Gul'dan

{{#if:Neutral\|{{#ifeq:-\|-\|\|Template:Sort}}[[File:{{#switch:neutral\|alliance=Alliance\|boss=Boss\|combat=Combat\|hostile=Combat\|horde=Horde\|aldor=Aldor\|scryers=Scryers\|kirin tor=Kirin Tor\|rare=Rare\|elite=Elite\|both=Both\|kyrian=Kyrian\|necrolord=Necrolord\|night fae=Night Fae\|venthyr=Venthyr\|neutral\|#default=Neutral}}_{{#switch:{{{2}}}\|xlarge=64\|large=32\|small=15\|#default=32}}.png\|{{#switch:neutral\|alliance=Alliance\|boss=Boss\|combat=Mob\|hostile=Mob\|horde=Horde\|aldor=Aldor\|scryers=Scryers\|kirin tor=Kirin Tor\|rare=Rare\|elite=Elite\|both=Alliance & Horde\|kyrian=Kyrian\|necrolord=Necrolord\|night fae=Night Fae\|venthyr=Venthyr\|neutral\|#default=Neutral}}\|link={{#switch:neutral\|alliance=Alliance\|boss=Mob\|combat=Mob\|hostile=Combat\|horde=Horde\|aldor=Aldor\|scryers=Scryers\|kirin tor=Kirin Tor\|rare=Rare mob\|elite=Elite mob\|kyrian=Kyrian Covenant\|necrolord=Necrolord Covenant\|night fae=Night Fae Covenant\|venthyr=Venthyr Covenant\|both\|neutral\|#default=Faction}}]]}}Gul'dan
	{{#if:\|Template:SlidesToTabber\|{{#ifeq:gul'dan.png\|no\|\|{{#ifexist:File:Gul'dan.png\|[[File:{{#setmainimage:Gul'dan.png}}\|frameless\|200x300px\|Image of Gul'dan]]\|[[File:{{#switch:orc \|abomination\|annihilan\|anubisath\|arcane elemental\|arcane golem\|banshee\|basilisk\|bear\|beast\|centaur\|chicken\|colossus\|crocolisk\|crypt fiend\|dire troll\|dragonhawk\|faerie dragon\|fox\|frog\|furbolg\|gargoyle\|gnoll\|lich\|lizard\|mechanical\|ogre\|penguin\|qiraji\|quilboar\|ram\|satyr\|sea serpent\|serpent\|sheep\|silithid worker\|snake\|spectre\|sprite\|toad\|trogg\|tuskarr\|wisp\|wyvern\|zombie={{#replace:{{#replace:{{#replace:{{#replace:Orc\|elemental\|Elemental}}\|fury\|Elemental}}\|Unbound}}\| }} nopic.jpg \|animated object=Animatedobject nopic.jpg \|harvest golem=Harvest golem nopic.jpg \|air elemental\|lightning elemental\|air fury=AirElemental nopic.jpg \|ancient\|corrupted ancient\|ancient of war\|ancient of lore\|ancient protector\|ancient of wind\|tree of life=Ancient nopic.jpg \|bat=Bat nopic.jpg \|boar\|dire boar\|helboar=Boar nopic.jpg \|bog beast=Bog beast nopic.jpg \|crab=Crab nopic.jpg \|core hound=Corehound nopic.jpg \|deer\|stag=Deer nopic.jpg \|demon\|felguard\|inquisitor\|wrathguard=Demon nopic.jpg \|dreadlord\|nathrezim=Dreadlord nopic.jpg \|doomguard\|doomlord=Doomguard nopic.jpg \|draenei=Draenei nopic.jpg \|dragon\|bronze drake\|blue drake\|red drake\|green drake\|black drake\|chromatic drake\|bronze dragon\|blue dragon\|red dragon\|green dragon\|black dragon=Dragon nopic.jpg \|drakonid\|bronze drakonid\|blue drakonid\|red drakonid\|black drakonid\|green drakonid\|chromatic drakonid=Drakonid nopic.jpg \|dragonspawn\|black dragonspawn\|blue dragonspawn\|red dragonspawn\|bronze dragonspawn\|green dragonspawn\|chromatic dragonspawn=Dragonspawn nopic.jpg \|dragon whelp\|black whelp\|blue whelp\|red whelp\|bronze whelp\|green whelp\|chromatic whelp=Dragonwhelp nopic.jpg \|devilsaur=Devilsaur nopic.jpg \|dryad=Dryad nopic.jpg \|eagle\|falcon\|hawk\|owl\|condor\|raven\|vulture\|roc\|bird=Eagle nopic.jpg \|earth elemental\|unbound earth elemental\|bound earth elemental\|earth fury\|azerite elemental\|ice elemental\|ice fury=EarthElemental nopic.jpg \|eye of kilrogg\|beholder eye=Eye nopic.jpg \|eye stalk\|tentacle=Eyestalk nopic.jpg \|felhunter\|felhound=Felhunter nopic.jpg \|fire elemental\|unbound fire elemental\|bound fire elemental\|fire fury\|slag elemental\|entropic elemental=FireElemental nopic.jpg \|fish\|carp\|goldfish\|grouper=Grouper nopic.jpg \|forsaken=Forsaken{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|ghoul=Ghoul nopic.jpg \|golem\|iron golem\|dwarven golem\|war golem=Golem nopic.jpg \|gryphon\|hippogryph=Gryphon nopic.jpg \|horse\|unicorn=Horse nopic.jpg \|imp\|flamekin\|grell=Imp nopic.jpg \|hydra\|mandragora\|helhound=Hydra nopic.jpg \|kobold\|snobold=Kobold nopic.jpg \|kodo\|clefthoof\|mushan\|thunder lizard=Kodo nopic.jpg \|mana wyrm\|arcane wyrm=Manawyrm nopic.jpg \|mountain giant\|frost giant\|stone giant\|molten giant\|ice giant=Mountaingiant nopic.jpg \|mouse\|rat=Mouse nopic.jpg \|murloc\|deep sea murloc\|gorloc=Murloc nopic.jpg \|nature elemental\|treant=NatureElemental nopic.jpg \|observer=Observer nopic.jpg \|ogre mage=Ogre2 nopic.jpg \|ooze\|oozeling=Ooze nopic.jpg \|panther\|house cat\|frostsaber\|manasaber\|snow leopard\|nightsaber\|lynx\|tiger\|lion\|cougar=Panther nopic.jpg \|pterrordax=Pterrordax nopic.jpg \|rabbit\|wolpertinger=Rabbit nopic.jpg \|raptor\|ravasaur\|skeletal raptor=Raptor nopic.jpg \|revenant\|lightning revenant\|void revenant\|ice revenant\|water revenant=Revenant nopic.jpg \|scorpion\|scorpid=Scorpion nopic.jpg \|sea giant=seagiant nopic.jpg \|shade\|wraith=Shade nopic.jpg \|shark=Shark nopic.jpg \|scarab\|carrion beetle\|silithid scarab=Scarab nopic.jpg \|spirit healer=spirit healer nopic.jpg \|skeleton\|skeletal mage\|skeletal warrior=Skeleton nopic.jpg \|spider\|fire spider\|spider demon\|bone spider\|venom spider\|tarantula=spider nopic.jpg \|spitter=Spitter nopic.jpg \|succubus\|sayaad=Succubus nopic.jpg \|turtle\|dragon turtle=Turtle nopic.jpg \|wasp\|ravager wasp\|silithid wasp=Silithid wasp nopic.jpg \|water elemental\|unbound water elemental\|bound water elemental\|water fury=WaterElemental nopic.jpg \|wildkin\|owlkin\|moonkin=Wildkin nopic.jpg \|wolf\|frost wolf\|garn\|worg\|spirit wolf=Wolf nopic.jpg \|worm\|rock borer=Worm nopic.jpg \|carrion worm\|jormungar\|rockworm=Rockworm nopic.jpg \|voidwalker=Manasurge nopic.jpg \|harpy\|human\|naga=Orc{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|blood elf\|high elf\|wretched\|withered=BloodElf{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|dwarf\|dark dwarf\|dark iron dwarf\|earthen\|wildhammer dwarf=Dwarf{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|gnome\|leper gnome=Gnome{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|goblin=Goblin{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|nerubian=Nerubian nopic.jpg \|night elf\|night elf ghost=NightElf{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|orc\|fel orc\|dire orc\|mag'har orc=Orc{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg ‎ \|tauren=Tauren{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|titan\|titanic watcher\|keeper=Titan{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|troll\|ice troll\|forest troll\|jungle troll\|darkspear troll\|zandalari troll\|zandalar troll\|sand troll=Troll{{#switch:Male\|Male\|Female=male\|}} nopic.jpg \|totem\|healing ward\|serpent ward=Totem nopic.jpg \|wind serpent\|skeletal wind serpent=Windserpent nopic.jpg \|undead=Undead nopic.jpg \|worgen=Worgen nopic.jpg \|{{#switch:{{{creature}}}\|Aberration=Aberration nopic.jpg\|Beast=Beast nopic.jpg\|Critter\|Battle Pet\|Battle pet=Critter nopic.jpg\|Demon=Demon nopic.jpg\|Dragonkin=Dragonkin nopic.jpg\|Elemental=Elemental nopic.jpg\|Mechanical=Mechanical nopic.jpg\|Giant=Giant nopic.jpg\|Humanoid=Humanoid nopic.jpg\|Undead=Undead nopic.jpg\|Noimagechar.png}} }}\|frameless\|200x300px{{#if:Gul'dan.png\|\|link=https://turtle-wow.wiki/index.php?title=Special:Upload&wpDestFile=Gul%27dan.png}}%7CNo image available]]}}}}}}
Title	{{#if:\|<{{{title}}}>\|Destroyer of Dreams,<ref>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Legends of the Land, Gul'dan</ref>; Great Betrayer<ref>Lord of the Clans</ref>}} {{#if:\|<ref>{{{title ref}}}</ref>}}
Gender	Male
Race{{#if:\|(s)}}	{{#if:\|{{{races}}}\|{{#ifeq:Orc\|\|Unknown\|Orc}} {{#if:\|({{{creature}}})}}}}
Level	{{#ifeq:\|-1\|Template:Maxlevel\|}}
Heroic level	{{#if:\|{{{hlevel}}} }}
Affiliation	{{#if:\|[[{{{city}}}]]\|Independent, Stormreaver clan}}
Former affiliation(s)	Orcish Horde, Shadow Council, Shadowmoon clan
Occupation	Chieftain of the Stormreaver clan,; Master of the Shadow Council
Status	Deceased
Mentor(s)	Ner'zhul, Kil'jaeden
Student(s)	Cho'gall
Pet family	{{#if:\|[[{{{pet}}}]]}}
[[{{{instance}}}]]
	{{{{{instance}}}}}
	{{#if:\|Source(s): }}

{{#if:||{{#switch:{{{pet}}}

|basilisk|bear|beetle|boar|clefthoof|crab|crocolisk|direhorn|gorilla|porcupine|rhino|riverbeast|scorpid|shale spider|turtle|warp stalker|worm = }}}}

"I am Gul'dan... I am darkness incarnate. I will not be denied."

— The History of Orcish Ascension

Gul'dan was the first orcish warlock as well as the de facto founder of the Horde. He betrayed both his people and his mentor Ner'zhul to the demon lord Kil'jaeden for personal gain and power, and was directly responsible for the orcs' fall to demonic enslavement and their subsequent invasion of Azeroth.

Background

Kil'jaeden's Scheme

Gul'dan was an apprentice to the elder shaman Ner'zhul of the Shadowmoon clan. At some point near the end of his studies with Ner'zhul, Gul'dan discovered that the shaman had been secretly trafficking with the demon lord Kil'jaeden. When push came to shove, however, Ner'zhul had been unwilling to fully embrace demonic magic, believing in the inherent nobility of the orcish people. Gul'dan, however, had no such scruples. Kil'jaeden approached Gul'dan and offered him the chance to become a master of warlock magic, on the condition that he help bring the orcs under his banner. Gul'dan accepted with no qualms whatsoever, and immediately began the work of reshaping the Orcs, hitherto a collection of simple shamanistic clans, into an unstoppable and bloodthirsty Horde.<ref>Kil'jaeden and the Shadow Pact</ref>

As a necessity of his bid for power, Gul'dan trained a number of like-minded and powerful orcs, whom he named the Shadow Council. The Council was soon using its power and influence to direct almost every aspect of orcish society, so as to distract those few opposed his dark ideals from their true masters, Gul'dan and Kil'jaeden. To seal the bargain between him and Kil'jaeden, Gul'dan and the Shadow Council offered the clan chieftains the Blood of Mannoroth. The resulting Horde was bloodthirsty, barbaric, and evil, an extension of the demons whom they now worshipped.<ref>Rise of the Horde</ref>

The First War

Eventually, Gul'dan was contacted by the mad sorcerer Medivh - possessed by the Dark Titan Sargeras - who offered him the promise of godhood, locked away within the Tomb of Sargeras if he would use the Horde to conquer Azeroth. Gul'dan agreed, and with the assistance of the Shadow Council, he helped Medivh open the Dark Portal between Azeroth and Draenor.<ref>The Dark Portal and the Fall of Stormwind</ref> Over the next few years, Gul'dan and his Ogre-Mage apprentice Cho'gall would secretly manipulate the Horde as it rampaged across Azeroth.

Gul'dan personally selected the Horde's new warchief, Blackhand, as the perfect pawn for the Shadow Council after the first failed assault on Stormwind Keep by the Bleeding Hollow clan and the Twilight's Hammer clan threatened to tear the Horde apart. Though Blackhand was competent in battle and a relatively sound tactician, he was extremely lustful - and thus easy for Gul'dan to control.

Gul'dan saw the Horde led to supremacy over most of the Kingdom of Azeroth, but on the eve of the final siege of Stormwind, Gul'dan was aware of a raiding party against Medivh's tower of Karazhan. Realizing that the Azerothiens intended to slay the Guardian, Gul'dan hastily ransacked Medivh's mind for the Tomb's location. He was still deep within the Guardian's thoughts when Anduin Lothar and Khadgar killed him, ending Medivh's treachery and forcing Gul'dan into a coma.

Without the counsel of Gul'dan, Blackhand was easily slain by Orgrim Doomhammer, who, with information acquired from Garona, proceeded to slaughter Gul'dan's warlocks and the majority of the Shadow Council.<ref name="War of Orcish Ascension">Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, The History of Orcish Ascension, The First War of Orcish Ascension</ref>

The Second War

Gul'dan awoke from the coma with only Cho'gall, the Twilight's Hammer, and his necrolytes still loyal to him; Blackhand, the Shadow Council and the warlocks were dead, and Garona and the other clans had betrayed him. Garona's betrayal of course had been forced. Doomhammer was willing to spare Gul'dan's life, despite his gut feeling he would one day regret this, and even let him run Balor and the ruins of Stormwind Castle, in exchange for information in regards to Blackhand's followers. This was simple enough; Rend and Maim hadn't professed continued loyalty to Gul'dan, so the warlock had no qualms about betraying them. Gul'dan informed Doomhammer that the raiders were preparing to join the sons of Blackhand and revolt against him, as Blackhand had once been a raider himself. Although Gul'dan's claim was untrue, Doomhammer was already suspicious of Rend and Maim and so disbanded the multitude of Wolfriders, placing them among the many grunt regiments.<ref name="War of Orcish Ascension" />

As a token of his "loyalty" to the Warchief, Gul'dan slaughtered his necrolytes and used their powers - combined with the spirits of the Shadow Council, the corpses of the Knights of Azeroth and their steeds - to create an army of undead - the dreaded death knights. However, Doomhammer did not suspect that they were loyal to Gul'dan alone.<ref name="War of Orcish Ascension" />

Before the true start of the Second War, Gul'dan founded and created his own clan, the Stormreavers, to protect him from Orgrim.<ref>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Clans of the Horde, Stormreaver Clan</ref> He also created during the ensuing conflict many ogre magi out of a band of extremely loyal ogre enforcers by warping and twisting the energy of the high elven runestones.<ref>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, Ground Units of the Orcish Horde, Ogre-Mage</ref> Secretly, Gul'dan was also amassing a great navy for the next step of his plan.<ref>Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, A Brief History of the Fall of Azeroth</ref>

Betrayal and death

Ultimately, Gul'dan's thirst for power proved to be the Horde's undoing. On the eve of Doomhammer's attack on Lordaeron's capital, Gul'dan took the Stormreaver and Twilight's Hammer clans and set out to sea to locate the Tomb of Sargeras. With half of his standing forces suddenly gone, Doomhammer was forced to retreat and hunt down the traitorous warlock.<ref name="Tomb of Sargeras">The Tomb of Sargeras (WC2 Orc)</ref><ref>Gul'dan and the Betrayal</ref> This reprieve would ultimately give the Alliance time to regroup and retaliate.

Gul'dan did indeed locate the Tomb, and used his power to raise it from the ocean floor. Taking with him his most select followers, Gul'dan cast open the doors and entered. He did not however find the godhood he was hoping for. Instead, he was torn to shreds by a swarm of insane demons that they had unleashed when the tomb was opened.

The remainder of his clans, including Cho'gall and his Twilight's Hammer, were slaughtered by Doomhammer's retaliation.<ref name="Tomb of Sargeras" />

Legacy

After Gul'dan died, his skull was turned into a channeling totem for demonic energy. The skull, at one point claimed by the Bonechewer clan as a trophy,<ref>The Skull of Gul'dan (WC2 Orc)</ref> was used by Ner'zhul to open portals to other worlds on Draenor, and later by Khadgar to destroy the Dark Portal. After the destruction of the Dark Portal, the skull would reappear again years later on Azeroth, this time used by the Burning Legion to corrupt the forests of Felwood. After learning of its existence from Arthas the death knight, Illidan Stormrage found and took the skull from the dreadlord Tichondrius, absorbing its power, remaining only half night elf and becoming half-demon.<ref>A Destiny of Flame and Sorrow (WC3 NightElf)</ref> Gul'dan's memories survived within the warlock magic of his skull and the runes he painted on the walls of the Tomb. Illidan found the Tomb using Gul'dan's memories from the Skull, and Maiev Shadowsong found the runes. A magical artifact carried by Gul'dan, the Shadow Orb, was shattered and found by Maiev. When the tomb caved in, Gul'dan's final testament was buried.

His surviving loyalists in the Twilight's Hammer clan would later turn from the Burning Legion and begin worship of new masters.

References

1 }}

| references-column-width | references-column-count references-column-count-{{{1}}} }} | {{#if:

| references-column-width }} }}"style="{{#if:|column-count:{{{1}}};}}{{#if:|column-width:30em;}}list-style-type:{{#switch:|upper-alpha|upper-roman|lower-alpha|lower-greek|lower-roman={{{group}}}|#default=decimal}};font-size:calc(80% + 2.1px);">

Preceded by:
Position created

Position:
Chieftain of the Stormreaver clan

Succeeded by:
Chieftain Stormsong

Preceded by:
Position created

Position:
Master of the Inner Circle of the Shadow Council

Succeeded by:
Unknown