High General Rakeesh


 * "In my master's house smolder the burning husks of a thousand worlds.
 * I am here now to prepare a place for you amidst the ruin of tomorrow."

High General Rakeesh is a high-ranking eredar commander in the demonic Burning Legion and overlord of the Rakeeshi. Rakeesh was originally the son of Prophet Velen, but was kidnapped by the demon lord Kil'jaeden in a revenge scheme ages ago and broken by the Demonic Inquisition to serve the Legion.

During the Legion's third invasion of Azeroth, Rakeesh was tasked by Kil'jaeden with launching an assault on The Exodar and destroy the naaru O'ros to prevent it from unlocking Light's Heart. He succeeded, but was slain moments later by Velen and order champions.

Biography
As a child, Rakeesh attended Kil'jaeden's announcement to the eredar about Sargeras. He was off to the side with his mother, Nuuri.

13,000 years ago, Velen's son was captured by Kil'jaeden. When Velen was leading his people away from Argus, he asked Talgath to bring his family. Unfortunately for Velen, Talgath instead went to Kil'jaeden.

Under the monstrous mental and physical torture of the Demonic Inquisition, his mind broke and the draenei who would become known as Rakeesh began serving the Burning Legion as a man'ari. Rakeesh took the rank of High General and worked to further the Legion's cause, unbeknownst to Velen, who likely thought him deceased.

Legion


During the Burning Legion's third invasion of Azeroth, Rakeesh was ordered by Kil'jaeden himself to launch an assault on the home of the draenei people, leading to the Battle for the Exodar. The goal of the attack was the destruction of the naaru O'ros who dwelled within the core of the The Exodar, for he was the last descendant of Xe'ra and as such the only being left capable of deciphering Light's Heart, which represented a major threat to the Legion's plans.

Caught by surprise, the draenei of the Exodar were quickly overwhelmed by Rakeesh and his Rakeeshi forces, who seized much of the city early on. Rakeesh himself made his way to the Seat of the Naaru and began directing the demons' efforts to wipe out any remaining resistance. Before long, however, Prophet Velen arrived with the order champions in tow. With their aid, and that of the Light's Chosen, the draenei began to retake the city from the Rakeeshi, closing the Legion's portals and rescuing lost draenei. Upon finding out about Light's Heart, Velen moved to O'ros's aid, who was being held and beaten by Rakeesh.

As Velen arrived, Rakeesh killed the naaru by summoning in a Fel Annihilator, crushing the holy being upon arrival. A battle ensued between Rakeesh, Velen, and the Prophet's allies, until Velen realized who the man'ari really was. Frantic, Velen attempted to stop his allies from harming Rakeesh—who he now recognized as his son—but it was too late. Rakeesh died, in his father's arms, much to the Prophet's sorrow.

Notes and trivia

 * Rakeesh means "butcher" in Eredun.
 * The bed Velen is found kneeling before in A Non-Prophet Organization is implied to be Rakeesh's from when he was young. It has a stuffed doll resting upon it and when approached Velen states "Forgive me, my son."
 * On the PTR, the stuffed toy was an elekk. This was likely changed since elekk are from Draenor, not Argus, and so the eredar couldn't have known about them.
 * Rakeeshi demons can be found on the Broken Shore.
 * During the final confrontation with Kil'jaeden, the demon lord sarcastically asked Velen if Rakeesh hated the father who had abandoned him.
 * At Mac'Aree on Argus, Talgath taunted Velen for leaving his wife and child behind.
 * Rakeesh is voiced by Patrick Seitz.
 * Rakeesh's quote, "In my master's house smolder the burning husks of a thousand worlds. I am here now to prepare a place for you amidst the ruin of tomorrow." is a twisted form of John 14:2, "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?" — New International Version.
 * Rakeesh is also the name of a paladin in the Quest for Glory series, who was injured in a battle against a demon wizard.

Speculation

 * The echo of him as a child in the world quest Bully Pulpit is named Echo of Rakeesh, which is likely to make sure players understand who that character is since Rakeesh is not his original name.
 * Given Velen's reaction to Rakeesh's death, it is likely that he has died permanently, due to being extremely close to the fel-portal to Argus and the Twisting Nether with fel energies spewing right above his head.