The Story of the ashbringer – World of Warcraft

The Ashbringer is one of the most historic and hyped items in World of Warcraft (WoW). Hardly anything else is the subject of so many rumors and speculations as this sword. And as with so many famous stories, there is intrigue, betrayal, and death behind that of the Ashbringer Story. In this article, we will tell you the background of the legendary weapon that gives its bearer so much power.

The forging of the Ashbringer

The Ashbringer was originally the sword of High Lord Alexandros Mograine. Mograine was one of the leaders of the Order of the Silver Hand. The Order was formed by paladins of the Alliance and was founded by Uther Lightbringer during the First War. The material from which the sword Aschenbringer was made was a crystal that Alexandros stole from an Orc Warlock during the Second War. He was particularly fascinated by the deep blackness of the stone and its dark aura. Even then, it was believed that the crystal originated in Draenor and was related to the Naaru Race. Alexandros presented the artifact to the other leaders of the Paladin Order and suggested that they search for its counterpart.

In the attempt to destroy the dark crystal, it absorbed the holy power of the paladins. In the process, this crystal itself became that very counterpart. The crystal was now a manifestation of light. When the Scourge invaded Azeroth, Brann Bronzebeard, King of Ironforge, used his skills to forge a powerful weapon for the Paladins. With the power of the crystal built into it, the sword should leave nothing but ashes from undead of the Scourge. Therefore, this sword has also received the name Ashbringer.

The fall of the Ashbringer

Actually, in the fight against the undead, the Ashbringer turned into a deadly weapon in the arsenal of the Order of the Silver Hand. As a result, they also attracted the attention of the Scourge commanders. Kel’Thuzad, seeing his master’s plan threatened, sought ways to destroy Alexandros and the deadly sword. He bribed his son Renault. In doing so, he offered him great power inside the Order, which would soon turn into the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn. In the process, Renault would kill his own father for the powerful position within the military organization. Renault shortly thereafter led his father and High Inquisitor Fairbanks to Stratholme under the pretext of killing more undead.

In the fight against the Scourge, Renault hid unnoticed while Alexandros and Fairbanks fought for their lives. Fairbanks was eventually incapacitated and Alexandros faced the undead alone with the Ashbringer. When he dropped the sword from exhaustion after a few hours, Renault took the chance and snatched the sword. In the process, he corrupted the blade by killing his own father with it. He was then named commander of the Scarlet Monastery.

A dispute in the Family

But Alexandros returned. Kel’Thuzad revived him as one of his Death Knights. In doing so, he hoped to use him as a weapon of the Scourge. The resurrected man took his now corrupted blade and went to Naxxramas. Alexandro’s younger son Darion started a mission to Naxxramas years later and eventually defeated his own father there. When he took on the Corrupted Ashbringer afterwards, his father’s voice spoke to him through the sword. This voice urged him to find his brother Renault in the Scarlet Monastery. With the Ashbringer in his hands, Darion was able to enter the monastery safely. As he did so, the followers of the monastery bowed reverently to the bearer of the mighty sword. When Darion reached Renault, Alexandro’s spirit appeared. Renault begged him for forgiveness and pleaded for his life. Alexandros judged him with the words “I forgive you”.

Alexandros’ spirit then merged with the blade. Darion’s desperate attempts to free his father’s soul from it ended in his suicide. But in doing so, he made a mistake. He judged himself with the Ashbringer and came back to life as a Death Knight. As High Lord of the Knights of the Ebon Blade, Darion carried the Corrupted Ashbringer with him from then on. However, he was the only one who managed to escape the clutches of the Corruption. Afterwards, Tirion Fordring purified the blade with the help of the light.

The Ashbringer in the Game

The Corrupted Ashbringer is no longer available in the game since Wrath of the Lich King. Instead, you can experience the interesting passages of the story surrounding the legendary sword firsthand. Ever since the release of World of Warcraft, the legendary story has been revealed piece by piece, and there have been hints about the sword’s location time and again. For example, in Nat Pagle’s “Extreme Anglin Guide” or in the instance Caverns of Time. There you can meet the leaders of the Order of the Silver Hand at the Southshore Inn and witness the decision to forge the Ashbringer. With Legion, the legendary sword has returned once again in the uncorrupted version after several years.

The chosen few

The legendary, purified Ashbringer was also never obtainable in the WoW game before the Legion expansion. Instead, there was an epic version of the Corrupted Sword in old Naxxramas. If you faced High Lord Alexandros Mograine there as the leader of the Four Horsemen, you could get the epic corrupted version of the sword from the loot box if you were lucky. Very few players still own this weapon today and had long hoped to obtain the legendary version by solving the puzzle the Ashbringer. Numerous quests led the bearers to various remote places of Azeroth. To this day, there is also no way to purify the corrupted Cinderbringer.

Nevertheless, equipped with the sword, you can enter the cathedral of the Scarlet Monastery in Tirisfal. While doing so, you can experience an extraordinary event. All the NPCs of the instance will bow to the bearer of the Ashbringer. Once you arrive at Commander Renault Mograine, you’ll witness his father’s ghost taking revenge on him.

The call of the Ashbringer

However, the most extraordinary feature of the sword is the spirit Alexandros trapped inside it. The bearer of this weapon hears him speaking to him. If you also want to hear the “Call of the Ashbringer”, there is a command in the game to do so. Just type /script PlaySoundFile(“Sound\\Creature\\Ashbringer\\ASH_SPEAK_01.wav”) into the chat.

Appearance: Tirion Fordring

Even though the original version of the Ashbringer isn’t available, it still has an important role in World of Warcraft. For example, in the different expansions there are some quests in which you’ll encounter well-known characters from history. For example, as an Alliance player, you’ll receive the quest “The Shining Light” from Ares the Oathbound in Howling Frjord. You are supposed to recover a sacred artifact. If you succeed, the cleric turns out to be the paladin Tirion Fordring and puts on the artifact. Afterwards, it turns out that this artifact is the weapon Ashbringer.