Wolfcult


 * ''This page is about the Wolfcult in Northrend. For the the Wolfcult in Gilneas, see Gilnean Wolfcult.

The Wolfcult is a mysterious organization that is predominantly found in the Grizzly Hills of southern Northrend. It is led by none other than the Shade of Archmage Arugal, who had previously adopted the worgen of Silverpine Forest in northern Lordaeron as his children. After he was defeated and beheaded by agents of the Horde, Arugal's headless body was buried at the foot of the path leading up to his former stronghold of Shadowfang Keep. At the behest of the Lich King, the darkfallen princes Keleseth, Valanar, Theraldis and Atherann resurrected Arugal in the service of the Scourge and sent him to the Grizzly Hills to subvert the trapper communities.

Background
As indicated by Theraldis' comments in, 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.

Until the Alliance sent emissaries to ally with the locals in Silverbrook, the Wolfcult operated in secrecy; however, the Alliance eventually discovered the truth behind the trappers. (By contrast, Conqueror Krenna, leader of the Horde's Conquest Hold, seems to dismiss any talk about worgen as "nonsense", as indicated in the completion text for .) Players are then sent on a series of quests involving the seer Ruuna the Blind and the trapper Sasha, whose father Mikhail was killed by the Wolfcult, culminating in a final battle with the shade of Arugal at Shadowfang Tower.

With the leaders of the Wolfcult dead it is possible that the cult disbanded and it's surviving members went off into hiding.

In the Lands of Mystery, it is detailed that the Grizzly Hills was an area that was outside the range of the Scourge' domain and was firmly in the hands of the furbolg with no notable human presence. However, as Valgarde grew, its residents forced the Drakkari and furbolgs back into the Grizzly Hills and beyond, making the region safe enough for farmers to till the land. It is likely that the human villages in the Grizzly Hills were a result of this.

This would also explain how the Scourge managed to get a foothold in the Grizzly Hills; the invading humans broke the power of the Furbolg that kept the Scourge at bay.

Members
These humans have the ability to transform into a worgen at will and are not forced to change at night. When they are killed they transform back into humans, ending their curse. However, there are some that have changed into a full fledged worgen, these do not change and will remain as a skinnable worgen after death.