Origin of the Burning Legion The Titans and the Ordering . No one knows exactly how the universe began . Some theorize that a catastrophic cosmic explosion sent the infinite worlds spinning out into the vastness of the Great Dark – worlds that would one day bear life - forms of wondrous and terrible diversity . Others believe that the universe , at it exists , was created as a whole by a singular , all - powerful entity . Though the exact origins of the chaotic universe remain unclear , it is clear that a race of powerful beings arose to bring order to the various worlds and ensure a safe future for the beings that would follow in their footsteps . The Titans , colossal , metallic - skinned gods from the far reaches of the cosmos , came forward and set to work on the worlds they encountered . They shaped the form of their worlds by raising mighty mountains and dredging out vast seas . They breathed skies and raging atmospheres into being – all part of their unfathomable , far - sighted plan to create order out of chaos . They even empowered primitive races to tend to their works and maintain the integrity of their respective worlds . The Titans , ruled by an elite sect known as the Pantheon , brought order to a hundred million worlds scattered throughout the Great Dark Beyond during the first ages of creation . The benevolent Pantheon , seeking to safeguard their structured worlds , was ever vigilant against the threat of attack from the vile , extra - dimensional entities of the Twisting Nether . The Nether , an ethereal dimension of chaotic magics that connected the myriad worlds of the universe together , was home to an infinite number of malefic , demonic beings , who sought only to destroy life and devour the energies of the living universe . The pure - hearted , altruistic Titans , unable to conceive of evil or wickedness in any form , struggled to find a way to end the demons ’ constant threat . Sargeras and the Betrayal . To combat the demonic entities that made their way into the Titans ’ worlds from the Twisting Nether , the Pantheon elected their greatest warrior , Sargeras , to act as their first line of defense . Sargeras , a noble giant of molten bronze , carried out his duties for countless millennia , seeking out and destroying the demons wherever he could find them . Over the eons , Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races , both of which were bent on gaining power and dominance over the physical universe . The Eredar , an insidious race of devilish sorcerers , used their warlock magics to enslave a number of worlds that they had invaded . The indigenous races of those worlds were mutated by the Eredar ’ s chaotic powers and turned into demons themselves . Though Sargeras ’ nearly limitless powers were more than enough to defeat the vile Eredar , he was greatly troubled by the creatures ’ corruption and all - consuming evil . Unable to fathom such depravity and spite , the great Titan slipped into a brooding depression . Despite his growing unease , Sargeras sought to rid the universe of the warlocks for all time , by trapping them within a vacuous corner of the Twisting Nether . As his confusion and depression deepened , Sargeras was forced to contend with another group intent on disrupting the Titans ’ order . The Nathrezim , a dark race of vampiric demons ( also known as Dread Lords ) set out to conquer a populated world by possessing its inhabitants and turning them to the shadow . The nefarious , scheming Dread Lords had turned whole nations against one another by manipulating them through unthinking hatred and mistrust . Though Sargeras defeated the Nathrezim easily , their corruption affected him deeply . The noble Sargeras , unable to process the raging doubt and despair that overwhelmed his senses , lost all faith in not only his mission , but the Titans ’ vision of an ordered universe , as well . Sargeras began to believe that the concept of order itself was folly – and that chaos and depravity were the only absolutes within the dark , lonely universe . Though his fellow Titans tried to persuade him of his error and console his raging emotions , he disregarded their theories as delusional . Storming from their ranks forever , Sargeras set out to find his own place in the universe . Though the Pantheon was sorrowful for his departure , they would never believe just how far their lost brother would go . As Sargeras ’ madness consumed the last vestiges of his noble spirit , he began to rationalize that the Titans were truly responsible for creation ’ s failure . Deciding , at last , to undo their works throughout the universe , he set out to form an unstoppable army that would set the physical universe to the flame . Even Sargeras ’ titanic form distorted from the corruption that plagued his once noble heart . His eyes , hair and beard erupted in flames and his bronze , metallic skin split open to reveal an endless furnace of hate and flame . In his madness , Sargeras shattered the prisons of the Eredar and the Nathrezim and set the vile demons free . The cunning demons , bowing before the dark Titan ’ s vast rage and power , offered themselves to him and swore to serve him in whatever malicious way they could . From the ranks of the powerful Eredar , Sargeras chose two champions to lead his demonic army of destruction . Kil ' jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and lure them to Sargeras ’ shadow . The second champion , Archimonde the Defiler , was chosen to lead Sargeras ’ vast armies into battle against any who would stand against the dark Titan ’ s will . Kil ’ jaeden ’ s first move was to enslave the vampiric Dread Lords under his terrible power . The Dread Lords , serving as his elite guard and agents throughout the universe , took pleasure in their work by locating primitive races for their master to corrupt and bring into the fold . First amongst the Dread Lords was Tichondrius the Darkener . Tichondrius served Kil ’ jaeden as the perfect soldier and agreed to promote Sargeras ’ burning will to all the dark corners of the universe . The mighty Archimonde also empowered agents of his own . Calling upon the malefic Pit Lords and their barbarous leader , Mannoroth , he hoped to forge a fighting elite that would scour creation of all life . Sargeras , seeing that his armies were amassed and ready to follow his every command , launched his raging forces into the vastness of the Great Dark . He referred to his growing army as the Burning Legion . To this date , it is still unclear as to how many worlds they consumed and burned on their unholy crusade across the universe . The Ordering of Azeroth . Apparently unaware of Sargeras ’ mission to undo their myriad works , the Titans continued to move from world to world , shaping and ordering them as they saw fit . Along their journey they came across a small world whose inhabitants would later name Azeroth . As the Titans made their way across the chaotic , primordial landscape , they encountered a number of hostile , elemental beings . The elementals , worshipping a race of unfathomable evil beings known only as the Old Gods , vowed to drive the Titans back and keep their world inviolate from the invaders ’ metallic touch . The Pantheon , troubled by the Old Gods ’ penchant for evil , sent their forces to make war upon the elementals and their dark masters . Though the elementals fought and raged , their powers could not stop the mighty Titans . The Pantheon shattered the Old Gods ’ citadels and chained the five evil beings far beneath the surface of the world . Without the Old Gods ’ power to keep their raging spirits bound to the physical world , the elementals dissipated and bled back into the earth itself . With the elementals ’ departure , nature calmed , and the world settled into a peaceful harmony . The Titans , seeing that the threat was contained , set to work . The Titans empowered a number of races to help them fashion the world . To help them dredge out the fathomless caverns beneath the earth , they created the Dwarves from magical , living stone . To help them dredge out the seas and lift the land from the sea floor , they created the immense , but gentle sea giants . For many ages the Titans moved and shaped the earth , until at last , there remained only one perfect continent . At the continent ’ s center , the Titans crafted a lake of scintillating energies . The lake , that they named the Well of Eternity , was to be the fount of life for the world . Its potent energies would nurture the bones of the world and empower life to take root in the land ’ s rich soil . Over time , plants , trees , monsters and creatures of every kind began to thrive on the primordial continent . As twilight fell on the final day of their labors , the Titans named the continent Kalimdor – " land of an eternal starlight . " Satisfied that the small world had been ordered and that their work was done , the Titans prepared to leave Azeroth behind . Yet , before they departed , they decided to empower the greatest newborn species of the world to watch over Kalimdor should any force ever threaten its perfect tranquility . Each remaining member of the Pantheon imbued a portion of its power to the five great Dragon s awoken in that mythic age . Alexstrasza the Life - Binder , Malygos the Spell - Weaver , Ysera the Dreamer , Nozdormu the Timeless , and Neltharion the Earth - Warder were all empowered by the Titans ’ vast powers and charged with the world ’ s defense . With the Dragons prepared to safeguard their creation , the Titans left Azeroth behind forever . Unfortunately for them , and the small , newborn world they had shaped , it was only a matter of time before Sargeras learned of its existence . . .