Ask a Lore Nerd: Looking to the future

Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, where each week blogger and columnist Alex Ziebart answers your questions about the lore and history of the World of Warcraft. Ask your questions in the comments section below, and we'll try to answer it in a future edition.

This week I have a special request: I want any questions you might have about potential future expansions. Any questions at all are welcome, but I'm on a speculation kick recently, so next week's column will probably focus on the future and then we'lll be back to our regular deal after that. So no matter whether you think the Maelstrom could be next or something else entirely, ask!

Mark asked...

"Any chance that the Vrykul will be a playable race in a future expansion?"

I very highly doubt it, but I wish for it from the bottom of my heart. There are only two races that would cause me to instantly reroll: The Vrykul or High Elves for the Alliance. Unfortunately, I don't foresee us getting either of them. It would be a great day if we did, though.

losriot asked...

"I was wondering if there is a lore reason why the Argent Crusade uses Proto-Drakes as mounts instead of the more traditional mounts like griffons?"

The Argent Crusade uses whatever is most convenient. In the case of them using the Proto-Drakes, if you talked to the NPCs near the Proto-Drakes at the Argent Vanguard, you'll find out one of them is a member of the Bronze Dragonflight. The Proto-Drakes being used happen to be Bronze Proto-Drakes, and they're putting them to use for the Crusade.

At the Coliseum you'll find them using Hippogryphs. Elsewhere, gryphons. The Argent Crusade doesn't have racial or faction pride to worry about. They use whatever they find, or is donated to their cause.

Musicabright asked...

"Why do Dwarves worship the Light and not the Titans?"

Their Titanic origins are a pretty recent discovery. The Explorer's League isn't a particularly old organization, either. Their fascination with the Titans is a relatively new thing, and Light worship predates it significantly. The two beliefs don't necessarily contradict each other, either. In Azeroth, it would be pretty hard to deny that the Light exists, wouldn't it? Almost as hard to deny as the existence of the Titans. As long as the practices of the Light don't conflict with trying to learn more about the Titans, where's the problem in putting some faith in both?

Heck, Shaman that spend their days listening to the Elements can worship the Light if they want to do that. Tauren that worship the Earthmother can follow the tenets of the Light right alongside it as long as one doesn't work against the other.

Hammylaya asked...

"Hello, I was wondering what the deal is with Human Paladins using Maces, over other weapons like Swords! Is it lore-wise wrong for a Human Paladin to wield a Sword. Do you know of any Knights of the Silver Hand Paladins who use a Sword? This is a complicated isssue because some ancient history and DnD influence might be in there."

By and large, this is something that has been given significance by nerds like you and me. It does have historical significance, but it was never as widespread as it's made out to be. Back in medieval times, there were certain groups of priests, monks, and that sort of thing that used maces as an 'out' when it came to war. They weren't supposed to fight in wars and the sort, but they did by using maces. You see, blunt trauma didn't actually tend to cause any bloodshed, so they weren't doing anything wrong!

There is extremely limited evidence that such a practice was widespread, though. It was really only a very small handful of individuals that actually did that sort of thing. So... Yeah, this is something that almost purely stems from ancient nerd history. It has a little bit of real history to back it up but is largely a load.

Looking at it from an RPG standpoint exclusively: Traditionally, Paladins and their Cleric predecessors used maces in RPG settings. It pretty much predates written (nerd) history. It did manage to wiggle its way into early Warcraft lore, with almost every single Paladin using a mace. At least, the ones we see. In Warcraft III, Uther used a hammer, Arthas used a hammer, and the generic Paladin unit used a hammer. In WoW, low level Paladins are rewarded with Verigan's Fist, the Destroyer of Worlds. However, that doesn't mean it's wrong for Paladins to use other weapons! It's just an aesthetic choice in Warcraft, not something that has any particular significance. Look at Bolvar Fordragon. He's a Paladin, and he goes Sword and Board.

If you want to read more deeply into it, something to consider if that the first Paladins in Warcraft were Clerics and Priests that decided to train in the art of war. Priests in WoW don't train to use swords, but they do train to use Maces. The first Paladins probably tried to adapt many of the skillsets they already had when stepping up from the Priesthood. Uther probably started using a 2Handed Mace rather than a 2Handed Sword because he already knew how to use maces. Maybe not two handed ones, but maces nonetheless. It's very possible the younger generation of Paladins were the ones that started moving away from the tradition of using Maces. They had the opportunity to train with whatever specialized weapon they wanted, rather than basing their technique off of what they already knew.

raszero asked...

"We all know how good the Kirin Tor are to us, spending many hours in their capital city, right? Well when flying around Netherstorm, in Kirin'Var village, there are mobs with the Kirin Tor tag. Why are these Kirin Tor bad?"

Do the Netherstorm quests that take place there and you'll learn very quickly. The Kirin Tor there are all spectres, undead. They were slaughtered en masse by Kael'thas and his loyalists. Since their deaths were so traumatic, many of the dead are still 'stuck' in the mortal world. Many of the quests in the area are simply you finding that which ties the poor souls to the mortal realm, so they can find peace.

Ask a Lore Nerd is here to answer all of your questions about the lore and story of the Warcraft universe. From the religions of the universe to the 'evils' of Azeroth, everything is fair game. If you want more in-depth answers to some of your questions, you may find what you're looking for in Know Your Lore.