Setting the Record Straight: Nathan Darkhorn’s Claims and Identities

Background and Community Roles

Many of you knew Nathan Darkhorn (also known as Nathan Omar) as a prominent figure in the Wizard101 community. Under these names, he took on multiple leadership roles in fan circles between 2017 and 2019:

• Wizard101 Community Discord: Nathan founded and owned the largest unofficial Wizard101 Discord server (known then as the “Wizard101 Community” server in reference to its founding Facebook group). He presented himself as the server owner and a community leader there. This server grew to thousands of members under his leadership.
• Ravenwood Academy Fansite: Nathan was credited as the owner of Ravenwood Academy, an official Wizard101 fansite where he was heavily involved in organizing community events and contests. For example, the Ravenwood Academy site explicitly gave a “BIG Thanks to Nathan Darkhorn (owner of Ravenwood Academy)” for providing community platforms (Ravenwood Community Summer Contests | Ravenwood Academy).
• Social Media Groups: He also administered a large Wizard101 Facebook group (using the name Nathan Omar on that platform). In one public instance, a longtime community member noted being removed and blocked by “Nathan Omar” from the “Wizard101 Community” Facebook group (Jasmine SunHunter (@jasminewiz3) / X), indicating his authority over that group.
  
  
• Other Fan Discords: Nathan’s influence extended to affiliated servers like the Arcanum Trading Academy (a trading-focused Discord) and a Pirate101 community Discord. He was widely known as the owner of those servers as well. Saffron on X publicly referenced this in her 2019 post calling out his behavior. In fact, Nathan originally owned the Wizard101 Community server, Arcanum Trading Academy, and a major Pirate101 server — all of which I later chose to shutter.

In these roles, Nathan portrayed himself as a guiding figure. On the official Wizard101 message boards, he introduced himself confidently: “I am Nathan Darkhorn, one of the community leaders for Wizard101” [Welcome Wizards! Please introduce yourself here| Wizard101 Free Online Games]. He had been playing since 2010 and portrayed a deep commitment to the game and its community, and that commitment to community is what resonated with me.

He collaborated with KingsIsle’s community managers on feedback initiatives; for instance, in 2019, he announced a Ravenwood Academy forum for game suggestions, noting, “Nathan here from Ravenwood Academy… The KingsIsle team will be actively reading your posts there” [ Suggestions/bugs/feedback forum| Wizard101 Free Online Games ]. This level of access and responsibility was unusual for a fan volunteer, solidifying the impression that he was an adult community leader working in partnership with the game’s official team.

Presenting Himself as an Adult

From all his interactions, Nathan presented himself as an adult – in fact, an older adult with real-life responsibilities – to gain trust and authority. While he didn’t often publicly state his exact age in writing, many in the community were under the impression he was in his mid-30s, a married man or a father, and employed full-time. Nathan himself did nothing to dispel these assumptions; on the contrary, his tone and words reinforced them.

• Leadership Persona: In every public forum, Nathan spoke as a seasoned veteran of the game and community. Calling himself a “community leader” [Welcome Wizards! Please introduce yourself here| Wizard101 Free Online Games] and even a “headmaster” of Ravenwood Academy, he implicitly suggested seniority. Younger players and other adults alike saw him as an older mentor figure. Community members have since shared that Nathan privately claimed to be around 35 years old with a family. (For example, his former staff have recalled that he would refer to being a parent and a working adult when talking about his life, though these specific claims were usually made in voice chats or private discussions rather than text posts.)

   

• Professionalism and Authority: Nathan often handled community matters with a tone of authority that one might expect from an older organizer. He wrote posts about community rules, mediated disputes, and coordinated with game officials. In July 2019, when he decided to step down from running the Wizard101 Community Discord server, he addressed everyone in a heartfelt message. He said it had been an “incredible last 2 years” but that it was “time for me to enjoy my life to its fullest with friends and family”, suggesting adult priorities beyond the game. He spoke of the hard work of running the community and entrusted the server to a successor (me) while mentioning he’d still be around quietly. All of this messaging positioned Nathan as an older, responsible adult who had done his service and was now focusing on real-life. A narrative that we all readily accepted at face value.

   

• No Obvious Contradiction in Public: Importantly, during 2017–2020, nothing publicly contradicted Nathan’s claims of being an adult. He was careful never to reveal personal details that might undermine the image. For instance, he never stated his birth year or the exact number of children in open channels. This led both the community and me to trust his persona completely. At the height of his influence, Nathan was a Discord partner and ran an official fansite, statuses typically held by adults, which further lent credibility to the age he claimed.

  But the truth is, while Nathan held the titles, I was the one doing the day-to-day work that earned those honors. I was the one who showed up every day with the drive to make the community safer and more inclusive. He made the connections and pulled the strings, but I was the one who gave the community my content, time, and attention in-game and out. That’s why he wouldn’t let me when I threatened to walk away. He knew, even if he never said it, that it would all fall apart without me.

• As one community member later remarked in frustration, it was “sad [that] he’s a @discordapp partner as well as officially partnered with @Wizard101” given what was later discovered. saff•ron on X: “Imagine lying and manipulating over 9 thousand
  
  In 2019, a now widely shared document was compiled by former staff in response to Nathan’s manipulation and dishonesty. That document was created to expose him, not to hurt me, but over time, parts of it were twisted and used against me unfairly. The truth is, nothing in that document proves I did anything wrong. It outlines events surrounding a deeply broken leadership transition and a pattern of deception that I, too, was caught in. I know people will bring it up, so let me be clear: I’ve read it. I’ve lived it. And it does not define me.

Evidence of Deception and Community Reactions

Serious rumors later emerged that Nathan was not who he claimed to be. As many of you have heard, these involve identity deception, including false names and possibly false age/ life details and incidents of online harassment connected to his tenure. Here, I want to present the factual evidence that has since come to light so we can all understand what really happened:

• False Name: Throughout his time in the community, Nathan never confirmed his full real name. He frequently used aliases, most commonly “Nathan Omar” on Facebook, and avoided sharing any form of identification, even with close collaborators. In a private conversation, he admitted that “Omar” was not his legal last name but a name he preferred to go by. While using a preferred name isn’t inherently dishonest, in Nathan’s case, it was part of a broader pattern of identity concealment. He deliberately avoided transparency while occupying positions of influence, making it difficult for anyone to verify who he truly was. That lack of accountability allowed him to construct an identity that felt mature, authoritative, and intentionally vague. This only added to the confusion and harm when questions about his age and background surfaced later.

   

• Questions About Age: The most troubling deception involves Nathan’s age and life situation. After he stepped down, many members of the community came forward, not just to express concern but to thank me. They shared stories of how he had mistreated or manipulated them behind the scenes and expressed relief that someone else was stepping into leadership. I didn’t see myself as a leader then. I felt unsure, unworthy, and overwhelmed. But I stayed because they asked me to. Again and again, the community made it clear that they trusted me, and I did my best to live up to that trust.
  
  Among the stories shared during that time, many questioned whether Nathan had ever really been the adult he claimed to be. He never verified his age and refused to provide ID when asked. The more I learned, the more it became clear: his persona had been carefully crafted. The tone, the vagueness, the manipulation. It all pointed to someone who was not who he claimed to be. Whether he was actually a minor or not, I still don’t know. But I do know that many of us were deceived, and we were left to deal with the damage.

   

• Health Scare for Sympathy: Another incident that raised red flags was a sudden announcement in April 2019 that Nathan was gravely ill in the Wizard101 Community Discord. Supportive members immediately offered help – one person even said they would “scrounge up some money for Nathan…”. Staff (including myself) discussed setting up donations to support him. However, a few community members were skeptical, with one openly hoping “this isn’t an out-of-season April Fools joke”. Looking back, this “health crisis” was never mentioned again after he received an outpouring of sympathy.