Beyond the Dark Portal #4: a new Horde

August 12, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"Beyond the Dark Portal" series — Beyond the Dark Portal #4. The story of Beyond the Dark Portal, from the internment camps to the end of Draenor. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

To carry out his plan, Ner'zhul needed a Horde. He gathered the clans still left on Draenor, brought back key warriors like Grom Hellscream, and went after the Skull of Gul'dan. The clans that stood against him were crushed. That is how Ner'zhul's new Horde was born.

Grom returns to the fight

In the Horde campaign of the Beyond the Dark Portal game, one of the first missions is to free Grom Hellscream, who was held prisoner by the ogre-magi of the Laughing Skull clan. With Grom free, Ner'zhul had one of the Horde's most feared warriors back.

The Skull of Gul'dan

The Skull of Gul'dan was in the hands of the Bonechewer clan. In the game campaign, the warriors of Kargath Bladefist's Shattered Hand, together with the ogre Dentarg, take the skull by force. In the novel, it is Grom who kills the Bonechewer chieftain Hurkan Skullsplinter and hands the skull to Ner'zhul.

The rival clans

Not every clan wanted to follow Ner'zhul. The Bonechewer and the Thunderlord opposed his plans, and they were attacked and defeated. Whoever did not obey was crushed.

Teron Gorefiend

The death knight Teron Gorefiend, who had led the survivors of the Second War back to the Portal, joined Ner'zhul. He would be the shaman's right hand in the missions on Azeroth.

What this changes in the story

Ner'zhul's new Horde is very different from Orgrim's Horde. It does not want to conquer Azeroth. It wants to leave a dying world. That is why its orcs act in small groups, stealing artifacts, and not as a great invading army.

Several of its leaders are still around in WoW. Kargath Bladefist is the boss of the Shattered Halls, Teron Gorefiend is a boss in the Black Temple, and Grom Hellscream, who gets stuck on Azeroth at the end of this story, leads the Warsong clan in Warcraft 3.

In Warlords of Draenor, the expansion returns to an alternate version of these same chiefs, but without the demonic corruption, in the so-called Iron Horde.

Episode timeline

Ner'zhul gathers the clans still left on Draenor.
Grom Hellscream is freed from the Laughing Skull clan.
The Skull of Gul'dan is taken from the Bonechewer.
The Bonechewer and Thunderlord clans are defeated.
Teron Gorefiend joins Ner'zhul.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Ner'zhul | The leader of the new Horde. | | Grom Hellscream | The chieftain of the Warsong, freed to fight again. | | Kargath Bladefist | The chieftain of the Shattered Hand. | | Dentarg | The ogre-mage who served Ner'zhul. | | Teron Gorefiend | The death knight, Ner'zhul's right hand. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Hellfire Ramparts and Shattered Halls: Hellfire Citadel dungeons, with Kargath Bladefist as the final boss of the Shattered Halls.
Black Temple: Teron Gorefiend as a raid boss.
Nagrand: the Mag'har, orcs who never drank the blood.