The Hunter of Shadows (WC3 Orc)

The Hunter of Shadows
Location	Ashenvale (near Warsong Gulch)
Result	Warsong clan victory Burning Legion regains control of the Warsong clan
Belligerents   Warsong Clan   Night Elf Sentinels Shadowleaves Moonhunters Nightblades Starseekers
Commanders and leaders   Warsong Clan Grom Hellscream   Night Elf Sentinels Cenarius †
Casualties and losses   Warsong Clan Heavy   Night Elf Sentinels Very heavy
Previous	The Blood of Mannoroth The Spirits of Ashenvale
Next	Where Wyverns Dare

This article contains lore taken from Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, the manuals, and/or official bonus maps.

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The next morning, in the shadowed woods of Ashenvale...

Creeps

• 3 Furbolgs
• 1 Furbolg Elder Shaman
• 3 Furbolg Shamans
• 2 Furbolg Trackers
• 1 Furbolg Ursa Warrior
• 5 Giant Skeleton Warriors
• 3 Satyrs
• 1 Satyr Hellcaller
• 6 Satyr Shadowdancers
• 4 Satyr Soulstealers
• 3 Satyr Tricksters
• 1 Satyr Pyromancer
• 3 Skeleton Archers
• 2 Burning Archers

Quests

Main Quests

The Chaos Well

• Discover the source of power
• Destroy the Satyrs guarding the pool

The Troll Witch Doctors have felt the presence of a mysterious power emanating from the nearby forest. If this volatile energy can be harnessed, it may provide a way to destroy Cenarius and his band of warrior women.

Cenarius

• Slay Cenarius

The so-called demigod, Cenarius, has destroyed most of the lumber stores that you had so painstakingly accumulated. You must find a way to slay the demigod in order to continue the operation and construct Thrall's new settlement.

Transcript

Prelude

Warsong forces continue cutting down the forests of Ashenvale. Cenarius looks out over the land from atop a hill.

Cenarius: Who dares defile this ancient land? Who dares the wrath of Cenarius and the night elves?

Cenarius casts a spell, transforming many of the trees into treants that attack the orcs.

Warsong Orc: The forest is coming alive! We're under attack!

Cenarius: Let battle be joined!

During the Mission

Warsong Orc: Their numbers are too great! We must fall back to the other side of the river!

Cenarius casts a spell, immediately regrowing the dozens of trees felled by the Warsong.

Cenarius: Now, my warriors, cleanse these brutes from the wilds! I will watch over you from the forest.

• Cenarius: You cannot defeat me, I am the heart of the land!
• Cenarius: I defeated your kind in ages past and I shall do so again!
• Cenarius: Demon Spawned Wretches, you will all die!

Witch Doctor: Hellscream, I sense a dark power emanating from the wilderness! It might be the key to destroying Cenarius!

Witch Doctor: That be it, mon! The dark energies that I sense come from the pool!

Satyr: Foul orcs! The burning masters charged us with protecting this well. You are unworthy of drinking from these dark waters!

Grom Hellscream: I don't know what you are or who you serve, but no one bars my way!

Witch Doctor: The pool emanates great power, but I smell the stench of a demon curse about it!

Grom Hellscream: I am cursed already! If I must drink from these waters to defeat Cenarius, then I will.

Grom steps up to the edge of the tainted pool. A Grunt runs up to him.

Warsong Orc: No! That goes against everything the warchief teaches us! We can't let rage overcome us again!

Grom Hellscream: No, warrior. We must embrace it as never before! We must become the vessels of destruction that we were meant to be!

Grom drinks from the pool, causing him to grow in size and turn red...

Grom Hellscream: Yes! I feel the power once again! Come, my warriors! Drink from the dark waters and you will be reborn!

Warsong Orc: Chieftain, these creatures press us hard! And their demigod still lurks in the forest! How can we possibly defeat him?

Grom Hellscream: Weak-minded coward! Nothing is invincible! If we are to live, then this Cenarius must die!

Cenarius: The demons did their job well. You creatures are as reckless and bloodthirsty as they ever were!

Grom Hellscream: We orcs are free, demigod!

Cenarius: Is that what you tell yourself? Despite what you may believe, you are no better than the malignant bile that flows through your veins.

Grom Hellscream: Damn you! RAGH!

Grom Hellscream: The Demigod has fallen, the Warsong is supreme!

Outro

While Grom and his warriors run through the forest, they are suddenly met by Mannoroth.

Mannoroth: Hello again, Grommash.

Grom Hellscream: Mannoroth! It... can't be.

Mannoroth: I've come to bring you and your brethren back into the fold. Though you orcs failed the Burning Legion before, you will now serve us once again!

Grom Hellscream: No! We... are free!

Mannoroth: Stupid, pitiful creature. I am the rage in your heart. I am the fury of your thoughts. I alone empowered you to bring chaos to this world, and by the endless void, you shall!

The battle

Following the Warsong clan's initiation of their logging operations in southern Ashenvale, the Night Elf Sentinels launched a massive counterattack to drive the Orcs out. The Warsong clan had even attracted the attention of the ancient, reclusive demigod, Cenarius, who personally took command of the Night Elf forces moving against them. Cenarius wiped out all of the Orcs' outposts before sending his forces against Hellscream's main base. After barely managing to repel several savage attacks by the Sentinels, defeat for the Orcs seemed imminent. The Shamans and Witch Doctors under Hellscream's command then sensed a powerful energy emanating from the woods, which turned out to be a well fouled with the Blood of Mannoroth. After defeating the satyrs guarding the befouled well, Hellscream, despite everything Thrall had taught him, gave himself over to the demonic corruption. The Warsong Clan drank the blood and became Chaos orcs imbued with a bloodlust and demonic powers. With these new powers, the Orcs easily overcame the Sentinels and slew Cenarius, forcing the Night Elves to retreat back into the depths of the forests.

Hellscream's sense of victory was short-lived, however. Mannoroth appeared before him and declared that the Orcs would serve the Burning Legion once again, despite Hellscream's feeble protests that they were "free".

Forces

Warsong Clan

• 1 Blademaster
• Chaos Orc Grunts
• Troll Headhunters
• Chaos Orc Raiders
• Orc Shamans/ Chaos Orc Warlocks
• Troll Witch Doctors
• Chaos Orc Kodo Beasts
• Orc Catapults

Night Elf Sentinels

• 1 Keeper of the Grove
• Archers
• Huntresses
• Dryads
• Treants
• Hippogryph Riders
• Chimaerae
• Night Elf Ballistae

Notes

• There are two mushroom fairy rings on the map. If Grom steps inside them, he is rewarded with a Pendant of Mana and some Boots of Quel'thalas +6. However, one of the triggers is a copy of the other and is erroneously set to spawn the item all the way into the other fairy ring.
• One of the bases built by the Warsong Clan to gather wood across the river may be represented by Splintertree Post in World of Warcraft.

This section concerns content related to Warcraft III: Reforged.

• In Reforged, a new main quest was added.
  • River Run - The demigod Cenarius has come to destroy your forces. The outposts west of the river are lost. Order your troops to your main base east of the river. You must hold the ground there at all costs.
• The name of the quest "The Chaos Well" changed to "The Fel Well".
• The name of the Chaos Well changed to Fel Well.
• All instances of "Chaos Orcs" changed to "Fel Orcs".