Just redid the Orc Heritage Quest (doing them all on my alts because A: lots of XP and B: the LOOOOOOOOOOOOORE. ) and something just pinged in my brain.
The Orcs have a Shamanistic faith, namely invoking animism and ancestor worship, their faith calls for them to respect the Spirits in all things, to give thanks to Spirit within whatever they hunt, harvest or use in their day-to-day lives.
Thunder Ridge was long a source of lumber and resources to the Horde, even with the Thunderlizards of the region being agitated by various sources, ranging from demonic influence to over-logging to poison in their water, so on and so forth. But with the Orc Championâs assistance, sheâs able to start producing new growth around the oasis and promises that, so long as the Orcs respect Owaânohe and her âchildrenâ, that the forest that once covered this land will return.
We know Druids are coming for all races.
We know that the Loa do not strictly limit their worshippers to Trolls alone, although they tend to prefer Trolls due to cultural pressure and familiarity.
We know the Orcs rebuilt their Shamanistic heritage from multiple sources, including the Tauren basically hand-holding them through the bulk of learning to be a Shaman because apart from Drekâthar and Thrall, there werenât a lot of Orcs who even knew those traditions left, let alone had the knowledge of how to nurture new Shamans amongst the younger generations.
This patchwork âfaithâ came from what scraps they had held onto even through the days of the Dark Horde/Original Horde, the Tauren sharing their own traditions with them, the Darkspear giving them some help with their own Loa traditions, and then they got a whole lot more of the Orcish traditions on Shamanism from the Magâhar of Outland.
And weâve also seen, in novels and in-game alike, that the Orcs held great respect for the Wild Gods and the Loa, seeing them as âGreaterâ Spirits worthy of respect and, in many cases, worship, especially Wild Gods who spoke to parts of the world that the Orcs greatly admired, namely Loâgosh the Wolf Ancient, Ursul and Ursoc the twin Bear Gods, Aggamagan the father of the Quillboar, and even Aviana got her respect, despite the conflicts between the Orcs and the Quillboar and the Harpies.
Weâve seen the Orcs growing and changing, both socially and spiritually, especially in the past 5-7 years in-game, and the resurrection of Orc Priests amongst the Lokâosh, which appears to be a new take on the Shadowmoonâs methods, which implies that the Shadowmoon Shamans could be either actual Shamans, or an Orcish form of Priest, drawing upon the Light or the Void, or as the Orcs call them, Spirit (Light) and Decay (Void) to commune with the dead and deal with the Elements.
Orcs worship powerful Nature Spirits as part of their Shamanistic faith. We know Druidism is coming. We know Wild Gods and Loa can come in all shapes and sizes. And we know that both Wild Gods and Loa can create priesthoods of their own, sharing magical knowledge, and the Orcs have the leg up here in the form of Gonk, who specifically is calling upon the Loa of the Trolls to work together and âshareâ their priests, creating the âDruidsâ amongst the Darkspear and Zandalari Trolls.
What if this is how we get Orc and Magâhar Druids? Owaânohe certainly seems to not blame the Orcs in general and is urging them towards respect for the land and its inhabitants, and weâve seen that Orcs respond well to Spiritual pressure, especially if there are tangible rewards.
Who would the Wild Gods and Loa who may yet come to serve Orcish Druids as mentors, guides and a balancing force against the reckless aggression characterised by Garrosh and his followers?
Owaânohe certainly seems like sheâd be their champion when it came to Restoration Druids, given she has a similar sphere of influence to Trocali the Direhorn Loa, Mother of the Harvest and Guardian of the Wilds amongst the Zandalari. They might even be old friends or even cousins given the saurian heritage both share. She might even share a familial connection to Akunda too.
Akilâdarah, the Eagle Loa that the Horde adventurers helped rescue from the the Vilebranch Trolls in the Hinterlands, and who found new worshippers, safety and respect amongst the Revantusk Trolls, might be willing to lend her wings to the Orcs for their Flight Form.
Gonk, much as he does for the Darkspear and the Zandalari, might lend his form to Orc and Magâhar Druids as their land-based travel-form, although it might come with a more âOrcishâ vibe to it. Cat-Raptors in the Emerald Dream, maybe Wolf-Raptors for the Orcs? Alternatively, we could see an entirely new Spirit native to the region, or maybe even Malorne himself, come down and loan the Orcs the use of their form. Malorne doing it would certainly be a harsh reminder to the Orcs that the Spirits cannot be permanently destroyed, and an open hand offering peace and forgiveness if they stay true to the path of redemption.
With his proud warrior nature and intolerance of injustice and cruelty, the mighty Kimbul, or to use his full title, Eraka no Kimbul, might be more than willing to loan his saber-toothed jungle tiger form to the Orcs for their Cat Forms, but heâs also a Loa of uncompromising honor and upholding of oaths, and is the âDoom of Preyâ, not predators. Only cowards, and those who break their oaths or act without honor, attract the true ire of Kimbul, and those same traits would not only endear him to the Orcs, but also make those who worship him act in a similar vein to show respect to their Loa.
When we come to the Moonkin form, thereâs only one choice really, and it is one that is going to really irk people. Aviana is the only Loa I can think of off the top of my head that has an avian theme, can grant powers similar to that of a Moonkin, and would make for an interesting wrinkle for the Horde, and the Orcs and Magâhar especially, to deal with since one of the greater threats in their lands are Harpy colonies, driven mad by isolation and the silence of their Wild God for 10,000 years, who have fallen into paranoia and worship of dark entities as a result. With Aviana back and being a very cold and demanding entity who has a âfly or fallâ attitude, she could be a volatile mix into the growing Orcish Pantheon of Loa or Wild Gods, but also one that could benefit the Horde, and maybe even the Harpies, possibly ending or at least putting a damper on conflicts between Harpy Colonies and the Horde in exchange for aid to the Harpy Colonies and removal of Harpy Matriarchs and their supporters who have âfouled the nestâ by worshipping dark powers like the Old Gods, âcorruptâ Wild Gods or even the Legion itself.
And finally, for the Bear Form ⌠Agamaggan himself would be the perfect fit, having many similar qualities to the idealized Orc traits of strength, endurance and unflinching bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. A Boar-like form might work for the Orcs, rather than an actual Bear Form, and uses the Boarâs tusks, those razor-sharp quills and even those sharp, jagged hooves in place of a Bearâs massive claws and crushing jaws. And being a âlocalâ Spirit or Wild God, Agamaggan is already well known to the Horde of Kalimdor, and having worshippers amongst the Orcs and Magâhar could either lead to the remaining Quillboar of Kalimdor finally shucking the grasp of both the Scourge and the Twilight Hammer cult, or send them into a religious frenzy that their Creator-God has started seeking followers outside of their own ranks, and that could be a bloodbath âŚ
Overall, I like the idea of the Orcs and Magâhar ending up with their own little mini-pantheon and having some very loud voices shouting âDO NOT DO THE WAR CRIME!â every time some would-be Garrosh starts thinking their tusks are a little too short and blunt, at least on the spiritual level.
What are your thoughts?