Alex Ziebart and Elizabeth Wachowski do an excellent job of filling us in on the stories behind our World of Warcraft adventures in the regular Know Your Lore columns.I had very little experience with the real time strategy games that led to our beloved MMORPG.I find that learning the lore gives a bit more meaning to my level grinding.
As I've leveled up I've come across some really interesting NPCs, some more famous than others.I'd like to take some time to look at some of the lesser known heroes of Azeroth.Caregiver Inaara has to be the hardest working character in the game.Stationed as the Innkeper of Sun's Reach Harbor on the Isle of Quel'Danas.Reportedly an excellent companion, Inaara serves up cold brews to thousands of thirsty characters, tired from endless daily quests. Even as a newcomer to Azeroth, we know little about this blue beauty, except that she is a surviver and serves her patrons with an unflinching smile.
Sure there are famous folks like Jaina Proudmoore and Rexxar, but let's take some time to salute the little people.Who's you're hero?
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!
Dipex from Goon Squad contacts us to report on the guild's having brought Jaina and Thrall together for a -- uh -- tempestuous reunion in Orgrimmar. The video above can be seen in a higher quality version here, and it's quite a sight. On occasion I've entertained thoughts of the stunts I'd pull as a GM in WoW, and high on that list would be pitting raid or faction bosses against each other for an ingame version of Two Bosses Enter. Well, Goon Squad actually pulled it off. I won't spoil the video for you, but apparently Thrall and Cairne aren't immune to Jaina's teleportation ability...
I can't begin to imagine the kite job this must've been, but if you take a look at their video of Jaina going postal on Org, you get a sense of just how many people it took. Dipex writes toward the end of the first video that this is the quest-spawned version of Jaina, which I can only assume means they were kiting her from her spawn point in Dustwallow Marsh where the Alliance quest "The Missing Diplomat" ends. This certainly would have simplified matters; getting her out of Theramore would have been significantly more difficult, and I daresay this was an elegant solution. Elegant? Do I mean elegant? Maybe I mean something else.
Lore-wise, I can't say I understand the direction they've taken with a number of characters from classic Warcraft games in BC, but I suppose that's the reason that the term "lorelol" was coined in the first place. Mike Schramm's pointed out that the canon can probably take the abuse, but there's one character in particular whose upcoming story arc kind of appalls me.
If you're trying to stay unspoiled for patch 2.4 -- why are you reading WoW Insider anyway? -- I'll slap the rest behind a cut.
Reader Azshan on Kul'Tiras submits, for our consideration, this lovely image of Theramore, who explains that the shot was, "just taken during my adventures with little backstory." Alas! This seems to mean we'll have to add our own backstory. We're looking out across the Theramore docks towards the central keep on Theramore Isle, home to Jaina Proudmoore.
How many of your adventures have begun from this same perspective? How many trips to slay Onyxia started out with a landing on these very docks? We want to hear your stories on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wowinsider.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!
We've talked quite a bit about Sylvanas and her history with Arthas in the past, but let's not forget that there is another woman Arthas has a nice long history with on the opposite faction: Jaina Proudmoore. Jaina's biggest moment in WoW is probably the Missing Diplomat quest-- after a long goose chase to find out where the lost King of Stormwind is, all you do is end up finding the man who betrayed him, and then Jaina thanks you and wishes you farewell. Wha? Players have always though the quest ended a little too quick, and Blizzard has admitted that they plan to continue the storyline at a later day.
As in, during the next expansion. When a player asks what happened to Jaina and the Missing Diplomat, Drysc mysteriously says "Northrend holds many secrets, and many answers." So it's a good guess that we'll find out at least another piece of the puzzle to where the Lost King of Stormwind has gone.
And it's also a pretty good guess that Jaina will be there, somehow. Despite the fact that she's pretty much the strongest leader the Alliance has, she's also pretty buddy-buddy with Thrall, and she's got that history with Arthas-- they were friends (and possibly romantically linked) before he went all power-crazy and possessed. There's no question that some of the answers we uncover in Northrend, whatever they may be, will involve Jaina Proudmoore.
The Azrothean primary elections are coming to close.
We've talked quite a bit about 
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