Maginthius Darkestsky

Maginthius Darkestsky is one of Azeroth's most magnetic characters. His charisma is undeniable—he's handsome, striking, and sharper than the edge of a razor. His years have brought him detachment and confidence. Cunning and ambitious to a fault, Maginthius rose to prominence as one of the leaders of the Cult of the Damned during the Third War, until ultimately betraying them and joining the Alliance shortly before the Siege of Naxxramas. Although he is lacking in raw power, his keen intuition and plethora of skills have proven him capable against far stronger opponents. Battles for him are typically won off the battlefield, before the fighting even starts.

Youth
Maginthius Darkestsky was the second-born son to Varrick and Tania Darkestsky just over a decade before the opening of the Dark Portal. As close cousins to the royal Perenolde family, Margrave Darkestsky was head of one of the most prestigious noble houses in all of Alterac. Maginthius was particularly close with his older brother Seiim, who was protective of him, and his sister Ilyana, who seemed to harbor a love more than familial for him. His younger brother, Ryon, was born just as the First War began.

Maginthius began studying the arcane arts in Dalaran later than most, and came of age shortly before the Second War began. He left Dalaran at the behest of his father, who wanted him to serve with him as an officer in the Alterac army, where he showed his adeptness in command and penchant for studying warlock artifacts. When Aiden Perenolde's treachery was revealed, the unprepared Darkestsky's rashly sided with their relatives and were promptly crushed by the Alliance army. The family was stripped of its noble title and lands and were forced to pay a large tithe to the Alliance internment program. To make matters worse, Lady Tania developed a fatal illness and passed away shortly after. Ruined, robbed, and rattled, Varrick grew depressed and turned to the bottoms of bottles for relief.

When the Alliance of Lordaeron set out on an expedition to Draenor, Maginthius followed as a lowly mage in hopes of bringing some semblence of honor back to his family, and also to study more orcish artifacts. As part of the few Alliance forces that managed to escape Draenor's destruction, Maginthius returned home to his family and his father's apathy and alcoholism. Quickly realizing their was no place for him here, Maginthius left, saddened that he couldn't alleviate his father's for Quel'thalas and resumed his magic studies with his war-buddy Anelen Suntreader, a high-elf mage. There he met Anelen's niece Verosi. The two eventually fell in love and had three half-elf children together.

Though the guilt of leaving his family behind to deal with his father continued to gnaw at him, Maginthius considered himself to be quite happy. He continued his study of fel artifacts and eventually became a warlock.

In Service to the Damned
One day, a mysterious letter appeared at Maginthius' door. It promised him a chance of ending his father's misery. Bidding farewell to his family, Maginthius followed the letter's instructions and embarked on his pilgrimage. It wasn't long until he was face to face with Kel'thuzad. Kel'thuzad entralled Maginthius with offers of teaching him the powers of necromancy to revive his dead mother. Having built up a decade of guilt of abandoning them, Maginthius jumped at the chance to right his biggest regret.

In return, Maginthius began spreading the plague of undeath across Lordaeron. Having long blamed the other Human nations of the Alliance for his family's misfortunes, he actually found some sense of justice in destroying those who humilated his family. After Kel'thuzad's death, he returned to his family crypt in Alterac to resurrect his mother. He brought her reanimated body before his drunken father. Rather than grateful, Varrick was disgusted and horrified at her twisted form, and sickened more so by the magics used by Maginthius to bring her back. Varrick slew his undead wife, and Maginthius could not comprehend why his father rejected his family so. In a shroud of confusion and anger, Maginthius plunged a sword into his father's chest.

Maginthius, distraught and befuddled by his actions, fled to Quel'thalas in an attempt to repair the content feeling he had broken. On his way there, he was captured by agents of the Scourge. He rejoined the Cult of the Damned out of desparation to save his own life. During the march through Quel'thalas, Maginthius' thoughts drifted constantly to his two families. During the raid on Silvermoon City, Maginthius abandoned the undead army to search for his wife and children, only to discover her corpse being devoured by a ghoul. Slaying the ghoul and cradling his wife, he found his three children and ushered them to safety. Burying his wife in her ancestral lands outside Silvermoon, Maginthius led his children to Lordaeron, and left them in the care of the Scarlet Crusade. He then returned to the Cult of the Damned, unsure of his future in the world.

During the Scourge's campaign through the Alterac mountins, Maginthius found himself in abject horror when he discovered the bodies of his two brothers, weapons in hand. Amongst his tears, he heard another voice whimpering nearby. Discovering his traumatized sister underneath some rubble, Maginthius freed her and spirted her away to nearby Southshore. Maginthius, in the haze of his anger and sadness, eventually found resolve when Arthas fled from Lordaeron. He would not fight against the Scourge directly as Sylvanas or the Alliance did, but would whittle it away from within.

In Service to Vengeance
For the next four years, Maginthius schemed against Kel'thuzad. Although the victories in Stratholme and  Scholomance were partly his doing, his greatest accomplishment came when he outright turned on Kel'thuzad. He supplied the Scourge's enemies with critical information on Naxxramas' defenses, sparking a major assault against the Dread Citadel. The Scourge's hold on Lordaeron was broken and Kel'thuzad was slain. He retrieved his children from the battered Scarlet Crusade, who had trained the three of them as Paladins in order to sate their elven-half's magic addiction. He found his sister in Stormwind, and settled his family down there for a few brief months. Finally taking a much needed respite.

His respite would not last as the call to arms was sounded and Maginthius stepped through the Dark Portal alongside the Alliance once again.

(WIP)