
Warduke originated as a character for the Dungeons & Dragons toy line in the 1980s. Warduke was quickly recruited by the Unnameable Hierarch to aid in rebuilding the Horned Society, and was eventually made a Hierarch himself. Warduke came to prominence after the Greyhawk Wars, spreading terror among the soldiers, fighting societies, and mercenaries of the Flanaess, from the Solnor Ocean to the Barrier Peaks. One states that he was once firm friends with a noble paladin, until Warduke's descent into evil forced them to become fierce enemies. Warduke's early life is unknown, as is his true identity, though rumors abound.

Most official artwork depicts him as left-handed. He also bears a fearsome eye fiendish graft. His favored weapon is Nightwind, a +3 anarchic flaming burst human bane bastard sword. Warduke is a muscular human, equipped with a skull-motif shield, a half-suit of blue chainmail, and most notably, a helmet complete with "bat wing"-like ridges.
