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This article is about Archmage Arugal's character biography. For the character's appearance in the Shadowfang Keep instance, see Archmage Arugal (tactics). For his appearance in Grizzly Hills, see Shade of Arugal.
NeutralArugal
Image of Arugal
Title Archmage
Gender Male
Race Human
Class Mage
Affiliation(s) Wolfcult (Scourge)
Former affiliation(s) Wolf Cult, Kirin Tor, Kingdom of Gilneas, Magocracy of Dalaran
Occupation Master of the Wolfcult, Sorcerer[1]
Former occupation(s) Master of Shadowfang Keep, Archmage of the Kirin Tor and Gilneas
Location Various
Status Deceased[2]
Relative(s) Worgen sons (adopted)
Companion(s) Voidwalkers

Archmage Arugal is a former mage of Dalaran who lived within the ruins of Shadowfang Keep and was later raised from the dead. He is most notorious for having unleashed the worgen once more unto the world by freeing them from the Emerald Dream.

Background[]

The Third War[]

Originally a respected patriot of Gilneas and a royal archmage,[3] Arugal eventually became a member of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran. He used to stay at Valgan's Field in northern Silverpine Forest.[4] Dalar Dawnweaver—a Kirin Tor mage later raised as a Forsaken—considers Arugal to have been a charlatan[5] whose knowledge of spellcasting was so transparent that he was unworthy to even clean chamber pots in Dalaran. Indeed, Arugal used enchanted items to reinforce his weak magic.[4][6]

After the Scourge destroyed Dalaran and most of its populace, Arugal returned to his homeland of Gilneas. When the Scourge reached the Greymane Wall protecting Gilneas' northern border, Arugal was called by King Genn Greymane to help him find a way to protect his kingdom. Arugal told him about the worgen, a mysterious race he had learned about, which could be summoned to help them. He warned Genn about the worgen's strength and ferocity, but the king decided to enlist their help. Using Ur's research, Arugal summoned worgen to attack the undead that attempted to pass the wall. Though they were successful in killing the Scourge, they later turned their rage against the Gilnean soldiers, turning some of them into worgen. This started spreading the worgen curse all through Gilneas.[7][3]

Some worgen later sieged the keep of the noble Baron Silverlaine above the small hamlet of Pyrewood Village, causing the keep to quickly fall into shadow and ruin. Driven mad with guilt, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and retreated to the keep he named Shadowfang Keep.[2][8] He resided there serving the worgen leader Alpha Prime,[7] protected by his massive pet Fenrus and haunted by the vengeful ghost of Baron Silverlaine.[8]

World of Warcraft[]

WoW Icon update This section concerns content related to the original World of Warcraft.

Eventually, Arugal started his own worgen cult by spreading the worgen curse to places like the Deep Elem Mine[9] and Pyrewood[10] and using his magic to keep the worgen under his control. Soon, he had worgen packs such as the Shadowfang pack and the Moonrage pack to do his bidding.

The Kirin Tor sent Sorcerer Ashcrombe to Shadowfang Keep to check Arugal's progress against the undead, ignorant to the fact that the archmage had now been driven mad. His activities eventually drew the ire of the Forsaken and he was later assassinated by Horde adventurers.[11]

Wrath of the Lich King[]

Wrath-Logo-Small This section concerns content related to Wrath of the Lich King.
Main article: Shade of Arugal
Out of Body Experience

Arugal is resurrected by the San'layn.

Shade of Arugal

The Shade of Arugal.

After he was defeated and beheaded by agents of the Horde,[2][11] Arugal's headless body was buried at the foot of the path leading up to his former stronghold of Shadowfang Keep. The Lich King saw fit to bring him back as one of his puppets,[2] so the San'layn princes Keleseth, Valanar, Theraldis and Atherann resurrected Arugal as a ghost in the service of the Scourge and sent him to the Grizzly Hills to subvert the trapper communities.[12]

As indicated by Theraldis' comments, Arugal was sent to Solstice Village to convert the population into worgen, and later did the same in Silverbrook. He then settled his base of operations in Shadowfang Tower on Bloodmoon Isle, off the Eastwind Shore. The majority of the populations of the trapper villages willingly joined the Wolfcult, while those who resisted were killed or (in the case of the workers of the Hollowstone Mine) cursed to undeath.[12]

He seems to command the Bloodmoon pack of worgs. He has three lieutenants: Varlam (a human cultist atop a worg), Selas (a worgen), and Goremaw (a worg). Sasha asked adventurers to kill them all,[13] and Arugal was eventually put to a true end.[2]

Cataclysm[]

Cataclysm This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Arugal has been replaced by Lord Godfrey as the final boss of Shadowfang Keep. However, Arugal's legacy remains, as worgen death knights are said to be former servants of Arugal who escaped from Shadowfang and later became minions of the Lich King.

Legion[]

Legion This section concerns content related to Legion.

After he was defeated, his soul traveled to the Shadowlands. During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, the death knights of the Ebon Blade ventured into the Shadowlands to collect the essence of darkness from his soul.[14]

Locations[]

Notable appearances
Location Level range Health range
Archmage Arugal (tactics) 21 4,640
N [15-30] Out of Body Experience 75 5,118
Shade of Arugal 75 106,350

Objective of[]

Quotes[]

Arugal's monologue to Deathstalker Vincent[]

"I have changed my mind loyal servants, you do not need to bring the prisoner all the way to my study, I will deal with him here and now. Vincent! You and your pathetic ilk will find no more success in routing my sons and I than those beggardly remnants of the Kirin Tor. If you will not serve my Master with your sword and knowledge of his enemies...Your moldering remains will serve ME as a testament to what happens when one is foolish enough to trespass in my domain!"[citation needed] 

Notes[]

  • Arugal had access to enchantments that allowed his favored worgen servants—such as Lord Harford—to retain a fair deal of their human intelligence. The source of these enchantments remains a mystery as the archmage took these secrets with him to his grave.[15]
  • Inv misc coin 17 [Arugal's Gold Coin] can be fished from the Dalaran fountain.
  • When Arugal cast his wretched magic on Silverpine, one of the victims was Apothecary Berard, a member of the Royal Apothecary Society.[16]
  • Before Curse of the Worgen was released, Arugal was said to have released the worgen in order to help the Kirin Tor mages of Dalaran against the Scourge.[8] These events were not mentioned in the comic.
  • Arugal appears as a legendary card for the mage class in the The Witchwood expansion for Hearthstone. His flavor text reads: "His worgen children call him Archmage AROO-OO-OO-OO-gal."

Gallery[]

Fan art[]

References[]

Preceded by:
Baron Silverlaine
Position:
Ruler of the Shadowfang Keep
Succeeded by:
Vincent Godfrey
Preceded by:
None
Position:
Leader of the Wolfcult (as Shade of Arugal)
Succeeded by:
Incumbent
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