Worgen lore and guide

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:56 pm

So you want to roleplay a worgen?

Cataclysm brought us two new races to roleplay -- for the Horde, it's goblins, and for the Alliance, it's the enigmatic worgen. These new races have the dubious honor of being creatures we've already encountered. We've been dealing with the goblins and the Steamwheedle Cartel for years, ever since the launch of World of Warcraft. The worgen are essentially human beings, a race we've played ever since the beginnings of the Warcraft games.

Each new race, however, has its own host of unique characteristics that sets it apart from the humans and goblins we're familiar with. In the case of the worgen, most of what we know about their history and their current situation can be discovered through the worgen starting experience, but for roleplayers, that might not be enough to build a character around. Today, we're going to go over the basics of being a worgen -- where the worgen came from, what you can do with them, and what realistically just wouldn't fit, character-wise, with worgen lore.

Worgen origins

This is explained fully in the worgen starting experience, so I'm not going to go into major amounts of detail here -- consider this a very rough summary, OK? The first worgen originated with a group of night elf druids who were playing around with an aspect of the druidic arts -- mainly by following the teachings of Goldrinn the wolf Ancient rather than the teachings of Cenarius. This was pretty unsafe, as the Ancient Goldrinn was a feral, wild spirit, and his followers usually ended up losing their minds to his savage nature. This was considered way too risky by Malfurion Stormrage's tastes -- he ordered these druids, the Druids of the Pack, to stop what they were doing.

The druids, on the other hand, didn't agree with this assessment at all. When they shapeshifted into worgen, losing themselves entirely in the process, it was decided that they needed to be locked away. So they were put into eternal slumber deep beneath a tree, and the Druids of the Pack were never spoken of again -- until now. Night elf roleplayers as a rule won't really "remember" the worgen unless they happened to be a druid that lived during this time, which would put that night elf at about 10,000 years of age.

Reports are mixed as to what happened next. There are stories that speak of a mage named Arugal, who summoned the worgen back to the waking world. Needless to say, they were decidedly cranky about this and set about chomping on people left and right. The bitten were transformed into worgen, an affliction that is now called the curse of the worgen. But there are also tales of Velinde Starsong, a night elf who discovered an artifact called the Scythe of Elune and used it to summon and control the worgen.

There were several misconceptions about the worgen at first, early quests and quest items share impressions of the worgen that are incorrect in light of what we know now. Arugal and the magician Ur, who wrote the book that Arugal used for summoning, were under the impression that the worgen were from another dimension; so was Velinde Starsong, the night elf who used the Scythe of Elune to summon the worgen to her in an effort to cleanse Felwood. The Scythe also plays a big part in the worgen starting experience. Some sources for more information on the original worgen curse can be found here:

Faded Journal This is a random drop from the worgen attacking Gilneas, but you can read it on Wowhead as well.
Curse of the Worgen This comic series goes into the history of the worgen, and it's an excellent read. You can find it at your local comic shop, or you can order it online if there are no comic shops nearby.
Know Your Lore: The Ancients A brief history of the night elf Ancients, including Goldrinn.
The quests involving Arugal, the Book of Ur, and Velinde Starsong have been removed, but you can still find the relevant journals on Wowhead:

The Book of Ur The magician Ur's original impressions of the worgen.
Velinde's Journal The journal of Velinde Starsong, in which she writes about receiving the Scythe of Elune and meeting the worgen.
Jitters' Completed Journal This is a journal written by a man in Duskwood who happened across the Scythe some time after Velinde's mysterious disappeared.

While these three documents aren't really "truthful" in terms of accuracy, they do give roleplayers an idea of what the general reaction to worgen was prior to Cataclysm's release.

Gilneans and the worgen of Cataclysm

The worgen that are now playable, however, are a different matter entirely. While the original worgen were these night elves, you on the other hand are a Gilnean who has been bitten by a worgen -- perhaps a worgen who was one of the night elves, or perhaps another former Gilnean who was afflicted with the curse. As a Gilnean, your history is entirely different from that of the original worgen from thousands of years ago.

The kingdom of Gilneas was part of the original Alliance back during the Second War, but after the Alliance's victory over the orcs, Gilneas as a kingdom withdrew from the Alliance. It's been about 20 to 25 years since the Second War (the timeline for Warcraft lore is notoriously iffy), but most adults living in Gilneas should remember the Second War and what occurred, although they may have been children at that time.

The important part is this: King Genn Greymane was a proud, often arrogant man, and so were his people. Gilneas was one of the most powerful human nations in the world at that time. It was well equipped to take care of itself, and Greymane knew it. So did everyone else who lived in Gilneas. Greymane agreed to join the Alliance, but he complained constantly about it, because it was costing his kingdom money and resources, and his kingdom wasn't even under direct attack from the encroaching Horde.

When the war was over, the orcs were put into internment camps, and that's the main reason Greymane withdrew from the Alliance. He saw no point in sinking money and resources into keeping an enemy alive and had no wish to spend his kingdom's fortune on those kingdoms that had been shattered by the war. Shortly after withdrawing from the Alliance, he ordered the construction of the Greymane wall. This wall prevented anyone outside of Gilneas from getting in -- but it also prevented anyone in Gilneas from getting out.

While some Gilneans were OK with this, some were entirely against it, and when the worgen curse began to spread, more and more unhappy people began to let their king know about it. A civil war broke out, with many Gilneans caught in the middle -- and of course, during all of this, the Gilnean people were dealing with the worgen that had mysteriously appeared and begun chomping people left and right.

What you should keep in mind as a Gilnean

Gilneans are in general a proud, arrogant people -- but as of late, they've discovered that they aren't as self-sufficient as they'd like to believe and may have a more humble attitude.
King Genn Greymane is extremely apologetic for what he did in the past. The Greymane wall was an obvious mistake. He wants nothing but what's best for Gilneas and the tattered remains of his people, now.

One of the more fascinating aspects to play with is this: As a Gilnean, you have essentially been lost in time for around 20 years or so according to the Warcraft timeline. Most of the important events that are happening today are completely foreign to you.

You have never seen a night elf before meeting the ones in the worgen starting experience. Night elves didn't join the Alliance until the Third War -- long after Gilneas stuck itself behind that wall.

Likewise, draenei are completely foreign to you. Matter of fact, the thought of traveling to other worlds like Outland is probably difficult to comprehend.

You weren't aware of the rise of the Lich King. You may have vague memories of Terenas Menethil, but you weren't aware of his death at the hands of his son.
The whole mess with Varian Wrynn and Onyxia? Yeah, you don't really know anything about that, either.

The war with the Lich King and the victory in Northrend completely passed you by. Yes, from a game standpoint you can go back and play through it if you like -- consider it a gift from the Bronze Dragonflight. Timelines between Cataclysm, Outland and Northrend are screwed up, and Blizzard knows about it.

You have never seen a troll or a tauren. You may have seen a blood elf at one point in time or another, but back then, they were high elves that had nothing to do with fel magic.

The Forsaken are basically the undead remains of your former neighbors. They are likely horrifying to you.

Loads to play with, isn't there? And that doesn't even take into account the effects of the worgen curse. Here are some other resources about Gilneans and the time line surrounding the Second War:

Tides of Darkness by Aaron Rosenberg
Beyond the Dark Portal by Aaron Rosenberg and Christie Golden
Know Your Lore: A history of Gilneas
Know Your Lore: Shadowfang Keep
Know Your Lore: The Second War

How do you solve a problem like Gilneans?

The points listed above are all possible things you want to keep in mind while creating a backstory for your worgen, but as with anything else, it's entirely open to interpretation on the roleplayer's end of things. Your character can be a Gilnean of old attitudes -- proud, arrogant, aggravatingly self-sufficient and extremely proud of it. Your character can be a Gilnean who has been humbled by the devastation of your former home. You can make yours a vengeful Gilnean who wants the Forsaken dead and Gilneas returned to its former glory at all costs.

You can be thankful that the night elves stepped in and are currently trying to help your people deal with the worgen curse. Or you can be a very, very bitter Gilnean who is ticked off about the fact that these strange, alien people from another continent decided to muck around with unusual magic in the first place and, in the process, set up a series of events that ultimately messed everything up. You can be the bewildered and shocked Gilnean who's just realized that the world hasn't revolved around you and that there's a ton of history to catch up on. Or you can treat the passing of time with nonchalant bravado -- after all, you are a Gilnean. You can handle anything thrown your way.

The possibilities are endless.
What if I'm not Gilnean?

This is a little tricky to address, but let me make it as plain as possible: All current playable worgen in game came from behind that great huge honking wall that went splat when Deathwing fluttered his fancy way into the world. The only exception to this are worgen death knights, who were former slaves of Arugal that managed to break free and get themselves killed and resurrected by Arthas. You can read more about worgen death knights and their origination in a Know Your Lore from a month or so back.

Is it possible to roleplay a worgen as a citizen of Lordaeron or Stormwind? Yes, it could be argued that traveling adventurers that scampered their way into Shadowfang Keep got themselves bitten and managed to come down with a case of the worgens. Is it possible to play another race as worgen? To put it bluntly -- no. The case could be argued for night elves, but there are no playable night elf worgen in game; they all exist as NPCs. There are no draenei worgen, there are no gnome worgen, and there are no dwarf worgen; these races weren't part of Gilneas.

When push comes to shove, though, it's a matter of roleplaying taste. You could try to play a draenei worgen, but it's likely that other roleplayers are going to look at you funny or flat-out refuse to roleplay with you. When you're roleplaying a race -- even one that seems to be an offshoot of an existing race like the human/worgen connection -- you want to keep the lore of that race in mind. Stepping too far out of existing lore is kind of a recipe for disaster. You could do it, sure, but other roleplayers may not be as accepting of your character's "unique" qualities, leaving you with nobody to roleplay with.

And in the end, why would you want to? The Gilnean people have such a rich, vivid history that roleplaying a Gilnean, much less a worgen, is a fascinating concept in and of itself. There are literally millions of scenarios that you can fiddle with until your character is perfect, countless ways you can make them unique within the context of the lore. Sure, we haven't heard anything from Gilneans in years -- but that's exactly what makes them so interesting. Keep that in mind when you're constructing your character. Have fun, and go wild!

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:56 pm

General information:

Race Name: Worgen (Primarily Gilneans)
Race Capital: Darnassus (Formerly Gilneas City)
Secondary Race Capital: Stormwind City
Languages: Common
Lifespan: Gilnean/Worgen

Adulthood: 15
Middle Age: 40-60
Old Age: 60
Venerable: 80
Maximum Lifespan: 85-130

(Fun Fact: Genn Greymane has ruled for decades. He's around seventy, possibly older!)
>Keep in mind the Greymane wall was put up around 20 years ago<

Geography of Gilneas:

Gilneas was surrounded by a reef, but when the Cataclysm struck, it was seperated, allowing passage of ships into Gilneas. Since it's a very dark and gloomy place, Gilneas has troubles making through the winter. It's also composed of hills and mountains, which hold the terrible Ettin, a force not to be trifled with in Gilneas.

The Eastern Mountains seem impassable, giving Gilneas a defended feeling. Gilneas City lies in the middle of Gilneas, planted with canals and gates known as the Queens and Kings gates’.

People of Importance:

Racial Leaders:
Known as the Royal House of Gilneas which is ruled by King Genn Greymane.

Secondary Leaders involve:
Queen Mia Greymane
Prince Liam Greymane (Former heir to the throne)
Princess Tess Greymane (Heir to the throne)

Other Nobles And Such:
Mayor Gwen Armstead (Former Mayor of Duskhaven)
Lord Ashbury ll (Eastern Lord)
Lord Ashbury l
Lord Waldon (Eastern Lord)
Lord Hewell
Lord Godfrey

Important Members:

Lord Godfrey:

He is probably the closest noble and advisor of King Genn Greymane and goes with him everywhere. He stood as the commander of the Militia of Gilneas during the Second War. It's possible he continued with that position after the Wall was built. With a strong intent to keep his kingdom pure and defend it, he is strongly against any worgen regaining their sanity. When Genn transforms, he kidnaps him, but to no avail. Shortly afterwards he commits suicide and is raised as a forsaken.

Liam Greymane:

Prince Liam Greymane is the son of the King. He avoids being bitten by any worgen, but in the end as he tries to protect his father’s life, he is killed by Sylvanas. He's buried in Aedric's Repose, and is known as deceased. Unlike other nobles of Gilneas, he has not been raised as forsaken.

Darius Crowley:

Lord Darius Crowley is a noble of Gilneas, having formerly spearheaded the Northgate Rebellion against the King. He took part in the Council discussing the action of the Gilneans during the Second War. Genn admired his ability to rule with emotion, but this respect was obviously lost when he spearheaded the rebellion. Because of his actions, he was sentanced to prison in Gilneas City. He eventually gets bitten by worgen and meets the Night Elves at Tal'doren.

Krennan Aranas:

Proclaimed one of the best alchemists of Azeroth by King Genn Greymane, Krennan Aranas is a close friend of Genn. He saved Tess's life shortly after she was born and cured, at least partially, the worgen curse of the Gilneans.

Lorna Crowley:

A non-worgen, Lorna is the daughter of Darius Crowley. She plays a large part throughout Gilneas, taking part in the evacuation and aids the Gilneans in the fight against the Horde and the other worgen.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:57 pm

History

"Damn the orcs, damn the Alliance, and damn you! The last thing Gilneas needs is sponges from other nations drawing from our resources, Dalaran wizards meddling with our affairs, and someone else's enemies killing our soldiers! Gilneas is its own nation and it always will be."
- Genn Greymane, on foreign relations.

All playable worgen are citizens of Gilneas, an isolationist kingdom, reluctant to assist other nations in times of war, going so far as to completely withdraw from the rest of Azeroth with the construction of Greymane Wall roughly twenty years ago. Gilneans did not participate in the Third War, even refusing to allow Lordearonian refugees of the Scourge invasion to enter the kingdom.

During the events of World of Warcraft:

Cataclysm, the city of Gilneas is attacked by a group of Worgen, the products of a curse created and spread by the Arch mage Arugal in the nearby Silverpine Forest. These attackers spread the curse to those of the city's population that survived being attacked by the invading Worgen. Those who were affected became vicious worgen, unable to stop themselves from killing their former friends, neighbours, and family. After a civil war of sorts between the cursed and un-cursed Gilneans, the human side developed a serum which gave the curse's victims some control over their transformation.

You will start as a Gilnean citizen who has assisted with the defence of Gilneas against the invading Worgen, only to be bitten and cursed yourself. Eventually you become a cursed worgen who has recently been captured and injected with a double-dose of this serum. While you are still working to cure others and fighting off an attack from the Forsaken, the cataclysm occurs, reducing the Greymane Wall to ruins and bringing an end to your kingdom's isolation. Eventually you come across a group of Night Elf Druids of the Scythe.

After a conversation with them, you come to discover that the Worgen Curse originated from them when they attempted to take the form of their patron, Goldrinn. In doing so, they lost themselves to the ferocity and animosity of their new forms, turning them into mindless humanoid wolves. Their fellow druids who remained unaffected put them into a magical sleep beneath the tree of Tal'doren. There they slept until discovered by Arugal. He sought to use their magical state for his experiments, and in doing so, created the Worgen Curse. After learning this story, you work with the Druids of the Scythe to perform a ritual to prevent you from devolving into a mindless beast, as the medication you have been given will only last so long.

How does the history of Gilneas affect you?

Remember, Gilneas and its people have had almost no contact with the outside world for about twenty years. (Keep this in mind when deciding your age.) The years of isolation have likely shaped your history and personality more than anything, aside from your curse. If you are young, you would never have ventured outside of Gilneas, or at least have no memories of doing so. If you are older, you may have participated in the Second War. Regardless of your age, recent events such as the discovery of Kalimdor, the specifics of the Third War, the arrival of the draenei, the defection of the blood elves to the Horde, the reopening of the Dark Portal, and rise and fall of the Lich King, may be completely unknown to you or only rumours. (Lore connections to the Third War are so ubiquitous in WoW, it may be a good idea to read up on it just to remind yourself what your character wasn't connected to and wouldn't know about.)

Origination:

Elune looked down upon Goldrinn with dislike because of his feral nature. He hunted through the forest, a gleaming white beauty that would make any worgen proud. He was Lo'gosh, even honoured by the orcs, but it was him who was also honoured by the Night Elves.

Early in the history of Azeroth, around the time of the War of the Ancients, Night Elves gathered. A few among them were known as Ralaar, and a Priestess of the Moon named Belysra. Since druids had come to light, the males were following Malfurion and began to practice it. In search of new forms against their foes, the Burning Legion, they found the fury and pride of Goldrinn.

This stirred a new form, called the Worgen. It was very much like Goldrinn, including by the claws and feral nature that was let loose. But Goldrinn, and his feral nature was too primal and too strong for the Night Elves to control. In fear, Belysra and Relaar created the Scythe of Elune, a wooden polearm to control the feral nature and keep it in check. Unfortunately, the Scythe could not do that.

Eventually, the Night Elven worgen, also known as the Druids of the Pack, were lost to their feral minds. Banished to the Emerald Dream by Malfurion so they could be prevented from harming both allies and enemies, they slept eternally beneath Dral'nir, a tree very much like Tal'doren, but the first one.

At some point, Ralaar, the alpha of the Druids of the Pack ventured with Belysra to the Eastern Kingdoms, most likely venturing into Gilneas before the end or possibly the start of the Second War. The Scythe did not go with them.

Before the arrival of the Scourge in Dalaran, there was a mage in named Ur who lived there. He studied research for soldiers, partially to protect Dalaran and the Alliance from any attacks as he knew from the previous attacks from the Legion, they were gaining attention. Successfully finding begins, he named them Worgen. He wrote a book on the worgen and his studies, eventually dying when the Scourge destroyed Dalaran.

Ur's book eventually made it to the hands of Archmage Arugal, but there was also another person who was vital in the coming of the Worgen.

Velinde Starsong was a Kaldorei Sentinel fighting against the Burning Legion forces in Felwood and Ashenvale. The demons, as much as they were cleared out, would not relent. In desperate need, Velinde prayed to Elune for a weapon to use against the demons. She was granted with the Scythe of Elune, an old wooden polearm. As soon as she beheld it, she had a vision of the wolf-men fighting the Lords of the Emerald Flame who were actually the Satyrs in the War of the Satyr shortly after the War of the Ancients ten thousand years ago in Ashenvale.

Velinde used this weapon to her advantage, summoning these wolf-men from the Emerald Dream where they had previously slept for so long. Still cursed, the worgen fought for her for a short amount of time, but also like long ago, attacked their allies. More worgen appeared, whether by the curse spreading or by the summoning from the Emerald Dream. It was no longer a druid form, but a completely feral animal.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:57 pm

Backstory

Velinde Starsong ordered the worgen to stay at the Shrine of Mel'thandris while she went to Darkshore and Darnassus to search on the Worgen. She could find nothing except for whispers about Archmage Arugal, a Kirin Tor wizard who had also achieved skill in summoning such feral beasts. Velinde adventured to the Eastern Kingdoms from Ratchet and landed in Stranglethorn Vale. She took a cart up to Duskwood, which was then an expansion of Elwynn Forest and not so gloomy.

She successfully made it there, but it was mysteriously left in a cave and Velinde never heard from again. Since the Scythe was left in a mining cave, Jitters and other miners entered for more work. Finding it odd that such a weapon there; Jitters attempted to remove it.

Somehow, worgen were summoned from the scythe and murdered everyone but Jitters who managed to escape. Because of the worgen arriving in Duskwood, a dark aspect came over the area. The worgen were free.

Dark Riders came from Deadwinds Pass, searching for the Scythe of Elune to use to summon worgen to kill their enemies. When the wife of Sven lied to them, confident she would not be killed, they murdered her. Jitters saw this all, writing it down in a journal that he had buried out of fear.

Meanwhile, the whispers that Velinde heard were true. Archmage Arugal, an original patriot of Gilneas fled to the village of Pyrewood after the destruction of Dalaran. Frustrated by his loss, he used Ur’s research to summon worgen who would fight with the wizards against the Burning Legion. These worgen did slaughter the scourge, but like many times before, they also bit into the forces of the wizards and killed them. Arugal was insane, not meaning to kill more of his own magi. He adopted the worgen as his pets, taking residence deep within Shadowfang Keep.

These worgen could spread the curse, which lead all over Silverpine, but also to Gilneas as well.

Somehow, the Scythe made it out of the mine in Duskwood past the worgen, and was carried to Grizzly Hills in Northrend. There, used hopefully as another weapon, the scourge used it to raise worgen and the one man who knew how to control them. Arch mage Arugal was raised by the San’layn. The curse spreads here too, because the worgen are still feral. Very much like the situation in Gilneas, a wolf cult forms within the humans where they can transform between human and worgen.

Gilneas-Specific History: Genn had a father namd Archibald who brought Gilneas to its height. Archibald influenced Genn very much, including with his opinions about building up Gilneas without ever needing the Alliance.

Gilneas used to be a part of the Alliance before the Second War. Its king, Genn Greymane was arrogant, finding that the Alliance needed Gilneas more than Gilneas needed the Alliance. Because of this, thinking he could bring his brilliant kingdom so far on his own, he closed off all ties with the Alliance and became an independent faction. In order to keep everyone of the Alliance out, he built the Greymane Wall which couldn’t be scaled by any human means, but that did not prevent the worgen. It was most likely that the wall was also kept watch over by guards to make sure nobody got in, including the camp of wagons outside of the gate.

Somewhere within this time period, as the wall was being built, Arugal was being used to help fend off the worgen on the other side of the wall. Genn and other nobles would go into the Blackwald and hunt worgen at night, or, so to speak, to rid Gilneas of the pests. It was at this time that Genn was bitten by a worgen which lead to the explanation of his transformation.

Lord Darius Crowley, a noble of Gilneas, insisted against the building of the wall, still intent that they needed the Alliance. A few rebel armories were stored within Gilneas City to power the rebellion and aid Darius Crowley. He led the Northgate Rebellion against the King, but lost to Prince Liam and the Royal Guard as they guarded Gilneas against this threat. Darius Crowley was put to prison in Gilneas City, although the armories remained as no one of importance knew they were there. This rebellion happened sometime within the last twenty years.

It was around this time King Genn Greymane shut off the harbor and trade with other countries. He would go to any lengths to spare his country from outside contact. This action eventually lead to worgen pirates who would most likely join the Bloodsail Buccaneers.

Within the few weeks before the coming of the worgen to Gilneas, a wolf cult like the one in Grizzly Hills began to form. Not only that, but a murderer by the name of Starlight Slasher because he, or she, murdered at night. Detectives began to investigate the nuisance that was the cult. Worried about the Slasher, the citizens of Gilneas began boarding up their windows and buying reinforced doors.

Surprisingly, Ralaar and Belysra are in Gilneas. Ralaar deals with the Slasher, but the wolf cult still remains. It is revealed that the Starlight Slasher attacks are actually initiations for those of the wolf cult.

Eventually, more worgen from Silverpine make it into Gilneas and curse the citizens. Banshee Queen Sylvanas Windrunner, under the command of Garrosh Hellscream was sent to batter and control Gilneas and its resources. Sylvanas herself, in search of a success for the Horde, sent out to retrieve the Scythe of Elune which she could harbor to spread the Worgen curse in her favor.

Because of Ralaar who shares the interests of Sylvanas, the worgen of the Bloodfang Pack seem to grow and attack Gilneas City. He, also known as Alpha Prime, was seeking to spread the worgen curse.

From there, the playing experience takes over. Although Tal’doren was planted by a seed of the original tree that soothed the Druids of the Pack.

Currently, some Gilneans have formed the Gilneas Liberation Front to fight against the Undead and retake Gilneas.

Gilnean Flags and Other Signs: The rapier weapon seems to be a trademark of the Gilneans, even if Gwen Armstead can't seem to use one.
Prior to that, when they transform into worgen, they seem to use fist weapons to accommodate their new ability with their claws. Swords seem to also be common, but probably not a trademark weapon.

Throughout Gilnean buildings seen in-game, there is a rug of two different colored roses, white and red. I assume this is a sign of Gilneas, like the "Gileas Rose". It also plays a part in the character creation of the worgen, a red rose. I like to refer to Princess Tess as the "Rose of Gilneas."

Names: Because of Genn's family, it's assumed the last name is generally passed down through males.

Since the Gilneans are heavily based off of Victorian era, their names are somewhat British. They're also just like human names, with the exception of some feral last names. These feral last names are unintended, most likely coincidences. Your character mmost likely wouldn't have a feral last name.The example would be Genn's last name, Greymane.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:57 pm

The Worgen classes:

Warrior:

A worgen warrior has a lot of flexibility, just like any other warrior. If you were born in Gilneas, you will want to consider how you used your skills as a warrior. Were you part of the Northgate Rebellion, or did you perhaps serve in the Royal Guard? Were you perhaps part of the small 'token' army that the Gilneans sent to aid the alliance of Lordaeron in the war against the orcs? You also will want to think about how you view your curse. It definitely strengthens a warrior, and can lead to more diverse combat techniques. Perhaps you are a berserker or Brawler?

Priest:

We really don't know much about the Gilneas priesthood, but it is clear the Gilneans were a light-worshipping people. From Genn's story-line, we know that they are a technologically advanced people, having large factories. After a hard day at work, the 'light' would be a normal person's reprieve from work. As a priest or priestess of the clergy, it would be your job to convince people of the light's message. As for the curse, it would -probably- be looked down upon, as a priest would have to be a more educated, civil person of Gilnean society. Priests would have little use for the curse, perhaps seeing it as savage.

Mage:

Like the humans, the worgen were mages before their transformation. Since humans were taught magic by the High Elves before the Second War, it's most likely assumed that the Gilneans picked up on this too. Mages are one of the higher castes of Gilnean society, probably. It takes years of training and study to become a mage, and it is probably very expensive to be able to receive that training. There is nothing innately unique about Gilnean mages though, aside from the fact that they were barred off from Dalaran for about ten years, which was the study for most mages. One interesting part of being a Gilnean mage is that they likely felt the effects of the Nexus War, yet had little idea what was occurring.

Druid:

Taught by the Night Elves to the worgen, druidism is integral within both. It may also be, that with their shape shifting abilities, shape shifting into other forms may come as easily. It's also because the Druids of the Pack were night elves, but shape shifted into worgen under the form of Goldrinn. Druidism could be considered another way of controlling the beast.

Gilneans druids definitely have a fairly rich history, starting with the tradition of 'harvest witches'. Essentially, Gilnean harvest magic was a very primitive form of druidism, which was used to increase the amount of crops farmers would receive. It was only with the advent of the night elves that Gilneans became full-fledged druids. A harvest wizard or witch would likely be looked down upon if they chose to embrace the more spiritual side of druidism, as the main religion of the Gilneans was the light! As for worgen form, it is definitely a mixed bag with druids. One could either regard it is a gift, given by Goldrinn itself, or a curse, as it is unnatural for a human to become a worgen. Note that being a worgen -may- enhance druidic abilities.

(More about the Harvest Cleric/Witch/Druid at the last post )

Death Knight:

In this case, you are a worgen commanded by Archmage Arugal in Shadowfang Keep. You eventually escape with another Lord, but are then raised by the dead by Arthas. Although in the script when you kill the Lord who reminds you of who you are, he says you're originally from Gilneas. This doesn't necessarily add up with the fact that the Shadowfang Worgen were completely different, experimented on outside of the wall.

Rogue:

You don't necessarily have to be a 'rogue', but you should fight in a style that emphasizes agility and quickness. There are of course, numerous reasons that a Gilnean would become a rogue. It is implied in quests that there is a certain amount of poverty that took place in Gilneas, and a large amount of social unrest. Perhaps you used your skills to infiltrate the Government? Being a worgen also considerably enhances your abilities as a rogue. Worgen are quick and very stealthy, thus a rogue would have to have good reasons not to embrace there form.

Hunter:

It's implied through quests that Gilneans do have some history with hunting. It was not the 'attuned to nature' hunting that most Kaldorei or Tauren may practice, but rather a sort of hunting focused upon getting game. A Gilnean hunter probably would use a gun, not a bow. As for a hunter's view towards the 'worgen' form, it really varies.

Warlock:

Although we don't know whether or not warlockery was explicitly banned in Gilneas, it was likely frowned upon. Like any other Warlock, a worgen would be corrupt and somewhat evil to walk down the path of the warlock. It is likely that there were some trainers in hiding, or you could have simply been a mage that twisted and bended arcane magic until you became addicted to fel-magic.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:58 pm

Worship/Tradition:

The Gilneans may not heavily favour tradition like the humans do, but they do devote some of their life to the Holy light. In Gilneas City, the centre is a cathedral for the Gilneans.

An interesting, possibly Gilnean unique tradition is to take a moment and bury it under a grave. If the momentos was removed, the Gilnean ancestors would become angered and wake up until the momentos were put back.

It's also custom to bury a loved one with a momento at the same time.

With the introduction of the black wedding dress, it's possible Gilneans marry in black, not white.

You're supposed to bring gifts to weddings for the bride and groom.

Hallow's End:

Many years ago before the Second War and the removal of the Gilneans from the Alliance, the Gilneans used to celebrate Hallow's End with the Alliance. They used to burn the Wickerman and because of the coming winter, would burn away their fears and sorrows. This lead to the awakening of hopes.

Now, because of their reintroduction into the Alliance, the Gilneans celebrate Hallow's End in full, fun style once again. They sell masks and candy and wands and costumes galore! Their most famous attraction is the burning of the Wickerman every hour on the hour.

...Basically, Gilneans like this holiday like I do.

Worgen and Culture

Depending on your Worgen, this could be either very easy or a nightmare to present well. As was covered before, Worgen thus far can be Night Elves or Humans in Origin.

With Night Elves you can apply the culture of regular Kaldorei, wether their kin will accept them or not as they are is unknown, however they -will- for the most part tolerate them, as they have the Worgen of Gilneas.

Humans... oh wow. You have one hell of a selection. Your Worgen can hail from any of the major Human kingdoms that have been around in the past century or two.(I say two because magic has been known to improve the life of expectancy of a person.) So your Worgen could have been a Human from Stormwind, Arathi, Alterac, Lordaeron, Gilneas, ect.

If they aren't from Gilneas, you should note in your rp addon that they were bitten or drank blood recently. As far as we know from lore, save for Duskwood, Gilneas and Grizzly Hills, no other locations had a population of Worgen. If they were in one of the areas before the Cataclysm(or even after) this should be noted to avoid confusion. Just in general make sure their way of becoming Worgen works with the timelines and areas.

Not much of Alterac or Arathi has been covered when it comes to culture. Lordaeron, Stormwind, and Gilneas however have ample information. The wowpedia articles for each should give someone a feel for the areas, as should playing WC3 or in the case of SW and Gilneas levelling through their areas(And reading novels/comics!)

A Lordaeron Worgen would almost always be guaranteed to harbor extreme hatred for the Forsaken, as would a Gilnean Worgen. Both groups would typically have strong patriotism for their country and an urge to retake it(Though this should NOT be all your character is. Too many Worgen roleplayers fall into that mindset and it's starting to give us a bad rep.)

You may want to list a regional food as one of their favourites to give them a unique flavour. Vulpe for instance enjoys the tea made from the rose of Gilneas, and the regions pumpkin pie.

I could write pages on the culture but the easiest thing to do is research the region they are from and fit it to work with your character, just do not go overboard. Like a Druid, maintain a balance. Don't make Stormwind be their character, make it WORK with their character.

Some people may ask about adding actual Worgen quirks about their characters, that'll be covered in a Do's and Don'ts post.

Nationalism:

Integrating Nationalism into your personality is the easiest of the three. You love your country, and you think it's the best. The above quote is a perfect example. You believe that Gilnean people are the best, the Gilnean army is the most powerful, your king is the best leader ever, Gilnean food tastes the best, the culture is the most advanced, etc.

How nationalistic your are has probably been determined by your age more than anything. If you are young, you would have grown up behind the Greymane Wall, surrounded and raised by people with a very high opinion of Gilneas, without any exposure to other cultures and ideas. If this is the case, imagine what it would be like to venture out in the world for the first time and learn the most outsiders don't think so highly of your king and your people. How would hearing a contrary opinion for the first time in your life affect you? Older characters may be more travelled, giving them a greater sense of Gilneas place in the world, or what they've seen may have only further convinced them of Gilnean superiority.

Once you've decided just how nationalistic you are and why, you need to think of creative ways for that nationalism to manifest in your RP. You could like to brag about how super-awesome Gilneas is, or be prone to getting into duels while defending your kingdom's honour, or you may keep your opinions to yourself while a festering hatred for all other nations slowly builds inside you. However you decide to (or not to) express your nationalism, as with all actions in RP, it should always flow from your personality and history.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:58 pm

Appearance:

Gilnean: The Gilneans look like any normal human with hair colors ranging from a dusky blonde to a dark black. Their skin colors are generally paler then that of a Stormwind humans, although they can get to a remarkably dark tan brown, just not black in human form.
Do remember that Gilneans care about what they look like. They are aristocratic, nobles, Victorian in appearance. Even if you're more of a blue-collar type, just remember to always look good. After all, you're a Gilnean, you're way better than everyone, right? And you need to be dressed and ready to climb that social ladder among your own people, to become the "elite of the elite" so to speak

Worgen:

Female: Their hair colour remains a black. I'm not sure if this is to change. Always with a toothy smile, the female worgen have varied skin colors from sort of a brown to shades of gray. There's also a reddish hue. Their fur can have different patterns, especially around their face with spotted dots of white, gray or brown. In general, females range from 4'7" to 6'1."

Male: The male worgen are generally more muscled but stand with a hunch, similar to races of the Horde. Their skin colors range similarly to the females with browns, grays, and blacks. They stand at around 5' to 6'6".

Speech

Gilneans' accent and speech is like that of the middle and upper classes of Victorian-era(1837-1901) England (although being admittedly dissapointing accent-wise to a lot of Brits). Some movies set during that time and place (most of which are based on novels) you could watch for dialectical inspiration include:

A Christmas Carol
Great Expectations
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oliver!
Pride and Prejudice
The Secret Garden
Sherlock Holmes
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Young Sherlock Holmes

Eating Habits:

Omnivores. With the new worgen curse, it's assumed that meat may be prefered when it comes to food because of the original carnivorous Worgen. Also note that worgen have fangs, which contributes to their carnivore nature.

How to Distinguish a Worgen:

A few helpful hints for distinguishing Gilneans in roleplay as humans.

1 - The accent. This is heavy, and between the Cataclysm and the joining of the Alliance, there's no way to get rid of it so quickly as it hasn't even been two months.

2 - The clothing. Gilneans are still arrogant and favor their high status with 19th century victorian era clothing. Tophats and tailored suits along with dresses. Please keep in mind that the worgen would not fit into human society so easily. They would prefer to keep their comforting clothing for a time.

3 - The personality. Gilneans think highly of Gilneas, but are also humiliated because of their recent issues in Gilneas and the loss of the war against the Worgen. They'll be arrogant and stand up for their opinions. Anyone who stands straight, tall, and aloof could be labelled a Gilnean, but not always.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:58 pm

The Curse

Complete Control

It may be the case that the worgen curse hasn't affected your personality at all. Now you are a human, with all your memories and cognitive functions intact, who has merely gained the ability to transform into a feral-looking form. Sound boring? Well, a worgen with complete control is not necessarily without inner conflict. You may see this curse as a blemish on the good name of Gilneas, or perhaps you are vain and disgusted with your own appearance. You may also become more feral simply because you believe you are an animal. Take the prince in Disney's “The Beauty and the Beast,” for example. It is never stated that the enchantment effected his personality, but for psychological reasons he still became bestial in nature; growling, walking on all fours, and being generally anti-social. By the end of the movie, he's essentially acting human again, even before his magical tear-jerking transformation. Perhaps your human mind and Gilnean pride has seen your new status as a gift, a means to defend Gilneas, or bring others to see how great (you think) it is. Your new strength and agility have given your courage and bolstered you (well earned or otherwise) pride in yourself. You retain a human mind and yet embrace your new body.

Two Minds

Another way to role play a Gilnean worgen that is popular with some role-players is the idea of two conflicting (or coexisting) minds within your character. The first is your character's original human personality and the second is the worgen personality introduced into your mind by the curse. You may be strictly human when you are human and worgen when you are worgen (ala Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) or that line may be more fuzzy, with your form merely dictating which personality is dominant at the time. You may be normal as a human, yet fighting the usual aggressive nature of the worgen while in feral form. Needless to say, this method is not for everyone, and should be used with caution. It can be a bit difficult to pull off correctly. Or, if you prefer the comedic route, you can treat each form as a separate person and argue with yourself.

Feral Instincts

The middle ground in worgen RP is the "feral instincts" approach. As with “complete control,” you have a single personality, but the curse has made that personality more feral. Your level of “ferality” while in your two different forms may be the same or it may be very different. If you're willing to bend the lore a bit, you could even be more civilized in your worgen form! (Though you better have a damn good explanation as to why that is.)

Types of Worgen:

With that in mind, we know of two types of beings that have been recorded being capable of turning.

Night Elf

Human

It is unknown at this time if other races can become Worgen, however I'd highly recommend playing it safe and sticking to your "Origin" being one of the two.

Archetypes

Anyone who has done the starting quest or even rp'd should have noted by now there are "3" main archetypes, I'll list them now!

The Embracer

This Worgen has embraced their new form, you'll rarely if ever see them as a Human.(Night Elves have been reported as being unable to shift back to Night Elf form, wether this is because they did not do the ritual or not, has not been elaborated on.) They like the perks of their new form! The increase in their senses and abilities are simply too good for this one to pass up, who wouldn't enjoy leaping from rooftop to rooftop like nothing, or smelling a fresh kill and recognizing it was a rabbit or doe!

While this Worgen is more than content to stay in their new form, depending on where they hail from, they'll almost always maintain the attitude they had as a Human/Nelf but may have some deviations. The patriotic Gilnean will still bow their head when the Prince is mentioned or scoff at the King's actions regarding the Northgate rebellion.

NPC's that follow fall under the "Embracer" archetype.

Lord Darius Crowley
Ivar Bloodfang
Ralaar/Alpha Prime
Fiona

The Middle Man

This Worgen does not embrace their new form. While they may or may not view it has having nice perks, they're comfortable typically in whichever form they require at the moment. You may see them as a Worgen sometimes, then a Human the next! Perhaps they view the form as a tool for dire situations or something for absurd antics. Either way this is not someone whom will completely shun what they've been given. How they use it however, varies from person to person.

Out of the 3 archetypes, this one tends to be the most diverse.

Notable NPC's of this type.

Genn Greymane
Celestine of The Harvest

The Denier

This person refuses their Worgen form, to them it is truly a curse and something that must be expelled or sealed away. To them, they will always be Human(Or Night Elf). Good luck getting this person to ever use the Worgen form, some may even feel animosity or betrayal by their kin for their acceptance or embrace of such things!

On very rare occasion will they become Worgen and it's almost always involuntary. Wether through rage, grief, or another intense emotion they will shed their Human/Elf form and become that which they loathe of themselves.

Notable NPC's of this archetype

Tobias Mistmantle

Those are 3 of the major types I've seen in both comics and the game, by no means are those the only ones, they just tend to be the major ones that you'll encounter.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:59 pm

When making your name:

You are a citizen of the human kingdom of Gilneas first and a worgen second. Your curse is a recent one, so regardless of age you've spent most of your life as a human. Remember these facts when choosing your name. So far, the NPC names we've seen in the worgen starting zone have been human sounding, indicating the most Gilneans have not used their recent curse as an excuse to change their name to Bloodpelt, Gorefang, or Feralclaw. However, it is not yet clear which NPCs have been effected by the curse and which have not. (the obvious exception being the Gilnean king, Genn Greymane and his ilk)

If you are going the split personality route, and your personalities have two separate names, then you will need to decide which one is your screen name. This decision should flow from how you are going to introduce yourself to strangers. Do you carry a shameful curse, or are you proud of your new abilities? Are your feral aspects dominant, or are they kept in check? Using Blizzard's paid character re-customization service, you could even start with one name, and switch to another as you develop.

For your surname, you could take a cue from Genn Greymane, and simply have gotten lucky, having already had a feral sounding last name. There is a strong precedent for such occurrences in fiction (Captain Hook, Otto Octavius), but it may come off as slightly cheesy. If you are more of a strict lore-follower, you may want to borrow your surname from a Gilnean NPC since it is likely a relatively small kingdom like Gilneas has a relatively small number of families. As Gilnean dress and architecture seems to be inspired by Victorian-era England, you could also take your first and/or last name from a list of British names. You could, of course, always adopt yourself a title, changing your last name. Your name only has as much meaning to it as you give it, and as such, your name is whatever you identify yourself as. Perhaps you have found your "curse" to be a boon, and are proud of your new found abilities, and you wish to leave your old, "worthless and weak" identity behind you. You could then choose a surname reflecting your achievements, or personality, much in the manner of Gnomes. Just be sure to make it known when necessary.

Backstory do's and don't's

Avoid creating a back-story in which you are from another human land, yet were still somehow cursed. As a rule, worgen are Gilneans (or one of the new Hillsbrad worgen). Blizzard has created an entire history and culture for Gilneas, which is THE largest part of the worgen racial identity, and you would be remiss not to integrate it into your back-story. Also, being an immigrant is a horribly overplayed character history (Try finding a human who isn't from Lordaeron). If you still have your heart set on being that guy who isn't from the same place as all the other worgen, just remember that (excluding teleportation or summoning) you could not have immigrated in the last 20 years.

A more viable option would be to go in the opposite direction and create a human player-character who is one of the Gilneans who managed to avoid being cursed. Having this Gilnean be the relative, friend, or significant other of a cursed worgen player-character sets up many interesting RP opportunities.

Gilnean Role play Lore Path Options:

1. The Gilnean who's not actually a Worgen.

If you'll notice, Lorna Crowley isn't a worgen. This is where my point comes in, where you just role play a human (or a worgen in human form) that's a Gilnean who avoided becoming infected. This could be cause for interesting role play, such as a distrust of the worgen and perhaps, like Godfrey, wanting to kill them. They may rebel, but would stay in the shadows with dislike for the worgen of their race. Still a noble character of arrogance, the non-worgen Gilnean is an option if you don't want to roleplay a worgen, but feel this lore path is interesting!

Some characters who aren't worgen may not necessarily be bent on the destruction of their race, either. Sympathy may be felt, or even a close friend of a worgen who avoid being bitten.
Personality

When it comes to being a Gilnean, you're always a Gilnean of Gilneas first, and a Worgen second. [This is assuming you're a Gilnean!!!] Considering Gilneans have been human longer then they have worgen, it's only natural!

Because Gilneans have been locked up for twenty years, very few of them have ever been exposed to outside cultures. They've only ever known Gilneas, and because of this, will feel that Gilneas is the best. Everything about Gilneas is amazing, and it's the best kingdom they've ever known. Aside from humiliation from their new deterioration of Gilneas, let's step back.

Genn was always known as an arrogant king. That's why he closed off Gilneas, because the Gilneans were better then the Alliance and didn't need the Alliance as much as the Alliance needed them. Because so many Gilneans agree, they have a sense of pride and selfishness for their kingdom. They may be stubborn when it comes to their opinions as well, but won't like the other races looking down upon them.

Key points of personality? Cynical, arrogant, prideful, nationalism. They're also willing to stick up for independence.

The worgen may have control over their mind and soul, but there is the occasional rage, caused by someone else (most likely). In most cases, the Gilnean will morph into worgen form because of their anger. So do remember, bad things could happen!

Also: Worgen seem to prefer natural habitats, most likely why they stayed with the Night Elves in Darnassus.

Although the Gilneans were originally human, with the new addition of the worgen form bound on them, their worgen form is known as their true form. Although not every Gilnean comes to terms with their worgen, or in this case, "true form", it suggests most Gilneans do.

Humiliation

Within a (somewhat nebulous) short period of time, your kingdom has been cursed, ravaged by civil war, had its precious wall broken by an evil molten dragon's return from another dimension, and been attacked by the Forsaken. As if that wasn't bad enough, these events have forced Gilneas to come crawling back to the same Alliance it reluctantly joined during the Second War and gave a big middle finger to during the Third

How much these events have tempered your pride and nationalism depends on your personality before they occurred. Regardless of where you start and where you end up, these major blows to your culture, along with being cursed, should have some effect on you. This change may have already happened, or it may be an ongoing part of your development as you slowly come to grips with what has happened.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:59 pm

Harvest Druid

The Harvest druids were apparently around in Gilneas, presumably, since the rise of the nation. Practicing the restorative side of druidism and having no accounts of being able to shift into animals at all. They -do- however communicate via the Spirits and thus have a connection with the Emerald Dream from which -all- druids channel their powers.

This means your worgen were born a Gilnean, most likely in the remote edges of society alone with whoever was teaching you, be it a mother or father of the same profession as such arts would likely only have been taught within certain circles.

The only real evidence to their powers is a sentence from Celestine the Harvest Witch which explains how her kind saved the crops at one point. Probably making them focus mostly on the healing side of druidism, which is an essential part really of -all- druids.

Important: You're a rookie when it comes to shapeshifting. To master the arts to a comfortable level of safety and control would take many years, possibly so long until the next expansion arrives. Your healing is excellent however, perhaps just below any night elf's. Taught by the Kal'dorei

This kind of Worgen may or may not have been a Harvest Witch already before undergoing training from the Kal'dorei druids who would know considerably more about druidism than any race, with the exception of the Shu'halo. Though their affinity with druidism could also be explained by the very nature of the Worgen. Worgen were once members of the Druids of the Pack who's feral form was the Worgen.

Their innate ability to transform would then be very close and they would easily learn how to shapeshift into other forms aswell. The Kal'dorei mostly teaches the new generations of druids to be Druids of the Wild, covering all aspects of druidism though never specializing in any of them. Meaning you have lots of potential but none of it is truly powerful.

Though it is imperative to note that shapeshifting is by no means easy nor does it come without risk. Imagine your whole perception of the world around you change dramatically as you are locked in a shape that moves on all four, your sense of smell sharpening and so perhaps also you eyesight. Though maybe even your eyesight switches to black/white colour or lacks a colour tap so the sense of colouration on your surroundings changes dramatically aswell. You'd have to learn how to even move in this new form correctly, and that would take many years get to function properly.

All of while you are constantly battling your primal urge which Worgen are already prone to succumb to, meaning its extremely dangerous if you're inexperienced, as you could become an animal completely (Not reversible).

Important: You're a rookie when it comes to shapeshifting. To master the arts to a comfortable level of safety and control would take many years, possibly so long until the next expansion arrives.

Druid of the Pack

Perhaps the most controversial and mary sue-ish of solutions. You were basically one of the Druids of the Pack that once, long ago delved into the raging worgen form of the savage wolf spirit Goldrinn. A form that drove you crazy until Ralaar Fangfire rounded you up along with the rest of the pack and taught you how to control yourself atleast to a degree where you retained your sanity.

You were banished into a pocket of the Emerald Dream by Malfurion Stormrage because of your savage and uncontrollable nature and slept for countless ages, possibly for 10000 years from pre-Sundering. You were then awakened in Blackwald under the great tree, Tal'doren by a possibly numerous amount of insidious persons of which there's little account.
Though during all this time in the Emerald Dream you had once more become feral, succumbed to the taint of the Worgen form and you would then spread the curse to the Gilneans and from there, the events of the starting area of the Worgen transpires.

This means you were once Night Elf. Though due to the nature of the curse you can no longer transform back, you are stuck in Worgen form 'forever' and you are immortal to aging and diseases. You are a natural shapeshifter, and you can with guidance from other druids learn to morph into other animals, though you would be on the same level as a Gilnean.

Though you natural exposure to the Emerald Dream has increased your druidic magic potential and possibly enabling you to both heal and cast more battle-oriented druidic spells.

Druids of the Scythe

Neutral Druids of the Scythe

Tal'doren, in the middle of Blackwald
Main leader Ralaar Fangfire (presumed)
Race(s) Night elf
Worgen
Base of operations Blackwald, Tal'doren
Theater of operations Gilneas

The Druids of the Scythe are a sect of druids who advocated the using of the pack form during the War of the Satyr. Originally calling themselves Druids of the Pack, they shapeshifted into a powerful yet unwieldy form that embodied the fury of the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn. They called this form the Pack Form, a form that turned them into wolves. Although powerful, the pack form tended to turn the druids feral. This eventually resulted in the worgen.

While in the worgen form, the druids eventually lost their minds to its violent nature. Blinded by all-consuming rage, Ralaar’s druids tore through friend and foe alike during battle with the satyrs. Night elves wounded by the unruly beasts contracted a virulent curse that turned them into worgen as well. Desperate to stanch the affliction’s spread, Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage mournfully banished the worgen to a pocket dimension of the Emerald Dream, where they would be in peaceful slumber for all eternity.

For millenia, the worgen threat was contained until the day Arugal tampered with summoning worgen after looking into Ur's research. It is also assumed that some of the worgen were released from their slumber by Velinde Starsong using the Scythe of Elune.

There is a recovered journal found in Gilneas that tells more of these druids. It seems that some of the druids never were captured and left the night elven lands. It speaks of the pack and how it became increasingly savage. It also tells of a druid named Ralaar Fangfire who seemed to have mastered the form. He is, as far as is currently known, the current head of the Druids of the Scythe.

Relation to the Scythe of Elune

Taught by Ralaar Fangfire, these Druids of the Pack sought to temper the uncontrollable rage inherent in their chosen form. To do so, they willingly submitted to the energies of the Scythe of Elune, a mystical artifact created from Goldrinn's fang and the staff of Elune.

Rather than abate the druids' fury, however, the weapon transformed Ralaar and his followers into worgen: bestial humanoids enslaved by their own primal instincts.

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:00 pm

This may (or not) have been seen, but it's a snippet of in-game lore (a journal) that gives a little insight into the bestial/feral worgen mentality and behaviour. From the point of a view of a Druid of the Scythe falling into a feral state and regaining control. Contains a few hints and cues as to behaviour/agression/conflict resolution for people playing more 'animalistic' worgen characters.

Day 1

"A druid's gift is his freedom to embrace and explore all facets of nature."

Malfurion so often spoke these words. I was once foolish enough to believe that he truly lived by them. Yet while my shan'do spouted this freedom, he disgraced me and my druids of the pack by banning our form. I can still recall with great clarity his angry tirades whenever he discovered us practicing in secret.

"The pack form cannot be controlled. It will consume you, and endanger us all."

The ignorance with which Malfurion passed judgment on us is infuriating. Does he not realize that the spirit of the wolf ancient, Goldrinn, is by nature's grace within me and my pack brethren? We did not choose it. It chose us. To shun it would be to turn our backs on nature itself.

It only pains me that at a time like this, when our race is threatened by war with the vile satyr, Malfurion rejects us -- the very druids who could turn the tide of battle in his favor.

It matters little now. Today my brethren and I will depart from night elf society forever to begin life anew in the wild. We will show our shan'do's beliefs to be wrong and prove that Goldrinn's spirit can in fact be controlled.

Day 7

Six nights have come and gone since we carved out our new homes in the heart of the forest. Our pack leader, Renthel, has taken charge over the community, and under his wise leadership I have at last found true freedom.

Each night we practice our form at the roots of a fallen tree where we have placed Goldrinn's fang. A thing of beauty it is... merely being in its presence seems to empower me. At times I wonder if the wolf ancient left this remnant of himself on the world as a gift to those who pursue his form.

These nightly sessions have filled me with renewed confidence in my ability to harness Goldrinn's spirit. Although Malfurion so often spoke of its dangers, even now we are proving him to be wrong.

Day 12

There was an argument tonight. A seasoned druid named Thaldrus laid claim to leadership of the pack over Renthel, and both druids settled the dispute in pack form. They circled one another for what seemed an eternity, mouths foaming and fangs bared, until Thaldrus lunged at Renthel and pinned him to the ground.

Renthel honorably accepted his defeat and relinquished his leadership with no further violence. If only Malfurion could have witnessed the dignity with which Thaldrus and Renthel acted on this eve.

Day 23

Something strange has been happening of late. My brothers spend more and more time in pack form throughout the day. Many of them claim that it is a necessity to mastering the form, yet I feel that it is not the sole reason.

An urge, primal in origin, grows inside of me. It is a desire that I can only sufficiently sate when I take on the pack form. I fear that the others feel it too.

Day 28

Tonight, under the two moons, we ventured through the wild in pack form and felled three stags. So famished were my brethren and I that we simply ripped into the creatures, clawing and biting at each other while we feasted. Euphoria washed over me as I sank my teeth into the stag's raw flesh. Even if I had been without an appetite, gorging on the creature would have satisfied me.

Day 38

First time out of pack form in seven nights. Live as a wolf like others, from one night to the next. Pack leader Thaldrus says night elf bodies are weak. All trust him. All follow him. If he saw me now, he would kill me.

Goldrinn's spirit consuming us. Fighting it feels just as wrong as giving in.

Day 42

Still taste pack leader Thaldrus' blood in my mouth.

Cannot recall details. Only remember Thaldrus taking Goldrinn's fang from fallen tree. Caught him dragging it into his den and--

Took two nights for Thaldrus to come out. We were waiting. Fangs and claws and rane. Tore him apart. Fur and flesh everywhere. Only gnawed bones afterward.

No leader now.

Day 52

Much has come to pass of late, and I feel that at last I have regained a portion of my sanity. Five nights ago, I left my den to discover that the other pack members were gathered around something, or as I soon discovered, someone. A night elf whose scent I recognized as Ralaar Fangfire, a druid of Malfurion's ilk.

As one we encircled him, yet the intruder held his ground. I smelled not a hint of fear on him, despite the fact that he remained in night elf form. His arrogance was quite infuriating.

Three of my enraged brothers charged Ralaar, and the newcomer took on the pack form and bested the challenges with little effort... yet he did not kill them.

In that instant I became aware of a difference between him and us. We had become savages... scarred, lean, and disheveled. Ralaar, however, was powerful, majestic, and still rife with Goldrinn's essence.

When no others dared challenge him, Ralaar took on his night elf form and spoke. In a tirade that reminded me of Malfurion, he berated us for becoming mindless animals and squandering what he referred to as the purity of Goldrinn's essence. Yet unlike my former shan'do, Ralaar also promised to teach us the true path to harnessing the wolf ancient's spirit. I sensed tremendous rage in his voice, tempered by a self control that I had somehow lost in recent weeks.

One by one we all left our pack forms. I can only guess that my brethren, like I, felt a strange affinity to this newcomer, as if here were a messenger of Goldrinn himself.

Ralaar has since begun teaching us as he had promised, though he no longer answers to his given name.

Rather, he now refers to himself simply as Alpha Prime.

-Gaedrin Moonfang, Druid of the Pack

Source: A Faded Journal (in-game item in Gilneas)

by **Aadaria-Ioanna** Mon Jul 30, 2012 10:00 pm

Q: Why are humans who drink the blood of worgen unable to be raised as Forsaken?

A: Not only are the Val'kyr less powerful than the Lich King when it comes to raising the undead, but the worgen curse also makes raising them into undeath far more difficult than it is for normal humans. The worgen curse has roots in both the Emerald Dream (through the wolf Ancient, Goldrinn) and the holy power of the goddess Elune. In addition, those worgen who imbibe the waters of Tal'doren—through the ritual they undergo to maintain balance between the worgen curse and their humanity—have a further resistance to the corruption of undeath.

(from ask Dew)

by Sponsored content

Worgen lore and guide

Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide

Re: Worgen lore and guide