#darion death-hand

[papakhan]

so basically the lore is that Sun has this pipboy that's almost certainly haunted by the ghost of Darion Death-Hand and he treats it like a purse chihuahua

based on this

[trialbyfire-comic]

Chapter 1: Page 13

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[noodle8]

why so mean, mr garl Fallout 1 death hand!!

[justdiptych]

The original Fallout had one group of raiders. That was the name the game map gave to them - 'Raiders' - but they were in fact known as the Khans. They were a relatively minor faction, being tied to quests in the first town the player is likely to visit, but we learn a lot about them in their brief appearance.

Many of the Khans are given names and dialogue, and will tell the player about their history - including how they came from the same place as the people of Shady Sands, Vault 15, and feel entitled to share in the town's wealth. Some see their raiding life as a way to claim control of the post-war world - ruling through strength and fear, believing that old ideas of morality died with the rest of the world. Others treat it as just another job - they support their group by trading, maintaining equipment, preparing food, and other everyday tasks.

In short, the Khans are a fully-realised community, as much a part of the story as any other. We learn that their brutal leader, Garl Death-Hand, took command after killing his abusive father. The player can kill him, or negotiate with him, or impress him with acts of cruelty, or even challenge his nihilistic views by convincing him that they're his father, back from the dead. Killing Garl and destroying his compound is treated as the best choice for the region as a whole, and is confirmed to have happened in the next game in the series, but it's certainly not the only option.

Fallout 2 has two groups of raiders. One - again marked 'Raiders' on the map - turn out not to be raiders at all, in that they're not attacking towns to steal their wealth. Instead, they're a mercenary company, hired by a disreputable businessman from one town (New Reno) on behalf of another town (Shady Sands again, now the capital of the New California Republic) to harass a third town (Vault City) to convince them that they need outside help in maintaining their defences. It's part of the game's major subplot about the three societies competing for control of northern California and western Nevada.

The other group are the New Khans, founded by Garl's son Darion after the original Khans' defeat. These Khans aren't nearly so fearsome as their predecessors - they mostly operate in secret, hiding behind a group of squatters who have moved into the ruins of Vault 15 and pretending to help them restore it for use. Darion is wracked with resentment over what happened to his father's crew and guilt for having survived, and his gang ultimately present little real threat to the outside world.

What I'm getting at here is that, in the world of Fallout as it existed in those early games, 'raiders' were not a major factor. There was one group who conducted raids as part of their regular economic activity, but only against particular communities - Shady Sands saw them as raiders, but to the Hub, they were just traders. Raiders only existed in a particular context - they had particular interests, beliefs and opportunities that would not always be possible or applicable.

Most of the games' conflict came not from the existence of raiders but from bilateral political and economic competition between groups with overlapping but not identical interests, which was reflected in their respective ideologies. We see this in Killian and Gizmo fighting to control the future of Junktown, and in the Master's attempt to reshape the world with the Unity while the different groups of New California try to retain their independence.

We particularly see it in Fallout 2, with its three-way battle for economic domination between the constitutional democracy of the New California Republic, the mafia-ruled narco-state of New Reno, and the elitist technocratic slave state of Vault City. Which of these groups continue to rule and expand, and which crumble, is what ultimately shapes the region's future - with control of Redding and its gold supply as the linchpin.

While the Enclave are the story's primary antagonists, they're chiefly characterised by their refusal to engage with this new socio-economic order - they believe that all outside authorities are illegitimate, and all outsiders non-human, and their only plan is to release a bioweapon into the atmosphere and kill literally everyone on Earth but themselves. The Enclave's defeat is necessary for New California's survival, but, otherwise, they change very little about how people live their lives. They're like Darion's New Khans on a larger scale - relics of a fallen order, robbed of their purpose, hiding in an old bunker and driven by nothing but resentment of having been left behind.

I might, in future, talk about the contrasting depiction of raiders in Fallouts 3, 4 and 76, and about New Vegas's use of raider and bandit groups like the Khans, the Legion, the Fiends and the White Legs. For now, I think I've made my point - that raiders are not a fact of life but a product of a particular place and time, and much less relevant to the universe of Fallout than other forms of competition and violence.

[dykedvonte]

The Khans - My Introspective

I don't like the Military and I don't support a lot of the actions the NCR does to the Mojave in New Vegas but in terms of the Khans I feel like the fandom infantilizes or diminishes the fact that they are or at least one of the most violent raider groups in the Mojave.

What happened at Bitter Springs was a tragedy, innocent lives were lost and the fact that the NCR swept it under the rug and continued to hunt down Khans that are truly trying to back down and resettle is horrendous, but there is a history to the NCR's aggression towards them.

The Khans first appear in Fallout 1, the main faction of raiders in the game besides the mentioned Vipers (who don't actually appear if I remember correctly). They came from Vault 15 along with the members that would form rival groups; The Vipers, The Jackals, and Shady Sands. They are a very large and foreboding raiding party, known for burning towns and encampments they attack and taking survivors as their slaves or slaves to sell. They are a big reason why the Jackals and Vipers are actually so small in New Vegas, they wiped them out.

Their main targets where Shady Sands and Junker town, the former of the two would be what became The New California Republic. This explains a big part of their animosity towards the Khans, only furthered by the fact the Khans kidnapped Tandi as a young girl, the girl that would go to offically found the NCR out of Shady Sands. When the dweller saved her and killed much of the Khans, this allowed the NCR to develop into what it currently is as they no longer needed to focus on fighting off constant raids.

When the Khans became the New Khans in Fallout 2, they barely resembled the Khans as they were led by Darion, Garl Death-Hand's son (former leader of the Khans). They were smaller and refortified vault 15, still planning to take down the NCR (at this time nowhere near as imperialist as they are in FNV) as mostly a revenge/power ploy. They manipulate The Squat, a group of y'know squatters, that lived in the upper levels, promising and lying about repairing the vault and offering them ransacked caravan resources if they kept the NCR away. Being their only life line The Squat had no choice. Still the chosen one got rid of them and they left New California for the untapped Mojave.

The Great Khans, the most current iteration, continued in the path as the original Khans, regrouping and gaining information from the Followers who hoped they'd use their new medical knowledge to heal themselves. They gained more members and a substantial part of Vegas territory before they were run out by the three families. They were pushed to Bitter Springs where they first and foremost continued to pick off and attack NCR settlements, most of which consisted of caravans, towns, and camps as they saw them as easy like in their old days. It was the killing of four influential Republic members (non-military) that brought on Bitter Springs.

Bitter Springs was the result of years of hatred and animosity and likely the goal to send a final message to the Khans. It does not excuse the fact that innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered with few survivors. It does not excuse the fact that the NCR has yet to make amends for this and continues to try and persecute the Khans even in moments of surrender.

This post is not to defend what happened but to give a quick rundown of the Khan's history and their history with the NCR. It's to remind people that the NCR is not just their military power but an actual group/settlement of people that were also attacked indiscriminately by the Khans. It's to point out that the Khans were not a band of indigenous people (no matter the comparisons) driven from their homes but raiders who fed into the brutal cultures of the west coast wasteland and were in turn treated to the same things.

My frustration comes from the fact that FNV has so many comparisons to indigenous struggles but the groups it chooses are not comparable at all. Their oppression hinges on not being familiar with their past, which explains why they have the reputation they do in canon. The "tribes" are often not even groups of minorities or have goals/desires out of acquisitions of power and I feel like it is important to both acknowledge that this is bad indigenous rep because it is not supposed to be. It is supposed to be a comparison of the in-game groups and how they all do the same things and justify it in their own fucked up ways, some better at it than others.

FNV of all the Fallout games (in light of it being heavily Western based) distastefully uses indigenous imagery and theming for groups that are sad mimicries of American indigenous cultures at best and outright offensive at worst.

[tarttsweetshriek]

“It takes a Silver Hand to wield an Ebon Blade.”   -Darion Mograine

Those words he had told his father still lingered in the goblin’s mind.  Perhaps Tartt could tolerate hanging out with paladins. It would depend on the situation. Paladins were flashy. Flashy in battle, using the Light in their attacks, flashy when healing. Fel, even their plate armor was flashy. And the rivalry had gone on for years.

The death knight looked at herself in the mirror, applying a purple gloss to her lips to make them more pretty. Her thoughts flashed back to the Third War when Arthas was yelling orders in her mind- the sting felt like a cold, numbing headache that had microphone feedback to it. Not something she wanted to think back on.

Tartt shook her head, letting the memory of civilian screams fade into the background. She had to look presentable today- enough to at least to hang out with people. But with Midsummer, and most of Azeroth being hot and humid in places, she couldn’t help but think about recent events. Fire Fest had been amazing; everyone celebrating summer in their own way. As she brushed her hair, she thought of the raves and dances. Smoke and thick haze from those nights along with dancing beside fabulous people. She was determined to at least try to hopefully see a certain night elf friend out in the world again.  

(@cythion for a mention).

[esperanta-dragon]

Hi, I hope you are doing well! I recently read a piece of lore that described how to destroy a lich Ras Frostwhisper, and this meant returning mortality to him. Perhaps you know this chain of quests, but if not, it was necessary to find a memorable object associated with the life of the undead, a kind of anchor, fill it with power, at the place where a person died and a lich was born, and use it on it. This process somehow gave the soul the right connection with the body, and the lich became a man. It struck me that this is possible. My questions to you are, do you think this is possible for dk? Is the vampiric blade of the death knight a kind of phylactery for the defiled soul? If Darion had known that such a thing was possible, would he have tried? Do you, as a writer, find this idea interesting, or does it break the character development of the dk and his concept? Sorry for the bunch of text, but I was very interested in this topic

This is an interesting ask and I had to think about how to reply to it.

I am sure some fanfics touched on that and allowed death knights to be mortal again but this is a topic I solved years back when I was trying to figure out if it would be possible at all. Because I am not used to twist lore after I realize I want something and it's not possible with canon.

First of all, Raz was a lich and did not have a phylactery which was fubar on its own. Liches store their souls in their phylacteries, when they are killed, they return into it and they can regenerate. Since it was in Vanilla, I am sure the Scourge was more strict and tried to avoid such incidents later on.

Second of all, the Scourge was more built on in WotLK about how they work and some of things were rewritten as impossible. I remember there were some things from RPG books which were used in-game but later on were confirmed as non-canon but could be still used for RP purposes, such as living death knights. That was a thing before Blizzard said and shown how exactly death knights are made and how they work in WotLK. I am still sure there could be some living death knights before, but more like corrupted paladins who joined the Scourge willingly, and were in the middle of a trial if they can become true death knights. Because being alive has limitations for their magic and they would be weaker this way which is not something they wanted.

Death knights work differently than liches. Their runeblades are not phylactery, they are their extended hand and vessel for a runic magic. They are not powerless without it but they feel weaker and uncomfortable when not carrying it.

They were killed and their souls are tied to their physical bodies. Liches were transformed into something else and their soul is stored in a phylactery. And thinking of Raz... I can't help but thinking it doesn't make sense and it was done during time when only lich with proper lore was Kel'Thuzad and Blizzard was still not sure how to approach this topic. Sure it's a fantasy world, but even fantasy world has a rules and I am afraid this one is obsolete after WotLK.

From what was shown in WotLK, there is no way how to reverse the undead. When somebody was infected by the plague, the only way was to ask Naaru to take their soul before they die and turn into the undead. Death knights barely gained free will back thanks to the Light intervention. They are dead already and they were raised by a powerful runic magic which soaked into their bodies (and my headcanon is that they have runes engraved into their flesh too). I am pretty sure the Scourge made sure that even if there would be a way like with Raz, they would get past some "security measures".

Another topic is: we do ressurection in-game all the time. Lorewise? Incredibly hard and very rare (yes even though Blizzard is bringing characters back all the time). The Blood of Our Fathers and Before the Storm. That was it. Maybe there were some other examples I do not remember now. Bringing somebody to life is extremely rare even for somebody like Velen, Faol, Anduin, etc.

And then... the psychology of it. Majority of DKs lost everything. Their home, their families (sometimes they were the ones who killed them), their friends, everything. They have nothing. Only each other. According to lore, death knights can feel emotions, but the bad ones are much stronger and the good ones are very rare and subtle. They are still managing somehow though. But imagine people who went through such mental manipulation and abuse, trauma, death, despair and such, to get physical bodies. With brain producing hormones again such as cortisol the stress hormone. With need to sleep, eat, dring, etc. I dare to say they would be so highly depressed and would hit them as a train that they would not even enjoy the life, they would be incredible miserable after all that happened. Plus their power would probably go away which makes them strong and such people don't have a workflow for peace.

Right now they at least have each other and are powerful enough to protect something they care about and can prove the world they are still needed and useful.

So if there would be a way, Darion would already find it. But I am not sure if he wanted to use it. He is the most powerful death knight on Azeroth and he uses his power to protect the Ebon Blade. Being mortal again, he would lose such power. And only reason he is still coping with his fate is that he can take care of others with the same fate.

I still have to write the story about sir Zeliek but many years ago when I wrote the first version (I am not happy with) I touched that topic and he stated that after all that happened, he wouldn't want to be alive, because there is nothing good in the world that awaits him, he lost everything and everybody.

But we've touched the topic if death knights can at least get their senses back, even if not fully and permanently. It's still a long way to it in Of Lucid Dreams and Nightmares but it was touched and explored. Because there is a way based on official and confirmed lore.

Sorry for tl;dr! Years of working with death knights.

Still if somebody wants to write a fanfic where it's possible, go for it. But I used to not making anything easy for characters I work with. If something is way too easy, it's no longer fun for me. Because life is not easy.

[jacaela]

day 4 - favourite character

Darion Mograine is the leader of the Four Horsemen and the former Highlord of the Knights of the Ebon Blade. The son of Alexandros Mograine, one of the Highlords of the Knights of the Silver Hand and the original wielder of the Ashbringer, Darion was a paladin of the Silver Hand, and later of the Argent Dawn. After his father was murdered by his brother Renault Mograine, he came into possession of the corrupted Ashbringer, and tried to save his father's souls inside. During the First Battle for Light's Hope, Darion used the sword to kill himself, destroying the Scourge forces and releasing his father's soul. Following the battle, the Archlich Kel'Thuzad raised him as an undead, while the Lich King made him the Highlord of Death Knights of Acherus and the ruler of Acherus: The Ebon Hold, once again wielding the corrupted Ashbringer. After defeating the Scarlet Crusade in the Scarlet Enclave, he and his fellow death knights broke free from the Lich King's control during the Battle for Light's Hope Chapel and founded the order of renegade death knights known as the Knights of the Ebon Blade. Under the leadership of Darion, the Ebon Blade spearheaded the attack against the Scourge alongside the Argent Crusade during the war against the Lich King, temporarily allied with them to form the Ashen Verdict and topple the Lich King.

Lady Jaina Proudmoore is the daughter of Daelin and Katherine Proudmoore, and sister of Derek and Tandred. She is considered one of the finest mages in all Azeroth and the most powerful human sorceress alive. She is the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras, the former leader of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran, and of the port-city of Theramore. Trained as the personal agent of Archmage Antonidas, the late leader of the Kirin Tor and Dalaran, she was sent to investigate the plague of undeath with Prince Arthas Menethil, her childhood friend and one-time romantic interest. She witnessed the first stages of the fall of Lordaeron during the Third War firsthand and, guided by a mysterious prophet later revealed as Medivh, Jaina rallied what survivors she could find and fled across the sea to Kalimdor. There, her expedition forces joined together with the night elves and the New Horde and defeated the Burning Legion during the Battle of Mount Hyjal. The human survivors then founded the port city of Theramore, joining the Alliance led by Varian Wrynn, while maintaining peace with the Horde for several years. Shortly after the fall of Deathwing, the Horde led by Garrosh Hellscream destroyed Theramore. Jaina managed to escape with her life, but the experience transformed her, making her more bellicose and even altering her appearance. Following the death of Rhonin during the attack, and fulfilling a prophecy made by the dragon-mage Korialstrasz, Jaina took the fallen mage's place as leader of the Kirin Tor and head of the Council of Six. In spite of personal tragedies, she attempted to maintain the Kirin Tor's neutrality during the Alliance-Horde war. After the Horde-aligned Sunreavers aided Garrosh to steal the Divine Bell, Jaina exiled the Sunreavers from her city during the Purge of Dalaran and aligned the Kirin Tor with the Alliance. Following the Battle for the Broken Shore, the Council decided unanimously to re-admit the Horde into Dalaran for the greater good. Furious, Jaina left the Kirin Tor. Following the War of the Thorns, Jaina returned to her homeland of Kul Tiras in the name of the Alliance but was imprisoned for treason by her mother at the suggestion of Lady Priscilla Ashvane. After Ashvane's own betrayal was discovered, Jaina reconciled with her mother and brought the lost Kul Tiran fleet back home. Katherine stepped down as Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras and named Jaina in her stead, re-pledging their nation to the Alliance cause and to the Fourth War.

[deathchained]

@throned sent: ∗ 22﹕ sender  finds  receiver  [ injured / bloodied ] . / from darion, since this just feels right for koltira!

This was a disaster.

For a time, the Ebon Blade held the line against the demons, wave after wave of the creatures crashing against their blades and faltering. But even in the face of their continued success, Koltira had felt something...off. A hint of intuition that hadn't left him in death, telling him that the tides were about to turn, and not in their favor. For a time, he had tried to ignore the feeling that hung over his head like a guillotine, but that proved to be a mistake, as a Legion ship suddenly just appeared overhead. Koltira had barely had time to yell at those around him to find cover before the blasting began, fire raining down from the ship above.

The line broke at the arrival of that ship, sending both Horde and Alliance racing for cover, Koltira counted among that number. While the Ebon Blade had no qualms about fighting the worst of things to give others time to flee, there was no fighting a ship like that, not from the ground. Koltira raced towards cover but found himself short of protection as another shot impacted the ground not far behind him. The resulting explosion sent the Death Knight hurtling through the air, crashing some fifteen yards ahead of where he had been standing, and dazed to boot. It took him a moment to haul himself to his feet, ears ringing so loudly that the battlefield was eerily quiet.

Deciding things had progressed too far in the Legion's favor, Koltira threw up his hands, dark energy pouring from his fingertips. This was no offensive spell though, for quickly the dark energy coalesced into a gateway, a Deathgate, and Koltira stepped through before another shot could send him flying. Stepping into Acherus, it was plain the battle had gone wrong, Koltira covered in dust, debris, and no small amount of blood. He had barely gotten both his feet on the stone floor of the Necropolis before finding himself face to face with none other than Darion Mograine, Highlord of the Ebon Blade. "Highlord." Koltira addressed the other, straightening himself as much as he was able after what he had been through. "My apologies, but the front has been broken. A Legion ship appeared overhead and began to bombard our forces, forcing a retreat." Koltira paused, wiping some of the viscous blood from his face, oozing down from a wound on his scalp. "What are your orders, Highlord?" That was all that mattered. The fight, the mission. They would do what the living could not.

[annova]

Chapter 14 of Soul Full of Scars is up over on AO3 now!

Summary: Berryl and Darion are finally going back to Northrend. That brings with it its own set of problems... And discoveries...

Chapter CW: Flashbacks, Intrusive thoughts, PTSD

Chapter Words: 3.7k

Total Words: 46k

Berryl reached her hand out for Iydallus to investigate. The deathcharger turned her snout toward the mage, sniffing a few times before she pressed her nose into Berry’s palm. Berryl smiled softly. She remembered the deathchargers in Naxxramas had always been so brutish and terrifying. They were massive beasts, with glowing hooves and snouts that would scream and kick at the slightest movement, but being around Iydallus made her feel almost… peaceful. Darion’s mare was such a stark contrast to the death knights she was used to and to the highlord himself. Iydallus was so gentle and calm compared to Darion’s hard exterior and she was absolutely nothing like the horses in Naxxramas. Berryl smiled softly as she drew her hand up the mare’s forehead.

Berryl looked over her shoulder as she heard voices behind her. She saw Darion and Thorval standing together, deep in conversation. Their voices were low and it was difficult for her to hear. She frowned as she watched them. Darion turned away from Thorval but spun back quickly as if they were arguing.

“Darion, this is very concerning –” Thorval began.

“Thorval, I can handle her. Trust me." Darion replied.

“This isn’t about ‘handling her,’ this is about controlling her. She must be contained. She is dangerous –"

Darion stepped in close to Thorval. “I would choose my next words carefully, my lord."

Thorval paused as his eyes drifted over Darion’s shoulder to Berryl for a moment.

“I can tell she is already affecting you. Your safety is my priority, Darion. I care about her wellbeing, of course, but she is a death mage, I am certain of it."

“However… ” Darion let the word hang in the air between them.

"However, something is different about her. Whatever your father – Alexandros – did to her made her different. The death mages were a failure for a reason. Putting that kind of magic into the living like that is…” Thorval shook his head, “Unnatural."

Darion smirked. "Perhaps making her unnatural is what saved her?”

Thorval narrowed his eyes. "I'm thrilled you find this all funny.”

Darion’s smirk disappeared. "I don't. But I trust her… and I know myself."

Thorval glanced over Darion's shoulder once more before he sighed and nodded. Darion nodded in return before he turned and made his way to Berryl, pulling the hood of his Ebon Watcher robes over his head as he did.

“Everything alright?" She asked as she brushed her hand down Iydallus’ snout.

“It's fine." Darion snapped but then sighed. “Are you ready to go?"

Berryl nodded quickly. “I am! I did a little more research and I have our first stop!"

“First stop? Berryl, what are you –”

She turned toward him fully and Darion grit his teeth as a fresh wave of vitality assaulted his senses again. His eyes locked onto her neck as the desire to rip and tear suddenly manifested deep in his chest. The sounds of her screams would be like ecstasy to his ears as his teeth –

“Darion?"

He blinked. The Hunger passed through him and his head cleared. He took a measured breath as his eyes met hers. Despite the swirling necromantic energy, he had never noticed the flecks of blue and green in the dark brown hues as she watched him. They were beautiful .

“You said you had our first stop?" He said slowly. He continued to take slow, measured breaths but the Hunger seemed to have passed completely.

Berryl nodded. “We need to go to Dragonblight."

Darion frowned. “Why Dragonblight?"

She held up the small journal. “There are a few entries in here that mention a beach in southern Dragonblight. The words are barely legible but from what I've gathered our Scarlet Commander spent some time in a small village there."

Darion sighed. “Do you know how long it's going to take to get there?"

Berryl smiled. "Well, the death gate will get us close. And then it's just a matter of traveling on foot.”

Darion narrowed his eyes at her. Berryl shrugged. "Or we could go to Dalaran –”

"No. We'll take the death gate.”

She smiled at him before she reached up to adjust Iydallus’ bridle. The horse whinnied softly at the attention, her ears flicking in delight. Once everything was set, Darion gripped the deathcharger’s reins and threw his leg over to swiftly mount the mare. He held his hand out for Berryl and she pulled herself up behind him. His free hand came to rest atop hers as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Hang on tight.” He said quietly, gently guiding Iydallus' toward the death gate.

Berryl pressed her cheek against his back. "Always.”

***Read more over on AO3...***

[papakhan]

Not sure if I ever shared my Darion Death-Hand design but here he is!! son of Garl Death-Hand :) i hc that he's the same age exactly as Tandi so 16 in fallout 1 and 96 in fallout 2 <3

Some more headcanons i have for him that are related to this design:

He loves dogs, he singlehandedly developed the Khan dog breed that is still used by 2281, that's a dogwhistle he has around his neck

Vault 15's last working pipboy was in his possession and the Khans took it with them after they fled California, the Khans got it working for him in an attempt to help manage his dementia and in my version of things that's what the Chosen One finds those spy logs on, not the terminal

The patches on his vest are meant to lean into that more outlaw biker aesthetic the Khans hold and that I prefer, with the year being 2161 as his "initiation" because it's when he survived the Vault Dweller (I might change it to 2162 tho because I almost never manage to kill the Khans in fo1 before the end of December)

[trialbyfire-comic]

Chapter 1: Page 12

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[sunlaid]

            # 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗈𝖽𝗎𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

.࣪𓏲ּ  ֶָ  𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑠𝒕𝒗  ⁝         𝘣𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴,  𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯,  𝘤𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦,  𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮.    announcing  the  arrival  of  darion  of  house goodbrother,  the  ruling lord of  hammerhorn.  whispers  among  the  court  name  them  to  be  both  charismatic  and  obstinate  in  disposition,  and  those  closest  to  them  speak  to  their  interests  in  ship building.  if  we  bards  could  compose  a  song  for  them,  it  might  tell  stories  of  a  once  romantic  heart  smothered  by  time  and  fatigue  :  left  behind  is  a  guarded  shrivelled  lump  of  flesh,  a  corpse  bleeding  onto  the  riches  of  a  thousand  man,  the  haunted  echos  of  a  boyish  giggle  now  choked  and  silenced.  the  seven  whisper  to  their  most  devout  queen  as  she  sleeps,  making  her  question  where  their  loyalties  truly  lie.  are  they  right  to  whisper?  for  their  loyalties  truly  lie  with  the iron islands. 

               𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 . . .

     # 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇

official  name:  darion goodbrother.  nicknames:  rion.  noble  title:  ruling lord of hammerhorn.  date  of  birth:  11/28.  age:  thirty7.  birthplace:  hammerhorn.  home:  the iron islands.  nationality:  iron born.  gender:  cis male.  pronouns:  he and them.  orientation:  pansexual.  monikers:  the red horn, breaker of skulls, the war hound.  languages:  the common tongue.  accent:  strong, like scottish strong.

     # 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇

faceclaim:  glen powell.  hair:  dirty blonde, kept short.  eyes:  ocean blue and moss green.  height:  6'7".  build:  big bitch muscular.  scent:  the sea breeze after a storm.  dominant  hand:  right.  allergies:  none.  scars:  various, but most notably a long one from left clavicle to right hip bone.  distinguishing  features:  heterochromia.  clothing  style:  travis fimmel in vikings.

     # 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗒

label:   the war hound.   mbti:   enfp.   enneagram:   the protector.   element:   fire.   star   sign:   sagittarius.   temperament:   choleric.   character   inspirations:   kratos, odysseus, guildford dudley.   deadly   sin:   wrath.   heavenly   virtue:   fortitude.   godly   parent:   poseidon.

     # 𝖽𝗋𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌

hobbies:  ship building, being a classic nuisance.  religion:  the drowned god.  alliance:  the iron islands.  personal goals:  dying a valiant death.  would they choose family or power?  dependant.

     # 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌

father:  ruling lord victarion goodbrother.  relationship:  positive, deceased.  mother:  ruling lady naia goodbrother nee sparr. relationship:  positive, deceased.  spouse:  ruling lady/lord/liege tba goodbrother ne tba. relationship:  positive.  salt wife:  tba of tba. relationship:  positive.  sibling:  various. relationship:  various, dependent.  children:  lord greydon goodbrother, lady heir nalina goodbrother. relationship:  strained, positive. 

               𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 . . .

NOTHING TO SEE HERE .

     # 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌

found family: tba

[renaultmograine]

how similar are anduin and darions stories really? you keep saying that, but i feel like everyones got some story beat thats similar to someone else in wow

[cracks knuckles]

Overprotective and aggresive widowed father's special baby boy with his mother's blond hair, who died tragically when he was an infant

Father at some point became a gladiator

Explicitly not a paladin, though is often mistaken for one

Saved from a near death experience by the Light as a teen (the bell/Stratholme)

The Light favors him in a strange way (bone omens/Light sent dreams and also Blowing Him Up)

Despite this, questions if he's worthy of the Light (in Darion's case this was before he blew up)

Ran off into the wilderness for several years after tragedy struck him (they also both ran off at the age of fifteen, but that was a separate Anduin moment)

Older man in his life, notably with a T name, found him after several years alone to go "Hey we got bigger problems than this, you should probably rejoin society" (Thrall/Tyrosus)

Corrupted into death knight-hood by one of the Lich King's original lieutenants after they specifically picked him out (Sylvanas/Kel'thuzad)

Was the right hand of the big bad of the expansion briefly, and was wielding their father's sword in the process, which was now cursed. It would be purified in the process of him breaking free of Domination.

The spirit of his father came to him to give him the strength to break free of Domination as the one controlling him tried to kill him for a laugh.

Very boldly optimistic, bordering on delusional with it, that simultaneously gets him punished often and not nearly enough for it.

From all given lore sources, is wildly strong (Anduin's raid nerfs + the fact you technically don't even win his fight, plus lets not forget his battlefield wide mass heal in BFA/Darion five man'ed Naxx, split Thaddius in half solo, became the second strongest DK in lore only behind The Lich King, had twice the health as all the racial leaders in Wrath)

Crybaby.

[dxrknessembr8ced]

After escaping through the streets there the two are ambushed once more by G mutants but this time standing before the two is one large Tyrant infected and mutated by the new enhanced variation of the G-Virus and had already gone into stage 2 which is very problematic to the rest of the cultists on the island as adding T-Erebus with the G-virus to make the virus stronger is a literal death sentence and a sign for horrible things to come. The monster growled in fits of rage loosing control of its body from the virus now developing a mind of it's own.

Hsien-Ko Junior despite the situation she's in she stand in front of lil' susie and smiled knowing that this is going to be a fun fight, her time to shine, her little sparkle lighting up in her heart and soul. It's the daughter of Hsien-Ko to show this G-mutation whose boss.

" This is gonna be awesome... "

' KRRRRSSSHHH! '

Flames erupted around the girl's face and formed the helmet of a Yaiba the crimson wolf around her face while pumped with so much power of the T-Erebus virus from within as the girl unleashed those sharp razor claw gauntlets now coated with pinkish bright red flames. All of her own weapons are coated with these flames to give herself an extra damage boost against the enemy.

" LET'S PLAY ! "

The G-Tyrant growled dashing towards the girl at full speed swinging that large clawed arm at the girl but the girl negated his attack with their claws clashing together as sparks appear each time their claws made contact.

' KRRSSHH ! '

' KRRRSSSHHH ! '

Junior still negating the G-Tyrant's attacks she kept moving and dashing around with such agility she had gained from herself and when the tyrant is now placed himself open she goes in for the kill slashing the tyrant staggering him as she scorch his flesh with her flame coated claws weakening it while not letting up from attacking her prey.

' KRRRSSSHHH! '

' KKKRRRSSCCHHH ! '

' KKKRRRSSSCCCHH!! '

Right after those slashes she switching one of her claws to a chained metallic ball full of spikes and coated in flames spinning that ball around right until she struck the mutant right into it's fleshy face tearing apart half of it's body while the flames ravage the flesh and it's regenerative properties.

" HEY-HO! SAY BYE BYE TO YOUR HEAD HO! "

' PRRRAACCKK! '

' PRRCCCKKKK! '

' PRRRCCCKK!! '

Right after she wacked the G-Tyrant with the spike flamming ball it's missing half of it's body even the sharp arm, all gone into a grisly mess. But still alive as the jiangshi is not done just yet. She gave the creature a gift of a grand explosive finale as she place a bomb into the ground in front of him as she stands there clapping her hands waiting for the big kaboom t-

' KRRROOOOOOMM! '

...nevermind. The bomb exploded reducing the monster into a blood red pasted as the child had won, finally having her first tyrant of the day. Her first ever tyrant kill ad Junior does a dance, while juggling her weapons at a fast paste to celebrate her victory.

" HEY-HOOOOO!!! "

[esperanta-dragon]

I spent some time thinking about this but I realized that I should really get into mind of the characters and ask again what they want and what drives them. To Darion, he wanted to kill the Lich King and get his father back.

If Tirion would not let Lich King's former hand to have such a weapon, why would he let him forge it in the first place? Why would he not let him die during WotLK? The Ebon Blade were doing much more than we were shown and I think not even Tirion knew everything. If Tirion did not trust Darion in such extent (which is understandable but still, they had to cooperate) why he would keep him alive and let fight in the war?

I just can't imagine Darion spending so much time and resources to just hand over such weapon to whom whatever won the tournament. The Shadowmourne was not a prize to be won.

But again, this is me, my years spent with death knights, deep in their psychology, traumas and developing the whole story of WotLK but from the Ebon Blade perspective. With all argues between the Ebon Blade and the Argent Crusade and what both groups were hiding from each other or struggle so they don't kick the hornest's nest.

If people feel like Tirion did not want Darion to wield the weapon he forged and he should give it to winner of the tournament, go for it. If somebody feels like it should be done differently, go for it. I am not in Blizzard writing team, so I can't tell people that this is the only correct way. There is tons of fanfics about it out there and I am just one of fanfic writers. I am not here to dictate this is the only way. I can only show my way and why it feels the best to me.

I write the character according to what I put together by bits and pieces over the years. Everybody can have a different view. I can only advise with what I've put together from known lore and psychology of the character based on Ashbringer, in-game quests and We Ride Forth.

I finished writing reply, hit post and then saw there is another.

Again! It's my point of view and I don't want to discourage anybody to think my way of thinking is the best one. Different fanfic writers, different points of view. Everybody should pick what they think feels best to them.

But what you see is my 13 years with death knights.

And one more question, sorry for pestering you! This one will be about Shadowmourne. In your work, the axe is guarded by dk, and Anduin caught a panic attack (which is understandable) just being in it's presence. Only three classes can use Shadowmourne, and if there are no questions with a dk and a warrior, then how can a paladin decide to take an axe and not comparing himself to arthas?

The biggest issues I see with these things and why people struggle understanding lore or they can't decide how something work is...

In-game mechanic doesn't mean it's canon

Ask yourself:

Would powerful and important lore characters ask for help heroes all the time? Why they don't do stuff themselves?

Why Forsaken priests can use the Light?

How healers of any kind can heal death knights or Forsaken when they are dead already? How paladins or priests can heal them when the Light is hurting undead of any kind?

Why Darion or Sylvanas, Varian or Muradin were not up there on the Frozen Throne with Tirion to put an end to Arthas when they wanted to do it for years? Why they were suddenly not present?

Easy. In-game mechanic. Lore characters probably do all the important tasks themselves. But then players would have nothing to do. They wouldn't even kill some of the raid bosses because lore characters would do it themselves. Forsaken or Death knights would be dying all the time during raids because you would be damaging them instead of healing them. Death knights can even drown in-game which is stupid because they no longer need to breathe.

Same goes for Shadowmourne.

Darion went through a lot to forge it. He knows the weapon the best. Why would he give it to some random hero? If you would want to explain it in a book, then you would have to create a character with own goals, history, etc. Why would he not hold it himself against the Lich King? He was driven to kill the Lich King, that's why he forged the Shadowmourne. And suddenly he stayed in Light's Hammer and gave the Shadowmourne somebody else when he barely trusts anybody outside of his order.

In-game mechanic. Because players need the legendary weapon. Lorewise? Darion would not give Shadowmourne to anybody because he forged it, he wanted to kill the Lich King himself and he wouldn't trust anybody to hold it. But it's still very volatile weapon so Darion decided to keep it under the lock and key and he is using his swords instead. I still have a headcanon he took the Shadowmourne when he went to Shadowlands. Not sure if I will use it as I am trying to delete SL from my head.

Saronite has the amazing ability: living can hear whispers and it can drive them mad. It also absorbs Light. So imagine giving weapon forged from primal saronite to a paladin. Or a warrior who is not undead. Lorewise, living can't wear saronite armor or use saronite weapons because of that. Also that's why the undead or death knights wear it. It's lighter than steel and absorbs Light so it protects them from it.

I am talking all the time that I hate breaking canon and I like filling out gaps instead and still not twisting canon.

But I've learned to distinquish lore from in-game mechanics and asking myself what would make sense if in-game mechanic was not present.