Captain Placeholder was an NPC in MMORPG World of Warcraft. He first appeared in the beta version of the game as a temporary measure, allowing players to instantly teleport from Menethil Harbor to the town of Auberdine (instead of first waiting for the boat to arrive to the docks, then waiting until it would arrive at its destination), when some of the boat paths had yet to be implemented. After the retail launch a glitch in the normal operation of the Menethil Harbor-Auberdine boat path prompted Blizzard to reinstate Captain Placeholder until a fix could be included in an upcoming patch, and the Captain quickly became quite popular among the retail subscribers.
Blizzard fixed the glitch in an April 2005 patch, which also removed the Captain. Fans of the character quickly began petitioning Blizzard for his return in one fashion or another, even to the point of recording a song entitled "The Lament of Captain Placeholder, by Eledainn of Dragonmaw".
Blizzard fixed the glitch in an April 2005 patch, which also removed the Captain. Fans of the character quickly began petitioning Blizzard for his return in one fashion or another, even to the point of recording a song entitled "The Lament of Captain Placeholder, by Eledainn of Dragonmaw".
Cairne Bloodhoof is the leader of the Tauren people in the Warcraft universe.
Description
A wise and fearless leader, he rules the Tauren from their capital city of Thunder Bluff. Ancient even by Tauren standards (103 years old, as of the start of World of Warcraft), it is assumed that he is training his son, Baine Bloodhoof, to one day take his place. It is said that Cairne is one of the most dangerous mortals alive: not only is he a powerful warrior, but also a spiritual shaman. Decades of leading his people and fighting the Centaur have left Cairne with great wisdom as well as brilliant strategic prowess. Cairne is physically formidable as well, and it is rumored that he can uproot a great tree with only his bare hands. Strangely in Warcraft 3 he wields an axe while the regular tauren wield ancestral totems.
History
A mighty warrior, he is responsible for uniting the Tauren tribes (including the Bloodhoof, the Grimtotem, and the Runetotem) to fight against the Centaur, their ancestral enemy who had driven them to the brink of extinction. Cairne's trust in Thrall (Warchief of the Horde) led the Tauren to be the second non-orc race to join the Horde since its reformation (The island trolls being the first). Years ago, when the Tauren lived near the shores of the Great Sea in the Barrens, Thrall and Cairne first fought together against these invading centaur; their victory secured Cairne's trust in Thrall. Hearing of the Tauren's plight, Thrall vowed to escort the dying Tauren to the fertile plains of Mulgore. To repay his debt to Thrall, Cairne told the orc warchief of an Oracle that lived high in the Stonetalon Mountains. After they scaled the mountain, they discovered there was no Oracle of Stonetalon but instead they encountered the prophet Medivh who told Thrall, along with Cairne and the humans' leader Jaina Proudmoore, that an alliance between the three was necessary to crush the demonic Burning Legion. Cairne accepted the alliance and, as an ally to the Horde, Cairne led the Tauren in the last struggle against their demonic foes. The Tauren proved to be an outstanding ally and were pivotal in the final stages of the battle. Once the Burning Legion was defeated, Cairne helped Thrall to establish the Orcish capital city of Orgrimmar, located in Durotar, before departing with his people for the plains of Mulgore, the Taurens' new home. Ever since his placement as leader of the united Tauren, Magatha Grimtotem, the "Elder Crone" and Matriarch of the Grimtotem clan, has constantly challenged Cairne's rule, arguing that she is the only one fit to rule the Tauren people.
Game Appearances
Cairne is a playable hero in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and in the orc bonus campaign in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Quotes
* "The Spirits rage around you young one, they feel your anguish, your grief."
* "We tauren have always held great respect for the works of the Earthmother."
* "Take heart young one, the Earthmother is near."
* "I am Cairne, chief of the Bloodhoof tauren."
* "Ish-Nee-Alo Po-Rah, warrior."
* "My old bone aches."
* "Our debt to you orcs can only be repaid with blood."
Description
A wise and fearless leader, he rules the Tauren from their capital city of Thunder Bluff. Ancient even by Tauren standards (103 years old, as of the start of World of Warcraft), it is assumed that he is training his son, Baine Bloodhoof, to one day take his place. It is said that Cairne is one of the most dangerous mortals alive: not only is he a powerful warrior, but also a spiritual shaman. Decades of leading his people and fighting the Centaur have left Cairne with great wisdom as well as brilliant strategic prowess. Cairne is physically formidable as well, and it is rumored that he can uproot a great tree with only his bare hands. Strangely in Warcraft 3 he wields an axe while the regular tauren wield ancestral totems.
History
A mighty warrior, he is responsible for uniting the Tauren tribes (including the Bloodhoof, the Grimtotem, and the Runetotem) to fight against the Centaur, their ancestral enemy who had driven them to the brink of extinction. Cairne's trust in Thrall (Warchief of the Horde) led the Tauren to be the second non-orc race to join the Horde since its reformation (The island trolls being the first). Years ago, when the Tauren lived near the shores of the Great Sea in the Barrens, Thrall and Cairne first fought together against these invading centaur; their victory secured Cairne's trust in Thrall. Hearing of the Tauren's plight, Thrall vowed to escort the dying Tauren to the fertile plains of Mulgore. To repay his debt to Thrall, Cairne told the orc warchief of an Oracle that lived high in the Stonetalon Mountains. After they scaled the mountain, they discovered there was no Oracle of Stonetalon but instead they encountered the prophet Medivh who told Thrall, along with Cairne and the humans' leader Jaina Proudmoore, that an alliance between the three was necessary to crush the demonic Burning Legion. Cairne accepted the alliance and, as an ally to the Horde, Cairne led the Tauren in the last struggle against their demonic foes. The Tauren proved to be an outstanding ally and were pivotal in the final stages of the battle. Once the Burning Legion was defeated, Cairne helped Thrall to establish the Orcish capital city of Orgrimmar, located in Durotar, before departing with his people for the plains of Mulgore, the Taurens' new home. Ever since his placement as leader of the united Tauren, Magatha Grimtotem, the "Elder Crone" and Matriarch of the Grimtotem clan, has constantly challenged Cairne's rule, arguing that she is the only one fit to rule the Tauren people.
Game Appearances
Cairne is a playable hero in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and in the orc bonus campaign in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
Quotes
* "The Spirits rage around you young one, they feel your anguish, your grief."
* "We tauren have always held great respect for the works of the Earthmother."
* "Take heart young one, the Earthmother is near."
* "I am Cairne, chief of the Bloodhoof tauren."
* "Ish-Nee-Alo Po-Rah, warrior."
* "My old bone aches."
* "Our debt to you orcs can only be repaid with blood."
Dreadlords are a race of demonic creatures found in the fictional Warcraft Universe.
Known as the Nathrezim in their native tongue, they were discovered by Kil'jaeden, first in command of the Burning Legion, the army of the fallen immortal titan, Sargeras. Kil'jaeden realized that they were a race for whom trickery, deception, and manipulation came naturally and enslaved their entire race to use as puppets for Sargeras' destruction from world to world.
In the Burning Legion's Second Invasion of Azeroth, the Dreadlords were used as commanders among the race of Undead in their attack on the peoples of Azeroth. With their vampiric powers they were great generals to the Undead army, but it was not enough to overcome the might of the mortal races combined with that of the Night Elves.
Three high ranking Dreadlords and several other lower ranking ones were left behind to guard the fallen lands of Lordaeron and were unaware of the fall of the Burning Legion at the Battle of Mt. Hyjal. They had been long awaiting news from their lord, Archimonde. Though they rousted King Arthas from the Capital City and gained control of most of his previous forces, the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, no longer under the control of the weakening Lich King, fought with them and successfully defeated the Dreadlord's grip on the Plague Lands, establishing a faction known as the Forsaken, a variation of the Undead not loyal to the Lich King.
Known Dreadlords
Balnazzar
Balnazzar was a mighty dreadlord in the fictional world of Azeroth, who was left in charge of Lordaeron when Archimonde and The Burning Legion traveled West to Kalimdor.
When he received word of the Legion's fall, he took control of The North-Eastern Kingdoms until he was defeated and captured by the army of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner. Sylvanas then ordered Balnazzar's brother, Varimathras, to kill him; after which Sylvanas' forces, with Varimathras as second in command, then took control of the region known as Tirisfal Glades.
Balnazzar reappears in World of Warcraft as the true leader of the Scarlet Crusade's detachment in Stratholme. The members of the Crusade do not know that their leader is a dreadlord, as Balnazzar possessed the Paladin (Grand Crusader Dathrohan) that leads them. In-game, players fight Dathrohan, who unexpectedly turns into Balnazzar when nearly defeated.
The possible discontinuity of Balnazzar's survival is so far unexplained. In the game, he implies that he faked his own death. Varimathras' involvement is not elaborated on, so his true loyalty remains in question, however no current evidence supports any disloyalty to the Forsaken. Varimathras has stated in Warcraft III that Nathrezim are forbidden to destroy one another, but he could have meant that they are unable to.
Detheroc
Detheroc is the name of a member of a demonic race known as the Dreadlords that appears in the Warcraft III expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Along with his brothers Balnazzar and Varimathras, Detheroc was charged by his masters within the Burning Legion to oversee the Undead Scourge, particularly in the regions that once comprised the kingdoms of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas, now referred to as the Plaguelands. The trio's base of operations was within the ruined capital city of Lordaeron, home of the hidden Undercity.
The three Dreadlords' power was usurped when, after the defeat of the Legion's master Archimonde at Mount Hyjal, an Undead Civil War was sparked when the Scourge's Death Knight Prince Arthas returned to claim the city for himself. After Arthas' departure for Northrend, Detheroc's brother, Varimathras, was forced on pain of death into the service of the Dark Ranger Sylvanas Windrunner, who had recently been released from being mentally controlled by the Lich King. Working together, the two timed an assault on Detheroc's stronghold while he was sleeping, not only destroying the Dreadlord's forces, but also releasing his army of human mind slaves, led by the human supremistic knight Lord Garithos. This victory was instrumental in Sylvanas' capture of the Undercity, and the establishment of The Forsaken, an army of Undead not controlled by the Scourge.
Tichondrius
Varimathras
Other Dreadlords
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne included appearances by several minor Dreadlord characters. Among these were Dethecus, who appeared in the second chapter of the Scourge campaign, and Dalvengyr.
Few Dreadlords remain alive in Azeroth aside from the traitorous Varimathras. A character named Solenor the Slayer, who disguises himself as a gnome while roaming the southern part of the Silithus desert, has made an appearance in World of Warcraft. The Dreadlord model has also been used in WoW for minions in the Tainted Scar in Blasted Lands.
Dreadlords in other media
*Dreadlords are also high ranked servants of the Dark One who can channel, in Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series, that were used as generals in The War of Power (aka The War of the Shadows).
*Dread Lords are also found in the Midkemia based books by Raymond E. Feist, where they portray many of the same features as in Warcraft, such as being from another hellish plane of existence and sucking the life out of whatever they touch, even the grass beneath their feet; they are commonly confused with the Forsaken by the less educated.
*The evil branch of the precursor race in Galactic Civilizations II is named Dread Lords.
Known as the Nathrezim in their native tongue, they were discovered by Kil'jaeden, first in command of the Burning Legion, the army of the fallen immortal titan, Sargeras. Kil'jaeden realized that they were a race for whom trickery, deception, and manipulation came naturally and enslaved their entire race to use as puppets for Sargeras' destruction from world to world.
In the Burning Legion's Second Invasion of Azeroth, the Dreadlords were used as commanders among the race of Undead in their attack on the peoples of Azeroth. With their vampiric powers they were great generals to the Undead army, but it was not enough to overcome the might of the mortal races combined with that of the Night Elves.
Three high ranking Dreadlords and several other lower ranking ones were left behind to guard the fallen lands of Lordaeron and were unaware of the fall of the Burning Legion at the Battle of Mt. Hyjal. They had been long awaiting news from their lord, Archimonde. Though they rousted King Arthas from the Capital City and gained control of most of his previous forces, the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, no longer under the control of the weakening Lich King, fought with them and successfully defeated the Dreadlord's grip on the Plague Lands, establishing a faction known as the Forsaken, a variation of the Undead not loyal to the Lich King.
Known Dreadlords
Balnazzar
Balnazzar was a mighty dreadlord in the fictional world of Azeroth, who was left in charge of Lordaeron when Archimonde and The Burning Legion traveled West to Kalimdor.
When he received word of the Legion's fall, he took control of The North-Eastern Kingdoms until he was defeated and captured by the army of the Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner. Sylvanas then ordered Balnazzar's brother, Varimathras, to kill him; after which Sylvanas' forces, with Varimathras as second in command, then took control of the region known as Tirisfal Glades.
Balnazzar reappears in World of Warcraft as the true leader of the Scarlet Crusade's detachment in Stratholme. The members of the Crusade do not know that their leader is a dreadlord, as Balnazzar possessed the Paladin (Grand Crusader Dathrohan) that leads them. In-game, players fight Dathrohan, who unexpectedly turns into Balnazzar when nearly defeated.
The possible discontinuity of Balnazzar's survival is so far unexplained. In the game, he implies that he faked his own death. Varimathras' involvement is not elaborated on, so his true loyalty remains in question, however no current evidence supports any disloyalty to the Forsaken. Varimathras has stated in Warcraft III that Nathrezim are forbidden to destroy one another, but he could have meant that they are unable to.
Detheroc
Detheroc is the name of a member of a demonic race known as the Dreadlords that appears in the Warcraft III expansion pack, The Frozen Throne. Along with his brothers Balnazzar and Varimathras, Detheroc was charged by his masters within the Burning Legion to oversee the Undead Scourge, particularly in the regions that once comprised the kingdoms of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas, now referred to as the Plaguelands. The trio's base of operations was within the ruined capital city of Lordaeron, home of the hidden Undercity.
The three Dreadlords' power was usurped when, after the defeat of the Legion's master Archimonde at Mount Hyjal, an Undead Civil War was sparked when the Scourge's Death Knight Prince Arthas returned to claim the city for himself. After Arthas' departure for Northrend, Detheroc's brother, Varimathras, was forced on pain of death into the service of the Dark Ranger Sylvanas Windrunner, who had recently been released from being mentally controlled by the Lich King. Working together, the two timed an assault on Detheroc's stronghold while he was sleeping, not only destroying the Dreadlord's forces, but also releasing his army of human mind slaves, led by the human supremistic knight Lord Garithos. This victory was instrumental in Sylvanas' capture of the Undercity, and the establishment of The Forsaken, an army of Undead not controlled by the Scourge.
Tichondrius
Varimathras
Other Dreadlords
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne included appearances by several minor Dreadlord characters. Among these were Dethecus, who appeared in the second chapter of the Scourge campaign, and Dalvengyr.
Few Dreadlords remain alive in Azeroth aside from the traitorous Varimathras. A character named Solenor the Slayer, who disguises himself as a gnome while roaming the southern part of the Silithus desert, has made an appearance in World of Warcraft. The Dreadlord model has also been used in WoW for minions in the Tainted Scar in Blasted Lands.
Dreadlords in other media
*Dreadlords are also high ranked servants of the Dark One who can channel, in Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time series, that were used as generals in The War of Power (aka The War of the Shadows).
*Dread Lords are also found in the Midkemia based books by Raymond E. Feist, where they portray many of the same features as in Warcraft, such as being from another hellish plane of existence and sucking the life out of whatever they touch, even the grass beneath their feet; they are commonly confused with the Forsaken by the less educated.
*The evil branch of the precursor race in Galactic Civilizations II is named Dread Lords.
Queen Azshara is a character in the fictional Warcraft Universe.
Azshara was once the queen of the Kaldorei on the lands of ancient Kalimdor. She ruled them with benevolence and kindness, and was revered by her people for her beauty and spirit.
Azshara built a palace on the shores of the Well of Eternity, where she and her servants, called the Quel'dorei, or Highborne, studied the Well. Though the Kaldorei civilians continued to adore Azshara, they began to spurn the Quel'dorei for their smug narcissism and the superiority they seemed to display.
As they worked to discern the deepest secrets of the Well, Azshara and her followers found that, in time, they could control the flow of its mysterious energy.
Wishing to see the limits of her newfound powers, Azshara had many magical experiments done within the confines of her palace, seeking to test herself and her followers. The Highborne began to use magic recklessly and without any caution.
To the people of Kalimdor, a change had come over Azshara and the high-borne. Though previously something of an annoyance, the Highborne had now become cruel to the populace. Azshara, meanwhile, had secluded herself within her palace, and her skin paled over time. She heedlessly continued to embrace her new identity, and worked to test the limits of the Well's power. Soon, however, she attracted attention that was not of this world.
Azshara's experiments continued unabated, and soon, she felt a presence so powerful that it overwhelmed her, and she was greeted by the ancient Titan, Sargeras.
Azshara, impressed beyond words by Sargeras' power, agreed to allow him passage to their world. The Highborne too, were struck with awe as the majesty of Sargeras filled their minds. Soon, they abandoned worshiping Elune, instead worshiping Sargeras as a god.
Azshara and her followers banded together in a magical network and crafted a portal at the bottom of the Well of Eternity. Archimonde and Mannoroth came hurtling into this world with a legion of demons at their backs, and they ravaged the land, killing every creature in their path.
As all of Kalimdor fell to pieces around them, Azshara and the Highborne basked in the majesty of their magical creation and the power of Sargeras' innumerable demon hordes .
Some time into the invasion, Illidan Stormrage, one of the Highborne who had left her at the will of his brother, Malfurion, returned to warn Azshara that Malfurion was attempting to destroy the Well of Eternity to collapse the portal that Azshara had created. Azshara would not hear of that, and immediately prepared for Malfurion's assault.
The destructive magics she unleashed upon Malfurion's forces slaughtered most of them, but he came on relentlessly. Tyrande, attempting to attack Azshara from behind, was ambushed by the queen's guardsmen, and though she slew them, she fell with grievous wounds. Malfurion, enraged by the sight, attacked Azshara. To defend herself, Azshara attacked him with magic.
As their battle progressed, the carefully crafted spells that Azshara had spent so much time creating lost their balance, and the portal collapsed.
The resulting catastrophe sundered the world, and blew Azshara and most of her treacherous followers to the bottom of the sea.
However, in the aftermath of the explosion, the energies of the Well transformed the Night Elves into denizens of the deep. Over time, buried among the sunken ruins of Zin-Azshari, Azshara and her followers became the serpentine Naga. Azshara herself continued to transform into an insidious creature, malignant and cunning. More recently, she sent up expeditions of naga to survey the land and attempt to establish a power base. For the time will come, she is confident, when they shall have their revenge.
This differs greatly with the account provided in the Well of Eternity book series. In the literature, Azshara is not as much personally involved in the casting and summoning, being replaced by her subordinate Lord Xavius. In addition, there is no "final showdown" or confrontation between Malfurion, Tyrande, and herself; instead, she is awaiting Sargeras' arrival from her palace room, when the Well of Eternity begins its implosion. Her hastily constructed magical barrier protects those in the palace, but she senses her power quickly fading, and accepts an offer of aid from the Old Gods, leading to the morphing of the Highborne into the Naga.
Azshara was once the queen of the Kaldorei on the lands of ancient Kalimdor. She ruled them with benevolence and kindness, and was revered by her people for her beauty and spirit.
Azshara built a palace on the shores of the Well of Eternity, where she and her servants, called the Quel'dorei, or Highborne, studied the Well. Though the Kaldorei civilians continued to adore Azshara, they began to spurn the Quel'dorei for their smug narcissism and the superiority they seemed to display.
As they worked to discern the deepest secrets of the Well, Azshara and her followers found that, in time, they could control the flow of its mysterious energy.
Wishing to see the limits of her newfound powers, Azshara had many magical experiments done within the confines of her palace, seeking to test herself and her followers. The Highborne began to use magic recklessly and without any caution.
To the people of Kalimdor, a change had come over Azshara and the high-borne. Though previously something of an annoyance, the Highborne had now become cruel to the populace. Azshara, meanwhile, had secluded herself within her palace, and her skin paled over time. She heedlessly continued to embrace her new identity, and worked to test the limits of the Well's power. Soon, however, she attracted attention that was not of this world.
Azshara's experiments continued unabated, and soon, she felt a presence so powerful that it overwhelmed her, and she was greeted by the ancient Titan, Sargeras.
Azshara, impressed beyond words by Sargeras' power, agreed to allow him passage to their world. The Highborne too, were struck with awe as the majesty of Sargeras filled their minds. Soon, they abandoned worshiping Elune, instead worshiping Sargeras as a god.
Azshara and her followers banded together in a magical network and crafted a portal at the bottom of the Well of Eternity. Archimonde and Mannoroth came hurtling into this world with a legion of demons at their backs, and they ravaged the land, killing every creature in their path.
As all of Kalimdor fell to pieces around them, Azshara and the Highborne basked in the majesty of their magical creation and the power of Sargeras' innumerable demon hordes .
Some time into the invasion, Illidan Stormrage, one of the Highborne who had left her at the will of his brother, Malfurion, returned to warn Azshara that Malfurion was attempting to destroy the Well of Eternity to collapse the portal that Azshara had created. Azshara would not hear of that, and immediately prepared for Malfurion's assault.
The destructive magics she unleashed upon Malfurion's forces slaughtered most of them, but he came on relentlessly. Tyrande, attempting to attack Azshara from behind, was ambushed by the queen's guardsmen, and though she slew them, she fell with grievous wounds. Malfurion, enraged by the sight, attacked Azshara. To defend herself, Azshara attacked him with magic.
As their battle progressed, the carefully crafted spells that Azshara had spent so much time creating lost their balance, and the portal collapsed.
The resulting catastrophe sundered the world, and blew Azshara and most of her treacherous followers to the bottom of the sea.
However, in the aftermath of the explosion, the energies of the Well transformed the Night Elves into denizens of the deep. Over time, buried among the sunken ruins of Zin-Azshari, Azshara and her followers became the serpentine Naga. Azshara herself continued to transform into an insidious creature, malignant and cunning. More recently, she sent up expeditions of naga to survey the land and attempt to establish a power base. For the time will come, she is confident, when they shall have their revenge.
This differs greatly with the account provided in the Well of Eternity book series. In the literature, Azshara is not as much personally involved in the casting and summoning, being replaced by her subordinate Lord Xavius. In addition, there is no "final showdown" or confrontation between Malfurion, Tyrande, and herself; instead, she is awaiting Sargeras' arrival from her palace room, when the Well of Eternity begins its implosion. Her hastily constructed magical barrier protects those in the palace, but she senses her power quickly fading, and accepts an offer of aid from the Old Gods, leading to the morphing of the Highborne into the Naga.