There's so much going on in World of Warcraft lore it's hard to keep track of everyone. Every expansion features a whole other set of characters and events. There are quite a few NPCs in the game that we walk right past every day without knowing anything about them. Some of them were lost as the world changed and can only be found in Classic while others were raised from obscurity to play a much bigger role in the modern game.
The secret backstories behind some of the following NPCs cover a range of mysteries. Some are part of the lore and have been around since the real-time Warcraft strategy games of the 1990s and are part of Azerothian history. Others have a connection to the real world as a memorial or are famous as part of the story in a long quest chain. Here's a selection of some interesting but obscure NPCs from Wold of Warcraft Classic.
10 Zanzil The Outcast
In Classic WoW, he's a minor villain in the Cape of Stranglethorn quest storyline. In modern WoW, he's a raid boss in Zul'Gurub. Either way, players never know much about Zanzil's dramatic backstory. If you do the quest and pay attention, you learn that he was exiled from either the Gurubashi or Skullsplitter Tribe, which at last explains his title. Apparently he was thrown out for some dealings with Necromancy, including a vile potion and the god Hakkar. His dialogue with the Shade of Hexar is chilling, revealing something about thrown rocks and spitting, giving us the impression that his exile was a violent one.
9 Archmage Arugal
Arugal wasn't just a guy that messed with men and wolves and ended up a prisoner of his own creations at the top of a tower. Details from the quests to kill him and raid his library in Shadowfang Keep give some clues to his backstory. The Book of Ur, for example, was a relic from a bygone time when Arugal worked with another mage called Ur.
It was Ur's idea to experiment with the Worgen to have supersoldiers to fight the Scourge, so he and Arugal decided to wake the fearsome Worgen, werewolf monsters created by corrupted Druids. The Druids of the Fang were responsible for the creation of the Worgen, and made sure that they couldn't be controlled. The Worgen killed a lot of Scourge, but also a lot of human residents, such as Baron Silverlaine in the nearby Keep, spreading their plague through Gilneas. Mad with guilt, Arugal took over the Keep and resides there with his "children" until you put him out of his misery.
8 Gunther Arcanus
During life, Gunter Arcanuas wasn't just a high ranking Mage of the Kirin Tor. He was a Necromancer, and he was so powerful that the Scourge couldn't break his will, even in death. Considering how important he is for the Forsaken and their collective backstory and alliance with the Horde, it's amazing we don't hear more about him. Only low-level players exploring Tirisfal Glades ever find the Archmage, and often Mages or Warlocks are the only classes that get the quest to bring him into the Forsaken since the quest giver is near their trainers in Undercity.
7 Zenn Foulhoof
Zenn is an NPC that only Night Elf players meet, and the interaction with him isn't a positive one. He tricks lower level noobs into inadvertently helping his nefarious plans, causing other Night Elves to get angry. What's this evil satyr doing just sitting outside a Night Elf training area, anyway? It's not his past, but he's future that's interesting. In the Cataclysm expansion, his plans go regional. He travels to Darkshore on the mainland and hatches a number of plots, much like the Classic WoW one on Teldrassil but on a much larger scale. The long quest chain in the current game ends with you killing him.
6 Myranda the Hag
The Eastern and Western Plaguelands is a gateway to the endgame, and we tend to forget that this was the battleground of Arthas and the Scourge versus everyone else. There are a lot of tragic and obscure stories here. It shows when you stop to look around. The ruined, empty towns, the displaced families, the wandering ghosts and the survivors, like Myranda the Hag. Similar to other characters on this list, she once held a respected position but fell on hard times.
Formerly a powerful Illusionist and close to Tirion Fordring, she also had contact with Horde characters like Rexxar and even Thrall himself. Her career floundered when she openly defied a ruling on the part of the Silver Hand and was banished for her rebellion. You can find out more about her when you take up the quests she offers in the Western Plaguelands.
5 Tabetha Of Dustwallow Marsh
There's a bond among Warlocks that reaches beyond petty squabbles between Horde and Alliance, and this class comes in contact with several humans walking the dark path. That's why Warlocks get to know this character but few other players ever do, and even then you never learn much about her backstory but the few tidbits that you do get are intriguing. She's a human Mage, but she's closely connected to the Warlocks of Ratchet, Menara Voidrender in particular. Tabetha is powerful and respected enough to have no less than two apprentices and knows the elusive "Summon Demon of the Orb" spell. She also appears to be an Alchemist and a very talented one from the looks of the gear.
4 Jeremiah Payson
Arthas might have taken Lorderon but it was Sylvanas that claimed the city as the home of the Forsaken. Many undead sought refuge there from both the Scourge and the living races but are not fighters themselves. Often simply known as the Cockroach Vendor, Jeremiah is an example of the civilian casualties that resulted from the fearsome war against the Scourge. His real last name is Felstone, and you'll see the remains of his once happy and peaceful life in the Western Plaguelands where the ghost of his sister still resides. This quest reveals Jeremiah's sad story, and it's easy to miss unless you're wandering through Felstone Field.
3 Nathanos Blightcaller
It's true that Nathanos has been getting a lot more publicity recently, but in the days of Classic, he was a relative nobody. You would never find him if there wasn't a yellow dot that would pop up as you were running along the road. Only Horde players got to know him as an NPC, and he's actually a pretty funny guy. Alliance players kill him as part of an elite group quest and miss out on his clever quips.
The story of this NPC goes all the way back to the Warcraft RTS games. He's not just the personal champion of the Forsaken Queen, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. She personally approved and trained him to be a Silvermoon ranger. You can currently see him in the Caverns of Time: Durnholde as his former self, Nathanos Marris.
2 Crildor Of Darnassus
This character is a mystery until you find out his sad but inspiring backstory. He doesn't offer any quests and he doesn't buy or sell anything. So, who is he and what is he doing here? Crildor is one of WoW's in-game memorials but he's one of the more obscure. He patrols in Darnassus, which is famous for being quiet anyway, being the one Alliance capital that's pretty far out of the way.
Before Warcraft went online, there were still plenty of fansites dedicated to the RTS franchise that was popular on PCs at the time. A fansite moderator named Mitchel, who went by the name Crildor online, died in a car accident in 2003 and this Night Elf character is his epitaph.
1 High Inquisitor Fairbanks
One of the "secret" bosses of the Scarlet Monastery, this character is hidden in a "panic room" at the end of what looks like a blind hallway in the Cathedral wing. It turns out that In life, Fairbanks was involved in the creation of the infamous sword, Ashbringer, and survived the Culling of Stratholme. He witnessed the betrayal of Renault, when he actually stabs his father with Ashbringer, corrupting it. When he returned to Hearthglen to report what he saw, he was killed by the knights faithful to the Scarlet Crusade. Several of the Crusaders believed him, however, and broke off to form the Argent Dawn.
They Scarlet knights who killed Fairbanks said it was because he showed signs of plague, not because of his report, which is why they tossed his body in a secret room to rot. It seems maybe he did have the plague and it wasn't just a wanton murder after all, but it's also possible that he rose because of the injustice that had been done to him.