The Horde of World of Warcraft have gone through many Warchiefs over the years, but the most popular one has always been the liberator of the Orcs. The Orc Warchief Thrall helped free his people from the internment camps of the Alliance and led them to a brand-new home on Azeroth. He has been a major driving force on Azeroth, but he chose to retire the mantle of Warchief around the time of Cataclysm. He has since returned to the Horde and has pledged to fight alongside them once more, but it is no longer the same Horde that he liberated all those years ago.
Thrall's retirement from the Horde in World of Warcraft paved the way for the destructive forces of Garrosh Hellscream and Sylvanas Windrunner. Their actions forever altered the course of the Horde and has painted them as a faction of warmongers. This is a far cry from the Horde that Thrall helped to create after the events of the Second War. He wanted to create a safe haven for his people and a place for them to thrive, but it was not always easy. He fought to achieve this mission, and he dedicated much of his life to ensuring the safety of this Horde against forces bent on destroying it.
Thrall's Early Days
Thrall was the son of Durotan and Draka who gave him the name of Go'el. He was born shortly after the Orcs first invaded Azeroth, and his life would quickly get turned upside down. After a secret meeting with Orgrim Doomhammer regarding Gul'dan's treachery, Durotan and Draka were brutally murdered by assassins disguised as bodyguards. They left Go'el to die alone in the woods, but he was discovered by Aedelas Blackmoore, commander of the internment camps that the Alliance created after the Second War. Blackmoore would give him the name Thrall, and he would raise him as a gladiator.
He was a quick learner and soon became the main source of income for Blackmoore. He fought with the might of an Orc, but he had a strategic mind too. He became very popular as a gladiator and Arthas Menethil would even come to Durnholde Keep to witness his ability. His upbringing would keep him separated from Orcs to the point that he did not even know his native tongue. He was almost more human than Orc, but Blackmoore would often remind him of his place by beating him inside and outside the ring.
Thrall would encounter other Orcs for the first time during a training session, and that would forever alter his worldview. A cart of captive Orcs was brought through Durnholde, and they witnessed Thrall getting attacked by humans during a training exercise. The Orcs did not see it this way and one was able to break free from his chains. He ran to save Thrall by yelling at him in Orcish, but Thrall had no idea what the Orc said. The Orc would be caught and beaten to death in front of Thrall.
One day, Thrall wrote to a human woman he befriended named Taretha Foxton that he wished to escape from Durnholde. Taretha agreed to assist him in and caused a diversion inside the Keep. Thrall was able to slip out of his cell and meet with Taretha, and she would supply him with provisions. He would leave Durnholde and vow never to return, but he had no idea just how his life was about to change.
Thrall's Liberation of the Orcs
Soon after his escape, Thrall was captured and brought to an internment camp. There he met many more Orcs while locked up there including an old Orc named Kelgar. Kelgar told Thrall all about the history of the Orcs and the corruption that Gul'dan wrought. He regaled Thrall with stories about Grom Hellscream and the old Horde. Thrall vowed to track down Hellscream to learn even more, and so he broke free from the camp.
From there, Thrall went on a huge journey of discovery where he rejoined the clan of his parents and figure out his purpose in the world. He developed a connection with the elements of Azeroth and became the first new Orc Shaman since Gul'dan cut the Orcs off from the elements. He challenged Orgrim Doomhammer, the Warchief of the Horde, to single combat and bested him. In response, Doomhammer named Thrall as his second-in-command, and they quickly got to work.
Thrall infiltrated the internment camps disguised as a lethargic Orc, and he riled the prisoners by showing them his Shaman powers. The Orcs quickly overran the camps, and they continued to liberate even more. During the fight against the humans, Orgrim Doomhammer lost his life and Thrall was named Warchief in his place. As Warchief, he ordered this new Horde to attack Durnholde Keep in hopes that they could stop the internment camps forever.
Thrall urged Taretha Foxton to leave Durnholde so that she would be safe, but she refused. He then confronted Blackmoore with his New Horde and asked for a parlay. Blackmoore responded by tossing the severed head of Taretha towards Thrall, which enraged him. He attacked Durnholde with all the might of the Horde and cornered Blackmoore as he tried to make his escape. Thrall ended his life and emerged from the castle victorious. The internment camps shut down, and the remaining Orcs were free to join the New Horde faction.
The New Horde journeyed across the sea to build a new life on the continent of Kalimdor. They then constructed the city of Orgrimmar and built a new life while recruiting like-minded allies. There, they would desperately try to put their dark past behind them and look to a brighter future. After Thrall's early days, The Horde would go through many trials and tribulations, but they all stayed strongly committed to one another. Even without Thrall as their Warchief, many of the ideals that he brought to them stayed strong even against enemies from within.
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