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.
In 1226 BD, the Shadowmoon were led by the wise chieftain Ner'zhul, who was respected by every clan. One day,
Gul'dan, an orc exile who had agreed to a pact with the Demons, approached the Shadowmoon and claimed that his home village had been destroyed.
Orcs accepting newcomers into clans was uncommon, but the Shadowmoon took pity on Gul'dan and did just that. Gul'dan carefully observed the clan's shaman for one that would work, and eventually settled on the chieftain Ner'zhul. He was dedicated, forthright, and persistent, but also held turmoil and sorrow because of the death of his mate Rulkan and the recent trouble with elemental spirits. Gul'dan preyed on Ner'zhul's inner darkness and convinced him to take him on as an, unbeknownst to him, pretend shaman apprentice.
Rise of the Horde
Through Gul'dan, Baphomet now had access to a public figure. As the demon began to manipulate Ner'zhul, he tasked Gul'dan with making the orcs see the humans and elves as enemies.
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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