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The Ashbringer is a holy sword from Warcraft lore, made to turn the undead to ash and later twisted into a cursed blade. In Classic it was the most famous item nobody could get: an unobtainable legendary sword sat in the game files from early on, and years of rumors about a secret quest ended only when Naxxramas let raiders loot the Corrupted Ashbringer in patch 1.11.
Lore
The Ashbringer was forged for Highlord Alexandros Mograine of the Knights of the Silver Hand. Mograine had carried a dark crystal taken from an orc warlock during the Second War. When the leaders of the Silver Hand tried to destroy it with holy magic, the crystal absorbed the Light and turned pure. Mograine brought it to Ironforge, where King Magni Bronzebeard forged it into a blade meant to strike down the undead of The Scourge. Mograine carried it so well that he became known by its name.
Mograine's elder son, Renault, betrayed him. Manipulated by the dreadlord Balnazzar, Renault led his father into a Scourge ambush near Stratholme and struck him down with the sword itself, then rose in the ranks of the Scarlet Crusade. The murder corrupted the Ashbringer, and Kel'Thuzad raised Alexandros as a death knight. In Classic, Renault is Scarlet Commander Mograine, who guards the cathedral of the Scarlet Monastery alongside Whitemane.
The unobtainable sword
Item 13262
Early in the game's life, dataminers found a legendary two-handed sword called [Ashbringer], with the flavor text "Blade of the Scarlet Highlord" and a chance on hit to blast the target for 700 Fire damage. Nothing dropped it and no quest rewarded it. It was a placeholder that never went live, but its existence was enough to start years of speculation.
The rumors
Several characters in the world mentioned the sword. The Argent Dawn's Caretaker Alen in Eastern Plaguelands pretends never to have heard of it. Later patches added more hints: Shen'dralar Zealots in Dire Maul say Prince Tortheldrin knows where the Ashbringer can be found, and that he might talk if someone defeated Nefarian. A torn page from Nat Pagle's fishing guide, and NPCs at Chillwind Camp and the Bulwark speaking of a Scarlet weaponsmith killed by the Crusade, fed theories that a secret quest was waiting to be found. Players combed Western Plaguelands for clues, chased Nat Pagle for answers, and filled forums with guesses about who had forged it.
None of it led anywhere. In February 2006, Blizzard community manager Eyonix posted that the Ashbringer was not in the game, would be some day, and not before an awesome legendary item for casters. That caster item was Atiesh.
Corrupted Ashbringer
Patch 1.11 added Naxxramas, where [[forever:npc:16062]], now a death knight, fights alongside [[forever:npc:16064]], [[forever:npc:16065]] and [[forever:npc:16063]] as the Four Horsemen. Their chest can contain [[forever:item:22691]], an epic two-handed sword with a life-draining proc, 2 percent critical strike and 1 percent hit, but a penalty of 25 Stamina.
The sword carries the Will of the Ashbringer. While it is equipped, Argent Dawn guards turn hostile and Scarlet Crusade members become friendly. The wielder also hears Mograine whispering about his betrayal, his son, and the corruption of the Crusade.
Carrying it into the Scarlet Monastery cathedral starts a scripted scene. Renault welcomes the wielder as his returned father, the ghost of Alexandros appears and kills him for his treachery, and High Inquisitor Fairbanks is freed from undeath long enough to explain what really happened, adding that Mograine has another son who might one day forge a new blade.
Later history
The Wrath of the Lich King expansion finished the story. Mograine's younger son, Darion Mograine, took the corrupted sword in Naxxramas, then killed himself with it to free his father's soul and became a death knight of the Ebon Blade. At the battle for Light's Hope Chapel he threw the blade to Tirion Fordring, and it was purified in Tirion's hands. Tirion carried the restored Ashbringer against the Lich King. In Legion it became an artifact weapon for paladins, finally letting players wield the true sword.
