Burning Blade clan

The Burning Blade clan (or simply the Blade) was originally an orc clan which dwelled in eastern Nagrand and western Talador. Best known for their deadly blademasters, the Burning Blade fought in the First and Second Wars as part of the Old Horde, but eventually consumed itself in demonic corruption. The proud blademasters swore to free themselves and their brethren from demonic control and joined the New Horde in the service of Warchief Thrall. Another part of the Burning Blade remained loyal to the Burning Legion, transforming into a powerful, demon-worshiping cult under the rule of the sinister Shadow Council. In the modern day, some blademasters continue to serve the New Horde, while the Burning Blade cult remains a significant threat to the Horde throughout Durotar, the Northern Barrens and Desolace.

History
Roughly 800 years before the First War, some of the orcs who migrated out of Gorgrond settled in the mountains and plains of the fertile region of Talador, among them the Burning Blade. The clan's ancestral home was a settlement known as Hallvalor, located in eastern Nagrand near the border with Talador. Hallvalor would later become known as the "Burning Blade Ruins". Due to the two clans' close friendship, the Warsong orcs allowed the Burning Blade to remain in Nagrand while all of the other clans were forced out.

Rise of the Horde
The Burning Blade joined the Old Horde along with most of the other orcish clans. 2 years before the First War, Kargath Bladefist was charged with eliminating the high arakkoa of Skyreach and formed a lightly armored but highly mobile invasion force from the Shattered Hand, Burning Blade and Dragonmaw clans. After dozens of orcs were incinerated by the arakkoa's immense cannon, Kargath convinced the Outcast arakkoa to sneak into Skyreach and sabotage the weapon. The Outcasts were successful, but Kargath and his forces then proceeded to slaughter the Outcasts alongside the high arakkoa, throwing some of the latter into Sethekk Hollow. The Horde assault led to the destruction of high arakkoan civilization and the near-extinction of the Outcasts.

The First and Second War
The Burning Blade accompanied the Horde through the Dark Portal to Azeroth during the First War. According to Garona Halforcen, some orcs went mad at the sight of the hostile, alien world of Azeroth, and many joined the Burning Blade that day.

By the time of the Second War, the Burning Blade were no longer considered a clan so much as an elemental force of nature. Chaotic, leaderless, and unpredictable, they were a nomadic brotherhood of demented orcs whose only objective was to raze and plunder with no regard for their own safety. They were held in check by the ogres, to be unleashed by the clans in times of urgent duress. The Burning Blade held loyalty to no one and would attack any that they perceived as a threat, even their fellow orcs.

The Burning Blade participated in the Siege of Blackrock Spire near the end of the war. During the final battle at the Dark Portal, the clan was routed and ultimately destroyed by troops under the command of Uther the Lightbringer.

The Third War
By the time of the Third War, the Burning Blade clan had consumed itself in the throes of demonic corruption. With their clan scattered and broken, the proud blademasters swore a grim oath to free themselves and their brethren from demonic control once and for all. Under Thrall's command, the blademasters once again joined the Horde and served as the young warchief's personal honor guard.

Cycle of Hatred
However, other remnants of the Burning Blade remained wholly devoted to the Burning Legion, becoming known as the "Burning Blade cult". Some time after the Third War, the demon Zmodlor began recruiting both orcs and humans who were prejudiced against one another into a new incarnation of the Burning Blade. The demon promised to help the orcs destroy their human enemies and vice versa, with the ultimate goal of collecting souls during the battles between Theramore and Orgrimmar; none of his followers were aware that Zmodlor was also recruiting their enemies. The recruits of the cult included Burx, one of Warchief Thrall's chief warriors; Kristoff, the Chamberlain of Theramore; and Margoz, a Theramore fisherman responsible for recruiting new members and sowing distrust in Theramore. However, Zmodlor's plan was ultimately foiled by Aegwynn and Lady Jaina Proudmoore, who confronted the demon and several of his worshipers atop Dreadmist Peak and succeeded in banishing him. Thus, the bloodbath between the humans and orcs was avoided. However, Aegwynn doubted that Zmodlor was solely responsible for the Burning Blade's activities, as she believed that a plan of such complexity was far beyond him.

World of Warcraft
A few years later, the Burning Blade was one of many cults and organizations serving as an extension of the Shadow Council's will, alongside the Argus Wake and the Searing Blade. The Burning Blade were secretly led by Neeru Fireblade, a warlock who had infiltrated Orgrimmar and who believed himself to have the trust of Thrall. Neeru considered the warchief a fool who believed him to be working hard to cleanse the image of warlocks and prove that they were the warchief's servants. However, unbeknownst to Neeru, Thrall was fully aware of the warlock's true loyalties. Officially, Neeru professed to use his powers as a warlock to thwart demons and claimed that his research in the occult was benign, though not everyone was entirely convinced of this.

Neeru considered the Searing Blade of Ragefire Chasm to be entirely expendable, save for their leaders Bazzalan and Jergosh. Thus, he would constantly send Thrall's underlings to battle the Searing Blade in order to give the impression that he was weeding out evil in Orgrimmar, to kill Thrall's faithful, and to test if the Searing Blade were truly worthy of joining him.

Durotar and the Barrens
In the Valley of Trials, Zureetha Fargaze discovered the presence of a Burning Blade coven in the valley's northern parts, and sent fledgling orc and troll adventurers to kill the familiars spilling from the cave's mouth. Through her divinations, Zureetha discovered an item of power known as the Burning Blade Medallion deep within the coven, and sent adventurers out once more in order to retrieve the object from Yarrog Baneshadow. Once this task was complete, Zureetha sent the adventurers onward to report to Master Gadrin at Sen'jin Village and inform him that the Burning Blade had reached the Valley of Trials. Gadrin told the heroes that the Blade were not seen in Sen'jin, but that their evil had taken root on the Echo Isles off the coast. As the news regarding the cult could spell trouble for everyone, Gadrin eventually directed the adventurers to Razor Hill to report to Orgnil Soulscar, an orc responsible for policing Durotar from evils such as the Blade.

Through his own investigations, Orgnil had discovered a Burning Blade warlock, Fizzle Darkstorm, camped with several cultist minions within Thunder Ridge. Orgnil ordered adventurers to defeat Fizzle and retrieve his dead claw. The shaman Margoz reported that Skull Rock, a cave just outside Orgrimmar, sheltered a large band of Burning Blade cultists, and Orgnil sent the adventurers to report to him for advice. Margoz ordered the retrieval of several of the searing collars worn by the cultists in Skull Rock, but as divining their origin was beyond his skills as a shaman, he told the heroes to bring the objects to Neeru in Orgrimmar. Neeru told the adventurer that the Burning Blade were a cult that rallied around an item of demonic power known as the Demon Seed atop Dreadmist Peak, and directed the hero to his assistant Ak'Zeloth to destroy the artifact. Ak'Zeloth considered the request to be strange, but complied with it nonetheless. He told the hero to take one of his power stones to the altar of fire atop Dreadmist and use it to disrupt the Demon Seed's connection to the Burning Legion. However, when the hero returned, Ak'Zeloth told them that while they had been victorious, the Seed's destruction had sent waves of power through the ether, and that other beings would wonder why their "toy" had been broken.

When a hero defeated the Blade cultist Gazz'uz in Skull Rock, they discovered the Eye of Burning Shadow on the orc's body. Words emanated from the eye into the adventurer's mind, ordering Gazz'uz to report and threatening to incur Neeru's wrath. When the eye was brought to Neeru, the warlock stated that while he was known for hunting down the warchief's enemies, it was strange that he was "singled out" by the eye, and stranger still that the Burning Blade cultists from whom the eye had been recovered had a name so close to Fireblade's own. Neeru told the adventurer that he would study the eye and its message, and told the hero that they had done their people a "great service".

At one point, the Crossroads experienced a rash of animal poisonings and requested aid from the druids of Moonglade. Dendrite Starblaze concluded that Dreadmist Peak was most likely the primary candidate as to the source of the spread of the poison. He suspected that the peak's watery pools, which influenced the local weather patterns, had become tainted by the Burning Blade. Thus, druid adventurers were sent to sample water from the pools and deliver it to Tonga Runetotem at the Crossroads. After gathering a number of ingredients, the druids were able to cure a number of gazelles that had grown sickly as a result of the pollution. While the polluted waters of Dreadmist were most likely the primary source of the sickness, Tonga suspected that there was something else at work, and Turak Runetotem in Thunder Bluff commented that the matter would warrant some further investigation.

A Horde-affiliated Forsaken mage by the name of Sarilus Foulborne was found to be corrupting the water elementals of Ashenvale from the very top of Dreadmist Peak, and so Sentinel Velene Starstrike asked Alliance adventurers to bring her his head. Sarilus' connection to the Burning Blade and the Shadow Council are unclear.

Hidden enemies


Warchief Thrall believed the Shadow Council and the Burning Blade to be the greatest threat to the Horde. After adventurers had reported to Orgnil, Thrall asked the hero to retrieve an insignia from the Blade's lieutenants at Skull Rock, saying that the young champion could go places where the warchief's agents could not and find the "true head of the beast". Thrall proceeded to send the hero to speak with Neeru to gauge his reaction to a member of the Blade, as his information could prove valuable in infiltrating the Shadow Council. The warlock, fully convinced that the adventurer was indeed one of his lieutenants, revealed the cult's relation to the Shadow Council and the Searing Blade. Upon hearing of this information, Thrall immediately sent the hero to kill the two Searing Blade leaders Bazzalan and Jergosh in Ragefire Chasm. This greatly angered Neeru, and Thrall dispatched the adventurer to hopefully obtain more information from him and possibly even gain the warlock's trust. Unaware that the "lieutenant" he was speaking to was the very same one who had defeated the Searing Blade's leaders, Neeru confided that he would do what he could to minimize the damage in Ragefire Chasm and instead have his agents in Ashenvale and the Barrens begin work on the Shadow Council's newest agenda. When the hero returned to Thrall one last time, the warchief informed them that he would have his spies investigate this Shadow Council presence in Ashenvale, and that he would call upon the hero again soon. However, he never did.

Desolace
The Burning Blade were deeply entrenched in Desolace — particularly Thunder Axe Fortress and Shadowbreak Ravine — and ties were made between them and the local Hatefury satyrs.

As the Alliance progressed deeper and deeper into Kalimdor, concerns were raised within the Horde that incorrect conclusions could be drawn about the Horde making pacts with the Burning Legion. Warchief Thrall, determined to forge peace between the Alliance and Horde, could not let this happen and so assigned Keldran to oversee the removal of Legion forces from Desolace. Keldran, in turn, sent Horde adventurers to report to two of his agents at Ghost Walker Post: Takata Steelblade and Maurin Bonesplitter, the latter of which was sent due to his knowledge about the Burning Blade and its warlock ways. Maurin tasked adventurers to capture Burning Blade spirits in special gems while Takata asked them to kill Hatefury satyrs on Thrall's behest. Once both of these tasks were done, adventurers returned to Orgrimmar to report their success to Keldran.

While adventuring through Desolace, adventurers could discover a patch of flayed demon skin — scrawled with red markings — on the body of a Blade cultist. Upon examining the skin, Maurin revealed that the markings were from an old language, remotely similar to Eredun but with drastic differences, and that the skin represented a contract of some kind, with a symbol at the bottom of the parchment being the signature of a demon named Lord Azrethoc. With the help of a scalp from the Hatefury satyrs and an oracle crystal from the Slitherblade naga, Maurin cast a spell which conjured images of Azrethoc and his orc servant, Jugkar Grim'rod, who taunted Maurin and invited him to seek them out. Takata Steelblade witnessed the exchange and agreed that the demon lord had to be stopped, especially if he was attempting to gain influence over the Burning Blade. As Takata's duties at Ghost Walker Post kept him from going after the demon himself, the adventurer traveled to Mannoroc Coven themselves to slay Azrethoc and Jugkar.

Taiga Wisemane asked Horde adventurers to retrieve the Hand of Iruxos, a powerful artifact used by the Burning Blade to open demonic portals at Mannoroc Coven. To retrieve the hand, the heroes had to use a special pick to chip away at a crystal in Thunder Axe Fortress until a demonic spirit appeared. After defeating the spirit, the heroes obtained the so-called "demon box" and brought it to Taiga, who produced the Hand of Iruxos from within the box. Next, Taiga tasked the hero with using the hand to banish the demonic portals at Mannoroc and stem the tide of demons into the world.

The Blade forces at Thunder Axe Fortress were rumored to have acquired the Sceptre of Light — an object said to be able to sink entire cities under the sea — from the naga. The Argent Dawn mage Azore Aldamort asked adventurers to retrieve the scepter from a seer in one of the the fortress's watch towers.

Vahlarriel Demonslayer was sent to Desolace to discover the whereabouts of Tyranis and Dalinda Malem, the missing children of a Darnassian noble family, and asked Alliance adventurers for help in finding them. The adventurer eventually discovered Dalinda as a captive of the Burning Blade at Thunder Axe Fortress. She told the hero that she and her brother had been brought to the fortress after the orcs killed their guards and servants, and that she suspected the Burning Blade meant to sacrifice her to their demon masters. However, she also revealed that Tyranis had recently begun craving arcane knowledge and had decided to make the trek to Desolace despite its demon infestation. He had attempted to speak to his captors and apparently attempted to impress them with his arcane knowledge, and Dalinda feared that he would try to learn the Blade's secrets and join their ranks if they allowed it. The adventurer managed to retrieve Tyranis' pendant and escort Dalinda to Nijel's Point, allowing her to return to Darnassus.

The Burning Crusade
When Alliance and Horde forces ventured into Outland, the shattered remnants of Draenor, adventurers in Nagrand discovered that the Boulderfist ogre clan had taken up residence in the ruins of Hallvalor, the ancestral home of the Burning Blade. Furthermore, they discovered that the Boulderfist were now led by Lantresor of the Blade: a veteran half-draenei blademaster formerly of the Burning Blade who had ventured through the Dark Portal years before and served under two warchiefs before returning to his homeland.

Cataclysm
By the time of the Cataclysm, at least some blademasters remained loyal to the Horde. Blademaster Ronakada in Orgrimmar informs adventurers who approach him that while the blademasters' oath of freeing their people from demonic control has been fulfilled, his own honor remains unsatisfied. Thus, he will continue to fight for the Horde and train other warriors to do so until his death.

Durotar
In the Valley of Trials, Zureetha Fargaze once more sent Horde adventurers to cleanse the Burning Blade Coven of its demonic taint by killing the familiars and beasts prowling the cave and its surroundings and retrieving the Burning Blade Medallion from Yarrog Baneshadow. Fearing that the evil found in the coven was merely the herald of a larger threat, Zureetha once again sent adventurers to report their findings to Sen'jin Village and see if the Cult had yet reached the home of the Darkspear. This time, Master Gadrin told the heroes that the Blade was no longer seen in Sen'jin, but that the trolls would be vigilant in their efforts to prevent the cultists' return to the area.

At Razor Hill, Orgnil Soulscar informed adventurers that he had been sent to investigate the presence of more Burning Blade agents in Durotar. Interested in what the cult was teaching its neophytes, Orgnil hired heroes to sack the Dustwind Cave — where the Blade trained its new recruits — and retrieve several spellscrolls. Remarking that the scrolls were not all that different from the spells taught to Horde warlocks, Orgnil stated that the subject merited further investigation and sent the heroes on to Gor the Enforcer at Dranosh'ar Blockade, since the Burning Blade stronghold of Skull Rock sat right next to the docks Gor had been placed in charge of.

Gor informed the heroes that the flood which occurred during the Cataclysm had wiped out one of the few Burning Blade camps that still pockmarked Durotar, as well as drowning the camp's leader, Fizzle Darkclaw. Fizzle did, however, possess a magical orb the Horde was interested in procuring (though Gor himself did not care to find out why). After retrieving the orb by cutting off Fizzle's hand, the adventurer was sent on to the shaman Margoz, who knew more of the Burning Blade's corruption as well as Skull Rock, which sheltered a large band of cultists. Just as he had done before, Margoz ordered the retrieval of several of the searing collars worn by the cultists in Skull Rock, but as divining their origin was beyond his skills as a shaman, he told the heroes to bring the objects to Neeru Fireblade in Orgrimmar. Neeru, in turn, told the adventurers that their role in the tale was nearly complete and directed them to his assistant Ak'Zeloth at Far Watch Post in the Northern Barrens. Ak'Zeloth told the heroes that the matter was not news to him, and that while he appreciated their efforts, there were more pressing matters to attend than the Burning Blade.

The Northern Barrens
Some time later, a force of Burning Blade wolfriders unexpectedly attacked a Whipshank kodo caravan moving between Grol'dom Farm and the Crossroads, but they were fended off by an adventurer and Halga Bloodeye's "street sweeper".

Elsewhere in the Barrens, the Burning Blade gathered recruits and supplies at a small farm at Dreadmist Peak's northern foot. Brogor asked adventurers to help him keep the vigil against the cult by slaughtering the farm's ranks, while Wenikee Boltbucket requested the gathering of nugget slugs from the farm in order to repair a broken Samophlange.

Later still, adventurers returned to the Crossroads and accompanied another kodo caravan, this time to reinforce the Mor'shan Ramparts to north. Just as the caravan stopped at Dreadmist Camp to pick up fresh supplies and mounts, however, Burning Blade ambushers appeared and incapacitated the adventurer and the caravan driver, Balgor Whipshank, with nets. Stating that the "fat" Balgor would make for a nice sacrifice, the cultists seized both him and the caravan cart before hurrying up the slopes to the top of Dreadmist. Unwilling to forgo the vital military supplies nor allow any harm to come to her little brother, Balgor's sister Nagala immediately told adventurers to rescue Balgor and the captured caravan. At the top of the mountain, the heroes found Balgor unharmed, but the orc told them that he had managed to overhear some of the cultists' plans while they were preparing to ritualistically sacrifice him. According to Balgor, the Blade were planning to use the powerful artifact known as the Demon Seed to launch a full-scale attack on the Horde. While the adventurers obtained the Seed, Balgor managed to make it back down to Dreadmist Camp. When heroes returned to the foot of the mountain and handed the Demon Seed to Nagala, she told them that she would make sure that the artifact was "taken care of". Scouts soon reported that the Blade was preparing for another attack. Soon after setting out on the final leg of the journey to Mor'shan, Balgor and the hero were beset by Burning Blade forces mounted on wolves and wyverns alike, but the adventurer once again managed to narrowly fend them off with the "street sweeper", ensuring that the caravan reached the ramparts safely.

Operations in Desolace
In Desolace, the two forward posts of Nijel's Point and Furien's Post were charged with monitoring any potential threats in the region, to ensure that there were no surprises when the Alliance and Horde launched their Desolace campaigns. However, at one point one of the scouts from the forward posts was caught and sacrificed by the Burning Blade at Thunder Axe Fortress. Shortly afterward, a "Burning Blade wretch" by the name of Kohor began assaulting the two posts with constant threats and taunts. Captain Pentigast at Nijel's Point and Sorrem at Furien's Post both ordered Kohor's death, saying that although the cult's days in Desolace were numbered, they would pay handsomely for Kohor to be silenced immediately. Adventurers complied, but upon killing Kohor, the orc yelled that the Burning Blade were nearing completion on summoning a demon that could threaten the entire region. Determining that this matter could not wait for the Alliance and Horde invasion of Desolace, the adventurers scoured Thunder Axe Fortress and discovered a parchment detailing an ancient and powerful summoning ritual. As the ritual was more powerful than any the Blade had previously been known to possess, the adventurers resolved to call forth the demon prematurely in the hopes of averting the crisis. After gathering 100 skulls from around the fortress, the heroes summoned and defeated the weakened doomguard Nazargen, thus diverting what would have been a serious crisis; had the summoning rite been delayed only a little longer, Nazargen would have become far too powerful for the small forces at Nijel's Point and Furien's Post to contend with. Along the way, the adventurers also gathered a number of severed ears from the Burning Blade members at the fortress in order to satisfy Pentigast and Sorrem's disdain for the cult. Upon receiving the ears, Pentigast and Sorrem commented that it was only a shadow of what would soon become of the "vile cult".

Despite earlier attempts to pit the centaur tribes of Desolace against one another, efforts by the Alliance and Horde to unite the centaur in order to deal with the threat posed by the Burning Blade clan have met with some success. In southern Desolace, the Burning Blade and their demon masters pushed the Magram centaur out of their home, renaming it Shok'Thokar. The Magram, in turn, overran the home village of the rivaling Kolkar clan, killing most of the Kolkar and imprisoning the rest. Khan Leh'Prah, who had foreseen the demonic attack in his dreams, escaped to Karnum's Glade to request aid from adventurers and the Cenarion Circle. Through a series of efforts, adventurers were able to convince the khans of the Magram and Gelkis clans to join forces with the Kolkar against their common foe. Ultimately, the three clans met together at Shok'Thokar, fighting side by side to reclaim their ancestral lands from the Burning Blade and their demon masters. The adventurer was charged with leading a small group of centaur forces into battle, riding on the back of a centaur commander. After slaying numerous demons and cultists, the adventurer and the three khans met in Shadowbreak Ravine and brought an end to the demons' commander, the pit lord Agogridon, thus reclaiming Shok'Thokar for the centaur.

Mists of Pandaria
Warchief Garrosh Hellscream had several blademasters in his service during the Pandaria campaign, including Ishi, Mazuru, and later the Blind Blademasters, though it's unclear whether or not any of these were members of the Burning Blade clan.

When adventurers of the Alliance and New Horde assaulted Orgrimmar, they found that Garrosh's 'True Horde' had executed the warlock trainers in the Cleft of Shadow, including Neeru Fireblade. After the siege, new warlocks replaced the ones that had been killed, with Neeru being replaced by Arnak Fireblade.

Since the cult appears to be wiped out, the only members left of the Burning Blade are the members in the ranks of the Horde.

Culture
The Burning Blade clan valued honor above all else and they were known for their honor in battle.

The clan was primarily known for their deadly blademasters. These skilled swordsmen could focus their warrior energies to become living cyclones of rage, spinning their blades faster than the naked eye could see, or channel their potent powers in one focused strike to cause even greater damage. One of the blademasters' more mystical abilities was to create duplicate phantom images of themselves to confuse their enemies, and they were so adept and agile that they could move so quickly they appeared to be invisible to the naked eye. Though they were masters of stealth and guile, the blademasters valued personal honor above all else. Once they had passed their final tests in the Masters' Cavern in Hallvalor, blademasters were given the honor of wearing the Burning Blade's banner.

The clan was also known for its shaman, who primarily focused on elemental fire magic. These "flameseers" were known to use summoning components consisting of a powdery material mixed with something that sparkled. The Burning Blade forged a unique relationship with Draenor's ancient elementals and were able to work with iron and flame in ways poorly understood by outsiders. Many legendary Burning Blade weapons owed their existence to a Flamebender's Tome, an iron-bound sheaf of writing apparently passed down through generations. The writing in the tome consisted of both Orcish and a runic language seemingly similar to the Ignan Kalimag dialect spoken by Azeroth's fire elementals.

A sticky, smelly, and highly flammable substance known as blazegrease was liberally applied to the swords and axes of the Burning Blade clan before battle. Though some warriors chose to ignite their weapons before battle, most let the inevitable contact of blades and armor spark the blazegrease for unpredictable intimidation.

The Burning Blade cult, on the other hand, is a foul, demon-worshipping cult that has dedicated itself to demon causes. Though they may not represent the majority of the Horde's beliefs, they are evil to the core, their spirits corrupted, and destruction is the only way to thwart their objectives. Maurin Bonesplitter considers the Blade to be weak, their magics pathetic, and their strength feeble, with their only power deriving from those they serve rather than any true understanding of power and knowledge.

Burning Blade warlocks use high quality infernal orbs, which they bind demons into. The cultists in Skull Rock performed vile rituals and burned their own flesh with Searing Collars. Margoz has theorized that the cultists attuned themselves to demonic power by wearing the collars, but some cultists also covered themselves in felblood and heard the whispers of Sargeras. The cultists at Dustwind Cave were known to use spellscrolls, consisting of lists of demonic rites written in a deep, red ink. Orgnil Soulscar noted that the scrolls were not all that different from the spells taught to Horde warlocks. Lieutenants of the cult wore special insignias in the form of small runes.

The phrase Galtak Ered'nash (Eredun for "All hail the Burning Blade") is used as a greeting among the members of the cult.

Known members

 * Orc clan


 * Demon cult

Unnamed
🇨🇴 🇨🇴 🇨🇴
 * Desolace
 * Durotar
 * Northern Barrens
 * (removed)
 * (removed)
 * (removed)
 * (removed)
 * (removed)
 * (removed)
 * (removed)

In Warcraft II


Chieftain: None

Clan Colors: Orange

Background: ''The Burning Blade is not a clan as much as it is an elemental force of nature. Chaotic and unpredictable, the Burning Blade is a brotherhood of demented Orcs whose only objective is to raze and plunder with no regard for their own safety. This leaderless swarm is held in check by the Ogres - to be unleashed by the clans in times of urgent duress. The Burning Blade holds loyalty to no one and will attack any that they perceive to be a threat - even their fellow Orcs.''

Domain: Nomadic

In the TCG
Jonas the Red, the "traitor" version of the Forsaken rogue Jonas White, is a member of the Burning Blade. His flavor text is "This is how the Burning Blade operates."

First War
According some RPG books, the Burning Blade clan fought in the First War.

Introduction
In the First and Second Wars, the Burning Blade was less a clan and more a group of (somewhat) organized orcs who had no banner of their own. They were something of a force of nature; these orcs were some of the first to drink the blood of demons, and simply wished to kill everything in sight with no regard for their own lives. The other clans used the ogres to keep the Burning Blade in check, lest this clan turn on the rest of the Horde in their permanent state of aggression. In more recent times, the Burning Blade has grown more organized, and they are definitively anti-Horde. The Burning Blade harbors many of those whom Thrall exiled or otherwise refused to incorporate in his new society, such as warlocks and the worst of murderers. The clan has a leader now; many whisper that he is none other than Neeru Fireblade, a warlock residing within the very halls of Orgrimmar. It is unknown if Thrall is aware of his existence, or if he intentionally keeps the Burning Blade's leader close to watch his actions. The Burning Blade Clan's color is orange.

Organization
The Burning Blade is a tightly run organization, with a fear of spies coloring their strict hierarchy. Leaders, one to every pocket of foul sorcerers, call themselves the First, likely harkening back to the First War when they pushed the Horde to demon-tainted victory over the Alliance. The Firsts have direct contact with the demons still on Kalimdor and work to summon more of their infernal allies from the Twisting Nether. They also send out inferiors, to serve as spies among the Horde. Since some goblins have joined the Burning Blade's ranks, it is likely there are spies among the Alliance as well. Their inferiors are split into three other groups, called the Second, the Third, and Nothing. This refers to the Second War, which ended in defeat, and the Third War, in which the Horde did what the Burning Blade considers unthinkable — joined with the Alliance to defeat the demons. Nothing refers to the current state of truce with the Alliance, defeated demons, and a splintered Burning Blade.

The Seconds report directly to the Firsts and know most of the secrets of the cult. Many powerful warlocks hold this rank, likely hoping their mentors kick it one day so that they can take the reins. The Thirds comprise most of the Burning Blade, ambitious and foul orcs who want power and will do anything to get it. Nothings are the initiates, sent on mundane tasks such as hunting, cleaning, cooking, and even serving as bait to snare those who trespass on the Burning Blade's territory.

Their stronghold lies in the Thunder Axe Fortress of Desolace, but their foul taint reaches as far as the heights of the mountains of the Barrens and even under Thrall's feet in Orgrimmar. The Burning Blade makes its beds wherever one can find demons. Their main area of influence is the Thunder Axe Fortress in Desolace, and it pulses with arcane energy. Others can be found an area in the hills of Desolace where they attempt to summon more demons. They also show up at the Dreadmist Peak in the Barrens, Skull Rock and Thunder Ridge in Durotar (a location where goblins serve the Burning Blade), and there is even a Burning Blade movement in Orgrimmar itself, in Ragefire Chasm, the cave complex underneath Thrall's city.

Membership
There are many orcs who are not happy with the current Horde. The current state of the Horde is a tenuous peace with the Alliance, and most orcs prefer a life of blood and thunder. However, many of these orcs attack Alliance caravans and travelers without ever leaving the Horde. The orcs who serve the Burning Blade feel that the divine magic Thrall encourages is weak, and they long for the rush of demonic power. The Burning Blade is comprised of orcs, mostly warlocks, who crave more and more power. The organization is aware of its tenuous existence, with both the Alliance troops from Theramore and their former brethren after them, and so they are watchful of Horde spies.

The first couple of tests in order to become members of the Burning Blade are mostly arcane spellcasting and pledging oneself to the Burning Legion. The next test involves the drinking of foul demon blood. The final test is the cold-blooded murder of one of the initiates' own people. These initiations take place at the top of Dreadmist Peak. After passing the final test, they travel to Desolace for further training. Those that pass the test of consuming demonic blood are told some of the Burning Blade's plans. The Burning Blade is planning on summoning more demons to bolster an army. They have footholds in Desolace.

The leaders are all orcs from the old wars, those who actually remember the First War and their old homeland. These are orcs who have lived a very long time; the magic sustained them but ravaged their bodies in the process. They are twisted to the core, they are; ancient and evil. They harbor a deep hatred for the Alliance, the Horde and the Scourge. The leaders do know, however, that they are not immortal, and that the weakened forces of the demons make them vulnerable. They are carefully grooming younger warlocks to take their positions; the initiations that entailed are unknown.

Members

 * Al'arr Darkhills
 * Klass Metalfist

Speculation

 * During the Founding of Durotar, a cult of orcish warlocks still loyal to the Burning Legion killed Morg Wolfsong and stole his shamanic artifacts before Rexxar disposed of them. They may have been from the Burning Blade. Stormreaver warlocks also appeared on the Echo Isles in the next mission, and in World of Warcraft Report to Sen'jin Village mentioned Burning Blade's evil taking root on the Echo Isles.
 * The main universe's Mankrik appears to be a member of the Burning Blade, judging by his bloodlust, his blademaster-like attire, and the Burning Blade banner which hung outside his hut in the Crossroads and was later worn on his back in a blademaster's fashion during his appearance in the Southern Barrens.