Grommash Hellscream Grommash " Grom " Hellscream was the chieftain of the Warsong clan , and best friend and chief advisor to Warchief Thrall . He was the first orc who drank the blood of Mannoroth the Destructor , thus binding the Horde to the Burning Legion — and he would eventually pay the ultimate price to free himself and his people from the curse . Grom acts as a key protagonist during Warcraft 3 and functions as the main antagonist of Warlords of Draenor . Background . " Grommash " means " The Giant ' s Heart " in orcish . Grom , a powerful blademaster , was the best friend and adviser of Thrall , so much so that Thrall considered him a brother . They would eventually fight against the demon ic entity that bound the orcish race to slavery : Mannoroth . The two orcs won , but at a terrible price ; Grom ' s life . He lies buried in Ashenvale , in the area now known as Demon Fall Canyon , which is near the site where he and Thrall destroyed Mannoroth . Leaving a candle here during the Harvest Festival will allow the player to read " The Horde ' s Hellscream . " In memory of him is Grommash Hold , in Orgrimmar , as well as the Grom ' Gol Base Camp in Stranglethorn Vale . Just outside the hold was Mannoroth ' s armor , however it has since been relocated outside the Tauren area , complete with axe - hole and a plaque dedicated to Grom . His axe , , now belongs to his son Garrosh Hellscream . It drops from of Karazhan . Grom Hellscream is playable in missions of . His clan is also clearly evident throughout the human campaigns . His missions in the Warcraft II expansion include destroying an order of death knights loyal to Mogor the ogre - mage . Grom is one of a few heroes of the orcish Horde that makes a reappearance in both the ill - fated " Warcraft Adventures " game and the " Lord of the Clans " novel which both roughly lay out the same story . Grom also makes an appearance ( unnamed ) in the short story Unbroken , by Micky Neilson , during the sacking of Shattrath City by the orcish Horde . Biography . Invasion of Azeroth . One of the orc chieftains of legend . Prior to the creation of the Dark Portal , Grom Hellscream was the uncontested leader of the Warsong clan , marked by his slim build and black - tattooed lower jaw . Suspicions floated away the previous chieftain ' s death , giving rise to the notion that Grom usurped the position , rather than gain it though heredity like Durotan . Though he was stubborn , he was the first to give heed to the prospect of war when Ner ' zhul warned the other clans of a " new old enemy " , the draenei . He lead the invasion against Shattrath City against the draenei ; he was described as being a tattooed , fiery - eyed massive orc carrying a wicked two - handed axe , with raven - hued hair , and his lower jaw had been colored as black as pitch . He fought against Nobundo and succeeded in taking the city . His clan was spared the defeats of the Second Great War , Gul ' dan having manipulated Grom into staying behind on Draenor . The Horde was defeated by the Alliance of Lordaeron with Grom and his clan never having faced the humans in battle . He was used with effectiveness by Ner ' zhul in the aftermath of the Second War . His forces , combined with that of the Bleeding Hollow clan led by Kilrogg Deadeye , were used in strategic hit - and - run raids designed to retrieve some of Azeroth ' s most powerful magical artifacts . Revitalization of the Horde . With the destruction of their only passage home and the successful vanquishing of the orcish strike forces , Grom and the Warsong clan were forced into hiding in the wilds of Lordaeron . They eked out an existence on the edge of human civilization for nearly 15 years . All of this time , Grom was forced to fight the demonic curse that had left him weakened and listless . Where other orcs gave into this malaise , Grom fought it to the end of his days . As the number of free orcs was diminished by conflict and old age , their situation looked more and more hopeless . The young and weak were unable to thrive in this harsh environment and the day of reckoning looked to be closing in on the Warsong clan . Then Grom had a young orc named Thrall seek him out . Inspired by Thrall ' s courage , strength and mercy , he accepted the young outcast and taught Thrall more of the ways of the orc nations . When the humans searching for Thrall got too close , Thrall left his side . He was given Grom ' s necklace as a symbol of the trust placed in Thrall by Grom . The Warsong clan led by Grom was reunited with Orgrim Doomhammer and Thrall ' s lost clan , the Frostwolves . Battling against the human internment camps surrounding the stronghold of Durnholde , the two clans set about freeing and reinvigorating the orcish nations . While the orcish horde was looking for land to settle on in Lordaeron , they were instructed by the new Warchief Thrall to journey across the seas to the strange new continent of Kalimdor . Invasion of Kalimdor . When Grom began to again feel the twinge of the demonic curse , he proved unable to resist the sweet nectar it promised him . After attacking a human settlement at Stonetalon Mountain , disobeying direct orders from Thrall , he was given what was presumed to be an easy , out of the way mission to clear land and gather lumber for the new Horde ' s settlement . However , the night elves were angered when Grom ' s orcs began to cut down the trees in Ashenvale Forest and attacked without explanation . He received help from the goblin Neeloc Greedyfingers who gave him goblin shredders for killing a furbolg . The Warsongs under Grom managed to successfully defend themselves and kill their attackers , but by doing so they caught the attention of the demigod Cenarius . Determined to avenge the deaths of the night elves who had fallen against the Warsong Clan and protect the forest from what he saw as further desecration , Cenarius attempted to slaughter the orcs . Cenarius appeared to know something of the history of the orcs and was convinced they were " demon - spawned wretches " who deserved only death . In an exchange with the demigod during one skirmish Grom vehemently told him that the orcs no longer served any demons , but Cenarius didn ' t believe him and continued his attempts to kill them all . The orcs quickly discovered that Cenarius was invulnerable to conventional attacks . Death at Cenarius ' hands seemed inevitable . One of the troll witch doctor s accompanying the Warsong Clan told Grom he sensed strange energies nearby which might be able to aid them in defeating Cenarius . When Grom investigated he discovered a fountain of blood . This was the doing of the pit lord Mannoroth , who had originally enslaved the orcs after Gul ' dan convinced them to drink his blood with promises of power . Mannoroth saw Cenarius as a formidable obstacle standing in the way of the Burning Legion , as he had been during the War of the Ancients . The demon poured more of his blood into the fountain on a suggestion from Tichondrius , hoping that the orcs would once again drink it and become sufficiently re - energized with demonic power to kill Cenarius . There was also another reason Mannoroth hoped they would partake of his blood . . . When Grom brought his troops to the fountain , the witch doctor told him that he could sense that the fountain contained demonic energy . One of Grom ' s soldiers told him that if they drank from the fountain they would be going against everything they had been taught by Thrall . But to Grom these things did not matter . Desperate to preserve his clan from this new threat , Grom drank from the fountain and either persuaded or forced those under his command to do likewise . Driven again by the demonic energies , Grom attacked and destroyed the demigod Cenarius ' forces . Even the demigod himself was no match for the enraged orc chieftain ' s demon - enhanced might . After Cenarius fell , Mannoroth appeared . By drinking the Blood of Mannoroth , the Warsong Clan were once again susceptible to the vile pit lord ' s control . When Mannoroth told him this Grom was horrified , but that horror was one of his final independent thoughts before Mannoroth exercised control and turned Grom and the rest of the clan into his slaves , causing them to despise Thrall and the rest of the Horde and make war on them and the humans , under Jaina Proudmoore , whom Thrall had since allied with . Determined to save his old friend , Thrall confronted Grom after fighting through the corrupted Warsong clan . When Thrall reached him , Grom told him the horrible truth of the demonic curse . The orc clan chieftains had willingly taken the bloodlust offered by the Burning Legion . They were not so much cursed as doomed by the willing choices made by their power - hungry leaders . Thrall ( with the help of Cairne Bloodhoof and his tauren ) managed to capture Grom and bring him to Jaina , who worked with other magic - users from both her forces and Thrall ' s to perform a ritual that would release him from his blood curse . Redemption and death . Upon learning the truth , Thrall and Grom set out to hunt down Mannoroth and located the vile demon in what is now Demon Fall Canyon in Ashenvale . Bellowing in rage , the Warchief struck out at Mannoroth with the Doomhammer , but the demonic leviathan shrugged off the attack and stunned Thrall with a vicious counterattack . After being taunted by Mannoroth that they were the same , Grom charged him and sank Gorehowl into Mannoroth ' s chest , shattering the breastplate and slicing through to the infernal heart of the demon . Mortally wounded , Mannoroth exploded in an inferno of flame , and Grom took its full fury alone . In a burst of hellfire , Mannoroth the Destructor was dead . . . With nothing remaining of the pit lord but the shattered armor , Thrall made his way to where Hellscream lay in the dust . The crimson glow faded from his eyes ; the blood curse which had damned his race for decades was finally over . With his best friend and Warchief at his side , the still - undefeated chieftain died at the site of his greatest triumph , both over the corruption of the Burning Legion and over the whispers of his own soul . With Mannoroth gone , the Legion ' s hold on the orcish race was forever shattered . Even those who had drank the blood of Mannoroth ( willingly or otherwise ) found that the curse had lifted , and that their souls were free from the shackles of demonic corruption . With that knowledge , Grom Hellscream left the mortal plane a redeemed spirit . Legacy . Grom has become a center of heated dispute after his death . Hellscream is generally viewed in the Horde as a hero and a savior , who fought a constant battle with his inner self which ultimately culminated into the death of Mannoroth and the end of the Blood Curse on the entire orcish race . However , he was also the very first chieftain to readily agree and eagerly partake of Mannoroth ' s blood , and retake it once more in Ashenvale , which indirectly resulted in the death of the night elf demigod Cenarius . To the outrage of the night elves , the orcs refuse to claim responsibility for Grom ' s actions . It was not the orcs who killed Cenarius , but fel orcs , and it was the orcs who took it upon themselves to slay their wayward brethren . By taking responsibility for Grom ' s actions the orcs would be acknowledging that they are still the old Horde . Nonetheless , despite Grom ' s two instances of self - chosen corruption , he still remains a cultural hero , and his death is honored every year by thousands of Horde citizens . The legacy of Hellscream continues to be the major dampener that prevents orcs and night elves from cultivating a cordial relationship . The great hall where Thrall holds court has been dubbed Grommash Hold , in honor of Thrall ' s fallen friend . Appearance . Grom was " slender , but tall and imposing " , as mentioned by both Durotan and Thrall . However , his slenderness has changed overtime as he has drunk the blood of Mannoroth twice . As a normal brown skinned orc , he was well - muscled . Having drunk the blood of Mannoroth for the first time , he became a tainted orc , growing even more masculine . Becoming a chaos orc must have removed his slenderness and replaced it with massive strength and muscle , which explains why he was able to strike Mannoroth dead while Thrall couldn ' t do so . Grom Hellscream ' s age . Grom Hellscream is an interesting case study in the changing timelines of the Warcraft universe . In the Warcraft III manual , Grom is dated at age 46 . He is also listed as " … one of the first orcs to fall victim to the demons ' curse on his race . " Now this is very interesting , because that means that Grom has survived from the initial Burning Legion impressions on the orcs , clear through both great wars to the beginning of the Reign of Chaos . In the original game ' s manual , we get the history of the world of Warcraft to the present date . This history is as transcribed by Garona of the Shadow Council . She details the initial portal rifts as taking a period of time for the orc warlocks to secure passage for a single clan . At this point , we can start a timer . Garona tells her audience that the Shadow Council had made a " … request that they cease their war on other orc clans for one year . " The orc clans push through a host of warriors that attack the nation of Azeroth ' s seat of power , Stormwind Keep . There they are pushed back by knights of Stormwind . Then , according to Garona , " It has been some fifteen years since this costly decision altered the course of our destiny . " She has described there 16 years of history ( however later timelines strip out most of these years in favor of 1 year between the initial decision and the First War , see Timeline s ) . Between the First War in the game Warcraft : Orcs and Humans and the Second War in the game Warcraft II , it is well established within the intro that six years pass ( however later official timelines by Blizzard cut it down to two years between first and second war ) . That makes 22 years since the opening of the rift if using the old timeline ( However it is only about 5 – 6 years since the opening of the rift if using one of the later timelines ) . In the old timeline Beyond the Dark Portal manual implies that events of the expansion start one year after the Second War began , so about 23 years , however it is unclear when the expansion ends . Since we can ' t seem to date the length of time between the end of the expansion , we ' ll have to use the dating from the Warcraft III manual . However , in the newer timelines only about 7 – 8 years pass from the time of the first war for both Warcraft II and its expansion . Here ' s where it gets interesting again . According to the Warcraft III manual , Thrall is discovered " during the dark days of the First War " and that he escapes from Durnholde , " Nineteen years passed … " ( although strangely even the date of this event is set at different points of time on different timelines , including the version described in TBC ) In the novel " Lord of the Clans " it takes Thrall about one year from his escape to his bittersweet and triumphant return to his childhood home . That gives us 20 years from the end of the First War if using the WC3 timeline . In this timeline , Grom would have had to be chieftain of his tribe at a maximum age of ten years old . This is validated from the novel " Rise of the Horde " . When Durotan sees Grom during Ner ' zhul ' s council he remarks on the " young chieftain of the Warsong clan , " implying on his unusual youth for his position . To make matters worse in some of the other ' official ' timelines , the events of when Ner ' zhul first contacted Kil ' jaeden , was around 100 years before opening of the Dark Portal . Since Grom was supposed have been alive at the time , this would have made him over 100 years old at the time the portal was opened . It is said that orcs that have drunk the blood of demons can live for a very long time , since the fel magic sustains them . Personality . Grom Hellscream moves with a warrior ’ s grace and his reflexes are fast and abrupt . He is proud of his achievements but willingly serves Thrall ( or any other master ) , as he is content in his role as chieftain of the Warsong clan . Grom is honorable and admires his enemies ’ fighting prowess . He is devoted to his race and his traditions . Though Thrall has calmed his soul , Grom still seethes with suppressed rage . He speaks with a deep , guttural voice that is used to command . Grom was one of the most Bloodlust - ridden orcs of all time during battle , but still was able to control it during battles . Combat . Grom is devastating in melee and he knows it . He eagerly charges into the thickest part of any battle , giving in to his rage , and lays waste with the mighty Gorehowl . Though he knows that slaying enemy wizards and healers is to his tactical advantage , he cannot resist going toe - to - toe against powerful melee fighters . Against such opponents he uses his critical strike and maximum damage abilities , and uses blade whirlwind when lesser foes surround him . Gorehowl . Grom ' s axe was called Gorehowl . After slaying Mannoroth , the axe disappeared from lore , to end up in possession of Prince Malchezaar . Monument to Grom Hellscream . Located in the southeastern part of Ashenvale , there stands a , located presumably at the spot he was slain in the aftermath of Mannoroth ' s death . The exact coordinates are and the inscription reads as such : In Cataclysm . In Cataclysm , Gorehowl was passed to Garrosh Hellscream , Grom ' s son and the new Warchief of the Horde . In Warlords of Draenor . An alternate version of Grom Hellscream leads the Iron Horde on Draenor . In the movie . Grommash makes several cameo appearances in the movie , albeit without any spoken dialogue . Memorable quotes . In the battle with the Humans in Kalimdor In the battle with the Humans in Kalimdor After he drank the blood of Mannoroth After killing Cenarius : After meet Thrall in his encampment : After killing Mannoroth : Before drinking the blood of Mannoroth ( Alternate Timeline in Warlords of Draenor ) After killing Mannoroth ( Alternate Timeline in Warlords of Draenor )