Medivh

					Template:Infobox Warcraft character

Medivh was the last Guardian of Tirisfal, an ancient line of protectors bestowed with great powers to do battle with the agents of the Burning Legion. However, he was corrupted and possessed by the Demonlord Sargeras, who used him in his plan to conquer Azeroth. Medivh contacted the orc Gul'dan and together they opened the Dark Portal to allow the Horde into Azeroth. Later, he returned as a mysterious prophet, guiding the mortal races to victory in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. His name means "Keeper of Secrets" in Thalassian. He is voiced by Michael Bell in Warcraft III and Cam Clarke in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

He ends the following quest:

•  [70] The Master's Touch

and begins the following quest:

•  [70] Return to Khadgar

Birth and Early Life

Medivh's mother, Aegwynn, served as Guardian of Tirisfal before him. Eight centuries before the coming of the orcs, she had fought and defeated an avatar of Sargeras in Northrend. This was according to the demon lord's plan, as he used the opportunity to transfer his essence into her body, where he lay in wait.

Forty-five years before the coming of the orcs, Aegwynn desired to give birth to a child to whom she could pass on her powers, against the wishes of the Order of Tirisfal. She became pregnant by the court conjurer of the kingdom of Azeroth, Nielas Aran. Naming the boy Medivh, which means "keeper of secrets" in the high elven tongue, Aegwynn was unaware that Sargeras had possessed the defenseless child while it was still in her womb. He was given all of Aegwynn's powers, which were to lay dormant until he reached adulthood.

After a happy childhood spent with his father in Azeroth, with friends Prince Llane Wrynn and Anduin Lothar, On his fourteenth birthday, Medivh awoke in the middle of the night from evil dreams, where he pictured figures giving chase through deep chasms. In a sweat, he stumbled into his father's room, and when his father touched his brow, the power his mother had given him awoke. By the time the force had subsided, his father Nielas was dead and Medivh nearly so himself. Unconscious for many years, he was tended by the clerics at Northshire Abbey, because when the trauma occurred, the backlash of energy was felt many miles away, for hundreds of clerics came to this call.

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Early image of Medivh

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Medivh as seen in Warcraft I

The Fallen Guardian

Medivh awoke six years later, under a facade of control, and assured the court and his mother Aegwynn that he was fine. But the dark spirit of Sargeras twisted his thoughts and emotions towards an insidious end. With Medivh's powers growing exponentially daily, he had set out to know everything, and he even consorted with the Legion of the Lower Planes. He began to search for something with which to destroy the humans of Azeroth, who he saw as the only thing standing in his way of true power. He found that on Draenor. Bargaining with the warlock Gul'dan from his chambers in the tower of Karazhan, Medivh promised to furnish Gul'dan with the location of the Tomb of Sargeras if Gul'dan would bring the Horde to Azeroth and destroy the humans. And so, aided on the other side by Gul'dan's Shadow Council, Medivh opened the Dark Portal between Azeroth and Draenor.

It was at this time that the mages of Dalaran sent Medivh an apprentice. This young apprentice was known as Khadgar, a name which among the dwarves meant Trust. Years passed as the Young Trust studied under Medivh. They lived within his tower, Khadgar studying, Moroes serving as his aide, and Cook the Chef.

Soon the war between the orcs and humans began and the orcs ravaged the lands of Azeroth. Medivh was entertained, but the humans continued to fight back relentlessly, despite his toilings. Aegwynn then appeared to Medivh, trying to reason with him, but he heard her as nothing. They battled, but he emerged the victor, banishing her from his sight. But the battle had drained him, so he attempted to draw power from the very land itself. Through the use of portals, Khadgar had soon found out what Medivh had brought upon the lands of Azeroth.

During this time, Khadgar and the Horde's emissary, Garona Halforcen, had an audience with King Llane and Anduin Lothar, and Lothar was convinced of Medivh's corruption. Lothar, one of Medivh's best friends, led a troop of human forces, which included Khadgar and Garona, to deal with the crazed Guardian. During the battle with Medivh, Khadgar - magically aged by Medivh's spellwork - held Lothar's blade to the Guardian's chest, and finally ran it through Medivh's heart. The demon within him awakened at that point, right up until Lothar delivered the mercy stroke, decapitating the Guardian and banishing Sargeras into the Nether.

At the height of his powers, Medivh worked his magics and struggled with Sargeras in his tower of Karazhan. His powers were such that the trauma of his death laid a curse on his once wondrous tower and the surrounding area that became Deadwind Pass. The tower has become such a dangerous and accursed place, that those that venture in never return. Medivh's magics created Medivh's Beetle at the time of the Second War.

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Medivh appeared to Thrall in a vision

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Medivh had the ability to turn into a raven. Here, he lands in the Throne Room of Lordaeron to deliver his warning to King Terenas.

The Prophet

Over twenty years later, a strange prophet emerged from the shadows. He appeared to many, warning of a very palpable threat looming on the horizon. The young, dynamic Warchief of the Horde - Thrall, son of Durotan - heeded the warning of the prophet, and set sail to the ancient lands of Kalimdor in the far west beyond the sea. With the humans, however, he had some trouble.

Terenas and Antonidas both dismissed the Prophet as a madman, and Terenas' doomed son, Prince Arthas, refused to leave his beleaguered people. Only the young daughter of Daelin Proudmoore, and apprentice of Antonidas, Jaina, sensed that he was perhaps right. And when he appeared to her after the destruction of Stratholme, she heeded his warning and prepared to leave for the west, and she set sail with her kindred just as the invasion began.

The Prophet remained aloof for some time, until he reappeared to Thrall and Jaina as they prepared to do battle. He told them that they must ally if they ever hoped to defeat the Burning Legion. They reluctantly obeyed.

Finally, the Prophet revealed his identity when the time came to rally the forces. Appearing to Thrall and the night elf, Malfurion Stormrage, in a dream, the Prophet told them and Jaina and Tyrande Whisperwind that they must all join forces with each other to battle the common enemy. He told them that he was, in fact, Medivh, the Last Guardian of Tirisfal, and that it was his doing that brought the orcs, and, in turn, the Burning Legion, to the lands of Azeroth. Medivh had been resurrected by his mother, Aegwynn, when it became clear that a new threat loomed over the world of Azeroth - a threat in the form of the Scourge, the latest weapon of destruction created by the Burning Legion.

Realizing now who he was, Jaina, Thrall, and Tyrande were convinced that victory could only be achieved through an alliance, and they rallied together to defend the World Tree, Nordrassil. In the final hour, nature's spirits, called into action by the Horn of Cenarius' clarion call, swarmed around Archimonde, and destroyed the demon once and for all.

Confident that the world was safe for now, and that he had repaid a fraction of debt for his terrible sins, Medivh vanished, to take his place "amongst the legends of the past." The denizens of Azeroth will never forget what Medivh did for and against them, and some secretly hope that he will return in the future, to guide them once more through dark times.

Spoilers: "Cycle of Hatred" reveals that Aegwynn survived the battle with Medivh, and later brought him back using the last of her magic. Medivh then set up magical wards to ensure that his mother lived in peace.

Medivh's Student - Khadgar

Medivh once had a student - Khadgar, young mage apprentice from Kirin Tor of Dalaran. He spent with Medivh some time learning from him ways of magic. In the end, Khadgar, Garona and Anduin Lothar engaged Medivh in his tower and killed him. You can read much more about this story in the book "The Last Guardian" (Jeff Grubb).

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Medivh as seen in Warcraft III, holding Atiesh

Medivh's Staff - Atiesh

The most powerful mages focus their powers into magical staves, and Medivh was no different. His staff, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian, was possessed by an agent of Sargeras, thus boosting Medivh's already-immeasurable powers. When Medivh was killed, Atiesh was taken to Dalaran, where it was revealed that the spirit within killed anyone who dared try to wield it. It was locked away in a secret and secure vault for nearly three decades following Medivh's death, until Dalaran was destroyed by Archimonde. The staff was shattered into 42 pieces - the 40 splinters of the shaft, the base, and the headpiece.

The base found its way into C'Thun's possession in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj in an unknown way from Brann Bronzebeard (who found it through his exploration of Azeroth), and the headpiece was located by the necromancer-lich Kel'Thuzad, who was responsible for summoning Archimonde in the first place. The 40 splinters of the shaft are in the hands of Kel'Thuzad's lieutenants, spread out across his citadel of Naxxramas in the Eastern Plaguelands. Even if the staff were restored, it would need to be exorcised of the dark taint within...

Deaths

Medivh's death is unique in that it has been experienced by players in at least three different ways. In the original Warcraft game, the player had to enter his lair and slay him. His lair was filled with summoned and cave beings: Skeletons, scorpions, fire elementals and daemons. Lothar, Khadgar, and Garona are all absent. Medivh's death was clearly described in The Last Guardian, where it is clearly established that he was slain by the three listed above - with Khadgar wielding the blade that was run through Medivh's heart (and Lothar then decapitating him). Finally, in the interlude The Last Guardian in the Eternity's End campaign in Warcraft III, Medivh is killed by human footmen. Though the captain figure in the scene could be Lothar, Khadgar and Garona are nowhere to be seen.

Of course, this wasn't the end of Medivh (see "The Prophet," above). Exactly what happened to him after the events of the Battle of Mount Hyjal are unknown, though it is presumed that he died or otherwise left the material plane. More recently, a black raven can be seen endlessly circling Karazhan, leading some to suggest that the Last Guardian may linger on in some form; his fate remains unknown.

Medivh as seen in World of Warcraft - The Burning Crusade

The Dark Portal

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

In the Burning Crusade expansion, three major instances are linked to Medivh. The first is his tower of Karazhan in Deadwind Pass, which has been abandoned since Medivh's death at the hands of his apprentice, Khadgar, shortly before the end of the First War. The other two are battles within the Caverns of Time: the Battle of Mount Hyjal, where Medivh convinced the Alliance and the Horde to fight against Archimonde, and the Opening of the Dark Portal, where Medivh himself is seen in World of Warcraft. An "echo" of Medivh is also seen in Karazhan itself, where players play a game of chess against him in the Gamesman's Hall.

Caverns of Time

Medivh makes his appearance in World of Warcraft in Opening the Dark Portal, the second instance within the Caverns of Time, opened after Thrall's escape from Durnholde. It is set in the Black Morass just as Medivh prepares to open the Dark Portal, and the player group must protect him from members of the Infinite Dragonflight attempting to kill him and prevent the opening of the Portal - and the foundation of the Alliance.

Medivh is also involved in the attunement process for Karazhan. After obtaining the fragments of Khadgar's key from instances in Outland, Khadgar sends you to the Black Morass to speak to Medivh and gain possession of  [The Master's Key]. However, you must have completed the instance (Medivh must survive to open the Dark Portal) before you can speak to him and gain his key.

Quotes

General

• "You didn't teach me very much, Mother. You were always far too busy with your duties as Guardian to actually raise the son you brought into the world to succeed you. But one lesson you did impart on one of the rare occasions when you bothered to acknowledge my existence was that the council were fools. It was Sargeras who taught me what the final fate of all fools must be. You see, Mother, I learned all my lessons well."
• "It's not all demons and magic in this world. Sometimes a simpler answer suffices."
• "No matter how learned and knowledgeable, how wise and how wonderful, how powerful and puissant, there is always one more sliver of power, one more bit of knowledge, one more secret to be learned by any mage. I think these two fell into that trap, and called upon forces from beyond the Great Dark Beyond, and paid the price for it. Idiots. They were friends and colleagues, and they were idiots."
• "You did the right thing, no more or less than asked by me. But, you asked questions because you don't know much about demons, and that is ignorance. And ignorance I will not tolerate."
• "The former can advise the latter, but the latter must be free to challenge the former, to avoid what happened to the Kaldorei."
• "The orcs are not demons. They are flesh and blood, and as such the worry of warriors, not wizards."

Warcraft III

• "The Sands of Time have run out, Son of Durotan..."
• "I failed humanity once before...and I will NOT do so again."
• "Your Young Prince will find only death in the Cold North."
• "The harder you strive to slay your enemies, the faster you will deliver your people right into their hands."
• "Human? Ha ha ha... [mournful laughter]. I left my humanity behind long ago, young warchief. I am something.. different now."
• "Know that I have seen the future and beheld the great burning shadow that is coming to consume this world. You sense it as well, don't you?"

Caverns of Time

• Event Begins: "The time has come! Gul'dan, order your Warlocks to double their efforts! Moments from now, the gateway will open and your Horde will be unleashed on this ripe, unsuspecting world."
• Shield at 75%: "Champions! My shield grows weak!"
• Shield at 50%: "My powers must be concentrated on the portal! I do not have time to hold the shield!"
• Shield at 25%: "The shield is nearly gone! All that I have worked for is in danger!"
• Death: "No! Damn this feeble, mortal coil!"
• "What is this? Champions, coming to my aid? I sense the hand of the Dark One in this. Truly this sacred event bears his blessing."
• "I am grateful for your aid, champions. Now, Gul'dan's Horde will sweep across this world like a locust swarm, and all my designs - all my carefully laid plans - will at last fall into place."

Chess Event

An "echo" of Medivh can be found in Karazhan, where he challenges the player to a game of chess.

• Event begins: "Very well. Let the game begin."
• Cheating: "Perhaps a change is in order." "Time for an alternative scenario." "One must not become too complacent."

• Medivh loses a bishop: "A necessary sacrifice."
• Medivh loses a knight: "Yes...of course."
• Medivh loses a pawn: "Hmm." "Interesting." "No matter."
• Medivh loses his queen: "Ahh, I should have known."
• Medivh loses a rook: "A minor concern."

• Player loses a bishop: "The slightest loss of concentration is all it takes."
• Player loses a knight: "Yes...all according to plan."
• Player loses a pawn: "A transparent stratagem." "Let us see." "Ah, the wheels have begun to turn."
• Player loses the queen: "Now it gets interesting."
• Player loses a rook: "Foolish! Very foolish!"

• Player's king is in check: "As it should be."
• Medivh's king is in check: "And so, the end draws near."

• Player is checkmated: "Nothing less than perfection will do."
• Medivh is checkmated: "And so it ends."

Medivh's Farewell

The Roots will heal in time... as will the entire world. The sacrifices have been made. Just as the orcs, humans, and night elves discarded their old hatreds and stood united against a common foe, so did Nature herself rise up to banish the Shadow... forever. As for me, I came back to ensure that there would be a future, to teach the world that it no longer needed Guardians. The hope for future generations has always resided in mortal hands. And now that my task is done, I will take my place... amongst the Legends of the Past.

See Also

• Chronicles of the War in Azeroth - A detailed history of Medivh's childhood and his relationship to Prince Llane
• History of Warcraft
  •  [Aegwynn and the Dragon Hunt]
  • The Last Guardian

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