Rendaen

Biodata

Background and History

Rendaen was a Dark Iron noble who rejected submission to the Firelord. He and his supporters broke away from Emperor Thaurissan and established a mountain base in Searing Gorge, where they faced frequent attacks from Blackrock Dwarves 184. Rendaen said he rebelled partly because he opposed slavery and did not want to share Thaurissan’s fate under the Firelord. He also formed a secret alliance with Duke Hydraxis’s Water Elementals against Ragnaros 226.

Appearance

Rendaen is an imposing Dwarf with a snow-white beard. At his coronation, he wore polished armor and a broad black cloak 220 267.

• Beard: Bound into a cylinder by several thick gold rings 220.
• Mount: Rode a huge, fiery-red lizard when he met Unas; he rode a smoldering fire dragon at his coronation 220 267.
• Transformed body: Grows to nearly two meters tall and takes on a pale golden, bronze-like appearance 254.

Personality

Rendaen is proud and quick-tempered, especially when he sees fallen Dark Iron warriors disrespected. He challenged Lincoln after learning that the Ogres were eating Dwarf corpses, although Unas persuaded them not to fight 220 221. He also values keeping his word, a factor in his decision to honor the agreement with Magni rather than start a war 397.

He is willing to take personal risks but is conscious of the cost to his forces. He accepted Thaurissan’s duel to end the fighting quickly and preserve troops, despite knowing it was a trap 254. His opposition to slavery did not prevent him from using threats to conscript escaped Dark Iron slaves or imprisoning some fugitives of other races 222 226.

Abilities and Skills

Ancestral Transformation

Rendaen can transform his body, increasing his size, strength, and resistance to physical and magical attacks. Unas compared the technique to Avatar, though Rendaen initially said he could only make himself tougher 251 254.

• Against Thaurissan, his Bronze Body resisted a pillar of fire and let him fight the transformed emperor at close range 254.
• Its protection had limits: after prolonged exposure to the Flame Cage, his body became red-hot and he was left incapacitated. Corrosive magic and rapid cooling caused further damage 255 256.

Storm Bolt

Rendaen throws his warhammer as a spinning projectile. He used Storm Bolt to strike the Flamewaker ambassador and kill Thaurissan in a single attack 256.

Combat Leadership

• Led dragonhide-clad guards against Iron Golems, using the hides to resist their lightning attacks 249 250.
• Coordinated an assault on Shadowforge City with the Water Elementals’ flood and the advance of freed slaves 232.
• Planned to defend and counterattack near the Molten Core portal while gathering intelligence on the enemy 432.

Equipment

• Black warhammers — He carried two enormous black hammers when he first met Unas; his warhammer used against Thaurissan was primarily made of blacksteel 220 254.
• Dragonhide cloak — Helped protect him against Iron Golem lightning during the palace battle 250.
• Dark Iron crown — A crown encrusted with black diamonds, which he placed on his own head at his coronation 267.

Relationships

• Unas — Ally and later a lord under his rule. Unas fought in Rendaen’s campaign, resurrected him after his fatal wounds, and was appointed envoy to Ironforge 224 256 257 399.
• Duke Hydraxis — Water Elemental ally against Ragnaros. Rendaen later named him an Azure Lord and granted him the canal lands and underground lava river 226 268.
• Thaurissan — Emperor whose rule Rendaen rejected. Rendaen defeated and killed him during the assault on the palace 184 254 256.
• Tieshan — Rendaen’s subordinate, who brought reinforcements from Iron Summit during the uprising 184 221 222.
• Moira — Thaurissan’s wife and Rendaen’s prisoner. She tried to kill him during his resurrection; he later agreed to keep her under house arrest as a bargaining chip with Ironforge 256 267.
• Magni Bronzebeard — Initially faced Rendaen in a conflict over Moira. After a negotiated duel and ceasefire, Rendaen sought formal peace with Ironforge 394 395 397 399.

Story Role and Major Arcs

The Uprising and Capture of Shadowforge

After a slave uprising spread through Blackrock Depths, Rendaen assembled his forces and launched a counterattack against Thaurissan 221 222. He took the mining district, recruiting more than thirty thousand slaves, but Shadowforge City’s defenders lowered its Dead Gates before he could enter 222.

Duke Hydraxis’s Water Elementals later flooded the city, weakening its Fire Elementals and helping Rendaen’s army breach the defenses 232. General Angerforge surrendered, and Rendaen took control of Blackrock Depths while blockading the Imperial Palace 237.

Fall of Thaurissan and Coronation

Rendaen’s palace assault used siege vehicles and Mole Machine squads to breach the defenses. He personally led his guards forward after the squads disrupted the Ironrage Army 242 244. In Thaurissan’s underground hall, he accepted a traditional duel, but outside interference and Thaurissan’s Flame Cage turned it into a wider battle 254 255.

Rendaen killed Thaurissan and the Flamewaker ambassador with Storm Bolt, then died from his injuries. Unas secretly resurrected him with Redemption, interrupting Moira’s attempt to stab him during the spell 256 257. Rendaen subsequently crowned himself Dark Iron King Rendaen-Mosmar and rewarded Unas with the title of Holy Light Lord, Adamantite, and Firewatch Ridge 267 268.

Peace and the Molten Core

After Moira escaped, Rendaen arrived with nearly twenty thousand soldiers and accepted a proposal to settle the ensuing conflict with Magni through a duel. Unas fought in his place and won. When rebels attacked the Bronzebeard camp, Rendaen ordered a ceasefire rather than escalate the fighting 394 395 397. He later appointed Unas to negotiate a formal treaty with Ironforge 399.

The Alliance admitted Rendaen’s Dark Iron Kingdom at its summit 426. As Fire Elementals stirred in the Molten Core, Rendaen held his main force in Shadowforge City and sought allies for the coming battle 428 431. After the Fire Elemental threat was eliminated, he recovered on his sickbed and looked toward retaking Blackrock Spire 435.