Eredar The Eredar are a species of supremely talented magic - wielders who arose on the planet Argus countless millennia ago . They built a vast civilization of wondrous cities and upheld a peaceful way of life . Twenty - five thousand years ago , however , the tranquility of Argus was shattered , and the Eredar separated into two groups : the Draenei and the Man ' ari . Man ' ari . The Man ' ari are the demon - corrupted Eredar who now lead the Burning Legion , but they are commonly referred to as the Eredar regardless . This could be due to the fact that , other than the Draenei and Man ' ari , there is no evidence of other species of Eredar left in existence . These Eredar are the first among the demons of the Burning Legion . The man ' ari usually have red skin . is a classic example of a man ' ari demon . However , some man ' ari , like , retain their gray or blue skin color for unknown reasons . History . The dark titan Sargeras , in order to create a great Legion , planned to bolster his ranks by creating demons . He was attracted by the eredar ' s magical affinity , and contacted them , promising their three leaders , Archimonde , Kil ' jaeden , and Velen , immortality and vast powers . A troubling vision soon came to Velen , who saw the eredar transformed into unspeakable demons . But despite Velen ' s misgivings , Archimonde and Kil ' jaeden agreed to join Sargeras ' Burning Legion . The eredar were the first sentient race to pledge their allegiance to Sargeras . Knowing that other sentient beings would inevitably join the Legion , the eredar declared that their primary language , Eredun , would be the Legion ' s common language . With his fellow eredar already becoming corrupted by demonic power , Velen split from the man ' ari — who were now a " twisted demonic reflection of " the original eredar — on Argus with the help of the naaru , renaming themselves the draenei , or " exiled ones " in Eredun . The man ' ari continued to call themselves " eredar " under Kil ' jaeden and were infuriated with what they perceived as a betrayal . They hunted Velen and the draenei across dozens of worlds for thousands of years . Every time it seemed that the draenei had found a new home , the Burning Legion would fall upon them . The indigenous races of many worlds were oftentimes mutated by the eredar ' s malevolent warlock powers and turned into demon s themselves . Both factions continued to use the Eredun language , though specific dialects have evolved : the Demonic Eredun and the Draenei . The draenei traveled through most of the cosmos and eventually discovered another , safer world to settle down upon . They named this world Draenor or " exiles ' refuge " . At first there was peace with the native orc s living there , and they struck up trade and diplomacy with the shaman istic race . But soon the draenei ' s existence there was discovered by the evil eredar . The eredar then began to corrupt the orcs and turned them into a war - like race by granting them access to warlock magics . The orcs subsequently hunted down the draenei , almost wiping out the entire race . The eredar consumed all life around them and set out to find more places of mystical power . Until now , only the titans have ever challenged them . Each of the leaders , Archimonde and Kil ' jaeden , built a hierarchy of demons , jealously protected from the will of the other . These groups strove for dominance of Azeroth and other worlds . But now , at long last , Archimonde is dead , killed by the heroes of Azeroth . Individual eredar and a few hopeful heroes of the lesser races have decided that they are the best candidates to replace him . These prideful few have taken their first careful steps toward locating and eliminating the presumptuous competition that might seek to displace them . Other accounts . Titan ' s origins . All demons , including the eredar , were mortal once , but have been transformed into demons by corruption caused by Fel Energy . This change included a powerful command of arcane energy . It is said that Sargeras believed that the demons originally were not corrupt , and that it was the Titan ' s ordering of the universe that was ultimately responsible for the demons corruption . In this scenario , it would imply that the titans considered the various natural races that pre - existed on worlds they visited to be demons , but were actually corrupted by the titans themselves . Sargeras later came back and freed many of them , bent on using them to destroy the Titan ' s work . Original lore . Eredar were supreme sorcerers at the dawn of the universe . Some believe that they devoured their own world by using radical warlock magics . They consumed all life around them and set out to find more places of mystical power . Over the eons , Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races , both of which were bent on gaining power and dominance over the physical universe . One of them was the eredar , an insidious race of devilish sorcerers , who 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 began to slip into a brooding depression . Despite his growing unease , Sargeras rid the universe of the warlocks by trapping them within a corner of the Twisting Nether . Still , Sargeras went mad and decided to undo the Titan ' s works throughout the universe , he set out to form an unstoppable army that would set the physical universe to the flame . In his fury and 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 . The eredar were Sargeras ' s first recruits in the Burning Legion , serving as tactical advisors and intelligence officers . 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 recruit them into Sargeras ' s ranks . The second champion , Archimonde the Defiler , was chosen to lead Sargeras ' s vast armies into battle against any who might resist the Titan ' s will . New lore . The idea that eredar were previously mortal before being corrupted has existed long before the Burning Crusade ' s release . Chris Metzen stands by the lore described in the history section , who for better or worse are among the primary antagonists , more firmly in the backstory . In the newer lore , Sargeras ' first battles with demons may not have been with the eredar , it is possible he may have fought some other demonic race from the Twisting Nether before his battles with the nathrezim . Biology . The eredar mutated by Sargeras ' s demonic power are physically similar to their original shape , with a few minor differences ( the original eredar shape is thought to have been preserved in the draenei ) . These creatures are of impressive size , far larger than any human or orc , with a bulky muscular body and a long tail . Long pointed ears sweep back from its bestial face and horns sprout from its wide brow ( Although Archimonde ' s cinematic and drawn art shows a different style of cheek spikes , and no spikes above the eyes ) . The hooves of demonic eredar are more compact than those of draenei , and most of the demonic breed lacks cranial hair . The hands of demonic eredar are clawed . Most significantly , demonic eredar are much larger than draenei - though few could match Archimonde ' s preferred height ( he could change his size in Twilight of the Gods ) . Most man ' ari eredar in " World of Warcraft " use the same model as the draenei ( see Prince Malchezaar as an example ) showing few physical differences but for height , skin color , and eye color . Kil ' jaeden shows a greater amount of physical variation , however , having sprouted both horns and wings in his most recent incarnation in addition to the more regular man ' ari mutations ; though these additional appendages could be a result of his shape - altering abilities rather than the influence of fel magic . Two female eredar , Lady Sacrolash and Grand Warlock Alythess in Sunwell Plateau , also show a minor difference from their draenei counterparts in that they have much longer tails . Argus . It is unclear what exactly became of the eredar homeworld , Argus . Some believe that the demonic eredar devoured their own world by using radical warlock magics , though information recently offered by the draenei suggest Sargeras was responsible for the planet ' s destruction . Argus , drained of all forms of non - demonic life , still exists and serves as a stronghold of the Legion . Sociology . Pre - eminence in eredar warlock society depends almost entirely upon magical power . Those who command the greatest selection of paramount spells — and thus in theory the greatest magical arsenal — rise to higher ranks . Those whose arcane abilities top out at such pitiful cantrips as wish and shape change are grunts and lackeys , scarcely worthy of notice . Because of the very nature of magic , rank , magical power , and overall intelligence go hand - in - claw . This rule of rank is never deviated from ; Archimonde ' s status among his brethren is backed up by his mastery of the most destructive forms of magic , and his adeptness of all others ( recall his single - handed destruction of Dalaran ) . However , while Archimonde is violent and destructive , Kil ' Jaeden is ruthlessly cunning , and coupled with his powerful magic , may even make him an even more dangerous demon than Archimonde . Notable eredar . Though many eredar were part of both invasions of Azeroth ( the War of the Ancients and the Third War ) and several more inhabit Outland , few individuals are known to mortals ; only three , the greatest in magic , were commonly known : the Defiler , the Deceiver , and the Divine . However , with the arrival of the draenei and tentative contact with Outland , a few more have made themselves known .