"Tremble, mortals, and despair. Doom has come to this world!"
Race: Eredar
Occupation: Overlord of the Legion Forces
Alignment: Burning Legion
Arguably the single most powerful creature ever to set hoof in the world of Azeroth,(besides the titans or the old gods) Archimonde the Defiler is one of the most "faithful" subjects of the fallen titan, Sargeras. Archimonde is one of the Eredar demons, who forged the first of the warlock magics. His ruthless and cunning personality quickly earned him station and power within the Eredar ranks, until finally, he was first among them.
When Azshara's reckless magics began to attract the attention of Sargeras, Archimonde and Mannoroth led the catastrophic, destructive invasion. With thousands of demonic servants in their wake, they poured through the portal beneath the Well of Eternity, and were let loose upon the ancient land of Kalimdor, razing and bloodletting every structure and creature they came across.
However, a young scholar, Malfurion Stormrage, gathered a small band of night elves, and, with the help of Cenarius' woodland allies and Alexstrasza's mighty dragon flights, they managed to beat back the demonic hordes, and, in a titanic battle, the portal became unstable and collapsed, sundering the world, and banishing Archimonde and his minions back into the burning pits of the Twisting Nether.
Archimonde brooded for ten thousand years in the dark recesses of the Twisting Nether as they planned for a new invasion. His colleague, Kil'jaeden, found the means through Ner'zhul and, eventually, Gul'dan, on the dying, ancient world of Draenor. With Mannoroth's sinister help, the chieftains of the orcish Hordes were corrupted, and a bloodlust came over them that swept them into a tumultuous frenzy that engulfed their world. The orcs were to be the harbinger of the Legion's return, destroying all they beheld so that none could oppose the Legion. However, after the exodus into Azeroth and Draenor's eventual destruction, the Horde was defeated by the humans of former Arathor, and they failed in their unholy mission.
However, an old tool was found that could once again be put to use. Ner'zhul, the dark shaman of the Shadowmoon Clan, was sent spiraling with his most faithful disciples into the Twisting Nether after attempting to find new worlds to control, and he was found by Kil'jaeden and the Burning Legion. Over time, he was transformed into the Lich King, an ethereal spirit that controlled the undead Scourge, a force so mighty, that it was expected to succeed where the Horde had failed. They did.
Archimonde was chosen to lead the second coming of the Legion, but he needed the means of getting to Azeroth. A being with as much tremendous power as an Eredar needed more magic to summon than a simple Nathrezim, and he waited until finally he was contacted by Kel'Thuzad the Summoner, who, after stealing the Book of Medivh from Dalaran, began the lengthy summoning process. As he proceeded, the skies were split asunder, and mighty infernals and felhounds were brought to aid the Scourge. Finally, it was completed, and Archimonde was brought into the world of Azeroth.
Archimonde first placed Tichondrius in charge of the Scourge, saying that there was no longer any need of the Lich King.
Then, Archimonde proceeded to single-handedly destroy the city of Dalaran.
ArchimondeThe invasion of Lordaeron continued unabated, the magics of Archimonde and Tichondrius summoning hordes of demonic followers, including the diabolical Pit Lord, Mannoroth. Together, they plowed through the nations of Lordaeron, devastating all they beheld. However, Tichondrius soon found that the orcs were missing. The Legion followed them across the sea, where they found not only the orcs but also, the vile night elves who had banished them millennia before. He even met Tyrande, the insolent leader of the Sentinels, who woke the ancient druids, and together, they battled the Legion once again.
Archimonde became aware, then, of a substantial power that hadn't been there before. It was Alexstrasza's World Tree, Nordrassil. It kept the night elves immortal, and granted them their powers over nature. Finally, Archimonde threw the plans of Kil'jaeden and the Legion to the wind. He knew that if he could harness the World Tree's powers for himself, he would be as powerful as Sargeras himself. But, there was resistance in the way. Tyrande and Malfurion had allied with Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore, and Archimonde was forced to slowly ascended Mount Hyjal, destroying every successive base with the help of Azgalor, a Pit Lord, and Anetheron, his most loyal Nethrezim.
With his ascension going very well, Archimonde didn't notice the ancestral spirits that were amassing at the base of the World Tree. And as he slaughtered the mortals and their bases, he went heedlessly to the Tree, and began to climb it to claim his power, completely unaware of the trap that Malfurion had set for him. All he knew was that as he neared the Tree, he was growing in size and power, and he was resolved that nothing would stop him.
Archimonde dying
Archimonde dead.As Archimonde climbed, Malfurion raised the Horn of Cenarius and called to the ancestral guardians. They rose from the forest and amassed around Archimonde. They fell upon him, detonating in a massive explosion that destroyed the demon warlock and incinerated the forests around the World Tree; nature herself would not allow his defilement to occur.
Archimonde's brief presence in the world left a terrible scar, though, and it is a fearful idea that he was not the leader, merely the subordinate, of his unholy order.
