In our WoW Lore Special on Dagran Thaurissan, we will tell you the story of the self-proclaimed Emperor of the Dark Iron Dwarves. You will learn more about the history of the three great dwarven clans and why Thaurissan still has influence on Azeroth after his death.
There are three major dwarven clans in Azeroth. Two of them, the Wildhammers and the Bronzebeards, fight for peace alongside the Alliance. But the third, the Dark Iron Dwarves, went their own way and brought ruin to Azeroth. They are responsible for the Fire Lord Ragnaros finding a way back into Azeroth. They are led by Dagran Thaurissan, self-proclaimed Emperor and Lord of the Blackrock Depths. Though hidden deep within the Blackrock, the little dwarf has had great influence on the history of Azeroth and the politics of the Alliance.
Update June 01, 2022: To give you something to browse on the holiday despite minimal staffing, we’ve updated this Lore special by Claudia from February 2012 and reworked it in terms of layout. Which Lore topic would you like to learn more about?
The War of the Three Hammers
Once the three dwarf clans were closely connected with each other, standing faithfully by each other’s side in battle – but then came the War of the Three Hammers. The dwarven clans now fought each other and a centuries-old friendship broke apart. While the Bronzebeards and the Wildhammers approached one another again in peace, the Dark Iron Dwarves split off completely from their brothers. Dagran’s father, who was simply called Thaurissan, built his own city in the Red Ridge Mountains and continued his war against the other two dwarven clans from there.
Thaurissan and his wife Modgud were very talented magically and studied ancient writings and spells. In the process, they came across a dangerous incantation. To gain an advantage against the other clans, they invoked the ancient elemental lord Ragnaros, who was banished from Azeroth by the Titans millennia ago. The immense forces unleashed destroyed a large part of the Red Ridge Mountains and transformed it into the Burning Steppe, dominated by a newly formed flaming volcano. Unfortunately, the plan was only partially successful. Ragnaros did not let himself be subjugated by a few small dwarves, but made them his subjects. Nevertheless, he helped them to continue their feud with the other dwarven clans. However, with moderate success.
During an attempted takeover in Ironforge, Thaurissan was killed, and his wife Modgud died at the same time in Grim Batol. After that, their son Dagran took over the leadership of the Dark Iron Dwarves. His hatred for the other clans was equal to that of his parents, and he was determined to see his father’s plans through. Moreover, he was completely subject to the will of the Fire Lord. His dwarves guarded the entrance to Ragnaro’s caves in the underground city of Shadowforge. In return, the Fire Lord reinforced the dwarves’ ranks with his elementals. A perfect cooperation, even if the Dark Iron Dwarves could not do anything against the united Bronzebeards and Wildhammers.
The kidnapping of Moira
But Dagran was extremely clever. He knew he could not win by direct force, so he thought of another way. He had Moira, the daughter of Ironforge’s ruler Magni Bronzebeard, kidnapped and brought to him in the Shadowforge. There he cast a spell on her to make her compliant. Thus he had an effective means of pressure against his old enemies. Magni raged and sent numerous rescue teams into the Blackrock Depths, but with little success. But that was not to be the worst that Magni Bronzebeard had to suffer.
A group of adventurers finally managed to reach the Emperor’s throne room. They killed Dagran, but there was no question of victory. Moira had not been under Dagran’s spell for a long time, but felt true love for him. His death took a heavy toll on her and she refused to return to Ironforge with her rescuers. Instead, she had Magni deliver a message: She would become the new Mistress of the Dark Iron Dwarves, and her unborn child would carry on not only the lineage of the Dark Iron Clan, but also that of the Bronzebeards. Thus, her child would also be entitled to the throne of Ironforge!
Dagran himself could no longer witness his triumph, but his heir would finally achieve what he always wanted: To become Lord of Ironforge. After the recent events following the Cataclysm, Moira has also returned to Ironforge along with her son Fenran. As leader of the Dark Iron Dwarves, she is a member of the Council of the Three Hammers. The circumstances and the destruction of the world had made this alliance necessary. But she knows that Dagran’s dream will be fulfilled by his son. One day Fenran will take the throne of Ironforge and rule over two of the three dwarven clans!
What is WoW Classic?
World of Warcraft Classic is a true recreation of the original WoW as you know it from 2006. All parts of the game – from combat mechanics and talent trees to character models and zones – have been recreated, contributing to the authentic experience.
Getting Started
All players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time on their accounts have access to WoW Classic at no additional cost.
- Open the Blizzard Battle.net Desktop App and select World of Warcraft from the menu.
- Select World of Warcraft Classic from the Version menu. If you have more than one World of Warcraft account, you’ll see a second Account drop-down list. In this column, select the active account you want to play with.
- Click the Install button. The progress bar will tell you when your game is ready to play.
- Click the Play button when the installation is complete.
You will need to select the realm you want to play on from several different realm types. Make sure you choose the same realm as your friends – in World of Warcraft Classic, you can only group with characters that are on the same realm as you!
Heroes&WIKI, WoW Classic, World of Warcraft Classic, WoW ClassicSpecial, WoW ClassicSpecials