Characters / Warcraft The Alliance Stormwind

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A character subpage for the WarCraft universe, including World of Warcraft. For the main character page, see here. For the Alliance character page, see here.

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The main setting of Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and current capital of the Alliance humans in World of Warcraft, the vast kingdom of Stormwind (sometimes in the history of the series known as the Kingdom of Azeroth) is located on the southern tip of the Eastern Kingdoms and encompasses the Elwynn Forest (later split into the Elwynn Forest and Duskwood), Redridge Mountains, and Westfall. The kingdom was initially destroyed by the vile Orcish Horde and its survivors were forced to flee north to safety during the First War, though it was restored following the Second War.

Stormwind was ruled by King Llane Wrynn until his death in the First War, Regent-Lord Anduin Lothar in the Second War, and King Varian Wrynn during the Third War. When World of Warcraft first launched, Stormwind was ruled by Regent-Lord Bolvar Fordragon due to the rightful king, Varian Wrynn, being kidnapped and the recently crowned Anduin Wrynn being ten-years-old. Following his return in Wrath of the Lich King, Stormwind was ruled by King Varian Wrynn, who reigned until his death in Legion, following which Anduin Wrynn was crowned king once more.

With the destruction of Theramore and the discovery of Kul Tiras during Battle For Azeroth, Stormwind is among the last three fully standing human kingdoms in all of Azeroth alongside Dalaran.

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General Tropes

• Animal Motifs: Stormwind's icon is that of a lion's head. Imagery of lions are prominently displayed in many places and uniforms/armors as a result.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: While certain nobles such as Bolvar are shown to be good people, the general characterization of the House of Nobles that rules Stormwind in Classic are as stuck-up and callous, most notably being responsible for screwing over the Stonemasons Guild. While a lot of it is due to Lady Prestor's manipulations, they are still mostly portrayed negatively.
• Big Fancy Castle: Stormwind Keep is a huge magnificent castle.
• Blue Is Heroic: Depicted as the main faction of the heroic Alliance and uses blue as its primary color.
• Boring Yet Practical: Human architecture is somewhat colorless and boring compared to that of other races, yet also very quick to build and very hard to take down.
• City of Canals: Stormwind City is divided into several districts by the various canals running throughout it, with the districts connected by bridges.
• Cool Helmet: The Footman's helmet is by far the most iconic piece of human headgear, being a tall steel helmet with a blue plume hanging from the top of it with several variations between the different games and expansions.
• Cool Horse: The humans of Azeroth mainly ride horses and their epic swift steeds stand out by not just being faster^note until later updates normalized mount speed according to training, but also wearing shining barding and having inexplicably glowing eyes. The Vicious War Steed obtained through PVP is even more impressive, featuring bulky blue and gold barding with spikes and a banner on its back.
• Epic Flail: Strangely for the humans' most elite unit, knights in the first game carried flails instead of the more expected swords or lances.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: A non-villainous example. Stormwind was the youngest, smallest, and most isolated of the Eastern Kingdoms, leaving it comparatively easy pickings for the Horde during it's first invasion. However, after its reconstruction and the following destruction of Lordaeron in the Third War, as well as other human nations such as Gilneas and Stromgarde, Stormwind grew into the most powerful Alliance nation and one of the last bastions of humanity.
• Government in Exile: With Stormwind destroyed in the First War, its people fled to Lordaeron under Anduin Lothar's leadership. With Stormwind reclaimed in the Second War, the people returned to their lands.
• Heroes Prefer Swords: The humans of Stormwind are the main faction of the Alliance and many of its heroes and most of its regular troops are equipped with swords.
• Humans Are Diplomats: Hence the "Diplomacy" racial. They'd have to be to start and maintain a military alliance with multiple nations and races for years!
• Humans Are Survivors: Despite the fact that most human kingdoms have been destroyed or ravaged at one point or another (Stormwind in the First War, Alterac in the Second War, Dalaran and Lordaeron in the Third War, Stromgarde sometime after the Third War, Gilneas in Cataclysm, and Theramore in Mists of Pandaria), they still comprise the majority of the Alliance and continue to fight.
• Humans Are Warriors: The humans of Stormwind make up the majority of the Alliance's military arm.
• Jousting Lance: In World of Warcraft, most of Stormwind's mounted knights usually fight with lances.
• Knightly Sword and Shield: Despite not actually being knights, the human footmen invoke the image of knights by being heroic sword-and-shield-wielding warriors clad in full plate, complete with plumed helmets.
• The Order: Before the end of the First War, most knights of Stormwind belonged to the knightly order known as the Brotherhood of the Horse.
• Out of Focus: Falls under this in Warcraft III, where the kingdom of Lordaeron (and later its remnants) served as the protagonist of the Human campaign. The reason for Stormwind's absence during the Third War will be revealed later in World of Warcraft.
• The Protagonist: The remnant army of Azeroth (the original name for Stormwind) served as the protagonists of the Human campaigns for Warcraft: Orcs and Humans and three-quarters of Warcraft II (in the latter, they were supported by various other Human armies, but the player army was Azeroth in parts 1, 2 & 4).
• Standard Royal Court: The royal court gathers in Stormwind Keep, where the leading nobles are organised into the ruling House of Nobles. The House of Nobles initially held a great deal of power over Stormwind, but were cowed into submission by Varian after his heroic return and the exposure of Lady Prestor as Onyxia.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Despite them being a younger and shorter-lived race than the Elves and Draenei and magic not having the same importance in their societies and culture humans possess a natural potential for arcane magic that has allowed them to become one of if not the strongest race in terms in magic in all of Azeroth, during the training of the first human mages during the Troll Wars their High Elves masters were very surprised to see how strong their potential was and how quickly humans were able of learning arcane magic. While most human mages lack the very long experience with arcane, finesse and skills of Elven mages most of the strongest mages that Azeroth knows are humans such as Jaina Proudmoore, Khadgar, Antonidas, Aegwynn and Medivh.

Stormwind's Royal Family

Llane Wrynn

King Llane Wrynn

Class:Warrior

"As long as men with stout hearts are manning the walls and the throne, Stormwind will hold."

The King of Stormwind during the First War and Varian's father. A close friend of Anduin Lothar and Medivh. He was assassinated by Garona, which turned the final siege of Stormwind in favor of the Horde, leading to its destruction.

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• Cassandra Truth: He tried to warn the other human kingdoms about the Horde and to get help, but his pleas entered into deaf ears as Deathwing, disguising himself as a Stormwind noble, sabotaged his efforts by telling the other kings that Llane was just dealing with an insurrection.
• Childhood Friend: With Anduin Lothar and Medivh.
• Cool Helmet: He's mentioned to keep an open-faced helmet with white wings closeby in case he ever has to go into battle himself against the invading Horde, but he never gets the chance to put it on before he is assassinated.
• Cool Sword: His echo in the Return to Karazhan mythic dungeon shows him carrying Lion's Fang, a very ornate one-handed sword based on the weapon wielded by his counterpart in the live-action movie. Said sword was also obtainable by players by logging in during the two months after the movie's premiere.
• The Good King: By all appearances, from what we know of him Llane was a noble and wise king, beloved by his people. He was not a complete Reasonable Authority Figure though as he stubbornly refuses to believe Khadgar's claims that Medivh has turned against Stormwind.
• Heterosexual Life-Partner: He was best friend with Lothar and Medivh ever since their childhood,which is why he refused to believe that Medivh was a traitor and the one responsible for the invasion of the Horde.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Unlike Lothar Llane refused to believe Khadgar when the young mage revealed that Medivh was a traitor and the one who brought the orcs to Azeroth and still put his faith in the Guardian though to be fair he wasn't totally wrong as Medivh was possessed by Sargeras and would have never betrayed his friends and Azeroth if he had his free will.
• Killed Off for Real: Killed by Garona, who also carved out his heart as proof to the Shadow Council.
• My Greatest Failure: Chronicle revealed that in his youth, Llane along with Anduin Lothar and Medivh, defied his father's wishes and led a secret mission into Gurubashi territory to retaliate against the trolls' attacks on Stormwind farmers and settlers. They ended up killing a Gurubashi warlord and his son, which resulted in all the other Gurubashi tribes uniting and declaring war on Stormwind. Llane's father and countless soldiers died in the assault on the city and the kingdom came close falling. Medivh managed to destroy most of the Gurubashi army with his Guardian powers and the mission that spark the war remained a secret to the public, but their actions would weigh heavily on Llane and his friends for the rest of their lives.
• The Strategist: Shown planning the defense of Stormwind Keep against the orcs before Garona kills him.

Varian Wrynn

King Varian Wrynn

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Chris Metzen (English), Philippe Dumond (European French), Vladimir Antonik (Russian)

The mightiest chin on Azeroth.

"I am the King of Stormwind and no one — not the naga, nor the Scourge, nor the fiery lords of the Burning Legion — will keep me from my people!"

The King of Stormwind. As a young prince during the First War he witnessed the orcs' invasion of Azeroth and the death of his father before his very eyes, before having to flee to Lordaeron. Ever since then, he’s held a fierce vendetta against the orcs and the rest of the Horde. After the Second War, he returned to Stormwind as its king. Numerous political events made his early years as ruler difficult. The corrupt House of Nobles refused to pay the Stonemasons working on Stormwind’s reconstruction, and the riots that resulted killed his wife, leaving Varian a widower and a single father to his son Anduin.

Following the events of the Third War (which Stormwind was unable to participate in due to its own internal troubles), Varian attempted to meet with the leaders of the re-established Horde in Kalimdor. However, he was abducted on the way to the summit, and for the first few years of WoW’s life, he was MIA. His fate was later revealed in the comics: he was abducted by the black dragon Onyxia and spit into two separate personalities. The first personality — the one representative of his dominance and strong will — lost most of his memories, and was captured by an orc slaver and trained as a gladiator, who quickly earned the name "Lo'gosh". The other half — Varian's cooler and more diplomatic side — returned to Stormwind, but was under the control of Onyxia in her human form, Lady Katrana Prestor. Eventually, Lo’gosh found out his true identity, returned to Stormwind, and exposed Onyxia. The two Varians chased Onyxia back to her lair, one of her spells caused them to merge back into one, and the now-whole Varian slew the black dragon.

Varian returned in-game in time for the events of Wrath of the Lich King. After the Lich King’s attack on Stormwind, he launched the invasion of Northrend and became the Supreme Commander of the Alliance’s combined forces. However, things took a turn for the worse during the battle at Angrathar, the Wrath Gate, when Varian’s leading general and good friend Bolvar Fordragon died at the hands of a surprise attack by the Forsaken. Enraged by his friend’s unnecessary death, Varian blamed the Horde, and swore that he would not rest until the Horde had been disbanded and its members no longer a threat.

Following Garrosh's defeat and Vol'jin's appointment as Warchief, Varian, despite Jaina's protests, agrees to a ceasefire. He nevertheless warns Vol'jin that he will not hesitate to bring the full brunt of the Alliance to bear against the Horde if Vol'jin leads them down the same path Garrosh did. This does lead to a bit of fighting over the island of Ashran on the alternate Draenor, though not a full-blown resumption of hostilities.

In Legion, Varian leads the initial Alliance assault on the Legion position on the Tomb of Sargeras at the Broken Shore. Just before this, as seen during the Legion intro cinematic, he writes a letter to Anduin, admitting that Anduin's had a profound effect on his outlook on life, and encouraging Anduin to hold on to that conviction, but to also not be afraid to fight if it's absolutely necessary.

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• Aborted Arc: "The Trials of the High King" was a planned Labors of Hercules-esq epic questline for Mists of Pandaria. It would have featured Varian going each of the Alliance races and assisting them with various problems, earning both their respect and the position of High King. However, Varian assisted only two races, the dwarves and the night elves, before the questline was abandoned.
• All There in the Manual: The comics go into a bit more detail for Varian's reason for his hate for the Horde other than just Fordragon's death by detailing his prior experiences with the Horde. Also, he and Thrall did attempt to have a diplomatic peace treaty, which ended disastrously after a Brainwashed and Crazy Garona entered and tried to kill everyone present. To further clarify, Varian is aware of the fact that Garona killed his father Llane, but not that she was brainwashed into doing it, and accuses Thrall of hiring her to finish the job, so to speak. He refuses to believe Thrall had nothing to do with the attack, and they part on bad terms.
• Animal Motifs: Often compared to a wolf for his ferocity and protectiveness, and the orcs and tauren nicknamed him Lo'gosh, after a revered wolf ancient. Said Ancient seems to agree and makes Varian his Champion/Avatar. In Anduin's Legion prologue comic, he's even referred to as the capital-W Wolf.
• Badass Cape: Has taken to wearing a long red cape upon his return.
• Badass Normal: He's just a normal human warrior, yet manages to go toe-to-toe with orcs and ogres on his own, and even slays Onyxia by himself.
• Barbarian Hero: As Lo'Gosh the gladiator, he takes on the looks and traits of the trope.
• Barbarian Longhair: Kept his long unkempt hair from his time as a gladiator.
• Berserk Button: Do not harm or threaten Anduin's life in any way, or his reaction will be very unpleasant.
• Big Good: Takes up this role for the Alliance after his return, though he doesn't fully come into it until Mists of Pandaria.
• Bling of War: The armor he's worn into battle since his return is richly decorated and detailed.
• Blood Knight: Varian has been stated outright to love the thrill of the fight and often seeks out battle for this reason.
• Blood Sport: He was a gladiatorial slave for a while.
• The Chains of Commanding: So much that he sometimes expresses a desire to be back in the Crimson Ring.
  Varian: A gladiator's life is simple: You win and live, or lose and die. A king's life is more complex. The only truth for a king is that there are no easy answers.
• Character Development: Goes through a lot of this over the course of the comic, game, novels and his short story, eventually leading to his more calmer personality in Mists of Pandaria, as well as his appearances in Warlords of Draenor and Legion.
• Combat Pragmatist: Varian does value honor and dignity, but he's not above fighting dirty if it lets him win.
• Cool Sword: Wields the powerful sword Shalamayne, which is capable of not only cutting through a dragon's neck in one swing, but also destroy a giant fel reaver. The sword is made from two elven swords which were fused together when both of Varian's halves were fused back. In World of Warcraft, he dual wielded it and a copy of the sword until Blizzard realized their mistake in patch 3.3.3 and removed the copy. The trailer for Legion partially retcons this by showing that Varian is able to split the sword into its two original halves at will.
• Dare to Be Badass: Genn muses that his actions up to his death were his challenge to the people of the Alliance, to "never let fear prevail, even at the very gates of hell". His spirit shows up to Anduin when he takes up Shalamayne while doubtful of whether he would be a good successor to his father.
  Anduin: What am I supposed to do now?
  Varian: What a king must do.
• Deadpan Snarker: Quite prone to snarky and mocking responses to people he's not fond of, even as a kid. Genn Greymane seems to have been the foremost victim of his snark.
• Defeat Means Friendship: At the end of the Pandaren tutorial, should you decide to join the Alliance, Varian challenges you to a spar. It quickly gets out of hand, and despite Aysa Cloudsinger's warning, the Pandaren delivers a blow that lifts the king off his feet and knocks him flat. While Varian was polite before this, he warmly accepts the Pandaren as friends after seeing your "fighting spirit."
• Defiant to the End: Stabbed in the back by two felguard and face to face with Gul'dan, he rejects the warlock's speech of him sacrificing himself for nothing, instead saying "For the Alliance." Gul'dan then burns him up from the inside and completely destroys his body.
• Demoted to Extra: Zig-zagged. In the comic he debuted in, it was clear that he's the main character of the comics. However, mid-way, after he merged his two selves, he slowly had reduced screen time until completely vanishing from the story as Med'an takes prominence in the story in his struggle against Cho'Gall (even his sidekicks Valeera stayed on-screen there and Broll came back from Darnassus to help, but Varian doesn't appear). However, since his absence was around the time of Wrath of the Lich King, it means that Varian starts taking prominence in the actual game proper and he's not an extra there.
• Determinator: Varian's nigh impossible to keep down and will use every ounce of his strength to win even if he dies.
• Dual Wielding: During his time as a gladiator, he wielded a pair of orcish blades, which he had won from killing an orc blademaster in the ring. Until patch 3.3.3 he also wielded two Shalamaynes in the game, but it was eventually corrected.
  • In the cinematic trailer for Legion, he demonstrates the ability to separate Shalamayne back into its component swords for this trope.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: Jumps off the gunship to destroy an enormous fel reaver, then fights his way through several felguard to get to Gul'dan. After several wounds he is finally killed after being stabbed in the back and then burned from the inside out by Gul'dan's felfire, completely destroying his body.
• Empowered Badass Normal: He is briefly blessed by Goldrinn in Wolfheart, granting him near unlimited stamina, but nothing much beyond that.
• Everyone Has Standards: While he's certainly willing to go to war with the Horde, he doesn't want to go as far as Jaina does in the wake of Theramore's destruction.
• Failure Is the Only Option: There's absolutely nothing the player can do to prevent his death at Gul'dan's hands during the Broken Isle questline, despite taking part in the battle.
• Fantastic Racism: Varian despised orcs at first. For reasons see Freudian Excuse.
• Foil:
  • Stated to be an "Anti-Thrall." Both have similar backstories but practice very different policies: Thrall, in spite of his suffering and his own people, desired peace and sought to negotiate with the Alliance for it, while Varian's suffering at the hands of the Horde caused him to believe the only chance for peace was to destroy them.
  • Also one for Garrosh, Varian has a very good reason for his hatred of Orcs, given that his father was killed by one, his city razed by them, and he was turned into a gladiator by them, while Garrosh's reasons boil down to "someone told him they were bad" and "dad killed humans so they have to be bad". One of Varian's defining traits is his being a father to Anduin while Garrosh is heavily defined by being the son of Grom. Finally, Varian mellowed out to a degree by Mists of Pandaria, while Garrosh's extremism peaked. Their narratives start out mirror each other and separate slowly through Cataclysm and Mists, both being hot-headed warriors pushing their faction towards war with the other. Varian tames his anger and unites the Alliance while Garrosh is dominated by his hatred and fractures the Horde. Their deaths also foils one another. Where Garrosh died hated and is remembered as a villain. Varian died a hero and is remembered as such.
• Four-Star Badass: Quickly assumes the position of military leader of the Alliance, even if at first unofficially.
• Freudian Excuse: A lot of his hatred towards the Horde, orcs in particular, comes from the various misdeeds committed by them towards Stormwind and the Alliance. Though he takes out on every orc who never had anything to do with those misdeeds. See Tragic Bigot.
• Frontline General: Has attended the battlefield to lead his forces himself several times and even joins in the fighting.
• Genius Bruiser: He's known more for his skills as a warrior, but he is pretty knowledgable and a capable general.
• Good Is Not Nice: Initially this upon his reintroduction, though it's for the most part worn off by the time of Mists of Pandaria.
• Good Is Not Soft: Following his Character Development, he's gotten rid of most of his anger issues, but still retains a fierce streak.
• The Good King: Despite the numerous troubles in his kingdom and court, as well as his own issues, he eventually grows into this with Mists of Pandaria, with the help of his son, and remains such for what we see of him in Warlords of Draenor. In Legion, he dies an absolute hero and is mourned by nearly everyone.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: Returns to lead Stormwind with an anti-heroic scar, signifying his more warlike ways.
• Graceful Loser: After being decked by the Pandarian Player Character during a sparing match, Varian burst out laughing, saying it was a good fight.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Following the imperfect merging of his split selves as he begins to lash out towards his allies and especially towards the Horde to where he takes this to highly irrational extremes. He eventually discards this with Character Development, however.
• Happiness in Slavery: Downplayed. Varian respects Rehgar Earthfury, his former owner, and once expressed desire to go back to the pits. If it weren't for his kingly duties, and his son, he might've gone back, but Anduin in particular gave him far greater purpose than just being a gladiator. All the way to the end.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Always shown armored, but never wears either a helmet or a crown.
• Heroic Sacrifice: At the Broken Shore, after the Alliance is forced to retreat, an enormous fel reaver is summoned and holds on to the gunship they are trying to escape on. Varian jumps off the gunship to destroy the fel reaver and allow the gunship to escape. While he survives killing the fel reaver, he is killed shortly after by Gul'dan.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: At the end of Tides of War, when Jaina emerges (mostly) from her Blood Knight mode and starts to apologize for her harsh words towards Varian and Anduin, Varian just laughs and says he is probably the least qualified person in all of Azeroth to pass judgment on someone else's anger-management failings.
• The High King:
  • With Mists of Pandaria he's been acknowledged as High King of the Alliance. Exactly what powers and authority he wields over the other members isn't clearly presented, but he's been given authority to organize the Alliance militaries against Garrosh and the Horde.
  • Blizzard developers have stated online that the High King's power is military only, appearing to be essentially the same as the Supreme Allied Commander position that Lothar held combined with his original position as King of Stormwind. This is why Anduin doesn't inherit the full title immediately upon Varian's death.
• Hit Me, Dammit!: In Mists of Pandaria, while welcoming the Tushui into the Alliance, he challenges the Player Character to a sparring match. During the match, he demands the player to give him a real hit. The next attack knocks him on his back to Aysa and Jojo's shock.
• Honor Before Reason: Wrathion suspects that Varian either has a case of this or is incompetent, noting that unlike Garrosh and the Horde, Varian did not use the Cataclysm to expand the Alliance. Assuming it was on principle, he asks if principles can win a war.
• Hot-Blooded: Initially had quite the temper when first appeared in Wrath of the Lich King, though he straightens out and becomes more calm through his Character Development. He's still got some moments during the Legion intro cinematic and prologue events, though.
• Improvised Weapon: Uses a left-over piece of Deathwing's armor against a drakonid in Blood of Our Fathers.
• In a Single Bound: The Warrior's Heroic Leap ability is heavily associated with him, and he is often seen leaping great distances to reach his foes.
• Irrational Hatred: Towards the Horde and orcs in general. While they have done wrong from bad leadership by many Warchiefs who have caused many problems but he tends to take this out on them to illogical extremes as every problem in Azeroth must be the Horde's fault in his eyes but this makes no sense when most of their actions had been to make peace during his time as king especially with Thrall whom he also hates just because he is an Orc. Varian has been called out on this multiple times by Jaina and his son.
• I Shall Taunt You: Varian does this to the orcs who are based in the Temple of the Red Crane during the "A Little Patience" scenario; it works extremely well.
• Jerkass: He was particularly very unlikable while he directed his aggressiveness from Lo'Gosh towards nearly everyone he came across even if they were allies of the Alliance but he later tries to think more rationally and even balances out his split personality.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While generally rough and rude to some, he loves his son and does what he believes is best for his kingdom even though he is highly irrational. He was also willing to let Saurfang take his son's body despite his hatred of orcs.
• Kick the Morality Pet: In Wolfheart Varian accidentally hurts his son Anduin in panic when he grabs his arm in an attempt to prevent him from leaving.
• Lantern Jaw of Justice: To the degree where players actually regard his chin as a separate entity.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: When Onyxia split him into two people, his more fierce self escaped, but washed up on the shores of Durotar with no memory of whom he was.
• Last Stand: On the Broken Shore, after dispatching the Fel Reaver that was preventing the rest of the Alliance from escaping, Varian is surrounded by demons with no hope of escape, so he splits Shalamayne into its two halves and begins a suicidal charge against Gul'Dan.
• Manly Tears: Sheds a Single Tear when the Player Character brings him Bolvar's shield after the Wrathgate incident.
• Master Swordsman: Much attention is paid to Varian's skill as a swordsman.
• Mounted Combat: Broll notes how riding a horse into battle comes naturally to him, and he showcases it a number of times in the comic.
• Named Weapons: The sword he wields goes by the name Shalamayne, named such when the elven swords Shalla'tor and Ellemayne were merged together into one sword when Varian himself was.
• Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Gets angry when Anduin says that the now-petrified Magni was not the best parent.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He stops Thrall from killing Garrosh at the end of the Siege of Orgrimmar raid, which eventually leads to the events that take place in Warlords of Draenor, and in a roundabout way, leads to him getting killed by the huge Legion army alt-Gul'dan opens the way for in the Legion expansion. Vol'jin also died during the Legion invasion and named Sylvanas as his successor, which led to her burning down Teldrassil and starting an open war with the Alliance.
• Not Enough to Bury: Very little was left of him after Gul'dan overflowed his body with fel energies to kill him. Shalamayne, a lapel clasp from his armor and a ravaged wristclamp strap are all that is found.
• Papa Wolf: Very protective of his son, Anduin, and as noted in his Berserk Button entry, harming or threatening Anduin is a sure-fire way to make him go berserk.
• Parents as People: His temper and warlike ways often drive a rift between himself and Anduin, leading to Anduin often leaving for stretches of time (to visit and train in Ironforge under Varian's suggestion, and to study under Velen as Anduin's own decision) and he realizes that he's not the best father. As of Blood of Our Fathers, their relationship appears to have been mended. His final letter in Legion has him admitting that he's learned more from Anduin than he ever thought possible.]]
• Perma-Stubble: Has some in the comic, but after his return he remains clean-shaved for any subsequent appearances.
• Pet the Dog: He tells Muradin to "let a grieving father pass", when said father is an orc aligned with the Horde.
• Pragmatic Hero: He's fighting to protect his people, and has sought peace numerous times, but does not hesitate to use brutal force when he feels it appropriate. As of Mists of Pandaria he appears to have become more idealistic and less of an anti-hero.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The King of Stormwind and one of the greatest human warriors.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Developed into one as of Mists of Pandaria, culminating in Jaina telling him to "dismantle the Horde"^note read: assassinate or capture their nations' leaders right after Garrosh's capture, only for Varian to instead offer a (conditional) ceasefire.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: As Lo'Gosh he gives Jaina one in The Shattering, calling her "weak" for continuing to vouch for peace despite everything the Horde's done. He also gives one to Garrosh in Tides of War, accusing him of being a Dirty Coward:
  Varian: I am surprised you have the guts to take me on. You have grown cowardly since we last met. First magnataur, then elementals, then kraken to do your dirty work. Did you run and hide when you dropped the mana bomb? I’m sure you were a safe distance away!
• Rightful King Returns: After being missing during classic and The Burning Crusade, he returned to lead Stormwind in Wrath of the Lich King.
  Human male joke:"Hey! The king's back!"
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Twice because Anduin was kidnapped (the second time ended when Anduin himself stopped him) and another when he heard of Bolvar's death at the hands of Putress.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: The King of Stormwind is an active participant in matters of war, both on and off the battlefield. Arguably, this is what gets him killed, a point the dreadlord assassin Anduin faces in his Legion prologue comic relishes rubbing in Anduin's face.
• Rugged Scar: The scar he got from a run-in with the naga signifies both his initial anti-heroic attitude and his badassery.
• Scars Are Forever: Receives his now signature scar from a lightning bolt cast by a naga.
• Shonen Hair: That fox-tail is unusually spiky.
• Shoulders of Doom: Those pauldrons of his are quite large, one depicting the face of a lion, the other a gryphon.
• Split Personality: Exaggerated. Onyxia couldn't charm him due to his strong will, so she split him into two people: one calm and submissive and one hotheaded and dominant, and she attempts to kill the second half. Eventually, they are reunited and subsequently merged. In The Shattering, it is implied that they are becoming separated again and that Lo'gosh has more control than Varian would like. However, as of Wolfheart, he appears to have gained control of his rougher side.
• The Strategist: A trait mostly overshadowed by his anger issues and his tendency to go into combat himself, Varian is actually a skilled strategist and tactician, managing to quickly come up with plans to lure his foes into a trap. Showcased predominantly in the comic, but it comes into play from patch 5.1 onwards.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: When he first appeared in-game, Varian's warmonger personality was wildly different from his role in the comic book as The Strategist. The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm later explained the out-of-nowhere shift as his Split-Personality Merge being unstable.
• Took a Level in Kindness: In Wolfheart. As of Mists of Pandaria he's back to acting like he did in the comics, being much calmer but still retaining a bit of his fierce edge.
• Tragic Bigot: His hatred of the Horde and orcs in particular comes from their invasion of Azeroth and the destruction they inflicted upon his homeland, furthered by becoming a Gladiator slave in Orgrimmar. Though he directs this hatred at innocent Orcs and takes every opportunity to blame them for anything going wrong and attempts to justify these actions which is illogical on his part.
• True Companions: Even after the Power Trio broke up when the comics shifted focus to Med'an, Varian, Broll, and Valeera remain friends. In Wolfheart Varian's primary motivation for attending the summit in Darnassus was actually to see Broll again, not to vote on Gilneas's re-entry into the Alliance.
• Vocal Evolution: Varian's voice in Mists of Pandaria is much calmer than before, fitting his more subdued personality as of the Wolfheart novel.
• War Hawk: He's very adamant about waging war with the Horde, which almost proves disastrous in Wrath of the Lich King. He eventually softens up a bit, but remains willing to go to war with the Horde if they give him cause for it. In Legion he abandons this stance entirely, however, in the face of the biggest demon invasion the world's ever seen, and even goes to war alongside Sylvanas, another Horde leader he has a number of problems with.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Calls out Jaina for ordering the Dalaran Purge without his consent, and subsequently ruining his attempts to convince the Blood Elves to return to the Alliance.
• Worthy Opponent: He apparently had alot of respect for High Overlord Saurfang, going as far as to tell his son he believes him to be the heart of the Horde, and a very honourable individual
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: When he seems ready to kill Moira, Anduin gives him this speech, saying that he's not a vigilante. It has a fairly profound effect on him, and he acknowledges as much during his final letter to Anduin.
• You Killed My Father: Garona did it in front of his eyes; her Berserker Tears only adds to his confusion.

Anduin Wrynn

Prince/King Anduin Wrynn

Class: Priest

Voiced by: Josh Keaton (English), Nikolai Bystrov (Russian)

A sword wielding priest? How is that possible?.

"Yes, I changed my father. But he also changed me. Will that be enough for the Alliance? For Azeroth? It will have to be. There will be peace. One day."

Son of Varian Wrynn and heir to the throne of Stormwind. Anduin was for a time following his father's disappearance the king of Stormwind, but following Lady Prestor's unmasking and Varian's return, the latter took up the mantle of king again. His relationship with his father has been somewhat strained: although he loves and respects his father, he prefers a more peaceful approach to foreign relations, and does not agree with the king's more aggressive tactics. However, it appears that they have in recent times reconciled. He is also close with Jaina and views her as a family member. Has in Cataclysm taken up training in the ways of the Light and become a priest. Plays a major role in Mists of Pandaria as his disappearance leads both the Alliance and the Horde to Pandaria, albeit for differing reasons.

In Legion, Anduin becomes the King of Stormwind — for real this time — after his father dies heroically on the Broken Shore.

---

• A Child Shall Lead Them:
  • When Varian went missing during "Classic" and Burning Crusade, Anduin was technically King, although Bolvar Fordragon was acting as the official regent of the kingdom (and Anduin's legal guardian) and would have continued in that role until Anduin reached his majority, if Varian hadn't returned.
  • He's temporarily given the position again in Tides of War, when Varian leaves with the united Alliance fleet to attack Durotar and both are fully aware that he might not come back. He does, though.
  • Zig-zagged a bit in Legion — he seems to have just barely reached his maturity (or is sufficiently close to it that nobody calls for a brief regency), but he's still younger than Varian was when he took the throne, and he's now properly King of Stormwind, because this time Varian isn't coming back...
• Achey Scars: After being crushed under the Divine Bell and nearly killed, Anduin occasionally suffers aches and pains all throughout his body, with Prophet Velen saying he'll likely deal with the pain his entire life. The phantom pain first flares in War Crimes when he sees Garrosh Hellscream for the first time since the orc nearly killed him with said Bell. In Before the Storm, the Light speaks to Anduin through the pain. If something terribly wrong is done by him or by others near him, his body will ache anew. It serves as a guide for him to attempt to reunite human and Forsaken families and as a warning when Sylvanas sets about to murder the Desolate Council.
• Action Survivor: In Mists of Pandaria.
• All-Loving Hero: Anduin is easily one of the most compassionate men in the Alliance, if not Azeroth. He always wishes to see the good in people first and foremost, which has allowed him to make friends from all walks of life, even the Horde. Perhaps best shown in Before the Storm, with his attempts to bridge the gap between human and Forsaken to reunite former loved ones and spark what might be a lasting peace.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • Asks one of the Adventurer in the Mists of Pandaria legendary quest chain- are you any different than Garrosh Hellscream if you blindly trust a black dragon in pursuit of greater power?
  • He asks one of Garrosh during some one-on-one time with the prisoner in War Crimes. When Garrosh says there's nothing he wouldn't do for those who stood by him (meaning the orcs), Anduin asks, to his own surprise, "What if the Alliance stood with you?" The question was so unnerving to Garrosh that he demanded Anduin leave his cell.
• Armor-Piercing Response: Gives one to Varok Saurfang in the Stockades, after being asked if he could defeat Sylvanas:
  Anduin: I can't...not alone.
• Artifact Title: In Battle for Azeroth, Anduin dons armor and takes up the sword to go into battle against the Horde. By all appearances, he's become a Paladin but is still called a Priest. Justified as there are sacred rituals someone has to undergo in the Church of the Holy Light to swear the oaths and become a true Paladin. Anduin has never performed these rites.
• Badass Boast: Has his moments despite still being somewhat anxious about his role as a king at times...especially in Battle for Azeroth.
  Anduin: It is over, Sylvanas! The walls of Lordaeron will soon come crashing down around you!
• Barrier Warrior: He started out mostly using shields in Cataclysm, he later widens his repertoire.
• Battle Cry: Delivers quite a one in the Battle for Azeroth cinematic after healing his troops from the brink of death and rallying them to continue the assault on Lordaeron.
  Anduin: Stand as one! FOR THE ALLIANCE!
• Beard of Sorrow: Not a full beard, but as of The War Within opening, he has a visible stubble, symbolizing both his maturing and his troubled mental state.
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • Implied by Varian, especially considering that he thinks Garrosh has gone too far.
    Varian: (to Garrosh) Anduin might surprise you. Even lovers of peace despise cowards.
  • On full display in his Legion prologue comic. Can you one-shot a dreadlord with Smite as part of a Shut Up, Hannibal! moment?
  • In the Visions of N'Zoth cinematic, he punches out Wrathion for his role in bringing the Legion back to Azeroth and thus causing the death of his father. For his part, Wrathion acknowledges he had it coming.
• Big Good: He becomes the King of Stormwind and the High King of The Alliance after his fathers death.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: As of patch 9.1, he has been turned into a minion of the Jailer through the runeblade Kingsmourne.
• Break the Cutie: In spite of Character Development below, he was still a good-natured idealist at the start of Shadowlands. During that time, however, he was imprisoned in timeless Hell, tortured, and finally mind controlled and used to fight his closest friends and all he stood for. Unsurprisingly, even after he is liberated, the experience haunts him deeply and he still feels guilty for his actions while possessed. The fact that his doubts caused him, as of The War Within opening, to lose his connection to Light does not help.
• Character Development: Legion features him going from a Wide-Eyed Idealist to someone who realizes that sometimes you have to fight to reach peace.
• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: He looks uncannily◊ like a young Brad Pitt in the Battle for Azeroth cinematic trailer.
• Cool Helmet: Gains a stylized lion's head helmet that completely obscures his face in Battle for Azeroth.
• Cool Horse: In Battle For Azeroth, he rides a magnificent white horse named Reverence, which is clad in very ornate gold and silver armor.
• Cool Sword: Retrieves his father's sword Shalamayne on the Broken Shore and wields it with surprising skill in Battle for Azeroth. However, Kingsmourne is an Evil Weapon.
• Dead Guy Junior: Full name Anduin Llane Wrynn, after his grandfather Llane Wrynn and Alliance hero Anduin Lothar.
• Defiant Captive: He gives Onyxia plenty of sass when she has him captured.
  • He retains his snarky demeanor even while being tortured and held captive in Torghast by the Jailer and Sylvanas.
• Demonic Possession: He is turned into a puppet of the Jailer, becoming Arthas 2.0, though it is against his will as he actually resisted all attempts by the Jailer and Sylvannas to turn him willingly.
• Everyone Has Standards: He's a pacifist, but thinks Garrosh has gone too far.
• Escort Mission: In the quest chain leading up to Twilight Highlands for the Alliance, you once have to defend him when he comes under attack by cultists. He does lend a hand by casting shields rather than running off and getting killed thankfully.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Especially in the wake of his father's passing, he's starting to grow his hair out and wear it in a ponytail reminiscent of Varian's. Their bangs are also now virtually identical.
• Fantastic Racism: Surprisingly considering his character, when he meets Wrathion in 5.2, he warns the player that Black Dragons aren't to be trusted by any means, which may be influenced by his family's experience with Onyxia. He does have a point, however since Wrathion is the only exception to a race that was Always Chaotic Evil, and even though he's apparently serving a benevolent purpose, he's still decidedly sneaky and manipulative while he does so.
• Foil: To Arthas Menethil, in many respects:
  • Both are/were blond princes who were involved in the matters of their respective realms (Lordaeron and Stormwind) and cared for their people, but while the stress of war made Arthas more and more unhinged until he became the Lich King, Anduin never lost his moral compass and eventually managed to overcome his own self-doubt to become a sign of hope for his people.
  • They also felt the pressure of their predecessors over them (Terenas for Arthas, Varian for Anduin), giving both a sense of self-doubt and insecurity; however, where Arthas allowed his flaws to influence his actions and become more unscrupulous in his fight against the Scourge, Anduin managed to overcome his doubts and fears to fully succeed his father after his death.
  • They both eventually wield a sword at a pivotal point of their lives (Frostmourne for Arthas, Shalamayne for Anduin), but whereas for the former this is the final point of his descent into evil and desperation, for the latter it becomes the moment where he fully develops into the man and king he was meant to be.
  • Ultimately, the two were trained in the use of the Light as Paladin and Priest respectively; however, while the war against the Scourge made Arthas lose his connection to the Light until he abandoned to become a Death Knight, Anduin retained it even after the full horror of the conflict against the Legion sat in.
  • They both turned to embracing horrifying methods in their quest against one person (Mal'ganis for Arthas and Sylvanas for Anduin) to the point of horrifying their companions (Muradin in regards with Arthas killing the mercenaries and Jaina when Anduin nearly using unknown dark magic to try and compel Sira to tell him where Sylvanas was).
  • However while Arthas fell from his flaws and More than Mind Control, Anduin doesn't turn, but is instead possessed by the Jailer using Domination runes to suppress his will.
• Frontline General: Leads the Battle for Lordaeron from the front lines.
• Give Me a Sword: Anduin gives Saurfang his father's sword Shalamayne to use in his mak'gora against Sylvanas, alongside Thrall's axe. Though Saurfang loses the duel, the twin blades of Shalamayne are the only thing to land a hit on her, triggering a tirade that ruins her standing in the Horde.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: The blondest NPC in the game, and easily one of the kindest and most well-meaning individuals on the Alliance side.
• He Is All Grown Up: In Legion.
• Healing Hands: A very capable healer, managing to bring back his father from the brink of death among other accomplishments. In the Battle for Azeroth cinematic, he brings his entire army back from the brink.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Anduin's awesome new helmet is often absent in the in-game cinematics to show off his face and emotions. Most notably, it is knocked off his head during the battle of Lordaeron, allowing the viewers to see the doubt on his face before he uses the Light to heal his entire army.
• The High King: Notably, he does not immediately inherit the full position his father had as Alliance military leader on ascending to Stormwind's throne, probably because he himself knows he's not cut out for it yet. He has apparently managed to reach the position by Battle for Azeroth.
• Holy Hand Grenade: As of Mists of Pandaria he has begun utilizing the Light offensively, throwing about holy fire against hozen attackers. Come Legion, he's capable of frying a dreadlord in one shot.
• He Who Fights Monsters:
  • Played with. He denies this in the face of Jaina's fears over him sanctioning and defending Turalyon and Alleria's methods in hunting down Sylvanas. But he seems to be aware of this on some level when he swiftly watched his companions for their reactions to him almost using some sort of dark magic on Sira in an attempt to compel her to tell him where Sylvanas was.
  • In Shadowland's epilogue, Anduin briefly expresses this fear about his time possessed by the Jailer. While it was very much against his will, he mentions that part of him enjoyed being the villain and hurting innocents and even his closest friends, and he can't be sure if that was entirely the brainwashing or if some degree of it really was him, and the thought that even a little bit of the latter could be true terrifies him. This is part of the reason he refused to return to Stormwind, instead Walking the Earth once more to try to sort himself out.
• Idiot Ball: The ending of the Battle for Lordaeron scenario. Anduin and his allies just keep waiting until Sylvanas surrenders, only to see her trap him and the other Alliance leaders in blight. At least Sylvanas' exaggeratedly smug tone could have given Anduin a hint that something was wrong.
  • After greening a suicide squad mission in Nazmir as a distraction for the Battle for Dazar'alor, he refuses to press the advantage against the Horde, and even defends allowing them to grieve the fallen King Rastakhan. The end result is that new Queen Talanji joins the Horde and Sylvanas is able to manipulate both the Horde and Alliance fleets into the awaiting arms of Queen Azshara within Nazjatar.
• Improbable Age: Anduin's certainly had to grow up fast, what with having to be a full king around the age of an young adult and all, but Battle for Azeroth has him performing one of the biggest displays of Light-given power yet and leading a multi-race coalition in a war at nineteen.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness:
  • Maintains his hyper-idealistic outlook despite living in a Crapsack World. In War Crimes, when everyone fights evil versions of themselves, his is just kind of cowardly, and still pulls a Heroic Sacrifice.
  • The dreadlord assassin who comes for him in his Legion comic actually calls him out on this, stating that he's far too naive to actually lead the Alliance into a war for survival. Anduin disagrees.
  • Anduin deduces that this is why Sylvanas has been trying to convince him to join her and the Jailer. His status as a pure idealist who even in the darkest times never loses hope makes him a Hope Bringer for many — including the dormant shreds of the Ranger-General still deep within the Banshee Queen. If he lets go of hope, so can she.
  • Not so incorruptible as of The War Within - while stil fundamentally good, he is deeply troubled by his ordeal during Shadowlands, isolating himself and lashing out at Thrall.
• King Incognito: A chapter of Shadows Rising shows that Anduin goes out disguised as a commoner to get away when the stresses of rulership become too much for him. He's careful about it, allowing himself only a single drink, and staying until the guilt of being away starts to get to him. Jaina catches him at it in the Goldshire Inn but, as she was there for exactly the same reason, albeit without a disguise, she understands completely.
• Leitmotif: He gains one in Legion, and its variations can be heard here, and it features callbacks to both Arthas' theme ("An Karanir Thanagor" features in the lyrics at one point) as well as to the Stormwind theme and parts of Classic lore ("Esarus Thar No Darador" can be heard as well). It has so far most notably been heard in the Madefire version of his comic, as well as in Lion's Rest, where his father is buried post-Broken Shore.
• Lantern Jaw of Justice: His latest model update for Legion shows that he's inherited this from his father to some degree.
• Light 'em Up: Has been trained in the use of the Light as of Cataclysm.
• Light Is Good: One of the most purely good characters in the series, and wields the power of the Light.
• Mage Marksman: Used a bow in some of the early supplemental material. This was eventually replaced with Light 'em Up, above.
• Magic Knight: As of Battle For Azeroth, it's revealed that Anduin has become a battle-priest, a plate-clad and martially trained priest that's similar to a Holy Paladin.
• Mind Manipulation: Anduin uses the Psychic Scream ability to fend off a hozen attack in Pandaria, and later uses Dominate Mind (both of which are defined as shadow magic via game mechanics and the mind manipulation in-universe) to get your rescue squad off of his back in Pandaria, allowing him to run off and explore the continent.
• Never My Fault: Though acknowledging and feeling guilty that he failed to prevent the deaths that occurred at The Gathering, he refuses to take responsibility by blaming Sylvanas and, to a lesser extent, Calia when it was his own decision to secretly let Calia (whose brother murdered and raised countless people including Sylvanas into undeath) attend the event, of which the discovery of her attendance led to Sylvanas giving the order to kill the Desolate Council members on the field.
  • Averted when it comes to the Burning of Teldrassil, even though other people have equal or even more blame.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • By convincing the August Celestials to let the Alliance and Horde into the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, he gave Garrosh access to the Vale, and with it, the Heart of Y'Shaarj buried beneath it. Overlaps with Unwitting Instigator of Doom.
  • His refusal to punish or even publicly reprimand Graymane and Rogers for their disobeying his express orders and attacking the Horde in Stormheim helps feed the brewing faction war. Even moderates like Saurfang become concerned that if Anduin's subordinates in the Alliance can disobey him and attack the Horde without consequence then the Alliance is still a threat even though Anduin himself is clearly devoted to peace.
• Non-Action Guy: Initially, as he is no good with melee combat and his priestly abilities are not used offensively. He discards the mantle somewhat in Mists of Pandaria when he uses the Light offensively against some attacking hozen and ditches it completely by Battle for Azeroth as he stands with his army in the siege for Lordaeron.
• Odd Friendship:
  • With Baine Bloodhoof. The novels also give him one with Wrathion.
  • Doubling as an Intergenerational Friendship, but he forms a strong bond with Varok Saurfang over the course of Battle for Azeroth. Saurfang is an Orcish War Hawk, but still tempered veteran of all four Great Wars and a Blood Knight, while Anduin is a peace loving, young, human king. Yet not only does Varok request that Anduin acts as his witness for his duel, the King gives him his father's sword, acts as his pallbearer, and openly grieves him at his funeral. It's implied Anduin's immense respect for the elderly warrior is partially because he sees aspects of Varian within him.
• Playing with Fire: His usage of the Holy Fire spell.
• The Pollyanna: His life has pretty much sucked. You wouldn't know it from his sunny disposition.
• Pretty Boy: Anduin is a very, very attractive young man, especially in the Battle for Azeroth cinematic.
• Reconstruction: To his Foil Arthas, while subdued in the earlier titles, it starts to be visible in Mists of Pandaria to become prominent in Legion and Battle for Azeroth.
• Replacement Gold Fish: In the novel Sylvanas, Anduin realizes that Sylvanas sees him as this, because he reminds her of her dead younger brother Lirath.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something:
  • Invoked in-game. He starts investigating reports of stolen cattle not only because he wants to help, but because it would give back the local farmers some faith in their government to see a member of the royal family showing he cares about them. In the novel The Shattering he takes an active role in helping the survivors of the earthquakes in Khaz Modan.
  • Very much so in Pandaria, he initially washes up in Jade Forest in a shipwreck, but after escaping both the Alliance crew sent to return him home and his Horde kidnappers, he works with players from both factions against the Sha of Despair in Krasarang Wilds, and then goes to speak to the August Celestials to open the gates to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
  • In patch 5.1 he awakens the Monkey King, reforges a mallet that can destroy the Divine Bell, confronts Garrosh, and helps the player fight a sha-possessed orc.
  • The Legion prologue material heavily implies that he's going to take a major leadership-from-the-front position following the passing of his father, and he will eventually obtain the same High King title his father had, with even Velen acknowledging it. Never mind him subduing, and then obliterating, a dreadlord without the aid of his guards in his personal comic.
  • Battle for Azeroth shows him leading the assault on the Undercity from the front lines.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Anduin is quick to ditch his rescuers in the Jade Forest, opting to explore Pandaria and help the people his own way. It's mildly troubling that he uses shadow magic to get your squad off his back.
• Shut Up, Hannibal!: In Shadowlands, Sylvanas repeatedly tries to convince Anduin to join her willingly. Each time, he calls her out on it, including once accurately pointing out she's just trying to use him to justify her own crimes.
• Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome: While canonically aging in more or less real time, his model was not regularly updated to reflect this, creating this effect visually. He started off with the generic "human child" model and kept it through Wrath of the Lich King, then suddenly spikes from age 10 to about 15 just before the launch of Cataclysm. However, since that point, he has gotten a new model with each expansion (with the exception of Warlords of Draenor) that progressively ages him.
• Speak Ill of the Dead: Does not hesitate to criticize the recently petrified (but treated as deceased) King Magni, although he does so while acknowledging his respect of him.
  Varian: You spit on the memory of an honorable man, Anduin.
  Anduin: You can be an honorable man and still make mistakes.
• Squishy Wizard: A priestly variant, being a capable Light-wielder, but is unable to hold his own in melee combat. Matching with the changes to the Priest class itself, come Legion he can manage a little better. In the Battle for Azeroth trailer, he's decked out in full plate mail and wields Shalamayne in battle, but his swordsmanship and movements are noticeably clumsy, especially when compared to Sylvana's fluid rampage just minutes prior. His true worth is still in his proficiency in calling on the Light, reviving his entire fallen vanguard after Sylvanas's rally to arms.
• Take Up My Sword: After the Broken Shore is reclaimed from the Legion, Anduin reclaims and takes up his deceased father's sword, Shalamayne. It becomes infused with the Light as a result.
• Technical Pacifist: In his heart of hearts, Anduin desires peace above all else. However the necessity of knowing how to fight was impressed upon him at a young age and he has gradually come to realize that, no matter how much he might want peace, there are times when that is simply not possible and one one must fight. By the time of Battle For Azeroth, he's come to terms with this enough that he's on the front lines with his soldiers during the Battle for Lordaeron with Genn Greymane at his side because he understands that the single biggest obstacle to the peace he desires is Sylvanas Windrunner, who is determined to see the Alliance fall.
• There Are No Therapists: Azeroth evidently does not have much in the way of mental healthcare, given that by the time we see Anduin again following his disappearance after the Shadowlands expansion, he's grown a Beard of Sorrow, has a Trauma Button, has internalized his actions during Mind Control as his own, and lost the conviction necessary to wield the light.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • In Mists of Pandaria where he showcases offensive usage of his priestly abilities.
  • His Legion prologue comic shows he was power-leveling while off camera in Warlords. Shortly after becoming King, he subdues a dreadlord with ease and after rejecting its offer to join the Legion, completely incinerates it with the Light.
  • In Battle for Azeroth, not only is he capable of fighting on the frontlines with his army, he's capable of using the light to bring said army back from the brink of death. His mastery in the Light is unrivalled by any single mortal being save for possibly Velen.
• Underestimating Badassery: A long line of Horde Warchiefs, beginning with Garrosh, have all taken it for granted that an Actual Pacifist can't be either an effective wartime leader or a formidable warrior - to their cost.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to be on his way there with Wrathion in 5.2., although it could be subverted, as he expresses that he doesn't trust him.
• What the Hell, Hero?: In Before the Storm, he fiercely reprimands Genn and Rogers for their actions in Stormheim. The fact that he chose only to reprimand them instead of any official or actual punishment is a bit of a sore spot for the Horde leadership.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Anduin turns to unsavory methods during the hunt for Sylvanas in Shadows Rising. He defends Turalyon and Alleria's actions (shackling captives with the light, while using the void to invade their minds) to Jaina. And for a moment, Anduin subconsciously calls on a dark power when contemplating how to interrogate Sira for information on the Banshee Queen. He dismisses the power in an instant, but is left shaken by what he nearly did.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: He was handling diplomatic matters at as young as ten, and his comments sometimes made more sense than that of any of the adults.
• The Wise Prince: Well-intentioned and Wise Beyond His Years, though a tad naive.
• Your Favorite: When Jaina visits Anduin in Shattering to try and cheer him up, Anduin returns the favor by having servants bring some food including apples and cheese (Dalaran Sharp specifically), Jaina's favorite snacks.

Tiffin Wrynn

Queen Tiffin Ellerian Wrynn

Varian's wife and queen of Stormwind. Originally from the small noble family Ellerian, she was arranged to marry Varian from birth. Following the restoration of Stormwind and Varian's ascension to the throne, the two were married and fell in love, eventually leading to Anduin's birth. However, when the Stonemasons Guild were denied their proper payment, they rioted and accidentally killed the queen with a thrown rock.

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• Arranged Marriage: The marriage between her and Varian was arranged from birth.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: By both Varians’ and her servants’ testimony, Tiffin was a kind woman. Anduin allegedly inherited a lot of his qualities from his mother.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: It's heavily implied that the rock that killed her was magically guided by Lady Prestor, leading to a situation that she could take advantage of.
• Missing Mom: She is Anduin's mom, but has been dead since he was a baby, with the comic delving into how she was killed.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: While the marriage between her and Varian was arranged, they ended up falling in love with each other.
• Posthumous Character: By the time she's introduced as a character, she's been dead for several years.

Prominent Commanders

Anduin Lothar

Anduin Lothar

Class: Warrior

"His majesty has an abiding faith in the strength of the people of Azeroth and thickness of the walls of Stormwind. It doesn't hurt that he also has good people who take care of things when he's wrong."

Armsman of the Brotherhood of the Horse, Knight-Champion of Stormwind and last of the Arathi royal bloodline, Anduin Lothar was a close friend of Medivh and King Llane, with whom he in his youth participated in many adventures. During the First War, Lothar led the kingdom's defences valiantly against the Horde. Finding that his old friend Medivh had betrayed the kingdom by letting the Horde into Azeroth in the first place, he led a group into Karazhan, where he and Khadgar were forced to slay Medivh. However, despite his best efforts, the king was eventually assassinated and the orcs proved victorious.

Lothar, assuming command of the homeless people, led them north across the Great Sea to Lordaeron, seeking aid. There he bargained with the other human kings, and under his leadership the Alliance of Lordaeron was founded. Lothar served as Supreme Commander of the Alliance forces throughout the Second War. Though he laid the groundwork for their triumph, Lothar did not live to see the ultimate victory of the Alliance. He perished during the final siege of Blackrock Spire, the largest orc fortress in Azeroth, in a fierce duel against the Horde's Warchief: Orgrim Doomhammer. Despite his death, the Alliance soldiers headed by Turalyon rallied against the Horde and achieved victory. Anduin Lothar is to this day still remembered as one of the greatest heroes of Stormwind and the Alliance.

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• The Ace: Anduin Lothar was not only an exceptionally strong and skilled warrior, he was also a highly charismatic leader able of inspiring and being respected and loved by his whole army, a great tactician and strategist who made of the kingdom of Stormwind a formidable obstacle for the Horde and successfully led the armies of the Alliance of Lordaeron against the Horde, even if he didn't live long enough to see the triumph of the Alliance and retaking of his homeland.
• Animal Motifs: Famed as the Lion of Azeroth for his battlefield heroics combined with wearing lion imagery into battle.
• Badass Cape: He always wears a long flowing cape in artwork, but it really got an upgrade with his artwork in the trading card game.
• Badass in Distress: While likely no longer canon, one mission in the first Warcraft game has him held captive in the Deadmines until rescued by the player.
• Badass Normal: He's renowned as the greatest human warrior of his time and proves to be an unstoppable force once he draws his sword; only Doomhammer and Medivh really gave him pause.
• BFS: The Great Royal Sword was a massive greatsword that he wielded with one hand.
• Big Good: For the Alliance in Warcraft II.
• Bling of War: His armor's actually pretty standard in the earlier games, but it got a serious upgrade in the trading card game artwork.
• Childhood Friend: He grew up with Llane and Medivh and the three were inseparable companions in their youth.
• Cool Old Guy: A very capable commander and a mighty warrior, despite his old age.
• Cool Sword: The Great Royal Sword was a massive, gem-encrusted greatsword with runic engravings.
• Famed In-Story: The Alliance remembers him as one of their greatest heroes following his death.
• Four-Star Badass: Led Stormwind's armies during the First War and was the Supreme Commander of the Alliance forces during the Second War, joining the battles himself in both.
• Friend to All Children: Notably arrives in Southshore with the other Stormwind refugees carrying two small children in his arms and surrounded by a large number of other children, presumably orphans.
• Frontline General: Always led his armies personally and the novels depict him often joining the melee as the first.
• Genius Bruiser: Greatest human warrior of his time and a great strategist, to the point where he's even written books about the subject matter.
• Gentle Giant: Noted to be pretty big for a human, but he is also shown to be a kind and compassionate man.
• Good Is Not Soft: Honorable and decent, but well aware that a commander cannot be beholden to Honor Before Reason.
• Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Llane Wrynn and Medivh with who he had been best friend since childhood though unlike Llane he didn't blind himself to the truth when Khadgar revealed Medivh's treachery to him. He was also great friend with Daelin Proudmoore.
• Heroic Lineage: Last descendant of King Thoradin of Arathor, the first to unite humanity under one nation.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Gains a close friendship with the young mage Khadgar, though to the outside observer they'd look to be of the same age.
• Killed Off for Real: Dies rather realistically from taking a hammer blow to his helmeted head during the Second War.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Renowned as Stormwind's greatest knight and champion. He is well-remembered past his death by Alliance veterans as the most selfless man they ever knew.
• Knightly Sword and Shield: Stormwind's most famous and heroic knight was a master of the sword and shield.
• Large and in Charge: In charge of Stormwind's defense and noted in the novels to be as large and strong as most orcs.
• Last of His Kind: He was the last of the Arathi royal bloodline.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Wielded a lion-faced shield into battle, which is part of the reason he became known as the Lion of Azeroth.
• Master Swordsman: Renowned as the greatest human warrior of his time and wielded a massive greatsword in one hand with great skill.
• The Mentor: Takes Turalyon under his wing as his second-in-command, teaching him how to lead the Alliance forces. His death is also the catalyst which causes Turalyon to fully tap into his potential as a paladin.
• Mentor Occupational Hazard: Served a sort of mentor role to Turalyon and inevitably ends up dying in battle, leading to the young paladin taking a level in badass as result.
• Mounted Combat: Being a knight he primarily fights on horseback.
• Named Weapons: The greatsword he wields is known as the Great Royal Sword.
• Old Soldier: Was 55 years old by the time of the Second War, which is considered to be an old age in medieval era, enforced by the fact that he had lost his hair and that his beard had become white. This didn't stop him from still being a phenomenal fighter and general.
• One-Handed Zweihänder: Wielded his massive greatsword in one hand in conjunction with his shield.
• Pimped-Out Cape: The cape he wore received a visual upgrade into being one with his new artwork. Just look at it!
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: Supreme Commander of the Alliance during the Second War and evidently the one with the greatest martial skill, as shown prominently in the novels.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Lothar's quick to believe and trust in Khadgar regarding Medivh's betrayal. He also makes moves to kill his old friend even when King Llane still believes Medivh to be on their side. After the fall of Stormwind he also travels north to Lordaeron and rallies the other human kingdoms into forming the Alliance.
• Red Baron: Named the Lion of Azeroth for his heroic deeds and the lion imagery he wore into battle.
• Retcon: His death. Initially in Warcraft II he approached Blackrock Spire to parley with the orcs, but was subsequently ambushed and slain. This was retconned in later sources; making it so that Lothar and Doomhammer sought each other out on the battlefield and fought against each in an honourable duel in which Doomhammer slew Lothar.
• Rightful King Returns: Subverted. The other human kings suspect him of wanting to reform the Empire of Arathor when he tries to form the Alliance, but they're quickly proven wrong as he has no such intentions.
• Royal Blood: The human kings would not let each other take military control of the Alliance, but Lothar not only had Arathi ancestry that made him an equal to the kings, he also wasn't the ruler of a kingdom himself, making him the ideal person they could leave their military forces to.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Not above disobeying his king's order to do what he believes is the best course of action, such as leading a group into Karazhan to stop the traitorous Medivh, whom King Llane had otherwise believed to still be a friend and ally.
• Shoulders of Doom: Like Bling of War, his pauldrons were not initially depicted as particularly oversized in artwork, but with the trading card game he's been given a pair of huge and very impressive-looking pauldrons.
• Shout-Out: "Anduin" is the name of the Great River in The Lord of the Rings.
• The Strategist: While most of his strategizing is off-screen, he was responsible for organizing the armies of Stormwind and the Alliance against the orcs, and also wrote books on the subject matter, one of which could be acquired in World of Warcraft.Chronicle reveals most of the tactics and strategy and tactics he used against the Horde in the First War and show that despite limited resources and the lack of reinforcements from the other human kingdoms he managed to beat the orcs multiple times and to make Stormwind a formidable opponent for them despite their overwhelming numbers, inflicting them their first real defeat during the first siege of Stormwind and set a trap that could have killed Blackhand if not for the presence of two orcs warlocks that forced him to withdraw.
• Supporting Leader: While he served as leader of Stormwind and the Alliance's military forces in the two great wars, most of the focus was on Khadgar and Turalyon, leaving him mainly a secondary character as he fought on separate fronts. In the games he only appears twice, but is shown giving you orders through the mission briefings in the second game.
• Worf Had the Flu: Despite his old age he was able of giving an epic battle to Ogrim Doomhammer, had he been in his physical prime he would most likely have been able of beating the warchief without too much difficulty.
• Wrecked Weapon: The Great Royal Sword was broken during his duel with Doomhammer in an attempt to block the Warchief's downward hammer-swing. Being the badass he was, he still managed to use the broken blade to cut open Doomhammer's chest right after receiving the latter's hammer to his head.

Bolvar Fordragon

Bolvar Fordragon

Class: Paladin

Voiced by: Carlos Larkin (English), Yuri Derkach (Russian)

"It is a tragedy. I think... I believe that our kind is cursed. We are cursed to lose our greatest warriors; our most noble heroes; our most gifted scholars."

Highlord of Stormwind and friend of King Varian Wrynn. During the time of Varian's absence, Prince Anduin was formally crowned as king while Bolvar ruled as regent for the young prince. Upon Varian's return, Bolvar was named the commander of the Alliance forces sent to take the battle to the Scourge in Northrend: The Valiance Expedition. Under his leadership, the Valiance Expedition, together with the Horde forces, made its way to Angrathar: The Wrathgate.

During the Battle of Angrathar, the Alliance, Horde and Scourge forces were all ambushed by the rebel Forsaken under the command of Grand Apothecary Putress, raining the Forsaken's new plague down upon all combatants. Bolvar, caught in the plague, was presumed killed. However, it turns out that Bolvar survived, but was severely scarred by the dragons' flames and subsequently tortured endlessly by the Lich King, so as to be converted into his champion. Bolvar resisted until the end, and after the death of the Lich King, he convinced Tirion Fordring to pick up the Helm of Domination and crown him as the new Lich King, keeping the Scourge in check without anyone else knowing.

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See Knights of the Ebon Blade for information on him.

Halford Wyrmbane

High Commander Halford Wyrmbane

Class: Paladin

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore (English), Peter Tobilevich (Russian)

"Through the valleys and peaks of Mount Hyjal, across the shifting sands of Silithus, against the Legion's dread armies — we have fought. We are the nameless, faceless, sons and daughters of the Alliance. By the Light and by the might of the Alliance, the first strike belongs to us and the last strike is all that our enemies see."

High Commander of the 7th Legion, the most prestigious unit in all of the Alliance. Halford Wyrmbane has fought in dozens of campaigns and first shows up in Wintergarde in Northrend. He later organizes Alliance efforts in retaking Gilneas, repelling the Forsaken forces from the city. In Battle for Azeroth, he is in charge of the Alliance war campaign on Zandalar.

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• BFS: Starting with Legion, he wields a large greatsword similar to Admiral Taylor's Greatsword, featuring a large thick blade decorated with blue gems.
• Bling of War: His original armor from the Sunwell raid was fairly ornate with gold decorations, but relatively down to earth. In Battle for Azeroth his armor is heavily decorated with wings and colored in bright blue and gold.
• Cool Helmet: Starts out in Wrath of the Lich King with an ornate full-face helmet from the Sunwell raid. In Battle for Azeroth he changes to a blue and gold helmet with wings.
• Cool Sword: In Legion he upgrades from a standard greatsword to a larger greatsword with a thick blade and decorated with blue gems.
• Defiant to the End: In the Horrific Vision of Stormwind, he is a prisoner being tortured into forsaking the light and joining the void, which he flatly refuses. After Inquisitor Darkspeak is killed, Wyrmbane's dying words are an order to kill Slavemaster Ul'rok and free the other captives.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • During the hunt for a high ranking Reliquary leader in the Alliance War Campaign, he admits that he feels uneasy about attacking and slaughtering what are essentially simple archaeologists, but rightly points out that it is a necessary evil, as the Reliquary's findings and funds could have a disastrous affect on the war effort.
  • Later in the campaign, he regrets that the entirety of a Zandalari ship must be slaughtered to prevent them from alerting the Zandalari fleet to the Alliance's presence in Zandalar.
• The Faceless: All his appearances until Battle for Azeroth has his face covered by his helmet.
• Four-Star Badass: High-Commander of the prestigious 7th Legion, experienced veteran, and mighty paladin.
• Frontline General: While he doesn't always fight himself, he is very often personally present at the battles of the 7th Legion.
• Kick the Dog: In the BFA world quest, "Silence the Speakers", Halford contracts the Alliance player to assassinate unarmed troll ambassadors in Dazar'alor as part of a ploy to make Zandalar feel unsafe. While the required speakers are non-specific, the player can choose to kill the Dark Troll ambassador, who is the Last Of Her Kind.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!": High Commander of the 7th Legion... and Turalyon's number 1 fanboy.
• Old Soldier: Halford is a veteran of the Alliance who has served at least since the Second War and has been present at many battles since then.
• The Paladin: He has always worn Paladin-type gear, but Battle for Azeroth confirms he is one.
• Rhetorical Question Blunder: In Battle For Azeroth, Halford asks Shaw what will be left for him once the current war is over. Shaw casually replies, "The next war. And the one after."
• The Strategist: Despite being a paladin, Halford has a strategic mindset, and is most often seen making battle plans to secure victory for the Alliance.

Turalyon

Turalyon

High Exarch, Lord Commander

Race: Lightforged Human

Class: Paladin (former Priest)

Voiced by: Travis Willingham (English/World of Warcraft), Vadim Medvedev (Russian/World of Warcraft)

"The Light, yes. But we should let it guide us, not command us. We also have our own minds and hearts. We should make use of those as well."

One of the founding members of the Order of the Silver Hand and so the first paladins of Azeroth, Turalyon was Lothar's protégé, and served as his second-in-command through the Second War. While fighting the orcs, Turalyon nonetheless struggled to reconcile them with his religious beliefs; how could the Light be all-embracing and all people essentially good while the evil of the orcish Horde existed? By the end of the Second War he finally resolved these doubts and rallied the Alliance to victory against the Horde after Lothar's death.

He later on led the Alliance Expedition into Draenor, the orc homeworld, after the Dark Portal had been reopened. There Turalyon helped to save Azeroth from destruction again, though he was thought lost when Draenor was destroyed. He was discovered to have survived the destruction in The Burning Crusade, but went missing a long time ago. While not present himself in the game, his son by Alleria, a half-elf paladin named Arator the Redeemer, can be found in the remnants of Draenor now known as Outland.

He was presumed dead for years until the events of Legion. There it was revealed Turalyon and Alleria had joined the Army of the Light to battle the Burning Legion within the Twisting Nether itself. Eventually the Armies of Legionfall join the Army of the Light to make the last push against the Legion on Argus itself. Since that battle, Turalyon and Alleria rejoined the Alliance formally, bringing the Lightforged Draenei and Void Elves into the fold. Since Battle for Azeroth, Turalyon was named Lord Commander of the Alliance forces.

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• All-Loving Hero: Incredibly forgiving, open-minded, and befriends nearly everyone he comes into contact with. His innocence and understanding personality allow him to see through people for who they truly are. An example would be his friendship with Khadgar, as wizards were often discriminated against by Holy Orders.
• Amazon Chaser: Fell for Alleria Windrunner both for her beauty and for her strength.
• Anti-Hero: Since his reappearance on Argus, while still overall a good guy, his methods have become much more ruthless.
• Badass Preacher: Was a priest before becoming a paladin, though ironically a lot less zealous than his brethren, most of whom were knights prior to becoming paladins.
• Bash Brothers: Turalyon and Khadgar fought this way in the Second War and later fought side by side during the Invasion of Draenor.

• Beware the Nice Ones: He prefers to help people in need, build, cure and chat with orphans than smashing orc skulls. Not that he is incompetent in the latter.
• Bling of War: His reappearance on Argus comes with a very impressive set of plate armor, decorated with golden lines and crystals of the Light resembling those of the Naaru.
• Blue Blood: Turalyon comes from a family of Lordaeron nobles.
• The Bus Came Back: He and Alleria finally return in the expansion Legion after decades of absence, with Turalyon appearing early in a message, before they make their full reappearance during the invasion of Argus.
• Call-Back: When he is fought in Stormwind as a human racial leader, some of his abilities (Seal of Righteousness, Seal of the Crusader, and the way Judgment's effect changes depending on active seal) are callbacks to how the paladin class fought all the way back in Classic/The Burning Crusade.
• Cool Sword: Turalyon picks up Lothar's broken greatsword after his death and since his disappearance he has reforged the broken part of the blade with what appears to be crystallized Light, making an already impressive weapon even cooler.
• Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Looks an awful lot◊ like Clint Eastwood.
• Demon Slaying: Hunted demons of the Burning Legion across the stars for a millennium.
• Dork Knight: At the beginning of the Second War Turalyon is very insecure and dorky, though later he grows out of it.
• Dual Wielding: Picks up Lothar's broken sword during the Battle of Blackrock Spire and dual wields it in conjunction with his hammer when he fights the remnants of the Horde at the Dark Portal.
• Everyone Has Standards: He has some racism against the orcs, but he's disturbed by those who are obsessed with revenge against them, such as Alleria and an orphan boy. In the former case, it's particularly out of fear that Alleria will ultimately get herself killed in her reckless crusade against them.
• Fantastic Racism: During the Second War he underwent a crisis of faith as he struggled to reconcile how the Light, which is innately benevolent, can reside in all things yet the orcs are Always Chaotic Evil. And his epiphany that allows him to fight at his full potential is not him realizing he is mistaken about the orcs but instead falsely believing that because they're not from Azeroth, they're not part of the Holy Light.
  • Very briefly towards the Forsaken in Before the Storm, as he considers their existence to be a blaspheme. He eventually grows out of it with the help of his old mentor, who became one of the Forsaken during Turalyon's long absence.
• Foreign Culture Fetish: Turalyon is notably enamored with draenei culture. This is justified in that he spent a thousand years of Nether-time fighting side by side with the draenei's finest warriors.
• Four-Star Badass: Being a general of Alliance forces does not diminish his asskicking abilities.
• Frontline General: Following Lothar's example, Turalyon leads from the front and can often be found in the thick of the fighting.
• Glowing Eyes: Like other paladins in Warcraft II, his eyes glowed with a golden light.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: He and Alleria fall into this routine in Shadows Rising. Turalyon asks the questions and does most of the talking. When that fails, Alleria goes bad.
• Good Powers, Bad People: Discussed. In Shadows Rising he uses the Light to restrain prisoners while Alleria uses the Void to invade their minds for information. Jaina's distaste for this tactic is partially rooted in how Turalyon is using the usually benevolent Light magic to assist in what is essentially torture. Though he had already used it to interrogate a Death Knight in Beyond the Dark Portal.
• Healing Hands: As a paladin he's capable of healing his fellow soldiers.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Turalyon is mentioned as wearing a helm during the Second War in the novels (though artwork of that time period does not reflect that), but he later does not wear one with his new set of armor on Argus.
• The Hero Dies: Killed by his own wife in the Vision of Stormwind.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite being quite capable for one as young as himself he is quite hard on himself, though he eventually grows out of it.
• Holy Hand Grenade: Highly capable of destroying unholy beings with the Light's power.
• Humans are Leaders: The only human member of the Army of the Light, as well as a central leader of the organization. Turalyon was also provided the impetus to form the Alliance of Lordaeron during the Second War — not quite an example of this trope yet since it was just Humans then, but they would later be joined by the Dwarves, Gnomes, and High Elves.
• Ideal Hero: Turalyon is unfailingly moral.
• In a Single Bound: Like his son Arator, after his return he is often seen leaping across great distances carried by wings of Light.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: There are moments of Heroic Self-Deprecation and internal reflection that reveal he takes his mistakes very hard, blames himself often, and generally regards his own life as less important than that of those around him.
• Inter Species Romance: With Alleria Windrunner.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Even though he doesn't like it, Turalyon is willing to use the Light's power to get information from those interrogated.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Young, heroic, and selfless to a fault.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Knight of the Silver Hand, General of the Alliance... and Lothar's number 1 fanboy.
• Large and in Charge: Before the Storm describes him as large and powerful when he straightens to his full height.
• Last of His Kind: As of Legion, Turalyon is the only surviving of the first five Knights of the Silver Hand that were handpicked by Alonsus Faol^note Uther and Gavrinrad — Killed by Arthas; Dathrohan — Killed by Balnazzar; Tirion — Killed after being tortured by the Legion..
• Light 'em Up: While his powers were initially limited because of his faith, he proves to be a very powerful Light-wielder after resolving his doubts, to the point where orcs were blinded by the light permeating from him.
• Light Is Good: Firmly believed this; sometimes to his detriment. He believed it so much that he couldn't fathom the idea that anything "light based" could be evil. Though later in Before the Storm he admitted to Anduin there was much he had been wrong about.
• Living Legend: He is explicitly described as such in Shadows Rising.
• Locked Out of the Loop: He had no idea that the naaru are capable of losing their light and becoming dark naaru, even after spending one thousand years with the Army of the Light. Velen theorizes that Xe'ra had intentionally kept this information from him and the rest of the Army of the Light.
• Love Martyr: Nothing Alleria does can stop him from loving her. She has been a source of inspiration, strength and weakness all at once. When it comes to her, he is ready and willing to throw away and ignore every other belief and value in his life.
• Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: During the Second War, he wielded a shield together with his hammer.
• Magic Knight: As a paladin he handles himself pretty well with both his hammer and the Light.
• Manly Tears: He weeps openly whenever there's something to justify it.
• Mighty Whitey: During his long absence Turalyon becomes the leader of the Army of the Light, almost entirely made up of Draenei. While Turalyon doesn't strike up a romance with any of the Army's Draenic women, his still carries out the trope of an exotic wife in his High Elven lover Alleria.
• Mounted Combat: During the Second War, he always rides a horse into battle.
• Never Found the Body: After Draenor's destruction.
• Nice Guy: Easily the nicest and most immediately personable paladin.
• Number Two: Served as Lothar's second-in-command during the Second War.
• Opposites Attract: With Alleria Windrunner.
• Out of Focus: Despite returning in Legion, Turalyon spends most of the subsequent expansions behind the scenes.
• The Paladin: Among the first on Azeroth, though he carried a lot more doubt in his faith than his fellow paladins at the time.
• Perma-Stubble: Showing off his age and ruggedness when he reappears on Argus, Turalyon's face is covered in grey stubble.
• Power Gives You Wings: Like most paladins Turalyon gains golden wings when he powers up with the Light to fight powerful enemies.
• Player Character: Turalyon is later established as the player in the Alliance campaign of Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal.
• Put on a Bus: He and Alleria vanish after the events of Beyond the Dark Portal, and don't return even after the other Sons of Lothar reappear in Burning Crusade. Their disappearance was so well known and joked about it appeared on the loading screen tips for years. See The Bus Came Back above.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: High General of the Alliance army following Lothar's death and one of Azeroth's most powerful paladins, and later High Exarch of the Army of the Light and Lord Commander of the Alliance.
• Really 700 Years Old: Turalyon has lived through a thousand years of Nether-time, a dozen human lifetimes, thanks to being empowered by Xe'ra.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The cool-headed Blue Oni to Alleria's short-tempered Red Oni.
• Rousing Speech: Turalyon is very good at making speeches, as noted by Khadgar, Alleria, and Fareeya.
• Rugged Scar: Turalyon's return on Argus comes with a few facial scars, showing that he has been busy fighting ever since he disappeared.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: After what he saw and experienced during the Second War, Turalyon thought of withdrawing into himself.
  • In Shadows Rising it is implied that Turalyon suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder.
• Shoot the Dog: Reluctantly destroys black dragon eggs to pre-emptively stop a future threat.
• Silver Fox: Turalyon has clearly aged in his absence, with his blond hair having turned grey, but he still remains rather attractive.
• Single-Target Sexuality: Even after a thousand years Alleria is still the only person he truly loves.
• Sole Survivor: Turalyon's original backstory in Warcraft II had him as the only survivor of Lothar's paladin bodyguards when they were ambushed near Blackrock Mountain.
• Space Marine: Waged war against the Burning Legion across the Twisting Nether in a struggle that spanned a millennium.
• The Strategist: Known for being well versed in strategy and planning.
• Sword Beam: While fighting demons on Argus, he blasts them with a wave of Light from his sword.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: Originally, Turalyon's Paladin abilities were signified by having golden Glowing Eyes in Warcraft II. This was RetConned out in his later appearances.
• Survivor's Guilt: In Warcraft II, as the only survivor of Lothar's bodyguard, he feels immensely guilty over surviving and not being able to save his commander.
• Tautological Templar: Invoked by Anduin on his behalf. He gave Turalyon the authority use whatever means are necessary to find Sylvanas. When Jaina raises concerns about Turalyon's methods to Anduin, he defends the actions by stating that as Turalyon's honor is impeccable, if he felt extreme measures were necessary then they were.
• Took a Level in Badass: He was a competent commander and a good fighter before Lothar's death, but the experience not only grants him full access to his holy powers, it also turns him into more of a badass. His time in the Army of Light with him having been infused with the Light and fought the Burning Legion for a millennia has only made him an even more formidable fighter.
• Touched by Vorlons: Was infused with the Light by Xe'ra.
• True Companions: With Khadgar and Alleria throughout the Second War.
• Understanding Boyfriend: He never really pressures Alleria into renouncing the Void and completely trusts her to make her own decisions.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Is this during the hunt for Sylvanas in Shadows Rising due to shackling others with the Light so that Alleria can invade their minds with the Void.
• Worthy Opponent: In Battle for Azeroth, he seems to have this dynamic with Lady Liadrin alongside Danath, treating her with courtesy and respect, albeit with some banter, even as he makes it clear that he has every intention of defending Stromgarde from her.
• Wrecked Weapon: In battle he still carries Lothar's sword that was broken by Orgrim Doomhammer, never choosing to reforge it... until we see him on Argus, where the missing part of the blade is replaced by golden Hard Light. With his space marine theme, it is essentially a Laser Blade.
• Voice of the Legion: Like all other paladins in Warcraft II Turalyon had an echoing voice.
• You Are in Command Now: After Lothar's death in the Second War. After Battle for Azeroth, Anduin names him the new Highlord of the Alliance. When Sylvanas kidnaps Anduin in Shadowlands, Turalyon serves as the Regent over Stormwind in his absence. He remains this way even after the timeskip leading into Dragonflight, as Anduin is still Walking the Earth
• You Remind Me of X: Just before the Siege of Blackrock Spire Turalyon is told by Lothar how he reminds him of Llane Wrynn, who was Lothar's best friend.

Notable Stormwind Soldiers

Catherine Rogers

Catherine Rogers

Voiced by: Valerie Arem (English), Olga Zubkova (Russian)

"Victory in battle is the only path to peace."

Sky Admiral Rogers is the captain of the powerful gunship known as the Skyfire, which was previously used to help bring down Deathwing. She grew up in Southshore, which was eventually destroyed by the Forsaken. As a result of this and several previous acts of aggression by the Horde, Roger carries a grudge against all of the Horde races.

She first appears in Mists of Pandaria where she leads the initial rescue mission to find Admiral Taylor and the missing Prince Anduin. After Admiral Taylor is found on the newly discovered Pandaria, she is ordered back to escort the main fleet until it arrives there. Once in Pandaria again, the Skyfire engages in battle against the Horde's Domination Point.

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• Cool Ship: The Skyfire is one of the most premier Alliance gunships, having survived several dangerous encounters and emerged victorious. Unfortunately it eventually crashes in Stormheim after being sabotaged during a battle with the Forsaken.
• The Extremist Was Right: Sylvanas truly was up to no good in Stormheim.
• Dual Wielding: Carries a rapier and dagger as her weapons in Legion.
• Fantastic Racism: She's not fond of the Horde races, for very understandable reasons.
• Frontline General: As she has to command the Skyfire she doesn't fight much herself, but she is still personally present at the frontlines of battle atop her gunship.
• Hat of Authority: Wears a neat admiral's hat to go with her status.
• Karma Houdini: Neither she nor Greymane were ever punished by Anduin for attacking Sylvanas in Stormheim during an ongoing Legion invasion, which led to several Alliance casualties, including the loss of one of their most powerful airships. Come Battle for Azeroth, word of this has reached the Horde, who are obviously unimpressed.
• Kick the Dog: See Sink the Lifeboats below.
• Revenge Before Reason: She leads the Skyfire on an attack on the Forsaken fleet in Stormheim. Not only is this during the Burning Legion's invasion of Azeroth, the Forsaken Fleet is considerably larger than her force to the point that Nathanos Blightcaller questions her and Greymane's sanity. While the attack decimates the Forsaken fleet and limits Sylvanas' resources in the hunt for more Val'kyr, it unfortunately also gets the Skyfire destroyed and a lot of her men killed or injured.
• Rousing Speech: Inspires her soldiers to battle against the Horde forces in Pandaria, establishing that it's indeed payback time after Cataclysm.
  Rogers: Men, you've trained for this. You're among the elite. You are Skyfire men! This is the ship that took down Deathwing. You think some raggedy little Horde outpost stands a chance against the pride of the Alliance fleet? NO! Those green dirtbags down there plagued your homes in Southshore, laid siege to your children in Redridge, and massacred every man, woman and child in Theramore. It. Is. PAYBACK TIME!
• Sink the Lifeboats: A variant. She orders her men to massacre unarmed orcs trying to swim to shore after their ships were destroyed. It's bad enough to briefly drive Rell Nightwind into Sha corruption.
• Tragic Bigot: The destruction caused by the Horde over the years and the plaguing of her hometown Southshore (and the ensuing death of her family there) has caused her to fiercely hate and despise the Horde races.

Gryan Stoutmantle

Gryan Stoutmantle

Class: Paladin

"The war in Northrend took its toll on us as a people. While we were victorious in the frozen wastes, our own land fell into disarray."

Gryan Stoutmantle is the leader of the People's Militia in Westfall, which would later become known as the Westfall Brigade. As a Knight of the Silver Hand, he was in Lordaeron during the Third War and fought the Scourge there. When he returned home to Westfall, he found the region abandoned by the kingdom and ravaged by the Defias, and formed the People's Militia in response. Thanks to the help of Alliance adventurers, the leader of the Defias was revealed as Edwin VanCleef. He then sent adventurers to slay VanCleef, freeing Westfall from the Defias.

He later led the Westfall Brigade in the Grizzly Hills during the war in Northrend, having been promoted to Captain. After the war in Northrend, he was promoted to Marshal and returned home to once again find Westfall in chaos, struggling with a revived Defias Brotherhood led by Vanessa VanCleef, Edwin's daughter seeking to avenge him. While the Vanessa and the Defias reveal themselves by taking over Sentinel Hill, he managed to retake it with the help of Alliance adventurers, who would then go on to defeat the revived Defias in the Deadmines. In the pre-expansion event of Legion, he leads Westfall's defense against the demon invasion.

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• Bling of War: Most of his armor is actually pretty standard and plain, but upon his promotion in Northrend he gained a big pair of golden pauldrons, one shaped like an eagle. His brief appearance in the Paladin order hall sees him gain a new fancy set of armour, using a silver recolored version of the Mists of Pandaria challenge armor.
• Cool Horse: The Legion invasion of Westfall shows him riding the golden-armored paladin charger into battle.
• Cool Old Guy: An old man who saw a land left to its fate and decided to step in by organizing efforts to save it.
• Four-Star Badass: Promoted to Marshal after the war in Northrend and takes an active part in defending Westfall against the demon invasion in Legion.
• Knight in Shining Armor: A Knight of the Silver Hand devoted to helping the common people against bandits when their leaders would not.
• Old Soldier: Stoutmantle is a veteran paladin, having served in the Third War and the war in Northrend, and continues to be an active soldier.
• The Paladin: He is first named as a paladin by Wiley the Black in Lakeshire.
• Rank Up: It is unknown what military rank he had prior to leading the People's Militia, but his efforts see him promoted first to Captain and then later to Marshal.
• Shoulders of Doom: His initial pauldrons were big, but reasonable by Warcraft standards. Then he gained a huge pair of golden pauldrons in Northrend after his promotion.

John J. Keeshan

John J. Keeshan

Class: Hunter

Corporal John J. Keeshan is a famed soldier of the Stormwind military and a veteran of all three great wars. He is first encountered as a captive of the Blackrock orcs in Redridge, but is rescued by the player.

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• Ascended Extra: He was originally a minor NPC that the player had to escort to safety in classic. In Cataclysm, he is turned into a Rambo clone and plays a major role in Redridge and Burning Steppes.
• Blade Enthusiast : He is very fond of daggers and bonds with Kelsey Steelspark over their knife collections.
• Characterization Marches On: The original Corporal Keeshan in classic had very little in the way of a personality and there was no indication he was a famous war veteran. In Cataclysm, he was upgraded to a war hero and a parody of Rambo.
• Escort Mission: His original role in classic was basically to be escorted out of the Blackrock cave in Redridge.
• Expy: In Cataclysm he is turned into a parody of Rambo.
• Old Soldier: He is a famed veteran of the First, Second, and Third Great War.
• Unexplained Recovery: He seemingly dies at the end of the Redridge questing experience only to show up alive with no explanation in Burning Steppes.
• Walking Armory: In Battle for Azeroth he carries multiple weapons, including two large swords, a pair of daggers, a bow, and a very large rifle.

Mathias Shaw

Mathias Shaw

Class: Rogue

Voiced by: John Behlmann (English), Alexander Gavrilin (Russian)

"Word of your deeds has spread far and wide, rogue. So far, in fact, that Stormwind Intelligence has asked for you by name."

Master Mathias Shaw is the leader of the Alliance intelligence agency organisation known as SI:7, coordinating operations and missions from the agency's base of operations in the Old Town district of Stormwind City. During the events of the Cataclysm, he was sighted in the Twilight Highlands, where he was involved in the discovery of the secret weapon commissioned by Deathwing for the Twilight's Hammer Clan to forge.

Later, in Legion, Mathias seemed to take a massive level in Jerkass, generally obfuscating the effort to fight the Legion in any way he can, up to and including ordering his own agents killed. During the Rogue campaign, it’s revealed that this so-called Mathias Shaw is actually a demon that captured the real Shaw at the Broken Shore, and had been pretending to be him ever since, explaining his treachery. After the player rescues him and defeats the demon, he resumes his position as Spymaster and begins assisting the player directly. In the Alliance outro cinematic, Shaw is the one that informs King Anduin about Azerite, setting the stage for another conflict between the Horde and Alliance.

In the war that ensues and kicks off Battle For Azeroth, Shaw continues to play a large part in the plot, befitting his position as the Alliance’s Spymaster. Notably, the action brings him into contact with Lovable Rogue Flynn Fairwind, and while the two lightly clash due to their differing personalities, the end of the expansion sees Shaw admitting there’s someone he would like to get to know better…

He reunites with Flynn during the events of the novel Shadows Rising, where they work to uncover the roots of an assassination plot against Queen Talanji and Shaw ends up captured by the Horde for his trouble. The time in a Dazar’alor cell reveals that Beneath the Mask, Shaw’s time as Spymaster has left him bitter and alone, and strengthens his resolve to talk to Flynn, which he’s finally able to do after being released. He and Flynn return, now a couple, in the Terror By Torchlight short story and Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms art book, having been tasked by King Anduin to explore the Eastern Kingdoms.

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• Age-Gap Romance: Potentially. Flynn Fairwind’s age is never stated, but we know he had a crush on Taelia Fordragon, who is probably around the same age as, if not younger than, the daughter of Mathias’ childhood friend Edwin VanCleef. So unless Flynn was creeping on a girl young enough to be his daughter, it’s probable that Mathias is significantly older than him.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Showed up as a Rogue quest giver during Classic, but had a slightly expanded role in Cataclysm, where he helps lead Alliance efforts in the Twilight Highlands.
  • In Legion, he drives some some of the Rogue Class Hall campaign as an antagonist, when a dead SI:7 agent is discovered at the doorstep of the Hall of Shadows, with a conspiracy behind it. He also heavily obstructs the player while they follow the quest line to get the Assassination Artifact. It is later revealed that before the events of the Broken Shore, he and his agents were ambushed by a Dreadlord, who then proceeded to impersonate him to take control of SI:7, explaining his treachery.
  • He shows up in the Alliance outro cinematic for Legion, having discovered Gallywix's goblins mining the Azerite in Silithus and making Anduin aware of the new, powerful mineral. This begins the plot hook that leads into Battle for Azeroth, where he continues to play a major part in the plot as The Spymaster.
  • He plays a big part in the novel Shadows Rising, and graduates to main character in the Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms art book.
• Badass in Distress: He’s kidnapped in Legion, and the player is required to rescue him.
• Badass Normal: Handles himself pretty well in combat against the monsters of the Twilight's Hammer.
• Battle Couple: With Flynn Fairwind, after their Relationship Upgrade.
• Beneath the Mask: Shadows Rising reveals that Shaw has felt deeply alone and embittered in his position as the Alliance's head Spymaster for a long time. It's that abiding loneliness that culminates him falling in love with the irreverent Flynn Fairwind to the point of day-dreaming about running off with the other man.
• Being Watched: Specifically, he's watching you. Those forged documents you brought him? He's not buying it.
  Mathias: [eyeing you suspiciously] This is a dangerous game you play... take your gold for now, but know that I'm watching you.
• Bling of War: While his original outfit is rather plain, the gear he wears from Cataclysm onwards is very fancy, featuring blue and gold and a massive pair of shoulders, though he is not hampered a bit by it.
• Capture and Replicate: Just before the battle at the Broken Shore, SI:7 discovered that there was a trap set by the Burning Legion. Before they could warn the Alliance and Horde, the dreadlord Detheroc ambushed the SI:7 agents and captured Shaw before impersonating him.
• Defrosting Ice King: Mathias isn’t exactly cold, but he is a spy, so he finds it immensely hard to trust people, especially considering he’s been married to his job for years. His relationship with Flynn is proceeded slowly but surely, and luckily Flynn is willing to be patient with him.
• Dual Wielding: Fights with a pair of golden daggers.
• Irony: What was one of Detheroc’s goals when he captured and replaced Shaw? Instigating conflict between the Horde and Alliance in order to distract them from the world-ending threat of the Legion. What happens when the real Shaw delivers news about Azerite and the Horde mining it to King Anduin? It instigates conflict between the Horde and Alliance, distracting them from a world-ending threat.
• The Name Is Bond, James Bond: One of his recorded voice lines when clicked on is, "It's Shaw. Mathias Shaw." Goes nicely with his general vibe.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: The leader of SI:7, and although he doesn't often go out in the field, when he does, he gets work done.
• Rhetorical Question Blunder: On the receiving end. Halford asks Shaw what will be left for him once the current war is over. Shaw casually replies, "The next war. And the one after."
• Shoulders of Doom: Going along with the Bling of War gear he wears from Cataclysm onwards, his pauldrons are huge and bulky.
• Ship Tease: Many players interpreted his snark with Flynn Fairwind in various quests, mainly infiltrating the Zandalari treasury, as this. Later still, he has a conversation with Valeera Sanguinar where he admits he has feelings for an unknown someone, but wants to take it slowly, and she gently encourages him to go for it; possibly because people legitimately could not believe that that Blizzard would actually be hinting at a gay romance, this led to speculation that Mathias was obliquely referring to Valeera herself. However, it was revealed that Mathias was, indeed, talking about Flynn, and they get a Relationship Upgrade in the novel Shadows Rising, sinking the potential Valeera ship.
• Small Role, Big Impact: The Rogue Class Hall campaign reveals that hours before the events of the Broken Shore, he and his agents were there, and they realized the whole thing was a death trap — but before he could warn the Alliance and Horde ships to turn back, he was ambushed by a Dreadlord, who then proceeded to impersonate him to take control of SI:7. Had this not happened, it's quite likely that the combined forces of the Alliance and Horde wouldn't have suffered the losses they did.
• The Spymaster: As the leader of Stormwind's intelligence agency, he organizes the many spies and informers they have at their disposal.
• Stealth Expert: He's able to sneak unnoticed all the way into the Twilight's Hammer main base in the Highlands.
• Straight Gay: He enters into a relationship with Flynn Fairwind in the Shadows Rising novel, and unlike Flynn, he has never shown any attraction to anyone else.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: In Legion, he's very brash and racist to Garona during the Kingsbane (Assassination Rogue) Artifact questline, despite the fact that she and the player are just trying to stop cultists from doing a ritual to summon demons into Stormwind. Later, he does some very questionable actions such as trying to infiltrate the Hall of Shadows (the Rogue Class Hall) and allowing a group of pirates a free pardon for their crimes in Stormwind in exchange for trying to kill one of his own agents. Ultimately subverted, as once the campaign goes on long enough it's revealed that the real Mathias was kidnapped by the Legion and a Dreadlord took his place, explaining why he was antagonizing the player and doing things that were bad for the Alliance and Azeroth as a whole.
• Uptight Loves Wild: He’s attracted to Flynn’s fun and flirty personality, though it’s clear he likes the person beneath, too.
• We Used to Be Friends: He was childhood friends with Edwin VanCleef and personally trained him in the ways of shadows and daggers, but while VanCleef set down on a path of revenge towards Stormwind, Shaw continued to serve the kingdom and countered his efforts.
• You Are Better Than You Think You Are: He’s very quick to point out how brave and capable he thinks Flynn is, even if Flynn doesn’t see it himself.

Taylor

Taylor

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Jamieson Price (English), Sergey Kutasov (Russian)

"Adversity — our constant companion."

Introduced as Captain Taylor in Cataclysm, he was the commanding officer who led Stormwind's marines into battle against the naga in the resurfaced Vashj'ir. He received a promotion following the events that transpired, making him admiral of the Stormwind navy. In Mists of Pandaria, the disappearance of his ship, which carried the young Prince Anduin aboard it, kickstarts the rescue mission that leads the Alliance to Pandaria.

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• Arch-Enemy: Early on in Mists Of Pandaria, he and General Nazgrim were played up as Arch Rivals. However this was mostly dropped as their storylines diverged from each other entirely.
• And I Must Scream: Ends up being murdered and tortured as a spirit by a necromancer, before being corrupted into a Bone Wraith.
• Badass Cape: Acquires a blue and gold cape to go with his new rank as Admiral, and wears it into battle as well.
• Badass Normal: Handles himself pretty well for a normal human warrior, duking it out with both naga and orcs.
• BFS: Wields a large golden sword in Pandaria, though he replaces it with a cutlass when the Alliance fleet arrives.
• Bling of War: Following his promotion to Admiral he wears some rather fancy golden pauldrons.
• The Cameo: Can be found in Oribos in Shadowlands, lamenting his fate but still happy to see an Alliance behavior.
• The Captain: Initially served as a Captain of the Stormwind marines in Vashj'ir.
• Determinator: Even being turned into an undead spirit in Warlords of Draenor doesn't stop him from protecting his people.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: Dies unceremoniously in a questing area in Draenor, as opposed to his Horde counterpart Nazgrim, who dies as a raid boss in service to his Warchief.
• Fighting Your Friend: When corrupted into a Bone Wraith and forced to attack an Alliance player by a necromancer.
• Four-Star Badass: An Admiral as of Mists of Pandaria and takes an active part in the fighting.
• Frontline General: Both as Captain and as Admiral, Taylor leads from the front, and he's the first to engage the enemy at Serpent's Heart.
• Hat of Authority: Picks up an admiral's hat when the Alliance fleet arrives in Pandaria.
• Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Outside of the diving helm he wears in Vashj'ir, he never wears a helmet to go with his armor.
• Heroic Willpower: Manages to resist being corrupted by a necromancer until the player shows up, who even acknowledges Taylor's spirit.
• Hidden Depths: His time at the Alliance Garrison reveals he knows something of Inscription of all things.
• It Has Been an Honor: Said to an Alliance player, after being freed from being Soulscythe.
  Taylor: From one commander to another... thank you.
  Taylor: We've been through a lot together, haven't we, <name>? Vashj'ir... the Jade Forest. Lion's Landing...
  Taylor: I am truly honored that I could end my journey by your side.
• The Bus Came Back: We learn in Shadowlands that Taylor eventually made it to the afterlife after all.
• The Leader: Of the Five-Man Band sent into Pandaria to find Anduin.
• Rank Up: Promoted from Captain to Admiral between Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria.
• Shoulders of Doom: The armor he wears after his promotion features a pair of big golden pauldrons.
• Worthy Opponent: Declares the Horde Commander as such when you meet in Draenor.

Tyrathan Khort

Tyrathan Khort

Class: Hunter

"Our decision to stay and fight was born out of courage and honor and a sense of family. ... My willingness to die wasn't courageous. And no matter who I am, I don't want to live without courage or honor."

Tyrathan Khort is a human hunter in the Alliance army, but not especially high ranking. He was found by Chen Stormstout after being injured in battle and brought to the Shado-pan Monastery to heal, where the Shado-pan had him care for the recovering Vol'jin so their opposite personalities would achieve balance. Tyrathan is haunted by doubt after losing his scouting squad to a sha attack in the Jade Forest.

Tyrathan's family serve the Vaynst family of Stormwinds nobles, and one of these Vaynsts was Tyrathan's commander in Pandaria. Khort went to lead a squadron of Hunters like him through the forest, presumably sometime during the Battle of Forest Heart, and they were ambushed by Sha. His squadron was decimated, and Tyrathan survived barely by crawling through the forest with a broken leg, feeding off plants he could find until he was discovered by Chen Stormstout and delivered to the Shado-Pan Monastery.

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• Battle Trophy: Hates these with a passion. He refers to soldiers he's served with who take Orc or Troll tusks and other things as trophies. But he thinks it's disgusting to reduce enemies to mere marks.
• Blood Knight: His wife worries that killing comes a little too naturally to him, and he never thought about it before until his stay at the Monastery.
• Boom Head Shot: How he kills trolls, as described under One-Hit Kill below.
• The Cameo: He can be found in Durotar following the Broken Shore, attending Vol'jin's funeral in hiding. If you find him he begs you not to call the guards as he just wishes to respectfully mourn his friend and make clear he wants to follow through his oath of vengeance they made.
• Deuteragonist: Surprisingly, Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde is not only about Vol'jin. Author Michael Stackpole did this on purpose because the first drafts of the book seemed too Horde-oriented.
• Faith–Heel Turn: He doesn't become evil or bad, but he's long since abandoned faith in the Holy Light.
• He Who Fights Monsters: It deeply worries him that killing people never bothered him in the past.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Does a lot of this to himself during the first half of Shadows of the Horde. He doesn't think he can go back and face his family after his failure, and part of him doesn't even want to. He gets better.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: He's able to kill Zandalari trolls from below by shooting arrows through cracks in floorboards.
• The Last Dance: Stands with the Thirty-Three against the Mogu and Zandalari army baring down on the Shado-Pan Monastery.
• Misplaced Accent: Justified. He spent a year in Stranglethorn and adopted a troll mercenary named Keran'dal as his guide. Tyrathan picked up both the Zandali language and a trollish accent from it.
• Odd Friendship: With Vol'jin, Chieftain of the Darkspear Tribe and the new Warchief of the Horde. He admits that if his friendship was ever discovered, he'd be tried and executed for treason.
• One-Hit Kill: Every shot. He spent a lot of time in Stranglethorn Vale hunting trolls, and so he knows exactly how to kill them.
  Tyrathan: With trolls, I draw a line connecting the bottom of the ears, drop it three inches, and split it in half. Easy shot at the spine, and you get the tongue as you're going.
• That Man Is Dead: Believes himself to be much different than he was because of how he got his squadron killed. It made him think, rethink, and overthink about his life, and he opted to change who he was.

Reginald Windsor

Reginald Windsor

Class: Warrior

"All owe debt to the knight who gave his life to reveal the dark secret of Lady Katrana Prestor."

Marshal Reginald Windsor was a knight of Stormwind who discovered that Lady Katrana Prestor, royal councilor to the young King Anduin Wrynn, was in fact the black dragon Onyxia in disguise. Captured by the Dark Iron clan after a battle with the Blackrock orcs, the marshal and his information were lost until he was found in a cell within the Blackrock Depths. Though he had abandoned hope after being captured and losing both his weapon and his information, hope was rekindled when a crumpled note from the Emperor of the Dark Iron revealed that it had survived and had been decoded by two high-ranking members of the Shadowforge City society.

Escaping from the Dark Iron prison, Windsor returned to Stormwind to unmask Onyxia, only to be stopped at the gates by his old friend General Marcus Jonathan, who was ordered by Lady Prestor to arrest Windsor and his companions. However, Windsor convinced Jonathan to let him pass, and he marched to Stormwind Keep to confront Onyxia once and for all. Though he was incinerated by the black dragon after shedding her disguise, his sacrifice ensured the survival of Stormwind and the later death of Onyxia in her lair.

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• Armor-Piercing Question: Delivers one to General Marcus Jonathan when he tries to have him and the adventurers arrested on Lady Prestor's orders.
  Reginald: You must do what you think is right, Marcus. We served together under Turalyon. He made us both the men that we are today. Did he err with me? Do you truly believe my intent is to cause harm to our Alliance? Would I shame our heroes?
• Badass Boast: He makes his objective painfully clear to Lady Prestor/Onyxia upon passing the gates of Stormwind.
  Marshal Windsor: As was fated a lifetime ago in Karazhan, monster — I come — and with me I bring justice.
• The Cassandra: Few believed his claims that the real threat lied right in the throne room, right next to the King.
• Continuity Snarl: Exactly who actually unmasked Lady Prestor as Onyxia has been Retconned multiple times over the years, ranging from it being Windsor, which was what was shown in Classic, to Varian alone, which was shown in the comic, to Varian and Windsor working together to reveal her. This is referenced in the Human Heritage Armor questline, which has an old comrade of Windsor, who, granted, has been Drowning His Sorrows, who's upset about In-Universe claims about Varian, Bolvar, or "some champion" doing so and angry that Windsor doesn't have his own statue in the Valley of Heroes. The player can potentially promise that comrade they'll have a memorial built, and later can tell Shaw to do so.
• Face Death with Dignity: He knew from the start that he wouldn't make it out alive from his confrontation with Onyxia. Nevertheless, he unmasked Onyxia at the cost of his own life, likely saving Stormwind from a dark fate.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Puts an end to the great masquerade of Lady Katrana Prestor, dying in the process.
• Living Legend: Served as a legendary knight of Stormwind alongside the likes of Turalyon and future-General Marcus Jonathan. Explicitly called one by the Stormwind City Guards during his march to Stormwind Keep.
  Stormwind City Patroller: Light be with you, sir.
  Stormwind City Patroller: We are but dirt beneath your feet, sir.
  Stormwind City Patroller: ...nerves of thorium.
  Stormwind City Patroller: Make way!
  Stormwind City Patroller: A living legend..
• One-Man Army: According to Ragged John, he and Windsor were ambushed by a group of fifty or so Blackrock orcs. While Ragged John slipped to the shadows, Windsor held his ground and killed all of the orcs with barely a scratch on him.

Amber Kearnen

Amber Kearnen

Class: Rogue/Hunter

Voiced by: Courtenay Taylor (English), Vasilisa Voronina (Russian)

Agent Amber Kearnen was an SI:7 ground level operative and sniper that served both in Westfall against the Defias Brotherhood and in Pandaria during the search for the White Pawn and the battle against the Horde.

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• Ascended Extra: Originally just a questgiver for human rogues in Classic, in Cataclysm she started giving quests to everyone, but she fully ascended in Mists of Pandaria when she was amongst the elite SI:7 group picked to travel to Pandaria to find the missing Prince Anduin and became a recurring character through the Alliance campaign in the Jade Forest.
• Boom, Headshot!: Whenever she and her sniper are involved in quests, she takes down whichever target threatens you with a One-Hit Kill.
  Sully "The Pickle" McLeary: She hits 'em between the eyes, every time.
• The Cameo:
  • In Warlords of Draenor she stands close to Bodrick Grey in the Alliance garrison, and can later be seen scouting in Tanaan Jungle.
  • In Shadowlands she can be found in Maldraxxus as an Aranakk remnant of the House of Eyes known as Kearnen the Blade. Rogue characters who completed the Legion storyline involving her death have a different dialogue option with her allowing them to confirm that her last message did reach the Uncrowned.
• Dropped a Bridge on Him: After having helped rogues through Classic, helped thwart the Defias Brotherhood in Cataclysm and discovered Pandaria in Mists, she was unceremoniously Killed Offscreen and left for dead at the doors of the Rogue class hall in Legion. In Shadowlands, her soul was sent to Maldraxxus where she became an Aranakk of the House of Eyes known as Kearnen the Blade.
• Fling a Light into the Future: Her final message to the Uncrowned, a warning about Mathias Shaw being replaced by Detheroc, which she died trying to deliver.
• Friendly Sniper: Even as she took headshots at her enemies, she was fairly pleasant with adventurers and her team.
• I Call It "Vera": She calls her sniper rifle "Claire".
• The Remnant: In the Shadowlands, she is amongst those few left of the House of Eyes. Though her Margrave is dead, she hasn't forsaken her house's efforts.

Others Associated with the Kingdom of Stormwind

Valeera Sanguinar

Valeera Sanguinar

Class: Rogue

Voiced by: Tara Platt (English), Polina Shcherbakova (Russian)

"My loyalties are personal — to King Varian and to his son!"

A young blood elf rogue who is affiliated with neither Horde nor Alliance, but has sworn herself to the Wrynn family itself, Varian and Anduin. Valeera grew up fending for herself as a thief, but was eventually sold into slavery and became one of Rehgar Earthfury's gladiators along with Broll Bearmantle and Varian Wrynn. She helped Varian regain his memory and afterwards became a friend to Anduin. Valeera also helped Med'an and the New Council of Tirisfal fight Cho'gall at Ahn'Qiraj.

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• Action Girl: Very capable fighter in her own right, despite her young age.
• Characterization Marches On: Her calm Femme Fatale persona from Hearthstone has stuck to her that it's her default personality when she returned in Legion, making her previous young, impulsive personality as shown in her debut comic book look like a pre-Character Development phase. Though she still possesses a few shades of her 'young' self. For instance, she doesn't sit on chairs properly, instead, sitting on the chair's back.
• Demonic Possession: For a short time, but the demon eventually jumped ship to Meryl Felstorm.
• Dual Wielding: Always wields a dagger in each hand.
• Expy: Surprisingly, she could fit the bill as an Expy of Nova (even if she already has a same-named sorta-cameo), seeing that they are blonde sneaky assassins (except Valeera does it up close while Nova does it from afar... mostly) that are pretty attractive, both with ponytails, having their main stories explained via comic books, but also tends to shy away from the main spotlight, gaining fame somewhere else (spin offs) outside of their main games.
• Like a Son to Me: Broll sees some of his daughter Anessa in Valeera.
• Meaningful Name: Sanguinar, and she's a blood elf.
• Ms. Fanservice: Though then again, see Younger Than They Look.
• Odd Friendship: With Varian and especially Broll.
• Stripperific: She wears revealing outfits.
• The Not-Love Interest: Word of God stated that early on that she would be physically attracted to Varian, but the idea was never visited in the comic. Varian even refers to her as a child several times, as neither character shows any romantic interest toward each other.
• True Companions: Even after the Power Trio broke up when the comics shifted focus to Med'an, Varian, Broll, and Valeera remain friends.
• Undying Loyalty: She's personally loyal to Varian and his son, rather than the Alliance or the Horde.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Completely vanished after the comic series ended, though Broll asked about her in Stormrage and Varian had no idea where she had gone.Because as revealed of Legion, she has joined The Uncrowned (the Rogue Class Hall), an underground group of rogues that secretly influences government actions from behind the scenes that not even governments know about. Most Warcraft players who had never read the comics assumed she was a Canon Immigrant from Hearthstone.
  • Valeera appeared twice prior to that for Alliance players, during the pre-expansion event for Wrath of the Lich King (where she could be found at the Stormwind Docks, listening in on the meeting along with Broll) and during the Battle for the Undercity, where she can again be found near Broll and had apparently just finished scouting out the sewers. However, as both were limited-time events (the council was only present for a week or two before the pre-expansion event storyline progressed, and the Battle for the Undercity was removed in Cataclysm due to irreconcilable phasing issues with the updated Cataclysm map), this marks the first time in the game's lifetime that Valeera appears on a permanent basis.
• Younger Than They Look: Despite her Stripperific outfit, Valeera is still very much in her teens. Broll and Varian even refer to her as a child.

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