🥓 Worgen Lore - Ask me questions!

[Raedolf-wyrmrest-accord (Raedolf)]

@Feldrick-altar-of-storms

Is the official Blizzard explanation of the player being an escapee from Shadowfang Keep and getting caught by the Scourge and raised by Arthas an acceptable one? Or are Worgen DK’s more of a impossibility that only exist for the sake of faction racial class balance?

@Dardillien-wyrmrest-accord

My main issue with this was your character theoretically has no control over themselves as a Worgen, they haven’t done the ritual or anything. However, I also remembered that there are Worgen in Grizzly Hills who seem to have some semblance of control, in that they can stay in human form and transform into their worgen form.

Aaah, the good ol’ fashioned Worgen Deathknights question. I’ve definately got an answer for this one. Let’s see if I can do this one too before I have to go to class…

Worgen Resistance to Undeath

Let’s address that first part, so we understand how the worgen deathknight is at all possible.

Worgen are resistant to conventional forms of undeath. It is for this reason that Sylvanas cannot raise them after the forsaken kill them in battle, and are thus more effective in countering the forsaken than humans. This is noted in the Silverpine Forest questline, and humans later in the questline voluntarily become worgen for this very reason.

“Conventional forms of undeath” includes natural undeath as well. See Duskwood. Duskwood is a zone full of undeath, including zombies, banshees, skeletons, and ghosts, without any scourge involvement whatsoever. These restless dead are in fact natural undead, restless after death for other reasons, usually if they have unfinished business in the world of the living. Not only are worgen unable to be raised by typical necromancers, but will not come back as restless zombies, as a human might. All because of the worgen’s spiritual connection to Goldrinn and Elune, a god of Life and goddess of Azeroth respectively.

Now that we’ve covered conventional forms of undeath, let’s talk about the Lich King. The Lich King is far more powerful than an everyday necromancer. Where a Valkyr are simply blessed spirits of Vykrul women, the Lich King is more of a death god. The Lich King is far more powerful, having been made so by The Burning Legion. He is able to telepathically control an entire undead army, raise a whole dragon to undeath, and raise various races as deathknights. Note also that Sylvanas’s valkyr can only make mediocre rotting undead, where the Lich King raised super powerful deathknights. Considering how much more powerful the Lich King is, compared to Sylvanas’s forces, yes. It does make sense that the Lich King can raise worgen as Deathknights.

Now to address that note on the actual scenario given to us. First off, I’ll say that no, you do not need to follow that scenario exactly. There are two important details when it comes to creating a Worgen Deathknight backstory.

1. Worgen can become Deathknights. Really, it doesn’t matter if you use WoW’s example or not. We know that worgen can become deathknights. If you have a better idea on how your worgen came in contact with the scourge, go for it. No where does it say 100% of worgen deathknights came from Shadowfang Keep.

2. Worgen have come into contact with the Scourge. Time and again, worgen have come into contact with the scourge forces, directly or otherwise. Here’s just a few examples I can think of.

1. When they were first summoned in Gilneas, the Kaldorei Worgen summoned were pointed towards the Scourge outside the wall.
2. After the Forsaken killed some of those Kaldorei Worgen, Arugal, and the human worgen in Shadowfang Keep, the scourge was in the area to raise Arugal.
3. According to the DK questline, some worgen fled Shadowfang Keep and joined the fight against the Scourge with groups like the argent dawn.
4. Raised as a Shade by the Lich King’s princes, Arugal started his own Wolfcult in the Grizzly Hills, at the Lich King’s behest. Living worgen were brought with him to northrend, where they gave the curse to willing villagers in Silverbrooke and other human villages. Those who opposed the cult were killed, and raised as simple undead to work tirelessly in the mines for the scourge.

In short, we know that worgen can become deathknights. And we know that worgen have came in contact with the scourge on multiple occasions. Which occasion, how they died, and how their body was recovered is up to you.

If some human tells you that you can 100% only play a DK worgen from Shadowfang Keep, ask them if they grew up in Northshire and killed kobolds for money. The starter zone is an example, not a rule.

Worgen Psychology

@Dardillien-wyrmrest-accord

My main issue with this was your character theoretically has no control over themselves as a Worgen, they haven’t done the ritual or anything. However, I also remembered that there are Worgen in Grizzly Hills who seem to have some semblance of control, in that they can stay in human form and transform into their worgen form.

Totally gonna be late for class, but I want to answer this one too.

This aspect of worgen psychology is incredibly interesting to me. On one hand, all worgen are subject to predatory instincts and seething rage. Yet at the same time, even “feral” worgen are completely sane, contrary to popular belief.

Let’s look at Shadowfang Keep first off. Shadowfang keep itself actually has a ton of support for feral sentience. At first glance, it looks like a few beasts that just overpowered some humans and took the place. In reality, Archmage Arugal summoned the worgen, including Alpha Prime, the first worgen. Alpha Prime spoke with him, and eventually earned Arugal’s loyalty. In the Curse of the Worgen epilogue, we actually see Archmage Arugal bend the knee to Alpha Prime. In the very next frame, we see worgen subjects of Alpha Prime leaving Shadowfang Keep, set on betraying and overthrowing their alpha. These worgen indeed wild, and are fully sentient.

This is supported by the original Shadowfang Keep dungeon as well, that came out years before the comic. In the dungeon, we see several worgen. These worgen are not only named, but also wear clothes, and have several voice lines.

https://wow.gamepedia.com/Shadowfang_Keep_(original)
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Rethilgore
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Razorclaw_the_Butcher
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Odo_the_Blindwatcher
https://wow.gamepedia.com/Wolf_Master_Nandos

“Feral” worgen are not “mindless” worgen. Many of the Kaldorei and even human-worgen in Shadowfang keep were sentient. They were even able to use human form - without using the ritual - as depicted earlier in Curse of the Worgen. Their feral lifestyle is a choice, lead by their wild but oh-so-sentient and clever leader, Alpha Prime.

These worgen are in their right mind, and have minds of their own. Just like Varkas was able to set out to betray Alpha Prime, it is just as possible for other worgen to flee Shadowfang Keep altogether if they so wished, as in the Deathknight questline.