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 posessed by 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.
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 pass on her powers to, against the wishes of the Order of Tirisfal. She became pregnant by the court conjurer of the kingdom of Stormwind, 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 Stormwind, with friends Prince Llane Wrynn and Anduin Lothar, Medivh suffered a trauma on his fourteenth birthday, as the power his mother had given him awoke. Unconcious for many years, tended by the clerics at Northshire Abbey.
The Fallen Guardian
Medivh awoke six years later, under a facade of control, and ensured the court 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 had delved into Necromancy and 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, 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. So he opened the Dark Portal.
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 taking care of Medivh, 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, Garona and Khadgar had an audience with King Llane and Anduin Lothar. Eventually the King was convinced of Medivh's corruption. King Llane had decided that Azeroth had had enough, and sent a troop of human forces to deal with Medivh. His killers were led by his closest friends, including an magically aged Khadgar, Anduin Lothar, and the half-orc Garona. In the final moments of his life, Medivh sent out waves of psychic trauma that shattered the defenses of even Gul'dan, who tried to invade his mind from the Tomb of Sargeras. Medivh's death put Gul'dan into a coma.
At the height of his powers, Medivh worked his magics and struggled with Sargeras in the 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
Medivh Appeared to Thrall in a vision
The Prophet
Many, many 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.
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, culled 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."
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 as seen in Warcraft III
Medivh had the magic ability to turn into a crow. The official Medivh action figure's crow accesory is set in a grassy background.
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."
- "The Sands of Time have run out, Son of Durotan..."
- "Your Young Prince will find only death in the Cold North."
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."
From Warcraft 1
Medivh as seen in Warcraft I
Early image of Medivh
In one of the human missions in Warcraft 1 you had to enter Medivh's lair and kill him. The reason you had to kill him was that he was chanelling power from the earth itself and was becoming too strong. His lair was filled with summoned and cave beings: Skeletons, scorpions and a daemon (the "big" spell orcish warlocks could cast to summon this powerful demon called daemon ; this spell used to take all mana from the warlock).
See Also
- Chronicles of the War in Azeroth - A detailed history of Medivh's childhood and his relationship to Prince Llane
- History of Warcraft
