The Urban Legends of Warcraft: Ashbringer, page 2

At the time, the only legendary weapons that existed were purely for DPS. All speculation halted until it was revealed that Patch 1.11, "Shadow of the Necropolis," would introduce the dread citadel Naxxramas -- and with it, Atiesh, Greatstaff of the Guardian. A caster legendary -- could this mean that the Ashbringer would at last be obtainable? Yes -- sort of. Data miners found the files for the Corrupted Ashbringer in the loot table of the Four Horsemen encounter. One of the Four Horsemen was none other than Alexandros Mograine, the man known as the Ashbringer and original wielder of the sword.

Once again, players hopes lifted -- if the corrupted version of the sword existed, then surely there must be some way to cleanse the blade. Those few lucky enough to loot and carry the sword were treated to a variety of eerie voice files that would occasionally play:

Astute players realized Alexandros was speaking of his son Renault, who now led the Scarlet Crusade. Equipping the Corrupted Ashbringer had an odd effect -- players found themselves carrying a buff called Will of the Ashbringer that made them hated with the Argent Dawn ... and friendly with the Scarlet Crusade. Taking the blade in at the cathedral section of Scarlet Monastery produced one of the most amazing, shocking and lore-filled moments in the history of vanilla World of Warcraft:



Alexandros' spirit returned to avenge his death, by murdering the son that had betrayed him. Fairbanks was restored and shared the story of his death and the corruption of the Ashbringer. His last words were of the most interest to players:

With the announcement of The Burning Crusade's release, surely this meant that players would be able to cleanse the blade and at last obtain the legendary weapon. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Alexandros' other son, and the Corrupted Ashbringer was to remain corrupted. Players could, however, find another lead to the tale; visiting Old Hillsbrad in the Caverns of Time would allow them to see the origination of the blade in the Southshore Inn. Upon entering the inn, players find Commander Mograine, Abbendis, Fairbanks, Tirion Fordring, Isillien and Arcanist Doan all sitting around a table. The dialogue in the inn is as follows:

Still, despite the event in Old Hillsbrad, there was no evidence of the mysterious second son of Highlord Alexandros Mograine to be found. The corrupted Ashbringer remained corrupted, and players began to question whether or not they'd ever see a resolution to the mystery of the fallen blade. When Wrath of the Lich King was released, new death knights could plainly see the corrupted Ashbringer being wielded by Highlord Darion Mograine -- a death knight who happened to be that fabled second son of the Scarlet Highlord.

In addition, a four-part comic miniseries simply titled Ashbringer was released that explained the origins of Mograine and the origins of the Ashbringer -- which was not forged by a mage, as many theorized, but by Magni Bronzebeard -- as well as the origins of the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn. For more information on Mograine and the Ashbringer, I highly recommend picking up the series; it was really well written, the artwork for it is lovely, and it is now available in graphic novel format.

Unfortunately, over the course of Wrath, nothing further was implemented to further any indication that there would be a player-wielded Ashbringer. The sword itself was purified during the Light of Dawn event that new death knights played through and eventually wound up in the hands of Tirion Fordring, who carries it to this day.

This was confirmed at Blizzcon 2009 at a class panel discussion, when it was stated that players would not be able to purify the Corrupted Ashbringer, ever. It's been stated here and there that Tigole said it was a "mistake" to ever let the weapon get in the hands of players -- and maybe that's true. The weapon itself is still shrouded in much theory and speculation, particularly after the events in Old Hillsbrad; the item that Mograine originally found was from Draenor, after all, and it bore a curious resemblance to the heart of a darkened Naaru.

Could the Ashbringer be the Light of a Naaru, the same thing that powers the Sunwell we know today, forged into weapon form? Were we ever meant to wield the blade of the Scarlet Highlord? What was up with all the pieces and hints we received over the years? Was it a quest line never implemented, or was it simply bait to string the player base along? We'll never really know, but the story of the Ashbringer captivated many over the years, and the hints and red herrings found along the way continue to mystify.

For now, the legend of the Ashbringer is solved, and it looks as though the blade will remain with Tirion Fordring and the Argent Crusade. The teasing hints and small references to the blade may very well disappear for good with Cataclysm's launch, leaving the legend of Ashbringer simply that, a legend. As for the players ... well, you can always fish up the Dustbringer. Come back next time when I discuss quests undiscovered, quest chains broken and keys never found.

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