Denathrius

For strategy on the Castle Nathria encounter, see Sire Denathrius (tactics).

Denathrius
Title	Sire, Master of Revendreth, King of the Venthyr, First Blooded, Commander of the Stoneborn, Fangs of the Shadowlands, the Redeemer
Gender	Male
Race	Eternal One (Humanoid)
Level	?? Elite
Resource	Mana
Reaction	Alliance Horde Alliance Horde
Affiliation(s)	Independent
Former affiliation(s)	Court of Harvesters, Stone Legion, Venthyr Covenant, Pantheon of Death
Occupation	Master of the nathrezim
Former occupation(s)	Leader of the venthyr, stoneborn, and Revendreth
Location	Unknown (lore); Revendreth (in-game)
Status	Active
Companion(s)	Remornia (weapon)

“Defy Revendreth? I AM Revendreth!”

— Sire Denathrius

Sire Denathrius, the Master, is the creator and the former leader of the realm of Revendreth and its inhabitants, the venthyr people, which he ruled from Castle Nathria. Calculating and methodical, Denathrius is ancient beyond measure and one of the most powerful beings in all the Shadowlands. He created the venthyr in his likeness, forging them from the souls of the redeemed. The first venthyr were born directly from Denathrius' will, such as Prince Renathal who considers him his father. He is also the creator of the Nathrezim, cruel and cunning beings with the purpose to be the greatest spies and infiltrators in all of reality, in order to spread the influence of Death throughout the cosmos.

In a midst of a rebellion caused by the anima drought that’s swept over the Shadowlands, rumors suggested that Denathrius may no longer be fit for the role of Master of Revendreth. Crowning a new Sire could return the plane to its former glory, or leave it mired in the same decadence and sin it is charged with cleansing. Consequently, Denathrius beseeched Azeroth's champions to help him quell the rebellion led by Prince Renathal, which threatened to destroy the venthyr way of life, but not all was as Denathrius claimed.

In truth, Denathrius has been corrupted by the very sins Revendreth swore to punish. Cooperating with Zovaal the Jailer, he wished to rule all the Shadowlands and to free the Jailer from his bonds by channeling massive amounts of anima into the Maw. Although he accomplished his plan, he was later defeated by the Maw Walkers in his own castle, while his essence was absorbed by his sentient blade Remornia. At Dawnkeep, Denathrius was placed under the watch of the naaru Z'rali to fulfill his repentance, until he was freed by the nathrezim who infiltrated Revendreth.

As the one behind the drought of anima that plagues the Shadowlands, he is one of the expansion's secondary antagonists and the final boss of Castle Nathria.

Biography

Ancient times

Denathrius in Zovaal's flashback

Like his fellow Eternal Ones, Denathrius was forged by the First Ones in their realm of Zereth Mortis. The Prototype of Absolution is an incomplete prototype of him. In the beginning of Revendreth, Sire Denathrius created the first venthyr from his own will at Sinfall, naming them his Court of Harvesters and giving each a Medallion with great power that ultimate was tied to his own being in order to help redeem souls and prevent them from damnation in the Maw. First among these was Prince Renathal.

Ages ago, just after the first venthyr were sired, Denathrius created another race known as the nathrezim to infiltrate the other cosmic forces and spread the influence of Death. Their infiltrations went mostly unnoticed, but the nathrezim who infiltrated the Light were discovered. In revenge, the naaru and their forces assaulted Revendreth and set the ward once held by the nathrezim ablaze. Revendreth was defended by the Stone Legion, and though they were successful in pushing the naaru back the losses they suffered caused the Stonewright to blame the nathrezim for the loss of so many of her children, as the Light's attack was ultimately their fault. In order to end the conflict between nathrezim and venthyr, Denathrius agreed to exile the nathrezim to a world beyond the Shadowlands: Nathreza.

Long ago, Denathrius worked with the other Eternal Ones to banish their traitorous brother Zovaal, later called the Jailer, to the Maw. He ambiguously told the defeated Zovaal that he "could have sought another way" and that they could've accomplished great things together. However, Renathal wonders how long Denathrius was actually working for the Jailer. At some point, Denathrius willingly offered his sigil over to the Jailer. General Draven even reveals that Denathrius had ordered him to hide a blood mirror in Bastion and secretly sabotage the Eternal Forge of the kyrians long ago, which Prime Forgelite Mikanikos affirms is the reason why the Forsworn so easily took control of their infrastructure. The night fae of Ardenweald always perceived him to be a cruel leader.

Following Kel'Thuzad's defeat during the war against the Lich King, Denathrius recruited him to Zovaal's side and supplied him with anima to aid the cause.

Shadowlands

This section concerns content related to Shadowlands.

Denathrius in Wildwall.

Remornia in Dawnkeep with Denathrius trapped inside by the Light.

Upon arriving in Revendreth, the Maw Walker is tricked by Denathrius into helping him trap The Accuser, empowering them with the  [Medallion of Dominion]. After declaring her to be banished in the Ember Ward after participation in the Penitent Hunt in the Forest Ward, she manages to gain the Maw Walkers trust and reveals to them Denathrius's true allegiance and plans. While the Arbiter is indeed broken, Revendreth had been hoarding all their reserve anima that should have been given to the other realms in times of need, saved up for the Jailer.

After releasing Prince Renathal and others from the Maw and gathering the remaining forces, Renathal insists on directly confronting Denathrius. This confrontation fails and Denathrius triggers an explosion, hemorrhaging anima out of Castle Nathria through the Menagerie of the Master.

He is ultimately defeated by Prince Renathal, the Maw Walker, and their forces, but is absorbed by Remornia in a last bid to save her master. She fails to escape to the Maw and ask Zovaal to restore him, instead finding herself trapped along with Denathrius in Dawnkeep to be re-educated by the naaru Z'rali for eons until he repents.

It is later revealed Denathrius had given the Medallion of Dominion to Kel'Thuzad and that he had been conspiring with him. This partnership then attempted to be seized by the Tithelord. With enough anima, Kel'Thuzad could not only control all venthyr with the Medallion of Dominion, but could also alter the fabric of the Shadowlands. In fact, he successfully manages to open a rift to the Maw at the House of Rituals and lets one of the creatures enter Maldraxxus, once again demonstrating the depravity Denathrius had planned for all.

Though defeated, Denathrius's will can still exert itself through the Medallions, and things empowered by them, such as the new Crown of the Harvesters. Upon regaining his Medallion, Renathal once again is tempted by Denathrius's will through it, but once again rejects it.

When Sylvanas asked the Jailer about their plan to recover Denathrius after his defeat and capture, the Jailer indicates having no further use for him, simply stating that every soul has a purpose and Denathrius has fulfilled his.

With the Jailer in possession of four of the five necessary sigils to open the Sepulcher, the nathrezim revealed their infiltration of Revendreth and rescued their master by having Kin'tessa grabbing Remornia away.

Since the defeat of Zovaal against the Maw Walkers, the status and location of Denathrius are still unknown.

Personality

In the past, Renathal described Denathrius as being a heroic and charismatic leader, responsible for the redemption of countless souls due to his intricate understanding of mortal sins. But when the players meet him, the Sire is a corrupt and prideful despot, willing to go to any length to sate his lust for power and further his own plans. This included allowing all of existence to be bound to the Jailer's will to rule alongside his corrupt brother.

Denathrius typically shows a calm and confident persona. Proud of his own power and abilities to the point of arrogance, he seems to regard all those around him as utterly beneath him. The one exception to this is his living sword Remornia, whom he seems to genuinely enjoy speaking to, his cunning wit contrasting with her bloodthirsty directness. In battle, Denathrius commands Remornia as he would a loyal servant, and the sword obeys him with sadistic joy. He wields impressive physical and magical abilities, focused around anima, conjuring manifestations of others' sins, and battling directly, either unarmed or with Remornia in-hand. The sadistic glee he displays in battle shows he enjoys abusing his abilities to inflict pain, rather than guiding one to atonement, as was his original mission.

His greatest point of pride, however, is his intelligence. Denathrius has shown to be able to create numerous long-term plans to steal anima, play his enemies against each other, and spread the influence of Death (him specifically) across the cosmos. The greatest example of this are his dreadlords, an entire race of master infiltrators and spies that would answer directly to him. He even had a plan in place to save himself should he be imprisoned. It is only when his plans begin to go awry that the Sire shows any amount of distress, such as when he was pushed into a murderous rage in the final stage of his boss fight.

Quests

•  [58-60] A Lesson in Humility
•  [58-60] The Accuser's Fate
•  [58-60] The Grove of Terror
•  [58-60] The Authority of Revendreth

Objective of

•  [60] The Master of Lies

In Hearthstone

This section contains information exclusive to Hearthstone and is considered non-canon.

Denathrius in Hearthstone.

Denathrius is the central character of the Hearthstone expansion Murder at Castle Nathria. In the story of the expansion, Denathrius invited several of his allies and enemies from other realms to a dinner party at Castle Nathria to address the rumors that he had been hoarding anima, only for the Sire to be found mysteriously dead at the start of the soirée. Players need to work with the murloc detective Murloc Holmes to determine who among the guests is the culprit.

Denathrius personally appears in the set as a legendary neutral minion. His flavor text reads: History has a way of altering villains so that we can no longer see ourselves in them. Unfortunately for the Venthyr, they all look like Sire Denathrius.

In addition, pre-purchasing the expansion's Mega Bundle unlocked Denathrius as an alternate warrior hero, and a Denathrius-themed card back. The hero's flavor text reads: All hail Sire Denathrius: Master of the Shadowlands and keeper of Revendreth's darkest secrets.

Notes and trivia

• The title "Fangs of the Shadowlands" likely refers to the nathrezim, which the Primus calls the fangs of Denathrius.
• Denathrius' greatsword, Remornia, is sentient and capable of speech.
• Denathrius uses the same animation rigging as a male draenei, but has several custom animations such as talking.
• Denathrius is voiced by Ray Chase. Blizzard originally planned for Denathrius to die at the end of Castle Nathria, but after being impressed by Chase's voice performance, they decided to keep the character alive so that he could potentially appear again in future storylines.
• Denathrius' characterization appears to be a composite of various vampires from folklore and media, including:
  • Dracula (whose media depictions of his castle is the basis for Castle Nathria)
  • Lestat de Lioncourt from vampire novels by Anne Rice (in terms of personality)
  • Castlevania's Dracula (given extremely dramatic aesthetics) and Alucard (along with Prince Renathal, given their white hair)
  • Underworld's Viktor (given the plot of his being betrayed by his favorite child).

Gallery

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  Sire Denathrius in Castle Nathria.

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  Statue of Denathrius in Pride's Prison.

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  Painting of Denathrius in Castle Nathria.

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  A depiction of Denathrius on the stained glass entrance to the Observatorium.

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  Denathrius during Winter Veil.

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  Denathrius and other realm leaders on the loading screen for Shadowlands.

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  "Covenants of the Shadowlands" key art.

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  The Sire during an address to his people in Afterlives.

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  Denathrius' face in Afterlives.

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  Denathrius with an anima chalice Afterlives.

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  In the Beyond the Veil cinematic.

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  Concept art for Denathrius' cinematic model.

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  Cinematic character stare.

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  Cinematic character still.

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  Quest interface sketch of Denathrius and the Winter Queen.

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  Denathrius' hero portrait in Hearthstone.

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  Denathrius draining anima from his subjects in Hearthstone.

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  A Creepy Painting of Denathrius in Hearthstone.

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  Plot of Sin in Hearthstone.

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  Plot of Sin (Infused) in Hearthstone.

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  A painting of Denathrius in the Hearthstone: Murder at Castle Nathria trailer.

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  A card back themed after Denathrius in Hearthstone.

Videos

• Beyond the Veil
• Afterlives: Revendreth
• Remember This Lesson
• The Jailer's Fall Raid Finale

Patch changes

• Patch 9.0.2 (2020-11-17): Added.
  

See also

• Echo of Denathrius
• Hand of Denathrius
•  [Most Regal Signet of Sire Denathrius]

External links

• Wowhead
• WoWDB