Matiff Durthan

Captain Matiff Durthan is a Pyromancer who currently leads a naval force for the Order of the Silver Hand under Lord Tenevus Stromheart.

(( Every section is a WIP and will be expanded on ))

Childhood
Matiff Durthan was born to a simple small farming family in the Redridge Mountains before the First War came about. He was the middle child, having an older brother, Contego Durthan, and a younger sister, Saiya. His childhood was as normal as they come, he played, he laughed, he was a normal child. He and his brother even enjoy playing, pretending to be valiant knights saving the countryside from evil monsters they imaged.

Then came the First War, and the green-skinned monsters known as the Orcs brought the boy's idea of monsters in the world of reality.



Seeking refuge behind the city walls of Stormwind City, his family hid from the Orcs as they advanced from the Dark Portal. Slowly and surely the lands once under the protection of Stormwind City were taken over by the Orcish Horde, even the farmland where Matiff grew up soon was no more than a charred black patch of soil. It wasn't long before the Horde was at the gates of the city and laying seige to the walls. When the Horde made it through, the lives of both Caramon and Sayuri Durthan were both claimed by the weapons of the green-skinned Orcs. Rivers of crimson blood flowing through the streets of the magestic city.

Forced to flee on foot after not making it to the ships that everyone else had seemed to make and having overheard that Lordaeron to the north was untouched, the three siblings went northwards through the forests and through enemy territory. Their smaller bodies making it easier for them to sneak by the Horde encampments. However, luck wasn't with them since they didn't get far before they stumbled across a small Orc raiding party on Worgs that was ransacking homes along northern borders of Stormwind City. The brothers escaped the grasping hands of the Orcs while their younger sister, Saiya, was captured. Not wanting to just leave their sister, the boys tracked the Orc party down, only to watch as their little sister was bound by the orcs, having already been stripped down and raped, before being burned alive.

After having watched Saiya's death, the very sister they had promised their parents they would keep safe, the boys had no choice but to keep heading north. Afterall, what were two boys to do against those monsters, let along a group of them? Turning their feet northward, Contego and Matiff slowly made their way through the forests and wetlands of the Eastern Kingdoms with heavy hearts. Burning rage fueling the heart of one while thoughtful retribution shone in the other.

Upon reaching the kingdom of Lordaeron, unscathed after the devastating scene they're witnessed with the Orc party, the brother's split. Contego deciding to follow his childhood dreams of being a knight, turning to the path of the Holy Light and the way of the Paladin. Contego seeing that divine retribution and redemption was the way to save his sister. Matiff, however, saw differently. He saw that path being one of unsatisfied vengence, of order and rules, of mercy. Filled with rage and loss, Matiff sought out a different path and eventually heard of the mages of Dalaran and their immense powers. Immediantly, Matiff set down the road to the city of magic to study and learn the arts of magic.

The Path of Revenge
Upon reaching the magical city of Dalaran, Matiff immediandly took up studies. Excelling in manipulating flames while not doing do well when it came to commanding the powers of the icy cold. His ability with arcane was average at least, he tended to be just slightly better with them than most young apprentices.

But even this was too slow for the hate-filled boy. His eyes watching as he struggled with spells, and watching as other struggled with spells over and over again. He saw old men, Archmages in their own rights, seem to gather dust as they studied ancient tomes which were even covered with a thick layer of dust.

Taking his own studying to the libraries in search of hidden powers just awaiting to be unlocked, Matiff spent months searching the extensive libraries of Dalaran. His search leading him through many tomes, a lot of which made no sense to him at all, a few he understood bits and pieces. That is, until he ran across a few books that held information on demons, that's all it took to peak his interest. Gathering up his things from his room, and taking a few of the books with him, Matiff left the city of magic.

Leaving the city of Dalaran in his footsteps, the young boy took his belonging across the kingdom of Lordaeron. Studying the old tomes and learning what he could during his travels. The young boy seeing everything the kingdom had to offer before his feet carried him into the snowy mountains of Alterac. Entering the town of Strahnbrad, Matiff had the fortunante luck of running across another who had taken to studying to darker arts of magic. Taking the young boy in, the lady of the house took him as her student.

By the start of the Second War, Matiff was content learning from his new mentor as the human armies of the north marched southward. Never casting a spell, Matiff merely watched and learned as his teacher showed him the basics of demons. He stood silently by as the Lady summoned a few minor demonic races into their realm on Azeroth, each spell increasing the knowledge of both the teacher and the student. Both learning from each magical spell woven, each demonic rune carved. Matiff remaining silent as he witnessed rituals and sacrifices, helped in the creation of potions to enhance one's magic potency so he could keep learning from the Lady, who required the potions to work her magic.

Towards the end of the Second War, Matiff and the Lady both prepared to summon her greatest work yet. A project that she had been working on since before Matiff had even become her student. She wanted to summon a Nathrezim and fully control the demon in order to learn more from it. All the spells and potions had been leading to this moment. Drawing the required summoning circle and runes upon the ground, the Lady started the summoning as Matiff, a young man at this point, stood there watching the ritual take place.

However, Matiff's luck turned against him as the demon proved to be too much for the Lady. The young man watching the battle of souls between the two, his teacher stiff and unmoving from the sudden mental assault before the demon just seemed to vanish. When the Lady turned to face Matiff, he immediantly noticed the crimson red eyes glowing where they had once been hazel. As soon as their eyes met, crimson staring into sage, Matiff felt the Dreadlord's mental assault as the demon attempted to take his body and stiffened, focusing solely on the battle between the two.

To his advantage, the Dreadlord had been weakened by the summoning, and even further weakened by the battle between him and the Lady. But even with that, the mental combat seemed to last hours as they each took turns attacking and defending. Matiff fully aware that his life and his soul were on the line here, not to mention his vengence on the Orcs.

After a long while, Matiff was able to push the demon back and stun him in mental combat. Then, by combining the teachings he'd learned in Dalaran and with the Lady, he suddenly caused his teacher's body to ignite in ravenous flames. The flames eating at the body of the older woman until all that was left was a pile of ash upon the stone floor.

However, Matiff did not come out of his battle unaffected. During his mental fight with the Nathrezim, at the moment he gained the upper hand, he was able to preen knowledge directly from the demon's mind, gaining an additional boost to what he knew and gaining a bunch of information that made absolutely no sense to him. But ever since that fight, Matiff's normally sage green eyes shone a brilliant amethyst color.

After recovering in the house for a few days, the young man left to resume traveling, this time across the known world as he set out to sort all the information he had gathered from the mind of the Demon.

Then came the Third War, to which Matiff barely noticed other than having an easier time casting his demonic-based spells. His feet carrying him through forests and deserts, mountains and plains, every terrain on both the Eastern Kingdoms, and Kalimdor, he traveled. As the young man came to unravel the knowledge he had suddenly gained, his powers and abilities started to increased quickly.

It took a long time before Matiff had sorted out everything he'd gained from the demon. And by that time he'd missed out on a lot, for the reopening of the Dark Portal had just happened by the time the young Warlock became aware of what was happening in the world. And immediantly, he understood what an opportunity the Outlands presented, unknowing that he was being drawn there.

Battle for a Body
Outlands, there was not a single place better for furthering his studies of demonic beings and the fel. Matiff quickly fell in love with the place and developed a particular interest in the land of Shadowmoon Valley, especially around the Hand of Gul'Dan.



However, what the young Warlock did not realize was that he was a vessel for the demon who he'd fought against when he was younger. The Nathrezim having stored a part of itself within Matiff's body, leeching off his power as he continued to grow even more in his own. Fully intent on taking the young man's body for himself.

At first, Matiff had no issue with anything and never noticed any issue as he kept up his studies and kept up growing in power. This lasted for awhile until his spellcasting started to grow weaker. Over time magic became hard for Matiff to even summon forth, his spells even seeming to 'stutter'. Full of worry that he might not be able to avenge his sister as he believed was right, Matiff traveled to the city of Shattrath.

Seeking council from the Naaru while keeping his intentions hidden, Matiff learned of the demon within him, acting as a parasite would to its host. The Naaru told him of the dangers and informed him how to remove the demon through an exorcism.

Local Draenei Paladins gathered together to aid the young man, despite him being a Warlock. His soul was in jeapordy and that's why they all gathered. Circling Matiff as he laid down, they all raised their hands towards the human as sigils of the Light shone above their foreheads.

Hearing the demon's cackling in his mind, and feeling its growing presence over his body, Matiff allowed the Light to do its work. And hearing the demon's screams of agony was plenty of a reward for the very pain Matiff was feeling himself. The pain only getting worse as the demon was purged from his body before it all suddenly stopped as the Draenei lowered their hands for their weapons as the demon took form before them all, only to be stopped as Matiff told them all that this was his fight to conquer, his fear to Master.

Weakened from having his powers leech by the very being in front of him, and from the recent exorcism, the young Warlock stood before the demonic being. His amethyst eyes glowing faintly, calmly as he was ready to give his life for this and was at peace with that. The only plus side being that he knew the demon was also weakened from the workings of the Light.

The battle went on for hours, all under the supervision of the Paladins who remained nearby while also staying out of the fight. The very fight very nearly costing Matiff his life on more than one occassion as he became more desperate to truly defeat his foe. But in the end, the victor was the utterly exhausted Warlock as a carefully placed chaotic bolt of fel flames, fueled by rage and desperation, slammed into the Nathrezim and sent him back into the Abyss for good.

Peaceful Hunting
Having freed himself from the demonic parasite that had been dwelling in his body, Matiff finally had proven to himself his true strenght. While utterly exhausted and drained from his fight, Matiff spent the follow few weeks gathering information on that Orc party who killed his sister while he recovered from the fight. Unknown to the world at large, but the Warlock released many eyes of Kilrogg into the world, primarily focused around the Orcish city of Orgrimmar and the surrounding lands.

Ten orcs to gather information one, ten to track down and take his vengence on for everything he had lost. The young man was quite excited to finally be able to exact his revenge. As the weeks drove on, the excitement only grew as he devised how to properly do it, finally deciding that it was only fair to burn each Orc alive, making it as slow and as painful as he possibly could.

And finally, the first name came in, then everything about him followed. Immediantly, Matiff set out to the northern Barrens to confront his target.

Finding the Orc now living on a small farm, having retired from military service, the young man took him by surprise as he took giddy joy out of capturing the older green-skin within his own home. Binding the male up before Matiff took his pleasure from fully explaining what was going to happen to the Orc and why he was doing it. And before long, Matiff's amethyst eyes reflected the flickering of the flames that ate at the Orc's skin alive, his ears deaf to the yells of torment.

Shortly after Matiff returned to the city of Stormwind, he found the city was under attack by legions of the Scourge as the traitor prince, Arthas, reemerged back into the world. Lending his manipulation of the fel flames to the defense of the city, the Warlock hopped on a ship as soon as the Alliance went to war up in Northrend.

Matiff soon found himself at the front just for the mere joy of watching the Scourge get reduced to ashed from his spells. He witnessed the atrocities at the Wrathgate, where he watched the Forsaken turn on their own and killed hundreds from their own Plague. He shortly afterwards was part of the group that invaded the Undercity to bring the traitor to justice, fighting alongside King Varian himself.

Then Brann Bronzebeard sought to delve deeper into the titan prison of Ulduar. Eager to learn more, and interested to see the Titan's engineering, as he had taken to engineering himself, Matiff volunteered and left for Ulduar and spend several months merely in exploration and study.

That is, until he recieved more information about another of the Orcs from the raiding party. This time hailing from Stonard in the Swamp of Sorrows. Relying on longer ranged spells, Matiff simply set the Orc's hut on fire from a distance and watched as he came running on ablaze.

Returning the the Kirin Tor city of Dalaran, Matiff spent a lot of his time living a generally peaceful life during the events in Northrend. The magical city made people seem easier to accept people, even a Warlock. This kind of life softened Mat just a bit, which led him to return the books he had so long ago taken.

Then the seige of Icecrown Citadel, and while Matiff wasn't there for the death of the Lich King, he still leant his powers and abilites while also dealing with a third member of the raiding party, this one participating in the Horde's own assault on the Citadel. The Horde left wondering why one of their warrior's cots was filled with ash after a night of quiet.

A World Sundered
That peace was shattered when the Cataclysm came. The Twilight Cult making people turn against the Warlocks they had come to tolerate. Thus, Matiff spend much time trying to gain that back. Spending most of it in the defense and restoration of Mount Hyjal and the Invasion of the Firelands. He was there at the Siege of Wyrmrest Temple, although did not go with the other to chase after Deathwing, instead he remained behind to aid in cleaning up the remaining Twilight forces at the Temple. After that, he seemed to disappear, spending much time seeking out books and learning.

The Fel-Lord
Then came the rediscovery of Pandaria, as soon as news reached Matiff's ears he ventured forth, befriending the Pandarians he came across. During this time he was inducted into the Order of the Cloud Serpent and became seriously involved in Operation: Shieldwall, which he still aids.



During this time, he has also befriended several members of the Clergy of the Holy Light, who have started to guide him down a path to redeem himself. It is because of the interference of a minion of Sargeras that he is who he has become now. However, during this fight against this minion, the Dark Titan started to whisper to Matiff, nearly driving him insane. Due to Thomas Hohenheim, Matiff was purged of all corruption, along with the source of his magics at that time.

Redepmtion
Unable to cast magic, and with his addiction to the Fel, Matiff was left to recover, tapping into the arcane ley lines so the addiction didn't kill him. In this time, he pick up swordsmanship once more and has been learning forgiveness. His magics have been returning quickly under a new, purer source.



The Silver Hand
Recently, Matiff joined the Order of the Silver Hand after speaking with his close friend, Aurion Dawntreader, bringing his ships in with him. The ships found use during the plague epidemic released upon Stormwind City by the woman known as Shazia. The ships were vital to the defense of the city during the necropolis attack, succeeding in bringing the shields down while the infiltration team destroyed the necropolis.



After the city was saved, Matiff proposed creating a naval force for the Silver Hand, which was approved later on by Tenevus Stromheart, naming Matiff Admiral of the growing fleet. Matiff now works to better the fleet and seeks people willing to Captain the ships that will be coming. He also rekindled an old friendship with Feleina Naylor whom originally helped him see the Light back when he was a Warlock. Due to their shared past, they easily became fast friends again, and soon became inseparable. After just a very short time they realized that they were long-lost soulmates once again re-united, and felt no need to prolong their shared destiny. Matiff proposed to Feleina on the bow of his ship under the moon and stars of the Stormwind Harbor, and the two plan to be joined in marriage, facing their future destiny together.



Ships


The Adamantite Heart

Originally a goblin transport ships, this vessel has undergone a massive transformation and now resembles one of the Alliance Icebreakers. A large ship that relies mainly on it’s steam powered, paddle wheel for propulsion, however sails are folded away should extra speed be needed, or should something happen to the engine.

The main differences between this ship and the Icebreakers is the fact that there is no eagle head above the battering ram, instead on each side of the front, sit two metal goblin dragon cannons capable of spewing fire for quite a distance in front of the ship. Also with the differences, complimenting the dragon guns are two mortar systems up front on the deck along with two rows of eight cannons along the sides, two cannons facing forward beside the dragon guns, and two facing aft. What one cannot see are four deployable rocket-firing systems that were handmade by Matiff to lift out from the lower firing deck and fire from the upper most deck. The engine, also crafted by the Engineer, has increased the speed slightly beyond what the Icebreakers have.

At the rear of the ship, flying proudly is a flag bearing the silver hammer of the Silver Hand, set upon a blue cloth. This being Matiff personal ship, he’s engineered a lot of it and seems to always be wanting to upgrade it. As proof of this, Matiff’s workshop lies within the belly of this beast.

The Might of the Maelstrom

A brand new Alliance frigate like those seen at Lion’s Landing and even more recently at the Isle of Thunder. It sails proudly under the banner of the Silver Hand, its sails decorated with a symbol of the noble Order. While just like those other Alliance frigate, this one has had the aft torn out and replaced to work with the steam powered, paddle wheel common to the Alliance Icebreakers to further increase the warship’s speed.

Just like other frigates, this one is not without being armed to the teeth. Three rows of twelve cannons face both starboard and port side, with four facing forward and four facing the stern. Sitting on top of the deck, towards the front to avoid the sails, rest two mortar systems to fire shells deep inland.

The Leviathan

Under the command of Aurion Dawntreader, the Leviathan is the sister ship to the Might of the Maelstrom, this mighty vessel looks almost identical to the other frigate. However the differences come to the coloring right off the bat. While the Might only has one sail that’s decorated for the Order, the Leviathan has all sails a blue color with the silver hammer on it. Flags flutter from the aft with the same symbol, denouncing the great Order the ship hails from. Another difference that one would spot off from the beginning is the lacking of a paddle-wheel towards the rear, the Leviathan relying completely on the power of the wind.

Also just like her sister, the Leviathan is a terror on the sea with her guns. Three rows of twelve cannons, four facing forward, and four aft. While she lacks the mortars that the Might has, instead she houses a large mobile command room within her belly.