Gul ' dan ( alternate ) Gul ' dan , from an alternate timeline , was a mag ' har orc shaman who became the first warlock and Lord of the Shadow Council . Known to be the Betrayer of the Orcs like the one in the original timeline , Gul ' dan wiped out his own clan , and planned to deliver Draenor to the alternate version of the Burning Legion in return of servitude . Biography . Harbingers : Gul ' dan . Born on Draenor , no one now living has heard of the village where Gul ' dan was born . He was born crippled , weak and deformed , which made him a target for constant mockery and abuse ever since his childhood . He knew that he was meant for more than his clan would ever allow of him , and he hated them for it . One day , the other clan members grew so tired of the runt ' s refusal to accept his place in the clan that they beat him repeatedly in an attempt to rid themselves of him once and for all . As the chieftain was about to beat him again , the elderly shaman of the clan stopped him , saying that he had tried and failed to help Gul ' dan find his place in the clan . Laying a hand on Gul ' dan ' s shoulder , the elder said , not unkindly , that there was nothing more he could do for him , but that he had always believed there was greatness within him . He then adviced the runt to seek out the , for perhaps there he would find his destiny . In response , Gul ' dan angrily beat his hand away . The chieftain then banished Gul ' dan to the wastes outside the village , saying that there he would come to understand what it meant to have no people . After months of starvation and wandering alone through the wastes , Gul ' dan began to consider that the safety of a clan might be better than endless suffering . The bitterness that had sustained him all his life ate at him until nothing was left . After barely fighting off a group of giant carrion birds , he collapsed onto the ground . When he awoke , he heeded the old shaman ' s words and made his way to the Throne of the Elements , where he offered himself in the service of whatever would end his anguish . In response , the spirits of fire , earth , water and air erupted from the standing stones and began to swirl around him like rays of light . Just as he was about to touch them , the elements mysteriously recoiled from him , and the ray of light twisted into a tendril of shadow before vanishing . The elements had abandoned him , and Gul ' dan was alone once again as rain began to pour . A single drop fell from his forehead into the pool of water in which he was kneeling , and in the absence of the furies , other voices began to whisper . They offered him a gift , and in return , he would become the harbinger of their fury . When Gul ' dan returned to his village , he was draped in tattered robes , the clan elder and the chieftain spotted him , the latter furiously approached him , saying that Gul ' dan was never allowed to return to his people . In reply , Gul ' dan roared that he has no people , before gripping the chieftain ' s face and causing him to erupt with fel energy , instantly killing him . Gul ' dan then went on a rampage , burning down his village and killing all of his former brethren . When Gul ' dan saw the shaman who had saved his life months earlier , he gripped his shoulder and thanked him , saying that he had found his destiny , before killing him as well . He then claimed the shaman ' s staff and left the burning ruins of his birthplace behind forever . Triumphant in Draenor . Utterly obsessed with obtaining more power , Gul ' dan traveled across Draenor and gathered followers . He later agreed to a secret alliance with the Burning Legion , a destructive army from beyond the stars . Believing the Legion to be his path to godhood , Gul ' dan voluntarily drank the blood of Mannoroth . The blood transformed his visage into something hideous , bent and twisted by demonic energies . With his lieutenants , he formed the nefarious Shadow Council . Gul ' dan intended to subjugate the orcs for the Burning Legion by convincing the legendary warlord Grommash Hellscream to drink demon blood as well . Three days prior to the intended ceremony Gul ' dan underwent his own transformation after drinking Mannoroth ' s blood , only to be visited by a mysterious messenger representing Grommash Hellscream , having come to inquire about the warlock ' s intentions for the orcs . Gul ' dan replied that he had been granted knowledge and second sight by the demons of the Burning Legion showing him the glory the orcs would gain in service to them . However the messenger rebuffed these claims , stating that though the orcs would have power , it would make them slaves and that though Gul ' dan thinks he ' s a god , he is in reality a god in chains . Having heard enough , and his once brown skin now turned green , Gul ' dan ordered his guards to remove the messenger . However , his guards were quickly dispatched and Gul ' dan demanded to know what Hellscream ' s answer is . The messenger replied that he has no confusion regarding Gul ' dan ' s intentions and that Grommash would be at the ceremony where the orcs would embrace their true destiny . Gul ' dan summoned all the orcish clans of Draenor to the peak of Tanaan Jungle to offer them the blood of the pit lord Mannoroth . As Gul ' dan hoped , the first one to take the cup was Grommash Hellscream , Warchief of the Warsong Clan . On the eve of his victory , he beckoned Hellscream to drink the blood and to claim his destiny , promising him that they would all be conquerors . However , since Garrosh Hellscream had come from the future to prevent his father and the orcish clans from drinking Mannoroth ' s blood and had informed the orcish clans of their fate should they accept , Grommash questioned Gul ' dan on what they would have to give up in return for this power . Gul ' dan told him , " Everything . " As a response , Grommash rejected the offering , and refused to become a slave to the Burning Legion . Angered by Grommash ' s disrespect and his plan failing , Gul ' dan then backed away as Mannoroth himself appeared , intending to wipe out the orcs . However , Mannoroth was killed after Grommash managed to plunge his axe , Gorehowl , into the pit lord ' s skull . Gul ' dan was then apprehended by Garrosh and subsequently imprisoned along with the rest of his Shadow Council when the Iron Horde was formed . He , along with Cho ' gall and Teron Gorefiend , were used to power up the Dark Portal in order for the Iron Tide to invade Azeroth . Eventually , they were freed by Alliance or Horde adventurers that were tasked with destroying the portal to stop the Iron Horde ' s invasion . Once the respective commanders of the Alliance or Horde have established a garrison ( Frostwall in Frostfire Ridge or Lunarfall in Shadowmoon Valley ) and strengthened themselves against Draenor ' s dangers , Archmage Khadgar returns to task the commanders with attempting to capture Gul ' dan . After the deaths of several of the Iron Horde ' s warlords , Gul ' dan later approaches Grommash Hellscream , mocking him for the debacles the Iron Horde had endured . He also reveals that his son , Garrosh , is dead and throws Gorehowl to the ground to confirm it . He then offers him the option to drink the demon blood again . Grom refuses due to the emotions surrounding his son ' s fall , and also to preserve his honor , choosing to attack Gul ' dan instead . Gul ' dan stops him with magic and imprisons him , offering the remaining orcs the same choice to drink ; Kilrogg accepts despite Grom ' s pleas . In Shadowmoon Valley . Gul ' dan established a camp in the village of Gul ' var ( located southwest of the garrison location ) and used the village as a staging ground for future endeavors . It was here that he first experimented with fusing fel energy into his followers . Before leaving , Gul ' dan was confronted by an adventurer sent by Khadgar to capture him . The adventurer tried to use a soul trap to subdue Gul ' dan but he resisted the trap and quickly shielded himself . Draining the captive demon Krosnis , Gul ' dan used the energy to transform his follower Razuun into an enhanced demon form . He then left Razuun to deal with the adventurer . After Razuun was slain , he mockingly dismissed his failure , claiming that the Legion would soon have thousands more to serve before teleporting away to safety . In World of Warcraft . Warlords of Draenor . In " " , Garrosh Hellscream , who came from the future , traveled to Draenor to prevent all the orcish clans from drinking the blood of Mannoroth . When the Legion learned of this , Gul ' dan summoned Mannoroth to Draenor and made their attempt , but the plan failed when Grommash Hellscream refused to drink the blood , thanks to Garrosh , and managed to slay Mannoroth like he did in the original timeline . Imprisoned by the Iron Horde , Gul ' dan would later be freed by Alliance and Horde adventurer s when they came from the world of Azeroth to stop the Iron Horde from invading . Now freed , Gul ' dan decided to continue his plan in corrupting Draenor and focused on a cat - and - mouse game with Archmage Khadgar . Eventually , Gul ' dan approached Grommash at Bladefury ' s Command in Talador , where he attempted to offer the demon ' s blood to Grommash once again . Grommash still refused and decided to slay Gul ' dan for poisoning his kin , forcing Gul ' dan to use his warlock magic to incapacitate him and take control of the Iron Horde . During the Alliance and Horde ' s assault upon Hellfire Citadel , Gul ' dan successfully resurrected Mannoroth , and was able to summon Archimonde the Defiler . However , when the combined forces managed to defeat the alternate - version of Archimonde , the dying eredar cast Gul ' dan into a portal ( apparently to the original timeline of Azeroth ) . In Legion . Gul ' dan owes allegiance to no one save his Burning Legion masters . In the alternate - timeline of Draenor , the power - hungry orc warlock nearly had his entire race enslaved to demons , but his plans failed . Under the Legion ’ s command , he was banished into Azeroth in the original prime universe . After his defeat in Hellfire Citadel and subsequent banishment to Azeroth , Gul ' dan stationed himself at the Broken Isles , freeing Illidan Stormrage from the Vault of the Wardens , who was thought to have been dead . He then opened a gateway to bring the original Burning Legion to invade Azeroth once again . During the Battle on the Broken Shore , Gul ' dan was either directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of Tirion Fordring , Vol ' jin , and Varian Wrynn . Players reportedly face him for the final time at the Nighthold in Suramar on the Broken Isles , fighting him for the final Pillar of Creation .