Lore of Hearthstone, Episode #11 - The Grand Tournament [Legendary Cards]

The Grand Tournament - LEGENDARY MINIONS:

A majority of the legendary minions in the Grand Tournament are based on either NPCs or enemies found in the Argent Tournament that TGT is based on, or on other Northrend enemies... but TGT is unique in Hearthstone in that it is the first ever content that includes legendary minions that are completely and uniquely original to Hearthstone with no counterpart in WoW. We'll go through the three original ones first very quickly before going to the rest of the legendaries.

(Blame Varian Wrynn for single-handedly making this section way, way longer than I thought it would be)

Gormok the Impaler:

Gormok the Impaler is a Magnataur and is the first boss in the 'Beasts of Northrend' portion of the Trial of the Crusader dungeon. He is captured by the Argent Crusade, and similar to what his name implies, Gormok attacks while impaling enemies. His Hearthstone card has an effect that activates if other minions are on board, likely a reference to his boss fight mechanic where he will summon Snobold minions to help increase his anger.

Dreadscale & Acidmaw

Dreadscale and Acidmaw are a pair of jormungar that serve as the second encounter in the 'Beasts of Northrend' boss fight. They are fought together, and just like in Hearthstone, Acidmaw and Dreadscale have different abilities. In the battle Dreadscale and Acidmaw will take turns, with one being stationary and the other burrowing around the coliseum arena. Acidmaw uses his venom to poison and paralyze his prey, while Dreadscale uses fiery blasts to deal damage to the enemy.

Icehowl:

Beasts of Northrend:
Icehowl, Dreadscale, Acidmaw, Gormok

The yetis of Northrend are bulkier and far larger than the yetis of the two main continents (see Chillwind Yeti for a non-Northrend yeti) and mightiest of these so-called primal yetis is Icehowl, captured by the Argent Crusade when they tried to subdue the mighty beast. Not much lore for Icehowl beyond that, though.

Wilfred Fizzlebang

Wilfred Fizzlebang

The gnomish warlock Wilfred Fizzlebang was supposed to be the second encounter in the Trial of the Crusader after the Beasts of Northrend were defeated. He attempted to summon a Doomguard, but instead summoned the mighty eredar lord, Lord Jaraxxus, who would promptly murder Fizzlebang and become the true second boss fight of the trial. Before doing the trial, Wilfred could be found as an NPC in the Argent Tournament Grounds. Wilfred would be survived by his sister, Lulubelle Fizzlebang, also a warlock.

Wilfred's quotes -- all of them -- are a reference to the disastrous summoning attempt of Lord Jaraxxus and his boasting prior to it. Wilfred having special dialogue with a Lord Jaraxxus hero is similar to that.

Eydis Darkbane & Fjola Lightbane

Eydis and Fjola are a pair of Val'kyr that are sent by the Lich King to attack the Argent Tournament, but are battled by Argent Confessor Paletress, defeated and subsequently imprisoned. They are let loose to test the mettle of the champions during the Trial of the Crusader as the 'supposed' final encounter in the battle. Eydis and Fjola do battle in differing ways, with Eydis using shadow magic and dealing damage, while Fjola uses light magic (one of the skills Fjola can use, Shield of Lights, is presumably what inspired the divine shield effect she has). Both of Eydis and Fjola's quotes in Hearthstone are all taken from their WoW boss fight quotes. Like Acidmaw and Dreadscale, the Val'kyr twins are fought together.

The Val'kyr's origins are closely tied to that of the vrykul, for in living they are living vrykul warriors. In the ancient days where the vrykul served the Titans, the mighty Keeper Odyn wished to have a powerful army with which he could protect the realm (he was driven to jealousy by the dragon aspects, who found favour with the Pantheon of Titans), and created the Halls of Valor, where he wanted spirits of powerful vrykul who fell in combat to be transformed into powerful undead val'kyr. However, no vrykul was eager to be killed, so Odyn forcibly turned his adopted daughter Helya into the first val'kyr. The vengeful Helya, feeling betrayed, sealed Odyn within the Halls of Valour, and created the realm of Helheim (for more of those, see the Kvaldir section in the TGT cards). Yet the Val'kyr remained within the world, with the neutral ones among them serving as Spirit Healers, who aids unfortunate adventurers upon their death. During Wrath of the Lich King, the Lich King would create his own army of Val'kyr that served him. After the Lich King's death, at least nine independent Val'kyr would bound themselves to the Forsaken leader Sylvanas Windrunner, asking to be given a purpose, which Sylvanas gave them the charge of creating new Forsaken troops to bolster their forces. In Legion, the pure form of the Val'kyr, beings of Light fighting for Odyn, are encountered in the realm of Valarjar. 

Aviana, Mistress of Birds

Aviana continues the trend of druid legendaries being Ancient Guardians. Similar to Malorne, Aviana was one of the many Wild Gods that was created by the nature of Azeroth itself. Aviana was bound to the Mother Tree G'Hanir, and was among the Ancients that came to the aid of Cenarius and the night elves during the War of the Ancients. Aviana battled against hordes and hordes of demons, but she was among the Ancients who were killed in the fight. Due to Aviana's death, the Mother Tree G'Hanir deid with her. However, a single branch remained, and that branch would become the World Tree Nordrassil. Aviana was laid to rest near Nordrassil in the Shrine of Aviana. In subsequent millennia, Aviana's children, the harpies, would grow feral and become near-mindless savages. The night elven sect of the druids of the talon worship Aviana and took the form of storm crows in honour of her.

Aviana (WoW)

In Cataclysm, the armies of Ragnaros would charge towards Mt. Hyjal and threaten to burn it to the ground. Adventurers would be tasked to revive the spirit of Aviana (and also Malorne, and also Cenarius) who had been reforming in the Emerald Dream. Aviana's harpies, corrupted since their deity's loss, also had to be prevented from destroying Aviana's shrine. Aviana would be bought to life, and would participate in doing battle against the fire elementals. Aviana would return to the Emerald Dream to tend to G'Hanir. In Warlords of Draenor, the bird-like race of the Arakkoa caught Aviana's attention and she would attempt to reach out to them, sending her druids of the talon to contact the Arakkoa of draenor. In Legion, during the third invasion of the Burning Legion, the pit lord Destromath arrived in Mt. Hyjal and attempted to raze G'Hanir, causing Aviana to appear in a flash of light, aiding adventurers in battling and destroying Destromath. Aviana would later appear in Highmountain and give quests to adventurers. Aviana would also assist adventurers in communing with Malorne, as well as direct adventurers to help rescue the wolf ancient Goldrinn from demons. Both her quotes in Hearthstone are truncated versions of quotes she can say in World of Warcraft after being resurrected.

Justicar Trueheart

Justicar Mariel Trueheart is a member of the Argent Crusade, and has the rank of Seneschal of the Argent Tournament. She can be found in the Argent Pavilion, and would welcome adventurers to the Argent Tournament, as well as give adventurers quests to seek out other members of the Argent Crusade, as well as introducing the WoW jousting mechanic to them. The Hearthstone card art depicts her riding a paladin charger, just as she does in WoW. Not much else about her beyond that, truthfully.

Argent Confessor Paletress

Paletress (WoW)

Argent Confessor Paletress is a human priest that is found in the Argent Pavillion, who would be first seen subjugating Eydis Lightbane and Fjola Darkbane, the twin Val'kyr that attacked the Tournament Grounds. She would remain as an NPC there, periodically listening to the confessions of other champions that are troubled due to the harsh mental demands of the campaign against the undead Scourge. Including a Forsaken champion that confesses that he punched a penguin in the face (no, really).  Paletress is later faced as the second encounter in the Trial of the Champion, selected by Tirion Fordring to test the combatants' mettle. In combat with Paletress, she would summon a 'memory' from the past, which takes the form of a former raid boss such as Onyxia, Edwin VanCleef, Twin Emperor Vek'nilash, Chromaggus, Hogger, Illidan, Archimonde, Gruul and several others. This is,  of course, represented in her Hearthstone card effect by being able to summon a random legendary card. Her Hearthstone summon quote is a quote that she says in her WoW boss fight when she summons a memory. Unlike most raid and dungeon bosses, Paletress (and Eadric, below) isn't killed since she's in a tournament and all.

Eadric the Pure

Eadric the Pure, Grand Champion of the Argent Crusade, is a quest giver on the Argent Pavillion, giving adventurers daily quests which involves killing Chillmaw, or the Boneguard Lieutenants. Eadric and his fancy monocle would also be the third boss fight in the Trial of the Champion, where he would fight adventurers seeking to prove themselves to the Argent Crusade, although his boss fight is relatively simple without any particularly complex mechanics. . Eadric's defeated quote, "may I run away now?" is taken almost verbatim from his defeat quote in WoW. After being defeated, Eadric would witness the adventurers fight the Black Knight, who came to exact his revenge. In Legion, Eadric would be among the many paladins that joins the renewed Silver Hand.

The Skeleton Knight

The Skeleton Knight is actually the Black Knight, who appeared in the Classic set of Hearthstone. The Black Knight was the final boss in the Trial of the Champion, where, after previously being defeated by adventurers in a questline, he would appear, resurrected as an undead, to do battle against the adventurers once more. The skeletal form of the Black Knight in WoW is the second phase that adventurers fight the Black Knight in, where he's initially fought in full armour, then as a skeleton, and finally as a wraith before he is ultimately defeated. His effect in Hearthstone is presumably a reference to how in WoW he keeps coming back despite seemingly been defeated.

The Mistcaller, Yngvar

The Mistcaller is based on Mistcaller Yngvar (the Hearthstone card omits the 'hyper unpronounceable' name, according to the game designers), a named Kvaldir enemy that is the target of a daily quest. Mistcaller Yngvar leads the kvaldir raiding parties that attack Hrothgar's Landing, and is presumably responsible for creating the mists that the kvaldir hide in and use to raid the living. There's... there's really not that much to say about Mistcaller, though.

Anub'arak, the Crypt Lord

Anub'arak (WCIII)

(Yay, Anub'arak! I personally have an inordinate love for Anub'arak.) Anub'arak was once the mightiest spider king of the nerubian kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, but when the first Lich King, Ner'zhul, began to establish his power on Northrend between the Second and Third War, Azjol-Nerub was the first to fall, being assaulted by the forces of the undead. Anub'arak, king of the nerubians, were the first to fall before the powers of the Lich King and the endless minions at his disposal, and Anub'arak was raised as one of the first Crypt Lords. Crypt Lords are undead nerubians created from the gigantic, beetle-like nerubian spider kings. Anub'arak would wage war upon his own people as a servant of the Lich King, and he would forevermore be known as the Traitor King by the nerubian race.

Anub'arak first appearance in any game would be in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, representing the Crypt Lord hero for the undead race. He and his crypt fiend minions would burst out of the ground and rescue Arthas from an attack by blood elves loyal to Illidan Stormrage, and would assist Arthas during his campaign in Northrend. Anub'arak's knowledge of the area would prove instrumental, first directing Arthas to the giant blue dragon Sapphiron, allowing them to gain powerful magical items and a powerful ally when Sapphiron was resurrected as a Frost Wyrm. Anub'arak and Arthas would cut a swathe through Anub'arak's former kingdom of Azjol-Nerub in order to reach Icecrown, fighting many of Anub'arak's former subjects, and later dwarven survivors of Muradin's expedition. Anub'arak and Arthas would also face against an army of Faceless Ones, which the dwarves were scared of, and together they would destroy the ancient horror known as the Forgotten One. Anub'arak and Arthas were briefly separated due to a rockslide, but both would survive being separated and appear in Icecrown, with Anub'arak serving with Arthas as he waged battle against the forces of Illidan Stormrage, ultimately defeating the night elf, and placing Arthas on the Frozen Throne as the new Lich King.

Anub'arak (Trial of the Crusader)

Anub'arak would next appear in World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, and Anub'arak would serve as the final boss of the Azjol-Nerub dungeon. Adventurers, with the aid of the still-living nerubians, would storm the parts of Azjol-Nerub that the Scourge has control of, and finally slay Anub'arak. Despite seemingly being slain in Azjol-Nerub, Anub'arak was resurrected by Arthas once more, enhanced with frost powers. During the Trials of the Crusader, after prevailing against the Val'kyr twins, adventurers would be greeted and congratulated for completing the gauntlet, only for the grount to collapse, and the adventurers to fall into an underground lair with Anub'arak in it. Despite his new frost powers (his card art in Hearthstone depicts this version of Anub'arak due to the icy blue aura on his claws and horns) Anub'arak was defeated once more, this time perhaps for good.

Anub'arak's Hearthstone quotes are based on his quotes in Warcraft III. "From the depths I come" is the summon quote for both Hearthstone and Warcraft III, while "oblivion awaits" is a possible quote he says when ordered to attck.

Chillmaw

Chillmaw is a Frost Wyrm, which we covered in the Curse of Naxxramas lore section, so I won't repeat myself. Chillmaw is a mighty frost wyrm sent by the Lich King who attempted to raid the Argent Tournament. As part of a repeatable daily quest, adventurers would be sent to do battle against Chillmaw and slay her and her cultist bombardier minions, and this powerful frost wyrm would re-spawn every day for players to build up reputation with the Argent Tournament. As with all frost wyrms, Chillmaw attacks with a frost breath attack. The artwork for Chillmaw actually depicts Sindragosa, who won't receive a card until Knights of the Frozen Throne.

Rhonin

Rhonin

Rhonin is a character whose story happened in the background of many games, told in novels, with his deeds stemming from as early as Warcraft II. Rhonin was first prominent during the Second War, where he was a mage of the Kirin Tor that was disgraced due to a spell misfire that ended up killing his allies. Rhonin was tasked on a dangerous mission by his superior Krasus (actually a red dragon, Korialstrasz, in disguise), being partnered with the high elf Vereesa Windrunner and the dwarf Falstad Dragonreaver. Rhonin was assisted by a benefactor who revealed himself to be the black dragon Deathwing in this mission, who wanted Rhonin to succeed for his own reasons. Rhonin managed to outwit Deathwing, and with the aid of his allies, free the captured dragon queen Alexstrasza, beat back Deathwing and stop him from stealing the red dragon eggs, and use one of Deathwing's scales to shatter Deathwing's powerful artifact, the Demon Soul, which was enchanted so that none of the other dragons would touch. Rhonin's shattering of the Demon Soul restored the power of the other four dragon aspects, allowing them to defeat Deathwing. Rhonin's brave actions would earn the respect of mortals among the eyes of the dragon aspects. Rhonin and Vereesa would also fall in love and be married, fathering a pair of twins with her.

Rhonin would survive the destruction of Dalaran, and would later be involved by Krasus and an orc warrior called Broxigar the Red in being swallowed up by a rift in time. The three would be sent 10,000 years back in time to the first invasion of the Burning Legion, assisting them in correcting the course of history.  Rhonin would meet a large number of legendary beings and night elves, and even tutored Illidan Stormrage at one point. As a reward for Rhonin's courage throughout the War of the ancients, Nozdormu would return Rhonin back just in time to witness his children's birth.

Rhonin in the middle.

During the events of World of Warcraft, Rhonin would find himself the leader of the reformed Kirin Tor in Dalaran, due to the deaths of so many other mages of the Kirin Tor. Rhonin would also be involved in a conspiracy in Grim Batol, where Deathwing's consort, Sintharia (now calling herself Sinestra) is creating a particularly powerful breed of dragons, the twilight dragonflight, by mixing black dragons with the power of the nether drakes of Outland. Rhonin, Vereesa and several other allies would destroy the mighty twilight dragon Dargonax, earning himself the title Rhonin Dragonheart.

Rhonin would first appear in WoW in Wrath of the Lich King as the leader of the Kirin Tor, ordering the relocation of the floating city of Dalaran to Northrend to do battle against his former ally, the maddened aspect of magic, Malygos, who now declared war on all mortal spellscasters, as well as become a questgiver to heroes. When the Titan facility of Ulduar was discovered, Rhonin would summon leaders of the Alliance (Varian Wrynn and Jaina Proudmoore) and the Horde (Thrall and Garrosh Hellscream) to Dalaran to discuss how to deal with the mysterious dark power of the old god Yogg-Saron within it, but the negotiations went south when Garrosh and Varian came to blows.

Prior to Mists of Pandaria, Rhonin was involved with Jaina Proudmoore and the blue dragon Kalecgos in attempting to locate a powerful magical artifact, the Focusing Iris. While Dalaran wished to remain neutral in the Alliance/Horde conflict, when Theramore Isle, Jaina's hometown, came under attack, Rhonin was one of the few who volunteered to assist her. Rhonin was among the first to realize just what Garrosh Hellscream and the Horde were planning to unleash with the Focusing Iris, and with Jaina's aid, managed to evacuate part of Theramore. However, when he realized that it was too late for them to actually stop the bomb, Rhonin shoved Jaina into the magical portal that they used for evacuation, saving the other mage at the cost of his life. Rhonin was killed and reduced to ash in the explosion alongside the entire city. Jaina would take over as leader of the Kirin tor, and both Jaina and Rhonin's wife Vereesa were left with a deep-seated hatred for the Horde and especially Garrosh Hellscream.

Varian Wrynn, High King of Stormwind

Hoo boy. Varian Wrynn is the King of Stormwind, and for all but the last expansion of World of Warcraft, Varian was the leader of the Grand Alliance. His story began in the First War, where as a boy, Varian was the heir to King Llane Wrynn -- the acting king of Stormwind when the disastrous First War broke out and the orcs emerged from the Dark Portal and began razing humans. Varian would see his father slain by a supposed ally, the half-orc Garona, and the entire kingdom of Stormwind and Varian's mother would be razed to the ground by the Horde, leaving Varian with a deep-seated hatred for orcs. Young Varian, as well as the champions of Stormwind, Anduin Lothar and the mage Khadgar, would warn King Terenas of Lordaeron about the terrible might of the Horde, and the older Terenas would, thanks to this meeting, go to found the Alliance of Lordaeron that gave the humans, high elves, dwarves and gnomes a fighting chance and ultimately win during the Second War. During this period, Varian befriended the young prince Arthas Menethil.

Varian Wrynn

During the period of peace between the Second and Third War, Varian would assist his people in rebuilding Stormwind, being officially crowned king at the age of eighteen. Stormwind would be rebuilt, and Varian would marry a woman called Tiffin, who soothed the anger boiling within him,  and together they would father Anduin Wrynn, named after Varian's late mentor Anduin Lothar. However, some time afterwards, the Stonemasons, who helped rebuild Stormwind City, were denied a fair pay by the House of Nobles (which at this point was infiltrated by Katrana Prestor, better known as the black draogn Onyxia). The Stonemasons, led by Edwin VanCleef, rioted at this injustice, and in the ensuing riot Queen Tiffin was killed by a stray brick. A furious Varian expelled the Stonemasons from Stormwind, and fell into a deep depression, causing Katrana Prestor to worm her way to power.

Little is known about the deeds of Stormwind during the Third War, although they survived the ordeal. Prior to World of Warcraft, however, when journeying from Stormwind to Theramore, Varian was abducted by Defias bandits and presumed missing, throwing the political situation in Stormwind into chaos as the young prince Anduin was forced to take charge of ruling both Stormwind and the Alliance, which also had the effect of putting the well-known noblewoman Katrana Prestor in power. Varian would be split into two beings by Onyxia, with each Varian having different aspects of the true Varian's personality. One had all of Varian's charm and for the purposes of this article be called 'King Varian', while the other had all of Varian's fighting prowress and anger, known as 'Lo'Gosh'. (It's a bit confusing, I know) Before Onyxia could deal with the two Varians, however, an attack by an army of naga caused the amnesiac Lo'Gosh to escape.

King Varian & Lo'Gosh

The Varian who would become Lo'Gosh would wash up without memory on the shores of Durotar, where he would be taken by the orc Rehgar Earthfury, who enslaved Varian and turned him into a gladiator, forcing him to fight in arenas. There, the amnesiac Varian would receive the moniker Lo'Gosh (meaning "Ghost Wolf", the orcish name for the wolf ancient Goldrinn) due to his brutality in the field of battle. Lo'Gosh would also befriend the night elf Broll Bearmantle and the blood elf Valeera Sanguinar. Together, the three of them would escape from Rehgar's gladiator arena, and slowly work to recover Lo'Gosh's missing memory, going to many, many places in Azeroth. They would finally find enlightment with the aid of Jaina Proudmoore, who would reveal Lo'Gosh's true identity as Varian Wrynn.

Meanwhile, Katrana Prestor would bring the joyous return of "King Varian" to Stormwind City, but King Varian was markedly under Katrana Prestor's thumb, much to the confusion of Anduin Wrynn,  Magni Bronzebeard and Bolvar Fordragon, who found Varian's recent behaviour strange. King Varian at this point was particularly harsh and acted contrary to the interests of the people, refusing to aid the dwarves, and obeying the every whim of Katrana, but conversations with Anduin Wrynn seemed to jog his memory and fill in some gaps about his abduction. Meanwhile Lo'Gosh's party would find the aid of the dwarf Thargas Anvilmar, who then introduced them to King Magni Bronzebeard, who had been investigating King Varian and with the aid of Bolvar have discovered that black dragons may be involved.

Lo'Gosh and King Varian would come head-to-head with each other, each convinced that he is the true article and the other is the impostor, but would quickly turn on Katrana Prestor -- who Lo'Gosh identifies as the black dragon Onyxia. During the battle Varian and Lo'Gosh would battle each other instead of Onyxia, but when Anduin was abducted by the dragon, the two worked together to save their son. Jaina would discover the spell that split the original Varian Wrynn into two beings. With this revelation, Jaina would gift Lo'Gosh and Varian with the twin swords Shalla'tor and Ellemayne, two blades that were once whole. They would journey to Onyxia's Lair, and finally slay the black dragon. During the battle, a magic blast from Onyxia would merge the two together. Thus whole once more, Varian served as leader of the Alliance once more, but during an attempted peace summit with the then-warchief of the Horde, Thrall, an attack by the Twilight's Hammer Cult (which had multiple races in it)  and the appearance of Garona, the assassin who killed Varian's father, among them, caused Varian to accuse the Horde -- if not Thrall, his xenophobic second-in-command Garrosh -- as being behind the assassins.

Varian would be restored as king of Stormwind in-game in Wrath of the Lich King, and he would send forces to Icecrown led by his faithful ally Bolvar Fordragon. When Bolvar was apparently killed in the Battle of the Wrathgate due to Forsaken treachery, Varian was distraught by the death of a man he considered a brother and blamed the Horde once more. Although he accepted that rogue elements within the Scourge were responsible, Varian would personally lead the battle against Undercity to avenge Bolvar and to reclaim it for the Alliance. Varian and Jaina would kill Putress, but he discovers the corpses of humans that were experimented upon by the Forsaken, and declares war on the Horde although Jaina teleports him away before he could kill Thrall. This anger caused him to do battle with Garrosh Hellscream when Rhonin, representing the neutral faction of Dalaran, asked the Alliance and Horde to work together to deal with the emergence of the Old God Yogg-Saron, refusing to ally with them. Varian would later appear and attend the tournaments in the Crusader's Coliseum. Varian would also appear during the final raid against the Lich King in Icecrown Citadel, allowing the grieving orc warrior Varok Saurfang to claim the body of his son (who was risen as a death knight by the Lich King) despite his hatred for the Horde. Varian would also buff Alliance party members before they engage the Lich King.

Prior to the Cataclysm, Varian would personally lead the defense of Stormwind City from the enroaching forces of the elementals and the Twilight's Hammer cult, personally killing the air elemental prince Sarsarun and the mighty hydra Gahz'rilla. In Cataclysm, Varian would become more aggressive against the Horde when reports of brutality against night elves in Ashenvale reached his ears, though at least some part of these attacks were orchestrated by Twilight's Hammer orcs. Varian would also have to deal with his own raging temper which strained his relationship with his son Anduin. His relationship with Anduin would improve his own attitude of aggression, however, and with Anduin's help he would refrain from killing Moira Bronzebeard during her attempted coup, and establish the Council of Three Hammers in a then-rare bout of diplomacy. He was also absoltuely against the return of the Worgen (Gilneas had previously betrayed the Alliance after the Second War) and was absolutely hostile to Malfurion's attempts to make a summit to allow the Worgen admittance into the Alliance. However, Varian's open insults and aggression to the worgen disgusted Anduin, and unwilling to lose his son, Varian went on a journey of self-discovery, aided by Malfurion and, strangely enough, Genn Greymane -- the worgen leader having had a lot of experience in calming a wild side. Varian would change his ways and earned the respect of the worgen due to both his honour and his battle prowess, apologizing to the worgen and welcoming them to the Alliance. During this period, many worgen and night elves also saw that Varian channeled the power of the wolf ancient Goldrinn -- his namesake.

Varian (Legion cinematic)

Throughout his reign, Varian would struggle with both his burning hatred against the Horde, and his fear that Anduin would hate him and also be too weak to be a king... but would gradually accept his son being a priest and a healer, a different type of leader from him. He would act as a quest giver in Cataclysm, particularly at the end of the Defias Brotherhood storyline and asking Alliance players to escort Anduin and ensure his safety in overseeing the assembly of a war fleet in the Twilight Highlands. Near the end of the Cataclysm era, Varian was about to send Stormwind's fleet to aid Theramore, who came under attack by the Horde, but was too late to save it. Afterwards he was surprised by the far darker and vengeful woman that Jaina Proudmoore had became, in particular refusing to rally the Alliance to wage open war against the Horde with little to no preparation. Varian in particular drew the line at Jaina's suggestion to unleash the Focusing Iris' power to destroy the city of Orgrimmar with one blow. Despite Jaina's anger, Varian would then create a plan to break the Horde stranglehold on Kalimdor, and reiterated the ideals of the Alliance -- justice, not genocide.

In Mists of Pandaria, he would greet new pandaren who joined the Alliance, though he cautioned that any Horde-allied Pandaren are still  enemies. Varian would also send Alliance adventurers and SI:7 agents to recover Anduin from where he is stranded in Pandaria. He would finally arrive in Pandaria after two months, and accompany adventurers in rescuing his forces from the Horde, and gain the alliance of the Explorer's League during that period. Varian would meet up with Anduin in Pandaria, and finally impress his son in deciding that he will never become like Garrosh, and his campaign in Pandaria will be fighting for what's right and not out of hatred. Varian would also be involved in a series of quests called the Trial of the High King, where he would be subjected to some trials in Pandaria to see his worth as a king, and a combination of his battle prowress and his newfound restrained gained Varian once more the respect of the other Alliance leaders. Varian in particular refused to use the Sha as weapons, finally united the three dwarven clans by having them respect each other, and negotiated with Lor'themar Theron of the blood elves about the possibility of the blood elves rejoining the Alliance -- a negotiation that was dashed by Jaina's expulsion and imprisonment of the blood elven mages in Dalaran. However, disaster struck and Anduin was mortally wounded by the Horde warchief Garrosh when he tried to stop Garrosh's perversion of the powerful artifact Divine Bell, and Varian swore to end Garrosh for this.

Varian would send his SI:7 agents and champions to scout out the Horde, and upon discovering the Darkspear Rebellion created by Vol'jin and Baine Bloodhoof, sent his champions ot secure a temporary truce between members of the Horde that would do battle against the warmongering Garrosh. Varian would lead the Alliance forces during the Siege of Orgrimmar, and held position outside of Orgrimmar, battling Kor'kron orcs, while other members of the Alliance forces stormed the city. After Garrosh's defeat, Jaina urged Varian to dismantle the Horde, but Varian refused, citing that the other members of the Horde had fought with honour. He also noted that Garrosh's punishment was not the Horde's to decide, for he had wronged all Azeroth, and accepted the pandaren Taran Zhu's request that the trial be done at Pandaria instead -- a neutral faction. Varian would attend the trial and be called as witness. During Warlords of Draenor, Varian was consumed with insecurity at the thought of battling the same orcs that had razed Stormwind during the First War, but a talk with the draenei vindicator Maraad caused Varian to be emboldened, although he would not arrive on the alternate Draenor until the invasion of Tanaan.

Wolfheart

In Legion, Varian wrote a letter to his son and acknowledged how far he had become thanks to Anduin, but in order to preserve peace, Anduin must sometimes be willing to fight. Varian would ride a gunship to the Broken Shore as the forces of the Burning Legion loomed, and, assisted with the Horde leader Sylvanas Windrunner, would do battle against a mighty Abyssal that slammed onto his gunship. (It's really fucking badass) Varian would throw himself into battle alongside other champions and leaders of the Alliance and the Horde, slaughtering many demons and closing portals. Varian would chase down the orc warlock Gul'dan, who had summoned the Burning Legion into the world, but Gul'dan would summon so many demons that it would be impossible to fight back. The Horde forces mounted a sudden retreat at this point, leaving the Alliance vulnerable. Varian himself was forced to retreat, but a gigantic fel reaver grabbed onto the gunship. Varian, dangling from a rope ladder, tossed the letter he wrote for Anduin to Genn Greymane, before jumping down and single-handedly slaughtering the fel reaver, freeing the Alliance leaders to escape. Left alone, Varian did one final last stand against the demons, and as Gul'dan gloats that Varian sacrificed his life for nothing, Varian glared at the warlock and claimed that he sacrificed his life "for the Alliance". Those being his last words, Varian Wrynn was filled with fel magic and his body was ruptured.  He was survived by Anduin Wrynn, who became king after his death, while Jaina and Greymane are particularly embittered at the death of Varian and the perceived betrayal of the Horde. Varian himself would be remembered as a hero who not only slew many enemies of Azeroth and the Alliance, but also did battle with his personal demons and won.

Skycap'n Kragg:

Kragg is original to Hearthstone, and there aren't any orc pirates with a lance-hook and a shark-jaw shoulder pauldron riding giant parrots in World of Warcraft. There is an orc called Kragg in Stranglethorn Vale, but considering he's a boring hunter trainer and not a bad-ass parrot-riding pirate, I'm pretty sure the name's just a coincidence.

Skycap'n Kragg would, surprisingly, be added three years after his debut in Hearthstone as a boss in the Freehold instance, a dungeon in the Battle for Azeroth expansion in Kul Tiras and a haven for pirates. Kragg is supposedly the lookout for the pirates' haven, but most of the time he just falls asleep, and likes to fly around with his parrot Sharkbait and drop... "bombs" on his enemies. In Descent of Dragons, Skycap'n Kragg would show up as a mew card, "Sky Gen'ral Kragg".

Nexus-Champion Saraad & Bolf Ramshield

Nexus-Champion Saraad is an Ethereal, which I covered here. Saraad himself and the idea of ethereals jousting is original to Hearthstone, although his title is presumably a reference to how high-ranking ethereals have Nexus-something as their title, like Nexus-Prince. Saraad's mount is an ethereal version of a camel, which is also original to Hearthstone.

Bolf is a character original to Hearthstone, a dwarf riding a ram. Rams are the dwarven racial mount in World of Warcraft, and he appears to dual-wield shields, which as far as I know is impossible in WoW.