With the Manari potentially having refugees and repentant members re-joining the Draenei, this does open some rather interesting doors for the story going forwards.
We’ve seen that the Naga have been in the grip of a civil war for some time, centuries if not longer, between the majority of the Naga population that, just like the bulk of the Kaldorei population once worshipped Azshara as a Goddess even as her hubris brought about the end of their world, and those who have fallen into the service and worship of Neptulon, Lord of the Tides. It would not be a stretch, with so many Naga rallying to their Queen’s side once more and seeking out dangerous relics and ancient prophecies, that these ‘Neptulion’ Naga might seek us out in turn to help thwart this.
The followers of Neptulon straddle all races, after all, and the enemy of my enemy is my ally … for now. We’ve also seen the Naga dive deep into the depths of the ocean floor, both to expand their eerily beautiful quasi-organic cities, and to unearth both Titanic and Old God facilities and relics on behalf of their God-Queen Azshara.
Magic is not that difficult and we’ve seen that Naga are capable of using magic to assume different forms in addition to the horrendous amount of mutations caused by exposure to the Void, and the vast concentration of raw arcane energies that bubble up in the darkest pits of Azeroth’s oceans. We’ve seen Naga assume Humanoid form to infiltrate mortal societies, and their ‘natural’ forms can survive indefinitely out of the water, although they appear to prefer aquatic or amphibious environments for comfort, and to take full advantage of their physical natures.
Exposure to Azerite is also mutagenic, and we saw with N’Zoth, when focused enough, is capable of erasing Void-based entities, possibly meaning that Neptulon Naga, fearing Void corruption, might embrace Azerite infusions or exposure to try and purge themselves of potential Old God corruption, and we know Azerite popped up all across the world, and we were only able to access Azerite exposure sites on the surface, and so much of Azeroth is underwater that whole continent-sized areas have remained undiscovered by the land-walkers.
We could also see Saurok and Sethrak show up more often, especially if we do go underground, as the Saurok have spread from Pandaria many years ago, and possess mutagenic adaptations that allow them to evolve and grow. The Dinosaur-worshipping cult around the Throne of Thunder, the bandit tribes on the Wandering Isle and across Pandaria, even the Pirate Groups on Boraleus, all are proof that with the end of the supernatural Mist surrounding and shielding Pandaria, the Saurok are not only spreading across the world, but growing in intelligence and adaptability as well.
There were also the almost-entirely aquatic Saurok that assailed the Wandering Isle, a vast and almost numberless swarm of raiders that were only turned back by an unlikely union between the Alliance, the Horde and the Pandaren. Whole tribes of Saurok disappearing underground and carving out the beginnings of a society, and we’ve seen that the Loa are prone to reaching out to other races, always seeking new followers and new foundations to establish themselves. An interesting plot-twist could be a secretive Loa, likely the Loa of Basilisks or one of the many of Serpent Loas, could reach out to these Saurok and bring them into the fold, either to the Horde as part of the Loa Pantheon’s goals, or the Pirate Saurok could side with the Alliance in exchange for clemency and territory of their own to raise their clutches in safely.
Niffen are an unlikely allied race, but we’ve only ever encountered one group, and there’s likely many more Niffen scattered around the caverns beneath the Dragon Isles and surrounding region. They are either mutated Kobolds exposed to the chemical and magical energies radiating out from Aberrus, or Kobolds are mutated Niffen who were exposed to the pockets of raw, uncontained or controlled Void energy (or hidden reservoirs of the ‘Curse of Flesh’ patogen/magic?) scattered throughout the planet’s crust and were driven into devolved, insane forms, much like the Earthen descended into Troggs.
They’d probably be a Mecha-Gnome situation, with only certain parts of their bodies able to display armor-types, but they’d certainly be an interesting Neutral Race akin to the Pandaren, especially if we are heading underground, where only the Gnomes, Goblins and Dwarves might know what they’re doing, and even then, are generations removed from actual, active survival situations in such an environment.
Sethrak might also be an interesting choice for a new race, given we only encountered them in Zandalar first, as organic serpent-folk who dwelled in the desert that had claimed the north-eastern portion of the island-continent, but now in the Dragon Isles, we encounter Titan Watcher versions of them, the Refti, something we have never seen before anywhere else in Titanic facilities or other continents. Were the Sethrakk of Zandalar the original protectors of the Titan Facilities? And why only those locations? The Titan Facilities on Zandalar were Old God suppression facilities, intended to keep G’Huun and the other experiments into the nature of the Void’s servants, so if that’s the case, why are there Stone Sethrak in the Dragon Isles, if these Titanic servants are specifically designed for such a purpose?
We know the Sethrakk of Zandalar are allied with the Vulpera, and the Vulpera are on the Zanchulli Council that advises and supports Queen Talanji, so it would not be too great a stretch for the Sethrak, seeking resources and allies to rebuild and undo the harm that General Jakra’zet and Emperor Korthekk, and to obey the commands of their Loa Matron, Sethraliss.
I’m not certain the Drogbar would make for an appealing ‘Allied Race’, like the Niffen, but the introduction of the Manari Draenei does indeed open many doors. And something that has always bugged me with the Drogbar is their appearances, and their location.
They’re both Troll-like and Trogg-like, and we know inter-species hybridization is not only wide-spread, but highly successful in the setting. I’d argue that the Drogbar were Cave Trolls and Troggs that interbred or intermingled to the point both parent races disappeared into the ranks of their offspring, creating a race with both the intelligence and stamina of the Trolls, and the intelligence and raw physical power of the Troggs. We can also see an echo of this with the Mok’Nathal, who despite being the slave-born experiments of the Ogres of Draenor, and despite having parentage from both Orcs and Ogres, generally possessed a calm and steady temperament completely at odds with the aggression of both their parent species. Drogbar, despite Underking Dargrul’s best efforts, tend to follow the same route, preferring non-violent competitions to decide social status and living in harmony with their environments, rather than rapaciously seeking out new territory and resources.
They would certainly be a very novel inclusion into the Allied Races circle, and would most definitely be a breath of fresh air given their society and culture would make them a good fit for the Horde, and a hilarious one for the Alliance.
But what are your thoughts?