User:Joshmaul/Joshmaul the Warlock

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This article is a player character biography page for Joshmaul of Medivh US The contents herein are entirely player made and in no way represent official World of Warcraft history or occurrences which are accurate for all realms. The characters and events listed are of an independent nature and applied for roleplaying, fictional, speculative, or opinions from a limited playerbase only. Please make sure player character articles are named properly - see the player character articles policy.

WANTED: Bloodsail Admiral Joshmaul, AKA The Corruptor. Evil spirit in possession of orcish shaman, turned to warlock magic. Has become powerful in his new path and now seeks more. Responsible for countless acts of murder and destruction, including the assassinations of Baron Revilgaz and Fleet Master Seahorn of Booty Bay, Noggra of the Frostwolf Clan, and Nyssha Swiftblade of the Stormwind Assassins' Guild. Sentenced to death in absentia by Warchief Thrall of Orgrimmar, Regent Saavedro of Lordaeron, and King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind - as such, only his head is required for the bounty.

WARNING! Joshmaul is a very cunning and resourceful enemy, with both his magic and his knowledge at his disposal. It is highly recommended that you bring a group of the best - and even so, don't expect the whole group to return alive.

- Wanted Poster, Gadgetzan

Joshmaul the Warlock
Title	The Corruptor
Gender	Male
Race	Orc
Level	70
Character class	Warlock, formerly Shaman
Affiliation	Hands of Joshmaul Bloodsail Buccaneers
Occupation	Notorious pirate, murderer and homicidal madman
Location	Last seen in the Hatchet Hills outside Zul'Aman, Ghostlands
Status	Alive and scheming
Relative(s)	Noggra (son as Urgan, nemesis as Joshmaul), Saavedro (arch-nemesis)
Mentor(s)	Kaal Soulreaper
Student(s)	Linavil Shadowsun

Joshmaul the Warlock, also called Joshmaul the Corruptor, is a self-obsessed and insane orc who seeks to sow the seeds of discord and chaos throughout the world. His power-mad schemes have included reclaiming Atiesh, usurping the power of the Lich King and deposing Illidan as ruler of Outland. Though these schemes are laughed at as the insanity they are, none in the Horde doubt that Joshmaul is a very dangerous individual, and has in fact been sentenced to death in absentia by the orcish leadership in Orgrimmar, the Regency of Lordaeron, and the restored throne of King Varian Wrynn in Stormwind.

Joshmaul is believed to have become an admiral in the navy of the Bloodsail Buccaneers, and as such has also made himself a hated enemy of the powerful Steamwheedle Cartel.

Origins

The orc shaman Urgan, formerly a member of the Bleeding Hollow Clan, was born in the Bleeding Hollow's village in the outskirts of Terokkar Forest on Draenor. An idealistic but feared warrior of the Horde, Urgan fought during the First, Second and Third Wars, and - while apparently accepting his race's descent into evil (though he secretly opposed it) - retained his shamanistic heritage. After the Bleeding Hollow was captured following the sealing of the Dark Portal, Urgan was kept in one of the internment lodges in the courtyard of Durnholde Keep, and he and his fellow prisoners bore witness (silent as it was) to the escape of Aedelas Blackmoore's "pet orc" - Thrall, son of Durotan, later to become their Warchief. He was moved to another camp shortly thereafter - in fact, the camp that is now the location of the Horde outpost of Hammerfall - and officially rejoined the Horde shortly after the death of Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer. With Thrall as Warchief, the new Horde attacked and eventually destroyed Durnholde, ending the internment camp system. After Thrall was convinced by the mysterious prophet (later revealed to be Medivh, the Last Guardian) to leave the Eastern Kingdoms, Urgan and the rest of the orcish people made the great exodus to Kalimdor and participated in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Once Durotar - and its capital city of Orgrimmar - had been created, Urgan lived in the Valley of Trials to the south of the capital and helped train new shamans.

Possession

The vengeful spirit of a powerful human sorcerer named Kiran Joshmaul (who had been killed in another reality) had crossed the dimensional plane and entered the world of Azeroth. Seeking a strong body to host his powerful soul, Joshmaul possessed the body of the shaman, forcing the old orc's soul out of its own body. Joshmaul changed the body to his liking, lengthening and braiding the white hair and growing out a shaggy white beard. After he was satisfied with his new body, Joshmaul drank deep of the details of the world he had entered. He found that there were humans here, and that the world of Azeroth was a very medieval myth-like society with knights, wizards and monsters. He found that the race of the shaman he had possessed, the orcs, had a primitive yet honor-bound society, oriented around combat and the betterment of the soul. But Joshmaul was not interested in being a "nature lover"...he craved power. He found it in the form of demonic warlock magic, which he found - to his surprise - that he had a natural affinity for. In secret, while he feigned allegiance to the Horde, Joshmaul saw that the Shadow Council offered more opportunities for him, and he began to rise steadily in its ranks.

After Joshmaul took possession of Urgan, a warrior-shaman named Noggra - Urgan's son - swore to take his revenge on the warlock who had possessed his father.

In-Game Accomplishments

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Assault on Karazhan
• Assault on Zul'Aman

Currently

Joshmaul currently resides in Shattrath City, where he occasionally travels to the capitals and other embattled areas of the world.

Aid to the Blood Knight Order

Joshmaul and the tauren warrior Cyradwanu alongside Zynn Proudheart, a newly minted Blood Knight Master - the second blood elf Joshmaul had aided in their quest to obtain this rank

Upon the blood elves' introduction into the Horde - which Joshmaul, at first, was somewhat reluctant to agree to - he found that they espoused a philosophy very similar to his own: When power is there for the taking, take it.

Joshmaul particularly found the blood elves' use of paladins intriguing in that they did not act to the standards of the much-lauded (and much-hated) Order of the Silver Hand. Instead the Order of Blood Knights, as the paladins of Silvermoon were known, were what could best be described as the Silver Hand's complete opposite: A paladin of the Silver Hand was renowned for their humility, their gentle nature towards people in need and their righteous fervor against the enemies of the people, while a Blood Knight is entirely arrogant, cruel and selfish. The paladins' connection to the Holy Light was entirely natural, a symbol of their piety, while Blood Knights feed off the Light energies of the captured naaru known as M'uru, held in a vault beneath Blood Knight headquarters in Silvermoon. It was in Silvermoon that he met Ordevaas Portalseeker, and was so impressed with his skills that the warlock named him his chief lieutenant.

Believing this to be the chance he sought to obtain glory, Joshmaul offered his services to Lady Liadrin, the Matriarch of the Blood Knight Order. His duty was to take promising Blood Knights that he encountered along his travels - including members of the Royal Undercity Mounted Police, to which Joshmaul belonged - and, if they were worthy, take them to Stratholme to complete the final tasks to become a Blood Knight Master. Under Joshmaul's watchful eye, the aspiring Masters would complete their task and earn the right to ride a Thalassian charger and wear the black-and-crimson tabard of the Order. Joshmaul agreed, and immediately set upon his task.

The first successful trial was done with Ludovicus Dawnstar, the Princeps of the Legion of Anasterian - a group of blood elves who swore their allegiance to the legacy of the last King of Quel'Thalas. After this was completed, many months passed before another proved themselves worthy - a Blood Knight named Zynn Proudheart, an officer of the RUCMP who rose through the ranks aided by Joshmaul and Ordevaas on several occasions. Now, Zynn prepared for the final trial in Stratholme, and just with Ludovicus, Joshmaul was ready. With the aid of a fellow Mountie named Cyradwanu, the task was completed quickly. Victorious, the three rode from the Eastwall Gate through the Thalassian Pass to Tranquillien, then flew the rest of the way to Silvermoon before mounting up once more and riding into the city. Zynn knelt before Lady Liadrin, who bestowed him the rank of Master, the tabard of the Order and the reins of a Thalassian charger.

Joshmaul's third success story would be the lieutenant that he trained to carry out his dark bidding throughout the worlds. After nearly a year of intensive, grueling battle across the world of Azeroth, Ordevaas Portalseeker achieved his destiny; aided by senior commanders Maruz and Sheperd, with funds and items scrounged up by Joshmaul himself, Ordevaas entered Stratholme and completed his sacred task. Less than a week later, a young Blood Knight named Vatarri beseeched Joshmaul for his aid. Once again calling upon the services of his ally Cyradwanu, Joshmaul took the aspiring Master to Stratholme; just as before, the trial was completed effortlessly and without casualties.

Joshmaul was shunned by the Blood Knight Order upon the revelation of his treachery - and the treachery of Kael'thas - to Lady Liadrin and Ordevaas Portalseeker. However, the four Masters he trained remain "marked" by the Corruptor's influence.

Masters Trained Under Joshmaul's Tutelage

The Lost Eye

Joshmaul's missing eye replaced by an augmentic implant

While in Tirisfal Glades, Joshmaul encountered the aspiring death knight Artimus Devaneaux, sneaking along the coast, heading for a plagued barge anchored nearby. Joshmaul, both infuriated that the human was in Horde territory and that he was an agent of the Scourge, attacked. Artimus wore two blades at his belt, a proper sword and a shorter blade, gifts from Aedelas Blackmoore - the human general who had overseen the internment camp system. With the flat of the longer blade, Artimus smacked him across the face; with the shorter blade - stained with the blood of Euphrati, daughter of Sekhesmet - he carved Joshmaul's right eye out of its socket. Joshmaul occasionally uses glass eyes, but his favored replacement was created from the eye of one of the demonic beholders that resided in Outland.

Joshmaul's Adventures in Piracy!

Joshmaul in the attire of a Bloodsail Buccaneer, his flagship in the background

Joshmaul has recently engaged in another act which has earned him the ire of not only the Alliance, but of the goblins of the Steamwheedle Cartel: piracy. He allied himself with the feared Bloodsail Buccaneers, who operated in Stranglethorn Vale and were staunch enemies of the Steamwheedle port of Booty Bay. Upon proving himself to the Bloodsail - involving the slaughter of hundreds of goblins sent to confront him - Joshmaul received an opportunity from Fleet Master Firallon onboard his flagship Crimson Veil. If Joshmaul could slay the leaders of Booty Bay - Baron Revilgaz and Fleet Master Seahorn - he would be granted the rank of Admiral. Joshmaul agreed and, with the aid of his allies in the Horde, flew into Booty Bay. There, in a heated and bloody battle, he slew both leaders and their guards, earning his new rank.

Joshmaul's flagship is the Vengeful Spirit, a powerful vessel equipped with dozens of cannons. Upon being granted this new vessel, Joshmaul raided up the Savage Coast without restraint; with Booty Bay leaderless, the Steamwheedle Cartel could not easily stop the Bloodsail raiders. They did, however, place a 1,000 gold bounty on Joshmaul's head for his role in assassinating Revilgaz and Seahorn, as well as the crimes for which he had earned death sentences in Orgrimmar and Stormwind.

Shortly before the second Scourge Invasion, the Vengeful Spirit also raided the coast of Tanaris and shelled Steamwheedle Port, their major connection to their eastern port. When the Plague broke out in the capitals, Joshmaul called off the plunder and set a course for northern Tirisfal, to return to the "war effort" before journeying to Northrend.

Political Beliefs

Warlock Guilds

Joshmaul is of the opinion that the Horde should not shun the warlock guilds. He opposes Warchief Thrall's efforts to keep them out of sight, and scorns those warlocks who reside in Orgrimmar for subscribing to that practice, "hiding in a pit in the ground, cowering like children, while real warlocks are out in the open for everyone to see". He is a former disciple of Kaal Soulreaper, who resides in the Undercity, living and working alongside the warlock trainers of the Forsaken; in fact, Joshmaul himself favors the approaches taken by both the Forsaken and the blood elves, who do not hide what types of magic they use but rather utilize it for their own interests.

Death Knights and Necromancy

With rumors that death knights will be joining both the Alliance and the Horde, many "sensible people" on both sides believe that utilizing the weapon of the enemy makes them no better than the enemy. Many others, including Joshmaul, believe otherwise. Through his encounters with General Settra, an undead death knight who joined Sylvanas shortly after she and others were freed from the Lich King's domination, Joshmaul believes that utilizing the necromantic magics of the death knights would turn the tide against Arthas' legions in Northrend, provided they were properly accustomed to their enemies beyond Northrend - including the forces of Illidan and the Burning Legion in Outland.

Alliance in Quel'Thalas

While Joshmaul is a staunch supporter of the war against Zul'Aman, he is opposed to allowing the Alliance into Quel'Thalas to combat them. Many of his blood elf servitors, particularly Lord Kel'theris Decibelius, Joshmaul's personal envoy to Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron, agree with this sentiment; Quel'Thalas had pledged themselves to the Alliance only to be betrayed by them (though it should be noted that the blood elven leadership appears to have forgotten that King Anasterian broke off ties with the Alliance, which could be perceived as the elves betraying the Alliance, rather than the other way around). Joshmaul has surrounded himself with experienced slayers of forest trolls, and has even confronted Zul'jin's armies himself to some small degree.

Ulterior Motives

Joshmaul's all-encompassing goal - one he appears to share with Sylvanas, though the means are somewhat different - is the absolute domination of all life on Azeroth, as well as the unlife that dominates northern Lordaeron since Kel'Thuzad unleashed the Plague. Though their plans intertwine, their methods are somewhat different; Sylvanas seeks to wipe out both the living and the dead and pave the way for her Forsaken to dominate the world, while Joshmaul seeks to dominate all life as it stands - including, possibly, usurping the power of the Lich King and taking control of the Scourge for his own means. Thousands upon thousands of undead infest the Plaguelands of Lordaeron as well as the northern continent of Northrend, an unstoppable army that, if in the right hands (Joshmaul's, naturally) could remake the world in the image of its master.

Nemesis

The warlock's greatest opponent in his quest for immortality is Saavedro of Stratholme, Regent Lord of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand. Saavedro is one of few survivors of Lordaeron in active Alliance service, a veteran of battles against the Horde, the Scourge and the Burning Legion on countless battlefields on two worlds. The paladin's primary goal remains the restoration of the fallen Kingdom of Lordaeron, which is divided between the Forsaken (who hold the Tirisfal Glades and Silverpine Forest) and the Scourge (the Western and Eastern Plaguelands). Saavedro is aware, however, of Joshmaul's alliances within the restored Kingdom of Quel'Thalas...particularly via Saavedro's former peer, Ordevaas Portalseeker, now Joshmaul's chief lieutenant. If Lordaeron is restored as an Alliance nation, Quel'Thalas - as well as the Forsaken - would respond quickly, and Joshmaul's service to both nations would make him a likely candidate to fight in any renewed war in Lordaeron.

Saavedro and Joshmaul have gone head to head several times over the years; Saavedro is a far more experienced fighter and commander, having fought countless enemies - the Horde on the battlefields of Azeroth; the Scourge on numerous occasions, including the invasion that marked the return of Kel'Thuzad; the Burning Legion, as well as the servitors of Illidan, in the wastes of Outland. He has uncovered many of the secrets of Karazhan and, like Joshmaul, has fought in battle against the Amani. However, Joshmaul - being a warlock - is a crafty and conniving foe to the Regent of Lordaeron, as well as immensely skilled in the arts of shadow magic, and allied with beings who possess great skills with necromancy. Observers on both sides believe the battle will come to a head in Northrend, where both will test themselves - and each other - in combat against the Scourge.

Kralnoric Leanings

Through his travels in Outland, Joshmaul has recently become involved in the Church of Staves, founded by the single orc that all warlocks venerate as the "Great Warlock", Kralnor. Long ago, Kralnor taught that all who take up the mantle of the warlock should wield staves. Joshmaul - who for the longest time possessed the Blade of Trapped Knowledge and the Saga of Terokk - recently put these admittedly powerful items aside in favor of the Bringer of Death, an aptly named weapon for such an individual.

Enemy of the Warchief

Though considered technically part of the Horde, Joshmaul has made an eternal enemy out of Warchief Thrall for an act that was considered so vile and so despicable, only the Forsaken could have pulled it off...

Before his possession by the Corruptor, Urgan had fathered a son named Noggra, who became a shaman. When Urgan was possessed, Noggra - a member of the Frostwolf Clan - swore vengeance against the Corruptor and fought for many years to eventually free his father's body from the corruption of the warlock. But in the end, Noggra was tricked into a meeting with Joshmaul - a chance to have that confrontation he always wanted. Noggra realized too late that the Corruptor had set a trap for him; Joshmaul and his death knight ally, General Settra, ambushed Noggra in the throne room of Lordaeron and took his corpse to the monument to King Terenas. There, Joshmaul cut out the shaman's heart, and then Settra cast spells of necromantic power upon it, making it black and vile, before Joshmaul replaced the heart into the freshly dead body. The resulting monstrosity became known as the Avatar of Joshmaul.

Warchief Thrall was furious, and demanded Joshmaul to be killed at once; however, because the Corruptor is protected by the Forsaken, he may find his task more difficult than he thinks.

Mortal Servants of Joshmaul

Joshmaul seems to favor both blood elves and Forsaken as his lieutenants, primarily because of their preference for openly using the shadow magics that they wielded - in fact, the Corruptor took a young blood elf named Linavil Shadowsun as his apprentice. Though he lost his personal representation to Lor'themar Theron with the defection of the House of Whitehair, he still maintains links with the leadership of Silvermoon due to his actions on behalf of the Scryers.

Name	Description	Race	Class
Linavil Shadowsun	Apprentice to the Corruptor	Blood Elf	Warlock
Velenkayn the Fallen	Hand of Argus vindicator corrupted by Joshmaul and Ordevaas	Draenei	Death Knight

Enemies of Joshmaul

Joshmaul has as many enemies as he does allies; the majority of his opponents, surprisingly, are members of the Horde, including Warchief Thrall - though his archnemesis is an influential member of the Alliance. Saavedro of Stratholme, Sekhesmet's former apprentice and now a powerful Knight of the Silver Hand, had gained quite a following himself. Like Joshmaul, Saavedro allied primarily with the "new race" of his faction following the opening of the Dark Portal - in the human's case, the draenei, though his allies were more diverse than Joshmaul's. The Corruptor focused his alliances primarily with the blood elves and the Forsaken, the only two races he believed strong enough to bother with; Saavedro had lieutenants from all of the Alliance, with personal emissaries to the Cenarion Circle (night elves), the Gnomeregan High Tinker-in-Exile, the King of Ironforge, and the Prophet Velen.

But even Joshmaul's lieutenants became his enemies. When he began his campaign, the House of Whitehair - an influential family in Quel'Thalas - became his staunchest supporters. Ordevaas Portalseeker, a Blood Knight Master, became Joshmaul's chief lieutenant and helped him commit unspeakable acts of cruelty. But the family was not quite as tight-knit as Joshmaul was led to believe. Ordevaas' daughter Areinnye Scourgebane, a renowned hunter, turned against her family for remaining in Joshmaul's service; she had, in fact, shot her grandfather and family patriarch, Lord Kel'theris, with a poison arrow as a sign of renouncing her ties to the House of Whitehair, because it served Joshmaul.

Not long afterwards, her grandfather ended the alliance between Joshmaul and the House of Whitehair...at the urging of her father, who discovered that Joshmaul - and Grand Magister Rommath, Prince Kael'thas' ambassador to the blood elves remaining in Quel'Thalas - had lied to them about their allegiances, and the allegiance of their Prince. Now the House of Whitehair has allied themselves to Thrall and the greater Horde.

Name	Description	Race	Class
Saavedro of Stratholme	Regent Lord of the Kingdom of Lordaeron	Human	Paladin
General Korogh Madeyes	Saavedro's chief lieutenant	Dwarf	Hunter
Baron Artimus Devaneaux	Death Knight of the House of Barov, blinded Joshmaul's right eye	Human	Death Knight
Noggra the Pure (Deceased)	Son of Urgan, the orc Joshmaul possessed	Orc	Shaman
Thrall, Son of Durotan	Warchief of the Horde, friend of Noggra	Orc	Warrior/Shaman
Lord Kel'theris Decibelius	Patriarch of the House of Whitehair	Blood Elf	Mage
Master Ordevaas Portalseeker	Son of Kel'theris, formerly Joshmaul's chief lieutenant	Blood Elf	Paladin
Areinnye Scourgebane	Daughter of Ordevaas	Blood Elf	Hunter
Euphrati the Corrupted	Kel'theris' personal assassin	Forsaken	Rogue

Quotes

"The lord of all blood elves is a servitor of the Legion? Hmm...Ordevaas is not going to like this." -upon discovering Kael'thas' allegiance (and not telling Ordevaas - a fact that got him into trouble!)

"You ask me why I do not spend as much time among my own people, Lady Sylvanas? Well, the truth is, I'm not entirely sure who my people are. My soul comes from another world, another time - and the body I wear today is a race that is opposed to humans, which is what I called myself once upon a time. So you could say I too am forsaken in the general sense...and Forsaken in the Horde sense, if you get my meaning."

"There are going to be a lot of angry kids outside this cave, I think..." -after slaying Gruul the Dragonkiller

"Damn that Saavedro. Karazhan's secrets should be MINE - and all I have to do is have a chat with Medivh to get it. Simple, right?" -echoing his creator's gripe about how hard getting the key to Karazhan is with him, lol