Baron Silverlaine

Baron Silverlaine was the lord of the castle that became Shadowfang Keep. He died when the worgen overran his home, and his ghost now haunts the dining hall with what is left of his household. In the Classic dungeon he is a short fight against a single caster, remembered mostly for a curse that cripples healing.

Background

Silverlaine ruled the keep above Pyrewood Village, a hamlet on the southern edge of Silverpine Forest, in the years before the Third War. When the Scourge reached the borders of Gilneas, the archmage Arugal summoned the worgen to fight the undead. The beasts turned on everyone around them, and one pack fell on Silverlaine's keep. The baron and his family were killed, and Arugal, mad with guilt, moved into the ruined castle with the worgen he now called his sons.

Silverlaine did not leave. His ghost wanders the dining hall, where servants and guards who died with him still go about their duties as ghosts. Long after World of Warcraft's launch, the book Exploring Azeroth notes that people still believe the baron haunts the keep.

Abilities

• Veil of Shadow: Silverlaine curses his target, cutting the healing they receive by 75% for 15 seconds. On a tank that is already low, it can be deadly.
• He otherwise fights in melee and is not a strong hitter.

Strategy

Clear the ghosts in the dining hall first; Haunted Servitors and other spirits stand around the long tables, and a careless pull brings several at once.

On the baron himself, the danger is the timing of Veil of Shadow. Keep the tank's health topped up so that a 15-second stretch of weakened healing does not end in a death, and have damage dealers kill him quickly. A group that can remove curses (mages and druids) shortens the danger window. He has modest health for a boss at this level and rarely lasts long.

Loot

[Silverlaine's Family Seal], a rare ring with Strength and Stamina, is the drop players come for. It is one of the best rings available to melee characters in their early twenties. [Baron's Scepter] is a one-handed mace.

Quests

No quest names the baron. Groups doing Horde quests in the keep, such as Arugal Must Die, pass through the dining hall on their way up.

Later history

Patch 2.3.0 lowered him from level 24 to 20. When the dungeon was rebuilt in Cataclysm (patch 4.0.3a) he became a full boss with a new model, a heroic version, and a new ability, Summon Worgen Spirit, which calls up the ghosts of former bosses such as Rethilgore, Razorclaw the Butcher, Odo the Blindwatcher and Wolf Master Nandos. The original fight returned with World of Warcraft Classic.

Sources

• Baron Silverlaine (Classic), Warcraft Wiki
• Baron Silverlaine, Warcraft Wiki
• Arugal, Warcraft Wiki
• WoWDB loot data for patch 1.12