Warcraft/Characters/Others

Aegwynn


The penultimate Guardian of Tirisfal and the mother of Medivh. As the Guardian of Tirisfal she personally fought and slew Sargeras, who had appeared as an avatar on Azeroth. As Aegwynn's arrogance and independance from the Council of Tirisfal grew, she felt that she was the only one to choose the next Guardian. She seduced Nielas Aran, court conjurer of Stormwind, and gave birth to Medivh, before leaving him in Nielas' care, transferring the powers of the Guardian of Tirisfal for her son to awaken later in his age. Unfortunately, Sargeras had spirited his essence into Aegwynn after his avatar was slain, and he possessed Medivh as he was conceived, leading to him opening the Dark Portal and leading the orcs into Azeroth. -
 * The Archmage
 * The Atoner
 * Badass
 * Cool Old Lady
 * Old Master
 * Person of Mass Destruction
 * Really 700 Years Old
 * Squishy Wizard
 * Unwitting Pawn
 * Vain Sorceress
 * Wizards Live Longer
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl

Maiev Shadowsong


""I watched the barrow prisons for over ten thousand years. Yet I'm the one who feels caged.""

Appointed the jailer of Illidan during his ten thousand year imprisonment, Maiev later pursued him after his banishment by the Night Elves, seeking to return him to justice or kill him if necessary. She followed Illidan to Outland, where she was seemingly killed, but was actually captured and imprisoned by the Broken (the corrupted remnants of the Draenei in Outland). Akama, the leader of the Broken, was secretly conspiring with Maiev to defeat Illidan. With the aid of a group of heroes, Maiev and Akama broke into the Black Temple and were able to kill the Betrayer once and for all. - "Malfurion: Who is the betrayer now, Maiev?"
 * Action Girl
 * All-Encompassing Mantle
 * And This Is For: When fighting against Illidan in the Black Temple, dedicates one of her attacks to Naisha, the closest person she had to a friend, who sacrificed herself to allow her to escape the Tomb of Sargeras.
 * Anti-Hero
 * Badass Cape: And judging by the dozens of blades on the edges, is a weapon in itself.
 * Cain and Abel: Her brother Jarod is far more emotionally stable and reasonable..
 * Cool Helmet
 * The Faceless
 * Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted, she never takes it off.
 * The Hunter
 * Knight Templar
 * Not Quite Dead
 * She Who Fights Monsters: With a dash of Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. Maiev's so obsessed with capturing Illidan that she tries to convince Malfurion that Tyrande (who released Illidan to begin with) has died so that he will not delay the search or hold back against Illidan, aware that she's really Not Quite Dead.
 * She Who Fights Monsters: With a dash of Jumping Off the Slippery Slope. Maiev's so obsessed with capturing Illidan that she tries to convince Malfurion that Tyrande (who released Illidan to begin with) has died so that he will not delay the search or hold back against Illidan, aware that she's really Not Quite Dead.


 * So What Do We Do Now?: After Illidan's death, Maiev realizes that her life has become meaningless, with Illidan's dying words saying that The Huntress is nothing without The Hunted.
 * Trap Master

Akama


""We Draenei have fought the orcs and their demon masters for generations. Now, at last, we will end their curse forever.""

Formerly a priest at the Temple of Karabor on Draenor, like many of the Draenei, he was turned into a Broken after the Orc's attempt of wiping out the Draenei. Leading the Ashtongue tribe of Broken, Akama allied himself with Illidan's forces to defeat Magtheridon, who ruled Outland from the former Temple of Karabor, currently known as the Black Temple. However, Akama realized that the Temple had only traded one evil master for another. Akama has been patiently waiting for a chance to betray Illidan and end his supposed rule over Outland. -
 * Body Horror: What he suffered through, even more so than other Broken, though probably not as much as the Lost Ones.
 * Dual-Wielding
 * Enemy Mine: The only reason he allied with Illidan's forces, though now he's stuck with them.
 * In the Hood
 * Magic Knight
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family: Not to the extent of the Lost Ones, but halfway there as a result of an especially heavy exposure to fel energy.
 * Reverse Mole: The Shade of Akama fight is basically done to eliminate the last hold Illidan has on him, thus enabling his betrayal.
 * Sinister Scythe: Wields two kamas as his weapons.
 * Supporting Leader: In the Black Temple raid.
 * Zen Survivor

Azshara
""There has only ever been, only ever will be... one Azshara.""

Queen Azshara was the beloved ruler of the kaldorei ten thousand years ago, and is the current ruler of the monstrous naga. Entrancingly beautiful and beloved by her people, Azshara began a descent into madness when she was corrupted by the Dark Titan Sargeras, master of the Burning Legion. After her defeat at the hands of Malfurion Stormrage, and the Great Sundering that sent her and much of her Highborne into the depths of the sea, Azshara was transformed into the Empress of Nazjatar — progenitor of the serpentine naga. Azshara is often thought to be the greatest mortal mage ever to live - although she may no longer be mortal. -
 * All Girls Want Bad Boys: Taken to infinity with Sargeras.
 * Beauty Equals Goodness: Averted hard.
 * Beware of the Nice Ones: She was suposed to be an excelent queen.
 * The Chick: Keeping the queenly mask, she only does mind control spells to the players. Justified as had she kept secret her power to everyone.
 * Deadly Decadent Court: She and her Highborne.
 * Deal with the Devil: More like Deal with the Eldrich Abomination.
 * Does Not Like Shoes: Averted in the novels, played straight in-game.
 * Even the Girls Want Her
 * Eyes of Gold: A sign of greatness at her time.
 * Humanoid Abomination: Her naga form.
 * The High Queen: Was this to the night elves.
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes
 * Fluffy Tamer: She made the hellhounds of the Burning Legion that they use against magicians like her behave like puppies in her presence.
 * Friend to All Living Things: She uses magic to accomplish this.
 * Glamour
 * God Save Us From the Queen: Textbook example.
 * Lady of Black Magic: She is the most powerful mortal mage to have ever existed.
 * Mass Hypnosis: Her ability "Total Obedience".
 * Nigh Invulnerability: Has a personal magic shield that protects her from damage, as found out by Mannoroth.
 * People Puppets: With her ability "Servant of the Queen".
 * Statuesque Stunner: She was taller than most night elves males.
 * Stripperiffic
 * Vain Sorceress
 * Villain with Good Publicity
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl
 * World's Most Beautiful Woman: She was the most beautiful night elf, she also used magic to charm everyone she meet.

Tirion Fordring


""Too long have I sat idle, gripped in this haze... this malaise, lamenting what could have been... what should have been. Your death will not have been in vain, Taelan. A new Order is born on this day...an Order which will dedicate itself to extinguishing the evil that plagues this world. An evil that cannot hide behind politics and pleasantries. This I promise... This I vow...""

Currently the Highlord of the Argent Crusade and one of Arthas' main enemies. His story started with when Eitrigg, an Orc veteran chose to save his life. Owing him a blood debt, Tirion later sacrifices his own Knighthood and was exiled for saving the Orc's life from being executed by the Alliance. Living as a hermit, he saw as his son Taelan grew up and joined the Scarlet Crusade. Asking adventurers for help, he managed to reconnect with his son and convinced him to defect, though Taelan was soon after killed by Grand Inquisitor Isillien. Avenging his son, Tirion swore to reform the Knights of the Silver Hand.

He later confronts Darion Mograine, then a Death Knight serving Arthas. After managing to convince him to defect, Arthas comes along to finish them off. At this point Darion throws the corrupted Ashbringer to Tirion, who manages to purify it upon touch. Driving off Arthas, Tirion unites the Argent Dawn and the Silver Hand into the Argent Crusade. They eventually. In Cataclysm he now resides in and leads the Argent Crusade from Hearthglen. -
 * Achilles in His Tent: Before Darion came and made him realize that he needed to step back out in the world.
 * The Atoner
 * Badass Beard
 * Badass Grandpa
 * Big Damn Heroes: At least 4 times, when he rescued Eitrigg from execution, when he single handedly whacked Isilien and his Elite Mooks, the Battle of Light's Hope chapel, and shattering Frostmourne, thus thwarting the Lich King's plans.
 * Big Good
 * The Brigadier: As Highlord of the Knights of the Silver Hand then leader of the Argent Crusade.
 * Cool Helmet: Wears one in Icecrown Citadel.
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Cool Sword: The Ashbringer.
 * The Exile
 * The Hero: Arguably of the Wrath of the Lich King. Arthas makes it clear that he considers Tirion his greatest foe.
 * Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted in Icecrown Citadel, but otherwise played straight.
 * Heroic Sacrifice:  in Icecrown
 * Honor Before Reason: Honor drives every fiber of Tirion's being, but it also caused his life to be ruined, even if he saved a friend.
 * Knight in Shining Armor
 * Knight in Sour Armor: During his time as an exile. He returns to being a Knight in Shining Armor after Darion's efforts and the death of his son.
 * Large Ham
 * The Messiah: Unambiguously so, unlike any other candidates in the cast.
 * Magic Knight
 * I Owe You My Life: Towards Eitrigg.
 * Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: The older hero to Arthas' younger villain in Wrath of the Lich King.
 * Old Soldier
 * Order Reborn: He reforms the broken Order of the Silver Hand after Taelan's death, though it gets merged with the Argent Dawn when we see it again.
 * The Paladin: He is currently the greatest living paladin on Azeroth.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: "May your soul burn in anguish, Isillien! Light give me strength to battle this fiend. Face me, coward. Face the faith and strength that you once embodied."
 * Rousing Speech: Tirion is responsible for several of these in Wrath of the Lich King.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: The whole Eitrigg incident.
 * Shadow Archetype: While a champion of the light when he leads the attack, he's pretty much the opposite of Arthas (old and experienced rather than young and reckless, and he had to climb his way to the top after losing it all while Arthas had it all but lost it due to his pride and ego.)
 * Supporting Leader
 * What the Hell, Hero?: In order to repay what Eitrigg has done to him, he tried saving him from execution, which means he had to fight his fellow Alliance soldiers causing this reaction to many, including Uther.
 * White Magic
 * Worthy Opponent: Despite hating him, Arthas also possessed genuine respect for him.

Darion Mograine


""Harness your hate. Make it useful.""

Leader of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, a renegade faction of death knights who broke away from the Scourge. Darion is the son of Alexandros Mograine, who was murdered by his other son and resurrected by the Scourge as the leader of all death knights. He led an assault on Naxxramas with the intent of freeing his father's soul, but succeeded only by sacrificing his own in turn and taking Alexandros' place. During the battle at Light's Hope Chapel, however, Tirion Fordring was able to free him (and the rest of the Ebon Blade) from the Lich King's control, using the Ashbringer. Currently, the two of them are engaged in a full-scale assault on Icecrown, and have done most of the war-winning so far while the Alliance and Horde fight each other. -
 * Anti-Hero: After his inevitable Heel Face Turn near the end of death knight starting quest chain, he becomes a Type IV, being fairly ruthless in his quest against the Lich King and his followers, in contrast to Tirion and his paladins.
 * The Atoner
 * Badass Normal: Before his Heroic Sacrifice, unlike his father.
 * Black Knight: Both in ability and appearance.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Formerly, like most death knights.
 * Cain and Abel: In the Ashbringer comic, his brother Renault went crazy with guilt over the murder of their father. When an oblivious Darion showed up after years of estrangement to ask for help with the whole "Dad's a Death Knight" thing, Renault started kicking him to death while he was too shocked to even try to defend himself.
 * Darker and Edgier
 * Death by Childbirth: His mother died when giving birth to him.
 * Dual-Wielding: He wields a pair of runeblades after throwing the Ashbringer to Tirion.
 * Equivalent Exchange: "My soul for yours. I love you, Dad."
 * Even Bad Men Love Their Dads
 * Fallen Hero: When serving the Lich King; he used to be a member of the Argent Dawn.
 * Hair of Gold: Before his Heroic Sacrifice.
 * Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Averted after he becomes a death knight, as he never takes it off, and gains a new one in Icecrown Citadel.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: He did not really die because of it, but instead becomes Kel'thuzad's mindless minion afterwards.
 * It's Personal: On Orbaz Bloodbane, we don't know exactly what other than him leaving in Light's Hope chapel. His subordinates were surprised that Darion personally showed up and take part during the assassination scheme to ensure he hit the dust.
 * Love Redeems: His Heroic Sacrifice.
 * Magic Knight
 * Mook Face Turn
 * The Power of Love: Tirion had advised Darion that only an act of love would free his father from the corrupted Ashbringer. Darion's act of love (His Heroic Sacrifice) was powerful enough to not only save his father's soul, but also destroy the entire Scourge army assaulting Light's Hope Chapel.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: "You betrayed me. You betrayed us all, monster. Taste the might of Mograine!" Not that he got far; it didn't even last long enough to be a Curb Stomp Battle. After the battle he leads the Knights of the Ebon Blade towards revenge against the Lich King.
 * Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Goes from a heroic aspiring paladin to an Death Knight Anti-Hero.
 * Trauma Conga Line: In the comic. See Cain and Abel above, among other things.

Medivh


"Humanity is in peril, the tides of darkness have come again and the whole world is poised on the brink of war."

The last Guardian of Tirisfal. He was conceived by and inherited the power from Aegwynn in defiance of the Kirin Tor, as she was possessed by the spirit of Sargeras. She left him in the care of his father, and became friends with Llane Wrynn and Anduin Lothar. His power awoke on his fourteenth birthday, and made him lapse into a coma. After he recovered, Sargeras, whose soul had passed to him from his mother, made a deal with Gul'dan and opened the Dark Portal. Khadgar, his apprentice, discovered his corruption some time afterwards and, along with Lothar and Garona, managed to slay him.

With Medivh's death, his soul was freed, and Sargeras was banished. His mother later resurrected him and he launched a plan to unite the Horde and Alliance to stand against the Burning Legion. In the end, he convinced Jaina, Thrall, and Malfurion to lead the army to stall Archimonde until the trap could be set at the World Tree and Archimonde destroyed for good.

His whereabouts after the war are unknown. -
 * All-Encompassing Mantle
 * The Archmage
 * The Atoner: In Warcraft III.
 * Back from the Dead: Thanks to Aegwynn, his mother.
 * The Chessmaster: Quite literally. Hell, one of the boss fights in Karazhan has you and your raid playing chess against him. Sounds easy, but he cheats!
 * Demonic Possession - was possessed by Sargeras while still in Aegwynn's womb.
 * Evil Tower of Ominousness: Karazhan.
 * In the Hood
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He unleashes the Horde on Azeroth.
 * Old Master
 * Person of Mass Destruction
 * Shapeshifting: He frequently turns himself into a crow.
 * Squishy Wizard

A'dal


The leader and most powerful of the Sha'tar naaru, A'dal uses its power to protect Shattrath City from various threats. Like all naaru, A'dal is sworn to defeat the Burning Legion. It was ultimately responsible for persuading the Blood Knights (the blood elf order of paladins) to renounce Kael'thas's rule. Not much else is known about it.

In Wrath of the Lich King, it aids adventurers in helping a paladin infected with the Scourge plague. - "A'dal hits Fel Reaver for 114952.
 * Always Lawful Good: Naaru are this by definition, at least in the "light" cycle of their lives.
 * Big Good
 * Easily Forgiven: A'dal has no trouble forgiving blood elves after they do a Heel Face Turn (either the Scryers or the Blood Knights). The Aldor draenei have a different view of this.
 * Light Is Good
 * Lord British Postulate: Blizzard eventually had to patch A'dal after players were able to kite giant demonic robots in to kill it.
 * And after patching, this happened:

Fel Reaver dies."


 * No Biological Sex: Being a naaru and all.
 * Our Angels Are Energy Beings
 * Starfish Aliens: Like all naaru, A'dal looks like a big glowing windchime.

Rhonin


The head of the Kirin Tor, he tries to do his best against the Blue Dragonflight. -
 * Interspecies Romance: With Vareesa Windrunner, younger sister to Alleria and Sylvanas.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Krasus, and to a lesser extent, with Brox (the two often shared conspiratorial glances and shared thoughts about how they all knew the way things would turn out.) He certainly cared enough to try to honor Brox's memory.
 * Only Sane Man: Is this during Garrosh and Varian's squabble; of course, his friendship with Brox probably helped.
 * Redheaded Hero
 * You Are in Command Now: He was actually the 4th choice for the Kirin Tor leader, but the others were unavailable, so he got the job.

Anveena Teague


Anveena is the physical embodiment of the remaining energies of the Sunwell, given human form and memories by Krasus. She is eventually forced to learn of her heritage and later joins with the Blood Elves to try to heal the Sunwell. She ends up getting kidnapped by Kael'thas, almost drained, and forced to sacrifice herself to help defeat Kil'jaeden. -
 * Bare Your Midriff: On the cover of Volume One of the Sunwell trilogy, an example of Covers Always Lie because she never appears that way in the story.
 * Barrier Maiden
 * Beauty Equals Goodness
 * Break the Cutie: Arguably when her parents are murdered by a number of Dar'khan's Scourge.
 * The Cutie
 * Damsel in Distress: Her mere existence makes her a natural target for every villain out there.
 * Designated Victim: Mordis, Dar'khan and Kael'thas have all kidnapped her at least once.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices herself at the end of Sunwell Plateau to help the heroes defeat Kil'jaeden.
 * MacGuffin Girl
 * The Pollyanna: She manages to remain peppy and upbeat despite all the horrible things that happen to her.

Cho'gall


First and most powerful of all the Ogre-Magi, and head of the Twilight's Hammer, Cho'gall is one of the oldest villains in the Warcraft universe. He accompanied the Old Horde in their attack on Lordaeron, but ultimately sided with Gul'dan when he betrayed the Horde in search of the Tomb of Sargeras. Cho'gall ultimately survived the Horde's retribution, and made his way to Southern Kalimdor, where he lay in hiding.

Inside Ahn'Qiraj, he infused his body with part of the remains of C'thun, in an ritual to resurrect the Old God. Although eventually defeated by, he survived again and later pledged himself and the Twilight's Hammer to the service of Deathwing. -
 * Ax Crazy
 * Badass Beard/Badass Mustache: Having two heads, Cho'gall pulls both off.
 * Beard of Evil: Both heads have one.
 * Body Horror: Oh boy, the mutations he went through thanks to the remains of C'thun. He also causes this to players, transforming them into faceless ones if the corrupted blood manages to corrupt the players completely.
 * Big Ol' Eyebrows: The head with the fu manchu mustache (Cho) has long black eyebrows. This is somewhat unique as ogres typically don't have eyebrows.
 * The Dragon: Was this to Gul'dan in Warcraft 2. Currently fills this role for Deathwing.
 * Drop the Hammer: Wields the Hammer of Twilight in his raid encounter.
 * Eyes Do Not Belong There: His upper chest and arms are covered with eyeballs, due to the ritual with C'thun which resulted in him going all One-Winged Angel.
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has an x-shaped scar on his belly from the axes of Rend and Maim.
 * Large and In Charge: While always under the leadership of others, Cho'gall has led the Twilight's Hammer ever since the old Horde and is pretty damn big. He then got even bigger later on when he was mutated.
 * Lovecraftian Superpower
 * Magic Knight: Though pugilist is probably a better description.
 * Multiple Head Case: It's a given, being an ogre mage. Both heads in his case have individual names, Cho and Gall.
 * Omnicidal Maniac: The Twilight's Hammer Cult under his leadership is entirely devoted to bringing about the apocalypse.
 * One-Winged Angel: Turned into a giant in the comic, among other things.
 * Palette Swap: For some reason his apprentices all use his pre One-Winged Angel model.
 * Power Born of Madness
 * Religion of Evil: He made the Twilight's Hammer into a mad religious cult after the fall of the Old Horde, their objects of worship being the Old Gods.
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Staying Alive: Twice so far. First, he was thought to have been killed by Rend and Maim, but he survived with an x-shaped scar. He was buried in the collapse of Ahn'Qiraj during his battle with, and it still wasn't enough to kill him apparently.
 * Stout Strength
 * Walking Shirtless Scene: As most ogres are.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Between his training with Gul'dan and the remains of C'thun's body, he's pretty much lost any semblance of sanity.
 * Cataclysm splits the difference. Cho remains eloquent and intelligent. Gall has been reduced to a gibbering lunatic who speaks with riddles, doublespeak and cryptic prophecies. An Orcish seer explains that Gall was fully taken over by the Old Gods, hence the result. It also means that you want to be as far away as possible when the two heads speak in unison.

Ragnaros the Firelord


One of the four Elemental Lords of Azeroth and the embodiment of fire and magma and ruler of all Fire Elementals. Once a servant of the Old Gods, he and the other Lords were banished to the Elemental Planes by the Titans when the Old Gods were defeated. Ragnaros was accidentally summoned from his home in the Firelands by the Dark Iron Dwarf leader Thaurissan, an act that shattered the Redridge Range and created the volcanic peak Blackrock Mountain. Reveling in his freedom, Ragnaros quickly enslaved the remaining Dark Iron Dwarves and began bringing his Elemental allies and armies back to the Material Plane of Azeroth, intending to turn the world into a molten hell. However, Ragnaros was defeated by a band of adventurers, who struck before the Firelord had regained his full powers, banishing him back to the Firelands.

This was only a temporary defeat. Following Neltharion's cataclysmic return, the Aspect of Death aided Ragnaros in returning again, this time on the very slopes of Mount Hyjal. With his Fire Elementals, Core Hounds, magma-serpent minions and the Twilight Hammer, Ragnaros seeks to incinerate the World Tree, Nordrassil. He has allied himself with Deathwing, and only time will tell if the fury of the Firelord can be extinguished permanently... -
 * Drop the Hammer: His legendary mace, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros. Which is also covered with spikes.
 * Kill It with Fire: What Ragnaros intends to do to the entire world.
 * Large Ham
 * Magma Man: His body is formed of lava and fire.
 * Pivotal Boss: Except for Phase 4 on Heroic. He has various knockbacks, but will do lethal damage to tanks outside his hitbox.
 * Playing with Fire: Naturally.
 * Trick Boss: On the Heroic mode of his Firelands encounter, you take him down to 10% as normal, but then he gets back up, regains some of his health and enters an entirely new fourth phase.
 * Worf Had the Flu: According to Executus, his Molten Core incarnation is at only a fraction of his true strength.
 * You Have Failed Me...: When Majordomo Executus awakens Ragnaros and tells him that he failed to kill the raid, Ragnaros fires him. Literally.
 * You Have Failed Me...: When Majordomo Executus awakens Ragnaros and tells him that he failed to kill the raid, Ragnaros fires him. Literally.

Chen Stormstout.
A Pandaren Brewmaster who originally appeared in Wacraft 3, where he aided Rexxar. He's set to appear in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, where adventurers will aid him in retaking his family's brewery from hozu and verming invaders. -
 * Acrofatic
 * Badass Beard
 * Bare-Fisted Monk
 * The Drifter
 * Drunken Master
 * Four-Fingered Hands
 * Nice Hat
 * Pandaing to the Audience: Duh, he and the other Pandaren are humanoid pandas.
 * Simple Staff: His primary weapon is this, though he ties jugs to it, presumably for easier transport.
 * Supreme Brewer: His concoctions can put even the hardiest of drinkers under the table.
 * Walking the Earth: He did this for a time, as some of the Pandaren are prone to do. As of Mists of Pandaria he will be returning to Pandaria.

Budd Nedreck
The leader of a group of treasure hunters, Budd first appeared outside Zul'Aman in The Burning Crusade, where he sent players into the Troll stronghold looking for riches. He has since made an appearance in both of the subsequent expansions.


 * Attention Deficit Ooh Shiny
 * Bad Boss: Sent people working for him into a highly dangerous place that he refused to enter himself. His dialogue implies he's already lost several people to the Trolls, and doesn't seem that bothered by it.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: His experience with the angry Troll spirits left him... different.
 * Crazy Enough to Work: He comes up with the plan to escape from Tol'vir City.
 * Frying Pan of Doom: How he plays "Tag" with Trolls in Northrend.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard: After the Adventurers succeeded in killing Zul'jin, Budd threw a vial his blood into a burning building, declaring himself the vanquisher. The local spirits decide to take revenge on him for that, pulling him into the burning building after which he runs around on fire.
 * Kill It with Fire: Subverted. Looks like this is what happened, but later content makes it clear he survived.
 * Miles Gloriosus: Made many claims to fame and accomplishing great deeds, but it's pretty clear he's taking credit for someone else's work if not making it up entirely.
 * Recurring Character
 * Small Name, Big Ego

The Earthen Ring
The Earthen Ring is an organization dedicated to preserving the harmony between the elements on Azeroth and Outland. They are made up of shamans from both the Alliance and the Horde. In Cataclysm they have taken a major role in trying to repair the destruction Deathwing's return has wrought upon Azeroth, and working to prevent more impending disasters from occurring.


 * Arch Enemy: Twilight's Hammer.
 * Balance of Power: Ideally the Earthen Ring would like to preserve the balance between the four elements, which are represented by the elemental lords Ragnaros (Fire), Therazane (Earth), Neptulon (Water), and Al'Akir (Wind). They will often take sides with one to pacify the other. For example, during the Midsummer Fire Festival, they side with Ragnaros against Ahune the Frost Lord, in order to prevent an elemental war, and in Cataclysm they work mainly for Therazane and Neptulon to stop the Twilight's Hammer and the naga in Deepholm and Vashj'ir respectively.
 * Dropped a Bridge on Him: In the final run to safety in the Hour Of Twilight dungeon, four of the earthen ring shaman you've quested with and known are unceremoniously killed off by being strangled by a tentacle.
 * Equal Opportunity Good: Shamans of all races are welcome to join the Earthen Ring. They are also more than willing to work with members of the Horde or the Alliance to protect Azeroth and Outland.
 * Elemental Powers: Being made up of shamans, this is a given.
 * A Load of Bull: Their leader, Muln Earthfury.
 * Shadow Archetype: Twilight's Hammer to the Earthen Ring. Similar methods (use of the elements and study of the Old Gods), vastly different goals: Twilight's Hammer wants to use the elements to spread chaos, and they study the Old Gods to pave the way for their return, while the Earthen Ring wants to preserve the balance between the elements, and they study the Old Gods in order to find ways to keep them from coming back.
 * Summon Magic: They often summon elemental spirits to help them in combat or perform cleansing rituals.