Darius Crowley

Darius Crowley
Title	Leader of the Gilneas Liberation Front, Gilnean Lord, Lord
Gender	Male
Race	Worgen (Humanoid)
Class	Fury Warrior
Affiliation(s)	Gilneas Liberation Front, Gilnean military, Kingdom of Gilneas, Alliance, Valarjar
Former affiliation(s)	Northgate rebels, Alliance of Lordaeron
Occupation	Leader of the Gilneas Liberation Front, Champion of the Valarjar
Former occupation(s)	Leader of the Northgate rebels, Lord of Pyrewood Village and Ambermill
Location	Various
Status	Alive
Relative(s)	Lorna (daughter)
Companion(s)	Unnamed horse

“It'll be a long time before our nation comes together again. The old political divisions pale in comparison to what divides us now. Yet if there was ever a time for us to come together and unite against a common enemy, it is now. And it is you, <name>, who have proven able to bridge the gap between our people.”

— Lord Darius Crowley

Lord Darius Crowley is a Gilnean nobleman and the founder of the Gilneas Liberation Front. A pro-Alliance figure during the Second War, he supported the union of the Seven Kingdoms against the Old Horde. During the Third War, he dissented with King Genn Greymane's decision to separate his people with the Greymane Wall. After he sent the Gilneas Brigade to help the Human Expedition in Kalimdor, Darius led the Northgate rebels during the Northgate Rebellion in Gilneas, until he was imprisoned in Stoneward Prison for high treason. When Gilneas City was attacked by the Wolf Cult, he was freed on the orders of King Genn and volunteered for a suicide mission to protect the evacuation of the survivors. With Lord Darius at their head, the rebels held back the worgen at Light's Dawn Cathedral until they were overwhelmed.

Now afflicted by the worgen curse, Darius and his men traveled to Tal'doren in the Blackwald, where they sought help from their night elves allies to control their inner beast through the Ritual of Balance. In time, Crowley and Greymane reconciled when the latter revealed that he was also cursed, and they later joined their forces against the Forsaken invaders during the battle for Gilneas City. After the evacuation of the Gilnean people to Darnassus, Lord Darius and many volunteers stayed behind to found the Gilneas Liberation Front, along with the Bloodfang Pack and the 7th Legion, to repel the Horde forces out of Gilneas.

During the Third invasion of the Burning Legion, Darius and his daughter Lorna joined King Genn as part of his army forces on the Broken Isles. He later became a champion of the Valarjar, after the Battlelord saved him following his capture by naga on the Broken Shore. During the Fourth War, Crowley led a renewed Gilnean army into the Forsaken territories of Hillsbrad Foothills, and later followed his king when they assaulted Orgrimmar's western gate during the Battle at the Gates of Orgrimmar. Over a decade after their exile, he was among the Gilnean troops that fought the Scarlet Crusade during the Reclamation of Gilneas.

Biography

Lord of His Pack

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Lord Darius Crowley in Curse of the Worgen.

At the time of the Second War, Lord Crowley was a nobleman whose lands and people were outside of the border that would later be known as the Greymane Wall. He owned the towns of Pyrewood Village and Ambermill. Despite being young and new to the Gilnean council of Lords, his humanistic and charismatic qualities made him loved by the Gilnean people and earned him the respect and friendship of the king of Gilneas, Genn Greymane. Crowley was one of the nobles who accompanied Greymane to Capital City to hear of Stormwind's fall and Anduin Lothar's warning about the invading Orcish Horde. Crowley was sympathetic to the Alliance's plight and advised Greymane to send aid to the newly-formed Alliance. Greymane agreed out of self-serving reasons but offered only token support.

Years later, Gilneas seceded from the Alliance following the departure of Quel'Thalas, who stated that the humans' poor leadership had led to the burning of their forests during the Second War, alongside the liberation of the orcs from internment camps by Thrall. When Genn started the construction of the Greymane Wall, Crowley opposed the king's decision to abandon his people. In retaliation for Greymane's decision to abandon Lordaeron to the undead, it was Crowley who was responsible for sending the Gilneas Brigade to Jaina Proudmoore and the Human Expedition during the Third War.

Northgate rebellion

Main article: Northgate Rebellion

Although once a close friend of Genn Greymane, his staunch isolationism led Darius Crowley to eventually take up arms against his king. The king had tried to reason with Crowley, but Crowley refused, and insisted that he was doing what was best for the future of Gilneas, that he would end the king's "tyranny". Political divisions led to a deep and bitter hatred between those known as "rebels" and "royals". When the Northgate Rebellion erupted in Gilneas, Crowley and his Northgate rebels immediately began to gain support among disgruntled Gilneans, and were labeled as terrorists and traitors by the loyalists. Leading his armed supporters into Gilneas City in an attempt to depose King Genn, a bloody civil war erupted between the two factions, pitting Gilnean against Gilnean. The final, deciding moment of the conflict occurred when Crowley's army marched upon the capital city, setting it ablaze with artillery fire. Much street fighting likely followed, but the rebels were ultimately unable to overcome Greymane resistance. Having broken upon the city's defenses, the rebels were defeated by the Gilnean military, with the majority of its leaders, including Crowley, imprisoned for high treason within Stoneward Prison.

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Lord Darius in Light's Dawn Cathedral.

Shortly before the Wolf Cult's attack on Gilneas City, King Genn Greymane was thinking about granting Crowley amnesty.

The Wolf Cult's attack

When the capital was attacked by feral worgen, King Greymane sent the Gilnean adventurer to free Crowley from the Stoneward Prison and secure his assistance in fighting off the worgen onslaught. After being freed, Darius gave his men a speech of a union in the courtyard, ordering them to leave behind the grudges of the civil war and to rejoin their Gilnean brethren against their common enemy.

In order to secure the evacuation of the citizens to Duskhaven, Darius and his Northgate rebels volunteered for a suicide mission to attract as many worgen as possible to Light's Dawn Cathedral in the Cathedral Quarter. After Darius and the adventurer left the area to begin their plan, Lorna Crowley arrived to ask where her father was following his release, and Prince Liam Greymane had no choice but to tell her the truth. In a fit of rage, Lorna threatened King Greymane with a gun, accusing him of sadistically having her father released only to have him killed for final revenge. Although the king tried to deny the accusations, Liam managed to stop her, and while she mourned the certain death of her father, Genn started the evacuation of the Gilnean population towards Duskhaven. At the same time, the rebels brought their cannons to protect the cathedral's entrance, and when enough worgen were lured, they slaughtered them until they ran out of ammunition and retreated in the building. However, Crowley and his men were eventually overwhelmed by the beasts and became worgen themselves.

• 

  Darius as he appears atop Stoneward Prison.

• 

  Darius as a human in Curse of the Worgen.

• 

  Darius and the Northgate rebels in the prison.

• 

  Darius Crowley in Greymane Court.

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  Darius fighting worgen in Light's Dawn Cathedral.

• 

  Darius overwhelmed by the feral beasts.

The Forsaken invasion

Darius in his worgen form at Tal'doren.

Now afflicted by the worgen curse, Darius and his men traveled to Tal'doren in the Blackwald, where they sought help from their night elves allies. When Belysra Starbreeze took Halford Ramsey to Tal'doren, he encountered Darius Crowley. A loyalist, Halford still thought of Darius as a rebel traitor and lunged at him, but the fight was broken up by Belysra who reminded them that the past didn't matter anymore and that they both needed to put it behind them in order to preserve the future of Gilneas. Both then began to work together to capture feral worgen in the Blackwald, making them sane again through the Ritual of Balance. In order to protect the Scythe of Elune, Darius worked with the Gilnean adventurer to eliminate the banshees near their position, since the latter were looking for the artifact on the orders of Sylvanas Windrunner. He later tasked them to retrieve the stolen scythe from the Dark Rangers at Woods' End Cabin with the help of Tobias Mistmantle and his worgen.

After the worgen adventurer managed to accomplish the Ritual of Balance, Lorna Crowley entered the Blackwald and came to meet her father, she was followed by Lord Vincent Godfrey who ordered all of the night elves and Gilnean worgen present to support the king's army against the Forsaken invaders. King Genn Greymane was the last to arrive, and faced with the distrust of his old friend, revealed that he too had been infected by the worgen curse. This discovery dismayed Godfrey, but also brought peace to Gilneas's divided population, as rebels and royals were now united in the curse against the undead invader. Consequently, Darius sent the Gilnean adventurer to tell the Stormglen refugees that they must evacuate east through the Blackwald, where he and his worgen would protect them from the Forsaken, and into the mountains to Tempest's Reach.

When Halford Ramsey managed to perform the Ritual of Balance, and regained his human form, he received a summary of everything that happened from Darius who decided to try the ritual again after his daughter accepted him as he was. However, they were interrupted by the arrival of Alpha Prime and his Wolf Cult. The night elves led by Belysra Starbreeze, alongside the Gilnean worgen led by Darius, joined them shortly after, and the two armies faced each other before Tal'doren. After defeating the Forsaken and Alpha Prime, the Gilnean worgen left Tal'doren and the Blackwald, and traveled to Livery Outpost where they attended the speech of King Genn Greymane in anticipation of the battle for Gilneas City.

During the battle for Gilneas City, after they cleared the Merchant Square, the Gilnean Militia led by Prince Liam entered the Military District where they united with Lord Crowley's worgen forces. Around Stoneward Prison, the Forsaken unleashed the flesh beast Gorerot upon the Gilneans, but they managed to use Forsaken catapults to take down it quickly. Soon Prince Liam and Crowley caught Sylvanas at Greymane Court, while King Greymane and his forces attacked from the other side. Cornered on all sides, Sylvanas used her dark powers to stun everyone in the immediate area and aimed a poisoned arrow at Genn. However, Liam jumped in front of the bowshot, saving his father from certain doom.

In the aftermath of the battle, Darius and his daughter were among the survivors who evacuated to Aderic's Repose by passing through the Undertaker's Pass, since the Forsaken were going to use the New Plague on the capital. During a ceremony, King Greymane and the Crowley family paid their final respects to Prince Liam in front of his tomb, and made a promise to him to liberate Gilneas one day. The Gilnean survivors were then led to Keel Harbor by Lord Darius. After the port was secured, all of the Gilnean survivors boarded the transport ships, and Admiral Nightwind took them to safety at Darnassus. Meanwhile, a large amount of soldiers and volunteers remained to form the Gilneas Liberation Front under the leadership of Darius Crowley.

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  Darius as a worgen in Curse of the Worgen.

• 

  Darius attacked by Halford Ramsey.

• 

  Darius standing with Halford and a worgen.

• 

  Darius and his allies fighting the Forsaken in the Blackwald.

• 

  Darius and Halford reconciling over King Genn's speech.

Gilneas Liberation Front

Darius as a worgen at the Greymane Wall.

Now in the Alliance, Lord Crowley and his loyal worgen; the Gilneas Liberation Front, renewed the war against the Forsaken and advanced as far as northern Silverpine Forest. Darius soon made an alliance with the Bloodfang Pack, a faction made up of the remaining worgen of Silverpine following the Forsaken crusade against them. These devastating new allies outmatched the Forsaken, making use of unorthodox guerrilla warfare tactics and devious traps to great effect. Sylvanas Windrunner and her troops were taken off-guard by these strategies, which had never before been adopted by Alliance forces in such a way. At this point of the conflict, they were able to seize Pyrewood Village as a defensive position, until Sylvanas' forces took it back, though at cost and in the face of fierce resistance.

When Horde adventurers, along with Agatha, entered Fenris Keep on Fenris Isle to kill the Refugee Leadership, they were met with a surprise. The worgen leaders Darius Crowley and Ivar Bloodfang, and some of their forces, were attempting to convince Magistrate Henry Maleb and the refugees of Southshore and Hillsbrad Fields to drink their blood, in order to render the refugees immune to undeath, as well as assist them in retaking Lordaeron for the Alliance. The refugees decided on the lesser of the two evils and drank Darius' blood, becoming worgen and temporarily driving the Horde away.

Using a gnomish submarine to break the Horde's blockade, the 7th Legion joined the Gilneas Liberation Front to reclaim all of Lordaeron from the Forsaken, starting with Gilneas. Under the leadership of Crowley, the combined forces of the 7th Legion, Gilnean, and Bloodfang worgen quickly pushed the Forsaken past the Greymane Wall. However, a breaking point would eventually come when Sylvanas Windrunner rode out to meet with Darius and used his daughter Lorna as a bargaining chip. Lorna was not herself a worgen, and could thus be raised as undead. Unless Sylvanas' ultimatum was accepted and the Alliance pulled out of Silverpine, she threatened coldly to make the girl one of the Forsaken. Unable to watch this fate befall his daughter, Darius ordered the retreat and surrendered Gilneas City to the Forsaken. Darius, Lorna, and the remaining Gilneans fled towards Gilneas and escaped, leaving the Bloodfang Pack in the contested areas of Gilneas.

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

Following the Battle for the Broken Shore, Darius and his daughter Lorna joined King Genn Greymane on the Skyfire, where he was seen standing next to Gilnean Footmen. He was also present alongside Princess Tess Greymane when High King Anduin Wrynn commended the Alliance adventurer during a prestige ceremony for their battles against the Horde.

It was later discovered that Darius was leading the Valarjar's forces on the Broken Shore, but somehow had been taken captive by the Felrage naga, and the Val'kyr Danica the Reclaimer sent the Battlelord to rescue him. After being released, he revealed that he had been ambushed by a dozen naga and skrog, killing a few of them before they overwhelmed him. He then asked the Battlelord to help rescue his warriors on the front before they could be sold as slaves, or worse. After discovering that the naga aligned with the Burning Legion, Darius and the Battlelord eliminated Warlord Kaz'jatar and Felbeard, the responsible for the Felrage's attacks on their forces. Following their victory, Darius returned to Skyhold, where he and the Valarjar applauded the triumphant return of the Battlelord.

In the aftermath, Darius became a champion and one of the followers among the Valarjar (his Horde counterpart being the orc Eitrigg), which opened up recruitment for the 7th Legion forces; despite Crowley not being a part of this organization. During the Trial of Rage of Odyn, Darius attracted the attention of the Battlelord to give them supplies he brought with him to help them in their trial.

Battle for Azeroth

This section concerns content related to Battle for Azeroth.

King Genn Greymane, Darius and Lorna Crowley capturing Orgrimmar's western gate.

At the time of the Fourth War, Crowley led a renewed Gilnean army into the Forsaken territories of Hillsbrad Foothills following the Battle for Lordaeron. He specifically marched against the Sludge Fields, which were amassing undead to assail Gilneas. During the Battle at the Gates of Orgrimmar, Crowley followed King Genn Greymane when they were tasked into assaulting Orgrimmar's western gate, while High King Anduin Wrynn and Varok Saurfang's forces assaulted the main gates. However, due to the mak'gora between Sylvanas Windrunner and Saurfang, they couldn't assault the orcish capital.

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

During the Reclamation of Gilneas, Darius could be found fighting alongside Lorna against the Scarlet Crusade in the Cathedral Square. Afterward, he could be found in the inn of Greymane Court with his daughter, where he expressed being delighted to be back in Gilneas City, but then remembered all the events that happened during the invasion of Gilneas, and those who died as a result.

Locations

This section contains information that needs to be cleaned up.

Notable appearances
Location	Level range	Health range
Gilneas City (starting zone)	??	2,244
Gilneas (starting zone)	10	4,356
Gilneas (starting zone)	??	9,880
Silverpine Forest	??	19,360
[10-45] A Royal Audience	110	103,926,704
Skyhold	110	2,078,534
Durotar (during War Campaign)	123	86,722

Abilities

This section contains information that needs to be cleaned up.

• Bladestorm
• Charge
• Rampage
• Shockwave
• Stealth

Quests

Darius and Lorna fighting the Scarlet Crusade.

Cataclysm

In Gilneas City

•   [1-30] By the Skin of His Teeth
•   [1-30] Brothers In Arms
•   [1-30] Sacrifices
•   [1-30] Last Stand

In Tal'doren

•   [1-30] Tal'doren, the Wild Home
•   [1-30] At Our Doorstep
•   [1-30] Take Back What's Ours
•   [1-30] Neither Human Nor Beast
•   [1-30] Return to Stormglen

In Keel Harbor

•   [1-30] Keel Harbor
•   [1-30] They Have Allies, But So Do We

He is also observed in various Horde quests in Silverpine Forest, which take place after the events of the worgen starting area.

Legion

•   [45] Missing in Action: Lord Darius Crowley
•   [45] Mission: Search and Rescue
•   [45] Operation Felrage
•   [45] Champion: Lord Darius Crowley

Objective of

•   [45] Missing in Action: Lord Darius Crowley
•  Gilnean Assault

Quotes

Fan art of a worgen by SiaKim, later used as an official representation of Darius in the UVGs.

Cataclysm

This section concerns content related to Cataclysm.

Greetings

• We do what we must.
• We will prevail.

Dialogue

Main article: Time to Regroup#Notes

Main article: Sacrifices#Notes

Main article: Neither Human Nor Beast#Notes

Main article: The Battle for Gilneas City#Notes

Main article: Patriarch's Blessing#Notes

Legion

This section concerns content related to Legion.

Main article: Missing in Action: Lord Darius Crowley#Notes

Main article: Operation Felrage (Alliance)#Notes

Main article: Return of the Battlelord#Notes

Main article: The Trial of Rage#Notes

Greeting

• Is there trouble afoot?
• Hello.
• Do you need something?

Irritated

• What... is it?
• My rage is growing.
• I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!

Farewell

• Stand strong.
• For the Alliance.
• My claws are sharp and ready for action!

Combat ally

Spawn

• Greetings, Battlelord! I'm ready to fight!
• We will defend Azeroth to the death!
• Together, we will destroy our enemies!

Aggro

• I shall destroy you!
• Feel my fury!
• Wraaaaaaagh!
• I will rip you to shreds!
• I will sharpen my claws on your hide!

Killed a mob

• For the Alliance!
• My claw rip with your blood!
• Your death fuels my rage!
• You will fall beneath the fury of my claws!

Defeated

• My claws are dulled...
• Battlelord, I have failed you...
• My rage subsides... for now...

Dragonflight

This section concerns content related to Dragonflight.

Gilneas City gossip

To be back here, after all this time...

It feels good, but it also reminds me of how many people we lost in the Worgen attacks, then the Forsaken attacks, and have lost since.

So many empty homes.

Lord of His Pack

This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

• "These cursed green mongrels could very well be at our doorstep if we do not act, Lord Greymane. We should join this Alliance. We must do what we can before these monsters tear through the other kingdoms' lands and into our own."
• "Lord, as you’ve described, the other nations seem eager to assist. If Trollbane, Perenolde, and the rest partake, I do not know how we can rightfully call ourselves neighbors or friends if we do not join with them."

In Hearthstone

This section contains information exclusive to Hearthstone and is considered non-canon.

Darius appears as a legendary card for the warrior class in the The Witchwood expansion for Hearthstone. His flavor text reads: "You either die a villain, or live long enough to see yourself become the hero."

• He also represents the "Cannoneer" class in the Monster Hunt single-player experience.

Notes and trivia

• Margaret, a neighbor to Lorna Crowley, once helped Darius when he was in a rough spot.
• In Curse of the Worgen, it is discovered that Crowley could not resume his human form at the time of the invasion because he held onto guilt. It is unknown if this is still the case or if like the other worgen who undertook the worgen ritual, he was able to make peace with his emotions and bring balance to his human and worgen side.
• His generic name in 7.2 is Greywatch Mauler.
• Despite his appearance on the Skyfire following the Broken Shore, Crowley does not make an appearance at Greywatch, nor does he appear during the Cove of Nashal scenario. Numerous unused NPCs show that he may have been originally intended to accompany the player throughout Stormheim, rather than Lorna, or at the least have had more than one appearance, as it bears the Gilneas Brigade tag, which none of his prior appearances bear, including the Skyfire.
  • Darius was presumably originally slated to appear in Skyhold. Whether this would have been as a recently deceased spirit, or as a still living character (as numerous other still living warriors were also going to appear alongside ghosts of warriors past) is unknown, given his aforementioned appearance in Stormwind, it is unlikely he would have been slain. Darius and Eitrigg eventually did make it into Skyhold as followers in 7.2.
• In the Gilneas starter zone, and outside of it in early Cataclysm beta builds, Crowley's worgen form wielded a two-handed sword, however he was changed to dual wield fist weapons prior to release. It's possible this was done intentionally by Blizzard in response to his fistcleaving meme.
• During the Cataclysm beta, players occasionally referred to Crowley as "Lord Box Head", "Darius Boxhead" or "Boxhead Crowley" in reference to an issue with his worgen model in early builds.
• Darius was originally voiced by David Thewlis, who portrays the werewolf Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film franchise. In World of Warcraft: Legion and Hearthstone he is voiced by a new, currently unknown voice actor.
• One of Darius' irritated voicelines in Legion ("I'm about to lose control and I think I like it!") is a reference to the 1982 song "I'm So Excited" by The Pointer Sisters.
• Crowley enjoyed a surge popularity among the fanbase during the Cataclysm beta, mostly due to him displaying the ability to cleave mobs using only his fists during a quest in the worgen starting area. Some players suggested that he could serve as an Alliance counterpart to the frequently-memed Varok Saurfang, who was also known for cleaving things. A common element in the meme surrounding the character was to refer to him as "Miiiiister Croooowwwwley" (dun dun dun!), in reference to the Ozzy Osbourne song "Mr. Crowley" (in turn a reference to the aforementioned Aleister Crowley). Early in its existence, the Mr. Crowley meme was referenced by the voice actor Jesse Cox in his worgen starting zone videos.

Relatives

This section includes speculation on characters that might be related, usually because they may share a last name. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

Darius could be related to other people called Crowley besides his daughter Lorna.

Gallery

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  Darius in worgen form as he appeared prior to Battle for Azeroth.

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  Darius and Princess Tess Greymane in Stormwind Keep.

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  Darius Crowley in the Trading Card Game.

Videos

Patriarch's Blessing

Patch changes

• Patch 4.0.3a (2010-11-23): Added.
  

See also

• Crowley facts
•  [Darius' Sash]
•  [Darius' Handguards]

External links

Darius Crowley	Generic name
Wowhead WoWDB	Wowhead WoWDB Wowhead WoWDB