Cassius Margrave

Cassius Margrave

"*It is said the road to hell is paved with good intentions... I will use your blood and bone meal to cement each deed into the path I cut...*"
—Cassius Margrave to Unknown Forsaken

**Cassius Margrave** of Andorhal is a human warlock and the leader of Reclamation. In a cruel twist of irony, the son of an undertaker and a midwife grew to hold an unfathomable vendetta against the living dead that chased his people from their home. With the flames of his hatred clutched in one fist and a vow of righteous vengeance in the opposite, Cassius Margrave of Andorhal has cast his glare over the plagued remains of Lordaeron with intent to tear the infestation of undeath from the land by any means necessary.

A deathly pale and sickly looking man, the relatively young warlock glares out at the world from behind deep auburn hair, seemingly too stubborn to be kept out of his face, through uncharacteristically shining emerald eyes. Cassius moves with the gait of a man of purpose, though takes care with each step as though a mild breeze would send him to the cobblestones, and holds a stern air about him that might make others nervous of his alignment in the world's conflicts. Despite this unapproachable appearance, it is uncommon for the man to cast his fellow man to the side unless dire circumstance dictates his schedule.

## Biography

### Early life

Born nearly two decades prior to the Culling of Stratholme, Cassius Margrave was the youngest of three siblings born to Naevius Margrave and his wife, Sennia. While his siblings grew strong and healthy, Cassius was a sick child that spent more time with fever than playing or working his days away. This led the young boy to a secluded life with naught but books and his thoughts as company throughout the years. In spite of this quiet and lonely existence, the Margrave children kept a strong bond with the elder pair often listening as Cassius recounted tales he'd read throughout the day as they settled down for the evening. Nearing his thirteenth birthday, Cassius' father arranged for the boy to study under a particularly talented scholar visiting from Dalaran. This tutor, Magister Deighton, taught the young boy the basic concepts of manipulating the arcane. Over several visits throughout the years to come, Cassius was taught lesson after lesson in the arcane and left with tomes to study between lessons. Slowly, but surely, he became a well-practiced and promising novice who was seemingly headed to a proper apprenticeship within the city of Dalaran, but then... the Scourge came.

### The Scourging of Lordaeron

As Stratholme burned in the North and plague ran rampant throughout the kingdom of Lordaeron, Cassius' father was tasked with the unsightly task of preparing the innumerable dead for burial or burning despite the alarmingly high number of dead rising as mindless fiends. Unsurprisingly, Naevius met his end at the hands of a risen corpse while his two eldest children succumbed to the tainted grain. In a manner of weeks, Cassius found himself with only his mother and mentor remaining as familiar faces among the frantic city. Fearing rumors of the sick or weak being slain, Sennia pleaded with the magister to take Cassius anywhere but Andorhal. However, it was only when she was killed during Arthas' reclamation of Kel'thuzad's corpse that her wish was granted. With naught but a pair of tomes to study and the clothing on his back, Cassius was pushed through a rushed portal; getting one last look at his teacher preparing to combat an approaching swarm of undead before the arcane gateway closed.

### A Novice in Elwynn

Alone, with nothing and no one to help pull him back to his feet, Cassius Margrave found himself seated against a lamp post outside of Northshire deeply entrenched in sorrow. Minutes passed, then hours, until finally the sun rose to banish the night in favor of light over Elwynn Forest. He was, eventually, found by a member of the Abbey who took the fragile looking boy in for food and clothing while he came to terms with the events that led him to the forest. For the first several weeks Cassius remained locked away from the world, passing his time with tears or the tomes left to him by Magister Deighton. It was during this time he found a personal note left within the cover of one book, written in a fittingly violet ink:

*For my young friend, may he bring light where ever darkness seeks to snuff out hope. Always your watchful mentor, Alabaster Deighton"*
Within the pages of this tome were details to varying levels of mastery in the School of Conjuration, specifically the conjuration and manipulation of flames. The second tome, a study written by Magister Deighton himself, gave a brief oversight of 'The Shattering' and used it as a cautionary tale against letting one's personal control over the arcane forces of world go to their head. Over the following months, with the aid of Khleden Bremen, Cassius practiced relentlessly from the tome he dubbed The Flame of Hope. Despite making a small name for himself among the local citizens, helping with various bandits or unruly kobolds, he could not shake a reputation for a particularly explosive style when he entered a combat situation. This, he learned, was attributed to his deep emotional wounds left over from the Scourging and caught the eye of a local mage, Llane Beshere, who guided him towards a seedy pub within the Mage District of Stormwind...

### The Slaughtered Lamb

Unsure of the purpose of his visit, and generally lost among the bustling city, Cassius finally found himself at the threshold of the Slaughtered Lamb where he handed over the missive he'd been tasked with delivering and was promptly shown into the pub's cellar. There, he was briefed on the true meaning of his recommendation and was subjected to a stern lecture on appropriate displays of power. The unnamed practitioners, warlocks tucked away from the world, explained the uses of strong emotion in their dark arts and filled his mind with promises of the power to take vengeance. Young Margrave was all too eager to hear their promises, and asked few questions before enlisting into their training. Under the warlocks' collective tutoring he flourished, channeling the pain within his heart into impressive displays of flame and subjecting summoned demons with his will to exact vengeance on the Scourge. Through this new surge of power, hidden under the guise of a mere fire mage, he clawed his way up in station with every fiber of his being set on returning to Lordaeron with both his new knowledge and blades ready to further his will.

### The Reclamation

In an emotional letter, leveraging the reputation he'd begun to accumulate through various acts from Westfall and Redridge to the darkest reaches of Duskwood, Cassius pleaded for the Alliance's aid in a series of missions to reach a head in the newly dubbed 'Plaguelands'. Hesitant as they might have been to accept such a bold request, the powers that be relented to his ideals and goals; allowing the up and coming 'mage' a budget of resources and man-power including the gnomish SI:7 operative Jameson 'Eyes' Bronzecog and priestess of Elune, Sharlotte Moonshadow. His mission was no simple one, being ordered to report on dark rumors throughout Lordaeron, stop the spread of wicked deeds where possible, and intervene on the Alliance's behalf to aide the Argent Dawn...

## Trivia

* Despite his place as First Cursed, Cassius' title within Black Ring records would read as 'Cassius Margrave, Paragon of the Cursed Tongue' .

## Notes and references

1. ↑ Margrave is the leader of <Reclamation> and can be reached on Bloodsail Hold or at Trager#1228 on Real ID, @trager\_bombs#7058 on Discord, or by in-game mail for potential interactions, connections, or collaborative events. This character is not devoutly Alliance, and does not shy away from working with the Horde against the Scourge unless the Forsaken are present. Thanks for reading this far, and here's to countless new stories FOR AZEROTH!
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Bloodsail Hold - Cassius Margrave