- For the character from an alternate universe, see Garad (alternate universe).
- For the character from the Warcraft film universe, see Garad (film universe).
Garad | |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Race | Orc |
Class | Warrior |
Affiliation(s) | Frostwolf clan |
Occupation | Chieftain of the Frostwolf clan |
Location | Unknown |
Status | Deceased[1] |
Relative(s) |
Geyah (mate) Durotan, Ga'nar, Fenris Wolfbrother (sons) Draka (daughter-in-law) Thrall (grandson), Durak & Rehze (great-grandchildren) |
Garad was the chieftain of the Frostwolf clan many years before the rise of the Horde. He was the father of Durotan, Ga'nar and Fenris Wolfbrother, making him the grandfather of Thrall.
Biography[]
Legends: A Warrior Made 1[]
When Draka was born into the Frostwolf clan, her parents Kelkar and Zuura showed her to the rest of the clan and Garad blessed her. Years later, Blackhand visited the Frostwolf village while it was on fire and took Draka's difficulty with lifting a bucket of water as a sign of the Frostwolves' weakness. Blackhand added that if Draka had been born to the Blackrock clan she would have been killed. To save face, Garad exiled Kelkar, Zuura and Draka to the outskirts of the village. Years later, months before the Kosh'harg festival, Garad forbade them from attending the celebration.[2]
Battle of Bladespire[]
Garad embodied the Frostwolf clan's ideals of family and community and believed that only by working together could the orcs survive their harsh environment of Frostfire Ridge. The Frostwolf chieftain pressed his ideals of family and tradition on his three sons - Fenris, Ga'nar, and Durotan. Fenris, however, defied his father's wishes and hunted with the neighboring Thunderlord clan. Fenris was victorious and continued to hunt with the Thunderlords as well as with the Frostwolves. During a Kosh'harg festival, Garad declared in front of everyone that his son's pursuit of fame was hollow and without honor. Fenris then challenged Garad to a mak'gora and was defeated but not killed. Humiliated, Fenris left his native Frostwolf clan and joined the Thunderlords, eventually becoming the clan's new cheiftain.[3][4] When Fenris vanished, Garad chose Durotan as the heir of the Frostwolf clan instead of the hot-headed Ga'nar.[5]
11 years before the First War, Imperator Kelgrok and the Bladespire ogres rampaged across Frostfire alongside their half-breed slaves, the mok'nathal, seizing large tracts of resoure-rich land from the orcs. Garad called upon the neighboring Thunderlord and Whiteclaw clans to unite aganist the ogres, but the Thunderlords - led by Garad's estranged son Fenris - rejected the offer. Thunderlord orcs raided Bladespire settlements alone in the dead of night, slaughtering young and old alike. The Whiteclaw clan, however, did unite with the Frostwolves. Garad was declared leader of the Frostwolf and Whiteclaw army, and he named Ga'nar and Durotan as his lieutenants. With a formidable force under his command, Garad struck at the Bladespire and managed to capture a number of mok'nathal, including their elder Leoroxx.[6]
Garad was surprised to learn that Leoroxx and the other mok'nathal were not willing servants but slaves. Garad and Leoroxx came to an agreement to help each other destroy the Bladespire clan forever. Leoroxx returned to Bladespire Hold and incited open rebellion among the mok'nathal. They rose up against their oppressors and set fire to the stronghold as the Frostwolves and Whiteclaws crashed into Bladespire's outer defenses. The Battle of Bladespire dragged on for a full bloody day before the orcs and mok'nathal drove the ogres out. In the heart of the fortress, Leoroxx strangled Imperator Kelgrok with the chains he had worn for so much of his life. The orcs had won, but at the cost of hundreds of Frostwolves and Whiteclaws, including Ga'nar, who had sacrificed himself to let many young mok'nathal escape the besieged fortress. His death broke Garad's heart, and though Durotan remained to carry on the family line, the Frostwolf chieftain would never recover from losing his second son. After the battle, Garad offered the mok'nathal land in Frostfire to make a new home, but Leoroxx declined and instead chose to settle his people in a remote corner of Gorgrond, knowing that the orcs would never truly accept half-breeds.[6]
The red pox[]
Around a year later, Garad and many other orcs contracted the red pox at a Kosh'harg festival in Nagrand. Ner'zhul feared that the disease would spread to new victims and urged Garad and the other plague bearers to remain in Nagrand and construct a new village to quarantine the afflicted. Though the thought of not returning home filled Garad with great sorrow, the last thing he wished was to spread the pox to his family and clan members. He agreed to do as Ner'zhul bid and took charge over his fellow plague victims. Durotan volunteered to stay behind with his father, but as he was the sole remaining heir to the clan he was convinced by Garad to return home and look after the Frostwolves for the time being. In a matter of weeks, the red pox consumed Garad. Though he had led his fellow victims for only a short time, he had earned their eternal respect, and the village was named Garadar in his honor.[7][8]
Trivia[]
- In the alternate Draenor, Frostwolf warriors say that Garad and Ga'nar fought against the Laughing Skull Orcs in the past.[9] This probably happened in the main universe Draenor as well.
- Garad is also mentioned in Durotan's TCG card: "The son of Garad was betrayed, cut down before his infant son Go'el could know him."[10]
- In Rise of the Horde, Garad was said to have been killed in battle against a group of ogres and a gronn shortly before Kil'jaeden convinced the orcs to make war against the draenei.[11] World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2 says that the red pox consumed Garad. It is not elaborated whether "consumed" means that it directly killed him.
- As such, it is possible that Garad being killed by the red pox is a retcon, or, alternatively, the red pox could have weaken him and he would fall during the battle against the ogres and gronn.
Alternate timelines[]
An alternate Garad is featured on the alternate Draenor in the past during the war in Draenor.
Garad from a separate timeline[12] appears in the movie continuity.
References[]
- ^ Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 117
- ^ Legends Volume 4, A Warrior Made--Part 1, pg. 131
- ^ The Characters of Warcraft/Fenris
- ^ Blood and Thunder
- ^ The Characters of Warcraft/Durotan
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 66 - 67
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 2, pg. 69
- ^ The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, pg. 240
- ^ Frostwolf Greyfur quote
- ^ Betrayal of the Guardian (Betrayal of the Guardian)
- ^ Rise of the Horde, pg. 100-101
- ^ Micky Neilson on Twitter (2015-07-12). Retrieved on 2016-06-29. “@MickyNeilson Will the Warcraft movie become "canon" lore, or is it like a parallel universe like WoD? except no interaction between the two" "@Zerde3 Separate.”
Preceded by: Unknown |
Position: Chieftain of the Frostwolf clan |
Succeeded by: Durotan |