First War #5: The Opening of the Dark Portal

July 16, 2026•Lore•Brendo Arruda

"First War" series — First War #5. The story of Warcraft I, from the clans of Draenor to the fall of Stormwind. The episodes are listed in order at the end of the post.

The Dark Portal was opened by two people, one on each side. On Draenor, Gul'dan and his warlocks built the gateway. On Azeroth, the mage Medivh, possessed by the spirit of Sargeras, opened it from the other side. With Draenor dying and the draenei almost destroyed, the Horde had a new world to conquer. This episode shows who really ruled the Horde and how the pact between Gul'dan and Medivh came about.

The Shadow Council

After the fall of Shattrath, the Horde was the largest army Draenor had ever seen, but it was not ruled by the one who seemed to rule it. The real power lay with the Shadow Council, a secret group of warlocks led by Gul'dan.

Its members included the most powerful warlocks of the Horde, such as Cho'gall, the two-headed ogre, and Teron Gorefiend. The Council decided, and the clan chieftains obeyed without knowing where the orders came from.

Blackhand, the figurehead Warchief

For the orcs, the Horde had a leader: Blackhand, of the Blackrock clan, chosen as the first Warchief. He was a feared warrior and enjoyed the title.

But Blackhand was Gul'dan's choice. The Shadow Council put him there because he was strong enough to be respected and easy enough to control. Orcs like Orgrim, Blackhand's right hand, and Durotan began to suspect this.

A dying world

Draenor was coming to an end. The warlocks' fel magic had drained the life from the planet, and fertile lands were turning into red desert. With the draenei almost wiped out, the Horde had no one left to fight, and bloodlust began turning the orcs against each other.

Gul'dan needed a new war. Kil'jaeden already had a target: Azeroth.

The pact with Medivh

On the other side of the cosmos, on Azeroth, lived Medivh, the Guardian of Tirisfal. Since before he was born, he had carried the hidden spirit of Sargeras, which had passed to him from his mother, Aegwynn. Sargeras wanted a way for the Legion to reach Azeroth, and the orcs were the perfect army.

Through visions, Medivh made contact with Gul'dan. The deal was simple: Medivh would open the passage on the Azeroth side, and the Horde would have a whole world to conquer. Gul'dan had an extra interest: Medivh showed him that the Tomb of Sargeras existed, where there was supposed to be a power that could turn whoever found it into a god.

The Dark Portal

Gul'dan's warlocks built a gigantic stone structure on Draenor, with two columns and a passage in the middle. On the Azeroth side, Medivh prepared the other end, in a swamp south of the kingdom of Azeroth: the Black Morass.

When the two sides were linked, the Dark Portal opened. A path between two worlds was ready, and the Horde began to cross.

Episode timeline

The Shadow Council, formed by Gul'dan before the war against the draenei, controls the Horde.
Blackhand, Warchief since before Telmor, serves as the Council's figurehead.
Draenor begins to die because of fel magic.
Medivh makes contact with Gul'dan through visions.
The warlocks build the Portal on Draenor, and Medivh opens the other side.
The Dark Portal opens in the Black Morass, on Azeroth.

Who's who in this episode

| Name | Who they are | |------|--------| | Gul'dan | The leader of the Shadow Council and the real power behind the Horde. | | Shadow Council | The secret group of warlocks that controlled the clan chieftains. | | Cho'gall | The two-headed ogre of the Council, leader of the Twilight's Hammer clan. | | Teron Gorefiend | A Council warlock who would later become the first death knight. | | Blackhand | The first Warchief of the Horde, a figurehead leader. | | Medivh | The Guardian of Tirisfal possessed by Sargeras, who opened the Portal on the Azeroth side. |

Where to see it in WotLK

Blasted Lands: the Dark Portal is still standing, and it is how you enter Outland.
Hellfire Peninsula: the other side of the Portal, in Outland, with the Fel Horde.
The Black Morass, in the Caverns of Time: the dungeon where you protect Medivh while he opens the Portal.
Shadowmoon Valley: Teron Gorefiend appears in the Black Temple as a raid boss.