Anyone paying close attention to the story atm probably can guess what motivated this post.
I am a long time enjoyer of Warcraft lore. I possess pretty much every novel save for newer ones, as my interest in the setting has diminished greatly by most recent additions to the lore. And in regard to this most recent one, I wanted to discuss something explored very heavily in early novels, when Druidism, usually, was exclusively the teaching of Cenarius from Malfurion. And while it made druids fairly homogenous (and I will say that, Druids in early lore are misremembered quite a lot: a prime example of this is that death has been tied to nature since 2001 in original druid lore, shown through Ancients of War) it also united them around a sense of community and shared heritage. And so, I wanted to look at that legacy, and perhaps share it with people who have never been exposed to that lore.
Note that this is NOT an analysis of Canon. This is about the portrayal of Druids and a part of their fantasy in this setting AT THAT TIME. It will not work with modern lore, because it largely seems to be forgotten about by the current writers.
By the time of Malfurion Stormrageâs youth, nobody truly believed in Cenarius. He was a woodland myth from the early days of their civilization. In truth, even the faith in Elune was slowly fading in their civilization. Long ago, Cenarius had been close to the Kaldorei, and had started to instruct many in his secrets. But none had truly become fully Druids before the Highborne seduced the general population away with the simpler magics of the Arcane. Furthermore, their civilization itself began to grow rapidly, paving roads and creating great building at the cost of many a primordial forest in the land. But, kindred to the elves in a way, he would not kill them. As they grew disinterested in one another, they parted. He respected their choice to turn their back upon him, and did not force their hand, retreating into the wilds, away from âmortalâ life.
By the time a pair of adventurous youths thought to search for Cenarius, not out of earnest belief in his existence, but out of a desire for adventure, the Kaldorei had fallen out of their original step. But Cenarius saw potential in Malfurion, and revealed himself, taking him on as a disciple. And in time, Malfurion would become the first to be regarded as a fully developed Druid, in the eyes of Cenarius.
Of course, the War of the Ancients is well known. But those who survived, we are lead to believe had a great sense of grief and guilt for the tragedy that had befallen the world. While it had been the Highborne elite who summoned the Demons, who unleashed them upon the Lowborne of Zin-Azshari to cleanse their âimpurityâ from the world, there was a sense that many took responsibility for ever propagating such a society in the first place. Which is why, after the events that lead to the creation of Nordrassil, a grief stricken people were granted blessings by the Three Aspects. For the purposes of the Druids, it was Yseraâs that mattered the most.
âTo the night elves, who have lost their hopes, I give forth the ability to Dream again. To Dream, to Imagine, for in that is the best hope of rebuilding, of recovering, of growing⌠And to those who follow the path of one held special by me - and mine - I grant him and the other druids to come the path into the Emerald Dream, where, even in their deepest sleep, they may cross the world, learn from it, and draw upon its own strength⌠the better to guide Kalimdorâs health and safety throughout the future.â - Yseraâs blessing upon Nordrassil at the end of the War of the Ancients and the Great Sundering of Azeroth
What she gave the Kaldorei, was a path for those who would cast aside the arcane, and take up the same burden and mantle as Malfurion. And all these first druids, who themselves would soon take students, derived their teachings from Malfurion. Who had gained all the knowledge of Cenarius, the heir of Elune, the White Stag, and the disciple of of Ysera, who had raised him like one of her own clutch. And it was through this blessing from Ysera, that a mortal order dedicated to the charge of her children and the Ancients formed. It would be a few hundred years before the Cenarion Circle itself would form in the wake of the War of the Satyr, where the dangers of Druidism were experienced, and teachings to carry on into the future were refined.
It was in this conflict, in the curse of the worgen comics, that we experience Malfurionâs struggle with accepting his place as the head of the developing druids, but also his grief at the suffering of his students. We see him turn to Cenarius for guidance, who provides him counsel, while also reminding him that he truly no longer requires it, and has grown to a state where he must make such decisions for himself. He knew, for fact, that the Pack form could NEVER be controlled, by personal experience. And so he banned it for the safety of the Druids and the greater Kaldorei. But this would lead to the death of Arvell: for even in the face of certain death, he refused to break the promise made to his shanâdo or endanger those he loved. And despite knowing that Arvell did this with wisdom, that Malfurion had more than enough evidence to ban this form, he is NOT dismissive of this. He takes it personally. He grieves his own way. We see that Malfurion, how he is meant to be portrayed, isnt an aloof figure for druids. And this comes back up many, MANY years later.
I am not going to say that Stormrage was not an incredibly flawed book. What I will say is that, where Knaak struggled with pace, he actually DID propose something very interesting. When discussing just how absurd the powers Malfurion used in Stormrage were, something is overlooked often, is that he didnât do it alone. And I do not JUST mean that he had Tyrande, Hamuul and Broll at his side physically. No, when Malfurion reached out for strength in the world itself, he tapped into more than the Emerald Dream, Nordrassil & Teldrassil. He tapped into all of the Druids, who in some way were ultimately all distant disciples of him, HIS LEGACY on the world. And after the absurd events of Stormrage, he does not only consider this a victory of his strength: he acknowledges that this was an effort not merely made of his own labor, but all of his students, direct or from a long line.
When you play a Druid whose teachings are derived from the Circle, you in part take on this legacy. You become part of a mighty tree spreading throughout the whole of Azeroth, teachings passed from Wild God and Dragon to Demigod, to Malfurion, to you. The history of Druids in this setting almost creates a community in itself on Azeroth. And, to be quite honest? The fact this isnât talked about more, is one of my biggest issues with druid writing. Because as an RPer and a Gamer, I feel like my character fits into this world, in this lineage, in service to Azeroth.