Franclorn Forgewright

Franclorn F. Forgewright was a celebrated architect from the Dark Iron clan. He oversaw the construction of, among other things, the Stonewrought Dam and much of Blackrock Depths. His ghost can be found as a level 60 quest giver at Forgewright's Tomb in the center of Blackrock Mountain. He can only be seen while in ghost form.

Biography
Franclorn was responsible for the design of the mighty Dark Iron fortress of Blackrock Spire in the bowels of Blackrock Mountain after Dagran Thaurissan, under the control of Ragnaros, tore out the heart of the mountain. Franclorn was the creator of the "stonewrought" method of architecture and oversaw the construction of the Stonewrought Dam in Loch Modan. He also created the twin hammers Ironfoe and Ironfel. Franclorn chose to keep Ironfel for himself, but Ironfoe was gifted to the great-great-grandfather of Reginald Windsor and would years later be wielded by Reginald himself.

As chief architect, Franclorn had in his possession the Shadowforge Key, master key to the city. The monument erected in his honor (which it seems he likely designed himself) holds two secrets: within the base is a tiny compartment in which he stored the master key, and the empty grip of the statue itself was designed to permanently lock Ironfel in place. Inserting Ironfel would open the key's compartment, but the hammer would essentially become one with the statue. Any attempt to remove the hammer would shatter the monument and the hammer with it.

Believing that he did not have a choice, Franclorn stood by and watched the corruption of Ragnaros seep through the hearts and minds of the Dark Iron nation, and when the construction of the Spire was complete, the architect's will to live among his people gave way. His tomb was placed at the entrance of the city he planned and built in honor of his efforts, and his great hammer, Ironfel, was then handed down to the new chief architect, Fineous Darkvire. However, Darkvire's arrogance and scheming have drawn the ire of Franclorn from beyond the grave, and the ghost of the late chief architect now seeks to reclaim Ironfel from Darkvire before it can be used for ill.

Franclorn's spirit would meet adventurers that were exploring the Blackrock Depths and shared his story with them, the secrets of his monument, and how they could retrieve the Shadowforge Key. In exchange, they would kill Darkvire and make sure that Ironfel would never be used to create evil to be unleashed upon the world.

Quests

 * Dark Iron Legacy
 * Dark Iron Legacy (2)

Quotes

 * Greetings, . I am Franclorn Forgewright. Are you here to learn of the Spire and of Dark Iron?




 * I had no choice, or so I thought. I would endure the destruction of Thaurissan and stand by the side of my king and his people. Under the control of Ragnaros, King Dagran Thaurissan tore out the heart of this mountain and erected Blackrock Spire. We worked tirelessly to build a dwarven city mightier than any city or fortress that came before... or would come after.




 * I stood by and watched the corruption of Ragnaros seep through the hearts and minds of the Dark Iron nation. This once honorable race, driven to madness... to evil. When the construction of the Spire was complete, my will to live amongst my people gave way. I passed as a hero of the new nation of Dark Iron. This tomb was placed here - at the entrance of the city I planned and built - in honor of my efforts.




 * My great hammer, Ironfel, was handed down to the new chief architect, Fineous Darkvire: A man of despicable motive and little talent. This is where you come in, . I want him stopped. He is too inept to harness the true power of Ironfel, but should one come after him with the aptitude to use Ironfel to its full potential, the destruction they could cause with their creations would be disastrous to this world.

In the RPG
Franclorn Forgewright was the chief architect and designer for the Dark Iron clan and inventor of the "Stonewrought" method; the name "Stonewrought" refers to his works. Franclorn was likely not evil; rather, he chose to side with his clan (the Dark Irons) out of honor and loyalty.

Notes and trivia

 * Since he invented the Stonewrought method of architecture, he presumably designed the Stonewrought Pass as well.
 * The Pipe of Franclorn Forgewright can be found as a common dwarf Archaeology artifact.
 * His name was likely inspired by, a famous American architect.