Black dragonflight

''Though the black dragonflight was nearly annihilated in ages past, a few of the evil creatures have made their homes in the dry, desolate wastes of The Barrens. With their lord, Deathwing, either missing or dead, the black dragons seek to appease only themselves. The creatures are immensely powerful and cruel and revel in mortal suffering. The black dragons are the enemies of every other dragonflight, especially the great red dragons of Lordaeron.''

Member types
The black dragonflight includes the black dragons themselves as well as all other black dragonkin such as dragonspawn and drakonids.
 * Black wyrm
 * Black dragon (mature)
 * Black drake
 * Black whelp
 * Black dragonspawn
 * Black drakonid

Culture
The symbol of the black dragonflight is a volcano, as it represent great power of earth and elements.

Male black dragon's names may sometimes end with "-on" and females with "-ia". Often they are based on words synonymous with the color black, darkness, fire, or modifications of words usually used to describe an undesirable character trait.

Guises
The preferred humanoid forms of the black dragonflight when in disguise amongst mortals are humans with black hair and dark eyes. Though black dragons can easily take other forms, humans have been especially useful. The powerful and semi-industrial human kingdoms could more easily accomplish the goals of Deathwing and his ilk than the nomadic tauren, the magically-minded high elves, or the mountain-dwelling dwarves. Humans are also far less sensitive to the presence of dragons than other races. Night elves, for instance, can identify a dragon with relative ease. Known black dragons that have taken human form are listed in their dragon state and respective human names: A few known exceptions are Lady Sinestra who, when acting as an ambassador to the Dragonmaw clan, uses a blood elven guise, and Blackwing Spellbinders in Blackwing Lair who also take elven form.


 * Deathwing as Lord Daval Prestor
 * Nefarian as Lord Victor Nefarius
 * Onyxia as Lady Katrana Prestor
 * Sabellian as Baron Sablemane
 * Darkblaze as Grand Magus Doane
 * Kalaran the Deceiver as Kalaran Windblade

Charge of the Dragonflights
Satisfied that the small world had been ordered and that their work was done, the Titans prepared to leave Azeroth. But before they departed, they charged the greatest species of the world with the task of watching over Azeroth. In that age, there were many dragonflights. Yet there were five flights that held dominion over their brethren. It was these five flights that the Titans chose to shepherd the budding world. The greatest members of the Pantheon imbued a portion of their power upon each of the flights' leaders.

Khaz'goroth, the Titan shaper and forger of the world, bestowed some of his vast power upon the mighty black wyrm, Neltharion. The great-hearted Neltharion, known afterwards as the Earth-Warder, was given dominion over the earth and the deep places of the world. He embodied the strength of the world and served as Alexstrasza's greatest supporter.

The time following this came to be known as the age of dragons, when the civilization of dragonkind was at its peak.

War of the Ancients
Black Dragons were once, like their aspect Neltharion, the defenders of Azeroth, living deep in the caverns of the earth. They shaped the lands, raised mountains, and created valleys. For countless millennia the black dragons and the other flights lived in peace and harmony and worked together to safeguard Azeroth from all forms of violence and destruction.

Then they fell prey to the whispering of the Old Gods, Neltharion most of all. The other Aspects attributed Neltharion's oddness to his displeasure with the actions of the bold Highborne Kaldorei. The Highborne had opened a portal for the Burning Legion and the demons began to invade Azeroth. Neltharion, having lost all sanity, created a device called the Dragon Soul (later known as the Demon Soul), taking a portion of each dragon's power, but he and the black flight did not contribute their own power, unknown to the other flights. He claimed the device was to fight the legion but in reality he planned on using it to take control of all of Azeroth, and make the black flight rulers of the world. The blacks' betrayal was made known when Neltharion turned the device on the night elves and their allies, and eventually the other dragons, going as far as virtually erasing the blue dragonflight from existence. The mortal defenders managed to ultimately defeat the Legion, but the world was inevitably sundered.

After The Sundering
Immediately after the sundering, to ensure Deathwing would never hold power over dragonkind again, Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu placed an enchantment upon the Demon Soul, so that no dragon, including Deathwing, could wield it, and hid the foul disc deep beneath the earth.

One particular brood of Ysera's were closely allied with the night elves of the Azuremyst Isles, whom were ruled by Prince Toreth. Ysera kindly allowed the night elves to ride her children into battle and they were known as the Dragon Riders of Loreth'Aran. Ysera's benevolence raised the ire of Deathwing and he launched an attack against Wyrmscar Island where the dragonriders slept. The blacks, including Razormaw, a lieutenant of Deathwing, mercilessly slaughtered the Kaldorei. The greens rose up to protect their allies but were unsuccessful. Not one was spared, though many blacks, including Razormaw, also perished in the battle. The skeletons and spirits of the murdered greens still litter the small island. Razormaw's hatred for the greens was so great that his restless spirit remained soaring high overhead, forever haunting the island.

The ensuing civil war between the black dragonflight and the other flights decimated the species, with all flights losing members, some more than others. The dragonflights hunted the blacks to the brink of extinction. Deathwing's remaining consorts were slain, by his own recklessness, in the first few days of the war. Ultimately the blacks were nearly wiped out, though the other flights never truly recovered from those dark times and were never again seen in the same numbers as before. The age of the dragons had passed.

The Second War
During the Second War Deathwing saw his opportunity to decimate Alexstrasza and her flight. Deathwing was unable to wield the Demon Soul himself, but it could be placed in the hands of a being that would use it against his enemies. Deathwing sent visions of the artifact to the chieftain of the Dragonmaw Clan, a shaman named Zuluhed the Whacked, who claimed the disc for the Horde. The device was given to his lieutenant, the warlock Nekros Skullcrusher, whose magic the disk eagerly reciprocated, and was used to enslave Alexstrasza and most of her flight, turning them into the Horde's hounds of war.

Beyond The Dark Portal
During the orc's second intrusion into Azeroth, the black dragonflight briefly joined the Horde. Seeking magical artifacts, Ner'zhul had sent a party under Teron Gorefiend to Blackrock Spire to bring the Blackrock clan back into the fold and acquire their red dragons. Rend refused and Teron left defeated, but they were soon approached by Deathwing. Deathwing presented the Death Knight with an offer. He would lend his and his children aid to the Horde, in return for safe passage of his flight and his eggs to Draenor. Gorefiend accepted and the black aspect summoned his flight to him. Before departing Deathwing spoke with Nefarian and Onyxia, asking them to remain on Azeroth and take command of the orcs left within the spire. The remaining members of the black dragonflight, led by Deathwing and his lieutenant Sabellian, allowed the orcs to ride upon them in order to retrieve the needed artifacts.

Ner'zhul quickly pulled the Horde back to Draenor. The black dragons, taking special care of the eggs, crossed through the Dark Portal. Deathwing spoke with Ner'zhul, bidding his farewell and taking The Skull of Gul'dan. A few blacks stayed with the Horde at Hellfire Citadel, but the bulk of the flight settled within the valleys of the Blade's Edge Mountains, where they could tend to the delicate eggs. Their presence there was not welcome by Gruul, father of the Gronn and ruler of the Ogres. Gruul and his subjects, assisted by members of the Alliance Expedition sent to recover the skull, attacked drake and egg alike. Deathwing was outraged by the destruction of his precious eggs and fought back, only to be driven off by a strategic spell from Khadgar. Sabellian managed to escape as well. The remaining black dragons, now leaderless, quickly fell to the fury of Gruul's children, crushed and impladed upon the mountain's spires.

Not long after, Ner'zhul's portals began to tear Draenor apart, and soon the planet was going through its death throes. Deathwing quickly escaped back to Azeroth, abandoning his remaining progeny on the doomed world. Then the cataclysm came and Draenor was shattered, only what would become known as Outland remained. Many of the black dragon eggs were exposed to the twisting nether and the dragons that emerged were no longer truly members of the black flight. These ethereal dragons would come to be known as the Netherwing dragonflight.

The Battle of Grim Batol
The blacks were nearly extinct and their master, Deathwing, was believed to have been brought down in battle against the Kirin Tor. Secretly he had assumed the guise of Lord Daval Prestor and sought a way to rebuild his flight. He devised a plan to steal the eggs of his greatest foe, Alexstrasza, who was still enslaved by the Dragonmaw. Not wanting to possibly damage the eggs by directly assaulting Grim Batol, he sought a way to force the orcs into bringing the eggs out into the open where he could more easily steal them. He fooled Nekros into believing the Alliance planned on invading the mountain fortress and the warlock ordered to have Alexstrasza, Tyranastrasz, and her eggs moved out of the mountain and towards Dun Algaz where the bulk of the Dragonmaw Clan was stationed preparing for war. Deathwing assaulted the caravan and began to steal the eggs, but then his plan went awry and the Demon Soul was destroyed in the battle now known as The Battle of Grim Batol. With their powers returned to them, Alexstrasza and the other aspects, who had shown up in order to save the Dragonqueen, chased Deathwing off, and he hasn't been seen since. The eggs were quickly recovered afterwards.

Aftermath
Like the other dragonflights, the black dragonflight did not play any significant role in the events of the Third War. Arthas Menethil, then prince of Lordaeron, did however assist a group of dwarven dragon hunters track down and slay the black drake Searinox. Malfurion Stormrage also encountered a small group of black whelps and drakes hiding in the Barrow Deeps, and was quick to dispatch the vile beasts.

The black flight went into a state of civil war following deathwing's disappearance, fighting over who would rule the flight. Nefarian and Onyxia managed to take control over a large portion of the flight, and the two plotted on how to scour Azeroth of the mortal races and other dragonflights. Following their defeat, their mother Sintharia, took up her son's failed experiments before being defeated herself. Their experiments were not in vain however, as the patriarch of the flight, Deathwing, has continued on with their work.

In World of Warcraft
Onyxia's brood resides in Dustwallow Marsh, however the broodmother herself is often gone. Onyxia has disguised herself as a noble of Stormwind (much like her father once did within Lordaeron), influencing the child king Anduin Wrynn, and interfering with the armies of Stormwind from being used for their intended purposes, including protecting the Alliance lands from the orcish armies of her brother Nefarian. Her true identity has been discovered by Marshal Reginald Windsor, whom unfortunately for the Alliance, has been captured by the Dark Iron dwarves of Shadowforge in Blackrock Depths.

Nefarian also wears a human guise, Victor Nefarius, and has taken control of Blackrock Spire and the Dark Horde barricaded inside under Rend Blackhand. They constantly fight the Dark Iron dwarves of Shadowforge and their fiery master, Ragnaros, that reside in the depths of the volcano. Nefarian and his brood are at work creating a Chromatic dragonflight with the powers of all the flights to release on the fire elementals and eventually the races of Azeroth. In order to do so they have began striking out againt the other flights, kidnapping whelps, such as the Blue whelps of Mazthoril, to be used in their experiments. Black dragon servants of Nefarian can be found as far north as the Badlands and all the way south to the Redridge Mountains, most often making their home in the Burning Steppes, but the most powerful are located inside the spire. Blackwing Lair, Nefarian's laboratory and seat of power, is filled with the mightiest servants of Deathwing's protégé, including elite orcs, mad goblins, various dragonkin, and members of the new chromatic dragonflight.

The Burning Crusade
A number of black dragons abandonded on Outland still reside in the Blade's Edge Mountains. Many of the dragons met their end at the hands of Gruul the Dragonkiller and his sons, and can be seen impaled on the rocky spires at Dragons' End. The black dragon Sabellian seeks revenge for the death of his children. The blacks here are revered by a mortal organization known as the Wyrmcult. They are led by the Drakonid Maxnar the Ashmaw, operating from Blackwing Coven in Raven's Wood.

Overlord Mor'ghor, servant of Illidan Stormrage on Netherwing Ledge, has recently been approached by an emissary from the black flight, Lady Sinestra. Sinestra claims their master (Deathwing) is alive and well and is interested in recovering the Nether Dragons Mor'ghor has been grooming for Illidan, as they are the black aspect's progeny. Mor'ghor, once an unwitting servant of Deathwing, quickly agrees.

Wrath of the Lich King
The blue dragonflight, in their militaristic campaign, have laid siege to Wyrmrest Temple in the Dragonblight. The remaining dragonflights have formed the Wyrmrest Accord, an alliance defending the temple against the blue flight. The black dragonflight has sent Nalice as an ambassador. Recently the undead Scourge has laid siege to the surrounding five dragonshrines in an effort to raise terrifying new variations of undead dragons. Nalice sends adventurers to Serinar at the Obsidian Dragonshrine to fight off the forces of the Lich King.

Some time after the Nexus War, a powerful war party of the black dragonflight, led by the fearsome Twilight dragon, Halion, have launched an assault upon the Ruby Sanctum beneath Wyrmrest Temple. By destroying the sanctum, the Black Dragonflight look to crush those that would stand in the way of their master’s reemergence into Azeroth and to ultimately shatter the Wyrmrest Accord.

Cataclysm
Deathwing finally returned in World of Warcraft's third expansion, Cataclysm, as the main antagonist. He began to set events into motion that re-shaped the face of Azeroth itself. The black dragonflight now assists their master's plans.

While the current living members may well be irredeemable and marked for extermination, the red dragonflight has begun taking steps to preserve the black dragonflight as a whole, by purifying them. With the full backing of Alexstrasza, Rheastrasza enlists the help of adventurers to save the future of the black flight and bring them back to the side of good.

The black dragonflight is rendered unable to breed at all, for the time being, after the last Broodmother is killed.

Culture
Black dragons were once earth-warders, caring for stone and mountain using their formidable abilities to cause the rise and fall of terrain. They were to watch as the world of Azeroth changed and to maintain the boundaries and lines of delineation between the races so that none would fall to war over land. They maintained this purpose for a time, living in relative harmony with the other races and shaping the land to better use. In those peaceful times, their leader was known as Neltharion, and his wisdom and power were renowned.

Then came the madness that destroyed Neltharion's mind. As the black dragonflight followed their leader into madness, so did their powers. He lowered mountains and destroyed land so that races would mingle and fight over territory. They traded their gifts over earth for the powers of fire and magma. Destruction was their art and death was their goal. All the other dragons of Azeroth have fought against Deathwing's flight at every opportunity.

In modern times black dragons are some of the most evil, sadistic creatures known on the face of Azeroth. Black dragons are vicious, selfish beings, not caring even for the lives of their flightmates and children, often killing other blacks to rise in prominence among the flight. Before Deathwing's disappearance the black dragons sought to emulate their dark master. A wyrm's goal in life was to become the foul black aspect's right hand or even replace him entirely, caring little for any other blacks that got in the way of this goal. Nowadays the black dragonflight is in civil war. With their leader, missing from the black flight, each individual desires to become the new leader of their dark kind. Most black dragons follow the instructions of another only if they expect a benefit or they're confident that the other dragon could eat them.

Black dragons spend their time hunting, as well as watching the various wars around the world, and can often be found torturing prisoners, animals, or anything else unfortunate enough to fall into their care. The Aspect of the black flight, Deathwing, is one of the fiercest and most evil creatures in existence. In his lifetime, he has destroyed many ancient cities. Deathwing often makes deals with the intelligent races, trading members of his dragonflight for slaves and humanoid torture subjects.

History
Prior to the War of the Ancients the black dragons were numerous and co-existed peacefully with the other dragonflights, working together to safeguard their world. But this age would not last forever.

After having wiped out nearly every member of the flight, the black dragons were not ready to leave the last few blues in peace. The survivors of the blue dragonflight fled to Northrend, then Deathwing attacked the blue dragons, slaughtering them by the dozens. The survivors fought back but were no match for Deathwing's ferocity. In the process their homes were destroyed and the land so damaged it could never recover. That area became the Dragonblight. Over what is now Crystalsong Forest another battle between the blacks and blues was waged, and many blue dragons died. Their magic released into the air and settled as glittering light on the ground and the rocks and the trees. Finally an elder blue dragon, beset by many blacks, unleashed a powerful spell to strip the life from his attackers and turn them to stone. The loose magic altered and amplified the spell, spreading it across the entire region and changing soil and stone and wood and flesh into living crystal.

In the early years following the sundering, is said that Deathwing's black flight attempted to subjugate the bronze dragons. The assault was unsuccessful, primarily because the bronze dragons did not stay and fight as expected. His command of time offering insight into the blacks' plans, Nozdormu alerted  his flight of the danger. The bronze dragonflight scattered to the four corners of the globe, where they continued to monitor events.