Kurdran Wildhammer
 Kurdran Wildhammer
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| Gender | Male |
| Race | Wildhammer dwarf (Humanoid) |
| Character class | Gryphon Rider |
| Affiliation | Wildhammer Clan, Alliance Expedition, Sons of Lothar |
| Occupation | Ruler of Highbank, Thane of Wildhammer Stronghold, Former Chief Thane of the Wildhammer Clan, Gryphon Master of the Aerie Peak |
| Location | Wildhammer Stronghold, Shadowmoon Valley, Highbank, Twilight Highlands 
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| Status | Alive |
| Relative(s) | Khardros Wildhammer (ancestor?) |
| Companion(s) | Sky'ree |
- For Kurdran Wildhammer's Warcraft II statistics, see Warcraft II units.
- In Shadowmoon Valley, legends fly on the winds.[1]
Kurdran Wildhammer is a famed gryphon rider and one of the heroes of the Alliance Expedition to Draenor.
He is a level 70 quest ender in Shadowmoon Valley and a level 85 quest giver in the Twilight Highlands.
As of The Shattering's end, Kurdran is so far the only major hero of the Alliance Expedition to have returned to Azeroth.
Contents |
Biography
Beyond the Dark Portal
Kurdran Wildhammer - Gryphon Rider of Northeron[2] - was the Chief Thane of the Wildhammer Clan, and the Hinterlands[3] During the Second War, the Orcish Horde led by Orgrim Doomhammer invaded the Wildhammer homeland. Kurdran was one of the first dwarves to spot the invaders and initiate battle. Soon he was aided by the forces of the Alliance of Lordaeron, and together they fought the bloodthirsty horde. Kurdran pledged his and his kingdom's aid to Anduin Lothar after the human Alliance aided them in forcing the invading orcs and forest trolls out of their homeland. Kurdran and his loyal steed, the gryphon Sky'ree, became legendary during the war, battling over land and sea as well as the air; lending aid to Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. He left the Second War with nine slain dragons to his credit. After the war ended, Kurdran remained with the Alliance as a scout, his service proving invaluable to the Alliance war effort.
Upon hearing that Deathwing had breached the Dark Portal into Draenor, Kurdran was only too eager to serve as scout and warrior for the Alliance Expedition to Draenor, and thus commanded the Gryphon Rider Division. Though Kurdran was captured during the raid on Auchindoun, he was rescued by the Alliance and met his vengeance upon those who imprisoned him.
When Ner'zhul opened his unholy portals on Draenor, Kurdran elected to remain with his comrades and ensure that the Dark Portal was sealed to prevent it from harming Azeroth. For twenty years, he was believed dead, and immortalized in stone with his friends in the Valley of Heroes in Stormwind. Today, contact between Azeroth has at last been reestablished, and he now leads Alliance forces in Shadowmoon Valley.
World of Warcraft:Burning Crusade
Kurdran and Sky'ree survived the destruction of Draenor and, after joining forces with the Naaru, have taken up residence in Outland. Kurdran is the Thane of Wildhammer Stronghold, the Alliance outpost in Shadowmoon Valley, west of the Black Temple. Though he does not start any quests, Kurdran ends 
[70] News of Victory. Interestingly, though he is not the target of any PvP objective, he has a tremendous amount of HP, at 5588K, more than any faction leader.
Fire and Iron
Kurdran traveled to Ironforge to represent the Wildhammer clan in the Council of Three Hammers. Tensions were running high between the Wildhammer clan and the other two clans in Ironforge as they were resentful of the Wildhammer's nonconformist tendencies as well as fearful of the false rumors circulating that said the Wildhammers were using barbaric brutal tactics on their enemies as well as their allies who didn't comply with their demands. Eventually the tensions led to a fight between a Wildhammer and a Bronzebeard that ended in somebody's death. The Bronzebeard clan and the Dark Iron clan had proposed to reforge the Hammer of the High King as an act of unity between the three clans and to ease the rising tensions in Ironforge but in order to do so, they required the scepter that belonged in Kurdran's possession. Though Kurdran was reluctant to part with the scepter for sentimental reasons and saw the reforging of the hammer as a waste of time, he nonetheless handed over the scepter so that the Wildhammer would be better received in Ironforge. Still, Kurdran had trouble adjusting to Ironforge as he missed the open skies of the Hinterlands and was not fond of the politicking required of his position. His troubles were compounded when tensions again rose as a fight broke out between Kurdran and his Wildhammer dwarves and some Dark Iron dwarves, which consequently led to a fire that killed his gryphon Sky'ree.
The hammer would later be reforged as an act of unity between the three dwarven clans, under decree of the Council of Three Hammers. It was decided that a dark iron smith should reforge the hammer. A few days before the reforging, the council discovered that the pieces of the hammer might've been fakes. Yet the majority of the council agreed to continue with the reforging without the public knowing about it being a fake. Kurdran however, disagreed with the lie. Later that night, Kurdran would come to where the pieces were stored, and removed the Wildhammer scepter that was to be used as the hammer's handle. During a conversation with Moira Thaurissan, it was implied that she planned on the Wildhammer alienating the other two clans so that tensions between the Dark Irons and the Bronzebeards would lessen. Moira informed Kurdran that his brute strength was useless, and only winning hearts and minds mattered in Ironforge. The night before the reforging, Muradin advised Kurdran to compromise his principles a little as his beliefs were not only holding himself back, but his clan and the entire city as well. On the day of the reforging, it was discovered that the handle was missing, and Kurdran admitted he had stolen it. But instead of letting it be reforged, he smashed the handle with his stormhammer, and it shattered to pieces. Kurdran declared that the union of the dwarven clans shouldn't start with reforging a hammer that could be fractured again. Instead, Kurdran proposed that the dwarven clans move forward from the past and unite with a fresh start. Muradin Bronzebeard and Moira Thaurissan joined him by fracturing their fragments.
Realizing that Falstad was the better dwarf to represent the Wildhammer clan in the Council of Three Hammers, Kurdran decided to step down from his position as Wildhammer representative and traveled to Stormwind to aid King Varian's army.[4]
Wolfheart
Kurdran, along with other representatives of the Council of Three Hammers, attended the summit to vote Gilneas into the Alliance. Kurdran represented the Wildhammer clan.[5]
Cataclysm
Kurdran Wildhammer is present in the Twilight Highlands. He is the ruler of Highbank and can also be found in Kirthaven. He aids Alliance adventurers in uniting the various Wildhammer clans of the Twilight Highlands and bringing them under the Alliance banner. He also serves as the high commander in the Alliance army that is fighting against the Twilight's Hammer Cult.
Personality
Kurdran is well liked by his friends for his jolly personality and love for battle. He is a fierce warrior and does not like to be seen as a weakling, insisting to fight on despite being heavily wounded. Danath Trollbane was likely one of his closest friends and was whipped into frenzy hearing Kurdran's apparent death. Unlike many Wildhammers, he is not hostile towards wizards and spell-casters.
Valley of Heroes Monument
Kurdran Wildhammer
Renowned Dragon Fighter. Gryphon Master of the Aerie Peak. Commander of the Gryphon Rider Division attached to the Alliance Expedition that marched into the orc homeworld of Draenor. Presumed deceased.
We will hear Sky-Ree's calls upon the winds. We will hear your hammer thunder across the mountaintops. Ride hard into the hereafter, brother. The halls of our ancestors await you.
- High Thane Falstad Wildhammer
Quotes
Fire and Iron
- "The new Ironforge begins here. Ask yerselves, do ye want tae start it by puttin' this hammer back together so that one day it can be broken again? The Wildhammers have chosen tae take a step forward, not back. Who among ye is wi' us?"[6]
Twilight Highlands
- "I am Kurdran, High Thane of the Wildhammer Clan!"
- "We must unite the Wildhammer clans!"
- "Together, we will storm the highlands!"
Notes
- As of Cataclysm, Kurdran is one of the four surviving Alliance rulers from the Second War, the others being King Varian, Gelbin Mekkatorque and Genn Greymane; King Terenas of Lordaeron, King Thoras Trollbane of Stromgarde, Admiral Proudmoore of Kul Tiras, Lord Perenolde of Alterac, Antonidas of Dalaran, King Anasterian Sunstrider of Quel'Thalas and King Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge have all died (all murdered with the exception of Perenolde, died in prison, and Magni, petrified during a ritual) in the interim.
- Previously, Kurdran briefly replaced Falstad as the Wildhammer representative of the Council of Three Hammers (an error on the part of the creative team) until he was replaced once again by Falstad in a later build due to Red Shirt Guy. Interestingly, the Council of Three Hammers faction leader story, Fire and Iron, is written from the perspective of Kurdran and gave lore-based reasons behind the switch.[7]
- Prior to Patch 4.1, when interacting with Kurdran in the Twilight Highlands, Kurdran retained the on-click voice files he had as a member of the Council of Three Hammers ("The Council of Three Hammers requires me presence..."). His replacement, Falstad, also shared the same voice set. In patch 4.1, Kurdran gets unique on-click quotes.
Gallery
Kurdran art from Warcraft II
Kurdran in Warcraft II
Kurdran in Wildhammer Stronghold
Kurdran in Highbank
Complete TCG artwork.
References
- ^ World of Warcraft Trading Card Game: Hunt for Illidan. Blizzard Entertainment. 130.
- ^ Beyond the Dark Portal missions#VI. The Fall of Auchindoun
- ^ Rosenberg, Aaron. Tides of Darkness, 161. ISBN 978-1-4165-3990-2.
- ^ Fire and Iron
- ^ Wolfheart
- ^ Fire and Iron
- ^ http://us.battle.net/wow/en/game/lore/leader-story/the-council-of-three-hammers/
| Preceded by: Khardros Wildhammer |
Position: Chief Thane of Hinterlands & Wildhammer Clan |
Succeeded by: Falstad Wildhammer |
| Preceded by: Moira Thaurissan |
Position: Lord of Ironforge (as the Wildhammer clan representative of the Council of Three Hammers and Regent to Dagran Thaurissan II) |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
| Preceded by: None |
Position: Wildhammer clan representative of the Council of Three Hammers |
Succeeded by: Falstad Wildhammer |
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