Dark grunts (AoC Universe)

The Dark Grunts were a race of humanoids pre-dating the night elves by a matter of decades. They are now believed extinct.

Origins
Partially evolved by the natural magics of the Midnight Glade, but not fully transformed, the grunts fled the Glade when they realised what it was doing to their bodies and lived in subterreanean solitude for the next thousands of years, settling in the old Vigrith Caverns under the cover of pitch darkness.

The dark grunts were very jealous of the night elves and their city, Nythsandr, as well as the civilisation they had built around the Glade and their deep connection to both Moon and Wild God power. Determined to destroy all they cared for, Seeker Lak'jin Lockjaw (their leader) burnt down 20% of the Midnight Glade in the Day of Darkness raid, where he led his dark grunts to sunder the forest - his forces were chased away by the Wild Gods led by Fenrir and Shadowmane, and the Warden Shadowsong even managed to capture one of these grunts for interrogation.

Realising the motive behind their attack, the High Priestess of the Moon - Noxande Skyweaver - supervised the creation of the night elf Sentinel Army in response to the warmongering of Lockjaw and his grunts. The new commander of the Sentinels was Shadowsong herself, and despite limited numbers, she soon secured a wave of important victories over the dark grunts, culminating in their utter defeat at the Old Caverns when she tricked Lak'jin into abandoning his strategic position and chasing after her "retreating" forces. The battle left the dark grunts at the mercy of the night elves.

Skyweaver chose not to have them all brutally slaughtered (as they deserved), but rather imprisoned below Moonhowl Mount, Fenrir's territory, where they would serve the eternal sentence for vandalism.