Thrall is born; Durotan and Draka are killed

Full History

Durotan and Draka belonged to the exiled Frostwolves, a clan punished for resisting the corruption of the Horde. Their son's birth came during a period of danger when the future of the family was uncertain. The child, named Go'el by his parents, became an orphan after both were murdered. Their deaths erased the household that might have taught him the clan's ways, but they did not end the story of Durotan's resistance.

Aedelas Blackmoore found the infant and brought him into the human world. He gave the child the name Thrall and raised him under his own control, envisioning how an educated and disciplined orc might be used for personal ambition. Thrall's upbringing mixed knowledge of human language and methods with the harsh realities of imprisonment. He learned much about the people who had defeated the Horde, but he was denied freedom and knowledge of his own family.

As he grew older, Thrall escaped and searched for the remnants of orcish identity beyond captivity. His journey led him to the Frostwolves and to the history of Durotan and Draka. He discovered that not all orcs had embraced demonic power and that shamanic traditions still survived. These discoveries changed the meaning of leadership for him: freedom could be more than revenge against human captors; it could also mean restoring the spiritual independence of his people.

Thrall eventually became warchief, liberated orcs from internment, and led followers to Kalimdor. There he forged the New Horde with allies such as the Darkspear trolls and tauren. His story did not erase the wars begun by the Old Horde, but it gave a displaced generation the possibility of a different future. The murder of his parents and his captivity were the beginning of a transformation that shaped the politics of the original World of Warcraft.