Darion Blackmorn

Appearance
A handsome man in his early twenties, he is tall and powerfully built. His dark-brown hair has grown long and unruly while his beard is often neatly-trimmed.

Possessing both a Lord's courtesy and a paladin's sense of honor, Darion is well-spoken and clearly of Noble birth. His voice carries the distinct accent common to the people of Northern Lordaeron.

He appears to have a great deal of upper body strength and can often be seen wielding an immense two-handed greatsword with ease. His posture and skill with a blade would suggest that he was trained by a master at arms and seasoned in combat.

Armor
Darion is often clad in a rugged combination of ornate plate and boiled leather. While ornate and clearly befitting a man of Noble birth, the armor is quite dulled with nicks, scrapes and dents, indicating that it had been well used.

He has recently been seen in a magnificent suit of ceremonial armor, befitting his new position.

Weapons
A fine, castle-forged longsword rests in an ornately-tooled leather scabbard on his sword belt. Darion is also the bearer of the greatsword, Light's Justice.

Early Years and Training
Personally trained by his namesake, Lord-Paladin Darion Madarin from the time he was a small boy, he would reside at Stone Hearth Keep for much of his youth. Madarin was among the first Knights of the Silver Hand and though the boy was like a son to him, he treated him no differently than any other squire with regard to his training and because of the great responsibility and title the young Blackmorn would inherit, he was often pushed harder than the other potential Knights. He showed promise at just four-and-ten, performing his duties as a squire with nothing short of perfection. Even-tempered and possessing a strong desire to learn, his skills were slowly honed over the next three years and would save his life when Stone Hearth came under attack from the undead scourge.

During his time at Stone Hearth, Darion befriended Lord Madarin's bastard, Saidan Hayward. Close in age, the two trained side-by-side and shared in many adventures outside Stone Hearth's walls. In spite of their training and strict adherence to the Light's virtues, they were still young men and as such, were not always paragons of virtue... During a visit to Osric's Anvil, it was said that both young men lost their virginity to Sir Henry Wilhelm's eldest daughter. When Sir Henry brought the matter to the lords of the Anvil, it was quickly dismissed as rumor so as not to besmirch the honor of their liege-lord's eldest son and heir. Lord Edwin Tolvan was said to have confided in Sir Henry that if it had been only Madarin's bastard, he'd have seen the lad hanged.

Knighthood
For his valor in combat against the scourge who laid siege to Stone Hearth, in spite of Prince Arthas disbanding the Order of the Silver Hand, Darion Blackmorn was anointed a paladin in a small ceremony held in Stone Hearth's courtyard at the age of seven-and-ten. The ceremony was performed by his mentor and namesake, Lord Darion Madarin of Stone Hearth.

The Marriage That Never Was
At the age of nine-and-ten, Darion was betrothed to Lady Sandra Madarin, a marriage which would have forever joined the two houses that had remained allies for centuries. The betrothal was broken when young Darion found himself wounded during one of the many attempts to wrest Andorhal from the scourge who held it. His wounds were tended by a commoner from one of the neighboring farms and Darion fell in love with the beautiful young lady at first sight. In spite of what it meant for his house, Darion intended to marry Caitlyn Winters and as she was already carrying his child, he viewed it as the only honorable choice. Fate had other plans for the young lovers and while Blackmorn was fighting another battle against the forsaken, Caitlyn, who had chosen to remain in her family's home just miles from Andorhal was slain during a raid led by the forsaken. Darion blamed himself for the young woman's fate and believed that the Light he had sworn to serve had punished him for breaking his betrothal to the Madarin girl.

The Fall Of Stone Hearth
The forsaken had long viewed Stone Hearth as a threat to their stranglehold on Andorhal and after three attempts by the Madarins to retake it, an offensive was launched that would see the end of yet another great house. Slain while retaking the southern villages under Stone Hearth's banner, Sir Adamir Thornewood was raised by the Banshee Queen's Captains and turned against his former brothers in arms. It was his knowledge of Stone Hearth's lord and the Keep's defenses that gave the forsaken the upper hand. Rather than see his smallfolk slaughtered and his family in peril, Lord Madarin personally led an assault on Andorhal, intending to strike before their plans could be set into motion. He and his men fought valiantly, but during the explosion that destroyed the main guard towers, Lord Madarin was thrown from his horse and knocked unconscious. He was taken prisoner by the forsaken Commander, who intended to turn him as they had turned Sir Adamir. Rather than see his former liege-lord suffer the same grim fate, Sir Adamir beheaded him with his own greatsword, Light's Justice.

With much of his house's might engaged in brutal conflict on three fronts, Jon Blackmorn ordered his son to come to Stone Hearth's aid. At the request of Lady Madarin, a host was assembled in an attempt to free her husband from his captors, led by Darion and Edric Blackmorn. They were joined by Lady Victoriea Holfmann and all that remained of Stone Hearth's might, but before they could reach Andorhal, they were met by forsaken Commander Varithos and a dozen of his Deathguards. Darion ordered them to a halt as Varithos held up Lord Madarin's severed head and began to speak. "Your lord is dead and Stone Hearth shall fall. Leave these lands or join us in undeath." He told them before tossing the severed head at the hooves of Blackmorn's mount. So enraged by the loss of his mentor and a man he held dearly as a second father, Blackmorn ordered them to charge and show no mercy. Battle was joined in the thick forest just miles from the city of Andorhal and Commander Varithos' reinforcements arrived just in time to counter what would have surely been a masacre. While the Madarin soldiers urged him to retreat, Blackmorn refused and was quoted as having said: ''"Run if you will, but I will not retreat until Lord Madarin's remains are returned to his wife and Light's Justice retrieved." ''

Inspired by the young paladin's determination, the men remained at his back and despite many casualties, the forsaken were defeated. The battle ended when Darion slew Commander Varithos in single combat and Sir Adamir Thornewood was taken prisoner. Adamir Thornewood was later beheaded with Light's Justice and the sword relinquished to Madarin's widow to hold in trust for the child she carried. Thornewood's last words were: "I make no apology for what I have done, for surely I spared him a fate more cruel than any death known to you mortals." He then met Darion Blackmorn's eyes and spoke once more. "You do me a greater service this day than you can know. It is with good will that I accept my fate. The Light has abandoned me. May it always protect you."

The Tolvan Uprising
With his father fighting the forsaken in Hillsbrad and his sister safe at Chillwind Point, Darion took it upon himself to lead the host his Uncle had assembled to put down the The Tolvan Uprising. He would lead his bannermen in what would be remembered as one of the most brutal masacres in the region's history and still regards it as his darkest hour.

Marriage
Darion shocked most of his family by marrying the half-Quel'dorei, Lady Victoriea Holfmann--a sin in their eyes, which would forever taint the Blackmorn line. The young paladin had fallen in love with her not long after they fought side-by-side while defending Stone Hearth from a forsaken siege. It was her fiery temper and the fact that she was perhaps the equal of any man in combat that drew him to the much older, half-Quel'dorei--and when the news of his younger brother's death during the siege of Rosegarde reached him, it was she who consoled him.

Theirs was an odd marriage to say the least, though it did not take place without the blessing of Darion's Father. To him, her Quel'dorei blood meant a generation that would live longer, thus ensuring his legacy. There was also the matter of her house's great wealth and what it meant for the Blackmorns. Lady Victoriea herself had led men into battle and Jon respected her all the more for it. He knew that when the time came, he could count on his Daughter in-law's financial support in his effort to drive the forsaken from the north. He had consented to the marriage with a single caveat. She was not to join his son in battle if she became with child. Victoriea protested, citing her past experience in combat while carrying her first child, but the old wolf stood firm. He would not have her take such risks while carrying his Grandchildren, who he was certain would be sons. Jon himself had sired two true-born sons, two daughters and a bastard boy by the mistress he'd taken after his first wife's death while birthing their youngest daughter. Family mattered most to Jon and he'd be damned if this hot-headed woman would take risks with his son's heirs. What he did not know was that Lady Victoriea already carried Darion's child, conceived the first night she'd taken him into her bed. Victoriea finally consented to the old man's wish and she and Darion were married that June in the courtyard at Wolf's Crossing, the Keep's reconstruction halted so that all the smallfolk could attend. It was a smaller ceremony than Darion would have liked, but it seemed to suit his bride just fine.

Children
Their son was born September fifth, Darion Edric Blackmorn II. In his infancy, the child remained at Summer Hall, the Blackmorn estate in Stormwind where Victoriea's other two children also resided. Grooming his sister Lorrain for her duties as the house's Ambassador to Stormwind afforded him the opportunity to spend more time with his infant son and his two step-children, both of whom had taken to calling him "Papa Darion" much to their Mother's surprise. He was a different man with them and they loved hearing the stories he often told them about growing up during the rise of the Order of the Silver Hand. He told them of his namesake, the late Lord of Stone Hearth who was among the first Knights of the Silver Hand and had gone into battle with Uther himself. In spite of the pain of losing his father and so many others, Darion's time with the children reminded him of what they died for and what he continued to fight for.

Highlord of the Silver Hand
At the request of Queen Madelynne, Darion succeded Jorn Buzan as Highlord of the order of paladins. Darion's own vision for the order's future includes a council comprised of senior paladins and priests, with the purpose of training a new generation of paladins. He also dedicated Saint Varyk's Cathedra in Wolf's Crossing to serve as the base of operations for the Order of the Silver Hand in the North. Darion has refused to nominate a Regent to rule Wolf's Crossing in his stead, insisting that his lady wife is more than capable of doing so when duty has called him elsewhere. His appointment as Highlord was the subject of much controversy and many paladins have questioned his worthiness to lead the great order.

The Dread War
Though he was under no obligation to do so, when Darion learned of the uprising in Blackmarsh and the beginning of what would be known as the dread war, he assembled several Knights of the Silver Hand and thirty of his own men at arms to aid the Lord Chancellor and the Queen's men in the battle of Brunshire. On the eve of the battle, when it was discovered that they faced an army of professional soldiers, Darion sent his squire and a pair of guardsmen to nearby Osric's Anvil with orders to bring thirty more men and three cannons. Unfortunately the reinforcements would not arrive in time to turn the tide. Though the battle was a defeat for the Monarchists, the soldiers of Wolf's Crossing stood firm in the face of overwhelming enemy numbers and were among the last to leave the field of battle. After the battle, Lord Dirk Thorne agreed to send the Captain of his guard to escort Blackmorn's reinforcements and ensure they reached Thorn's Hill in time to thwart the advance of the rebels, but as fate would have it, the Captain betrayed the men of the crossing and led them into an ambush, resulting in the massacre of more than half their number, including Darion's second Cousin, the first born son of the Lord of Osric's Anvil.

The battle of Thorn's Hill proved to be a grievous defeat for the Monarchists, but even more so for the Blackmorns, who lost sixty of their own soldiers during what Blackmorn referred to as the most foolish charge ever ordered in the history of warfare. Darion himself was captured after making a daring attempt to rescue the Lord Chancellor alongside a handful of his paladins. He was later ransomed by his wife, who foolishly agreed to Rance Creed's terms for his release. The terms were as follows: The house of Blackmorn may never again raise arms against the house of Creed. Lady Victoriea and her men must leave Blackmarsh immediately and Darion must relinquish both his armor and the greatsword, Light's Justice. Though he was given no opportunity to refuse such terms, Blackmorn chose to honor them, rather than besmirch the honor of his house and his Kingdom.

In spite of being forced to remain at Osric's Anvil for the duration of the combat that followed, Darion provided assistance to the Monarchist forces in the form of gryphons and the appointment of Sir Velenor Lightmane as Commander of the Knights of the Silver Hand for the remainder of the conflict. He also provided Sir Velgim Romel with a map of the area where the prisoners were being held, which was used during a daring rescue attempt that saw Sirs Karob and Darrelus freed, along with a member of the Queen's Gilnean Legion who had also been captured. After the rescue attempt, Darion sent his closest friend and ally, Lord Madarin's bastard, Saidan Hayward to aid the Queen's forces against Creed's rebellion and the bastard of Stone Hearth fought bravely until the conflict's end.

A Series of Controversial Decisions
Since Wolf's Crossing swore allegiance to Lordaeron and its new Queen, Darion's pledge to support the Queen with the might of the Crossing against her enemies has been the subject of much controversy among the Nobility and the smallfolk alike. The Crossing has remained a sovereign state since the fall of Lordaeron and gained admittance to the Grand Alliance by virtue of Jon Blackmorn's reputation as a battle Commander alone. Many have cried out for a return to the way things were under Jon Blackmorn's leadership and fear what may happen if Wolf's Crossing was to be part of the Kingdom of Lordaeron Restored.

After the deaths of more than sixty of Wolf's Crossing's men at arms, it was Darion's decision to honor the terms of his release during the Dread War that proved too much for his Cousin, Sir Alec. Alec's own son had been slain in battle during the massacre of Blackmorn's reinforcements and to be denied his vengeance did not sit well will the lord-regent of Osric's Anvil. Alec felt that Wolf's Crossing should never have been in Blackmarsh in the first place and criticized Darion's decision to join the fight against the house of Creed without a formal request from the Queen. To appease his Cousin, Darion named him lord of Osric's Anvil and had a chest of gold delivered to him at his seat of Hammerfall to cover the cost of training and equipping more soldiers to replace the ones slain by Creed's men during the rebellion, but the gesture only served to anger the grieving father and Alec would later commit an act of treason by attempting to poison Darion's Uncle Jhorin Blackmorn and take over what remained of the Blackmorns warships.

In the wake of the destruction of Dawnshire, reports of Thorn's Reach being under siege gave him cause for worry, so Darion ordered his Uncle Jhorin to return at once to Jonsport with all his men and see to the port's defense. He also forced his sister to renounce Rosegarde after the death of her lord husband and named Damon Blackvale to rule in Tytos' stead until the child Lorrain was carrying came of age, a decision that angered her beyond words. Lorrain was then appointed Wolf's Crossing's Ambassador to King Varian's Court and sent back to Stormwind with her retinue. Her appointment was met with opposition by Damon Blackvale and many others, who believed that such responsibility should not go to a woman, but once Darion reassured them that the appointment was merely a way to keep his sister out of the coming war, such opposition died down.

Perhaps the most controversial of all his recent decisions was to absorb Stone Hearth into Wolf's Crossing at the request of Saidan Hayward and then to allow the bastard to sit on his Council. To those outside the Crossing, such an act could have been viewed as an attempt to steal land from the Kingdom of Lordaeron Restored, which lay claim to Stone Hearth by virtue of the Madarins loyalty to the house of Menethil for centuries. Though Stone Hearth's people were in favor of becoming subjects of the Crossing, the people of Wolf's Crossing have questioned the Blackmorns ability to protect so vast a domain while at the same time, waging war on the forsaken. His decision to bring the entire Crimson Hart to Wolf's Crossing in order to protect its citizens against a forsaken invasion was met with no less criticism, though the mercenary group has significantly strengthened the Crossing's military might in the wake of the battle of Edenfield. It was the fact that Blackmorn offered them land in exchange for their swords that angered the people most.

Resignation
The battle of Edenfield proved to be the undoing of Wolf's Crossing's alliance with Lordaeron's Queen-claimant, after which Darion resigned from his office as Highlord of Lordaeron's Silver hand and withdrew all military support from Lordaeron. The battle resulted in the deaths of nearly three hundred soldiers from Wolf's Crossing and half of the Whitehall cavalry under Lady Caterinia's command. Even renowned Knight, Sir Varic Soren was forced to flee the field with what remained of the Blackmorn host when it became clear that the Queen's Army intended to wait for them to be utterly decimated before taking the field.

Following the dispute over his resignation as Highlord of the Silver Hand and the false charges levied against him by the Queen-Claimant, Darion has closed his borders to Blackmarsh and imprisoned many of the lesser lords of Wolf's Crossing who were loyal to the Albrechts, including his own Aunt, Lady Caterinia Soren-Whitehall after the battle of Edenfield.

Betrayal
Having already imprisoned Caterinia Soren-Whitehall and stripping her of her holdings in Wolf's Crossing, Darion signed a warrant to have her executed for treason after she urged him to make peace with Blackmarsh and bend a knee to the Kingdom of Lordaeron Restored. After hearing that his sister was to be beheaded, Varic Soren rode to Leone, released her and her daughter from their cells and slew several Blackmorn soldiers during their escape. In response, Darion named the former champion of Wolf's Crossing an oathbreaker and has offered his weight in gold to anyone who could capture him and bring him back to the Crossing to stand trial.

After seeing his sister and his Niece safely beyond Wolf's Crossing's borders, Soren rode South and is said to have surrendered himself to Lorrain Blackvale at Summer Hall. Much to Darion's dismay, not only did Lorrain pardon the Knight for his crimes, but also took him into her personal service. Upon hearing the news, Darion was furious and dispatched a dozen men to Summer Hall and ordered them not to return without Soren's head.

Civil War In Wolf's Crossing
On the morning of June 23rd, Darion and a small number of his guardsmen came under attack by a band of sellswords while traveling through the harsh wilderness of Wolf's Crossing's Eastern region to oversee the construction of the holdfast he had ordered erected on its border. The self-styled King of Wolf's Crossing was forced to surrender to his attackers after all six of his trusted guardsmen were slain and the sellswords identified themselves as Whitehall loyalists, acting on the orders of Lady Caterinia Soren-Whitehall. Darion was then escorted to the newly-constructed holdfast, only to discover that it was being held by Lady Caterinia and more than sixty men at arms under her command. Darion's capture marked the beginning of a bitter civil war in Wolf's Crossing and several battles have already been fought throughout the heavily-forested region. His wife and their children were thankfully absent during the siege of Castle Blackmorn and are currently safe at Lady Victoriea's fortress, Dragon's Landing.

Death
On the morning of July 10th, Darion was taken to the Soren seat of Leone, where he was officially deposed and convicted of a list of crimes, ranging from treason and murder to polygamy by Caterinia Sore-Whitehall and her Captains. Due to being convicted of polygamy, his child by Victoriea Holfmann (Darion Blackmorn II) was declared illegitimate, thus removing the infant from the line of succession. Despite the tyrany the people of Wolf's Crossing endured under his reign, many protested the hasty trial put on by the Whitehall loyalists on grounds that Darion's sister, Lorrain Blackvale was not present as initially agreed to.

Blackmorn was sentenced to death by beheading and brought to Callow Hill outside Leone's grounds just two days later, where he was later beheaded by Sir Willem Poole, a Knight in the service of the house of Whitehall. Those who attended the execution were shocked when Lady Caterinia delivered the final insult to her Nephew by having him beheaded with his own blade, Light's Justice.