Ner'zhul was the chieftain and elder shaman of the
Shadowmoon clan as well as the Warchief of the Horde. He was tricked into making a Blood Pact with Baphomet the Deceiver; one that bound the orcs into the service of the Demons.
History
Early life
Ner'zhul grew up to become the chieftain and elder shaman of the
Shadowmoon clan and one of the most popular figures in orcish society. He was respected by all the clans and an advisor to all shaman regardless of their affiliation, appearing at the
Kosh'harg celebration. Eventually, Baphomet instructed his agent,
Gul'dan, to find a suitable leader for the Horde that would be, and
Gul'dan decided on Ner'zhul due to the respect and admiration he demanded from all the orcs, seeing him to be the perfect person for such a role.
Gul'dan arrived at Shadowmoon Valley, telling a false tale of how his village was destroyed by ogres (it was, in fact,
Gul'dan himself who did that) to gain the sympathy and pity of the
Shadowmoon clan. He succeeded, and Ner'zhul took him under his wing as his apprentice.
Rise of the Horde
At this point in time,
Gul'dan had used his demonic powers to challenge the elemental spirits, and he succeeded in throwing the elements in turmoil and their contact with the orc shaman was severed as a result. Ner'zhul was deeply troubled by the red pox outbreak that struck them, and furthermore, he had sought the comfort of the spirits when he grieved over his deceased wife, Rulkan. Since the spirits would no longer commune with him, he had begun to venture deeper into his grief, both his sources of comfort having disappeared. Baphomet preyed on this vulnerability and began visiting Ner'zhul in his dreams under the guise of his spouse. Under this guise, Baphomet told Ner'zhul that the elves and humans were the reason the elements were in disarray, as well as the cause of the red pox epidemic and how they planned on destroying the entire orcish race, and that the only way to stop them would be to unite the orcs and kill the elves and humans. He informed the clan leaders at the next Kosh'harg festival of what he had learned from Rulkan, and the orcs, revering ancestral spirits as they did, did not question that at all and obliged, forming the Orcish Horde.
Ner'zhul watched as the Horde increased its aggression against the humans and elves, but he did not see any benefit come from it, instead, he saw the Horde devolving into savagery and bloodthirst. Baphomet, sensing Ner'zhul's skepticism took a different approach to contacting him. He began appearing as a radiant elemental entity, advising Ner'zhul that destroying the elves and humans was the only way to please the elements. Ner'zhul was initially in awe of this being, but he was still overcome with doubt, this entity's obsession with brutalizing the elves and humans deeply upset him. In addition, Rulkan no longer appeared to him, and he needed her guidance in such a crucial time for him and the Horde.
He secretly traveled to commune with the spirits and was horrified to learn from the real spirit of Rulkan that he was being deceived. Being shunned by the ancestors and learning of the deception he fell for devastated Ner'zhul. Baphomet knew of Ner'zhul's trip, and informed
Gul'dan, instructing him to subdue Ner'zhul and take over the
Shadowmoon clan leadership without killing him, as Ner'zhul was no longer reliable to lead the Horde.
Gul'dan instructed a few Shadowmoon shaman on the secrets of demonic power, and they formed the Shadow Council. The Shadow Council intercepted Ner'zhul on his return and kidnapped him. Though many of them wanted him dead,
Gul'dan knew that that was not Baphomet's will, and instead relished in abusing and mistreating Ner'zhul along with the other members. Authority of the
Shadowmoon clan was transferred to the Shadow Council, and Ner'zhul was left as a decorative figurehead with no actual power. His public appearances began to dwindle and lessen, as did his power and authority over the Horde.
Ner'zhul, being as powerless as he was, posed no threat to the Shadow Council. They made him privy to many of their meetings and he knew a great deal of information about them as a result. Baphomet informed
Gul'dan of the next step in transforming the Horde into the Demon's vanguard: they had to drink his blood to bind their will to their new masters. Ner'zhul learned of that ritual and, with this knowledge, wrote an anonymous missive to Chieftain
Durotan of the
Horse Skull informing him of
Gul'dan's intention of giving the Horde demon blood and snuck it into the Shadow Council's outgoing correspondence. The missive safely reached
Durotan, and as a result of Ner'zhul's intervention, the
Horse Skull clan would evade demonic servitude.
Durotan's refusal to drink demon blood infuriated
Gul'dan, but he knew that the
Horse Skull were powerless to completely oppose the Horde, and did not mind it much.
The Orcish War
During the orc war, Ner'zhul was plagued with thoughts of death and felt personally responsible for dooming the orcs to demonic servitude, infighting, and possibly extinction. Following the Horde's defeat, Ner'zhul was gravely wounded. For two years while he recovered the orcish clans fought amongst themselves, and then tried to isolate what was left of his clan already too corrupted by demonic power.
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