrupt, but even before that served as torturers of sinful souls.
Civil War: The nobility of Castle Nathria, including Sire Denathrius ultimately became complicit in the Jailer's plan to funnel all of the anima into the Maw, a move that ultimately harms all the other realms of Shadowlands. Those who opposed the plan started a rebellion to overthrow the long-time ruler of Revendreth and restore the balance.
Classical Movie Vampire: Their aesthetics are very much inspired by classic vampire fiction.
Dark Is Not Evil: That said, they're not evil per se. They serve an important function protecting the rest of the Shadowlands from souls whose corruption may otherwise threaten the ecosystem.
Decomposite Character: While most of what defined the Scourge (necropoli, necromancers, abomination constructs, the plague of undeath) were borrowed from Maldraxxus, some of their troops like the gargoyles are implied to come from Revendreth and the Nathrezim — Dreadlords — are eventually confirmed to be creations of Denathrius, eventually exiled from Revendreth for their role in the current state of the Ember Ward.
I Know Your True Name: All souls in Revendreth are given a sinstone where their mortal names and sins are inscribed. These sinstones can be used against venthyr, as they can be weakened and controlled by having their true names and sins proclaimed.
Last-Second Chance: Revendreth is where souls that lived amoral, immoral, or otherwise not-irredeemably evil lives go in death — it is the last chance a soul gets to repent for its misdeeds as it is drained of the anima that it accumulated in life; if the soul does not repent, it is thrown directly into The Maw.
Our Gargoyles Rock: The Stoneborn are statues given life from stone via Anima. They range from the familiar bat-like gargoyles used by the scourge, to tiny imp-like messengers, to anthropomorphic bat/lizard people that wouldn't look out of place in the Disney show with some minor changes.
Our Vampires Are Different: The Venthyr are typical in being tall aristocratic vampires who live in gothic castles, but they also serve a key role in the afterlife running smoothly. Notably though, they don't seem to subsist on blood, they eat and drink just like normal people, though some enemy Venthyr can Life Drain, and Anima in Revendreth's dimension, which the Venthyr do feed on (or at least, draw sustenance from the torture that draws it out) manifests with a bloody look.
Purgatory and Limbo: Revendreth serves as this for the Shadowlands, with the vampires feeding on the wickedness of souls so that they may pass to one of the other realms safely — or, should they so choose, remain and become full Venthyr.
Servant Race: The Stoneborn and Dredge are created from the anima-infused stone and primordial muck of the realm respectively. The Stoneborn are created to serve as Revendreth's army while the Dredge handle the menial labor of maintaining the realm and serving the Venthyr. Unlike the Stewards in Bastion, there's a lot of aggression towards dredges in particular, and the fact they naturally spawn from muck pools around Revendreth means there's no long-term harm if a Venthyr "mucks" an injured or underperforming dredge, though a lot of dredgers serve the resistance in secret because of this casual guilt-free murder of their brothers.
Überwald: Castle Nathria is modelled after stereotypical depictions of Central European haunted castles.
Was Once a Man: Most Venthyr were once mortals themselves, who decided to remain Revendreth as their eternal calling rather than being sent back to the Arbiter to be sorted to their post-redemption afterlives. Some of the most powerful Venthyr are also the exceptions like Renethal, who was woven out of the realm's very anima by Denathrius, meaning they don't have sinstones to cripple them as well as having the most literal and political power.
Weakened by the Light: The denizens of Revendreth are weak against The Light and most of the sky is covered by dark clouds to keep it out. However, there are a few places where The Light is outright attacking, allowing it to shine through, which the Venthyr have weaponized with mirrors and used to torture the souls under their charge.

Prince Renathal

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/000000000000000000000000000000000_1.png

Voiced by: Jason Marnocha (English)

First of the Venthyr sired by Denathrius, and originally the Harvester of Dominion, Renathal has turned against his former master to lead a rebellion in Revendreth.

Badass Long Hair: Undeniably badass, with a distinctive long silver mane of hair to rival Revendreth's leader.
Blood Knight: Parts of the good prince's quest dialog and greeting quotes suggest that he finds the insurmountable task of taking down his former master to be... rather exhilarating.
The Determinator: Charges Denathrius down even as gargoyles pick off his allies, while fending off brutal attacks from Remornia. Only wounds and exhaustion stop him. Idle chatter shows that he even considers his own cause hopeless, to some extent, but that's still not going to stop him from doing everything in his power to see it through.
Warrior Prince: Renathal is the prince of the venthyr and a skilled warrior in his own right.

The Accuser

"Confront your past, or be condemned by it."

Harvester of Pride and master of the Halls of Atonement, siding with Renathal's rebellion against Denathrius.

At Least I Admit It: For many Venthyr, their past lives and crimes bore on their sinstones are a black mark of shame and a tool that can be used to subjugate them. The Accuser leaves her sinstone unhidden, on display even, because she takes pride in who she had been in life and how much evil she had overcome to atone.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": She is only referred to by her title of the Accuser.
Evil Brit: She sports a very pronounced posh accent, and in life she was responsible for countless murders for personal profit.
My Greatest Failure: The one sin that still haunts her after eons of atonement was the murder of her daughter Camille. She had been deceived into killing her, but the sin is still true.
No-Sell: She initially blows off the Lord Chamberlain's efforts to use her sinstone against her, as she's proud of having atoned for her sins, until he uses his medallion to empower the sinstone, showing a vision of the daughter she killed.
Professional Killer: In life, she was Harriett the Crimson Shade, a woman who orchestrated countless murders to advance her own station.
Would Hurt a Child: In life, she seemed to have no qualms about murdering a child. Though she regrets that it was her own daughter she was tricked into killing, the act of killing a child was never a concern to her.

Duke Theotar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theotar2c_the_mad_duke_full.png

Known as the Mad Duke, Theotar is an ally in Renathal's rebellion who has been banished to the Ember Ward.

Cloudcuckoolander: Theotar is known as the Mad Duke for a reason, as he has a few screws loose in his head.
Nice to the Waiter: While most Venthyr look down on the dredgers with disdain, Theotar treats his dredger servants Tubbins and Gubbins well and even calls them friends.
Walking Shirtless Scene: He's never seen wearing a shirt, even when it would be to his advantage. It's the first thing Prince Renathal comments on when they're reunited during the Revendreth storyline. As he's a skeletally-thin old vampire, this isn't played for fanservice.

General Draven

A General of the Stoneborn Legion who has sided with Renathal's rebellion.

Didn't Think This Through: He's aware that the player and Lord Chamberlain are in a carriage together and he doesn't want Denathrius to deceive the Maw Walker into fighting on his side. However instead of trying to seperate the two and get the Maw Walker to help the rebellion, he attempts to kill the both of them by picking up the carriage and dropping it from great height. Naturally the pair survive, and the now player now has legitimate reasons to ignore the other rebels attempts to warn them about siding with Denathrius.
Easily Forgiven: The narrative treats him receiving this from the player.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Briefly crosses into this when he ties to kill the player, in order to prevent Denathrius from gaining their support.

Lord Chamberlain

The Lord Chamberlain serves as the head of Denathrius' household and for his service is made a Harvester to replace the Accuser.

Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is only known by his title of Lord Chamberlain, even after he becomes Harvester of Pride.
Hanging Judge: When he's made the Harvester of Pride in the Accuser's place, he uses the flimsy justification that all of the souls in the Halls of Atonement are beyond redemption and must be bled dry of what anima they have left and cast into the Maw, even those that are days away from being absolved. The Accuser is rightfully horrified when she witnesses corrupt inquisitors nearly condemn a soul she had personally worked with and knew he was ready for redemption to the Maw, forcing her to step in and Sire him into a Venthyr.
Mind over Matter: With a touch of anima, the Lord Chamberlain can hurl massive stone statues around with a thought.
Social Climber: He has been mercilessly climbing up the ranks of venthyr society and is determined to become a Harvester.

Kael'thas Sunstrider

See Illidan and Followers for information on him.

The Maw

Ruled over by The Jailer, Zovaal, the Maw is a normally inescapable final destination for souls that do not receive the Arbiter's judgement, or were so irredeemably evil in life that they deserve nothing more or less than eternal torment. It is a bleak realm where the Jailer and his servants torment and break the souls that arrive there for all eternity, and where the only way to make the torment stop is to join with the Jailer and become tormentors themselves.

The Maw as a whole

All of Time at Once: Of a sort — There's no indication that time doesn't flow normally within the Maw, cause and effect are still, well, in effect, but to anyone finding themselves in The Maw, one moment bleeds into the next; minutes bleed into hours, into days, into weeks, into months, into eternities, until you cannot differentiate between events which happened yesterday, or an eternity ago. It takes less than a week for this effect to set in, and only furthers the point that once you enter the Maw, you're there forever.
Animated Armor: The bulk of the Mawsworn are suits of armor first crafted from defiant souls which are then occupied by souls broken by the Jailer into willing servitude.
Closed Circle: The Maw offers no escape. Once you go in, you don't go out. It doesn't matter whether you are living, undead, mortal, or immortal, nor does it matter whether you try to escape on foot, by the air, via teleportation, or digging — ordinarily, nothing escapes The Maw.
- Part of the reason why the Player Characters are special is that an ancient relic of the First Ones somewhy responds to them, allowing them to escape. Notably, once it is done once, the amount of 'Mawwalkers' that start showing up in Oribos increase rapidly — while great for the players and their allies, it also points to just how the enchantments normally keeping the maw inescapable are weakening.
- Notably, even the Mawwalkers are unable to call upon their mounts in the Maw, with the game outright stating 'Your mount ignores your call within the maw' — presumably, for all the Horse Of A Different Colors that players use as mounts, some of which are dragons with power over time itself, or souls of beings clad in holy armor, answering a Mawwalker's call would mean the mount would be trapped in the Maw for all eternity; your mounts may be willing to brave the most dangerous areas in reality, but they draw the line at stepping foot in an inescapable hell.
- After 9.1, it's decided that the Maw has to be opened to keep fighting against the Jailer, as his prison was no longer inescapable for him, but it was for normal people. Because of this, the forces of the covenants led by the Maw Walkers found a way to get in and out of the eternal prison to lead proper counterattacks on the Maw. And also, because it is possible — verging on trivial, to leave — your mounts can finally be summoned to aid you there.
Despair Event Horizon: When souls finally give in to the truth of The Maw, that there is no escape and they are trapped forever with no hope, they turn into shades. These shades are then infused into armor, creating soldiers for the Jailer's armies.
Easy Road to Hell: Once, only the most vile and irredeemable souls were cast into the Maw. An unknown event during Legion caused The Arbiter to be rendered incapable of judging souls, and souls without judgement go straight to the Maw after they die. The Jailer is all too eager to claim the souls to break and forge into his own army of Mawsworn.
Evil Tower of Ominousness: Torghast, Tower of the Damned, is the Jailer's personal sanctum. Souls that are of personal interest to the Jailer are brought into the dread tower to face the worst tortures imaginable until they finally break and become the Jailer's loyal Mawsworn.
Fate Worse than Death: Considering most people who go to The Maw already died, perhaps the more informative designation of ending up in The Maw would be Fate worse than literally anything else in existence.
Hell: The Maw is the hell of the Warcraft universe: A bleak realm made of the residue of destroyed souls having died their final death. Torments are visited upon your soul for eternities, and time itself blurs from one moment to the next — there is no escape.
Hoist by Their Own Petard: The Jailer is trapped in The Maw and seeks to escape. His solution? Put the Arbiter out of commission and make Sire Denathrius cause a drought, thereby weakening the Heart of the Forest in Ardenweald which powers the enchantments that renders the maw inescapable. Great, now some of his forces can leave and enter at will — but so can a greater and greater number of mortals.
Hope Crusher: The Maw, with no means of escape, with the aid of its tormentors, and with the blurring of one's perception of time is practically purpose-built to ensure any soul that enters eventually goes beyond the Despair Event Horizon.
Wardens Are Evil: The Maw is ruled by the Jailer, his minions are Black Knights who use chains and prisons for their attacks, and the themes of inescapable imprisonment are everywhere. Torghast, specifically, plays up the prison theme even more, with cells housing yet-to-be-broken souls.

Broker Ve'nari

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/venari_full.jpg

A Broker found within the maw — lacking any means of escaping, she instead acts against the Jailer from within.

The Commandments: Ve'nari has survived in the Maw uncaught because she lives by a strict set of rules she shares with the Maw Walker as they do business.
- Rule 1: Always have an escape plan.
- Rule 2: Keep a low profile. Don't draw the Jailer's attention to yourself.
- Rule 3: Trust is earned. If you want her trust and support, you have to work for it.
- Rule 4: Always keep a list of potential threats to your safety. Prioritize who or what is the larger threat, and plan to eliminate it.
- Rule 5: Be audacious, when the situation demands it.
- Rule 6: Implement new concealment measures regularly.
- Rule 7: Betrayal is inevitable, even from those close to you. Especially from those close to you.
Faking the Dead: If you're at max reputation and have finished her quests and the Zereth Mortis campaign, you'll find Ve'nari missing with a hologram left in her place, saying she went to Zereth Mortis to put the Stygia she's been taking from you to use. If you go to the creation catalyst, you'll find Ve'nari's corpse, having seemingly died due to the backlash of whatever it is she was trying to do, with engineers noting however there's some odd discrepancies between the wounds and the damage it did to the rest of the area. About a week after doing this, you receive a letter in the mail from her apologizing for faking her death, stating that her experiment with the creation catalyst not only freed her from her self-sentence to the Maw, it gave her a method to travel the cosmos without restrictions that she can put to full use now that Cartel Ve believes her dead. She bids you farewell with a promise that if she ever needs a reliable partner, you're never too far from her reach now.
Friend in the Black Market: Ve'nari keeps going on and on about keeping her operations a secret — considering that she opposes the Jailer in his own domain, this is probably a wise decision; she also sells all sorts of items that are useful within the Maw, generally, and Torghast, specifically.
Greed: According to Grimoire of the Shadowlands and Beyond, she was the one who betrayed Cartel Ve after discovering a defensible position in the Maw, arranging for the elimination of her fellow cartel members in order to secure exclusive access to her newfound resources.
It Amused Me: Some of the tasks Ve'nari asks of the Maw Walker in exchange for Stygia are simply acts to alleviate her boredom. Living on the run in the Maw means Ve'nari has little chance to find amusements. She came up with a way to herd an entire swarm of mawrats off a cliff because she always finds that funny.
I Was Never Here: Ve'nari strictly prohibits the Maw Walker from speaking to anyone about their working arrangement. Not just to protect herself from the Jailer and the Mawsworn, but from her own people. Ve'nari has committed some crime in the past and the Brokers are looking for her because of it. The game doesn't even give you the option to break this contract.
Mysterious Past: The only things you know about her are that she's good at surviving in the Maw, that she's on the run from her former cartel, and that whatever she did was bad enough that they'd even risk sending their own agents into the Maw after her to bring her in. She pointedly refuses to discuss how any of this came to be, and suggests that it's in your own best interests not to pry.
Refuge in Audacity: Invoked by Rule 5; "Be audacious, when the situation demands it." The Mawsworn are so accustomed to being the dominant power in the Maw that sometimes you can catch them off guard with a bold enough attack on their own seats of power.
Self-Deprecation: Ve'nari is aware of the Irony that her first rule in life is to always have an escape plan while unable to escape the Maw and gives you permission to (briefly) laugh at it.
Sole Survivor: Ve'nari was among a band of Brokers sent by Cartel Ve in one of their first excursions into the Maw to plunder its secrets and values. Her party dwindled over time from attacks by the Mawsworn until eventually, Ve'nari found herself alone and finally able to hide.

The Runecarver

One of the Jailer's most prized prisoners. The Runecarver is a craftsman without peer whom the Jailer used to create such terrible tools as Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination. His true identity is that of the Primus.

Laser-Guided Amnesia: The Jailer removed most of the Runecarver's memories, first to use them to craft what tools he needed, then to guard the memories so that the Runecarver could never use his skills against the Jailer.
Mission Control: After gaining some freedom, he begins acting as a guide to the Maw Walker in Torghast. He will alert infiltrators to powerful enemies or trapped people in need of aid.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: He is responsible for the creation of the Helm of Domination and Frostmourne insofar that they are of his design — the Jailer extracted the memories of how to create them from him, with the express intent of having artifacts that would later end up in possession of the Lich King, leading to the destruction of many Azerothian kingdoms by the Undead Scourge.

Korthia

Korthia, City of Secrets is an ancient realm of the Shadowlands that was long lost in the In-Between before being dragged into the Maw by the chains of the Jailer. Similar to Oribos, Korthia is inhabited by attendants but also its own strange creatures, and the area contains many mysteries and secrets of the First Ones.

Characters / Warcraft Shadowlands

The Eternal Ones

The Banished One

Voiced by: Edward Bosco (English), Mikhail Belyakovich (Russian)

Voiced by: Ray Chase (English)

The Primus

Oribos

The Attendants

The Brokers

Bastion

Kyrian Covenant

In general

Chyrus, the Paragon of Humility

Devos, the Paragon of Loyalty later Doubt

Thenios, the Paragon of Wisdom

Vesiphone, the Paragon of Purity

Xandria, the Paragon of Courage

The Forsworn

Maldraxxus

Necrolord Covenant

House of the Chosen

House of Eyes

The Blade

House of Rituals

Balmedar

House of Constructs

The Slaughter Daughter

House of Plagues

Ardenweald

Night Fae Covenant

The Other Side

Voiced by: Alex Désert (English, Battle for Azeroth), Arthur Ivanov (Russian)

The Drust

Revendreth

Venthyr Covenant

The Maw

Korthia

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Index

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Characters / Warcraft Shadowlands

Edit Locked

The Eternal Ones

The Banished One

Voiced by: Edward Bosco (English), Mikhail Belyakovich (Russian)

Voiced by: Ray Chase (English)

The Primus

Oribos

The Attendants

The Brokers

Bastion

Kyrian Covenant

In general

Chyrus, the Paragon of Humility

Devos, the Paragon of Loyalty later Doubt

Thenios, the Paragon of Wisdom

Vesiphone, the Paragon of Purity

Xandria, the Paragon of Courage

The Forsworn

Maldraxxus

Necrolord Covenant

House of the Chosen

House of Eyes

The Blade

House of Rituals

Balmedar

House of Constructs

The Slaughter Daughter

House of Plagues

Ardenweald

Night Fae Covenant

The Other Side

Voiced by: Alex Désert (English, Battle for Azeroth), Arthur Ivanov (Russian)

The Drust

Revendreth

Venthyr Covenant

The Maw

Korthia

Previous

Index

Next