Eredar

For the other subspecies, see Lightforged draenei, Broken and Lost One.
The eredar are a race of supremely talented magic-wielders who arose on the planet Argus countless millennia ago. Exceptionally skilled in magic, their mastery of the arcane arts were renowned throughout the scattered worlds of the Great Dark Beyond.The Burning Crusade Bestiary - Eredar Led by a triumvirate of wise and powerful leaders — Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen — they built a vast civilization of wondrous cities and a peaceful way of life on their homeworld.
However, 13,000 years ago,Bringer of the Light the Dark Titan Sargeras shattered the tranquility of Argus by offering the eredar immeasurable knowledge and power.Ultimate Visual Guide, pg. 39 The eredar were a knowledge-seeking race, as such Kil'jaeden and Archimonde accepted Sargeras' offer. The titan bathed the eredar in his fel might, and turned them into demonic members of the Burning Legion. Velen and his followers, however, managed to flee Argus with the help of the divine naaru, who would rename them draenei, or "Exiled Ones".
The draenei refer to their corrupted brethren as man'ari (pronounced man-ah-ree)Lessons of Fire and Pain, or "unnatural beings". They have stopped referring to themselves as "eredar" because of the negative connotation it now has, following the vast majority of eredar being turned into demons, although it is still the name of their race. The man'ari eredar now act as some of the most powerful weapons in the Burning Legion's arsenal. Skilled sorcerers in both fel and shadow magics, they are often found in command of contingents of demon forces.Matthew Deyling#Quotes When facing man'ari eredar of great power, large armies are useless for the most part. Their corruptive powers over mortal souls are such that only the strongest-willed can even stand face to face with them.Deathblow to the Legion
==History==
Nearly 25,000 years ago,The Burning Crusade Townhall/Draenei on the planet of Argus, the noble and enigmaticUltimate Visual Guide, pg. 39 eredar race arose. They are one of the oldest known races in the universe. They were extremely intelligent and had a natural affinity for magic in all of its forms. Using their gifts, they developed a vast and wondrous society in which art, science, magic, and technology were all as one.Invisible Ramparts Their society was powered by argunite.Fuel of a Doomed WorldKhazaduum, First of His Name They were aided in this development by an ancient artifact known as the Ata'mal crystal, a triangular crystal whose origin was a mystery to the eredar,Rise of the Horde, pg. 4 though it had been a gift bestowed upon them by the naaru in ancient times.Rise of the Horde, pg. 11: "Take the ata'mal crystal with you. Long, long ago, did we give it to you; it is how we will find you again." The eredar hunted great horned beasts for sport.Kuros during Nemesis: Hunter - Hunted: "On Argus, we hunted powerful horned beasts like your Tauren for sport. Prove your might over this worthy adversary!"
The eredar were apparently ruled by political regimes under the rule of multiple capable persons. The Second Duumvirate consisted of Kil'jaeden and Velen.The Tome of Blighted Implements Velen was an exceptional master of holy magic, who once used T'uure, a holy artifact of the naaru, to cure a curse that robbed the eredar of their mental capabilities.Word of the Conclave An order of eredar mages called the Wakeners under the leadership of Thal'kiel first delved into the Void and summoned demons. Presenting this before the duumvirate, hoping to gain the acceptance of them. When denied, he secretly summoned even more demons to usurp the duumvirate and become the sole dictator of Argus. He was betrayed by his apprentice Archimonde, who decapitated Thal'kiel and his order was hunted and their scriptures burned.
13,000 years ago, the dark titan Sargeras, in order to create a great Legion, planned to bolster his ranks by creating demons.The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Burning Legion He was attracted by the eredar's magical affinity, and he contacted them under the guise of a benevolent being, promising their three leaders, Archimonde, Kil'jaeden, and Velen, vast powers and that he would use his power to transform their race into an even greater one so they may spread his universal union. 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 Story So Far (Burning Crusade) 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. Argus became a demon world, and the stronghold of the Burning Legion.Adventure Guide entry for Azzakel
With his fellow eredar already becoming corrupted by demonic power, Velen, along with those who would follow him, split from the bulk of eredar society — who were, by now, a "twisted demonic reflection of" the original eredarWhat Argus Means to Me — on Argus with the help of the naaru, renaming themselves the draenei, or "exiled ones" in Eredun. The man'ari (so called because of their transformation into demons) 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 as the draenei used a massive naaru dimensional ship called the Genedar to escape. Every time it seemed that the draenei had found a new home, the Burning Legion would fall upon them. One such world was Fanlin'Deskor, whose surface was ripped apart by the Legion, after which nothing was left behind.Prophet's Lesson The indigenous races of many worlds were oftentimes mutated by the eredar's malevolent warlock powers and turned into demons, marking such twisted demonic beings as man'ari themselves.
Both factions continued to use the Eredun language, though specific dialects have evolved: the demonic Eredun and Draenei languages.
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 orcs living there, and they struck up trade and diplomacy with the shamanistic race. But soon the draenei's existence there was discovered by Kil'jaeden via his agent, Talgath. This time, however, Kil'jaeden decided that instead of launching a full invasion of the planet, from which the draenei had managed to escape in the past, he would use the native orcs to do his bidding for him; thus Velen and the draenei wouldn't realize the Legion was involved and flee until it was too late to do so. Kil'jaeden and the eredar then began to corrupt the orcs, turning them into a bloodthirsty, war-like race by granting them access to warlock magics. The orcs formed the Horde and subsequently hunted down the draenei, almost wiping out the entire race; indeed, they believed they had, but Velen and a few others had managed to escape the onslaught. The draenei used the dimensional ship known as the Exodar, a vessel of the great naaru fortress Tempest Keep to escape to the world of Azeroth to ally with the Alliance.
To this day, the draenei remain loyal members of the Alliance, and the man'ari eredar, now the most stalwart enemy of the draenei, comprise the commanders and strategists of the Burning Legion.Exodar Holographic Emitter The eredar have rewritten Argus history books to paint Velen as a traitor."Revised" Chronicles of Argus
==Demonic eredar==
Demonic eredar, described with the term man'ari (pronounced man-ah-ree) eredar (or simply by the broad category 'man'ari'),Lessons of Fire and Pain are eredar that have been turned into demons by the Burning Legion. 13,000 years ago, the Dark Titan Sargeras bathed the eredar in his fel might, and turned them into demonic members of the Burning Legion.
The man'ari eredar now act as some of the most powerful weapons in the Burning Legion's arsenal. Skilled sorcerers in both fel and shadow magics, they are often found in command of contingents of demon forces.Matthew Deyling#Quotes When facing eredar of great power, large armies are useless for the most part. Their corruptive powers over mortal souls are such that only the strongest-willed can even stand face to face with them.Deathblow to the Legion
===Name===
"Man'ari" is an Eredun term that translates to "unnatural beings". It was originally described as a word with no specific translation, use to describe something considered "horrifically wrong, something twisted and unnatural and defiled".Rise of the Horde, pg. 5 "Man'ari" is most often used by the draenei to describe the eredar followers of Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, as the draenei believe that these demonic minions are no longer recognizable as true eredar,Instructor Kierrii: / / but it could reasonably be used to describe any species that Sargeras has twisted from their natural state to a demonic one (such as satyr).
Demonic eredar also appear to refer to themselves as "man'ari", and usage of it as a species name to refer to the eredar of the Burning Legion can be considered grammatically correct as Kil'jaeden appropriated the term for his own use,Rise of the Horde, pg. 18 though the man'ari mostly refer to themselves simply as "eredar". The draenei no longer call themselves eredar,An Alternative Alternative: likely because the name is mostly associated with the demonic man'ari eredar.
===Biology===
The eredar are bipedal ungulates, physically similar to their original shape, with a few minor differences (the original eredar shape has been preserved in the draenei). The most obvious difference is their skin color; though several man'ari eredar, such as Archimonde and Lady Sacrolash, retain a blue-gray skin color, most have blood-red skin. Their eyes glow fel-green; much like draenei,The Battle for Shattrath the glow in an eredar's eyes will fade away when they die. ending cinematic Many male man'ari lack cranial hair, and man'ari females have longer tails than their draenei counterparts. Eredar hands are clawed.
Most significantly, many man'ari eredar tend to be larger than draenei, though few could match Archimonde's preferred height (he has been shown of being capable to change his size at will).
Kil'jaeden shows a greater amount of physical variation, 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.
Any draenei that allows themselves to become corrupted can become a man'ari eredar, transforming from humanoid to demon. Two recent examples are Levixus, an eredar who was born as a draenei, and Exarch Othaar, who became a man'ari and took the name Socrethar when he swore himself to the Burning Legion.
The old eredar believed in the value of phrenology - the measurement of skull in order to divine mental aptitude. Believing that an eredar's mental faculties, such as willpower, memory, and perception, could be attributed to the shape and size of various protuberances on that individual's skull, it was theorized that skulls of proficient spellcasters could channel magical energies even after death.
==Sub-species==
* — The eredar that joined the Burning Legion became demons. While they still refer themselves as eredar, the draenei came to know them as man'ari.
** — Demonic eredar who serve as honor guard for the leaders of the Burning Legion.
** Eredar brute — The sub-type of eredar who undergo a transformation that grant them strength. 
** Doommaiden — The sub-type of female eredar that have wings.
* — A faction of eredar that refused to join the Burning Legion and instead sided with the forces of the Light under the wise prophet, Velen. This includes both those that fled Argus millennia ago and any descendants born afterward, such as on Draenor.
** — Some draenei, after separating from the main group, were infused with the light of Xe'ra becoming Lightforged.
** — Corrupted and mutated draenei transformed by a "red mist" unleashed by the Old Horde during the attack on Shattrath City, which cut them off from the Light.
*** — The most severely mutated and devolved type of draenei.
* Broken of Argus — The eredar corrupted and mutated since the draenei flight from Argus.
** Voidscarred — The void-corrupted Broken located in Eredath on Argus.
* Ur'zul — The demonic creatures on Argus formed from the tormented bodies and souls of Krokul and fallen members of the Army of the Light.
==Notable==
===Pre-corruption===
Name	Role 	Affiliation	Status
 	One of the greatest leaders of the eredar prior to their corruption, mentor of Archimonde, killed for dabbling in demon magic.	Wakeners 	
 	Wife of Velen. 	 	
===Man'ari===
Name	Role 	Affiliation 	Status
 	The Defiler; commander of the Burning Legion's military. 	Burning Legion 	
 	The Deceiver; acting leader of the Burning Legion. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Leader of man'ari eredar rebels seeking redemption after the defeat of the Legion. 	Draenei 	
 	One of Sargeras's deadliest assassins, former wielder of the Fangs of the Devourer. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Overlord of the Burning Legion's forces over the Hellfire Peninsula. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Servant of Illidan Stormrage in Shadowmoon Valley. 	Illidari 	
& 	The Eredar Twins, submited to the will of the the Netherlord. 	Council of the Black Harvest	
 	The Soul Caller; binds the tortured souls of the dead in Auchindoun to his will. 	Shadow Council 	
 	Eredar Lord of the Burning Legion, and one of the three greatest pupils of Archimonde. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Former master of Karazhan, now a follower of the Warlock adventurer. 	Burning Legion 	
 	First necrolyte to walk Azeroth, former wielder of :Ulthalesh, the Deadwind Harvester. 	Independent 	
 	Leader of the Sunhawk forces on Bloodmyst Isle. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Leader of the Sargerei, former member of the Council of Exarchs. 	Sargerei, 	
 	Agent of Kil'jaeden, responsible for discovering the location of the draenei on Draenor. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Former Arc-Consul of Argus, leader of the Legion Invasions. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Son of Velen, turned by the Legion into the overlord of the Rakeeshi. 	Burning Legion 	
 	High priestess, former wielder of :T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru and Relic Keeper of Argus.	Burning Legion 	
 	The Soulcleaver; former High Wakener of Argus and one of Archimonde's greatest pupils. 	Burning Legion 	
 	Had an important role helping Subtlety rougues acquire Fangs of the Devourer. 	Independent (presumed) 	
===Draenei and Broken===
Name	Role 	Affiliation 	Status
 	Leader of the draenei and the Light's Chosen, prophet of the naaru. 	Exodar, Light's Chosen, Conclave 	
 	Leader of the Ashtongue tribe and Ashtongue Deathsworn, former Exarch of the Vindicators. 	Ashtongue tribe (Ashtongue), Illidari	
 	Leader of the Krokul of Argus, former member of the Council to the Triumvirate. 	Argussian Reach 	
 	Holder of :T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru and among the greatest healers the draenei have ever known.	 	
 	The Crescent Glaive; Captain of the Army of the Light. 	Army of the Light 	
 	Chief of the Artificer on Argus, member of the Council of Exarchs. 	Council of Exarchs 	
 	Mushroom collector and one of the original survivors of Argus. 	Exodar 	
 	Exarch and general of the draenei, Second-in-Command to Velen. 	 	
 	Exarch and leader of the Rangari. 	Rangari 	
 	Father of Levixus and once a member of the death priests. 	Auchenai (formerly) 	
 	Emissary of the elemental spirits, High shaman of the Earthen Ring, formerly a vindicator. 	Exodar, Earthen Ring 	
 	Artificer in charge of the Exodar and the Vindicaar. 	Exodar, Alliance 	
 	Anchorite of the Aldor and one of the original survivors of Argus. 	Aldor, Valiance Expedition 	
 	Argent Dawn prisoner of the Scourge, killed by the draenei death knight adventurer. 	Argent Dawn 	
 	Archmage, once a student during the days of the eredar on Argus. 	Army of the Light 	
 	Blademaster born on Argus, he saw the Legion turning the world into a bitter, dead husk. 	Army of the Light 	
==Culture==
The Ata'mal crystal was the most sacred artifact of the eredar, accessible only by their three leaders - Archimonde, Kil'jaeden and Velen.Rise of the Horde, prologue
The eredar used to practice the ancient sport of Jed'hin.
The Crest of Knowledge contained the vast sum of knowledge cultivated by the ancient eredar.The Crest of Knowledge
The eredar had the habit of using tail jewelry, such as Delicate Tail Band or Small Tail Ring. The more decorative the cuff, the more prestigious the individual.Eredar Tail-Cuff
The eredar do not seem to use surnames.
==Other accounts==
===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.Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual, pg. 133, 134 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.Metzen on lore
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.
This is confirmed in the WoW magazine which shows Sargeras also fought the ered'ruin, mo'arg, sayaad, and infernals.
==In the RPG==
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.Manual of Monsters, pg. 112Monster Guide, pg. 188 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.Shadows & Light, pg. 122 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.
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 forces 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.Manual of Monsters, pg. 119
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
===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.
==Notes and trivia==
*In the World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade Battle Chest Guide, the race section has a separate page for the eredar and for the Burning Legion (with its many races).
*Originally, before the invention of draenei as a concept, the race of demon was known as "the eredar warlocks".The Well of Eternity, pg. 325, 327, 359Demon Soul, pg. 50, 84, 86
*Originally, male and female man'ari eredar used unique models, with unique armor features (although they still used the same animations as their draenei cousins). However, man'ari eredar introduced in patch 6.2.0 and onward instead use a slightly modified version of the updated draenei model, which allows them to wear different pieces of player armor, something that was not possible with the to early -era models. A new skintype was finally added in , allowing them to be playable after the completion of Seeing Red. These ones are missing the fel-pocked skin of their Warlords counterparts.
**A female man'ari model was not introduced until the addition of the Eredar Twins in patch 2.4.0. Originally, Sironas, the only pre-2.4 female man'ari in the game, used a female draenei model.
*Players can turn into a man'ari eredar for a brief time using Jewel of Hellfire.
*Eredar males are voiced by Brian Silva.
==Gallery==
;World of Warcraft
File:Socrethar.jpg|Socrethar, a male eredar using the old model.
File:Eredar Chaosborn.jpg|An Eredar Chaosborn, a male eredar using the new model introduced in patch 6.2.
File:Eredar Twins.jpg|The Eredar Twins, two female eredar using the old model.
File:Sargerei Adjutant.jpg|A Sargerei Adjutant, a female eredar using the new model introduced in patch 6.2.
File:Archimonde-WoD.jpg|Archimonde in Warlords of Draenor (a recolored red version of the model was used for Bastillax, Vizuul the Twisted and Lord Nath'raxas)
File:KiljaedenSunwell.jpg|Kil'jaeden, model from patch 2.4.
File:Kil'jaeden7.2.jpg|Kil'jaeden, model in patch 7.2 content.
File:Lah'zaruun.jpg|Doommaiden
File:Admiral Rel'var.jpg|Eredar brute
File:Overseer Azarad.jpg|Wrathguard, original model.
File:Wrathguard (warlock minion).jpg|Wrathguard, model introduced in patch 6.2.
File:Thal'kiel.jpg|Thal'kiel
File:Ur'zul Devourer.jpg|Ur'zul
File:Velen Vision.png|Velen as an eredar on Argus.
File:Echo of Rakeesh.jpg|A eredar child.
File:Emblazoned Fire Tamer.jpg|A Emblazoned Fire Tamer on Cen'gar.
;Warcraft III
File:Archimonde2.jpg|Archimonde in the cinematics
File:Eredar sorcerer.JPG|Eredar in-game
File:Archimondeface.jpg|Eredar in-game portrait
File:Eredar.jpg|Concept art
File:WarlockColor.jpg|Concept art
File:Eredar2.jpg|Archimonde concept art.
File:Eredar Sorcerer Reforged.jpg|Eredar Sorcerer in Reforged.
File:Eredar Warlock Reforged.jpg|Eredar Warlock in Reforged.
;Trading Card Game
File:Archimonde TCG Alt.JPG|Archimonde the Defiler (TCG Timewalkers)
File:Kurzon the False.jpg|Kurzon the False
File:Levixus TCG.jpg|Levixus the Soul Caller (March of the Legion)
File:Eredar Wand of Obliteration TCG.jpg|:Eredar Wand of Obliteration
File:Eredar Deathbringer TCG.jpg|Eredar Deathbringer
File:Eredar Strategist TCG.jpg|Eredar Strategist
File:Eredar Chaosbringer TCG.jpg|Eredar Chaosbringer (Reign of Fire)
;Hearthstone
File:Prince Malchezaar HS.jpg|
File:Demonologist Draan HS.jpg|
File:Eredar Deceptor HS.jpg|
File:Fire Breather HS.jpg|
File:Jaraxxus Mercenaries 1.jpg|Lord Jaraxxus in Mercenaries.
File:Jaraxxus Mercenaries 2.jpg|Lord Jaraxxus in Mercenaries.
File:Jaraxxus Mercenaries 3.jpg|Lord Jaraxxus in Mercenaries.
;Other
File:Eredars Starcraft II editor.jpg|Unique Starcraft II editor remodeled units from Warcraft III.
File:Warcraft Film- first concept illustration.jpg|Early Warcraft movie concept illustration.
==References==
 
Category:Argus
Category:Races
es:Eredar