Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass The Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass , also called the Black Riders are a mysterious group of dark rider s who are apparently a major cause of the corruption of Duskwood . Background . What little is known of the mysterious Dark Riders of Deadwind Pass comes from Sven Yorgen and . The Riders first appear at the Yorgen Farmstead , apparently drawn by the time / space warping caused by the Scythe of Elune which Jitters had previously unearthed and lost again inside Roland ' s Doom . They murdered Sven ' s wife and family after determining that they do not know where the Scythe was located . Jitters remained hidden while witnessing these events , and later recorded them . The Dark Riders are mentioned as being allies of the necromancer Morbent Fel , though no details are given as to the nature of this alliance . No physical description is provided , but the Riders are described as speaking in a shrieking voice " both harsh and shrill " . At one point , one used a small gem to communicate with someone referred to as the Lord from whom the Riders took directions . Some rumors say that the dark riders may have originated from , or at one time taken up residence in , Raven Hill as well . Dark riders are said to be huge beings that suddenly appear with hellhounds at their feet to run down frantic travelers . Some nights they skirt the perimeter of Darkshire , howling loudly . Origin . Supposedly they began as a band of charlatan merchants who made an attempt to sell magical relic forgeries to Medivh at his home in Karazhan , as punishment for their trickery , he transformed the band of con - artists into the Dark Riders , a group of mysterious beings who roamed the lands , laying claim to powerful artifacts , and returning them to the Guardian ' s tower . In Legion . The Dark Riders have stolen the from its keeper , ( in the Dreamgrove of Duskwood ) , and apparently from the Lich King . Their base appears to be the catacombs under Karazhan . Death knight speculation . It is speculated by some that the Dark Riders are a group of the death knight s created by Gul ' dan . In particular , the use of a gem described in Jitters ' journal seems to echo the jeweled truncheons carried by the death knights . According to Brann Bronzebeard in the " Horde Player ' s Guide " , there are rumors that Teron Gorefiend may be in charge of these black riders from the tower of Karazhan , or that the tower may be under command of someone or something even more sinister . In Burning Crusade , it is revealed that Teron Gorefiend is imprisoned in Shadowmoon Valley in Outland with the spirits of several other Death Knights , which would seemingly imply that any remaining Death Knights held a similar fate . This only increases the mystery surrounding the Black Riders of Deadwind Pass . Attumen the Huntsman has the same looks as Death Knight spirits in Shadowmoon Valley , implying that he is one and perhaps even the leader of Black Riders . A recent theory suggests that the Black Riders actually serve Malchezaar , the Eredar prince who resides atop Karazhan . Drawn to the energies of the world and artifacts ripe for the taking , Malchezaar successfully opened a dimensional gateway using a focal point with enough magical energy to sustain it . With the ability to summon beings from other worlds using the gateway , it is possible that he took command of the remaining Black Riders , such as Attumen the Huntsman , using them to retrieve powerful artifacts for him , such as Gorehowl , the axe of Grom Hellscream , or the Scythe of Elune . Inspiration . They seem to be almost identical to the from the " " trilogy of books . Both are dark minions referred to as " Black Riders " or " Dark Riders " , speak harshly and shrilly , have the power to communicate with an immaterial being designated " the Lord " ( the Warcraft Black Riders ' usage of a " bauble " to communicate with their master is also likely a reference to the stones used in Lord of the Rings ) , and seek a specific ancient cursed " tool " of great power ( Scythe of Elune and respectively ) with which they have an intristic bond and had been previously discovered in a cave by a supposedly insignificant male character who knew nothing of the artifact ' s true properties ( Jitters , ) .