The Reason For 24-Hour Maintenance
However, there stood another weapon that players back in 2005 had speculated had a legendary version, and scoured throughout the game, hoping to find out how to create it - the Ashbringer. However, players would unfortunately find out that no such item was actually obtainable in-game, as we learned later that this story went unfinished. Today, we'll dive into this unfinished story and look into clues as to where it was originally intended to go, and where it eventually did 20 years later.
The Corrupted Ashbringer
The version players can get in-game is the Corrupted Ashbringer, which drops from the Four Horsemen Chest, wielded by Highlord Mograine. Originally a Paladin of the Light, Alexandros Mograine was killed by a Balnazzar corrupted Renault Mograine, his son (who you know in-game as Scarlet Commander Mograine of the Scarlet Monastery dungeon), with this legendary weapon of the Light. This act not only turned Alexandros Mograine into a minion of the Scourge but also corrupted the sword, leading to what is now obtainable in-game.
Those lucky enough to obtain this sword will get some unique features when having it equipped, including the ability to hear whispers from the fallen Mograine, become friendly with agents of the Scarlet Crusade, and hostile from the Argent Dawn. In regard to the Scarlet Crusade, players will also get to experience an in-game event when entering the Scarlet Monastery Cathedral. When entering the Cathedral, you will be guided to the main halls where the Spirit of the Ashbringer will exact his revenge on his son for betraying him.
Also in that event, players can find and purify High Inquisitor Fairbanks, returning him to his human form. He will first explain the story of the Ashbringer in great detail, and what led to his original demise in that hidden chamber.
However, when players get close to exhausting all of his dialogue, he mentions another son of Mograine, where he seems to lead players into the start (and finish, unfortunately) of the once planned story to purify the Corrupted Ashbringer.
The original second son of Mograine
Following the fall of Naxxramas, players would venture to The Outland to take on the next big threat to Azeroth, the Burning Legion. With Fairbanks telling players to quite literally search The Outland to find the mystery second son, players did just that! And through that search, speculation began that the lone blacksmith of Terrokar Forrest, David Wayne, was intended to be the original second son of Mograine.
Before unlocking his quest chain, the blacksmith states he was once a part of the Sons of Lothar, and had left Honor Hold as he believed he was a part of "something larger". It is this, along with bearing similar hair and hair color to the rest of the Mograine family, and the fact that he sends players on a series of quests to craft a powerful weapon specifically to fight Demons with, led players to believe he was originally intended to be the mystery son of Mograine and continue to progress the story of purifying the Ashbringer.
However, in Wrath of the Lich King, it appears this idea was scrapped as we were introduced to the true second son of Alexandros Mograine, Darion. Darion Mograine was but another member of the Scourge, and would be turned to the side of the player character following the Battle of Light's Hope Chapel, an event players would experience when finishing the Death Knight starting campaign in the Eastern Plaguelands. Darion would go on to create the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and allow Death Knights to fight along side the Horde and Alliance against the Lich King and Scourge Army.
Fishing for Answers
There was but another theory of how to obtain the purified version of the Ashbringer, or at least how to discover the next steps, and that was through fishing! Yes. Fishing. The book Nat Pagle's Guide to Extreme Anglin' had the following text when interacting with it:
"... and so that's where you'll find the legendary sword of the Scarlet Highlord, Ashbringer.
Ain't it amazin' what you run into in an ordinary day of fishin'?"
This led to massive speculation about where the next steps would be in finding this sword. Check out this old Thotbott thread from 2006!
So many ideas and speculations were spreading rapidly from the community, but, unfortunately, as we learned now, it was all for naught, as it turned out this legendary purified weapon did not exist and had no plans to in recent times. And it would be a decade later in 2016 with the Legion expansion, where players, specifically Paladins, would finally get to wield this weapon. However, this would not be the only time this weapon would be obtainable in the game.
The Ashbringer in World of Warcraft
In the Legion expansion, Retribution Paladin players would finally wield this weapon as their Artifact Weapon through a series of quests involving the ultimate fall of Tirion Fordring. This would become the Retribution Paladins main source of power, as Artifact Weapons were upgraded throughout the expansion. In this story, the player character was the successor to Tirion Fordring in wielding the Ashbringer. However, in Season of Discovery, players would also get to obtain and purify this weapon in a totally different way.
In this universe, The Ashbringer was taken from Alexandros Mograine after their defeat by Grand Crusader Caldoran, a high ranking member of the Scarlet Crusade, and along with High Commander Beatrix, friendly to the Argent Dawn, Horde and Alliance. You meet these members of the Scarlet Crusade as you prepare to take on Kel'Thuzad in his Dread Citadel, Naxxramas. As mentioned earlier, following the defeat of the Four Horsemen, Caldoran himself claims the blade.
As the story progressed, players would learn of Caldoran's evil history against Argent Dawn member Leonid Barthalomew the Revered and learn his true intentions with the weapon. Players would collect the Ruined Lightforged Blade after defeating Beatrix, starting a long and epic journey in attempts to reconstruct and purify the blade, even taking them to the original version of Mount Hyjal! This would all climax as players took down Grand Crusader Caldoran and the rest of the Scarlet Crusade in the Season of Discovery exclusive and final raid, the Scarlet Enclave
After completing the chain, players would be awarded with Corrupted Ashbringer! It's Chance on Hit effect changed the model of the blade to the cleansed Ashbringer, making it the first time a player could wield the purified version in a Classic setting!
The Future of the Ashbringer
Since the events of the Legion expansion, players have not seen any stories continuing the progression of the Blade of the Light. Perhaps in the newest expansion, Midnight, we could see this blade make a return to the main story. Or, perhaps, this blade can return again with major importance in a Classic setting, perhaps in the inevitable Classic+!
What are your thoughts on this legendary weapon? Do you want to see this weapon return as a major importance in WoW's lore? Let us know in the comments down below!
