Twilight dragonflight

The twilight dragonflight is a dragonflight created by the results of magical experiments carried out by Sintharia upon dragon eggs. Using ancient dragon artifacts and the powers of the nether dragons, Sintharia created a new breed of dragons that feed vampirically on all forms of mystical energy. The first encounter of these dragons with the outside world was by Krasus, Kalec, and the draenei priestess Iridi. Iridi thought of their appearance not as a shadow, but more akin to the day turning to night, like twilight as experienced on Azeroth. She thus dubbed them twilight dragons.Night of the Dragon, chapter 7
While Sintharia's experiments resulted in very unstable twilight drakes, and Nefarian's experiments resulted in infertile or deformed chromatic dragons, their efforts paved the way for Deathwing to perfect the process of breeding and artificially aging twilight dragons. These draconic aberrations were first seen in-game in Wrath of the Lich King, and became major antagonists in Cataclysm.
The twilight dragonflight was thought nearly extinct, most being killed in the war against Deathwing. During the third invasion of the Burning Legion, it was discovered that the twilight dragonflight survived, with a mature drake named Zeryxia leading them.The Twilight Master While Zeryxia was later killed, more twilight dragons were discovered within Grim BatolTwilight Avenger (item) and elsewhere, as stone troggs unearthed deeper caverns wherein thousands more eggs had been laid.
==Types==
thumb|Twilight drakes and whelps
The twilight dragonflight includes the twilight dragons themselves as well as all other twilight dragonkin such as dragonspawn and drakonids.
* Twilight dragon (mature)
* Twilight drake
* Twilight whelp
* Twilight dragonspawn
* Twilight drakonid
==History==
===Night of the Dragon===
The twilight dragonflight was first created by Sintharia, the prime-consort of Deathwing, who had been secretly manipulated to do so by the dark aspect. Eager to succeed where her hated mate had failed and create a new breed of dragon that would rule the world, Sintharia used a nether dragon named Zzeraku, which she captured with a chrysalun chamber, together with two draconic artifacts, to alter several dragon eggs from various dragonflights. The artifacts were an ancient blue dragon relic known as Balacgos's Bane, and shards of the infamous Demon Soul. Thought destroyed by the human mage Rhonin, Sintharia gathered several fragments of the Demon Soul and used the power within them to carry out her designs.
Sintharia's earliest creations proved unstable and were destroyed by Krasus and Kalec. However, they still displayed considerable power, having the ability to vampirically drain magical energy from any source. Sintharia's subsequent creation, Dargonax, proved even more powerful and far more cunning. Dargonax proved too ambitious and strong for Sintharia to completely control, even with fragments of the Demon Soul in her possession. Only the sacrifice of the nether dragon Zzeraku enabled Dargonax to be defeated, and in his death throes he seemingly destroyed Sintharia as well.
Although Sintharia and her creations were all slain, several of her unhatched twilight dragon eggs were taken from her lair in Grim Batol by Deathwing himself. Hiding in tunnels deep beneath Grim Batol, caverns older than any the dwarves had ever constructed, Deathwing had whispered his urgings to the unsuspecting former consort, making her believe that everything was according to her own designs. Even the name "twilight dragonflight" had been suggested to her by Deathwing, who actually got the idea from his Old God masters.Night of the Dragon - "His twilight dragons—so appropriate a name, he thought and thanked the voices he had heard echo it to him—would be perfect." He safely stored the twilight dragon eggs and began his plans to perfect the new dragonflight, intending to erase the failures of his family and use the newest breed of dragon for his own designs.
===Beneath Wyrmrest Temple===
====Obsidian Sanctum====
Deathwing's continued absence led many to assume that Sintharia had been acting alone at Grim Batol, and that all her eggs had been destroyed. However, during the Nexus War a clutch of twilight eggs was discovered within the black dragonflight's volcanic chamber, the Obsidian Sanctum, protected by the black dragon Sartharion.http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/dungeons/wrath-obsidian-sanctum.xml With the red dragonflight already committed heavily to battling Malygos and the Scourge, Korialstrasz sent word of the twilight eggs to the Council of Six in Dalaran in the hope that adventurers could be found to deal with the situation. As he had hoped, a band of heroes was deployed in short order. After reaching the Sanctum, they had to fight not only Sartharion but also three twilight drakes: , , and . They were able to vanquish all the guardians, and the twilight eggs were destroyed. The incident went without fanfare, mention, or acknowledgment; and for a time, seemingly without retribution.Underdev/Patch 3.3.5: The Ruby Sanctum
====Ruby Sanctum====
In order to shatter the Wyrmrest Accord and to crush those that would stand in the way of their master's reemergence into Azeroth, a powerful war party of the Black dragonflight, led by the fearsome twilight dragon Halion and his lieutenants Saviana Ragefire, Baltharus the Warborn and General Zarithrian, launched an assault upon the Ruby Sanctum beneath Wyrmrest Temple. A survivor of the initial attack, Sanctum Guardian Xerestrasza believed the true focus of their interest seemed to be the eggs kept there in the Sanctum. However, the heroes stopped them before they were allowed to succeed.
===Cataclysm===
The story of the twilight dragonflight is expanded in World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, in the region known as the Twilight Highlands, east of Grim Batol. They appear as an elite guard within Twilight's Hammer clan's ranks and their drakes are used as mounts by their mortal followers.
Twilight dragons are usually raised from stolen eggs from other dragonflights, which are then modified through dark magic. However, a "natural" egg found in Mount Hyjal revealed that one of their matriarchs, Desperiona, has become a viable broodmother.Brood of Evil
It is further revealed that more dragons of the Twilight BroodSinestra (tactics) were being created by a reanimated Sintharia in Twilight Caverns under the Bastion of Twilight. After being slain, Sintharia says: "Deathwing, I have fallen, the brood has fallen".
At some point, twilight dragons led by Thyrinar attacked the Nexus in Coldarra.Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 99 The dragons were defeated, and a vision of Arygos' betrayal was shown.Through a Glass, Darkly
During the events of the Dragon Soul, the twilight dragonflight appears to be nearly extinct. Though once vast in number, only a few dozen twilight dragons now remain. Astride these hardened survivors are the last vestiges of the Twilight's Hammer's army: the elite drake riders of Deathwing's personal escort. Led by the insidious Warmaster Blackhorn, they move with unholy purpose, driven to protect their dark master.Dungeon Journal entry for Warmaster Blackhorn Though adventurers seemingly brought down these last vestiges of the flight while pursuing Deathwing, and Blackhorn was slain, it's perhaps notable that his mount, Goriona, escaped.
Heroes who proved their might in the gladiatorial arenas during the Cataclysm were awarded the most exceptional of the twilight drake broods.Mount Journal entry for Vicious Gladiator's Twilight Drake, Ruthless Gladiator's Twilight Drake and Cataclysmic Gladiator's Twilight Drake
===Legion===
The remnants of the twilight dragonflight rejoined the Twilight's Hammer in the Twilight Depths of Deepholm. They were led by the dragon Zeryxia, who answered to Sintharia's whispers from beyond the grave.The Twilight Master Zeryxia had stored a huge cache of Twilight dragon eggs in the tunnels, which were also filled with young whelps and drakes.Unleashing the Elements However, they were defeated by an attack led by the Farseer and Muln Earthfury, where Zeryxia was killed.
===Battle for Azeroth===
During the Fourth War, numerous twilight dragons, drakes, and dragonkin can appear on Island Expeditions, apparently drawn by the :Azerite being mined by the Horde and Alliance. An adventurer can bring a Battered Twilight Scale to an agent of the red dragonflight, Eryna, who reveals that the troggs dug too deep and disturbed a previously-unknown massive cache of twilight dragon eggs below Grim Batol. Eryna claims that she can sense thousands of heartbeats below Grim Batol, but she has no idea how many are truly down there, or where other caches might exist. She also saw them coming out of the citadel, being mobilized by someone.Young Twilight Scale (quest)
In the Vermillion Redoubt in the Twilight Highlands, Void-twisted twilight dragonkin have surrounded Alexstrasza, but a champion and Kalecgos arrived and helped subdue the invaders. A twilight dragon Vexiona is confronted in front of Grim Batol who before fleeing states "Your pathetic dragonflights will fall. If you will not serve the master, then I will find one who will".In the Shadow of Crimson Wings Twilight Whelplings re-emerged outside of Grim Batol.
====Visions of N'Zoth====
Vexiona, accompanied by Velinaria and Dreliana, leads a band of Darkwhisper cultists in an assault on Blackwing Descent in an attempt to lure in and capture Wrathion, with the hopes of using his essence in a ritual to raise Onyxia and Nefarian as servants of N'Zoth. Not all Twilight Drakes seem to hold their master's favor, as when Wrathion descended into Blackwing Descent, he found a drake, nearly dead from maiming by the Old Gods' forces by their experiments to augment them. This drake later aided the group against their former masters, going as far as to ferry the bearer of the Heart of Azeroth back to the Chamber of the Heart after they had destroyed the remains of Onyxia and Nefarian and forced Vexiona and Dark Inquisitor Xanesh to retreat to Ny'alotha.Beginning the Descent
The twilight dragonflight has had a fractured past and now has an uncertain future. Vexiona's clutch of eggs was kept in a chamber inside the Carapace of N'Zoth, exposing them to N'Zoth's corruption from a young age and driving them even more mad than other twilight dragons. After N'Zoth's defeat, one of them had their mind cleared by Wrathion.Lost FlightUncorrupted Voidwing
==Description==
Twilight dragons resemble black dragons, but they glow with a greenish, red, or, more commonly, amethyst light. The earliest twilight dragons created by Sintharia had the ability to feed off of magical energy, particularly enemy dragons. The later dragons, those raised by Deathwing, may have similar abilities.
Twilight dragons also possess the ability to turn incorporeal at will, allowing attacks to pass through their bodies without harming them, though they cannot remain incorporeal indefinitely.Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects This incorporeality is caused by them shifting into another plane known as the Twilight Realm. Strong twilight dragons such as Ultraxion, Halion, and Valiona and Theralion are also able to pull other people into the Twilight Realm with them.
==Members==
Name 	Type 	Role 	Status	Location
 	Dragon 	Guardian of the upper fragment of the World Pillar 	 	Abyssion's Lair, Deepholm
 	Dragon 	Third twilight dragon created by Sintharia in Grim Batol, killed due to the actions of Zzeraku 	 	Grim Batol
 	Dragon 	First known viable twilight broodmother 	 	Ascendant's Rise, Mount Hyjal
 	Drake 	Mount of Warmaster Blackhorn 	 	Above the Frozen Sea, Dragon Soul
 	Dragon 	The Twilight Destroyer, herald of Deathwing, leader of the black dragonflight's invasion of the Ruby Sanctum	 	Ruby Sanctum
 	Dragon 	Leader of twilight forces at Sethria's Roost, attempted to corrupt Aviana's Egg 	 	Sethria's Roost, Mount Hyjal
 	Drake 	Companion of Sartharion 	 	Obsidian Sanctum
 	Drake 	Companion of Sartharion 	 	Obsidian Sanctum
 	Drake 	Assaulted Blackwing Descent with Vexiona 	 	Blackwing Descent
 	Dragon 	A fully grown twilight dragon from a new clutch of twilight dragons, brother of Valiona 	 	Twilight Enclave, Bastion of Twilight
 	Dragon 	Servant of Deathwing who attacked Tarecgosa and an adventurer in the Nexus 	 	The Rift, the Nexus
 	Dragon 	Servant of Deathwing who attacked Wyrmrest Summit 	 	Wyrmrest Summit, Dragon Soul
 	Dragonspawn	Servant of Deathwing, general of the Twilight's Hammer and twilight dragonspawn forces in Grim Batol 	 	Condemned Halls, Grim Batol
 	Dragon 	A fully grown twilight dragon from a new clutch of twilight dragons, sister of Theralion 	 	Twilight Enclave, Bastion of Twilight
 	Drake 	Assaulted Blackwing Descent with Vexiona 	 	Blackwing Descent
 	Drake 	Companion of Sartharion 	 	Obsidian Sanctum
 	Dragon 	A Void-twisted twilight dragon who led the twilight dragonflight for N'Zoth 	 	
Twilight Highlands, Ny'alotha	 	 	 	
 	Dragon 	Twilight dragon who soared around Deepholm 	 	Deepholm
 	Drake 	Mistress of the Twilight's Hammer forces in Deepholm 	 	
Twilight Depths, Deepholm 	 	 	 	
 	Drake 	A tormented drake experiment from the Blackwing Descent 	 	Blackwing Descent
==As a flying mount==
*Reins of the Twilight Drake drops from Sartharion in the 25-man version of the Obsidian Sanctum. It drops only if all three Twilight Drakes have been taken alive into the boss fight. It can only be distributed to one person per clear.
*Reins of the Twilight Harbinger is a reward from the achievement Glory of the Dragon Soul Raider.
*Twilight Avenger (item) is obtained from island expeditions.
*Uncorrupted Voidwing was a reward from Lost Flight.
==Speculation==
*Sintharia's final words in the Bastion of Twilight could have several different meanings. Most associate them with the fall of the twilight flight. However, she is also the last remaining brood mother for the black dragonflight after the death of Obsidia. Additionally, the twilight dragonflight is also capable of 'reproducing' via the eggs of other dragonflights, meaning Sintharia's death could mean little for the flight in the long run.
*The Twilight Drakonaar may have been foreshadowing the Twilight dragonflight, though this may be a stretch considering the time-span.
==Gallery==
Desperiona.jpg|Desperiona
Rs05.jpg|Halion
Sethria.jpg|Sethria
Vesperon.jpg|Vesperon
General Umbriss.jpg|General Umbriss, twilight dragonspawn.
Twilight Whelp.jpg|Twilight Whelp
Twilight Whelpling.jpg|Twilight Whelpling
Dragon Egg.jpg|Eggs
;Novels
Dargondra.jpg|Dargonax on the cover of Night of the Dragon.
Thrall TOTA.jpg|Art in Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects.
;TCG
Halion TCG.jpg|Halion
Twilight Corruptor TCG.jpg|Twilight Corruptor, a twilight drake.
Twilight Shadowdrake TCG.jpg|Twilight Shadowdrake, a twilight drake.
Twilight Emissary TCG.jpg|Twilight Emissary, a twilight drake.
Twilight Wyrmkiller TCG.jpg|Twilight Wyrmkiller, a twilight drake.
Warmaster Blackhorn TCG.jpg|Warmaster Blackhorn riding Goriona.
Twilight of the Dragons.jpg|Twilight of the Dragons set art.
;Hearthstone
Twilight Whelp HS.jpg|A Twilight Whelp.
Duskbreaker.jpg|A Duskbreaker.
Psionic Probe HS.jpg| card art.
==References==
 
es:Vuelo Crepuscular