Mystery Files - Who is Cyrik Blackforge?

When playing WoW you'll quickly learn that whatever the Blizzard Devs have taken their time to give a unique name and/or other unique features, usually has some special properties. It might be something as small as selling goods or dropping some unusual item, but they're still special in some way from all the other npc that surround them - 99,9% of the time. Because there are some things in WoW that seem like they're special, but they're really not. Or is it just that we don't know about it? Maybe there is something special hidden, like an easter egg. Every games has easter eggs, even WoW.

Today I thought we'd look at a character who's presence has mocked many questing horde. It is lord Cyrik Blackforge, located (at least for now, who knows what will happen to him when Cataclysm comes out) in southern Barrens where he guards what is presumably his own air plane from being bombed by vigilante taurens who seek revenge. He's not very good at it though as his poor air plane is bombed to smithereens many times a day. Ah well.

But who is this Blackforge anyway? He has a cool name, and even a special looks, which distinguishes him quite clearly from the other dwarves in the area, in all black. However, he doesn't drop anything special, and you can't interact with him (other than killing himj of course) whether you're horde or alliance.

Fact is, no one really knows what he is good for. The best quess people out on the internets have come up with is that he was planned to be part of a quest somewhere back in beta (or maybe alpha), but that never made it to the real game. One could wonder why he's still there, mocking us with his presence by suggesting importance where there is none, but maybe the devs still plan to do something about him, and just never get around to it. I can imagine they have more important things to do, at any given time of the day. Is poor Cyrik simply a forgotten-about backwater npc?

Maybe we shouldn't be angered at him for his uselessness, instead we should pity him for having to play such a useless role when he was promised fame and glory! (As I am sure that is the only reason an npc would agree to be beaten over the face over and over and over again). All day long he has to see his air plane get bombed, while never be able to take it and just fly off into the sky. And to all this he can't even relax into the anonymity of being just a figurant npc, instead he is targetted by every new player who thinks he has a special cause.

I feel for you Cyrik. Next time I see you I won't kill you, but give you a hug (from a distance as I am sure you'll interpret it as an assault and try to kill me). You'll be special for real some day, I'm sure of it!