Black Dragonflight

The Black Dragonflight are dragons with black scales who can breathe magma. Powerful black dragons can breathe Shadow Flame. Led by the Dragon Aspect Neltharion, later known as Deathwing, the black dragonflight was charged by the Titans with protecting the earth. The ambitious Neltharion was chosen by the Old Gods to be their ultimate tool of destruction and their corruption eventually spread to the entire dragonflight. Following the creation of the Demon Soul during the War of the Ancients, the black dragonflight became one of the most prominent reoccurring threats to the mortal races of Azeroth.

By the end of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, nearly every black dragon on Azeroth was dead. Wrathion, a whelp purified of the Old God's corruption, saw to the death of every other black dragon, including his father. Wrathion claims he now wishes to protect Azeroth from the coming battle with the Burning Legion. Meanwhile in Outland, Sabellian has acquired baby whelps of his own. His goals are unknown. Another uncorrupted, and considerably older, black dragon has recently been discovered in the form of Ebyssian, who has long lived among the Highmountain tauren under the guise of an eccentric spiritwalker named "Ebonhorn".

Years after the Cataclysm, the black dragonflight appears to somehow be recovering, with young black dragons appearing to seek Azerite during the Blood War.

=History=

Charge of the Dragonflights
Satisfied that the small world had been ordered and that their work was done, the Titans prepared to leave Azeroth. But before they departed, they charged the greatest species of the world with the task of watching over Azeroth. In that age, there were many dragonflights. Yet there were five flights that held dominion over their brethren. It was these five flights that the Titans chose to shepherd the budding world. The greatest members of the Pantheon imbued a portion of their power upon each of the flights' leaders. Khaz'goroth, the Titan shaper, and forger of the world bestowed some of his vast power upon the mighty black wyrm, Neltharion. The great-hearted Neltharion, known afterward as the Earth-Warder, was given dominion over the earth and the deep places of the world. He embodied the strength of the world and served as Alexstrasza's greatest supporter.

The time following this came to be known as the age of dragons when the civilization of dragonkind was at its peak.

War of the Ancients
At some point prior to the War of the Ancients, Neltharion and his flight, unknown to the others, fell prey to the whisperings of the Old Gods. The other Aspects attributed Neltharion's oddness to his displeasure with the actions of the bold Highborne Kaldorei. The Highborne had opened a portal for the Burning Legion and the demons began to invade Azeroth. The Black Aspect suggested creating a magical artifact to aid in the destruction of the demons. The other Aspects had nothing but the utmost respect for wise Neltharion, and they gave much of their own essence toward the creation of this object, called the Dragon Soul. Neltharion and his flight, however, had secretly refrained from imparting any of their own power.

When each dragon had contributed a portion of his or her essence to the artifact, Neltharion deemed it complete. The blacks joined the other dragons in flight over the battle and the Black Aspect brought the Dragon Soul to bear against the Legion, with devastating effects on the demonic swarm — but only for a precious few moments. He then shocked his fellow aspects and turned the artifact against the terrified night elves as well, and finally his own brethren. The shocked dragons were helpless to resist the power of the Dragon Soul, for it contained a fraction of the essence of each — with the exception of Neltharion himself. All the dragonflights, save Neltharion's own, were paralyzed in midair until the timely intervention of Korialstrasz, a mate of the red dragonqueen, who had been absent from the initial use of the artifact. While Korialstrasz was no match for the Aspect of Earth, he did manage to interrupt Neltharion's concentration for a moment, freeing the other dragons from their paralysis and allowing them to act. Malygos, infuriated at the betrayal by his ally, struck first, but at a great price. As the blue dragonflight flew into formation to attack Neltharion, the mighty black wyrm unleashed the full fury of the Dragon Soul against them, and the power instantly slew nearly every one of them. As the other dragons turned to act, Neltharion retreated, leaving the blue dragonflight broken in his wake.

The black dragonflight's actions left their former allies wounded and shocked, and the noble dragons were forced to abandon their mortal allies. The dragonflights secluded themselves, hoping to recover from the Dragon Soul's powers, but the damage to the draconic race had been done. The Kaldorei and their allies just barely managed to defeat the legion but at great cost. Azeroth was sundered.

Aftermath of the Sundering
Deathwing’s betrayal was so destructive that the five dragonflights never truly recovered. If that had not been enough, the ensuing war between the dragonflights decimated the species, most of all the blacks. The black dragonflight was hunted down and nearly annihilated, all but slain because of Deathwing's mad plots. Deathwing's remaining consorts were slain, by his own recklessness, in the first few days of the war, leaving him with limited options to repopulate his flight. They would never again be seen in the same numbers as before. The age of dragons had passed.

To ensure Deathwing would never hold power over dragonkind again, Alexstrasza, Ysera and Nozdormu placed an enchantment upon the Demon Soul, so that no dragon, including Deathwing, could wield it, and hid the foul disc deep beneath the earth.

Within Neltharion's Vault, Huln Highmountain used the Hammer of Khaz'goroth to purify one of Deathwing's eggs, which hatched into an uncorrupted black whelp named Ebyssian.

Loreth'Aran
One particular brood of Ysera's had been closely allied with the night elves of the Azuremyst Isles, who were ruled by Prince Toreth. Ysera kindly allowed the night elves to ride her children into battle and they were known as the Dragon Riders of Loreth'Aran. Ysera's benevolence raised the ire of Deathwing and he launched an attack against Wyrmscar Island where the dragonriders slept. The blacks, including Razormaw, a lieutenant of Deathwing, mercilessly slaughtered the Kaldorei. The greens rose up to protect their allies but were unsuccessful. Not one was spared, though many blacks, including Razormaw, also perished in the battle. The skeletons and spirits of the murdered greens still litter the small island. Razormaw's hatred for the greens was so great that his restless spirit remained soaring high overhead, forever haunting the island.

Second War
During the Second War Deathwing saw his opportunity to decimate Alexstrasza and her flight. Deathwing was unable to wield the Demon Soul himself, but it could be placed in the hands of a being that would use it against his enemies. Deathwing sent visions of the artifact to the chieftain of the Dragonmaw Clan, a shaman named Zuluhed the Whacked, who claimed the disc for the Horde. The device was given to his lieutenant, the warlock Nekros Skullcrusher, whose magic the disk eagerly reciprocated, and was used to enslave Alexstrasza and most of her flight, turning them into the Horde's hounds of war.

Beyond The Dark Portal
During the orc's second intrusion into Azeroth, the black dragonflight briefly joined the Horde. Seeking magical artifacts, Ner'zhul had sent a party under Teron Gorefiend to Blackrock Spire to bring the Blackrock Clan back into the fold and acquire their red dragons. Rend refused and Teron left defeated, but they were soon approached by Deathwing. Deathwing presented the Death Knight with an offer. He and his children would lend their aid to the Horde, in return for safe passage of his flight and eggs to Draenor. Gorefiend accepted and the black aspect summoned his flight to him. Before departing Deathwing spoke with Nefarian and Onyxia, asking them to remain on Azeroth and take command of the orcs left within the spire. The remaining members of the black dragonflight, led by Deathwing and his lieutenant Sabellian, allowed the orcs to ride upon them in order to retrieve the needed artifacts.

Once in possession of the artifacts, Ner'zhul pulled the Horde back to Draenor. The black dragons, taking special care of the eggs, crossed through the Dark Portal. Deathwing spoke with Ner'zhul, bidding his farewell and taking the Skull of Gul'dan. A few dragons stayed with the Horde at Hellfire Citadel, but the bulk of the flight settled within the valleys of Frostfire Ridge and Gorgrond, where they could tend to the delicate eggs. Their presence there was not welcome by Gruul, father of the Gronn and ruler of the Ogres. Gruul and his subjects, assisted by members of the Alliance Expedition sent to recover the skull, attacked drake and egg alike. Deathwing was outraged by the destruction of his precious eggs and fought back, only to be driven off by a strategic spell from Khadgar. Sabellian managed to escape as well. The remaining black dragons, now leaderless, quickly fell to the fury of Gruul's children and were crushed and impaled upon the spires of Frostfire Ridge.

Not long after, Ner'zhul's portals began to tear Draenor apart, and soon the planet was going through its death throes. Deathwing quickly escaped back to Azeroth, abandoning his remaining progeny on the doomed world. Then the cataclysm came and Draenor was shattered, only what would become known as Outland remained. Many of the black dragon eggs were exposed to the twisting nether and the dragons that emerged were no longer truly members of the black flight. These ethereal dragons would come to be known as the Netherwing dragonflight.

Battle of Grim Batol
The blacks were nearly extinct and their master, Deathwing, was believed to have been brought down during an organized strike by the most powerful members of the Kirin Tor, his body falling into the sea. But this was nothing more than a ruse.

Secretly he had assumed the guise of Lord Daval Prestor and sought a way to rebuild his flight. He devised a plan to steal the eggs of his greatest foe, Alexstrasza, slave of the Dragonmaw. Not wanting to possibly damage the eggs by directly assaulting Grim Batol, he sought a way to bring the eggs out into the open. He fooled Nekros into believing the Alliance planned an invasion, and the warlock ordered to have Alexstrasza and her eggs moved to Dun Algaz where he believed the bulk of the Dragonmaw Clan was stationed. When Deathwing appeared Nekros sent Tyranastrasz to face him, but the old red did not last long against the dark aspect. Deathwing began stealing Alexstrasza's eggs only to be stalled by the sudden arrival of the other Aspects, who proceeded to battle Deathwing in the sky near Grim Batol. Korialstrasz's human apprentice, Rhonin, defeated Nekros and used one of Deathwing's scales to destroy the Demon Soul. The destruction of the artifact released the ancient power that had been sealed inside for millennia, making the Aspects whole once more and allowing them to overpower Deathwing and force his retreat. This final battle was known as the Battle of Grim Batol.

The Aspects gave chase and Deathwing was gravely wounded but not killed. The Black Aspect went into hiding in Deepholm, the realm of earth inside the elemental plane, and no creature, not even members of his flight knew his location. The black dragonflight went into a state of civil war following deathwing's disappearance, fighting over who would rule the flight. Nefarian and Onyxia managed to take control over a large portion of the flight, and the two plotted on how to scour Azeroth of the mortal races and other dragonflights.

Third War
Like the other dragonflights, the black dragonflight did not play any significant role in the events of the Third War. Arthas Menethil, then prince of Lordaeron, did however assist a group of dwarven dragon hunters track down and slay the black drake Searinox near Strahnbrad. Malfurion Stormrage also encountered a small group of black whelps and drakes hiding in the Barrow Deeps, and was quick to dispatch the vile spawn of Deathwing.

The Reign of Nefarian and Onyxia
Long ago, Onyxia drove the Stonemaul ogres from the caves in Dragonmurk, a dismal swamp located within Dustwallow Marsh. She did so in order to procure a place to raise her numerous children, who would then leave to infest the Wyrmbog. She and her children became known for terrorizing any travelers who strayed too close to her home.

After Deathwing's departure, Onyxia and her older brother Nefarian rose to lead their brethren and recoup their failing numbers. Nefarian claimed Blackrock Spire as his aerie, subverted the remaining Blackrock Orcs and ensnared the black dragons not already under his control. Onyxia became one of Nefarian's mightiest supporters. Onyxia aided Nefarian with the orchestrations of their human personas, in order to work toward replenishing the black dragonflight.

Nefarian has been experimenting with the blood of all of the various dragonflights to create a chromatic dragonflight of unstoppable warriors. In this task he has succeeded his father, and aided by his sister, he plans to use them to rally the Black Dragonflight to his command. While Nefarian remained at Blackrock Spire to create twisted abominations that would carry out his will, Onyxia preferred subtle manipulation to further their goals. For several years, Onyxia masqueraded as one of the highest nobles in Stormwind, Lady Katrana Prestor, preventing the people there from sending much-needed aid to the areas near the Burning Steppes (where her brother has great power and influence). Her final goal was to become the ruler of Stormwind, through manipulation and evil schemes. Her plot was foiled by Marshal Reginald Windsor and she was unmasked in the halls of Stormwind Keep. Having fled to her lair, the recently returned King Varian Wrynn led an army to Kalimdor to slay Onyxia and annihilate her brood.

Meanwhile, mortal heroes arose to raid Blackrock Spire and slay Nefarian.

Second Battle of Grim Batol
The cursed fortress had not seen the last of the black dragonflight. More than a decade after Deathwing's defeat, his prime consort Sintharia, now called Sinestra, took the mountain for herself, driving off the remnants of the red dragonflight. Sinestra, assisted by the blood elf Zendarin Windrunner and a large brood of black dragonkin led by the drakonid Rask, set up a lair to continue the experiments started by her son Nefarian to create a new powerful dragonflight. Sinesta planned to use the shards of the Demon Soul in conjuncture with Balacgos's Bane to combine the essence of the captured nether dragon Zzeraku with the stolen eggs of various flights. Korialstrasz sensed something happening deep within the mountain and returned to Grim Batol to find the black consort in the midst of creating the twilight dragonflight and newest and most powerful of which was known as Dargonax. Korialstrasz and his allies rushed to stop Sinestra while dwarven resistance fighters battled her brood managing to kill the drakonid Rask. Thanks to Zzeraku's sacrifice and the anger felt by Dargonax towards his "mother", Sinestra and her creation were defeated. The mountain was once again abandoned, unaware to anyone that Deathwing lurked still deeper within.

Destruction
The flight is ultimately destroyed by heroes of the Alliance and Horde, through the aid of the four other dragonflights, and even with the aid of one of their own: Wrathion, the uncorrupted. Wrathion, only a simple whelp, is very powerful due to the experimentation on his egg by the red dragonflight. He has been orchestrating the assassinations of his remaining dragonkin siblings and even ordered the death of his own father, Deathwing. He has since gone into hiding and believes himself to be the last known black dragon to exist.

However, he may not be the only living as some may have gone hiding. Sometime before the destruction of Theramore, Jaina commented that some black dragons still exist in Dustwallow Marsh and Grazzle the Great there owns three Onyxia's whelps. Sabellian and his group of dragons continue to live in Outland and Wrathion is unaware of them.

Warlords of Draenor
Remnants of the flight can still be found in Hordemar City in the Blackrock Spire. Dragonspawn Refugees are visible from the bridge where Ragewing the Untamed is battled.

A dragonman by the name of Kyrak have also joined the Iron Horde and are creating Drakonid Monstrosities for Warlord Zaela.

Third Legion Invasion
Ebyssian, who has watched over the Highmountain tauren in disguise as Spiritwalker Ebonhorn since his hatching in the aftermath of the War of the Ancients, helps Huln's descendant Mayla Highmountain become High Chieftain of her people in Neltharion's Vault, revealing his own origins as part of the custom. After Dargrul is defeated in Neltharion's Lair, Ebyssian says that he has "family matters" that require his attention.

Blood War
During the events surrounding the induction of the Highmountain tauren into the Horde, Baine Bloodhoof learned of Ebonhorn's true nature but agreed to keep it a secret.

Though the black dragonflight was supposed to be decimated, black dragons can appear on island expeditions and the pristine state of their scales indicate that they are young. Wrathion himself is searching for the Dragon Isles for some purpose. These dragons also refer to themselves as "the earth-warders" and claim the Azerite is theirs by right.

=Culture=

Though the black dragonflight was nearly annihilated in ages past, a few of the evil creatures have made their homes in the dry, desolate wastes of The Barrens. With their lord, Deathwing, either missing or dead, the black dragons seek to appease only themselves. The creatures are immensely powerful and cruel and revel in mortal suffering. The black dragons are the enemies of every other dragonflight, especially the great red dragons of Lordaeron.

Black Dragons were for a time, like their aspect Neltharion, the defenders of Azeroth, living deep in the caverns of the earth. They shaped the lands, raised mountains, and created valleys. The black dragonflight represented the strength of the earth itself. Even the symbol of the black dragonflight is a volcano, as it represents the great power of earth and elements. For countless millennia the black dragons and the other flights lived in peace and harmony and worked together to safeguard Azeroth from all forms of violence and destruction. Then they fell prey to the influence of the Old Gods, Neltharion most of all. Gone was their regard for their charges. Destruction became their sole goal, fire, and magma their instruments.

Once held in high regard by all others as wise and steadfast, black dragons of modern times are vicious evil creatures, despised by all decent living beings. They delight in the pain and misery of others. Having been driven mad by the whispers in their heads, they seek dominion of Azeroth and considering all other flights to be hated enemies. Even members of their own flight are never to be trusted, and can nearly all be described as power hungry. Black dragons will often take humanoid form and meddle in the affairs of mortal kingdoms in hopes of bringing about their downfall. They will attempt to turn any situation or conflict they may come across to their advantage.

Black dragonkin are sometimes referred to as Obsidian or Onyx.

Scales of the black dragonflight almost always retain their heat.

Guises
The preferred humanoid forms of the black dragonflight when in disguise amongst mortals are humans with black hair and dark eyes. Though black dragons can easily take other forms, humans have been especially useful. The powerful and semi-industrial human kingdoms could more easily accomplish the goals of Deathwing and his ilk than the nomadic Tauren, the magically-minded High Elves, or the mountain-dwelling dwarves. Humans are also far less sensitive to the presence of dragons than other races. Night elves, for instance, can identify a dragon with relative ease. Known black dragons that have taken human form are listed in their dragon state and respective human names: A few known exceptions are Lady Sinestra who, when acting as an ambassador to the Dragonmaw clan, uses a blood elven guise, Blackwing Spellbinders in Blackwing Lair who also take elven form and Spritwalker Ebonhorn who takes a Highmountain tauren form.


 * Deathwing as Lord Daval Prestor
 * Nefarian as Lord Victor Nefarius
 * Onyxia as Lady Katrana Prestor
 * Sabellian as Baron Sablemane
 * Darkblaze as Grand Magus Doane
 * Kalaran the Deceiver as Kalaran Windblade
 * Fahrad, the Grand Master Rogue

Nomenclature
Members of the black dragonflight occasionally have names ending in "ion" for males, or "ia" for females. Sometimes synonyms of the word "black", or terms relating to fire and undesirable character traits their way into their names as well.

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