Aiden Perenolde

From WoWWiki

This article or section contains lore taken from the Warcraft RPG books.

Lord Aiden Perenolde was the king of the nation of Alterac.^{DotD LoC 88 APG 161 ToD 257} [1] He was a quiet-cultured looking man with graying brown hair, and hazel eyes.^{ToD 45} Aiden grew up wealthy, never knowing need. He adored his home in the Alterac Mountains, but had his eyes on Lordaeron City. He held none of the lineage for the throne, even if everyone in Lordaeron died inexplicably.^{LoC 172} He was one of the human leaders at the councils to form the Alliance of Lordaeron. When the Horde invaded Lordaeron, he saw his chance to ride the wave of their destruction and claim the jewel of the Alliance as his own.^{LoC 172} His nation was one of weakest contributors to the Alliance during the Second War. Lord Aiden Perenolde and the rest of the ruling families of Alterac secretly sided with the orcs in exchange for power.^{APG 134} He feared for the safety of his people, so he betrayed the Alliance by feeding information to Doomhammer and the Horde. Perenolde arranged for a peasant revolt in Tyr’s Hand to cover Horde mining operations there, kidnapped mages from Dalaran and sent pirates to assassinate Sir Uther Lightbringer; which would remove the driving force from the Order of the Silver Hand.

However, this treachery was discovered and Alterac burned to the ground by the incensed Alliance forces.^[1] Perenolde was deposed and imprisoned.^{ToD 373} Although he somehow escaped and rejoined the Horde. During an orcish attack on New Stormwind in the aftermath of the Horde's defeat, Perenolde had the Book of Medivh stolen by his troops in an attempt to use the orcs to rid his lands of the vengeful troops of Stromgarde and Lordaeron.^[2] However, after the debacle, martial law was instituted a second time, and Perenolde was declared a traitor. His people were exiled from their lands, and a warrant was put on his head.

When the nobles were thrust from their lands into the Arathi Highlands after the Horde’s defeat, he knew if they didn’t work together they would die. Lord Aiden Perenolde, realized he had to do something drastic to reclaim his lands. When the Burning Legion and the Scourge began their assault on Lordaeron, he did not make the same mistake twice by allying himself with the enemy; he simply took advantage of the Alliance’s distraction to begin moving on his lands. The harried and panicked citizens, the people they used to lord over, were frightened and confused and put up little fight, more concerned with the hellish creatures that were rampaging over the land. He managed to gain a loose hold on the prickly nobles to organize raiding parties on the local towns. When he regained control of his lands — and his neighbors — after the Third War, he had a burning desire to punish the Alliance (never mind that it lay shattered with the fall of Lordaeron). He managed to urge his fellow nobles into taking more and more surrounding land, and currently the Syndicate holds a good portion of the Alterac Mountains and Arathi Highlands. He knew he was a target for the nobles who chafe under his rule and protected himself accordingly. Perenolde became the first and self-proclaimed ruler of the Syndicate. At the time he was 66, dark of skin and hair with blue eyes.^{LoC 171-173} However, he was ultimately captured and ousted. He was left rotting in prison (where he would eventually die). Now, Lord Aliden Perenolde, Aiden’s son, leads the Syndicate to regain the lands.^{APG 159 DF 158}

His position and his former lands have been fought over by his eldest daughter, his eldest son, and his nephew.^{DotD 7 BtDP 100}

He was known to be addicted to flushbloom.^{LoC 88}

Contents 1 Uther's Proclamation and warrant 2 Lord Perenolde's Name 3 Speculation 3.1 Death Knight

Uther's Proclamation and warrant

BE IT NOW KNOWN that the individual called Lord Aiden Perenolde and every known ally (see attached list), due to their association with the vile Horde during the war and their traitorous actions toward the Alliance and her citizens, shall be stripped of all land, holdings and wealth and known hereafter as traitors to the Alliance. They shall forfeit all rights to citizenry in the Alliance. Indeed, they are considered enemies of all citizens of Lordaeron. Let no good people of this land show them hospitality, mercy or sanctuary. Consider the honor they gave the Alliance and her citizens, and treat them no better.

So said in this seventh year of the new Alliance.

Sir Uther Lightbringer of the Knights of the Silver Hand

— Proclamation from Uther Lightbringer regarding the ousted noble traitors, known later as The Syndicate.^{LoC 171}

Lord Perenolde's Name

In the earliest Warcraft sources — the manuals and the novels — Aiden Perenolde is listed as "Lord Perenolde" and no first name is given. Lands of Conflict is the first source to establish his name as Aiden Perenolde. This is confirmed in Alliance Player's Guide, and appears in the novel, Tides of Darkness.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore!

Death Knight

It is unknown if Baron Perenolde was meant to be a relative of Perenolde, or Aiden Perenolde himself (by the programmers). But if Aiden was alive after Warcraft III the latter is unlikely, in which case the character may not actually exist. He may also be the nephew mentioned in Day of the Dragon (who was named Isiden in Beyond the Dark Portal).