Be sure to dive into the comments area of each thread (not this one!) and add your own thoughts – unlike your mama, we like us some hot, fresh backtalk.
Welcome to Know Your Lore, where each week Alex Ziebart brings you a tasty little morsel of lore to wrap your mind around. Sweet, sweet lore. Mmmm.
Many moons ago, Matthew Rossi began a look at Thrall, one of the most beloved heroes in Warcraft. It was only the first half of Thrall and Grom's Radical Adventure and in a shocking turn of events, most of you actually want us to finish what we started! Man, slavedrivers, the whole lot of ya.
If you haven't read part one of the Thrall saga, you should probably do so. If you have read it, here's a quick recap of what went down so far: Thrall is the son of Durotan, former chieftain of the Frostwolves, who refused to drink the Blood of Mannoroth and was killed because he called Gul'dan a jerk. Aedalas Blackmoore, a drunkard with a lot of power, kept Thrall alive and raised him to be a tool to be used to gather more power for himself. Thrall made friends with Teretha Foxton in his days at Blackmoore's Durnholde Keep, and when Thrall escaped Durnholde many years later, Blackmoore cut off Taretha's head and threw it at the freshly-named Warchief of the New Horde. Thrall rejected this oh-so-kind gift and killed Blackmoore. If you need the details that go in between those notes, well, part one is just over there. Let's move on to the Third War and beyond, shall we?
Welcome to Ask a Lore Nerd, the column that answers your questions about the story and lore of the Warcraft universe. Click the Comments link below, ask your question, and blogger/columnist Alex Ziebart will answer you in a future installment! Travis asks...
What can you tell me about the other portals around Outlands (the only one that springs to mind right now is the one in Zangarmarsh)? They look just like the one you get to Outlands through, but are just standing there doing nothing.
Answer: Those portals were once used by the Burning Legion and their lackies to travel between Outland and various other worlds. Those portals were also used to send Legion reinforcements to Outland. Before Illidan and his posse usurped Magtheridon, they went around shutting down these portals to prevent Magtheridon from being reinforced. Further, they've been kept closed so Kil'jaeden can't come stomping back into Outland to punish Illidan for not being able to kill the Lich King.
So it's Father's Day, the time when we all pay homage to the fathers or father figures in our lives, and thank them for all that they do. While we can't say for sure if they celebrate Father's Day in Azeroth, too, there's a lot of people in Azeroth and Outland who have reason to think back on their dads today. Many dads of Azeroth have affected their children's lives or been affected by them. The ramifications of the interactions of these fathers and children have then in turn affected the lore and story of Warcraft in ways great and small.
Therefore, in honor of the holiday, let's look at 10 famous and not-so-famous dads of Warcraft lore (listed in no particular order).
Welcome to Hybrid Theory, where we discuss all things hybrid in the World of Warcraft. Hybrid Theory is brought to you each week by columnist/blogger Alex Ziebart.
The seedy underbelly of the internet continues to supply the goods. Just in time to follow up on our look at Druids and Shadow Priests, we're supplied with some potential Shaman information. Let's hope Paladin timing will be as convenient, though it seems unlikely.
As usual when discussing Alpha information, it's always wise to remember that much of it will likely change by launch. Stay optimistic, but cautiously so. That way you can get excited without your hopes being crushed later on. Now, with the disclaimer out of the way, let's dig right into the Shaman talents and abilities. A lot of the previous weaknesses of the class are being addressed (much like they were for Shadow Priests) with a few new interesting things tossed in, accompanied by a side of itemization band-aids.
Richard Knaak, author of several great Warcraft books include the War of the Ancients and the Day of the Dragon, will be writing the script for the upcoming new Warcraft Manga "Legends." We've previously covered this when some sketch cover art was released at the New York Comic Con 2008, but we haven't seen the final front cover until now.
The first manga story line he wrote about Warcraft revolved around the events leading up to patch 2.4 in the Sunwell Plateau. I picked up all three of the books in a archived version over Christmas, and it was quite a good read. I'm definitely looking forward to picking this one up, and according to a Blizzplanet page, the release date is scheduled for August 1st, 2008.
The artwork pictured to the right (click for a higher resolution image) looks pretty cool, and appears to be an OrcRogue. Since the book is called Legends, we can assume it's about some legendary figures in Warcraft. I would take a wild guess that the Orc pictured is Thrall, but I could be wrong, and feel free to disagree with me.
When you decide to roleplay, a whole new world of imagination opens up to you -- soon you realize that all the world's a stage, even if just an electronic one.
We don't know a whole lot about death knights in WoW yet, but what we do know is already enough to show that death knights are the class with the most background story already laid out for them ahead of time: The death knights we will be able to play are former servants of the Lich King who have now turned against him and joined the Alliance or the Horde instead. This background story is built into the class -- something each and every death knight roleplayer will have to take into account when they roleplay their character, and it will have ramifications upon everyone else in the entire global society of Azeroth as well.
Some other classes have a great depth of lore behind them as well, such as druids, paladins and shamans, who look to Malfurion, Uther, and Thrall for inspiration. These classes certainly look up to their heroes and follow in their footsteps, just as, in some ways, death knights follow in the footsteps of Arthas. And yet for other classes that has little effect on each individual's path to becoming a practitioner of his or her particular abilities. The transition from normal shmoe to level one hero is left vague for the player upon character creation, unless, as a roleplayer working on a backstory, he gives it special attention.
Indeed, some classes are pretty straightforward, and don't necessarily suggest a story at all. Instead, they present us with an image, or an idea -- when you play one of the existing nine classes, you can fit right into the role without a story, because the role feels like a basic archetype you already understand.
When the Burning Crusade first came out, veterans noticed a few things back on Azeroth: Some of our favorite NPCs had disappeared! The wandering Rexxar was replaced by a fellow name Rokaro, and Hemet Nesingwary left Stranglethorn, leaving his son, Hemet Nesingwary Jr., to take over the hunt. More recently, Lady Liadrin has come to Shattrath City, leaving behind Lord Solanar Bloodwrath to guide up and coming Blood Knights in her place. In order to move along a few story lines, Blizzard decided that it was worth moving NPCs to move along the story, and left other NPCs in place with minor alterations so that other people could still experience their old quests.
This, however, isn't the only way Blizzard has dealt with progressing story lines.
Telasero of Ravenholdt made an interesting discovery.He claims that he has found proof that Blizzard favors the Horde.He found a some kind of prehistoric bone art hanging from the wall that he believes matches up to the a Cuneiform Symbol for "Favored Son."I am no expert on ancient writing, so I have a hard time verifying the actual symbol, but the pictures are strikingly similar.It could be a coincidence, but I'd like to believe it's an Easter Egg.
Thrall will be in the movie. It will be told primarily from the Alliance point of view The time of the movie is set about 1 year before World of Warcraft begins. The film is mainly about cultures in conflict. It won't be an adventure movie like LoTR, more of a war film.
But it has little other information about what may be included.One thing we know for sure is that Uwe Boll (of BloodRayneinfamy) will not be receiving the movie rights. I expect any WoW movie to be as abhorrently bad as the as the campy but quaint Dungeons and Dragons film of 2000.To be successful, a Hollywood movie would need to appeal to a larger audience than WoW fans.
Miguel and Baron Soosdon have showed us the error of our ways. We somehow completely missed this amazing up-and-comer, Gnomechewer. He has a variety of movies in his arsenal, yet has very little recognition on Warcraftmovies. We think we'll be seeing more of him in the future, though.
Gnomechewer's latest film, Standing in the Way of Control, was named after a song by The Gossip, although the mix he used is actually a mashup with Elastica's Connection. The machinima is about an Orc rogue that goes back in time to ensure that Thrall is still warchief in the present. To get his story across, he blends art and model-viewed characters together to create a surreal effect!
[Thanks, Miguel!]
If you have any suggestions for WoW Moviewatch, you can mail them to us at machinima AT wowinsider DOT com.
After yesterday's subliminal debacle, we need some quality time in front of the television. lagspikefilm, previously known for his runaway hit, Crossing Over, has invited us into Thrall's Crib. This parody of MTV Cribs is so inspired by the real deal that I wouldn't be surprised if MTV sought permission to air it, or, alternatively, cease and desist it.
We're introduced to Thrall at the front of his pad, where he gives us a tour of his sweet rides, the room where the magic happens, and his unfortunate hair days. Fans of Cribs will notice every cut scene, musical choice, and even the sudden sped up footage. I wonder what a "house" like that costs?
As promised, we now announce the Supreme Leader of Azeroth.And the Winner is- Thrall!Thrall carried a lead throughout the election and ended the race with 55.3 percent of the both, more than either of the Alliance candidates combined.Lady Jaina Proudmore finished the race in second place with 34.3 percent of the vote.King Magni Bronzebeard was disappointed in his 10.4% share of the vote, and has promised a better showing in future elections.
The results of the primary elections are in.In an unsurprising landslide victory, Thrall was confirmed as leader of the Horde faction by capturing 69.7% of the vote.The bitter race on Alliance side led to a down-to-the-wire victory for Dwarven King Magni Bronzebeard who pulled in 24.9% of the vote.A distraught High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, who received 24.5% was denied a recount in the Wetlands.It is time for the final election for Supreme Leader of Azeroth.
The Azrothean primary elections are coming to close.Unsurprisingly, Thrall is a runaway candidate for leader of the Horde.The Warchief is carrying 70% of the vote, the closest competitor Lady Sylvanas Windrunner has only 14.8%.Thrall is currently preparing his campaign team for the general election.Windrunner is rumored to be preparing her forces for non-political endeavors.
Due to overwhelming support from write-in voters, Lady Jaina Proudmoore has decided to enter the election contest as an independent candidate.She would like to thank everyone for their support and promises an excellent running in the general election.
Remember to vote for your candidate by March 20, 2008. Rock (paper, scissors) the vote!
So it's Father's Day, the time when we all pay homage to the fathers or father figures in our lives, and thank them for all that they do. While we can't say for sure if they celebrate Father's Day in Azeroth, too, there's a lot of people in Azeroth and Outland who have reason to think back on their dads today. Many dads of Azeroth have affected their children's lives or been affected by them. The ramifications of the interactions of these fathers and children have then in turn affected the lore and story of Warcraft in ways great and small. 
When the Burning Crusade first came out, veterans noticed a few things back on Azeroth: Some of our favorite NPCs had disappeared! The wandering 
I'm really enjoying the Heroes coming in this summer's movie lineup.
The Azrothean primary elections are coming to close.
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