Learn more about Blackrock Depths, the First Wing of Blackrock Mountain

by JR Cook - 9 years ago     show comments

In case you have been living under a rock, you know that at PAX East, Blizzard announced Blackrock Mountain: A Hearthstone Adventure. But not only that, they also revealed the bosses for the first wing of the new expansion, and our own JR even got to preview the Grim Guzzler encounter.

Blackrock Depths was one of my favorite dungeons in classic World of Warcraft, so I decided to recruit our own JGGiant from our Wacraft Site to talk a bit about the lore behind what lies inside the Depths of Blackrock Mountain.

The Blackrock Depths serve as the capital city of the Dark Iron Dwarves, deep beneath Blackrock Mountain. The mountain and everything beneath it was formed at the conclusion of the War of the Three Hammers, the civil war between Bronzebeard, Dark Iron, and Wildhammer dwarf clans over supremacy of Ironforge. The self-proclaimed Emperor of the Dark Irons, Thaurissan, had just been cast out of Iron Forge following his military defeat and sought new means to defeat his fellow dwarves. Realizing that he could not win the war through sheer manpower and weaponry, Thaurissan turned to the Firelord Ragnaros, hoping that the great elemental would be able to turn the tide on his favor. Unfortunately for the Dark Irons, Ragnaros’ power was too great for Thaurissan, and the elemental’s entrance into Azeroth caused a catastrophic implosion, killing Thaurissan and many of the remaining Dark Irons. Those that survived were promptly enslaved by the Firelord and their descendants still roam the halls of Blackrock Depths, awaiting orders from their fiery master.

Grim Guzzler

While the Dark Irons may be slaves to the Firelord Ragnaros, they are still mortal creatures with a need for rest and relaxation. The Grim Guzzler is one of several establishments within the Blackrock Depths meant to serve as a distraction from the day-to-day monotony of living within a volcano. While outsiders are in no way welcome within the Blackrock Depths, many of the patrons in the Grim Guzzler would prefer to be left to their drinks and only turn hostile to intruders when provoked. It’s just not that hard to do so when you’re surrounded by murderous dark dwarves that serve an evil fire elemental. One dwarf of particular note is Coren Direbrew, a powerful Dark Iron who only shows up during Brewfest but makes his presence known. A popular patron, Coren brings many of his friends to his frequent brawls.

The Arena

The other major attraction for off-the-clock Dark Irons is the local arena known as the Ring of the Law. Here, enemies of the clan are judged and sentenced by High Justice Grimstone. Following that, the guilty party are placed in a fight to the death against a wide variety of gladiators and other prisoners until the sentence is carried out, including the nerubian Anub’shiah, a worgen known only as Eviscerator, an orc warrior named Gorosh the Dervish, Grizzle the Dire Troll, a giant spider named Hedrum the Creeper, or the ogre mage Ok’thor the Breaker. Those truly unlucky may find themselves up against the dwarf Theldren, a former member of the Veiled Blade mercenaries who doesn’t concern himself much with honor or fair fights.

The Dark Iron Emperor

The first Emperor of the Dark Irons was killed during the summoning of Ragnaros, but his descendants lived on to carry his bloodline. Dagran Thaurissan is the throne’s most recent occupant, and while he may be the Emperor of the Dark Irons he is still a slave to the Firelord. During his reign, he attempted to expand the Dark Iron’s influence by sending his forces north to the Searing Gorge and south to the Burning Steppes, as well as sending support to the usurper-king of Gnomeregan, Sicco Thermaplugg. Another high point of his rule was the successful kidnapping of King Magni Bronzebeard’s daughter, Moira, who eventually fell in love with Dagran and now carries his child and heir to the throne of Ironforge. As one of Ragnaros’ most powerful servants, Thaurissan is able to turn himself into an Avatar of Flame, which makes him immune to magical assaults and burns all those brave enough to get to close to the Dark Iron Emperor.

Dagran also wields Ironfoe, a powerful hammer that he acquired after a Dark Iron Raiding Party captured Ironfoe’s owner, Human Hero and revelator of Onyxia, Reginald Windsor.

How hyped are you for this wing of Blackrock Mountain? Let us know using the comment section below.