Kargath Bladefist

Kargath Bladefist was the Warchief of the Fel Horde and Chieftain and founder of the Shattered Hand clan. He earned the sobriquet "Bladefist" after he cut off his left hand to escape ogre captivity, replacing it with a deadly scythe called the The Bladefist (level 70), and becoming the Chieftain of the Shattered Hand.

Slavehood
Kargath Bladefist was raised a slave by the ogres of Gorian Empire. He was imprisoned and held beneath Highmaul for many years. Striving for his own freedom, he became a gladiator fighting in the Highmaul arena. The price to earn his own freedom was to take one hundred orcish lives while fighting in the arena. Having won every battle against his opponents, Kargath marched out of Highmaul, only to discover the promise of freedom to be a lie. Kargath was thrown in a dungeon beneath the arena, and desperately severed his hand, which was bound by shackles, in frustration and rage. The other orc slaves, seeing his resolve, followed in his footsteps and did the same. They followed Kargath in his uprising against the ogres and helped him slay the emperor. Kargath showed the severed head of the emperor to his followers, and they raised their severed hands, armed with blades, cheering at him. This moment marked the birth of the Shattered Hand clan.

Before the Horde
Kargath led his new clan to establish a village within the dense, swampy forests of the Spires of Arak called Bladefist Hold. Much like the rest of his clan, he took great pleasure in causing pain to others, and to himself. Based on his alternate counterpart's actions, it can be presumed that the Shattered Hand's relations with the local arakkoa were... less than peaceful.

Rise of the Horde
Kargath was present at the Kosh'harg celebration in Nagrand. He would later become one of the original members of the Shadow Council, albeit as a non-warlock. As part of the council, he watched over the alliance with ogres and rebellious clans.

After the destruction of Shattrath City, Warchief Blackhand ordered Kargath to exterminate the high arakkoa in his clan's territory, the Spires of Arak, for their superweapon was a threat to the Horde. Kargath's army consisted of his Shattered Hand, the Burning Blade, and the Dragonmaw. They stormed the forests near Skyreach but were not prepared for the arakkoa's weaponry. The searing beam of fire that lanced across the forests incinerated dozens of orcs where they stood. Rather than mount another direct assault, Kargath sought out allies in the cursed Arakkoa Outcasts and struck a bargain: if the arakkoa infiltrated Skyreach and destroyed the weaponry, the orcs would join the fight and slaughter the high arakkoa. Then, the Outcasts could take Skyreach.

Enticed by the offer, the Outcasts snuck into Skyreach and waged war on the city. What they lacked in numbers they made up for with their magic and destroyed the mechanism atop the city. A blinding explosion tore through the sky and set the heavens aflame. When Kargath and his forces finally arrived, they slaughtered the high arakkoa as promised and cast their bodies from the city. However, the battle-crazed orcs also turned on the Outcasts. Kargath saw them as a threat. Knowing they were cunning and intelligent, he assumed they would one day learn to wield the same powers the high arakkoa had and he could not take that risk. But in addition, he simply enjoyed betraying the wretches. Kargath's followers did not kill every high arakkoa they came across. Some were taken prisoner and cast into the Sethekk Hollow based on stories the Outcasts had told them. Kargath reveled in the sight of the last of the high arakkoa writhing in agony as shadow energy transformed them. In the end, the Horde's assault on the Spires of Arak destroyed high arakkoan civilization and killed nearly all of the Outcasts.

When the first wave of clans went through to Azeroth, Bladefist begrudgingly stayed behind in Draenor, under the uneasy rule of Ner'zhul the Shaman, who only remained in power through his numbers – and the always-looming threat of the ogre mage Dentarg. When the Bleeding Hollow clan returned to Draenor many years later, Bladefist immediately volunteered to send his clan through to Azeroth, hoping to gloriously slaughter the humans to avenge his fallen or captured brothers and sisters.

Beyond the Dark Portal
He alongside Grommash Hellscream were the first to hear and join Ner'zhul's plan. Once the Alliance had invaded Draenor, they established a foothold and constructed Honor Hold. From there, they raided Hellfire Citadel, thinking that Ner'zhul resided there. However, Kargath and Dentarg had been left there to distract the Alliance while Ner'zhul attempted to open the rifts to other worlds at the Black Temple. Alleria's elven rangers killed the sentries of the citadel and opened the gates, allowing the Alliance to storm in and butcher most of Kargath's clan. Dentarg was destroyed by Khadgar in that fateful battle. Nonetheless, Kargath understood that he had been left there to die, and managed to pull a few of his forces back and escape. Hoping to intercept the Alliance and continue his service to the Horde, he traveled to Nagrand and attempted to convince Greatmother Geyah to lend him warriors. She refused his request, as the village was one of the sick. Angered, Kargath stormed off. Realizing that he had too few soldiers to make a difference, he instead decided to abandon the struggle and reclaim Hellfire Citadel one day in the future, when he was stronger and more prepared.

The Burning Crusade
It appears that at some point Kargath became a fel orc and replaced his other hand with a sword-like weapon, as did many of his fellow fel orcs. Kargath fulfilled his promise to reclaim Hellfire Citadel, becoming Warchief of the Fel Horde, overseeing Magtheridon. Now Kargath's prisoner, Magtheridon supplied Illidan's forces with Pit Lord blood to create stronger Fel Orcs. When the invasion of Outland started, Kargath found his reclaimed citadel under siege again. He eventually met his demise within the heart of the Shattered Halls. His prisoner and weapon, Magtheridon, was slain as well, ending the threat that the Fel Horde posed under Kargath.

Description
From the Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal manual: ''A razor-sharp scythe setting in place of his severed left hand, Kargath is always willing to engage in frenzied combat. His ruthless tactics and single-mindedness have earned him the Chieftainship of the feared Shattered Hand clan. Like Hellscream, Kargath waits only for the time his clan is unleashed upon the unsuspecting humans to engage in massive bloodshed.''

Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans


In the canceled Warcraft Adventures, he was depicted as looking much younger than in Beyond the Dark Portal and as having crossed through the Dark Portal before it was destroyed by Khadgar. He was one of the clan leaders, along with Orgrim Doomhammer and Kilrogg Deadeye, that met at a convocation at Grim Batol, lamenting that the Horde couldn't use dragons anymore.

Notes and trivia

 * The outpost of Kargath in the Badlands was named in his honor. In addition, the shore south of Orgrimmar has been dubbed Bladefist Bay, and the headquarters of the Warsong Lumber Camp in Ashenvale is known as Kargathia Keep.
 * Several World of Warcraft servers are named after him in both Korgath and Kargath flavors.
 * A part of Kargath's former clan, the Shattered Hand clan, has become a guild named The Shattered Hand in Orgrimmar's Cleft of Shadow, training young rogues in the way of stealth and assassination.
 * In the Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal manual and in the game itself he was referred to as both Kargath and Korgath (mistakenly). In later sources he is referred to as Kargath.
 * Despite his corruption into a fel orc, Kargath is regarded as a highly respected member of both the original Horde and among orc society. Though most orcs view his fall as unfortunate, they remember the proud warrior he once was. This is evident in Nazgrel's words at the end of The Will of the Warchief; "In his prime, Kargath Bladefist was a fine warrior, a hero and example to his people. His death is a blow to us all, but especially to Warchief Thrall. Whatever happened to him in his final days, we should not forget the orc Kargath once was, nor the lessons to be learned from his downfall." Based on this, it's clear that the Horde never discovered that Kargath was a member of the Shadow Council.
 * Despite being described as a 'scythe' the weapon on his left hand far more resembles an axe.
 * Kargath was the first playable character from Warcraft II to be a dungeon boss in World of Warcraft.
 * It seems Kargath's Sacrificed Hands were originally intended to appear in Legion but were removed before release.
 * While one of his hands was replaced by The Bladefist (level 70), the other was said to have been replaced by Warchief Kargath's Fist.
 * Kargath appears as HS Kargath Bladefist (a legendary card) for the warrior class in the Ashes of Outland expansion for Hearthstone. Upon death, he shuffles back into the player's deck as HS Kargath Prime. His flavor text reads: "He rules the Shattered Hand orc clan with an iron... bladefist."

Speculation
There are currently no sources stating the exact time of when exactly Kargath and his Shattered Hand orcs became fel orcs. It could be either when Magtheridon took control of Outland or during the reign of Illidan Stormrage.