Kurdran Wildhammer Biography . Kurdran Wildhammer — Gryphon Rider of Northeron — was the Chief Thane of the Wildhammer Clan , and the Hinterlands During the Second War , the Orcish Horde led by Orgrim Doomhammer invaded the Wildhammer homeland . Kurdran was one of the first dwarves to spot the invaders and initiate battle against them . Soon he was aided by the forces of the Alliance of Lordaeron , and together they fought the bloodthirsty horde . Kurdran pledged his and his kingdom ' s aid to Anduin Lothar after the human Alliance aided them in forcing the invading orcs and forest trolls out of their homeland . Kurdran and his loyal steed , the gryphon Sky ' ree , became legendary during the war , battling over land and sea as well as the air ; lending aid to Lordaeron and Quel ' thalas . He left the Second War with nine slain dragons to his credit . After the war ended , Kurdran remained with the Alliance as a scout , his service proving invaluable to the Alliance war effort . Upon hearing that Deathwing had breached the Dark Portal into Draenor , Kurdran was only too eager to serve as scout and warrior for the Alliance Expedition to Draenor , and thus commanded the Gryphon Rider Division . Though Kurdran was captured during the raid on Auchindoun , he was rescued by the Alliance and met his vengeance upon those who imprisoned him . When Ner ' zhul opened his unholy portals on Draenor , Kurdran elected to remain with his comrades and ensure that the Dark Portal was sealed to prevent it from harming Azeroth . For twenty years , he was believed dead , and immortalized in stone with his friends in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind . When the connection between Azeroth was at last been reestablished , he lead the Alliance forces in Shadowmoon Valley . Since then he has been re - located to Twilight Highlands to lead the Alliance forces in the area . Personality . Kurdran is well liked by his friends for his jolly personality and love for battle . He is a fierce warrior and does not like to be seen as a weakling , insisting to fight on despite being heavily wounded . Danath Trollbane was likely one of his closest friends and was whipped into frenzy hearing Kurdran ' s apparent death . Unlike many Wildhammers , he is not hostile towards wizards and spell - casters . Kurdran in World of Warcraft . Kurdran and Sky ' ree survived the destruction of Draenor and , after joining forces with the Naaru , have taken up residence in Outland . Kurdran is the Thane of Wildhammer Stronghold , the Alliance outpost in Shadowmoon Valley , west of the Black Temple . Though he does not start any quests , Kurdran ends . Interestingly , though he is not the target of any PvP objective , he has a tremendous amount of HP , at 5588K , more than any faction leader . In Cataclysm . In the Cataclysm , Kurdran coordinates the Alliance war efforts in Twilight Highlands , attempting to recruit the entire Wildhammer clan into the Alliance . Players first encounter him within the keep at Highbank , and he can be found at other locations within the zone . At the wedding of and , he presents Keegan with the egg of his now - deceased gryphon , Sky ' ree , in an attempt to show just how serious he is about the unification of the Wildhammer clan and its induction into the Alliance .