Netrezaar Netrezaar ( Previously known as " Netrius " ) is a name mentioned by upon his death . He was a gifted eredar smith , who adored and spent his life seeking the approval of Kil ' jaeden , and to do that he became one of the first to join the Legion with Kil ' jaeden as he saw it to be the ultimate expression of loyalty . As a reward Netrius was remade in the Legion ' s all consuming fel fire . Volatile magic blazed through his soul , wrapping his mind and body forever . Transforming him into Netrezaar , Netrezaar ' s soul is bound to the as uncovered in the ( a research tome in the Ebon Hold written by Head Archivist ) . The Libram of the dead is not yet complete , and this is all what is known about it : Despite its long history of bloodshed , the Maw of the Dammed was not created for genocide . It was forged to take a single life : that of the great demon lord Kil ' jaeden . Kil ' jaeden was one of the eredar race ' s most beloved leaders . With a mere word , he could sway the hearts and mind of his people . When he joined the demonic Burning Legion , many eredar blindly followed his path . One of the first to do so was a gifted smith named Netrius . He adored Kil ' jaeden , and he spent his life seeking the eredar leader ' s approval . Netrius was pledging himself to the Legion as the ultimate expression of his loyalty . As a reward for his loyalty , Netrius was remade in the Legion ' s all - consuming fel fire . Volatile magics blazed through his soul , warping his mind and body forever . Netrius - now known by the name Netrezaar - was never the same again . Even his feelings toward Kil ' jaeden changed . What was once admiration had twisted into a dangerous obsession . It wasn ' t enough to simply win Kil ' jaeden ' s approval , he needed more . An idea took shape in Netrezaar ' s mind . To satisfy his obsession , he would create a weapon to consume Kil ' jaeden ' s life force . That weapon would one day become known as the Maw of the Dammed . Netrezaar became a smith of much reown in the Burning Legion . His war machines terrorized worlds . His blades brought ruin to entire civilizations . Yet in truth , most of these weapons were merely experiments in his quest for the perfect tool with which to consume Kil ' jaeden . Success hinged on finding a material that could draw out and contain the demon lord ' s life force . Netrezaar spent years searching for exotic ores , most of which proved useless . He made a promising discovery on Nihilam , the Doom World . Long ago , a war between the Legion ' s ruler , Sargeras , and his fellow titans had shaken the fabric of creation around Nihilam . Their apocalyptic battle had darkened the world and infuse its metal ores with otherworldly properties . When Netrezaar mined these metals , he found them nearly indestructible . In just the right light , the materials reflected brief images of the battle fought between Sargeras and the titans . Most important of all , these metals also leeched away the essence of any living thing that touched them . For the first time in years , Netrezaar felt joy . He had finally found what he needed . The Maw of the Dammed ' s first victim was not Kil ' jaeden . It was one of Netrezaar ' s servants . Netrezaar commanded dozen of mo ' arg , highly resourceful demons who specialized in engineering and blacksmithing . All of them looked up to the eredar smith with awe , but he cared little for his followers . Like hammers and tongs , they were simply tools at his disposal . To test the Maw , Netrezaar subjected a pair of mo ' arg to gruesome experiments . He slowly cut their flesh with the axe , studying how quickly it drained their life forces . The Maw worked just as planned . The demons ' vital energies passed through the blade and flooded into Netrezaar . Of the two mo ' arg expiremented on by Netrezaar , one survived . His name was Gorelix , and he was the eredar smith ' s most devoted follower . At least , he had been . The experiments had left Gorelix shriveled and disfigured . His admiration for Netrezaar darkened into a hatred hotter than any demon forge . Gorelix did not have the physical strength to rise against Netrezaar . Even if he could , rebelling would mean a fate worse than death . Netrezaar was one of the eredar - one of Kil ' jaeden ' s chosen . The broken mo ' arg vowed to find another way to exact vengeance on his master . He watched Netrezaar ' s every movement , seeking a weakness . Over time , Gorelix discovered something odd . Netrezaar ' s axe was powerful , and yet he would not use it in battle . He kept it hidden from other demons , save his mo ' arg servants . What was its purpose , if not to strike down the Legion ' s enemies ? It dawned on Gorelix that Netrezaar had no intention of ever using the axe for the Legion . He had crafted it for another purpose . On a small world under siege by the Legion , Gorelix learned of the Maw ' s true power and potential . He and a team of mo ' arg had been tasked with building a citadel to serve as a base of operations . In one battle , this stronghold came under attack from the world ' s brave defenders . A massive breach opened in the wall . If the mo ' arg could not repair it soon , the entire citadel would fall to the Legion ' s enemies . Gorelix volunteered to defend the breach while the other mo ' arg worked . Hundreds of enemies stormed the opening in the wall , howling battle cries in their alien tongue . Gorelix stood fast , rending any who came within the Maw ' s deadly reach . He never flagged . On the contrary , every kill infused his body with greater strength and vitality . When the last attacker had fallen , the other mo ' arg found that they no longer needed to repair the breach . Gorelix had filled it with corpses . The more Gorelix used the Maw , the more it changed him . He grew into a hulking mass of taut muscle , dwarfing every other mo ' arg in size . His monstrous appearance earned him a new name : the Fleshripper . Despite the power the Maw gave him , there were times when Gorelix did not use the axe . Sometimes he would watch from a distance while the Legion besieged new worlds . All the while , Gorelix would taunt Netrezaar ' s spirit , describing the battle and all the lives lost in great detail . When the Maw began to physically tremble in Gorelix ' s hands , he knew that Netrezaar ' s spirit was suffering . The mo ' arg found as much satisfaction from these acts of torture as he did from imbibing the life force of his victims .