Darion Mograine

Darion Mograine is the Highlord of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, an order of death knights which turned renegade after being sent by the Lich King to the region east of Tyr's Hand. He is the son of Alexandros Mograine and a former knight of the Argent Dawn. He came into possession of Corrupted Ashbringer after killing his father in Naxxramas as part of a failed rescue plan carried out by some members of the Argent Dawn and used it to kill himself and free his father's soul. He became a death knight of the Scourge.

He has a pronounced role in the death knight starting area.

Biography


On the day of Darion's birth, he was stillborn. Alexandros, in a hurry, rushed the baby to a nearby stream, and from the freezing water, Darion Mograine entered the world. However, the joy his father felt quickly turned to grief as his wife and mother of his children, Elena, died due to complications from the birth.

In a battle within the plagued city of Stratholme, in which young Darion insisted on fighting, he took a serious wound and fell unconscious for a day. Upon awakening, the boy described his experience as being surrounded by darkness, before being shown a light that he followed back to life.

Following the death of his father, Darion began to question the Light before being confronted by the troll priest, Zabra Hexx. After being counseled by the troll to search out his father in a fortress floating above a burning city, Darion joined the newly formed Order of the Argent Dawn.

With a handful of Argent Dawn volunteers and a mysterious mage known as Castillian, Darion infiltrated the fortress of Naxxramas. After besting the lords of the Necropolis and losing his entire party to the Four Horsemen, the Corrupted Ashbringer came into Darion's possession. The sword's voice led him to the Scarlet Monastery where, unaware of the actual treachery of his brother, Renault Mograine, Darion was attacked by Renault who considered him to be the last link from his past, coming to torture him. The spirit of Alexandros Mograine appeared from the Ashbringer, beheading his traitor son and forgiving him afterward.

Realizing that his father's soul was trapped within the Ashbringer, Darion stole a steed from the Scarlet Crusade and ran away. Fairbanks then visited him in a dream, telling him to go and find Tirion Fordring. Darion followed the ghost's orders and eventually found Tirion, telling him what happened to his father, though only after arguing with the pariah. Afterward, Tirion told him of how he was banished. He told Darion that nothing could be done for Alexandros. When mounting his stead, Tirion told him that only an act of love greater than the act of evil could free his father's soul. Darion then invited him to join the Argent Dawn and despite Tirion's outright refusal, left the option open by asking him to "Be a Hero".

Ultimate sacrifice
After his meeting with Tirion, Darion ventured to Light's Hope Chapel where he came across a Scourge army waiting to attack. Maxwell Tyrosus, overjoyed at his return, told him about the one thousand souls of the champions that died defending Capital City from Arthas and the Scourge and were later carried beneath the chapel. Darion took his place in the lines of The Order of the Argent Dawn in defense of the fallen. During the night he experienced a terrible vision about a world without the Light, a world where the Scourge were triumphant. In the morning, a call to arms was made to the soldiers as the First Battle for Light's Hope began. As the tide began to turn against the Argent Dawn, Tirion arrived riding Mirador and managed to save a woman from an abomination as he joined the fray. As it seemed as though the Light-blessed soldiers of the Argent Dawn might prevail, Kel'Thuzad himself joined the battle. Understanding that the Lich King's right hand had appeared, Darion charged forward, wielding the Corrupted Ashbringer as his father had long ago, and fought his way to Kel'Thuzad himself. The lich showed no fear and said that even the Ashbringer was not powerful enough to stop him. At that very same moment Darion realized what Tirion's words meant. Darion, as an act of love not only for his father but also for the cause they believed in, plunged Ashbringer through his heart with the words "I love you, Dad." In response to his noble action, the souls of a thousand vengeful knights erupted in pillars of light that purged the hills around the chapel of all traces of the Scourge. All that remained were the figures of Kel'Thuzad and the undead figure of Darion Mograine, the Corrupted Ashbringer still pierced through his chest.

As Kel'Thuzad stood triumphant, he commented on how he was willing to sacrifice his own forces if it meant claiming the last Mograine's soul. In an eerily similar fashion, he asked Darion, "Who do you love?" Now lifeless in the service of the same force he swore to eliminate, the newly risen death knight pulled out the Corrupted Ashbringer, accompanied by a sickening noise as the blade exited his flesh, and answered back, "No one."

World of Warcraft


Some time later Darion was made Highlord of the Death knights of Acherus, an order of Death Knights with the sole purpose of annihilating the remaining living in the Eastern Plaguelands. He also planned and formulated not only the forces in the Eastern Kingdoms, but also the strategy of the forces of Northrend and the would-be assault on Kalimdor. He gave command to all newly created Death Knights under his authority, orders to aid in the taking of the Eastern Plaguelands in the name of the Lich King from the fortress that is Ebon Hold.

After the crushing of the Scarlet Crusade, the Death Knights of Acherus began preparation for their final assault on Light's Hope Chapel. Darion assembled his most worthy and strongest Death Knights to begin the Second Battle for Lights Hope. There he learned that the Ashbringer would refuse to strike down any foe, and refused to obey his commands. One of his three generals then fled, as he was forced to face the tremendous power of Lights Hope Chapel's consecrated ground. As Tirion arrived, Darion admitted defeat to the superior forces of the combined Silver Hand and Argent Dawn. At that moment, his father's spirit appeared to him briefly, before the Lich King appeared and trapped his soul within Frostmourne. After the Lich King admitted to sending the Death Knights to their doom just to bring Tirion Fordring out of hiding, Darion attempted to attack his master, only to be sent flying. As the Lich King was about to end the Death Knight's life, Darion threw the Corrupted Ashbringer to Tirion who in turn was able to purify it and push the Lich King back with the combined forces of the redeemed blade and the sacred ground.

In response to the Lich King's betrayal, Darion now leads the newly freed Death Knights, now known as the Knights of the Ebon Blade, in a campaign to wipe out the forces loyal to the Lich King from Ebon Hold and establish it as a neutral haven for all Death Knights to call home.

Northrend
He can be found initially at the Argent Vanguard in Icecrown discussing tactics with Tirion Fordring; after completing, he moves to an area in the Valley of Echoes near the Light's Breach. During these events he is disguised as The Ebon Watcher.

Darion appears again, this time undisguised, during, summoned by the player to fight Underking Talonox in Scourgeholme, and again in the Cathedral of Darkness in , accompanied by Thassarian, Koltira Deathweaver and a group of Ebon Knights.

During the Darion leads a group of Knights of the Ebon Blade in fighting Orbaz Bloodbane and his Host of Suffering.

Tirion Fordring and Darion Mograine next appear together in Icecrown Citadel at Light's Hammer where they lead the Ashen Verdict, a union of the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade.

He is also involved in the creation of Shadowmourne.

Should a raid member with the Unsealed Chest bring Alexandros' Soul Shard to Darion, he will reunite with his father, the Ashbringer Alexandros Mograine. Alexandros explains that during his time of captivity in Frostmourne, the one memory that allowed him to keep his sanity was Darion's sacrifice. Darion proclaims that for his father, he would give his life "a thousand times." In gratitude, Darion gives the player his personal steed, the Reins of the Crimson Deathcharger.

Quests
He is involved in the following quests in and around the Ebon Hold:

He's also giving most of the quests:

Member of the Scourge
Greetings:
 * "We exist only to serve him."
 * "Ours is not to question, only to act."
 * "His eyes are upon you, at all times!"
 * "The life we had before is meaningless."
 * "Obey, or be eliminated."

Farewell:
 * "It will be done."
 * "By his command."
 * "The might of the Scourge will not be challenged!"
 * "Go forth and wreak havoc!"
 * "We will scour the living from this world."

Member of the Knights of the Ebon Blade
Greetings:
 * "We are driven by a single purpose: retribution."
 * "For us there is no peace, no rest."
 * "All is not lost, not yet."
 * "Harness your hate; make it useful."
 * "We know much about sacrifice."

Irritated:
 * "Dismissed."
 * "One more nuisance I must deal with."
 * "We Mograines aren't known for our restraint."
 * "Patience is a virtue; one I no longer possess."
 * "You are expendable."

Farewell:
 * "The Knights of the Ebon Blade will not falter."
 * "We will see it through, to the bitter end."
 * "We must forge our own destiny."
 * "A shadow of hope remains."
 * "We are eternal. We are unyielding."

On describing the Ashen Verdict

 * Ready yourself,.
 * The time has come for the Lich King's reign to come to an end.


 * The Ashen Verdict is a select group of the most talented craftsmen in the Ebon Blade and Argent Crusade. Its creation symbolizes the unity of our forces as we mount this final assault on the Lich King and his minions.
 * It is through the Ashen Verdict's efforts that we have discovered how to bend saronite to our will.


 * Speak with, . He can set you on the path.
 * Demonstrate your loyalty and their methods shall be made known to you.

After the Lich King's defeat

 * Where we go from here is unknown, hero. What we do know is that none of this would have been possible without your aid. The Knights of the Ebon Blade salute you.

Trivia

 * His deathcharger is called Iydallus and is found at the Argent Vanguard of Icecrown along with Mirador, Tirion's steed.
 * In Icecrown Citadel, the steed beside him is named Fury which was the steed of Salanar the Horseman.
 * He is wearing the Tier 8 Death Knight set. However, in Icecrown Citadel, he is shown wearing the new Death Knight Tier 10.
 * While The Ebon Watcher appears to have orange hair like his father and brother, Darion has blonde hair in the comic.
 * After Darion gave up the to Tirion Fordring, he dual wielded two swords with the same model as  and . He has upgraded to a new weapon, with the same model as, upon entering the Citadel.
 * When introduced in WotLK, he had more health than all of the racial leaders. At a time when most racial leaders had a bit more than 5,000,000 HP, he had 11,000,000 HP.