Twilight's Hammer clan
From WoWWiki
 Twilight's Hammer clan
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| Membership | Unknown, estimates range from several score to several thousand. |
| Race(s) | Ogres, Orcs (original clan); Dwarves, Forsaken, Gnomes, Humans, Jungle trolls, Night elves, Orcs (modern cult) |
| Capital | Northshire (original clan) |
| Main leader | Cho'gall (Chieftain, deceased) |
| Theater of operations | Blackfathom Deeps, Blackrock Depths, Darkshore, Searing Gorge, Silithus |
| Alignment | Chaotic evil |
Twilight's Hammer clan (aka the Twilight Cult, the Twilight's Hammer cult, or the Twilight's Hammer) refers to a single organization, that later expanded into a cult, as the clan's surviving members and members of other races joined together.HPG 169 The Twilight Hammer's current members banded together to study Cho'Gall's teachings and form the current cultDF 163. The organization is still considered a clanHPG 169. However, the true clan exists within the cult. The true clan members are not the cult's primary members nor do they make up most of the cult's membershipDF 84. The current Twilight's Hammer organization is a bit different than its original form. However, no matter which form the Twilight's Hammer has taken, it has always had the ultimate purpose of bringing about Armageddon to the worlds it inhabits, and will use various means to obtain this end.
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History
The history of the Twilight's Hammer begins with Cho'gall, the first ogre mage. Cho'gall was made the leader of an orc clan after its previous chieftain was executed for disobeying the Shadow Council. The clan's name was changed to the Twilight's Hammer; its original name and that of its former chieftain was stricken from all records. Under Cho'gall's leadership the clan became increasingly nihilistic and eventually sought the destruction of all creation.DF 162
Second War
Obsessed with the notion that the Horde is the harbinger of apocalyptic doom to all the lands that it ravages, the Twilight's Hammer felt a sacrosanct gratification in the destruction of all that it encountered. Led by the cunning Ogre Mage Cho'gall, the Twilight's Hammer had strong ties to Gul'dan and the Stormreaver Clan. Its loyalty to the Horde was not as strong as its belief in its sacred mission of oblivion.W2Man 70
After coming to Azeroth the Twilight's Hammer Clan, alongside with the Bleeding Hollow Clan under the leadership of Kilrogg Deadeye, led the orcish forces in the first attack on Stormwind Keep. The battle went horribly, as the Horde had not expected such resilient persistence against them. The two clan leaders blamed each other. It is possible that Kilrogg Deadeye planned the attack on Stormwind in hopes of using it to get rid of a rival clan.
Cho’gall survived the rise and fall of Blackhand, and the destruction of the Shadow Council. He served a useful purpose to Doomhammer who, with Gul’dan, wished to bring Ogres through the Portal to enforce inter-clan civility. Cho’gall was placed as overseer for the oil refineries in Tol Barad.
When Gul’dan discovered the Tomb of Sargeras, Cho’gall believed that it would herald Armageddon, and so was quick to unlock its secrets. But he, and the rest of his clan, would die at the hands of their own brethren, when Doomhammer ordered the traitors destroyed. The surviving members of Twilight's Hammer retreated for a time, rebuilding its forces and biding its time.APG 169 Afterwards, those of the Twilight's Hammer, Stormreaver and Blackrock clans who died in that battle kept reliving it in their undeath, until the night elf warden Maiev Shadowsong put them to rest.
Present activities
While the truth behind how this happened remains a mystery, the modern Twilight's Hammer retains the destructive nature of Cho'gall's clan, but almost nothing else. Somehow, one of the Old Gods has managed to make this clan its pawn; and since that time, the clan's numbers and power have dramatically increased. Even humans and other former members of the Alliance flock to join the service of the elemental lords and help bring about the complete destruction of Azeroth. The largest groups of the Twilight's hammer now camp near the locations where they believe the Old Gods and their minions are sealed away; many wait for C'Thun's awakening in Silithus, and others serve Ragnaros in the Blackrock Depths along side the Dark Iron dwarves.HPG 169
The Twilight's Hammer Clan, or as it also is referred to as Twilight's Hammer Cult or Twilight Cult, is still seen in Azeroth. The cult was always obsessed with signs of an apocalypse — as had the clan in earlier times—and indeed often sought to bring such doom about by their actions. The Twilight's Hammer has representatives of all races among its members and employs a myriad of classes from simple warriors to Aquamancers and Shadowmages.
The organization now seems to have a strange fixation on the Old Gods, worshipping Ragnaros and seeking power from such eldritch places as Maraudon, which has very strong ties to the element of Earth, and thus may hold powers long held at rest. They also show strong resistance in Blackfathom Deeps, the submerged domain of the Old God's servant, Aku'mai, and Silithus, where savage winds blow across the desert outside the ruined city of Ahn'Qiraj, domain of mighty C'thun. They even have ambassadors among the dwarves of Blackrock Depths, in the court of Emperor Dagran Thaurissan.
In Darkshore, the Hammer may be found in the Master's Glaive, the site of a large skeleton of a dead Old God. In Ashenvale, their presence is felt most powerfully in the Blackfathom Deeps instance where they worship the ancient beast Aku'mai, favored pet of the Old Gods. Their leader there is Twilight Lord Kelris, an orc caster who sits in meditation before a statue of Queen Azshara, waiting for adventurers on the "Blackfathom Villainy" quest. In Ironforge, Gerrig Bonegrip casually admits his association with the Hammer and assists those seeking to help free Princess Myzrael, and the Forsaken Keeper Bel'dugur in Undercity secretely works for the cult.
Presence in Silithus
Their strong activity in Silithus might be ascribed to the presence of C'Thun, a presumed Old God. Recently, they have been particularly active in Silithus, using the Windstones to summon powerful Elementals of the Abyssal Council, which may direct the movements of the organization.
Military Forces
What the Twilight’s Hammer lacks in military training, it more than makes up for in fervor. Every member would willingly die for the cult, fully believing the Old Gods reward them for their sacrifice.DF 187
Members of lower echelons of the Twilight Hammer(which is most of them) are predominately of the nonmagical classes, mostly barbarians, rogues and warriors. Other nonmagical classes are known, but less common. As one ascends through the ranks of the organization spellcasters become more common. The twilight overlords, are almost exclusively spellcasters. Most of the spellcasters are arcanists, specifically elementalists.
This hierarchal pyramid is also indicative of how Twilight’s Hammer cults approach defense. The first cultists the heroes encounter are likely to be low-level initiates. Only if that fails to deter them do the heroes face higher-ranking members, increasing in rank and power as they plunge into the depths of the temple. To catch sight of the inner circle, the heroes must breach the inner sanctum. The twilight lord deigns to fight only if the sect as a whole is threatened (in other words, to preserve his own life or goals). By that point, of course, the heroes are depleted from fighting the cultists, in theory making them easy prey for the twilight lord (which makes him look even more impressive to his followers).
Should a Twilight’s Hammer sect be incited to attack another group, their offensive tactics differ little from their defense. Low-level members act as scouts, while the main force attacks in waves of incrementally increasing power, until they subdue their foe, and the twilight lord — or one of his representatives — can swoop in and claim victory. The Twilight’s Hammer rarely uses such overt measures, however, preferring instead to scare off those who stand in its way. Accompanying each act of sabotage, kidnapping, or assassination is always an unambiguous — and gruesome — sign that the Twilight’s Hammer is responsible.DF 188
The True Believer
Hermit Ortell, an NPC who lives in a cave in the southeast of Silithus, is an ex-Twilight's Hammer member. He will take 10 Encrypted Twilight Texts (which can drop from any Twilight's Hammer member and drop in large stacks from the roaming Twilight Prophet) through the repeatable quest Still Believing. The quest gives no faction, but several hours after the turn-in, he will mail you a container. In the container can be translations of a Twilight's Hammer newsletter that contains lore information, as well as Shadow Resist tradeskill recipes for cloth and plate (Runed Stygian and Darkrune, respectively), as well as scrolls to create an Object of Beckoning.
Known members
| Orcish Clans of the Second War | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clans and Leaders | Black Tooth Grin | Blackrock | Bleeding Hollow | Bonechewer | Burning Blade |
| Rend / Maim | Blackhand / Orgrim Doomhammer | Kilrogg Deadeye | Tagar Spinebreaker | None | |
| Clans and Leaders | Dragonmaw | Frostwolf | Laughing Skull | Shadowmoon | Shattered Hand |
| Zuluhed the Whacked | Durotan | Mogor the Ogre | Ner'zhul | Kargath Bladefist | |
| Clans and Leaders | Stormreaver | Thunderlord | Twilight's Hammer | Warsong | |
| Gul'dan | Fenris the Hunter | Cho'gall | Grommash Hellscream | ||
