Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan

Sorcerer-Thane Thaurissan was the leader of the shadowy sorcerers of the Dark Iron clan before and during the War of the Three Hammers. He was the one responsible for first summoning the Firelord Ragnaros into Azeroth.

War of the Three Hammers
Having hid within the deepest shadows under the mountain of Ironforge and plotted against both their Bronzebeard and the Wildhammer cousins. When Modimus Anvilmar died, a dwarven civil war erupted in which the three most powerful dwarven clans — the Dark Irons, Bronzebeards, and Wildhammers — battled for supremacy over the capital city of Ironforge. Having been defeated by the Bronzebeard clan, Thaurissan and his clan were cast out from Ironforge. Retreating to the beautiful Redridge Mountains, he declared himself Dark Iron emperor in a city he named for himself and plotted vengeance upon his brother dwarves.

Years later, the Dark Irons launched simultaneous assaults on the two other clans in a conflict that came to be known as the War of the Three Hammers. Thaurissan personally led the attack on the Bronzebeards in Ironforge, whilst his wife Modgud led the assault on the Wildhammer fortress of Grim Batol. The Dark Irons were intent on claiming all of Khaz Modan for their own.

After a long battle, Thaurissan was defeated by Madoran Bronzebeard and fled, realizing that if Modgud had failed to destroy the Wildhammers then he would be caught between the armies of the two clans and destroyed. His suspicions were correct, Modgud having died at the hands of Thane Khardros Wildhammer, though not before cursing the city of Grim Batol and rendering it uninhabitable. With their mistress dead, the army of Modgud was routed, only to be totally annihilated by an army sent by the Bronzebeard clan to relieve the Wildhammers.

Realizing that supremacy over the dwarves could no longer be achieved by his own force of arms and sensing imminent defeat, Thaurissan, along with the Seven, delved into forbidden lore and summoned the great Firelord Ragnaros at the area now known as the Molten Core to destroy his foes once and for all. Horribly underestimating the raw power of the Lord of Fire, Thaurissan, the Seven, and many other Dark Irons were killed instantly in the resulting immolation which destroyed an enormous portion of the Redridge Mountains and formed the great black peak of Blackrock Spire. Horrified at what devilry Thaurissan had brought upon the land, the combined armies of the dwarves ceased their march on the Dark Iron clan, thus ending the War of the Three Hammers.

While Thaurissan and Modgud were killed, they did have at least one son. The former ruler of the Dark Irons, Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, is their direct descendant.

His spirit lingers in the Athenaeum of Blackwing Descent.

His Staff can be found by a experienced archaeologist.

In the RPG
The character who summoned Ragnaros is described as a mad sorcerer, thane of the Dark Irons. The Ruins of Thaurissan was first named after the first pretender who titled himself the Dark Iron king. He is also referred to as sorcerer-king Thaurisan.