Kirtonos the Herald

Kirtonos the Herald is a blood-drinking gargoyle who comes to the porch of Scholomance when he smells fresh blood. He does not wait in the dungeon like the other bosses: a group has to summon him with the Blood of Innocents, the reward for a quest chain about two of the school's murdered servants. He flies in through a window in gargoyle form, lands, and turns into a towering humanoid to fight.

Background

Kirtonos was the master of Doctor Theolen Krastinov, the Scholomance's torturer, and fed on the blood of the doctor's victims. Krastinov had to supply him with more and more of it. Among the people the doctor took were Eva and Lucien Sarkhoff, servants of the Barov family who were tortured for months beneath Caer Darrow. Their ghosts, Eva Sarkhoff and Lucien Sarkhoff, still haunt the island and want both the Butcher and his master destroyed.

By the time players reach Caer Darrow, most of the people around the castle are dead, so innocent blood is hard to come by and Kirtonos rarely visits. That is the weakness the Sarkhoffs exploit. Warcraft Wiki also notes a sign for "Kirtonos Bros. Funeral Home" in Stratholme, a hint, never confirmed, that he lived in the city before the war.

Abilities

• Kirtonos Transform: he arrives as a gargoyle and shifts between his winged and humanoid forms during the fight.
• Wing Flap: knocks back everyone in a cone in front of him.
• Swoop: a frontal attack that damages and briefly stuns.
• Shadow Bolt Volley: shadow damage to everyone nearby.
• Curse of Tongues: slows spellcasting by half.
• Disarm and Pierce Armor, which halves the tank's armor.
• Dominate Mind: takes control of a player for a short time.

Strategy

The brazier is in a small alcove at the top of the stairs next to the Chamber of Summoning. When the blood goes in, a gate closes at the top of the stairs, so everyone should be inside first. A few moments later Kirtonos flies through the window.

The usual advice is to tank him at the top of the stairs with the tank's back to a wall. Wing Flap can throw a player out of the window, which drops them out of the instance. Casters should spread out for the volleys, and someone should be ready to deal with a mind-controlled player. Otherwise he is a fairly ordinary fight for a level 60 group.

Loot

Drop chances are from our database (patch 1.12). He drops one blue item, each at about 11%.

[Boots of Valor] belongs to the warrior's Dungeon Set 1 (see Tier Sets), and [Frightalon] is one of the better daggers at this level. Like the school's other bosses he also drops a [Corruptor's Scourgestone] for the Argent Dawn.

Quests

The Sarkhoff chain starts with Eva Sarkhoff on Caer Darrow:

1. Doctor Theolen Krastinov, the Butcher: kill Doctor Theolen Krastinov in the Hall of the Damned and burn the Sarkhoffs' remains.
2. Krastinov's Bag of Horrors: take [Krastinov's Bag of Horrors] from Jandice Barov, who carries the blood between Krastinov and his master.
3. Kirtonos the Herald: pour the [Blood of Innocents] into the brazier on the porch and kill Kirtonos. Eva rewards [Penelope's Rose] or [Mirah's Song], plus [Spectral Essence].

After the quest, the blood also drops from Krastinov and Jandice (patches 1.2.2 and 1.3), so a group with one member who has finished the chain can summon Kirtonos again. The story then continues with Magistrate Marduke on Caer Darrow, whose The Human, Ras Frostwhisper begins the hunt for Ras Frostwhisper.

Later history

Patch 4.0.3a lowered him to level 43 and added a copy of him circling over Gahrron's Withering in Western Plaguelands, where he can't be attacked. He was removed from the dungeon in Mists of Pandaria's rebuild and returned in patch 10.1.5 with the Legacy of Scholomance.

Sources

• Kirtonos the Herald - Warcraft Wiki
• Kirtonos the Herald (Classic quest) - Warcraft Wiki