Darion Arretrea

This Profile is still a WIP, and will be missing a lot of details and/or context, links, etc. Please keep this in mind while reading. Thank you.

Bio

Darion was born 8 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, in Grand Hamlet. He was raised in a relatively peaceful environment, his parents running a small tavern on the outskirts of the town.
His life would eventually take a turn when, during the first Horde raids in Azeroth, he witnessed the brutal deaths of both his parents and several townsfolk, before being struck down by a blood-crazed Orc himself. Despite his wounds, Darion was able to survive, being found by Blake Giley, a Commander in the Stormwind Military, and long-time friend of his parents, whose unit was looking for survivors in the area. The trauma left Darion in a coma, which resulted in the loss of memories from much of his life before the attack.

Lordaeron

By the time Stormwind was razed by the Horde at the end of the First War, Giley, a Lord of a Noble House of Stormwind, had already had the foresight to move the young Darion north, to his family's manor in Lordaeron. Here, Darion was allowed to recover, and lived comfortably for several years. Giley would eventually adopt Darion, not having any children of his own. During his time living at the Giley Manor, Darion befriended Giley's secret prisoner, Rogarth Bloodforge, an Orc who had been part of the first assault on Stormwind Keep, and was captured by Giley. While at first the Orc was wary and avoided Darion's attempts at interaction, he eventually opened up and they became friends, both in spite of their age difference and their kind being enemies.

Giley saw this blooming friendship as an opportunity to learn more about the Orcs, and asked Darion to learn what he could, while also keeping the Orc's existence secret from outsiders. Only the permanent staff and Giley's immediate social circle knew that he had managed to spirit the Orc North before Stormwind fell, out of pity for the creature, and he would have liked it to stay that way for as long as possible. Darion learned much from the older Orc about his kind's culture, his clan and family, as well as some of what had lead to the Orcs invading Azeroth. In return, Darion attempted to teach the Orc the common language used by the different races of Azeroth and Lordaeron, as well as some of their culture.

Return to Stormwind

Darion's stay in Lordaeron ended when he was 15. Shortly after the end of the Second War, during an event hosted at the Giley Manor, a group of curious, wandering guests managed to find their way into the hall in which Rogarth had been kept hidden, and alerted everyone present about an imagined attack by the Horde. Being the early days of the internment camp system set in place to keep any Orcs captured by the Alliance, Rogarth was taken away, and Giley was put to trial for treason and secretly housing an enemy of the Alliance. Giley was later found guilty of all charges, stripped of his titles and properties, and sentenced to death for high treason. Darion was stripped of any inheritance he would have gained, other than a small sum of gold, and sent South, back to his homeland in Stormwind.
The first few months after his return were harsh for the young Darion. He had, to his knowledge, no family left in the kingdom after the wars that had ravaged it, and was left to fend for himself, doing small jobs around the still rebuilding city. During this time, he also befriended Leila Hammond, a Gilnean Merchant's daughter, whom he would stay in contact with in the following years. A few weeks before turning 16, Darion signed up to join the military, which was the first step on his long career as a Soldier of the Alliance. While he had no formal training while living in Lordaeron, he turned out to be decent with a sword and eventually found his new home within the Stormwind Army.

The Third War, The Cold War, The Burning Crusade and the War in Northrend

Shortly before the Third War, Darion married Leila Hammond. They receive news about the Scourge in Lordaeron, and Gilneas closing its gates from the outside world, shortly after. While both worry about Leila's family there, they are not able to do much other than keep an ear out for news.
By the end of the Third War, Darion had risen to the rank of Sergeant, having seen battle against Gnolls, Jungle Trolls and Blackrock Orcs on several fronts.
In the year 23ADP, Darion and Leila has a daugther, Caithelyn.
Darion was not active in the War against the Lich King, but was part of the defense units left in Stormwind at the time.

The Gryphonheart Company

At the end of the War in Northrend, Darion was, for his many years of service, given the rank of Commander and command of his own unit: The Gryphonheart Company.
The Gryphonheart Company consisted of several long-serving Alliance soldiers who would work against Horde incursions in Alliance territories, as well as being sent on search-and-destroy missions in bordering Horde territories. They would end up often clashing with the The Ironhide Warband, a Horde unit with many similar missions and goals, and formed a rivalry with them.
The Gryphonheart were on the frontlines during the invasion of the Iron Horde, helping to hold back their forces until Azeroth's heroes were able to go through and sabotage the Dark Portal from the other side. They would also have a hand in stopping the Dragonmaw in Blackrock Mountain.
During the events of the last invasion of the Burning Legion, Darion briefly reunited with Rogarth, whom he had thought long dead, in Dalaran. The two would meet whenever they could, and told stories from their time apart.
To Darion's surprise, he learned that Rogarth was one of the Ironhide Warband's main suppliers, and that had been fighting both against and alongside his daugther, Karra'gal, during their many skirmishes over the years.

The Fourth War and Return of the Scourge

[TBA]

The Dragon Isles

During the years between the events in the Shadowlands and the reawakening of the Dragon Isles, Darion, now in his early- to mid-40s, retired from the Stormwind Army, leaving the command of the Gryphonheart Company to Lyriannra. He spent most this time with his family, having missed so much of Caithelyn's childhood. With the relative peace that had come to Azeroth, he was able to bring both his wife and daughter on a journey to see Ironforge, the Exodar, and even the World Tree Nordrassil, though from a distance. He also spent some time teaching Caithelyn to fight, with some aid from his friends, as she had been interested in being able to take care of herself and to see more of the world in time.
When the call of the Aspects came, Darion and Caithelyn were eager to join the Dragonscale Expedition to see what wonders the Dragon Isles, the ancient home of the Dragonflights, had been hiding for thousands of years. As events on the Isles have played out, the pair were away from most of the action, but still encountered quite a few wonders, hunting with the Centaur and listening to the wandering Tuskaar storytellers, as well as meeting up with old friends, and even some former enemies, who also came to the Isles.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Friends
Lyriannra
Trixie Gearcog
Dowell Gearcog
Marbelt
Edward Brawnside
Tanshuo Shatterpaw
Rogarth Bloodforge

Enemies
Gorra'thar Ironhide
Karak Gronnbreaker
Mulah Twinblade
Karra'gal Oakhammer

Family Ties

Leila Hammond (Wife)
Caithelyn Hammond-Arretrea (Daughter)
Trevor Arretrea (Father)
Loreen Arretrea (Mother)
Blake Giley (Adoptive Father)
Ashlyne Hammond (Sister-in-Law)

Age: 50
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Year of Birth: 8 BDP
Birthplace: Grand Hamlet (Darkshire), Kingdom of Stormwind
Residence: Stormwind City

In-Game Class: Warrior
In-Game Faction: Alliance

Other

Trivia

• Of all the PrjWar Characters, by original creation date, Darion is the fourth to have been created, in 2017.
• Currently my oldest player Character by creation date. Also my most played Character.

Gallery

Darion - 10.x/11.x Outfit

Darion - Commander Outfit

Darion - Guard Outfit

Non-Canon:

Darion - Alt. Timeline (Scarlet Crusader)