WoW: Sabellian vs. Furorion – The Battle for the Obsidian Throne

There are still signs and wonders taking place! After what feels like an eternity, Blizzard lets Sabellian, Deathwing’s prodigal son, return to Azeroth. In WoW: Dragonflight, Sabellian claims his father’s throne. But is his lineage enough to win the Obsidian throne? Eventually, on the Dragon Isles, Sabellian meets a rival who also wants Neltharion’s legacy.

Sabellian is the youngest son of Deathwing. He served his father as a lieutenant at the end of the Second War. Back then, Deathwing firmly believed that the black dragonflight could find a new home on Draenor. To get to the orc homeworld, he formed an alliance with Warchief Ner’zhul at the end of the Second War. Sabellian and other black dragons, at Deathwing’s orders, escorted the orc chiefs Fenris Wolfbrother, Tagar Spinebreaker, and a small group of orcs to the port of Menethil. There they must recover the Scepter of Sargeras and return to Ner’zhul with the artifact. Sabellian then flew to Draenor with the orcs. Like his father, he hoped for a new start for the black dragonflight.

Who was Sabellian’s mother?

Deathwing was Sabellian’s father. That is clear. But who was his mother? There are two official sources on this subject that contradict each other. In the WoW book Thrall: Dawn of Dragons and in the second edition of World of Warcraft: The Magazine It is said that Sabellian is the youngest son of Deathwing and Sintharia. the Ultimate Visual Guide however, describes Sabellian as a half-brother to Onyxia and Nefarian, implying that Sintharia would not be Sabellian’s mother. However, the second source could be wrong. After all, Sintharia was the only dragon lady to survive the torrid nights of love with Deathwing. Therefore, we assume that Sabellian, like Nefarian and Onyxia, descended from her.

The new home on Draenor

The first black dragons settled in Gorgrond and Frostfire Ridge. Deathwing and his brood initially hid in the mountains. However, the dragons quickly drew the attention of Gruul, king of the gronn. The gronn, along with a group of ogres and Alliance heroes, attacked Deathwing’s dragon lair. Gruul destroyed most of the dragon eggs and beat the green and blue aspect. Neltharion then had to flee, leaving his brood and Sabellian behind on Draenor.

Sabellian masqueraded as Baron Sablemane in Outland. He experienced many adventures with Rexxar in the Blade’s Edge Mountains. Little did the half-orc know at the time that he was friends with a black dragon.
Source: Blizzard

Incognito as Baron Zobelmane

Sabellian appeared in Burning Crusade in the guise of a human noble named Baron Sablemane. You can still find him in Outland in Blade’s Edge Mountains today. He helps adventurers destroy Gruul and his sons. In Cataclysm, Deathwing raged across Azeroth. In madness, he reanimated his children’s bodies and once again summoned Nefarian and Onyxia to his side. It seems Sabellian didn’t hear his call. He and his black dragons continued to hide in Outland. This saved their lives, after all, all black dragons in Azeroth were doomed.

In the Wandering Azeroth book series the master spy Mathias Shaw mentions in a report that the SI:7 knew that Baron Sablemane was actually Sabellian. Shaw notes that as long as he and his crush remain in Outland, Sabellian poses no threat. It would be interesting to hear what Mathias Shaw has to say about Sabellian’s return today.