House Blackwood

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House Blackwood is an old house from Eastweald (now the Eastern Plaguelands) in the Eastern Kingdoms, one of the main families sworn to the House of Menethil. They once ruled the Blackwood Barony, with the Town of Blackwood as their seat. 
They blazon their arms with the image of a black two-headed bird on a crimson background, surrounded by black leafs (According to a legend, unlike other similar blazons the bird is a direct reference to an existing creature, Mal, a spiritual guardian of local woods).
Their words: (presumably) "Roots go deep"
Town of Blackwood is located in Eastweald, North of Corin's Crossing. Some Blackwoods are buried in there, while others are buried beneath the chapel of Light's Hope.
== Lands ==
The Barony was stretched between Northdale from the North, Browman Mill from the East, Corin's Crossing from the South, and Blackwood Lake from the West. The Blackstone Mountain, with the stud farm and the Eastwall Tower were the key elements of the local economy. 
It takes it's name from (presumably) the former name of the big forest. The capital of the province was the Town of Blackwood.
=== Blackwood Forest ===
A vast forest, stretching from Westdale (now Terrordale) to Northdale, it covered half of the Eastern Lordaeron. It takes its name presumably from the fact it must have been quite dark there for most of the day (location surrounded by two mountain ranges, far in the North). 
Now Plaguewood.
=== Blackstone Mountain ===
A lonely mountain on the South-East edge of Blakwood Forest. Although it is rich in iron nodes it was never dwelled. However, local government drilled its surface to gather lightforge iron, becoming one of the main suppliers in the Kingdom.
=== Blackstone River ===
Blackstone is an anthropogenic river, or rather a large drainage ditch, dug from the need to regulate surface water of local marshes, stretched across the centre of the Eastern Lordaeron. It does not flow, therefore, never in history it has been rich in fishes other than carp.
=== Blackwood Lake ===
Blackwood Lake or Blackpool is a large body of water on the South-West border of Blackwood Forest. It is an an anthropogenic, which was created as a result of flooding opencast iron mine by surface water and melting snows. The former name Blackpool came as a result of water flooding the mine, leaching out ferric oxide which left a black sediment on the surface.
Now polluted, its waters are infested by corrupted Water Elementals. The lake has been mentioned in the Extended Annals of Darrowshire as being the resting place of Horgus the Ravager's head. Now gone, the town of Blackwood used to lie on the shores of this lake.
=== Town of Blackwood ===
The Town of Blackwood was a former centre of the barony. It was raided by the Horde in 611 KC, then ravaged by the Scourge in the Third War. There is now no trace of this once prosperous trade point.
=== Eastwall Tower ===
The Eastwall Tower was ruined twice. First consumed by fire in 593 K.C., then by the Orcs in 598 K.C. After it burned in 612 the Blackwoods were made responsible to rebuild it.
The tower was a part of a larger project, as the very name suggest. In that region there is a river, which goes from Browman Mill from the East to Blackwood Lake in the West, with only one bridge close to the tower. It is possible that Blakwoods planned to place there a bigger fortification in order to completely control the trade with the largest cities of the region, Startholme.
The tower was rebuilt after 620 K.C. and is now controlled by the Argent Crusade.
== History ==
[...]
=== Garithos' Rule (?/? - 598KC/6LC) ===
After House Blackwood fell, the land was ruled by Baron Garithos. The baron's son, Othmar Garithos, joined the army as a knight during the Second War, where he saw combat in Quel'Thalas defending the elves' homeland from invading orcs. While he was in Quel'Thalas, however, a small band of orcs broke off from the main invading force and burned Blackwood to the ground, killing all of its inhabitants in spite of the valorous defense marshaled by its lord. Othmar's family perished doing their duty, defending the homes and lives of their subjects. He blamed the elves for the loss of his town and family, believing that the elves diverted forces away from the Alliance's true goal: the defense of humanity alone. After his father’s death, Othmar was awarded his title and continued his service in the armies of Lordaeron.
=== 
Razing of Blackwood (598KC/6LC) ===
The Razing of Blackwood occurred during the Second War, as part of the Horde's invasion of Quel'Thalas.
During Orgrim Doomhammer's assault on the elven kingdom, a small band of orcs broke off from the main invading force and attacked the town of Blackwood, on the shores of Blackwood Lake. Baron Garithos marshaled his subjects to defend the town, but they were all slain by the orcish forces. Though the burning of Blackwood had marginal strategic effect on the Second War, it carried a lasting impact on the baron's son Othmar Garithos, who was stationed in Quel'Thalas at the time and blamed the elves for his family's death.
=== 
The Scourge of Lordaeron (612KC/20LC - 625KC/33LC) ===
Like the Western Plaguelands, the Eastern Plaguelands were once beautiful and brimming with farms and small villages. The regional government was centered around the city of Stratholme, the largest city in Lordaeron. Also nearby were the towns of Darrowshire, Corin's Crossing, and Tyr's Hand, and to the east of Stratholme was the pass leading into the southern boundaries of Quel'Thalas.
In the opening hours of the Third War, the investigations into the origins of the Scourge led Prince Arthas and Jaina Proudmoore through the Tirisfal Glades and what is now the Western Plaguelands (more specifically, the towns of Andorhal and Hearthglen), where they confronted the necromancer Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned. Kel'Thuzad told Arthas to seek out the leader of the Scourge in Lordaeron, the Dreadlord Mal'Ganis, at Stratholme. While en route via Hearthglen, Arthas and Jaina were joined by Lord Uther, master of the Silver Hand. When they arrived at Stratholme, Arthas realized that the villagers had been infected with the Plague of Undeath. When Uther refused to obey Arthas' command to purge the city, Arthas relieved Uther of command and disbanded the Silver Hand, then slaughtered the townsfolk himself. After hunting down Mal'ganis in Northrend, Arthas returned as one of the Lich King's death knights and toppled the Kingdom of Lordaeron by murdering his own father, King Terenas. After the fall of Lordaeron's capital, the plague spread throughout the northern regions of Lordaeron, turning them into the blighted lands they are today.
The resistance against the Scourge was particularly bloody at Darrowshire, where the ghoul Horgus the Ravager and the death knight Marduk Blackpool (alias Marduk the Black) led an army of Scourge against the town. Only surviving paladins under Davil Crokford and the Darrowshire militia under Captain Joseph Redpath were able to stand in their way. Though they put up a valiant fight, the defenders of Darrowshire were not enough to stave off the endless legions of Scourge. Davil managed to defeat Horgus in combat, but he succumbed to the horrific wounds the ghoul had inflicted. Captain Redpath fell to Marduk's necromancy, his soul taken from his body and corrupted into the service of the Scourge, where he proceeded to turn on his fellows and tear Darrowshire apart, killing everyone who hid in their homes.
After the fall of Lordaeron, Alexandros Mograine formed a Crusade from the remnants of Lordaeron's Knights of the Silver Hand and attempted to retake the shattered kingdom from both the Scourge and the undead renegades known as the Forsaken. In the Eastern Plaguelands, they took control of both the town of Tyr's Hand and the western districts of Stratholme, where they battle the forces of Baron Rivendare to gain control of the destroyed city. After the death of Alexandros Mograine, the Crusade went through a schism; forming factions such as the Brotherhood of the Light and the Argent Dawn which established themselves in Light's Hope Chapel, and with those who remained in the original Crusade renaming themselves the Scarlet Crusade. Meanwhile, the Alliance and Horde continued to fight over the abandoned Lordaeron towers scattered around the Eastern Plaguelands.[2][3] Eventually, the master of the Scourge in Lordaeron made his return to the blighted lands. From his citadel of Naxxramas, floating over the Plaguewood near Stratholme, he prepared to continue the work he began in the name of his master, the Lich King. Recently, Naxxramas floated away from the Plaguelands and reappeared over Dragonblight in Northrend, though it was replaced by Acherus: The Ebon Hold over the far eastern portion of the zone. From there, Arthas sent his death knights to exterminate both the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn and leave his grip over the Plaguelands unchallenged. But, there is that old saying about the best-laid plans of mice and men (and Lich Kings)...
== Modern Blackwood ==
Location: Northeastern Lordaeron
Capital: Stratholme
Races: Scourge, Human, Forest troll, Wretched
Government: Dictatorship
Rulers: Lord Maxwell Tyrosus
Major settlements: Light's Hope Chapel, Tyr's Hand, Plaguewood.
Minor settlements: Terrordale, Ruins of the Scarlet Enclave, Northdale, Darrowshire.
Affiliation: Contested between Argent Crusade and Scourge remnants
Resources: Herbs: Arthas' Tears (rare), Khadgar's Whisker, Liferoot, Sungrass; ore: iron, gold, mithril, truesilver (questionable: dark iron, lighforge).
== Family Branches ==
=== Family Tree ===
=== Horse Breeders branch ===
Blackwoods of nomadic living, horse breeders and traders. Their horses are amongst the best in the Eastern Kingdoms (rumour has it the Brotherhood of the Horse rode those). It is probable they all come from those Blackwoods who had a land just West of the Eastwall Tower (there is a ruined stud farm).
Becouse of their noble roots, they were always perceived so, even though their own gypsy-like circles. They earned good money on horse breeding. Some say it was a cover for the "extracurricular" criminal activities. It is hard to judge this, because despite the family's prosperity they remain true to their nomadic roots which have been in their culture for over many generations. 
Some family members would settle down in places for some while, but usually move on again after a while. Losing track of one another for periods of time is fairly common in the family.
=== Blackstone branch ===
Aramil Blackstone (in fact Aramil Blackwood) was the only son of Aramin, an impoverished nobleman of House Blackwood and the first to use the name Blackstone officially. However, the nickname was used before, because Blackwoods of this branch were well known due to their long-term business of lightforge iron mine in Blackstone Mountain.
== House Blackwood at the end of the 30 L. C. ==
=== Horse Breeders branch: ===
Milosh Shandor Blackwood (Myriah's grandfather; deceased)
Nicu Pitti Blackwood (Myriah's father; deceased)
Myriah Damara Blackwood
Mirela Blackwood (Myriah's sister)
Shandor Blackwood (Myriah's brother)
Skarb Blackwood (Shandor's son)
Tyrellius 'Wolf' Blackwood (Myriah's son; deceased)
Jayred Blackwood (Tyrelius' older brother)
Rachel and Jessica Blackwood (Jayred's twins)
=== Others: ===
William Blackwood
Aramal Blackstone
== Historical Members ==
Baron Blackwood (a.k.a. Lord Blackwood)
== Reference ==
# ^ The Price of Rule section of Ask Creative Development Round 3.
# ^ Extended Annals of Blackwood by Lord Aramal Blackstone