Lessons in Lore - Alexandros Mograine, The Ashbringer

Whew, guess being sick has thrown my whole week off! I didn't post on Lore Thursday! I'll have to rectify that since I love writing about the lore, so here's a lore post for you.

Just this last week I picked up the first of a four part comic mini-series on The Ashbringer. The comics are published by Wildstorm comics, which are part of DC, and the same people that do the other warcraft comic that are on issue 12 now I think about the return of King Wrynn to Stormwind. That is also a very good series, and it's leading up to the release of Wrath with its events. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about Alexandros Mograine.

Most of you are probably thinking, "Oh yeah, I know Mograine. I kicked his sorry butt way back in Scarlet Monastery, along with that Whitemane lady." Well, yes, and no. That was High Commander Mograine, but not Alexandros Mograine. Let me explain.

Alexandros Mograine was a Knight of the Silver Hand, a Paladin led by Uther Lightbringer, a widower, and father of two young boys. During the assault on Blackrock Spire in the second war, he came across an Orc Warlock in the possession of a black orb of power. They killed the warlock, and he tried to take the orb, but when he tried to pick it up, it disfigured his hand. Still, he managed to collect the orb and held on to it in hope that its dark power could be turned for good.

Some time later he called a group of knights and paladins together in Southshore at the inn. They looked at the orb and using their powers of light were indeed able to form it into a light giving artifact of power. What is cool about this is that you can watch these events unfold in game. Go to the Caverns of Time, Old Hillsbrad instance, and head to the Southshore inn. There you will see Mograine and his friends working on the orb. You can also see Mograine's son, Renault hanging out with Sally Whitemane. Cute.

So now they have this orb of power. What to do with it? Oh, I know! Let's turn it into a sword. So Alexandros and his friend Fairbanks go off to Ironforge where they have King Magni Bronzebeard forge the greatest sword he as ever created. Now keep in mind, that while all of this is going on, the Scourge is on the move, and Lordaeron is falling to the treachery of Prince Arthas, who has taken up the cursed blade Frostmourne and killed his father. The Knights of the Silver Hand, of which Arthas was apart of, had been disbanded upon the death of Uther Lightbringer. So Mograine's idea is to use this sword to fight the scourge and take back what they have corrupted.


Upon returning to his home, he finds a note that his sons and friends have taken refuge in Hearthglen, which is now in the Western Plaguelands. He and Fairbanks go to meet them, and have to deal with the scourge on the way. The new sword is so effective and reducing the undead to dust, that Mograine calls it The Ashbringer. In time, the blade and the man will become known by that same name. Alexandros Mograine IS the Ashbringer.

So with Stratholme and Andorhal burning, and the scourge on a rampage, Alexandros Mograine helps to form the Scarlet Crusade. Now older his two sons become knights of the Scarlet Crusade as well. Renault is the older son, and Darion the younger. Darion was born still, but revived when his father immersed him the cold waters of a nearby river. However it was in that birth that Mograine's wife died. This led to Darion being the favored son of Alexandros, as Darion reminded Alexandros of his wife. This was not unnoticed by Renault.

On an expedition into Stratholme to fight the scourge, one of the old commanders, Dathrohan, was possessed by Balnazzar. One of the Dreadlords of the Legion. Through Dathrohan, the Legion now had a foothold in the Scarlet Crusade to fight back against Arthas, the Lich King, and the new forsaken that had taken power in Lordaeron. To do this though, he would have to get rid of Mograine. And to do that, he would corrupt his son, Renault.

Renault became a knight of the crusade, encouraged by Dathrohan/Balnazzar. Eventually he was given a mission. He led his father and Fairbanks to Stratholme where they were swarmed by undead. Renault fled, and Fairbanks was buried alive under a pile of corpses. With the power of the Ashbringer, Alexandros was able to defeat all of the undead that had swarmed them, but was much weakened at the end of it. Renault returned, and using the Ashbringer, dropped by Alexandros, killed his own father, corrupting the blade. Renault was promoted to High Commander, and sent to the Scarlet Monastery to lead the crusade from there. That is the Mograine that we encounter when we go the Scarlet Cathedral. Along with is old friend, Sally Whitemane. Cute.

But the story doesn't end there. The elder Mograine is raised by Kel'thuzzad as a Death Knight and place in service of the Lich King. He is currently one of the four horsemen bosses in Naxxramas. Adventurers, who are able to destroy the death knight of Mograine, can pick up the corrupted Ashbringer. If the blade is then taken to the Scarlet Monastery, an event takes place in which the spirit of Alexandros Mograine, still attached to the cursed sword, lashes out and kills his own son, in revenge for all that has happened. I haven't had a chance to see this, as it involves a raid on Naxxramas. And soon it seems none of us will because Naxx is moving to Northrend.

But in return we get something else. I've tried to avoid spoilers on most aspects of the new expansion, but one of the things I did come across is that this story line will continue that involves Mograine and his sons, specifically his younger son Darion. To see this new content, you will need to start a Death Knight and take part in the many quests and watch as the story unfolds. I'm looking forward to doing that when I get the expansion. I probably won't level a Death Knight any time soon, but I am very eager to do the starting experience and watch as the story of Mograine, The Asbringer, is completed.