The Battle of Darrowshire

The Battle of Darrowshire took place during the Third War, and was recorded in the Annals of Darrowshire (which erroneously refers to the Scourge invasion of Lordaeron as the Second War, though this may be because some view the First and Second War as generally the same conflict, or that this was the second war to directly involve Lordaeron).

The Battle
Darrowshire's defenders were primarily made up of militia, led by Captain Joseph Redpath. A contingent of knights of the Silver Hand, led by Davil Crokford, were the only reinforcements that were able to reach the town in time. The Scourge army included the usual compliments of skeletons, zombies and ghouls. The force was led by the death knight Marduk Blackpool (also known as Marduk the Black), and the ghouls by the champion Horgus the Ravager.

The Scourge's first wave, consisting of the weaker skeletons and zombies, was sent in and quickly defeated by the Darrowshire militia. Sensing the tenacity of their opponent, the Scourge sent in the second wave - the elite ghouls led by Horgus. The defenders very nearly buckled under the attack, but the aid of the Silver Hand was able to prevent the breaking of the line. Horgus and Davil eventually met in combat, trading blows against the other. In the end, Davil was victorious, but had suffered a mortal wound at the ghoul lord's hands and died shortly thereafter.

Noticing the death of the ghoul lord, the Scourge sent out their elite bloodletters to break the line. As the battle raged around them, Marduk approached the militia captain, Joseph Redpath, and tore his spirit from his body, killing him. With the powerful necromantic magic at his disposal, Marduk twisted Redpath's spirit into an evil shadow of himself. Redpath the Corrupted spread his evil taint to the other defenders of Darrowshire, causing them to turn on their fellows, and murder those who were hiding in their homes. With victory attained, Marduk and his forces left the ravaged village, taking the head of Horgus with them.

Aftermath
Darrowshire was left in ruins; only ghosts and rot remained. Those who had fallen in defense of Darrowshire were raised as the ghouls that were spread all over what is now the Eastern Plaguelands, their spirits trapped in the rotted forms.

Redpath the Corrupted was eventually defeated at Gahrron's Withering, in the Western Plaguelands east of Andorhal, his shield remaining behind at the barn there. Marduk survived, though his blade was shattered in combat with a dwarf captain near Corin's Crossing. Today, he resides in the Scholomance, deep beneath the ruins of Caer Darrow.

Chronormu, a bronze dragon disguised as a gnome named Chromie, was sent by Nozdormu to Andorhal, where the Scourge began conducting experiments that tampered with time. Seeking to potentially save Joseph Redpath, Chromie dispatched adventurers to gather relics of the battle and somehow recreate it...but to have it end in a somewhat different fashion that would allow Redpath to be redeemed.