Gul’dan creates the Horde’s first generation of death knights

Full History

Gul'dan created the Horde's first death knights by binding spirits associated with the Shadow Council to the remains of fallen human knights. These undead riders were not the same as the later death knights raised in the Scourge's service. They were a Second War weapon fashioned from necromancy and the warlocks' surviving knowledge.

After Doomhammer's purge, Gul'dan needed to prove his value and regain influence within the Horde. The creation of death knights gave the warchief terrifying spellcasters on horseback while preserving some of the power the Shadow Council had lost. Their bodies and souls testified to the warlock's contempt for ordinary distinctions between life and death. The experiment also reflected the larger Horde's willingness to exploit unnatural methods while fighting for conquest.

These first death knights belong to Warcraft II history and should not be confused with Arthas or the Knights of the Ebon Blade of later eras. Their original identity links Gul'dan's necromancy, the dead of the human kingdoms, and the politics of Doomhammer's Horde. They were one more consequence of the demonic transformation of orcish warfare.