House of Blackmorn

History
The Blackmorns of Wolf's Crossing are an ancient house whose origins date back to the first men and many lesser houses are sworn to them. Their sigil is a pair of black wolves locked in combat on a smoke-gray field and their motto, We are the dogs of war is well known--and that they were. Before they bent a knee to the Menethils during Lordaeron's rise, the Blackmorns had never been defeated in the field, driving out every invader and ruling as Kings in a land many warned was too wild to be tamed. It was only through the diplomatic efforts of the Earl of White Harbor that the house of Blackmorn became subjects of Lordaeron.

Wolf's Crossing is the ancestral home of house Blackmorn and is located in the northeastern region between Blackmarsh and lower Quel'Thalas. The Crossing spanned many thousands of acres of forest, streams and fields before it was divided up into several smaller holdings in the years following Lordaeron's rise. Wolf's Crossing was settled by Anton Blackmorn and his clan, a fierce band of warriors who were renowned for both their brutal tactics and their success in decimating the trolls that plagued the humans for many years. Using wolves in battle to frighten and ravage their enemies, Anton and his warriors cut a bloody swathe through the heavily forested region and any enemy foolish enough to stand in their way, be they trolls or other humans. The Blackmorns are descended from the first men of Azeroth and their line has continued throughout the ages.

Adoption of the Holy Light
Lord Varyk Blackmorn was the first of his line to relinquish old beliefs and adopt faith in the Holy Light and its virtues, commissioning a chapel to be built in the main square of Wolf's Crossing. Because of his work in bringing the holy Light to the people of Wolf's Crossing, two generations after his death, it was renamed Saint Varyk's Cathedral. He was also the first Blackmorn to swear fealty to the house of Menethil. It was by his order that the greatsword, Light's Justice was forged and gifted to his dear friend and ally, Lord Edward Madarin.

The Fall of Lord Vincent
Sadly, the first and second wars would see the house come to the control of a man unlike his predecessors, Lord Vincent I. Because of his growing military strength and political influence, Vincent made many enemies in King Terenas' Court and was so driven by his own ambitions that he was blinded to the machinations of those enemies.

The trouble started with the murder of his Champion and lifelong friend, Sir Anthony Whitehall during what was supposed to be an honorable duel. Sir James Cassel had spread many lies, Lord Vincent's plans to overthrow the King among them. So enraged by the accusations, Sir Anthony challenged Cassel to a duel, which he hoped would put an end to such slander once and for all. Sir James had coated his dagger with poison before taking the field and even when it seemed certain Sir Anthony would defeat him, he'd plunged the dagger into the small space between Sir Anthony's shoulder and breastplate. Whitehall died in agony just moments after the duel's conclusion while Cassel and his men fled Capitol city.

After word reached him of Whitehall's murder, Lord Vincent assembled a great host and marched on the Cassel stronghold at Thistlewood against the advise of Whitehall's Uncle, the Duke of Dawnshire and more importantly, the King's will. After a six days of battle, Vincent's host utterly decimated Cassel's smaller force and captured Sir James, who was the second-born son of Lord Henry Cassel I. True to his word, Lord Vincent beheaded Sir James himself and in doing so, signed his own death warrant. Accused of murder, Lord Vincent insisted the King had no right to intervene in a matter of honor between the two houses. For those words, he was tried and convicted of treason by a jury comprised almost entirely of men who wanted to see the Blackmorns lose their power.

For his crimes, Lord Vincent was sentenced to be drawn and quartered outside Capital City. It was the aging Duke of Dawnshire, Edwin Whitehall who convinced the King to commute the sentence to beheading so as to avoid another war. Vincent was beheaded on the sixth of November and to end the war between the Cassels and the Blackmorns, Lord Vincent's eldest son who was already a Knight of some renown was named lord of Wolf's Crossing while his brothers were sent elsewhere to ensure the new lord's good behavior. His sister was betrothed to Cassel's eldest son. Jon Blackmorn vowed to redeem his house's honor and while he succeeded in doing so, he and his family never forgave the Menethils for siding against Lord Vincent in a matter they believed should have been settled between the Blackmorns and the Cassels.

The Second War
Lord Jon Blackmorn had only one desire, to see honor restored to his house after the grim fate that befell his Lord-Father. In spite of his animosity toward the ruling house of Menethil, Jon assembled a great host at the onset of the second war and with the aid of his ally, Lord Marcus Madarin, earned seven victories against the orcish invaders. Responsible for the defeat and capture of numerous orcish Commanders, Jon proved the Blackmorns loyalty to their Kingdom beyond all doubt and was regarded as a hero to the people.

The Death of Henry Cassel
The animosity between the house of Blackmorn and the house of Cassel did not come to an end until after King Terenas' death. Dying in his bed at the age of eighty, Henry Cassel requested Jon Blackmorn's pressence and Blackmorn, wishing to see his father's bitter rival dead, agreed. When he arrived, Cassel is said to have begged the lord of Wolf's Crossing not to raise arms against his son after he was gone. Blackmorn was quoted as saying. "Would that I were as cruel a man as he who lies before me. I would not deprive my sister of a husband and I would not dishonor my family name by shedding the blood of he who is beneath me." At which point, Blackmorn turned his back on the dying man and left.

The Undead Scourge
With all of Lordaeron in peril, the Blackmorns once again assembled a great host with their Madarin allies and bannermen to defend the people against the undead scourge. While many great houses of Lordaeron fell, the Blackmorns and the Madarins endured. When the Scarlet Crusade was formed, the Blackmorns support for the new order would imperil their relationship with the Madarins, who believed the new order's methods were far too severe. In spite of rising tensions between the two houses, all was reconciled when the Blackmorns came to Stone Hearth's aid during the rise of the Death Knights.

After Lordaeron's Fall
After Lordaeron's fall, Jon Blackmorn chose to restore Wolf's Crossing to its former sovereign state and maintained one of the largest standing armies in the region. Unlike many other settlements, Wolf's Crossing did not fall to the scourge and through an alliance with the Scarlet Crusade, remained a bastion of hope for the surviving people of Lordaeron. Though Jon eventually chose to join the grand Alliance led by King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind, he never swore fealty to the Southern Kingdom of Stormwind and died as King of Wolf's Crossing.

Though his son, Darion chose not to call himself King, the people of Wolf's Crossing regarded him as nothing less when he succeded his father after the bombing of Theramore Isle. Darion's willingness to support Madelynne Albrecht's claim to Lordaeron's Throne was the subject of much controversy, as was his pledge to fight beside her against her enemies during a time when the forsaken remained the greatest threat to the region. Despite the warnings of his counsellors, Darion attended Queen Madelynne's Court in Stormwind, where he then pledged half the profit from his venture on Pandaria to the Kingdom of Lordaeron. This single gesture sparked what would nearly be the end of his marriage, but he and his wife managed to reconcile their differences.

It is no secret that Darion has high hopes for Lordaeron's future, though the extent of his ambition is up for speculation.

A Force To Be Reckoned With
Though they have lost more than three fourths of their military might, the house of Blackmorn maintains a respectable force of its own with five hundred trained soldiers at Castle Blackmorn alone and another hundred on Pandaria. Its household guard is comprised of fifty well-trained men and the fortress of Hammerfall is garrisoned with a respectable number of Blackmorn soldiers as well.

Their soldiers all wear durable armor of black, grays and browns, comprised of boiled leather over mail and a steel half-helm designed to offer optimum visibility while also giving them protection. Their boiled leather tunics all bear the sigil of house Blackmorn. Each man is issued a fine, castle-forged longsword and a pike, though many have become proficient in other weaponry from axes to large warhammers. They have a small number of skilled archers at each stronghold, but in recent months, the Blackmorns have begun to invest in the training of more.

Trade and economy
The entire Western half of the region of Wolf's Crossing is dense forests, thus providing the Blackmorns with a near endless supply of lumber, which is transported via ships from Jonsport to their many trade partners. With mining operations on three continents and a forge turning out armor and weapons of war, in a time when much of the world is at war, the house of Blackmorn has profited greatly. Trade agreements with the Kingdom of Stormwind have been in effect since the fall of Lordaeron and Darion Blackmorn's marriage to Victoriea Holfmann has brought about trade agreements with her maternal, Quel'dorei house of Flameseethe.

Public Opinion
Lordaeron's surviving Nobility regard the house of Blackmorn with varying degrees of warmth and in some cases, even scorn for Lord Vincent's past treason. Though none would argue that while Jon Blackmorn lived, they were one of the strongest military forces in all of the North, most would agree that his loss at Theramore was the deciding factor in their backing of Madelynne Albrecht's claim to the Throne. It is speculated that if Jon had lived, Wolf's Crossing would have remained neutral as it had since Lordaeron's fall.

Alliances and political support
The Scarlet Crusade - House Blackmorn has long maintained an alliance with the Scarlet Crusade.

The House of Soren - Sir Varic Soren currently serves as the Champion of Wolf's Crossing.

The Duchess of Dawnshire - Joined by Jon's marriage to Elynn Whitehall, house Blackmorn and house Whitehall have remained allies since the Blackmorns bent a knee to the Menethils during the early day's of Lordaeron's rise.

Quel'Athillien - Wolf's Crossing has recently sent an ambassador to Quel'Athillien, though the battle of Edenfield has halted any further negotiations and the ambassador has been recalled.

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Madelynne I - Darion Blackmorn has sworn an oath of fealty to the Queen of Lordaeron and pledged the might of the Crossing to defend against her enemies. In addition to military support, Blackmorn has pledged half the profit from his venture on Pandaria to Lordaeron's coffers and dedicated Saint Varyk's Cathedral to serve as the base of operations for the Order of the Silver Hand and born the expense of its rennovation for such purposes. In recent weeks, this alliance has been tenuous at best and Darion Blackmorn views the battle of Edenfield as a betrayal that may well end in the full withdrawl of his support from Lordaeron.

House Blackvale - Since the Tolvan uprising, the Blackvales have been sworn to defend the lords of Wolf's Crossing and after the wedding of Tytos Blackvale and Lorrain Blackmorn, the two houses are also joined by marriage.

The Grand Alliance - House Blackmorn has been a member of the Grand Alliance in its own right since shortly after the death of King Terenas Menethil II. The house has aided the Alliance on many fronts, including Northrend, Kalimdor and Theramore Isle.

The Kingdom of Stormwind - The Blackmorns maintain an individual alliance with the Kingdom of Stormwind and were admitted to the peerage of Stormwind by virtue of the purchase of Summer Hall. There is also talk of a potential marriage pact between Lorrain Blackmorn and the Earl of Sutton, a union which would further cement the alliance between Wolf's Crossing and Stormwind.

Residences
Castle Blackmorn - Wolf's Crossing

Jonsport - Wolf's Crossing

Hammerfall - Osric's Anvil

Summer Hall - Stormwind

Wolf's Bay - Howling Fjord

Wolf's Point - Pandaria

Noteworthy Blackmorns

 * Anton Blackmorn - 1st King of Wolf's Crossing
 * Khorin Blackmorn - 2nd King of Wolf's Crossing
 * Jhorin I - 3rd King of Wolf's Crossing
 * Varyk Blackmorn - 4th King of Wolf's Crossing, first Lord Paramount of the Crossing
 * Vincent Blackmorn
 * Jon Blackmorn - 5th and last King of Wolf's Crossing
 * Jhorin Blackmorn
 * Robert Blackmorn
 * Edric Blackmorn 
 * Elynn Blackmorn


 * Darion Blackmorn
 * Michael Blackmorn


 * Lorrain Blackmorn
 * Mary Blackmorn
 * Eddric Stone
 * Victoriea Holfmann-Blackmorn
 * Darion Blackmorn II