Draenei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Draenei (IPA: dɹaˈnaɪ) 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.
Contents |
[edit] General Information
The Draenei were added to World of Warcraft with its expansion, the Burning Crusade. The Draenei are a race that descends from the ancient Eredar of Argus (the same race as Archimonde and Kil'jaeden). The Draenei resisted the demonic forces that corrupted their brethren and fled their ancient homeworld, devoting themselves to ending the Legion's apocalyptic crusade. [1] They were first seen in Warcraft III in the form of the Broken (see below) and stand about as tall as an Orc that isn't slouching. After fleeing their home world, the Draenei settled on the planet of Draenor, currently known as the Outland since its destruction from the opening of the Dark Portal.
The playable race is significantly different from the Draenei already shown in World of Warcraft and Warcraft III. These "new" Draenei are noble of stature, with horns, tails, pointed ears, and unguligrade feet with hooves. Draenei men typically have bony foreheads much like Klingons. Their mutated cousins, the Lost Ones and Broken, are described below.
[edit] Background
Nearly twenty-five thousand years ago, the Eredar race arose on the world of Argus. They were extremely intelligent and had a natural affinity for magic in all its myriad forms. Using their gifts, they developed a vast and wondrous society.
Unfortunately, the Eredar's accomplishments caught the attention of Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds. He had already begun his Burning Crusade to eradicate all life from the cosmos, and he believed that the brilliant Eredar would be pivotal in leading the vast demonic army he was gathering. Thus, he contacted the Eredar's three most prominent leaders: Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen. In exchange for the loyalty of the Eredar race, Sargeras offered untold power and knowledge.
Although the offer sounded very tempting, Velen had a vision of the future that filled him with sick dread. Sargeras had spoken the truth: the Eredar who joined the Dark Titan would indeed gain enormous power and knowledge. However, the Eredar would themselves be transformed into demons.
Velen saw the Legion in all its terrible might and witnessed the destruction it would wreak upon all of creation. He hastened to warn Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, but they dismissed his concerns, for they had been enticed by Sargeras' promises. They gave Sargeras their allegiance and were transformed into colossal beings of depthless evil.
The sheer power that Sargeras commanded made direct opposition unthinkable. Velen nearly despaired, but his prayer for help was overheard. A being came to Velen and explained that it was one of the Naaru, a race of sentient energy beings bent on stopping the Burning Crusade. The Naaru offered to take Velen and any other like-minded Eredar to safety.
Deeply relieved, Velen gathered the other Eredar who had thus far refused to join Sargeras. Naming themselves the Draenei, or "exiled ones" in the Eredan language, the renegades barely escaped from Argus, with the Burning Legion only moments behind. Kil'jaeden was furious with what he felt was Velen's betrayal, and the demon vowed to hunt Velen and the rest of the draenei to the ends of the cosmos if need be.
The Legion chased the Draenei for many thousands of years. The Draenei visited many worlds and explored much of the known cosmos in their quest to find safe harbor. Still the Legion would not give up its pursuit. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Naaru race blessed the Draenei with Light-given knowledge and power.
The Naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion. One day the Naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable army of the Light. Deeply affected by the Naaru's words, the Draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the Naaru's altruistic ideals.
At last Velen and his Draenei settled upon a remote and peaceful world that seemed an ideal refuge. They named it Draenor (meaning "Exiles' Refuge"), and there they quietly cultivated their society once again. Ever wary of being discovered again by Kil'jaeden's forces, Velen and his mystics kept their magics hidden for generations.
In time the Draenei met and befriended the shamanistic Orc clans that already lived in the tranquil southern grasslands of Nagrand. Aside from engaging in some limited trade, the Draenei and Orcs regarded one another with respect but kept mostly to themselves.
In spite of the Draenei's caution, Kil'jaeden discovered their secret refuge on Draenor. He learned more of the world and its inhabitants, and he grew intrigued by the mighty Orc race. A plan unfolded in his mind, and the demon lord began to laugh. He could see precisely how to mold the orcs into the instrument of his wrath. It was merely a matter of time and pressure.
And so Kil'jaeden began to corrupt the orcs, first through the elderly shaman Ner'zhul, and then through his apprentice, Gul'dan. The orc clans dedicated themselves to the art of war and joined to form a single, murderous Horde. Even the wisest shaman learned warlock magics and abandoned the teachings they had once revered.
Smoothly manipulated from a state of wary acceptance into blind rage and bloodlust, the Orcs attacked the Draenei. This bloody conflict lasted nearly eight years, but the orcs' triumph was inevitable. The Draenei were mighty due to their Light-given powers, but the demon-maddened Horde was mightier still through sheer numbers. The orcs killed over eighty percent of the Draenei race and sent the rest fleeing for safety to the remote corners of the world.
Afterwards, Draenei who had fought the Horde and survived found that they had been affected by the fel energies wielded so freely by the orc warlocks. These Draenei have since mutated into lesser forms, resulting in a series of subspecies. The Broken and the Lost Ones (as seen below) are two such genetic offshoots. Their warped bodies bear only a rough resemblance to the proud Draenei they once were, and quite a few have lost their grip on sanity.[2]
[edit] Subspecies
[edit] The Lost Ones
The Lost Ones can be found in the lands surrounding the Dark Portal, as well as in a village in the Swamp Of Sorrows. They are a xenophobic people, twisted and scarred both physically and mentally by the horrors that have befallen them. The demonic energies that tore Draenor apart have left most of them deformed, belligerent and insane. While a few have retained their original identities and cling to their shamanistic heritage, even these possess little more than a primitive hunter-gatherer culture and are often just a few steps away from madness themselves. They have a generally fatalistic outlook on life, and see themselves as victims, desperate to return to their homeworld and diminished by their exile.
[edit] The Broken
The orcs of Outland were not the only ones to suffer the Burning Legion's demonic corruption. The Broken, led by the great Akama, fell prey to the demons' sinister influence, and just like the orcs, they too were changed by the corruption. Though they lost some of their former powers, the Broken still present a clear danger to all of Illidan's enemies throughout Outland. From the safety of the fortified villages the Broken hold in Outland, they lord over their lesser cousins, the wretched Lost Ones. [3] (These were the playable Draenei in Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne.) In Azeroth, the Broken reside in the Swamp of Sorrows and the Blasted Lands.
[edit] Shamanistic Class
Nobundo, a Draenei vindicator, escaped the killing of his brothers by the Orcs' hands. He had lost sight of the Light, as had all the Draenei at this point in time. He escaped from the ravaging Orcs, fleeing into the deserts of Outland; he stayed there in solitude for a long time. After years of praying, Nobundo was answered, not by the Light, but by the wind. The wind told him of past truths and future hopes until he embraced the path of the elemental shaman. Nobundo returned to his home, where he was shunned for his actions. The only sane Draenei that listened to Nobundo was Velen, leader of the Exiled Ones. Nobundo told Velen that the elements were timeless, and that they inhabited and touched every world of the cosmos. Velen rejoiced to realize that his vision was coming to pass. Accordingly, he took Nobundo with him when he and his fellow refugees took possession of the Naaru ship Exodar from the blood elves. Thus it was that Nobundo journeyed with the Draenei to the world of Azeroth.
Nobundo found that unlike the desolate wastes of Outland, Azeroth possessed abundant elemental energies. He shared his knowledge of shamanism with the Draenei on Azeroth, and all who adopted its path flourished.
The introduction of playable Draenei Shaman and playable Blood Elf Paladins eliminates the concept of faction-only classes. These changes mean the the Burning Crusade expansion will allow any class to be played on the side of either the Alliance or the Horde.
[edit] World of Warcraft Gameplay
[edit] Territory, Capital and Starting Location
The Draenei have two regions - Azuremyst Isle and Bloodmyst Isle - which form the Azuremyst Isles, a grouping of islands off the coast of northern Kalimdor, south of the night elves' island-tree of Teldrassil. Their capital is the Exodar on Azuremyst Isle. The Exodar is the dimensional craft that the Draenei retook from the blood elves and crash-landed in Azeroth. New Draenei players start at Ammen Vale, an area of Azuremyst Isle to the east of the Exodar.
[edit] Available Classes
For more information on Classes look at Classes in World of Warcraft
Draenei players may choose to play as the following classes:
Originally, the shaman was restricted to orcs, trolls and tauren - three of what were then four primary races of the Horde. However, as explained above, shamanism was granted to Draenei players via Nobundo's teachings.
[edit] Draenei Racial Skills
- Gift of the Naaru
- 40 yard range, 1.5 second cast time, 180 sec cooldown
- (At level 1 it heals a total of 55 health, and heals a total of 1085 at level 70)
- Heroic Presence (Warrior, Paladin, Hunter)
- Increases chance to hit by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.
- Inspiring Presence (Shaman, Mage, Priest)
- Increases chance to hit with spells by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards.
- Gemcutting
- 5 point skill bonus to Jewelcrafting (note, this also raises the cap by 5 at each level of jewelcrafting).
- Shadow Resistance
- Increase Shadow Resistance by 10.
Draenei priests have Fear Ward, and the newly created abillity - Symbol of Hope. Symbol of Hope is a 40 yard range spell on a 5 minute cooldown that costs 15 mana to cast, and gives the priest's party 33 mana every 5 seconds for 15 seconds. It scales with level.
[edit] Trivia
- The male Draenei dance is based upon the performance of Daler Mehndi in "Tunak Tunak Tun".
- Many allusions to Star Wars may be found in the Draenei quests in Exodar, 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?", which is obviously a hint at the popular Pink Floyd song Another Brick in the Wall.
- 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.
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ See the Burning Crusade FAQ
- ^ From the Official World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade website.
- ^ From the Burning Crusade Bestiary
[edit] External links
- Draenei, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Townhall
- Chapter III: The Doom of Draenor, History of Warcraft
- Draenei, Warcraft III Strategy Guide
- Draenei Race Information
- Draenei at WoWWiki, a World of Warcraft wiki
| Warcraft Universe |
|---|
| Humans | Dwarves | Gnomes | Night Elves | Draenei | Orcs | Tauren | Trolls | The Forsaken | Blood Elves
Undead | Goblins | Pandaren | High Elves | Ogres | Murlocs | Naga |
| Games | Books | Races | Locations | Characters | Organizations | Items |
