Warcraft : Le Commencement (Warcraft ou Warcraft: The Beginning à l'international) est un film de fantasy américain coécrit et réalisé par Duncan Jones, sorti en 2016. Il s'agit de l'adaptation cinématographique de la série de jeux vidéo Warcraft
Synopsis
Draenor, le monde natal des Orcs, se meurt. Le sorcier Guldan unifie les tribus orcs au sein d’une Horde et use d’une puissante magie, le Fel, afin d’ouvrir un portail vers Azeroth où une petite troupe de guerriers s’infiltre afin d’y réunir assez de prisonniers à sacrifier pour faire passer le restant de la Horde. En dépit de ses doutes, le puissant Durotan, chef de la tribu des Loups du Gel, sa femme enceinte Draka emmenée clandestinement et son ami Orgrim font partie du groupe commando. Durant le passage, Draka se trahit en accouchant du fils de Durotan. Guldan aide à la naissance de l’enfant et sacrifie la vie d’une biche afin d’insuffler au nouveau-né moribond la force de vivre.Les orcs commencent à piller les villages d’ Azeroth. Sir Lothar, commandant en chef des troupes du royaume de HautVent, mène l’enquête et sa troupe capture Khadgar, un apprenti mage qui s’est infiltré dans une forteresse détruite pour mener sa propre enquête. Il parvient à prouver l’usage de Fel sur les morts et demande de façon insistante à ce que le Gardien soit convoqué. Le roi Wynn accepte la requête et envoie le mage et Lothar à la forteresse de Karazanh pour informer le puissant mage. Dans la bibliothèque, Kahdgar surprend une ombre étrange et vole un manuscrit dans lequel elle semble s’être dissimulée.
Medivh accompagne les envoyés sur les traces d’usage de Fel et leur route croise celle d’une troupe d’orcs. Dans le combat, la majeure partie des orcs et des soldats sont tués pendant que Durotan et Orgrim fuient, incapables de lutter contre la magie de Medivh. Voulant faire un prisonnier, Lothar capture un orc fuyard et Kadghar fait de même avec Garona, une hybride d’orc, gardée en esclavage à cause de sa race. Voyant que Garona menace de parler, l’orc tente de la tuer mais Lothar sauve la vie de Garona en échange de ses informations. Le roi lui offre sa liberté en échange de sa loyauté. Garona accepte et mène une troupe d’espions vers le camp des orcs.
Suspicieux envers Guldan, Durotan découvre les effets néfastes du Fel et comprend que le sorcier a détruit son propre monde en en faisant trop grand usage. En trop forte minorité pour agir directement, il convie le roi à une réunion secrète ou il négocie son aide. Il libérera les prisonniers pendant une attaque des humains afin d’empêcher l’ouverture du portail en échange d’ un asile pour lui et son clan.
Etudiant le livre volé, Khadgar découvre que Guldan n’a pas pu ouvrir seul le portail vers Azeroth, mais qu’un sorcier de ce monde l’a forcément aidé. Medivh tente de lui faire changer d’avis, ce qui attise ses suspicions.
Main-Noire, au service de Guldan, a monté une embuscade et fait échouer les négociations de Durotan. Medivh protège le roi et la majeure partie de ses troupes pendant sa retraite à l’aide d’une barrière magique mais il ne peut sauver le fils de Lothar resté du mauvais côté. Main-Noire, qui a perdu une main à cause de Lothar, exécute le fils face au père. Très affaibli, Medivh est raccompagné à sa forteresse par Garona et Kahdgar. L’apprenti comprend alors que le Gardien est contaminé depuis un moment par le Fel et est contraint de demander de l’aide à Dalaran, son ancienne école de magie qu’il a fui des années auparavant. Sa connaissance du Fel lui autorise l’accès à Alodi, un ancien mage gardé en respect depuis des décennies par une magie puissante. Ce dernier lui confirme que Medivh est contaminé par le Fel et est possédé par un puissant démon.
De retour au camp Orc, Main-Noire exécute les membres de la tribu des Loups du Gel sur ordre de Guldan. Orgrim feint d’obéir mais permet à Draka et à son enfant de fuir. Poursuivie par un orc, Draka confie son bébé au courant d’une rivière avant de tuer son poursuivant, se sacrifiant pour sauver son enfant.
Pour faire tomber Guldan, Durotan le défie à un combat rituel. Guldan refuse dans un premier temps sachant que l’incantation permettant d’ouvrir la porte sera bientôt prononcée mais il doit se soumettre aux lois et à combattre Durotan. Guldan triche en drainant la vie de Durotan jusqu’à le tuer. Ce dernier montre ainsi aux tribus orcs le vrai visage de Guldan mais ces derniers se soumettent quand Guldan tue les premiers audacieux qui veulent s’opposer à lui. Il fait dès lors de Main-Noire son second en le gratifiant de Fel pur, accroissant sa force déjà titanesque.
Cédant au démon, Medivh commence l’incantation malgré les efforts de Lothar et de Kadhgar pour l’arrêter. Les troupes du roi attaquent et tentent de libérer les prisonniers pour rendre l’incantation inutile mais le clan des Loups du Gel a été exterminé et ils ne peuvent empêcher les premiers renforts orcs de passer la porte.
Kahdgar parvient à blesser Medivh mortellement. A l’agonie, il consacre ses dernières forces à orienter le portail vers HautVent où les prisonniers libérés peuvent fuir. Mais il meurt avant que le roi et Garona ne puissent fuir et ils se retrouvent cernés. Comprenant que Main-Noir vient le tuer afin de devenir le chef des orcs, le roi supplie Garona de le tuer afin que ce soit elle qui en reçoive la gloire. Le coeur brisé, Garona tue le roi et les orcs la proclament chef au grand désarroi de Guldan.
Lothar arrive sur un griffon et tente de récupérer le corps du roi, découvrant la dague de Gamora dans la blessure fatale. Capturé, il est contraint par Main-Noire à un duel rituel. Rusé, Lothar tue Main-Noire d’un seul geste. Gulden exige des orcs qu’ils tuent Lothar mais ces derniers sont fidèles aux traditions et honorent le vainqueur en le laissant partir sain et sauf.
Aux funérailles du roi, les Elfes et les Nains s’allient à Lothar afin de lutter contre les Orcs. Plus loin, le fils de Durotan est recueilli par un inconnu.
Bande-annonce : https://youtu.be/InBV7RggnYQ
Distribution
- Travis Fimmel (VF : Alexis Victor) : Sir Anduin Lothar, chevalier de Hurlevent
- Paula Patton (VF : Nathalie Homs) : Garona Miorque
- Ben Foster (VF : Jérôme Pauwels) : Medivh, le Gardien et Protecteur d'Azeroth
- Dominic Cooper (VF : Jérémy Prévost) : le roi Llane Wrynn, souverain de Hurlevent
- Toby Kebbell (VF : Serge Thiriet) : Durotan, chef du clan orc des Loups-de-Givre
- Ben Schnetzer (VF : Fabrice Trojani) : Khadgar, ancien apprenti de Medivh
- Robert Kazinsky (en) (VF : Daniel Lobé) : Orgrim Marteau-du-Destin
- Daniel Wu (VF : Patrice Baudrier) : Gul'dan
- Ruth Negga (VF : Aurore Bonjour) : Lady Taria Wrynn, épouse du roi, sœur d'Anduin Lothar
- Anna Galvin (VF : Armelle Gallaud) : Draka
- Clancy Brown (VF : Frantz Confiac) : Main-Noire, le Destructeur
- Terry Notary (en) : Grommash Hurlenfer
- Dylan Schombing (en) : le prince Varian Wrynn
- Callum Keith Rennie : Moroes
- Burkely Duffield : Callan
- Dean Redman (en) : Varis
- Ryan Robbins (VF : Loïc Houdré) : Karos
- Michael Adamwhaite (VF : Antoine Tomé) : le roi Magni Barbe-de-Bronze
- Andre Tricoteux (en) : le capitaine de guerre des Orcs
- Callan Mulvey
- Daniel Cudmore
- Glenn Close : Alodi
Who's Who In Duncan Jones' Warcraft
[...] Warning: what follows is canonical Warcraft lore but, depending on
how closely Jones adheres to the source material, may very well spoil
the entire film. You have been warned!
Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel)
Who he? The Lion of Azeroth, The Last Of The Arathi, The Champion of Stormwind – whatever you choose to call him, Anduin Lothar cast a very long shadow... and held a very large sword. The last true descendant of the ancient Arathi people, Lothar grew up in the court of the human kingdom of Stormwind, childhood friend of both the future king Llane Wrynn and the arch-wizard Medivh. He rose through the military ranks to stand at the head of Stormwind’s armies and when the orcish hordes first invaded his world, Azeroth, throwing down his (epic) gauntlet and led the charge against them.
After spending nearly two years imprisoned by ogres in the Deadmines (LF1M DPS no rouges plzzz), Lothar discovered that his former friend Medivh was responsible for the orc invasion in the first place and led a force to the tower of Karazhan to grind Attumen the Huntsman for his mount kill the wizard. Too little too late to stop the orcs, though, and Lothar snuffed it at the end of Orgrim Doomhammer’s… er, Doomhammer, which stove his head in during an epic battle at the foot of Blackrock Mountain.
Where can I find him? He features in Warcraft II. However, if you’re up for a trip to Outland you can also find a touching memorial to Lothar’s memory amid the barren wastes of the Hellfire Peninsula. The Monument of Remembrance is in the middle of the courtyard at Honor Hold and reads: "In remembrance of the Supreme Allied Commander, Anduin Lothar: A man who would sacrifice everything in the defense of his king, his people, his home… Let our enemies know our names. Let our allies honor our passing. We are the Sons of Lothar. - General Turalyon." There’s also a statue of Lothar, sword raised, to be found in the Burning Steppes, near the base of Blackrock Mountain (right). Fun fact: if you clicked on a peasant enough times in Warcraft III, he would eventually respond with the line “Uncle Lothar wants YOU!” Incidentally, Lothar’s epic weapon – 'Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood’ – drops from Nefarian in Blackwing Lair.
King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper)
Who he? It’s good to be the king – although King Llane The First did have a harder time of it than most. Packed off to the Alliance starting zone as a child (Northshire Abbey, levels 1-5), Llane waited out the early invasion, donning the crown at the age of 20 after the death of his father, King Adamant Wrynn III. Llane spent the next ten years battling against the tide of the orcish invasion, battering the greenskins quite soundly and pushing them back to the Swamp Of Sorrows (levels 51-55; points of interest include the drippy charms of the Sunken Temple of Atal’Hakkar). Hubris was his downfall, unfortunately, and Llane became complacent that his armies had the orcs soundly thrashed. With reinforcements pouring through the Dark Portal every day, the orcs launched a series of counter-offensives, but none of that would be Llane’s problem as he had his heart torn out by the half-orc Garona. That’s not a metaphor.
Where can I find him? Well, there’s a statue of Llane in Stormwind Keep, bearing the inscription: "King Llane I of the House of Wrynn. Liege Lord of Stormwind. Defender of Azeroth. He’s also the Alliance king in the game of spectral chess you play against Medivh during the Karazhan raid." Those looking for mementos can pick up a couple by beating up Yogg-Saron in Ulduar. The Royal Seal of King Llane is a nice keepsake, complete with regal blood stains and there’s also Kingsbane, the knife used to render him heartless. It makes a halfway decent rogue weapon.
Medivh (Ben Foster)
Who he? Pronounced Meh-deev, this reclusive figure was a grand wizard (of the non-racist variety) and one of the architects of this whole sorry mess. Ambushed by jungle trolls (it happens) while out with Llane and Anduin as children, he first tapped in to his arcane powers in order to fend them off. When his powers fully manifested he lapsed into a coma for twenty years.
The unfortunate slumber was caused by Sargeras, a demon lord of the Burning Legion, who took over Medivh’s mind and set him on a path to bring Azeroth to its knees once he woke up. Medivh contacted the orcish warlock Gul’dan in another dimension and the pair of them opened the Dark Portal, which launched the orc invasion, much to Sargeras’ delight. It all comes out eventually, though, with Anduin Lothar separating mage from head, placing a curse on his tower of Karazhan (making it an unpleasant place to visit for those below level 70).
Being a grand wizard has perks, however, and Medivh returned to life, popping up as a mysterious prophet in the Warcraft III intro cinematic. He lead Thrall (son of Durotan – keep reading) to Kalimdor, and saved Azeroth by teaming up with him, mage Jaina Proudmoore and druid Malfurion Stormrage to destroy the demon Archimonde and save the World Tree, Nordrassil, at the Battle of Mount Hyjal. He also turns into a bird.
Where can I find him? A few places, actually. He features in a couple of WoW's Outland quest chains (inexplicably appearing as a Night Elf) and he pops up in the Caverns Of Time during the quest Opening the Dark Portal (aka The Black Morass). His legendary staff, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian can be reconstructed via a gruelling, multi-part quest chain in Northrend that will suck away weeks of your life before you give up in frustration. Finally, those venturing into Karazhan’s haunted halls will end up playing chess against an ‘echo’ of the wizard (inset above). He cheats, the swine.
Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer)
Who he? A wizard of the magical sect Kirin Tor, Medivh’s apprentice and the one who outs his master's involvement with evil orc warlock Gul’dan to the king (the wizard’s code meant nothing to him). During the battle in which Lothar slays Medivh, Khadgar has his life force drained and is prematurely turned into a grizzled old man. Despite this minor setback he continues to fight the orcs and is ultimately responsible for closing the Dark Portal and severing the link between Azeroth and the orcs’ home world of Draenor. Go Khadgar!
Where can I find him? Well, he’s a level 71 quest-giver on the Terrace of Light in Shattrath City, so it’s not hard. He doles out a number of tedious catch-and-carry quests as well as a few dungeon/raid related ones as well. There’s also a statue of Khadgar in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind City. Herbalists will have spent their fair share of time picking a plant called Khadgar’s Whisker in Feralas and the Plaguelands. A silly name, but you can use it to make an Elixir of Frost Power, so that’s nice.
Lady Taria (Ruth Negga)
Who she? Queen of Stormwind, wife of King Llane I and his most trusted advisor. She is, however, a character created for the film so… that’s all we have.
Where can I find her? In the film.
Garona (Paula Patton)
Who she? Garona Halforcen is just that: a half-orc (the other half is draenei – a magical race of “uncorrupted eredar” who have little tentacles on their chins), bred by the increasingly important evil orc warlock Gul’dan. He magically aged her and placed her under his psychic control as an assassin and spymistress. (My) Garona became Gul’dan’s emissary to Medivh but, while spying on the wizard, found her loyalties wavering and developed a strong respect for the mage. Along with Khadgar, it was Garona who uncovered Medivh’s plotting and helped bring it to light, essentially doing herself out of a job. After the magus’ death she became an adviser to King Llane but eventually murdered him at the behest of warlock sect the Shadow Council. Obviously.
Where can I find her? Yogg-Saron shows players a vision of Garona assassinating King Llane, while she can be found in the flesh at Bloodgulch in the Twilight Highlands. She also pops up in the Twilight Citadel. Fact: during WoW’s beta phase Garona could be found in Ravenholdt Manor as Grand Master of the Assassin’s Guild but didn’t make it into the final release. Her Signet Ring drops from The Curator in Karazhan, a book on her exploits can be read by would-be rogues and the Tier 9 raid armour for that class is dubbed Garona’s Battlegear. Malyfous Darkhammer of the Thorium Brotherhood also does a passable knockoff of her famous breastplate.
Durotan (TOBY KEBBELL)
Who he? Father of Thrall, nature-loving shaman and Chief of the Frostwolf clan, Durotan was part of the vanguard that launched the orc invasion of Azeroth. Far from being a loyal captain, however, Durotan had long been a thorn in the side of both the warlock Gul’dan and the Warchief Blackhand. While all the other orcs drank the warlock’s Kool-Aid (actually the blood of the demon Mannoroth, if you’re wondering), Durotan and his friend Ogrim refused. As a result he, along with the entire Frostwolf clan, was exiled once the invasion began and forced to carve out a home in Alterac Valley (a place that must have become far less fun to live in after the battleground opened in patch 1.5.0). Durotan had planned to confront Gul’dan and reveal his bargain with the demon lords but, alas, the warlock’s assassins kill him before he has the chance.
Where can I find him? Well, you can see the chieftain’s grave in Alterac Valley (if you take a few moments away from rushing the towers), and the orc kingdom of Durotar was named by Thrall in honour of his father.
Orgrim (Rob Kazinsky)
Who he? Orgrim Doomhammer (named after the legendary warhammer he wields) was one of Blackhand’s lieutenants during the invasion of Azeroth but grew suspicious of his Warchief’s motives and those of the warlock Gul’dan. After murderising Blackhand and seizing control of the Horde, Orgrim went on a warlock-killling frenzy, wiping out the Shadow Council and eradicating their influence over his orcs – although he reluctantly spared Gul’dan's life. Orgrim was also quite the diplomat, brokering treaties with the trolls and the goblins and bringing them into the Horde.
Later, betrayed by Gul’dan and pressed by the Alliance, Orgrim retreated to his stronghold in Blackrock Spire, where he defeated Anduin Lothar in single combat. Lothar’s death did not rout his armies, though, and the Alliance redoubled their attack, forcing the orcs back to the Dark Portal, while capturing Orgrim and many of his allies. He dies at the end of a lance while helping Thrall in a daring rescue attempt to free imprisoned orcs from an Alliance internment camp.
Where can I find him? The place where Orgrim died is now the site of Hammerfall, the Horde camp in the Arathi Highlands, while the Horde capital of Orgrimmar is named after the legendary Warchief. The Airship that floats above Icecrown Citadel is also called Orgrim’s Hammer. Tenuous but worth noting is that the male orc dance animation is taken from MC Hammer’s routine in the video for U Can’t Touch This. Coincidence? We think not!
Blackhand (Clancy Brown)
Who he? His nickname was ‘The Destroyer’, which gives you a decent idea as to his temperament. Leader of the Blackrock clan, Warchief of the orc invasion and all-round badass, Blackhand stormed across Azeroth in an axe-wielding blitzkrieg. Victorious against his foe, he was nonetheless slain by his second-in-command, Orgrim Doomhammer, who would later be referred to as Backstabber by Blackhand’s supporters. Never to his face, obviously.
Where can I find him? Remember the chess game in Karazhan we mentioned earlier? Blackhand is the Horde King.
Gul’dan (Daniel Wu)
Who he? The principal villain of this story, Gul’dan (“Your soul will be mine!”) of the Shadowmoon Clan was once an orc shaman and apprentice to the elder shaman Ner’zhul. However, after being perverted by the demon lord Kil’jaeden, he was turned into the first orc warlock and orchestrated his people’s enslavement by the Burning Legion. Gul’dan formed the Shadow Council in order to shape orc society to his ends, worshipping his demon masters and butchering the draenei (which, by and large, they didn’t really appreciate).
After being contacted by the (also demon-controlled) Medivh, Gul’dan opened the Dark Portal and commanded the invasion of Azeroth with Blackhand as his pawn. Bound to Medivh, Gul’dan fell into a coma at the wizard’s death and woke to find Doomhammer in control of the Horde. Relegated and rejected, Gul’dan made a last power play in trying to become a god at the Tomb of Sargeras. He was instead torn to pieces by pissed off demons, his skull becoming a favoured bauble of druid-nightelf-demon-hunter Illidan Stormrage (below). There’s a moral in there somewhere.
Where can I find him? He materialises in Shadowmoon Valley in Outland as a vision on the Altar of Damnation. He also pops up in Warcrafts II and III and is the face of the Warlock character class in Hearthstone (Zoo is SO overpowered). He (along with several of the other characters mentioned here) will play a prominent role in the impending WoW expansion Warlords of Draenor, which plays out just prior to the events of the Warcraft movie.
Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel)
Who he? The Lion of Azeroth, The Last Of The Arathi, The Champion of Stormwind – whatever you choose to call him, Anduin Lothar cast a very long shadow... and held a very large sword. The last true descendant of the ancient Arathi people, Lothar grew up in the court of the human kingdom of Stormwind, childhood friend of both the future king Llane Wrynn and the arch-wizard Medivh. He rose through the military ranks to stand at the head of Stormwind’s armies and when the orcish hordes first invaded his world, Azeroth, throwing down his (epic) gauntlet and led the charge against them.
After spending nearly two years imprisoned by ogres in the Deadmines (LF1M DPS no rouges plzzz), Lothar discovered that his former friend Medivh was responsible for the orc invasion in the first place and led a force to the tower of Karazhan to grind Attumen the Huntsman for his mount kill the wizard. Too little too late to stop the orcs, though, and Lothar snuffed it at the end of Orgrim Doomhammer’s… er, Doomhammer, which stove his head in during an epic battle at the foot of Blackrock Mountain.
Where can I find him? He features in Warcraft II. However, if you’re up for a trip to Outland you can also find a touching memorial to Lothar’s memory amid the barren wastes of the Hellfire Peninsula. The Monument of Remembrance is in the middle of the courtyard at Honor Hold and reads: "In remembrance of the Supreme Allied Commander, Anduin Lothar: A man who would sacrifice everything in the defense of his king, his people, his home… Let our enemies know our names. Let our allies honor our passing. We are the Sons of Lothar. - General Turalyon." There’s also a statue of Lothar, sword raised, to be found in the Burning Steppes, near the base of Blackrock Mountain (right). Fun fact: if you clicked on a peasant enough times in Warcraft III, he would eventually respond with the line “Uncle Lothar wants YOU!” Incidentally, Lothar’s epic weapon – 'Ashkandi, Greatsword of the Brotherhood’ – drops from Nefarian in Blackwing Lair.
King Llane Wrynn (Dominic Cooper)
Who he? It’s good to be the king – although King Llane The First did have a harder time of it than most. Packed off to the Alliance starting zone as a child (Northshire Abbey, levels 1-5), Llane waited out the early invasion, donning the crown at the age of 20 after the death of his father, King Adamant Wrynn III. Llane spent the next ten years battling against the tide of the orcish invasion, battering the greenskins quite soundly and pushing them back to the Swamp Of Sorrows (levels 51-55; points of interest include the drippy charms of the Sunken Temple of Atal’Hakkar). Hubris was his downfall, unfortunately, and Llane became complacent that his armies had the orcs soundly thrashed. With reinforcements pouring through the Dark Portal every day, the orcs launched a series of counter-offensives, but none of that would be Llane’s problem as he had his heart torn out by the half-orc Garona. That’s not a metaphor.
Where can I find him? Well, there’s a statue of Llane in Stormwind Keep, bearing the inscription: "King Llane I of the House of Wrynn. Liege Lord of Stormwind. Defender of Azeroth. He’s also the Alliance king in the game of spectral chess you play against Medivh during the Karazhan raid." Those looking for mementos can pick up a couple by beating up Yogg-Saron in Ulduar. The Royal Seal of King Llane is a nice keepsake, complete with regal blood stains and there’s also Kingsbane, the knife used to render him heartless. It makes a halfway decent rogue weapon.
Medivh (Ben Foster)
Who he? Pronounced Meh-deev, this reclusive figure was a grand wizard (of the non-racist variety) and one of the architects of this whole sorry mess. Ambushed by jungle trolls (it happens) while out with Llane and Anduin as children, he first tapped in to his arcane powers in order to fend them off. When his powers fully manifested he lapsed into a coma for twenty years.
The unfortunate slumber was caused by Sargeras, a demon lord of the Burning Legion, who took over Medivh’s mind and set him on a path to bring Azeroth to its knees once he woke up. Medivh contacted the orcish warlock Gul’dan in another dimension and the pair of them opened the Dark Portal, which launched the orc invasion, much to Sargeras’ delight. It all comes out eventually, though, with Anduin Lothar separating mage from head, placing a curse on his tower of Karazhan (making it an unpleasant place to visit for those below level 70).
Being a grand wizard has perks, however, and Medivh returned to life, popping up as a mysterious prophet in the Warcraft III intro cinematic. He lead Thrall (son of Durotan – keep reading) to Kalimdor, and saved Azeroth by teaming up with him, mage Jaina Proudmoore and druid Malfurion Stormrage to destroy the demon Archimonde and save the World Tree, Nordrassil, at the Battle of Mount Hyjal. He also turns into a bird.
Where can I find him? A few places, actually. He features in a couple of WoW's Outland quest chains (inexplicably appearing as a Night Elf) and he pops up in the Caverns Of Time during the quest Opening the Dark Portal (aka The Black Morass). His legendary staff, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian can be reconstructed via a gruelling, multi-part quest chain in Northrend that will suck away weeks of your life before you give up in frustration. Finally, those venturing into Karazhan’s haunted halls will end up playing chess against an ‘echo’ of the wizard (inset above). He cheats, the swine.
Khadgar (Ben Schnetzer)
Who he? A wizard of the magical sect Kirin Tor, Medivh’s apprentice and the one who outs his master's involvement with evil orc warlock Gul’dan to the king (the wizard’s code meant nothing to him). During the battle in which Lothar slays Medivh, Khadgar has his life force drained and is prematurely turned into a grizzled old man. Despite this minor setback he continues to fight the orcs and is ultimately responsible for closing the Dark Portal and severing the link between Azeroth and the orcs’ home world of Draenor. Go Khadgar!
Where can I find him? Well, he’s a level 71 quest-giver on the Terrace of Light in Shattrath City, so it’s not hard. He doles out a number of tedious catch-and-carry quests as well as a few dungeon/raid related ones as well. There’s also a statue of Khadgar in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind City. Herbalists will have spent their fair share of time picking a plant called Khadgar’s Whisker in Feralas and the Plaguelands. A silly name, but you can use it to make an Elixir of Frost Power, so that’s nice.
Lady Taria (Ruth Negga)
Who she? Queen of Stormwind, wife of King Llane I and his most trusted advisor. She is, however, a character created for the film so… that’s all we have.
Where can I find her? In the film.
Garona (Paula Patton)
Who she? Garona Halforcen is just that: a half-orc (the other half is draenei – a magical race of “uncorrupted eredar” who have little tentacles on their chins), bred by the increasingly important evil orc warlock Gul’dan. He magically aged her and placed her under his psychic control as an assassin and spymistress. (My) Garona became Gul’dan’s emissary to Medivh but, while spying on the wizard, found her loyalties wavering and developed a strong respect for the mage. Along with Khadgar, it was Garona who uncovered Medivh’s plotting and helped bring it to light, essentially doing herself out of a job. After the magus’ death she became an adviser to King Llane but eventually murdered him at the behest of warlock sect the Shadow Council. Obviously.
Where can I find her? Yogg-Saron shows players a vision of Garona assassinating King Llane, while she can be found in the flesh at Bloodgulch in the Twilight Highlands. She also pops up in the Twilight Citadel. Fact: during WoW’s beta phase Garona could be found in Ravenholdt Manor as Grand Master of the Assassin’s Guild but didn’t make it into the final release. Her Signet Ring drops from The Curator in Karazhan, a book on her exploits can be read by would-be rogues and the Tier 9 raid armour for that class is dubbed Garona’s Battlegear. Malyfous Darkhammer of the Thorium Brotherhood also does a passable knockoff of her famous breastplate.
Durotan (TOBY KEBBELL)
Who he? Father of Thrall, nature-loving shaman and Chief of the Frostwolf clan, Durotan was part of the vanguard that launched the orc invasion of Azeroth. Far from being a loyal captain, however, Durotan had long been a thorn in the side of both the warlock Gul’dan and the Warchief Blackhand. While all the other orcs drank the warlock’s Kool-Aid (actually the blood of the demon Mannoroth, if you’re wondering), Durotan and his friend Ogrim refused. As a result he, along with the entire Frostwolf clan, was exiled once the invasion began and forced to carve out a home in Alterac Valley (a place that must have become far less fun to live in after the battleground opened in patch 1.5.0). Durotan had planned to confront Gul’dan and reveal his bargain with the demon lords but, alas, the warlock’s assassins kill him before he has the chance.
Where can I find him? Well, you can see the chieftain’s grave in Alterac Valley (if you take a few moments away from rushing the towers), and the orc kingdom of Durotar was named by Thrall in honour of his father.
Orgrim (Rob Kazinsky)
Who he? Orgrim Doomhammer (named after the legendary warhammer he wields) was one of Blackhand’s lieutenants during the invasion of Azeroth but grew suspicious of his Warchief’s motives and those of the warlock Gul’dan. After murderising Blackhand and seizing control of the Horde, Orgrim went on a warlock-killling frenzy, wiping out the Shadow Council and eradicating their influence over his orcs – although he reluctantly spared Gul’dan's life. Orgrim was also quite the diplomat, brokering treaties with the trolls and the goblins and bringing them into the Horde.
Later, betrayed by Gul’dan and pressed by the Alliance, Orgrim retreated to his stronghold in Blackrock Spire, where he defeated Anduin Lothar in single combat. Lothar’s death did not rout his armies, though, and the Alliance redoubled their attack, forcing the orcs back to the Dark Portal, while capturing Orgrim and many of his allies. He dies at the end of a lance while helping Thrall in a daring rescue attempt to free imprisoned orcs from an Alliance internment camp.
Where can I find him? The place where Orgrim died is now the site of Hammerfall, the Horde camp in the Arathi Highlands, while the Horde capital of Orgrimmar is named after the legendary Warchief. The Airship that floats above Icecrown Citadel is also called Orgrim’s Hammer. Tenuous but worth noting is that the male orc dance animation is taken from MC Hammer’s routine in the video for U Can’t Touch This. Coincidence? We think not!
Blackhand (Clancy Brown)
Who he? His nickname was ‘The Destroyer’, which gives you a decent idea as to his temperament. Leader of the Blackrock clan, Warchief of the orc invasion and all-round badass, Blackhand stormed across Azeroth in an axe-wielding blitzkrieg. Victorious against his foe, he was nonetheless slain by his second-in-command, Orgrim Doomhammer, who would later be referred to as Backstabber by Blackhand’s supporters. Never to his face, obviously.
Where can I find him? Remember the chess game in Karazhan we mentioned earlier? Blackhand is the Horde King.
Gul’dan (Daniel Wu)
Who he? The principal villain of this story, Gul’dan (“Your soul will be mine!”) of the Shadowmoon Clan was once an orc shaman and apprentice to the elder shaman Ner’zhul. However, after being perverted by the demon lord Kil’jaeden, he was turned into the first orc warlock and orchestrated his people’s enslavement by the Burning Legion. Gul’dan formed the Shadow Council in order to shape orc society to his ends, worshipping his demon masters and butchering the draenei (which, by and large, they didn’t really appreciate).
After being contacted by the (also demon-controlled) Medivh, Gul’dan opened the Dark Portal and commanded the invasion of Azeroth with Blackhand as his pawn. Bound to Medivh, Gul’dan fell into a coma at the wizard’s death and woke to find Doomhammer in control of the Horde. Relegated and rejected, Gul’dan made a last power play in trying to become a god at the Tomb of Sargeras. He was instead torn to pieces by pissed off demons, his skull becoming a favoured bauble of druid-nightelf-demon-hunter Illidan Stormrage (below). There’s a moral in there somewhere.
Where can I find him? He materialises in Shadowmoon Valley in Outland as a vision on the Altar of Damnation. He also pops up in Warcrafts II and III and is the face of the Warlock character class in Hearthstone (Zoo is SO overpowered). He (along with several of the other characters mentioned here) will play a prominent role in the impending WoW expansion Warlords of Draenor, which plays out just prior to the events of the Warcraft movie.
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Warcraft est une série de jeux vidéo développée et publiée par Blizzard Entertainment. Le premier jeu de la série — Warcraft: Orcs and Humans — est un jeu de stratégie en temps réel, publié en 1994, reprenant le système de jeu de Dune II en le transposant dans un univers médiéval-fantastique s'inspirant notamment de Warhammer et de Donjons et Dragons. Celui-ci rencontre un certain succès commercial qui permet à Blizzard Entertainment de développer une suite — Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness — qui est publiée en 1995. Le succès de cette dernière permet au studio de s'élever au niveau des meilleurs développeurs de jeux vidéo et crée une rivalité avec la série Command and Conquer de Westwood, rivalité qui contribue à populariser le genre.
Souhaitant profiter du succès rencontré par l'univers qu'ils ont créé, Blizzard Entertainment commence ensuite à développer un jeu d'aventure se déroulant dans l'univers de Warcraft baptisé Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. Celui-ci est finalement abandonné après plusieurs années de développement, le studio se rendant compte que le jeu est « en retard de trois ans » par rapport à la concurrence. Le scénario du jeu est cependant utilisé lors du développement du troisième épisode de la série — Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos — qui est publié en 2002. Blizzard n'abandonne pas non plus l'idée de développer d'autres types de jeu basés sur l'univers de Warcraft. Ils publient ainsi un MMORPG baptisé World of Warcraft se déroulant dans le même univers et dont le scénario fait suite à celui de Warcraft III. Celui-ci rencontre un formidable succès, propulsant le studio à un niveau de popularité encore jamais atteint. Le jeu dépassera ainsi les dix millions d'abonnés et reste l'un des jeux les plus célèbres dans le monde. Blizzard a également développé un jeu de cartes à collectionner basé sur l'univers de Warcraft — baptisé Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft — qui est publié en 2014.
Outre les jeux vidéo, la franchise Warcraft inclut également de nombreux romans, des comics, des mangas, des jeux de société et des jeux de rôle. Un film, baptisé Warcraft : Le Commencement, est sorti le 25 mai 2016 en France, le 10 juin dans le reste du monde.
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