Mannoroth

Mannoroth was the barbaric leader of the pit lords when Kil'jaeden recruited them. When Archimonde was placed in command of the pit lords, he recognized Mannoroth's value as a brutal, bloodthirsty fighter and made the pit lord his second-in-command. Mannoroth helped lead the Burning Legion in assaults on countless worlds, and led the first invasion of Azeroth. His ruthlessness and vile cunning made him into one of the favored lieutenants of his masters, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, the champions of the Burning Legion. He is known as "the Destructor" and "the Flayer".

In addition to his martial prowess, Mannoroth was a powerful spellcaster. His magical knowledge and power exceeded even the most gifted night elf sorcerers, including Xavius and Illidan. Of the Highborne, only Queen Azshara proved superior.

In Warlords of Draenor, he is resurrected by in  after having been slain by, and serves as the penultimate boss of Hellfire Citadel.

Mannoroth serves as the secondary antagonist in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and the supporting antagonist in Cataclysm and Warlords of Draenor.

War of the Ancients


After Xavius and the Highborne failed to sufficiently strengthen the portal for Sargeras' entrance into Azeroth, he sent Hakkar the Houndmaster to guide them. But even adding his arcane knowledge and might, they were met with limited success. Queen Azshara suggested they cut off the Well of Eternity from outside interference, save for their own use. However, they lacked the magical expertise to make it happen and Xavius once again sought help from Sargeras. Disappointed in Hakkar's failure, Sargeras decided to send one of his most trusted commanders to assist them. As Mannoroth's monstrous form emerged from the portal, a frightened Highborne nearly collapsed in shock. Mannoroth pointed a taloned finger at the careless sorcerer and incinerated him with black flames. In a thundering voice, Mannoroth stated, "There will be no more failure."

Mannoroth drew up the diagram for the shield spell and the Highborne were finally able to seal the Well's power from all but themselves, allowing them to widen and solidify the portal. In a matter of hours, hundreds of demons poured through. Mannoroth departed the palace with them to purge the unfit and crush the resistance gathering outside Zin-Azshari. He left Xavius in charge of maintaining the shield and strengthening the portal.

The night elf forces opposing the invasion had been weakened from being cut off from the Well and sent Malfurion to destroy the shield spell. He managed to sneak into the palace using his dream form and killed Xavius before shutting down both the shield array and the portal. Mannoroth immediately felt the loss as Sargeras' presence disappeared with the portal. The Moon Guard's connection with the Well restored, they turned the tide against the Legion's forces and pushed them back to Zin-Azshari.

Having failed his master for the first time and fearing punishment, Mannoroth worked quickly with the Highborne to rebuild the portal. This time, Sargeras sent Archimonde and Xavius—reborn as a satyr—to assist the invasion. While the majority of the Legion's forces went out to combat Azeroth's defenders and capture Malfurion, Mannoroth was left to oversee the portal.

At some point, he watched Illidan who offered Sargeras his help. The Dark Titan burned his eyes. Archimonde used his magic to strengthen the magical barriers around the palace so that it was impossible to launch an assault on the demons' stronghold. Mannoroth single-handedly slaughtered entire regiments of Kaldorei defenders and sowed chaos by unleashing squads of doomguard across the land. During the war, Mannoroth clashed with the demigod Cenarius himself.

Near the end of the war, a band of night elves led by Illidan assaulted Mannoroth and Captain Varo'then on the shores of the Well. Unknown to either, this band, besides Illidan, consisted of adventurers from the far future.

Drawing upon the power of Kalimdor from every part of nature, Malfurion cast an incredible gale across the Well of Eternity. The night elf and demon sorcerers stabilizing the portal were swept out across the black waters. Using his incredible strength and bulk to resist the gale, Mannoroth drew upon the energy of the collapsing spellwork to create a fiery shield to protect himself. He believed himself successful and began laughing hard from his sense of superiority as 'the Flayer', 'the Destructor', and one of Sargeras' chosen. But to his dismay, it was sucked away by the strong wind. Mannoroth was last seen being cast out over the Well roaring in frustration.

Mannoroth and the orcs
In preparation for the Burning Legion's second invasion of Azeroth, Kil'jaeden dispatched Mannoroth to Draenor. Describing him to Gul'dan, Kil'jaeden mentioned that "Mannoroth is known for many things. Patience is not among them." Clan chieftains of the orc Horde drank from Mannoroth's blood and fell prey to the blood-curse. Their corruption quickly spread to the rest of the Horde and ultimately led to their ill-fated assault on the human kingdoms on Azeroth.

Mannoroth made his mark upon the orcs in Draenor. Many years before the Dark Portal was first formed, Mannoroth, under orders from Kil'jaeden, took part in the plan to put the orcs under the thumb of the Burning Legion. Though he would later say that the orcs were his "by right", it was likely just plain arrogance of his blood pact with the orcs. His own master, Kil'jaeden, could claim rule over the orcs since it was he who discovered them. They would serve as harbingers of chaos, wiping out any potential resistance when the Legion arrived on a world. With the help of Gul'dan, the Blood of Mannoroth was drunk by the chieftains of the clans, with the exception of Durotan of the Frostwolf. They were engulfed by a demonic bloodlust that wiped out the draenei and damned the orcs forever.

However, after the Dark Portal was opened and the orcs engaged the humans over the course of two wars, they were unexpectedly defeated and routed by the humans. The orcs, and in turn, Mannoroth, had failed. Mannoroth, painfully aware of this fact, made plans to have his vengeance.

The Third War
Kil'jaeden, however, ignored Mannoroth's desires for vengeance, and crafted a new pawn: the Lich King and his undead Scourge. This Scourge would succeed where the orcs had failed.

Finally, Mannoroth was summoned by the lich, Kel'Thuzad, into the world of Azeroth. He was followed by Kazzak and Archimonde.

The dreadlord, Tichondrius, gloated openly that the Scourge (whom he regarded as his in the same way Mannoroth felt about the orcs) had succeeded where the orcs had failed. This only enraged Mannoroth further, and he was infuriated to discover that the orcs had left. Mannoroth and Tichondrius, in pursuit, followed Thrall and the Horde across the sea to Kalimdor. Archimonde reminded Mannoroth, though, that the orcs could still be a useful tool to them.

Upon arriving in Kalimdor, Mannoroth sensed the presence of Cenarius, and he worried that the demigod could prove to be a nuisance in their plans. Tichondrius suggested that perhaps the orcs could be used to destroy Cenarius, for the orc who Mannoroth once corrupted years ago on Draenor, Grom Hellscream, was here, and had incurred the wrath of the demigod.

At Tichondrius' suggestion, Mannoroth spilled his blood into a fountain of life, defiling it in hopes the orcs would find it and drink it. Hellscream's witch doctors, sensing the power, initially led him to the fountain, but quickly realized it was cursed, and implored Hellscream not to meddle with it. Grom ignored them and corrupted his clan by drinking its waters. Infused with the powers of the Legion, Cenarius was no match for the bloodlust-filled Warsong clan.

With the demigod dead, Mannoroth appeared and took full control of Hellscream as the true invasion, the Legion's invasion, of Kalimdor began. Realizing that the remaining orcs were still a formidable force under the leadership of Thrall, Mannoroth formed a new plan to take him out.

Thrall found his former friend Grom had fallen under the sway of the legion and vowed to save him. With the help of Jaina Proudmoore and her expedition, the orc-human alliance successfully defeated Hellscream's corrupted clan, captured Hellscream, and purged him of his madness. The taint, however, was still within him.

Mannoroth's defeat
After Thrall reclaimed Hellscream, Mannoroth lured them into the craters formed by the falling infernals, where he hoped to kill Thrall and re-enslave Hellscream. Thrall confronted the demon lord in battle pouring all his strength and hatred for the demon into one powerful blast with the Doomhammer. Mannoroth applauded the effort and revealed that it had caused only slight scarring of his wing. He then tossed the young warchief against a cliffside with a powerful charge, knocking him out cold and leaving only Hellscream. Mannoroth reminded Grom that he owned his body and soul and gloated that the blood curse could never be broken.

Hellscream then faced the choice between giving into the demon corruption once more or resisting and saving Thrall, and indeed his entire race. Refusing to accept that the orcs were cursed forever, he chose his kin. In a heroic last stand Grom slipped past Mannoroth's defenses and sliced open his chest.

Mannoroth was thus slain by his greatest creation and most favored pupil, Grommash Hellscream — a fitting irony, some might say. The demonic fires erupted outward, destroying the astonished Mannoroth and mortally wounding Hellscream.

With the death of Mannoroth, the blood curse on the orcs was finally lifted. After his defeat, Mannoroth's horned skull and armor were spirited to Orgrimmar and were attached to a large, dead and irregularly shaped tree which bears a striking resemblance to the general outline of an annihilan. However, the large double-headed spear used by the mighty pit lord remains in Ashenvale, forever sundered and locked in time to show where the blood pact was ended. The remains have become a memorial to warn against consorting with demons and celebrating the feat of Grommash Hellscream in finally lifting the blood curse.

After the Cataclysm, Mannoroth's skull was moved above the throne of the new Warchief, Garrosh Hellscream. The ends of the tusks were added to Garrosh's armor, while the skull on Garrosh's shoulder came from a huge predator he hunted and killed himself.

World of Warcraft
The remains of Mannoroth are located in Orgrimmar right outside of Grommash Hold, and his weapon within the Demon Fall Canyon in Ashenvale.

The Burning Crusade
A vision of Mannoroth appeared in the quest Hero of the Mag'har when Thrall showed young Garrosh Hellscream a vision of his father and what he achieved.

Cataclysm


In the Well of Eternity dungeon, adventurers were sent back in time to a pivotal moment during the War of the Ancients to retrieve the Dragon Soul. There, Mannoroth was focusing the arcane energies of the Well of Eternity into the Dragon Soul in order to widen the portal for Sargeras. This activity strengthened the shield the Old Gods had placed around the Dragon Soul, preventing Nozdormu from retrieving it. He tasked the adventurers with killing Mannoroth so the link between the Dragon Soul and the Well would break.

The adventurers were assisted in their fight against Mannoroth and Varo'then by Tyrande and Illidan Stormrage. After Varo'then was slain, Mannoroth drew more energy from the Well and summoned an onslaught of demons to help turn the battle in his favor. As the situation became dire, Illidan transformed into a dark, twisted version of himself and was able to disrupt Mannoroth's connection to the Well. Malfurion seized the opportunity to assault the portal, causing it to violently implode. Mannoroth and the demonic Legion were pulled out of Azeroth.

Warlords of Draenor
Alternate Gul'dan summoned Mannoroth to and proceeded to drink his blood to gain demonic power. He then prepared a cauldron full of the pit lord's blood atop the highest peak in Tanaan Jungle, which would become known as the, and there offered it to the assembled orcish clans while Mannoroth secretly looked on. of the stepped up to take the first drink, but rejected the offering, refusing to become a slave. He revealed his awareness of the truth of Gul'dan's plot, as his clan suddenly attacked Gul'dan and Mannoroth. In the battle that followed, Mannoroth was blasted by an iron star before ultimately meeting his end when Grommash plunged Gorehowl into his skull.

Mannoroth was later resurrected by alternate Gul'dan and served as the penultimate boss of. Gul'dan first put his soul back into his skeleton, later reconstituting his body anew and empowering him, so he wouldn't have to spend too much time in the Twisting Nether reforming a body. He was still slain once again.

In the RPG
Mannoroth crafted Spite.

Personality
Mannoroth was a simple being with no overriding ambition to change his station in life. Craving blood and carnage over everything else, he willingly acted as an enforcer for Archimonde and the Burning Legion. His only desire was to wage an unending war against the mortal races of the universe. He was a terribly efficient weapon of destruction for the demonlords and could always be found at the forefront of their invasion forces. Mannoroth had forever been cursed with an immeasurable, unending thirst for blood. Even the bloodlust of the orcs was a minor compulsion compared to the absolute addiction that bloodletting was for Mannoroth. In the absence of mortals to fight, Mannoroth often turned on his own demon kin, slaying felhounds and infernals with an unnerving sense of satisfaction. He preferred the kill to the chase, and would quickly slay mortals who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon him. Mannoroth sought out the most concentrated area of foes and wades into battle. He was not happy unless he was spilling the entrails of his enemies at his feet. When a victim fell, he usually spent an extra attack or two on the victim making sure the target was quite dead. This could be quite messy, which was exactly how Mannoroth liked it. In fact, he could get a bit reckless if foes were not dropping to his massive two-bladed sword at least every attack.

Reign of Chaos

 * "Bah! These frail humans offer no real resistance."
 * "The orcs are mine by right, and I will claim them, wherever they choose to run!"
 * "Ashenvale forest. After ten thousand years, I still recognized this cursed place! This is the vale of our ancient enemy, the night elves' demigod, Cenarius."
 * "Hello again, Grommash."
 * "I've come to bring you and your brethren back into the fold. Though you orcs failed the Burning Legion before, you will now serve us once again!"
 * "Stupid, pitiful creature. I am the rage in your heart. I am the fury of your thoughts. I alone empowered you to bring chaos to this world, and by the endless void, you shall!"

Notes and trivia

 * Mannoroth had a beard on his Warcraft III model, and in the artwork from Shadows & Light. In the cinematics and all later depictions, he was beardless.
 * A Horde ship was named after him: Mannoroth's Bones. It was sent to bring Horde troops home from Northrend after the war against the Scourge.
 * While Mannoroth wasn't present on the Throne in Rise of the Horde, Blizzard decided to put him there hidden in a fel cloak.
 * Mannoroth used a "Plasma Blast" attack in the Warlords of Draenor cinematic. Though considering the raid boss encounter with him, this attack was actually his Felseeker spell.
 * He seems to have personally used Xu'tenash, Glaive of Ruin, even though the color of the weapon is different during his fight.
 * In the index of the Ultimate Visual Guide book, Mannoroth was listed as "Mannoroth the Defiler", which is likely an oversight since the title is more associated with Archimonde.
 * In Reign of Chaos and Cataclysm, Mannoroth's voice actor was Arthur Burghardt. In Warlords of Draenor, he was voiced by Fred Tatasciore.