The Murlocs are a fictional race of amphibious humanoids in the Warcraft Universe, created by Blizzard Entertainment. They are one of various independent, hostile species players of the Warcraft games encounter in the fictional world.
They strongly resemble the Deep Ones from H. P. Lovecraft's stories, and are one of numerous references to his work found throughout the games (including the malevolent Old Gods such as C'Thun).
While initially only a threat in the Eastern continent in Warcraft 3, they were also occasionally encountered on Kalimdor. Since the release of World of Warcraft they have become a fixture of the Warcraft universe and can be found throughout the game world.
Appearance
Murlocs have bulbous bodies, large mouths lined with sharp fangs, and slime-coated skin. They range in coloration from yellow to turquoise to darkish gray, and in height from 3-1/2 feet to 5 feet. They vocalize using distinctive nasal sounding grunts, gargles and warbles, which are typically represented in the game's text by onomatopoeia such as: "Rawgrlgrlgrlgrlgrrgle".
Society
Murloc culture is tribal in nature, and religion is generally dark. Habitations are generally small huts on stilts, with conical thatched roofs, huddled on beaches around a body of water. They reside along coastlines, lake shores and riverbeds, as well as in underwater ruins and in the vicinity of shipwrecks. Though murlocs sustain themselves as hunter gatherers, lacking any technology more advanced than hut-building, spears and fire, they have been seen taming crabs and other similar creatures as hunting companions.
Behavior
Murloc behavior toward other intelligent races in the Warcraft games is extremely unfriendly; they are highly territorial and attack just about anyone who approaches them or anyone who they encounter on their patrols. They are very quick, both on land and in the water and tend to rely on surprise and ambush when attacking other creatures. Murlocs make themselves a nuisance to Alliance and Horde characters alike, but they are not considered to be great threats due to their disorganized nature. The task of dealing with murlocs is left to the local authorities and garrisons as part of their normal operations. Murloc communities do however kill quite a number of hapless travelers and citizens of both major factions.
Local authorities keep the murloc populations at bay by regularly putting out bounties on murloc tribes that establish villages within their domain, usually asking for heads, fins, other body parts, or possessions as proof, and offering items or other monetary rewards as compensation. With a few exceptions, individual murlocs are small, weak, and unintelligent; as such, they are typically mediocre fighters. However, their tendencies to move in packs and to stay close to their villages make it very difficult to single out any one of them. By using the advantage in numbers, they can be very dangerous to bounty hunters who travel alone.
Subspecies: Mur'gul
Mur'guls are a barely-humanoid race of fish-like creatures from the Warcraft series of computer games. They appear to be a primitive sub-species of Murlocs which had been corrupted by the explosion of the World Tree, similar to the Naga who had once been Elves. While their uncorrupted brethren are often evil enough, Mur'gul are far more so. Mur'guls wear skull like helms and wield shield with a skull theme. They fight with the same weapons as murlocs. In Warcraft 3 they tend to be higher level creeps than murlocs.
Prior to the events of The Frozen Throne, Murlocs themselves had less pronounced fins. This was presumably caused by the explosion of the World Tree, as that was the cause of the Mur'gul's creation.
Notable Murlocs
*Murky: Murky is the Murloc pet given to gamers who attended the first BlizzCon Convention in Anaheim, California October 28-29 2005. Attendees were given a gift card with an authorization code to enter into a specially setup website. After doing so they were instructed to meet an in-game character who gave them their Murloc pet. Besides the trademark Murloc "Grrrrmalrrrrgrrahhhh" Murky has at least one other talent, which is dancing. In this, and in his appearance, he resembles Michigan J. Frog. There is also a pink version of Murky called Gurky.
*Lurky: Lurky is the Murloc pet given gamers who purchased the European collectors edition as "compensation for the inconvenience and delay"
*Mutanus: Mutanus the Devourer is a gigantic, mutated murloc residing in the bowels of the Wailing Caverns in the barrens of Kalimdor.
*Old Murk-Eye: Old Murk-Eye is the leader of the murlocs infesting Longshore in Westfall. He is responsible for leading the two murloc raids on the Longshore lighthouse, the second of which resulted in the deaths of the lighthouse keepers. He can be seen patrolling the stretch of beach near the lighthouse.
*Mmmrrrggglll: Mmmrrrggglll is the chieftain of the Grimscale Murlocs situated at both the Tranquil Shore and the Golden Strand.
"New Lore"
A new section of "Lore" was added to the main Blizzard site on the 22 Feb, 2006, and likely applies only to World of Warcraft and its expansion, The Burning Crusade. It seems to be inspired largely by the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and his fans, and hints at a sinister pre-history and heretofore unknown culture and purpose behind the actions of the Murlocs in the Warcraft universe. It lists a number of "new revelations" about the race, including the following:
"First, murlocs may not be as dumb as everyone thinks they are. Several clues point to the fact that their steady infiltration of the world's land masses may be a coordinated effort. Whether or not this enterprise has been undertaken strictly of their own accord is not yet known.
"Also, the murloc race may be far older than most believe. Several accounts and clues seem to substantiate this. In fact, it is now believed that murlocs (or, more appropriately, their ancestors) may even predate trolls. Of course these ancient murlocs lived in the oceans' depths and therefore were never known to the world's early land-dwelling races.
"In the last few years, the vile naga have begun reemerging from their watery abodes, causing historians to speculate that their migration may have triggered the murlocs' slow encroachment onto land. Some also guessed that the murlocs might be working in concert with the sinister amphibians.
"But perhaps the most startling revelation to come from recent intelligence-gathering efforts was this: the naga may not be the only nightmarish horrors lurking in the seemingly bottomless oceans of the world.
"Several indicators from the murlocs themselves point to the possibility that the fish-men are but worshipers or underlings of perhaps several deep-sea monstrosities that currently lie sleeping, or at least waiting, in the murky fathoms – and even more disturbing, that the murlocs' emergence is an indication of their incipient awakening.
"If that is the case, the mysterious and somewhat underestimated murlocs may be the world's first glimpse at something far more terrifying."
Other Media
Murloc RPG, a fangame created using Adobe Flash, was featured on World of Warcraft's site as a Community Spotlight item. The player assumes the role of a murloc named Murk who finds himself ultimately responsible for avenging an attack on his village by adventurers ( They are Draenei but still unknown to the murlocs ). An extended game, Murloc RPG: Stranglethorn Fever has been released ( on the home website only), but did not achieve Community Spotlight status.
The band "Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain" has released a song entitled "I am Murloc". It is a rock ballad of sorts featuring Murlocs, claiming their supremacy over the sea and land. The video, completely made using WoW machinima, has been praised for its effects and the high-quality production. The video for the track can be viewed on the official WoW European site, [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/downloads/movies.html# here]
They strongly resemble the Deep Ones from H. P. Lovecraft's stories, and are one of numerous references to his work found throughout the games (including the malevolent Old Gods such as C'Thun).
While initially only a threat in the Eastern continent in Warcraft 3, they were also occasionally encountered on Kalimdor. Since the release of World of Warcraft they have become a fixture of the Warcraft universe and can be found throughout the game world.
Appearance
Murlocs have bulbous bodies, large mouths lined with sharp fangs, and slime-coated skin. They range in coloration from yellow to turquoise to darkish gray, and in height from 3-1/2 feet to 5 feet. They vocalize using distinctive nasal sounding grunts, gargles and warbles, which are typically represented in the game's text by onomatopoeia such as: "Rawgrlgrlgrlgrlgrrgle".
Society
Murloc culture is tribal in nature, and religion is generally dark. Habitations are generally small huts on stilts, with conical thatched roofs, huddled on beaches around a body of water. They reside along coastlines, lake shores and riverbeds, as well as in underwater ruins and in the vicinity of shipwrecks. Though murlocs sustain themselves as hunter gatherers, lacking any technology more advanced than hut-building, spears and fire, they have been seen taming crabs and other similar creatures as hunting companions.
Behavior
Murloc behavior toward other intelligent races in the Warcraft games is extremely unfriendly; they are highly territorial and attack just about anyone who approaches them or anyone who they encounter on their patrols. They are very quick, both on land and in the water and tend to rely on surprise and ambush when attacking other creatures. Murlocs make themselves a nuisance to Alliance and Horde characters alike, but they are not considered to be great threats due to their disorganized nature. The task of dealing with murlocs is left to the local authorities and garrisons as part of their normal operations. Murloc communities do however kill quite a number of hapless travelers and citizens of both major factions.
Local authorities keep the murloc populations at bay by regularly putting out bounties on murloc tribes that establish villages within their domain, usually asking for heads, fins, other body parts, or possessions as proof, and offering items or other monetary rewards as compensation. With a few exceptions, individual murlocs are small, weak, and unintelligent; as such, they are typically mediocre fighters. However, their tendencies to move in packs and to stay close to their villages make it very difficult to single out any one of them. By using the advantage in numbers, they can be very dangerous to bounty hunters who travel alone.
Subspecies: Mur'gul
Mur'guls are a barely-humanoid race of fish-like creatures from the Warcraft series of computer games. They appear to be a primitive sub-species of Murlocs which had been corrupted by the explosion of the World Tree, similar to the Naga who had once been Elves. While their uncorrupted brethren are often evil enough, Mur'gul are far more so. Mur'guls wear skull like helms and wield shield with a skull theme. They fight with the same weapons as murlocs. In Warcraft 3 they tend to be higher level creeps than murlocs.
Prior to the events of The Frozen Throne, Murlocs themselves had less pronounced fins. This was presumably caused by the explosion of the World Tree, as that was the cause of the Mur'gul's creation.
Notable Murlocs
*Murky: Murky is the Murloc pet given to gamers who attended the first BlizzCon Convention in Anaheim, California October 28-29 2005. Attendees were given a gift card with an authorization code to enter into a specially setup website. After doing so they were instructed to meet an in-game character who gave them their Murloc pet. Besides the trademark Murloc "Grrrrmalrrrrgrrahhhh" Murky has at least one other talent, which is dancing. In this, and in his appearance, he resembles Michigan J. Frog. There is also a pink version of Murky called Gurky.
*Lurky: Lurky is the Murloc pet given gamers who purchased the European collectors edition as "compensation for the inconvenience and delay"
*Mutanus: Mutanus the Devourer is a gigantic, mutated murloc residing in the bowels of the Wailing Caverns in the barrens of Kalimdor.
*Old Murk-Eye: Old Murk-Eye is the leader of the murlocs infesting Longshore in Westfall. He is responsible for leading the two murloc raids on the Longshore lighthouse, the second of which resulted in the deaths of the lighthouse keepers. He can be seen patrolling the stretch of beach near the lighthouse.
*Mmmrrrggglll: Mmmrrrggglll is the chieftain of the Grimscale Murlocs situated at both the Tranquil Shore and the Golden Strand.
"New Lore"
A new section of "Lore" was added to the main Blizzard site on the 22 Feb, 2006, and likely applies only to World of Warcraft and its expansion, The Burning Crusade. It seems to be inspired largely by the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and his fans, and hints at a sinister pre-history and heretofore unknown culture and purpose behind the actions of the Murlocs in the Warcraft universe. It lists a number of "new revelations" about the race, including the following:
"First, murlocs may not be as dumb as everyone thinks they are. Several clues point to the fact that their steady infiltration of the world's land masses may be a coordinated effort. Whether or not this enterprise has been undertaken strictly of their own accord is not yet known.
"Also, the murloc race may be far older than most believe. Several accounts and clues seem to substantiate this. In fact, it is now believed that murlocs (or, more appropriately, their ancestors) may even predate trolls. Of course these ancient murlocs lived in the oceans' depths and therefore were never known to the world's early land-dwelling races.
"In the last few years, the vile naga have begun reemerging from their watery abodes, causing historians to speculate that their migration may have triggered the murlocs' slow encroachment onto land. Some also guessed that the murlocs might be working in concert with the sinister amphibians.
"But perhaps the most startling revelation to come from recent intelligence-gathering efforts was this: the naga may not be the only nightmarish horrors lurking in the seemingly bottomless oceans of the world.
"Several indicators from the murlocs themselves point to the possibility that the fish-men are but worshipers or underlings of perhaps several deep-sea monstrosities that currently lie sleeping, or at least waiting, in the murky fathoms – and even more disturbing, that the murlocs' emergence is an indication of their incipient awakening.
"If that is the case, the mysterious and somewhat underestimated murlocs may be the world's first glimpse at something far more terrifying."
Other Media
Murloc RPG, a fangame created using Adobe Flash, was featured on World of Warcraft's site as a Community Spotlight item. The player assumes the role of a murloc named Murk who finds himself ultimately responsible for avenging an attack on his village by adventurers ( They are Draenei but still unknown to the murlocs ). An extended game, Murloc RPG: Stranglethorn Fever has been released ( on the home website only), but did not achieve Community Spotlight status.
The band "Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain" has released a song entitled "I am Murloc". It is a rock ballad of sorts featuring Murlocs, claiming their supremacy over the sea and land. The video, completely made using WoW machinima, has been praised for its effects and the high-quality production. The video for the track can be viewed on the official WoW European site, [http://www.wow-europe.com/en/downloads/movies.html# here]
:This article is about the Blood Elves of the Warcraft Universe. For the subspecies of Earthdawn elves, see .
The Blood Elves (or Sin'dorei, in their own tongue- translated to "Children of the Blood") are a faction of the former High Elf (Quel'dorei in Thalassian "Children of the Sun") race in the Warcraft Universe.
Background
The Blood Elves are a faction of the remnants of the High Elves who survived the destruction of Quel'Thalas by The Scourge. They style themselves as Blood Elves in remembrance of their slaughtered brethren. At first they remained loyal to the failing Alliance in Lordaeron and its racist human commander in the region, Grand Marshal Garithos, who despised all non-human races. Despite the obvious talent of their leader, , Garithos saw the Blood Elves as expendable and repeatedly assigned them impossible missions, ordering them to hold off major Undead assaults without any support from Human or Dwarven troops. Garithos hoped to use these battles as a way to gradually kill off the Blood Elves while also taking care of the main threat posed by The Scourge.
During one such hopeless battle against the Undead near Dalaran, a desperate Kael was approached by a contingent of Naga, a serpentine race descended from the Night Elves, and their general, the Sea Witch Lady Vashj. Vashj offered Kael the assistance of her forces and advised him to abandon the failing Alliance. Kael refused at first but was eventually forced to accept Vashj's offer in order to win the battle and save his people.
Garithos discovered this ruse and used the event as an excuse to exterminate the Blood Elves. Along with his brethren, Kael was thrown into the underground dungeons of Dalaran to await execution. The night before the execution, however, Kael was rescued by Vashj, who had infiltrated the dungeons through the sewers. Together, they freed Kael's people, overcame the jailors, and escaped through the same magical portal Kel'Thuzad used to summon Archimonde to Azeroth. And there they came to land on the shattered world called Outland, formerly the Orcish homeworld of Draenor.
Here, Vashj revealed to Kael a startling truth: like the Naga, he and his people were terminally addicted to magic that they had once wielded so effortlessly. The High Elves had drawn their power from the mystical Sunwell in Quel'Thalas for millennia. But once it was consumed by the Scourge, they had been left with nothing to sate their thirst for the arcane. Vashj promised him a solution if they could find her master, the renegade demon hunter, now part demon himself, Illidan Stormrage.
Three days into their march through Outland and other places, they came across a Night Elven stronghold and discovered that Illidan had been captured by the Barrow Deeps Warden, Maiev Shadowsong, who had been hunting him relentlessly since his escape from Kalimdor. The Blood Elf and Naga forces rescued Illidan from the Night Elves who had taken him captive.
Once free, Illidan told Kael that his people's addiction could not be cured but it could be fed and promised the Blood Elves enough magic — from demonic sources — to satisfy them if they would help him conquer Outland. The shattered world would serve as a new home for the Blood Elves and a refuge for Illidan and his Naga after failing to destroy the Frozen Throne. Ironically, the Blood Elves had contributed greatly to this failure, when earlier, at Dalaran, they had helped the Night Elves under Maiev and Malfurion Stormrage disrupt a spell that Illidan was casting to melt the glaciers of Northrend, the Arctic stronghold of the Scourge. With no choice, Kael and his people pledged their loyalty to Illidan in the hopes of their survival.
Illidan taught Kael and the Blood Elves how to draw magic from demons to satisfy their addiction. Illidan, the Blood Elves, and the Naga, then liberated "the Broken" of the Draenei, exiled remnants of the Eredar race who had been twisted by demons and hunted almost to extinction by the Fel Orcs under the rule of Magtheridon, a Pit Lord who had ruled Outland since the closing of the Dark Portal. After closing the dimensional gates from which Magtheridon summoned demons from the Twisting Nether to bolster his forces, the three commanders, assisted by Draenei under the elder seer Akama, stormed Magtheridon's stronghold in the Black Citadel and took it by force.
Moments after the citadel fell, Kil'jaeden, the Burning Legion's last great demonlord and Illidan's new master, appeared. Furious over Illidan's earlier failure to destroy the Frozen Throne, Kil'jaeden was bemused that Illidan was foolish enough to try and hide from him in Outland. Illidan claimed he came to Outland to bolster his forces. Kil'Jaeden saw promise in Illidan's new followers and decided to give him one last chance.
Under Illidan's leadership, the Blood Elves and Naga then travelled to Northrend, where they ultimately failed in their mission to destroy the Frozen Throne and were defeated by Arthas and the Undead Scourge. The Blood Elves and Vashj's Naga retreated back to Outland with Illidan where they established permanent settlements.
The remaining Blood Elves on Azeroth have reconstructed much of the forests of Quel'Thalas. They have turned to the Horde to help them find their way to Outland where they can once again be united with their leader Prince Kael'thas.
Magic Addiction
Due to the reckless channelling of the vast amount of magic the High elves wielded during the pinnacle of their empire, the High elves developed an insatiable thirst for magic; this addiction, if not fed, will eventually result in insanity, then death. Previously the source from which this thirst was fed was from their beloved Sunwell; a vast magical fountain constructed on an underlying node of power. The Sunwell was one of the most powerful magic artifacts in all of Azeroth. Radiant with magic power, this artifact fed the former High elves with unimaginable magic. One dreadful day, however, the High elves were severed from the source of their magic and as a result, they suffered indignities and fell into darkness. In the High elves' darkest moment, Kael'thas Sunstrider, the last of the Royal bloodline gathered the last of the remaining High elves, renaming them Blood elves in honor to their fallen brethren. He then proceeded to teach them how to tap into other ambient magical sources, feeding upon it to sustain themselves temporarily.
After the Blood elves joined Illidan and the Naga, they were granted powerful demonic magic that not only sustained them, but strengthened them as well. They now revel in the source of their dark powers and have regained much of their former strength. More reckless then ever before these Blood Elves will stop at nothing to gain power, regardless of the costs. While the dark magics they now wield are enough to sustain them, the Blood Elves always look for more ways to boost their own power and do not hesitate to ruthlessly exploit any magic wielding creature, feeding upon its essence until only a shell remains, devoid of all life.
Their 'thirst' for magic may be noticed in The Burning Crusade game, which allows Blood Elf players to play as nearly all of the mana-based classes: Warlock, Paladin, Priest, Mage and Hunter. The Druid, Warrior, and the Shaman are absent from this list, as the Blood Elves long turned away from the naturalist ways of their Night Elf kin, and want nothing to do with the druidic culture, believing only in their race's fortitude.
In Azeroth
The Blood Elves are not necessarily evil, though they may seem hateful, reckless, and arrogant. Much like the Forsaken, they are a race that has endured many accumulated tragedies in recent times and are trying, if by desperate measures, to find their place in the order of things once more. Their unorthodox practices, however, have earned them several enemies and many more critics.
The Blood Elves are at the very least cordial with the Forsaken, as a former High elf, Sylvanas Windrunner, leads the sentient undead and likewise strives to attain a place for her people in Azeroth. The Orcs, having been slaves to warlock magic and demonic corruption themselves, are wary of their new allies but will give them the benefit of the doubt with hopes for their redemption (this is the same reason Thrall allowed the Forsaken to join the Horde). The Tauren, though appalled by the Blood Elves' magical addiction, share the Orcs' viewpoint. The Darkspear Trolls, despite their hatred of elves, remain loyal to Thrall - and it would seem the two races share a common loathing of the Amani trolls, whom the elves of Quel'thalas have fought against for generations. The playable Blood Elves in the expansion have no affiliation with the Broken or the Naga, as they are those who have not yet joined Kael'thas's forces in Outland; Instead, they have remained behind, to show others the way to their beloved leader, Kael'thas Sunstrider. In addition they seek to rebuild their former seat of power; their ancient capital city: Silvermoon, in Quel'thalas.
The Horde's hesitant reception of the Blood Elves pales in comparison to the Alliance's outright rejection of them. The Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes spurn their former allies as traitors to their cause, while the few remaining High Elves view them with both abhorrence and pity. The Draenei despise the Blood Elves due to Kael'thas Sunstrider sending armies of his followers to wipe out the surviving Draenei once the Exodar crashlanded on Azeroth. The worst treatment of all, however, comes from the Night Elves, who are disgusted by the Blood Elves and are near-genocidal towards them, viewing them as too dangerous to be left alive.
The Holy Light and the Blood Elves
The Holy Light is not only a gift for dedication to the defense of Life, Justice, Truth, and Righteousness; it is a magical power, and as such, it can be stolen, harnessed and used as weapon for malicious purposes. Despite the fact that the majority of the Blood Elves lost their faith in the Light after the destruction of Quel'Thalas, they have found new ways to harness the divine power without the need for the years of rigorous study and faith in the light normally associated with the divine arts. Usually this divine power is only granted to the most devoted followers of the light who wish to heal, save, and sacrifice themselves for the innocent lives of others. However, Blood Elves despise such teachings, which they regard as weakness, and instead now channel this stolen magic for their own twisted ends.
They manage use of The Light by siphoning the energies of a captured Naaru known as M'uru, a being that can best be described as The Light incarnate. Using their dark powers, the Blood Elves are able to bless their people with the power taken from the Naaru. This gives them the ability to become paladins. While these Blood Elf paladins, known to their people as Blood Knights, have nearly all the same abilities as those of the Alliance, their darker ties cause them to have unique skills.
World of Warcraft Gameplay
Blood Elf racial abilities
Blood Elf racial abilities include:
:Mana Tap
::Reduces target's mana by 50 and charges you with Arcane energy for 10 min. This effect stacks up to 3 times. 30-second cooldown. Scales with level.
:Arcane Torrent
::Silence all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec. In addition, you gain 10-161 Mana (10 Energy for Rogues) for each Mana Tap charge currently affecting you.
:Arcane Affinity
::Enchanting skill increased by 10.
:Magic Resistance
::All resistances increased by 5.
Classes
Blood elf characters can play as the following classes:
*Hunter
*Mage
*Paladin (Blood Knight)
*Priest
*Rogue
*Warlock
It is interesting to note that Blood Elves are the only race that cannot be Warriors. This is likely to go along with the Magic Addiction portion of the race, considering Warriors do not use spells like the other character types (although this does not explain why Rogues are a playable class for the Blood Elves).
Class Specific Racial Traits
Priests
receive the racial ability Consume Magic. Consume Magic dispels one beneficial Magic effect from the caster and gives them 120 to 154 mana. (453 to 488 mana at level 70) - instant cast, two-minute cooldown.
Paladins
receive Seal of Blood. Enables all melee attacks to deal additional Holy damage equal to 40% normal weapon damage, but the Paladin loses health equal to 10% of the total damage inflicted. Unleashing the Seal's energy will judge an enemy, instantly causing 295 to 325 Holy damage at the cost of health equal to 33% of the damage caused. (210 mana at level 64) - instant cast.
Reasons for racial abilities
The elves have long delved into the magic and arcane as evident by their cultural centerpiece, the Sunwell. Thus, they have developed a natural Arcane Affinity as a result of the well's magical presence, making the blood elves naturally skilled with arcane arts such as Enchanting. The elves' constant exposure to the Sunwell also gave them a natural defense against many kinds of magical manipulation, granting them a natural Magical Resistance. After the destruction of the Sunwell during the Third War, the remaining blood elves developed the skill of Mana Tapping to feed their magical addiction, allowing them to tap into the arcane energies of other beings. Arcane Torrent comes as a natural manipulation of these consumed energies and allows the elves to absorb and unleash the energies gathered.
Trivia
*The male Blood Elf dance in World of Warcraft is actually based on Napoleon's dance from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. It was originally based on the "Jack Rabbit Slims" dance scene from Pulp Fiction, but was changed after a lawsuit (unverified) was threatened by choreographer Robert Kehr.
*The female Blood Elf dance in World of Warcraft is actually based on a YouTube video of a girl trying to recreate Britney Spears' Toxic performance during live concerts.
*Male Blood Elves were originally thinner, rather than their current toned form. Some beta-testers complained about the perceived femininity of their look. Blizzard gave them a more masculine build though this may not have been the only deciding factor. However, male blood elves in World of Warcraft retain some effeminate aspects in their voiced emotes, such as /silly ("Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?")
*The male blood elves in World of Warcraft are voiced by veteran voice actor Cam Clarke.
*The female blood elf flirt "No, no I won't do that. But my sister will..." is a reference to the ZZ Top track, Tube Snake Boogie.
*The Blood Elf racial mount is a variation of the plainstrider called a "Hawkstrider". Which bears resemblence to the Chocobo from final fantasy games.
*One of the Male Blood Elf flirts "I know every rose has its thorn, but if you would just pour some sugar on me we could rock and roll all night and par-tay every day..." is from the songs Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Pour Some Sugar on Me and Rock and Roll All Nite by rock bands Poison, Def Leppard and Kiss, respectively.
*According to a survey made by the [http://www.warcraftrealms.com/census.php?serverid-1&factionid-1&minlevel10&maxlevel70&servertypeid=-1 Warcraft Census] at 08-15-07, Blood Elves are currently the more popular of the 2 playable races that were introduced with the Burning Crusade expansion pack, are currently the most popular Horde race overall (the 2nd most popular horde race being the Undead), and are currently the 3rd most popular race in the game (ranking behind the Humans and Night Elves).
The Blood Elves (or Sin'dorei, in their own tongue- translated to "Children of the Blood") are a faction of the former High Elf (Quel'dorei in Thalassian "Children of the Sun") race in the Warcraft Universe.
Background
The Blood Elves are a faction of the remnants of the High Elves who survived the destruction of Quel'Thalas by The Scourge. They style themselves as Blood Elves in remembrance of their slaughtered brethren. At first they remained loyal to the failing Alliance in Lordaeron and its racist human commander in the region, Grand Marshal Garithos, who despised all non-human races. Despite the obvious talent of their leader, , Garithos saw the Blood Elves as expendable and repeatedly assigned them impossible missions, ordering them to hold off major Undead assaults without any support from Human or Dwarven troops. Garithos hoped to use these battles as a way to gradually kill off the Blood Elves while also taking care of the main threat posed by The Scourge.
During one such hopeless battle against the Undead near Dalaran, a desperate Kael was approached by a contingent of Naga, a serpentine race descended from the Night Elves, and their general, the Sea Witch Lady Vashj. Vashj offered Kael the assistance of her forces and advised him to abandon the failing Alliance. Kael refused at first but was eventually forced to accept Vashj's offer in order to win the battle and save his people.
Garithos discovered this ruse and used the event as an excuse to exterminate the Blood Elves. Along with his brethren, Kael was thrown into the underground dungeons of Dalaran to await execution. The night before the execution, however, Kael was rescued by Vashj, who had infiltrated the dungeons through the sewers. Together, they freed Kael's people, overcame the jailors, and escaped through the same magical portal Kel'Thuzad used to summon Archimonde to Azeroth. And there they came to land on the shattered world called Outland, formerly the Orcish homeworld of Draenor.
Here, Vashj revealed to Kael a startling truth: like the Naga, he and his people were terminally addicted to magic that they had once wielded so effortlessly. The High Elves had drawn their power from the mystical Sunwell in Quel'Thalas for millennia. But once it was consumed by the Scourge, they had been left with nothing to sate their thirst for the arcane. Vashj promised him a solution if they could find her master, the renegade demon hunter, now part demon himself, Illidan Stormrage.
Three days into their march through Outland and other places, they came across a Night Elven stronghold and discovered that Illidan had been captured by the Barrow Deeps Warden, Maiev Shadowsong, who had been hunting him relentlessly since his escape from Kalimdor. The Blood Elf and Naga forces rescued Illidan from the Night Elves who had taken him captive.
Once free, Illidan told Kael that his people's addiction could not be cured but it could be fed and promised the Blood Elves enough magic — from demonic sources — to satisfy them if they would help him conquer Outland. The shattered world would serve as a new home for the Blood Elves and a refuge for Illidan and his Naga after failing to destroy the Frozen Throne. Ironically, the Blood Elves had contributed greatly to this failure, when earlier, at Dalaran, they had helped the Night Elves under Maiev and Malfurion Stormrage disrupt a spell that Illidan was casting to melt the glaciers of Northrend, the Arctic stronghold of the Scourge. With no choice, Kael and his people pledged their loyalty to Illidan in the hopes of their survival.
Illidan taught Kael and the Blood Elves how to draw magic from demons to satisfy their addiction. Illidan, the Blood Elves, and the Naga, then liberated "the Broken" of the Draenei, exiled remnants of the Eredar race who had been twisted by demons and hunted almost to extinction by the Fel Orcs under the rule of Magtheridon, a Pit Lord who had ruled Outland since the closing of the Dark Portal. After closing the dimensional gates from which Magtheridon summoned demons from the Twisting Nether to bolster his forces, the three commanders, assisted by Draenei under the elder seer Akama, stormed Magtheridon's stronghold in the Black Citadel and took it by force.
Moments after the citadel fell, Kil'jaeden, the Burning Legion's last great demonlord and Illidan's new master, appeared. Furious over Illidan's earlier failure to destroy the Frozen Throne, Kil'jaeden was bemused that Illidan was foolish enough to try and hide from him in Outland. Illidan claimed he came to Outland to bolster his forces. Kil'Jaeden saw promise in Illidan's new followers and decided to give him one last chance.
Under Illidan's leadership, the Blood Elves and Naga then travelled to Northrend, where they ultimately failed in their mission to destroy the Frozen Throne and were defeated by Arthas and the Undead Scourge. The Blood Elves and Vashj's Naga retreated back to Outland with Illidan where they established permanent settlements.
The remaining Blood Elves on Azeroth have reconstructed much of the forests of Quel'Thalas. They have turned to the Horde to help them find their way to Outland where they can once again be united with their leader Prince Kael'thas.
Magic Addiction
Due to the reckless channelling of the vast amount of magic the High elves wielded during the pinnacle of their empire, the High elves developed an insatiable thirst for magic; this addiction, if not fed, will eventually result in insanity, then death. Previously the source from which this thirst was fed was from their beloved Sunwell; a vast magical fountain constructed on an underlying node of power. The Sunwell was one of the most powerful magic artifacts in all of Azeroth. Radiant with magic power, this artifact fed the former High elves with unimaginable magic. One dreadful day, however, the High elves were severed from the source of their magic and as a result, they suffered indignities and fell into darkness. In the High elves' darkest moment, Kael'thas Sunstrider, the last of the Royal bloodline gathered the last of the remaining High elves, renaming them Blood elves in honor to their fallen brethren. He then proceeded to teach them how to tap into other ambient magical sources, feeding upon it to sustain themselves temporarily.
After the Blood elves joined Illidan and the Naga, they were granted powerful demonic magic that not only sustained them, but strengthened them as well. They now revel in the source of their dark powers and have regained much of their former strength. More reckless then ever before these Blood Elves will stop at nothing to gain power, regardless of the costs. While the dark magics they now wield are enough to sustain them, the Blood Elves always look for more ways to boost their own power and do not hesitate to ruthlessly exploit any magic wielding creature, feeding upon its essence until only a shell remains, devoid of all life.
Their 'thirst' for magic may be noticed in The Burning Crusade game, which allows Blood Elf players to play as nearly all of the mana-based classes: Warlock, Paladin, Priest, Mage and Hunter. The Druid, Warrior, and the Shaman are absent from this list, as the Blood Elves long turned away from the naturalist ways of their Night Elf kin, and want nothing to do with the druidic culture, believing only in their race's fortitude.
In Azeroth
The Blood Elves are not necessarily evil, though they may seem hateful, reckless, and arrogant. Much like the Forsaken, they are a race that has endured many accumulated tragedies in recent times and are trying, if by desperate measures, to find their place in the order of things once more. Their unorthodox practices, however, have earned them several enemies and many more critics.
The Blood Elves are at the very least cordial with the Forsaken, as a former High elf, Sylvanas Windrunner, leads the sentient undead and likewise strives to attain a place for her people in Azeroth. The Orcs, having been slaves to warlock magic and demonic corruption themselves, are wary of their new allies but will give them the benefit of the doubt with hopes for their redemption (this is the same reason Thrall allowed the Forsaken to join the Horde). The Tauren, though appalled by the Blood Elves' magical addiction, share the Orcs' viewpoint. The Darkspear Trolls, despite their hatred of elves, remain loyal to Thrall - and it would seem the two races share a common loathing of the Amani trolls, whom the elves of Quel'thalas have fought against for generations. The playable Blood Elves in the expansion have no affiliation with the Broken or the Naga, as they are those who have not yet joined Kael'thas's forces in Outland; Instead, they have remained behind, to show others the way to their beloved leader, Kael'thas Sunstrider. In addition they seek to rebuild their former seat of power; their ancient capital city: Silvermoon, in Quel'thalas.
The Horde's hesitant reception of the Blood Elves pales in comparison to the Alliance's outright rejection of them. The Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes spurn their former allies as traitors to their cause, while the few remaining High Elves view them with both abhorrence and pity. The Draenei despise the Blood Elves due to Kael'thas Sunstrider sending armies of his followers to wipe out the surviving Draenei once the Exodar crashlanded on Azeroth. The worst treatment of all, however, comes from the Night Elves, who are disgusted by the Blood Elves and are near-genocidal towards them, viewing them as too dangerous to be left alive.
The Holy Light and the Blood Elves
The Holy Light is not only a gift for dedication to the defense of Life, Justice, Truth, and Righteousness; it is a magical power, and as such, it can be stolen, harnessed and used as weapon for malicious purposes. Despite the fact that the majority of the Blood Elves lost their faith in the Light after the destruction of Quel'Thalas, they have found new ways to harness the divine power without the need for the years of rigorous study and faith in the light normally associated with the divine arts. Usually this divine power is only granted to the most devoted followers of the light who wish to heal, save, and sacrifice themselves for the innocent lives of others. However, Blood Elves despise such teachings, which they regard as weakness, and instead now channel this stolen magic for their own twisted ends.
They manage use of The Light by siphoning the energies of a captured Naaru known as M'uru, a being that can best be described as The Light incarnate. Using their dark powers, the Blood Elves are able to bless their people with the power taken from the Naaru. This gives them the ability to become paladins. While these Blood Elf paladins, known to their people as Blood Knights, have nearly all the same abilities as those of the Alliance, their darker ties cause them to have unique skills.
World of Warcraft Gameplay
Blood Elf racial abilities
Blood Elf racial abilities include:
:Mana Tap
::Reduces target's mana by 50 and charges you with Arcane energy for 10 min. This effect stacks up to 3 times. 30-second cooldown. Scales with level.
:Arcane Torrent
::Silence all enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec. In addition, you gain 10-161 Mana (10 Energy for Rogues) for each Mana Tap charge currently affecting you.
:Arcane Affinity
::Enchanting skill increased by 10.
:Magic Resistance
::All resistances increased by 5.
Classes
Blood elf characters can play as the following classes:
*Hunter
*Mage
*Paladin (Blood Knight)
*Priest
*Rogue
*Warlock
It is interesting to note that Blood Elves are the only race that cannot be Warriors. This is likely to go along with the Magic Addiction portion of the race, considering Warriors do not use spells like the other character types (although this does not explain why Rogues are a playable class for the Blood Elves).
Class Specific Racial Traits
Priests
receive the racial ability Consume Magic. Consume Magic dispels one beneficial Magic effect from the caster and gives them 120 to 154 mana. (453 to 488 mana at level 70) - instant cast, two-minute cooldown.
Paladins
receive Seal of Blood. Enables all melee attacks to deal additional Holy damage equal to 40% normal weapon damage, but the Paladin loses health equal to 10% of the total damage inflicted. Unleashing the Seal's energy will judge an enemy, instantly causing 295 to 325 Holy damage at the cost of health equal to 33% of the damage caused. (210 mana at level 64) - instant cast.
Reasons for racial abilities
The elves have long delved into the magic and arcane as evident by their cultural centerpiece, the Sunwell. Thus, they have developed a natural Arcane Affinity as a result of the well's magical presence, making the blood elves naturally skilled with arcane arts such as Enchanting. The elves' constant exposure to the Sunwell also gave them a natural defense against many kinds of magical manipulation, granting them a natural Magical Resistance. After the destruction of the Sunwell during the Third War, the remaining blood elves developed the skill of Mana Tapping to feed their magical addiction, allowing them to tap into the arcane energies of other beings. Arcane Torrent comes as a natural manipulation of these consumed energies and allows the elves to absorb and unleash the energies gathered.
Trivia
*The male Blood Elf dance in World of Warcraft is actually based on Napoleon's dance from the movie Napoleon Dynamite. It was originally based on the "Jack Rabbit Slims" dance scene from Pulp Fiction, but was changed after a lawsuit (unverified) was threatened by choreographer Robert Kehr.
*The female Blood Elf dance in World of Warcraft is actually based on a YouTube video of a girl trying to recreate Britney Spears' Toxic performance during live concerts.
*Male Blood Elves were originally thinner, rather than their current toned form. Some beta-testers complained about the perceived femininity of their look. Blizzard gave them a more masculine build though this may not have been the only deciding factor. However, male blood elves in World of Warcraft retain some effeminate aspects in their voiced emotes, such as /silly ("Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot like me?")
*The male blood elves in World of Warcraft are voiced by veteran voice actor Cam Clarke.
*The female blood elf flirt "No, no I won't do that. But my sister will..." is a reference to the ZZ Top track, Tube Snake Boogie.
*The Blood Elf racial mount is a variation of the plainstrider called a "Hawkstrider". Which bears resemblence to the Chocobo from final fantasy games.
*One of the Male Blood Elf flirts "I know every rose has its thorn, but if you would just pour some sugar on me we could rock and roll all night and par-tay every day..." is from the songs Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Pour Some Sugar on Me and Rock and Roll All Nite by rock bands Poison, Def Leppard and Kiss, respectively.
*According to a survey made by the [http://www.warcraftrealms.com/census.php?serverid-1&factionid-1&minlevel10&maxlevel70&servertypeid=-1 Warcraft Census] at 08-15-07, Blood Elves are currently the more popular of the 2 playable races that were introduced with the Burning Crusade expansion pack, are currently the most popular Horde race overall (the 2nd most popular horde race being the Undead), and are currently the 3rd most popular race in the game (ranking behind the Humans and Night Elves).
The Tauren are a fictional race of bipeds, one of the major races of the Warcraft universe. They are religious, but are better known for their strength, courage, and endurance as warriors. A nomadic race as old as the Night Elves, the Tauren are attuned to the earth and its spirits, and have a largely shamanistic culture that stresses ancestor worship and the honored path of the hunter. Their capital of Thunder Bluff sits in the central Kalimdor territory of Mulgore, and they are aligned with the Horde in the present conflict (as depicted in World of Warcraft). Notably, the Tauren are the only race besides the Night elves that can become Druids.
Appearance
The Tauren are huge bipeds with a general bovine appearance resembling the Minotaur of Greek mythology. The Tauren have an average weight of 500 to 750 kilograms (1100-1650 lb) and can grow up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall. Sexual dimorphism is present in the species, with the males being an average of ten feet tall with an enormous, muscular build. Females are shorter and more delicately built, with smaller horns, but are still massive and muscular when compared to other races. Like humans (and quite disimilar from a typical bovine), the Tauren have breasts on their chest rather than an udder on their lower belly. Tauren shamans are often seen carrying their ancestral totems, which are essentially large carved out logs. These logs are often used as weapons, along with the polearm weapon of the Tauren chieftains. Other Shamans carry staves or maces, and although they have the ability to learn how to use daggers and firearms, the Taurens' ecologically focused beliefs do not allow them to wield large swords.
It should be noted that while the graphics in Warcraft III may suggest truly immense Tauren, and portray them as giant, bare-breasted bull-men, they like this game intentionally skewed. In World of Warcraft -- a much more realistic game in terms of scale -- male Tauren are almost uniformly twelve feet tall (though Cairne Bloodhoof is slightly larger, as is the Disciple of Naralex within the Wailing Caverns instance). Tauren of this size probably weigh less than the nine hundred pounds suggested above, though as they likely are about the same density of large modern mammals, they probably do weigh considerably more than humans.
Abilities
The Tauren of the World of Warcraft universe have certain racial abilities (as do all other playable races in the game). Seen as the most useful of these abilities is the 'Warstomp,' which stuns up to five enemies around the Tauren for two seconds and also interrupts spellcasting. It should be noted that the Warstomp has a 0.5 second cast time which can be delayed from any damage source. 'Cultivation' is the Tauren racial ability which increases the skill level of the Herbalism profession in the amount of 15 profession points. This allows the character to harvest herbs of a higher level sooner. All Tauren also receive a 5% health increase from their racial ability 'Endurance.' The 5% increase is calculated from the characters final health, that is, after stats are attributed. For example, if the character has a base health of 100, with a +2 stamina, the overall health with will be 100, plus the 20 for stamina, plus the 5% of 120, for a total of 126. The last of the Tauren's racial abilities is 'Nature Resistance' which increases character resistance to Nature magic by 10.
History
Before the Horde
As noted, the Tauren are one of the ancient races of Azeroth. Prior to meeting the Orcs, the Tauren were a nomadic race, though it seems that they played little role in the grand dynamic of Azeroth for millennia. In fact, when encountered by the Orcs and their Warchief, Thrall, they were under significant pressure from the Centaurs and their tribes were separated. The Tauren do have a rich history which they have kept over the centuries, handed down over the ages through oral tradition; one such passage is as follows:
"Before the Age of Memory, the gentle Earthmother breathed upon the golden mists of dawn. Where the amber clouds came to rest, there were endless fields of flowing wheat and barley. This was the basin of her works - the great basket of life and hope. The Earthmother's eyes shone down upon the lands she had breathed into creation. Her right eye, An'she (the sun), gave warmth and light to the land. Her left eye, Mu'sha (the moon), gave peace and sleep to the stirring creatures of the dawning. Such was the power of her gaze that the Earthmother closed one dreaming eye for every turning of the sky. Thus, her loving gaze turned day into night for the first dawning of the world. While the right eye shone down upon the golden dawn, the Earthmother's gentle hands spread out across the golden plains. Wherever the shadow of her arms passed, a noble people arose from the rich soil. The Shu'halo (the Tauren) arose to give thanks and prayer to their loving mother. There in the endless fields of dawn, the children of the earth swore themselves to her grace and vowed to bless her name until the final darkening of the world."
Allegiance with the Horde
The Orcs, led by Warchief Thrall, had come to Kalimdor seeking a land of their own, and in the course of establishing an early presence there, came upon the leader of the Bloodhoof tribe, Cairne Bloodhoof. Cairne sensed a great ally and leader in Thrall, and sought his alliance in fighting off their ancestral enemy, the Centaurs. In return, Cairne pledged his alliance to the Orc Warchief. For their part, the Orcs and the Jungle Trolls that composed the Horde found much in common with the Tauren. Each of these races wanted to achieve a more shamanistic culture, and the Tauren, long versed in the lore of spirit and nature, were well-prepared to provide counsel and support to the budding Horde. From then on, the Tauren became an inseparable part of the Horde, fighting with the Horde alongside the Alliance and Night Elves at the Battle of Mt. Hyjal, and later helped combat the forces of Lordaeron, led by Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, when he attempted to invade Durotar.
Present
After the invasion of the Orc homeland of Durotar was repelled (as depicted in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne), Cairne, with the help of the Horde, united the tribes of Tauren and settled his weary people in a new homeland, the lush plains of Mulgore. The capital city Thunder Bluff is built on a series of mesas which are connected to one another via rope and wooden bridges. At present, the Tauren are still ruled by Cairne Bloodhoof. However, even Cairne admits that he is unusually old for a Tauren (ninety-nine years old when he first joined the Horde), and the leadership of the Tauren may thus change very soon. Common wisdom hold that his successor will likely be Cairne's own son, Baine Bloodhoof, but at this time such talk is simply speculation, particularly with the emergence of Elder Crone Magatha and her tribe, the Grimtotems, a tribe usually a distinctive midnight black in coloring, as a member of the Council of Thunder Bluff. The Tauren continue to supply fierce warriors and wise shamans to the Horde and are currently involved in the renewed conflict on Azeroth.
Tauren Clans
*Bloodhoof Clan
*Grimtotem Clan
*Runetotem Clan
*Wildmane Clan
*Ragetotem Clan
*Thunderhorn Clan
*Skyseer Clan
*Cliffrunner Clan
*Snowhoof Clan
*Waterseer Clan
Trivia
*In the beta version of World of Warcraft, Tauren could not use mounts. Instead, they could gain an ability called "plains-walking", which gave them a large, temporary speed boost. This was changed after World of Warcraft's release, when they were allowed to ride Kodo beasts as mounts instead.
*The female Tauren's dance is derived from the four-wall line dance known as the Electric Slide, while one of the male's dance cycles is based on the Dancing Banana.
*The Tauren refer to themselves as the Shu'halo.
*"Tauren" is an anagram of "nature".
*"Taureau" is French for bull.
*土人 (pinyin: tÅrén) means native or aboriginal in Mandarin
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that makes a sound when using the /moo emote.
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that can't use wands.
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that are never restricted to only cloth armor, because Taurens cannot be cloth wearing classes (mages, warlocks and priests). Some healing classes will lower their armor class to wear cloth to better their healing, but no available class is forced to wear cloth armor.
*The only available classes to Tauren in World of Warcraft are Warriors, Shamans, Druids, and Hunters
*Tauren were the only race before the Burning Crusade Expansion that could not be rogues.
Appearance
The Tauren are huge bipeds with a general bovine appearance resembling the Minotaur of Greek mythology. The Tauren have an average weight of 500 to 750 kilograms (1100-1650 lb) and can grow up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall. Sexual dimorphism is present in the species, with the males being an average of ten feet tall with an enormous, muscular build. Females are shorter and more delicately built, with smaller horns, but are still massive and muscular when compared to other races. Like humans (and quite disimilar from a typical bovine), the Tauren have breasts on their chest rather than an udder on their lower belly. Tauren shamans are often seen carrying their ancestral totems, which are essentially large carved out logs. These logs are often used as weapons, along with the polearm weapon of the Tauren chieftains. Other Shamans carry staves or maces, and although they have the ability to learn how to use daggers and firearms, the Taurens' ecologically focused beliefs do not allow them to wield large swords.
It should be noted that while the graphics in Warcraft III may suggest truly immense Tauren, and portray them as giant, bare-breasted bull-men, they like this game intentionally skewed. In World of Warcraft -- a much more realistic game in terms of scale -- male Tauren are almost uniformly twelve feet tall (though Cairne Bloodhoof is slightly larger, as is the Disciple of Naralex within the Wailing Caverns instance). Tauren of this size probably weigh less than the nine hundred pounds suggested above, though as they likely are about the same density of large modern mammals, they probably do weigh considerably more than humans.
Abilities
The Tauren of the World of Warcraft universe have certain racial abilities (as do all other playable races in the game). Seen as the most useful of these abilities is the 'Warstomp,' which stuns up to five enemies around the Tauren for two seconds and also interrupts spellcasting. It should be noted that the Warstomp has a 0.5 second cast time which can be delayed from any damage source. 'Cultivation' is the Tauren racial ability which increases the skill level of the Herbalism profession in the amount of 15 profession points. This allows the character to harvest herbs of a higher level sooner. All Tauren also receive a 5% health increase from their racial ability 'Endurance.' The 5% increase is calculated from the characters final health, that is, after stats are attributed. For example, if the character has a base health of 100, with a +2 stamina, the overall health with will be 100, plus the 20 for stamina, plus the 5% of 120, for a total of 126. The last of the Tauren's racial abilities is 'Nature Resistance' which increases character resistance to Nature magic by 10.
History
Before the Horde
As noted, the Tauren are one of the ancient races of Azeroth. Prior to meeting the Orcs, the Tauren were a nomadic race, though it seems that they played little role in the grand dynamic of Azeroth for millennia. In fact, when encountered by the Orcs and their Warchief, Thrall, they were under significant pressure from the Centaurs and their tribes were separated. The Tauren do have a rich history which they have kept over the centuries, handed down over the ages through oral tradition; one such passage is as follows:
"Before the Age of Memory, the gentle Earthmother breathed upon the golden mists of dawn. Where the amber clouds came to rest, there were endless fields of flowing wheat and barley. This was the basin of her works - the great basket of life and hope. The Earthmother's eyes shone down upon the lands she had breathed into creation. Her right eye, An'she (the sun), gave warmth and light to the land. Her left eye, Mu'sha (the moon), gave peace and sleep to the stirring creatures of the dawning. Such was the power of her gaze that the Earthmother closed one dreaming eye for every turning of the sky. Thus, her loving gaze turned day into night for the first dawning of the world. While the right eye shone down upon the golden dawn, the Earthmother's gentle hands spread out across the golden plains. Wherever the shadow of her arms passed, a noble people arose from the rich soil. The Shu'halo (the Tauren) arose to give thanks and prayer to their loving mother. There in the endless fields of dawn, the children of the earth swore themselves to her grace and vowed to bless her name until the final darkening of the world."
Allegiance with the Horde
The Orcs, led by Warchief Thrall, had come to Kalimdor seeking a land of their own, and in the course of establishing an early presence there, came upon the leader of the Bloodhoof tribe, Cairne Bloodhoof. Cairne sensed a great ally and leader in Thrall, and sought his alliance in fighting off their ancestral enemy, the Centaurs. In return, Cairne pledged his alliance to the Orc Warchief. For their part, the Orcs and the Jungle Trolls that composed the Horde found much in common with the Tauren. Each of these races wanted to achieve a more shamanistic culture, and the Tauren, long versed in the lore of spirit and nature, were well-prepared to provide counsel and support to the budding Horde. From then on, the Tauren became an inseparable part of the Horde, fighting with the Horde alongside the Alliance and Night Elves at the Battle of Mt. Hyjal, and later helped combat the forces of Lordaeron, led by Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, when he attempted to invade Durotar.
Present
After the invasion of the Orc homeland of Durotar was repelled (as depicted in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne), Cairne, with the help of the Horde, united the tribes of Tauren and settled his weary people in a new homeland, the lush plains of Mulgore. The capital city Thunder Bluff is built on a series of mesas which are connected to one another via rope and wooden bridges. At present, the Tauren are still ruled by Cairne Bloodhoof. However, even Cairne admits that he is unusually old for a Tauren (ninety-nine years old when he first joined the Horde), and the leadership of the Tauren may thus change very soon. Common wisdom hold that his successor will likely be Cairne's own son, Baine Bloodhoof, but at this time such talk is simply speculation, particularly with the emergence of Elder Crone Magatha and her tribe, the Grimtotems, a tribe usually a distinctive midnight black in coloring, as a member of the Council of Thunder Bluff. The Tauren continue to supply fierce warriors and wise shamans to the Horde and are currently involved in the renewed conflict on Azeroth.
Tauren Clans
*Bloodhoof Clan
*Grimtotem Clan
*Runetotem Clan
*Wildmane Clan
*Ragetotem Clan
*Thunderhorn Clan
*Skyseer Clan
*Cliffrunner Clan
*Snowhoof Clan
*Waterseer Clan
Trivia
*In the beta version of World of Warcraft, Tauren could not use mounts. Instead, they could gain an ability called "plains-walking", which gave them a large, temporary speed boost. This was changed after World of Warcraft's release, when they were allowed to ride Kodo beasts as mounts instead.
*The female Tauren's dance is derived from the four-wall line dance known as the Electric Slide, while one of the male's dance cycles is based on the Dancing Banana.
*The Tauren refer to themselves as the Shu'halo.
*"Tauren" is an anagram of "nature".
*"Taureau" is French for bull.
*土人 (pinyin: tÅrén) means native or aboriginal in Mandarin
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that makes a sound when using the /moo emote.
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that can't use wands.
*Taurens are the only race in World of Warcraft that are never restricted to only cloth armor, because Taurens cannot be cloth wearing classes (mages, warlocks and priests). Some healing classes will lower their armor class to wear cloth to better their healing, but no available class is forced to wear cloth armor.
*The only available classes to Tauren in World of Warcraft are Warriors, Shamans, Druids, and Hunters
*Tauren were the only race before the Burning Crusade Expansion that could not be rogues.
The Draenei (in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, pronounced IPA: ) are a fictional race in Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft series of computer games and novels.
For more information on World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, visit their respective entries.
Background
In the new World of Warcraft continuity, the Draenei are a subset of the Eredar and hail originally from the world of Argus. The Eredar were intelligent and very adept at magic, using these skills to build a powerful society; this caught the attention of Sargeras, the Titan of Destruction.
The Burning Legion and the Naaru
Seeing the Eredar as perfect tools for his Burning Crusade, Sargeras approached the three leaders of the Eredar, Archimonde, Kil'jaeden, and Velen, offering them untold power and knowledge in exchange for their race's loyalty. Archimonde and Kil'jaeden accepted the offer, pledging fealty to the Dark Titan. However, Velen received a vision in which he saw the Burning Legion, its endless ranks of demons, and the devastation that Sargeras planned to wreak upon all creation. He attempted to warn Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, but they and their followers had already become corrupted, transformed into gigantic demons of depthless evil.
Velen despaired, for Sargeras's vast power made him impossible to confront head on; it was then that a being appearing to be made of pure light appeared to him. It explained that it was as a member of a race called the Naaru, sentient energy beings who worked to stop the Burning Legion. The naaru offered to take Velen and any other Eredar who refused Sargeras' offer to safety. Accepting the naaru's offer, Velen and his faction of Eredar barely escaped from Argus and the Legion. They named themselves "Draenei," meaning "Exiled Ones" in their language. Kil'jaeden was infuriated by what he saw as Velen's betrayal, and vowed to hunt him and his followers to the ends of the universe.
Draenor
For thousands of years, the Draenei went from world to world, seeking safety. During this time, the Naaru explained to them their mission: to find the forces all across the cosmos who would stand against the Burning Legion and forge them together into an unstoppable Army of the Light. Moved, the Draenei vowed to aid them, upholding their ideals with the Light-given powers granted to them by the Naaru. Eventually, the Draenei settled on a small world which they called "Draenor" ("Exile's Refuge" in Eredun) and began to rebuild their society. There they met the Orcs, with whom they lived peacefully and often traded with. Because of the teachings of Nobundo, many Draenei even learned how to become Shamans.
Despite their extreme caution, however, Kil'jaeden found the Draenei. Studying the Orcs, he devised a plan with which to destroy his errant cousins. The Orcs were a peaceful, shamanistic race who lived mostly in the grassland region of Nagrand. Kil'jaeden tempted the elder shaman Ner'zhul and his apprentice Gul'dan into using dark magics. Eventually, the entire race drank the blood of the Pit Lord Mannoroth and the once-peaceful Orcs were transformed into a fel-powered, murderous horde. They wiped out eighty percent of the Draenei in a bloody eight year long war. Many of the remaining Draenei were twisted by the fel energies of the orcs' warlocks into two inferior mutations, known as the "Lost Ones" and the "Broken Ones", who may still be found in Outland.
Azeroth
Those who had kept their original form fled in an interdimensional ship built by the Naaru called the Exodar, which crash-landed in the world of Azeroth due to interference from the Blood Elves. Upon meeting with the Alliance, who worshiped the same Holy Light of Creation as the Draenei, they joined the Grand Alliance to fight against the Burning Legion and the Horde.
Appearance
The Draenei are even taller than the Night Elves, and resemble them somewhat in appearance, with bluish skin, glowing eyes, and pointed ears. However, they have several non-hominid traits, such as unguligrade legs, hooves, horns, and tails. Possibly for this reason, combined with their height and strength, they are also nicknamed "blue Tauren", after the bovine race that Thrall befriended in Kalimdor.
Factions
The Draenei have four known variations. The Eredar are the demonic precursors of the Draenei, and serve the Burning Legion. The Broken are draenei who became twisted by the fel powers of the orcish warlocks. One of the most notable factions of the Broken are the Ashtongue Deathsworn who serve Illidan Stormrage, and are led by the wise Akama. Finally there are the simple and brutish Lost Ones, a devolved form of The Broken who have lost most of their mental capacity and their hold on sanity.
Draenei in World of Warcraft
*The male Draenei dance is based upon the performance of Daler Mehndi in "Tunak Tunak Tun".
*The female Draenei dance is similar to that performed by Shakira in her "Hips Don't Lie" video.
*Many allusions to Star Wars may be found in the Draenei quests in Azuremyst Isle, including a reference to Han Solo's claims at making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
*Another reference is made to Pink Floyd by an NPC in Azuremyst Isle, saying "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer fish?"
*The title of the Azuremyst quest "Precious and Fragile Things Need Special Handling" is a lyrical reference to the song "Precious" by Depeche Mode.
*The Exodar also features a nod to Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Within the Vault of Lights is a group of Draenei touring the holograms of the various Burning Legion minions. These Draenei are named for the hosts of the Dax symbiont before Jadzia.
*An item that can be received after the quest, "The Kurken's Lurkin'," called "Kurkenstocks" is a play on words, based on the shoe, "Birkenstocks."
*The Draenei have a vaguely Eastern European Accent.
*A fishing quest for the Draenei is called "Red Snapper- Very Tasty!" a reference to Kuni from "Weird Al" Yankovic's film "UHF".
*The Draenei being an offshoot of the Eredar was actually an accidental retcon, as in Warcraft III the Eredar were depicted as an evil race who were responsible for the initial corruption of Sargeras. This was reversed in the Burning Crusade expansion, a move which the developers later admitted had been an oversight on their part.
Mounts
The draenei ride powerful elephant-like mounts known as Elekks.
See Also
* Classes in World of Warcraft
For more information on World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, visit their respective entries.
Background
In the new World of Warcraft continuity, the Draenei are a subset of the Eredar and hail originally from the world of Argus. The Eredar were intelligent and very adept at magic, using these skills to build a powerful society; this caught the attention of Sargeras, the Titan of Destruction.
The Burning Legion and the Naaru
Seeing the Eredar as perfect tools for his Burning Crusade, Sargeras approached the three leaders of the Eredar, Archimonde, Kil'jaeden, and Velen, offering them untold power and knowledge in exchange for their race's loyalty. Archimonde and Kil'jaeden accepted the offer, pledging fealty to the Dark Titan. However, Velen received a vision in which he saw the Burning Legion, its endless ranks of demons, and the devastation that Sargeras planned to wreak upon all creation. He attempted to warn Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, but they and their followers had already become corrupted, transformed into gigantic demons of depthless evil.
Velen despaired, for Sargeras's vast power made him impossible to confront head on; it was then that a being appearing to be made of pure light appeared to him. It explained that it was as a member of a race called the Naaru, sentient energy beings who worked to stop the Burning Legion. The naaru offered to take Velen and any other Eredar who refused Sargeras' offer to safety. Accepting the naaru's offer, Velen and his faction of Eredar barely escaped from Argus and the Legion. They named themselves "Draenei," meaning "Exiled Ones" in their language. Kil'jaeden was infuriated by what he saw as Velen's betrayal, and vowed to hunt him and his followers to the ends of the universe.
Draenor
For thousands of years, the Draenei went from world to world, seeking safety. During this time, the Naaru explained to them their mission: to find the forces all across the cosmos who would stand against the Burning Legion and forge them together into an unstoppable Army of the Light. Moved, the Draenei vowed to aid them, upholding their ideals with the Light-given powers granted to them by the Naaru. Eventually, the Draenei settled on a small world which they called "Draenor" ("Exile's Refuge" in Eredun) and began to rebuild their society. There they met the Orcs, with whom they lived peacefully and often traded with. Because of the teachings of Nobundo, many Draenei even learned how to become Shamans.
Despite their extreme caution, however, Kil'jaeden found the Draenei. Studying the Orcs, he devised a plan with which to destroy his errant cousins. The Orcs were a peaceful, shamanistic race who lived mostly in the grassland region of Nagrand. Kil'jaeden tempted the elder shaman Ner'zhul and his apprentice Gul'dan into using dark magics. Eventually, the entire race drank the blood of the Pit Lord Mannoroth and the once-peaceful Orcs were transformed into a fel-powered, murderous horde. They wiped out eighty percent of the Draenei in a bloody eight year long war. Many of the remaining Draenei were twisted by the fel energies of the orcs' warlocks into two inferior mutations, known as the "Lost Ones" and the "Broken Ones", who may still be found in Outland.
Azeroth
Those who had kept their original form fled in an interdimensional ship built by the Naaru called the Exodar, which crash-landed in the world of Azeroth due to interference from the Blood Elves. Upon meeting with the Alliance, who worshiped the same Holy Light of Creation as the Draenei, they joined the Grand Alliance to fight against the Burning Legion and the Horde.
Appearance
The Draenei are even taller than the Night Elves, and resemble them somewhat in appearance, with bluish skin, glowing eyes, and pointed ears. However, they have several non-hominid traits, such as unguligrade legs, hooves, horns, and tails. Possibly for this reason, combined with their height and strength, they are also nicknamed "blue Tauren", after the bovine race that Thrall befriended in Kalimdor.
Factions
The Draenei have four known variations. The Eredar are the demonic precursors of the Draenei, and serve the Burning Legion. The Broken are draenei who became twisted by the fel powers of the orcish warlocks. One of the most notable factions of the Broken are the Ashtongue Deathsworn who serve Illidan Stormrage, and are led by the wise Akama. Finally there are the simple and brutish Lost Ones, a devolved form of The Broken who have lost most of their mental capacity and their hold on sanity.
Draenei in World of Warcraft
*The male Draenei dance is based upon the performance of Daler Mehndi in "Tunak Tunak Tun".
*The female Draenei dance is similar to that performed by Shakira in her "Hips Don't Lie" video.
*Many allusions to Star Wars may be found in the Draenei quests in Azuremyst Isle, including a reference to Han Solo's claims at making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.
*Another reference is made to Pink Floyd by an NPC in Azuremyst Isle, saying "How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer fish?"
*The title of the Azuremyst quest "Precious and Fragile Things Need Special Handling" is a lyrical reference to the song "Precious" by Depeche Mode.
*The Exodar also features a nod to Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Within the Vault of Lights is a group of Draenei touring the holograms of the various Burning Legion minions. These Draenei are named for the hosts of the Dax symbiont before Jadzia.
*An item that can be received after the quest, "The Kurken's Lurkin'," called "Kurkenstocks" is a play on words, based on the shoe, "Birkenstocks."
*The Draenei have a vaguely Eastern European Accent.
*A fishing quest for the Draenei is called "Red Snapper- Very Tasty!" a reference to Kuni from "Weird Al" Yankovic's film "UHF".
*The Draenei being an offshoot of the Eredar was actually an accidental retcon, as in Warcraft III the Eredar were depicted as an evil race who were responsible for the initial corruption of Sargeras. This was reversed in the Burning Crusade expansion, a move which the developers later admitted had been an oversight on their part.
Mounts
The draenei ride powerful elephant-like mounts known as Elekks.
See Also
* Classes in World of Warcraft