We know where Bwomsandi comes from though. He was a troll priest of Mueh’zala who some time after his death made a deal with his patron Loa. He saw that Mueh’zala was losing favour with the Trolls (due to all the sacrificing) so he said, “make me da loa of death and you can come and collect the souls I get when you feel like it”. Where Mueh’zala came from though is a mystery. This is all detailed in the Bwonsamdi chains of the Night Fae cov campaign and De Other Side dungeon.
Wouldn’t be the first time they re-used something because it looked cool and it wouldn’t be the last. The Shrine of the Storm Kraken head was taken from concept art for the Dragon Isles. Which was planned for Vanilla as a level 60-70 outdoor “raid” zone (early builds of vanilla had the level cap at 70, or at least they planned it would be).
Primative trolls worshipped Old Gods, more specifically a band of primitive trolls worshiped a minion of Yogg-saron. Mueh’zala isn’t a mortal troll but a shape shifter taking the form of a primitive troll. His true form is described as a formless black cloud.
If they wanted to tie Yogg-Saron back into this expansion, they could reasonably make Mueh’zala one of Yogg-Sarons manifestations and make him vying for the role of being the “true god of Death.” There’s a junk intem that drops from the Masked ones in Ardenweald that talk about how they think “the ancient one” is the true God of Death. I think they could easily bring that around to Mueh’zala is Yogg.
Shhhh we dont bring up old lore here. That gets in the way of this new story the writers want to tell (which has nothing to do with the warcraft we know and love and actively trashes everything that came before it).
I wouldn’t say it’s so unlikely. Blizzard is lazy and using old models again and again. More so elementals formed on other planets too. So at least something akin to proto dragons doesn’t have to be unlikely in a fantasy universe.
The Titan stuff, yeah less likley. But they visited a lot o worlds so who knows. Especially with the current writers love of retcons.
There’s still the story option to continue the classical: Battle-of-free-will against the fate of the gods and whims of the elements.
It was set up clearly back in Wrath:
Rhonin yells: He found a planet whose races had deviated from the titans’ blueprints. A planet where not everything had gone according to plan.
Rhonin yells: Cold logic deemed our world not worth saving. Cold logic, however, does not account for the power of free will. It’s up to each of us to prove this is a world worth saving.
Could easily spin the Brokers disdain for Shamanism as it being something they don’t understand…as it being the explicitly mortal plane magic which has a reach to command powers from the different pantheons; not because it was granted by them, but because mortal free-will is becoming the dominant force.
Mortals changing the Shadowlands, would create a casus belli for the other Pantheons also, since their own orders would be threatened by the rising power of the mortals. Then we transition into a Twilight of the Gods phase.
Which, of course, there would be some power cast into the outer reaches by the Gods, and their decline would leave the mortals to face it.
None of which removes the idea of Azeroth the Dreamer, which itself opens a Pygmalion opportunity to have what Azeroth dreamed into being reject Azeroth in the end.
Actually, the story arc concept predates those by literally thousands of years. This isn’t new storytelling, humans have used this concept set for a very long time.
I didn’t say anything in this thread about the quality of the WoW story. Their storytelling is a mess.
I could do a long statement of what I think is wrong there and what to do about it, should I expound?
In practice, there is a pretty limited number of total stories when boiled down to their roots; settings, characters, and art give the feel of more and provide connections beyond the pure objects.
Would improved writing and world crafting make a difference now?
Or has disillusionment and broken suspension of disbelief rendered it moot?
Hmm, interesting that ALL Kul Tirans are apparently all buried at sea when the people of Drustvar appear to worship the Light and have several cemetaries lol. I was hoping for some cultural diversity in there
First: I’m not arguing with you. I get some feeling of that, and, from my side, there isn’t an argument.
Any time something already published needs correction it’s going to be a retcon; for Blizzard, that ship sailed.
Yes, they broke their story. It was amateurish writing to prop up a selling point with a tragic dose of: “Wouldn’t it be cool!”
Again; amateurish writing with “Wouldn’t it be cool!”. It needlessly caused visceral player strife; and impacted emotional narrative connection.
The story has become painful of late, not what you really feel good having other people see you playing. Which is terrible.
Yes, the cheap tactic of the superficial author: “But I need a villain!” You’re correct, the writing team needs some depth beyond good/evil drivel.
To say it clearly: I won’t, and don’t, defend the writing team.
Indeed. I’m extremely sensitive to this. So I’ve remained as distant as I can from addressing it on forums so I don’t get banned.
I don’t think Blizzard can do coherence.
Balance isn’t something I think the WoW team capable of, either in story, or gameplay.
As a technical statement: I take these story items as damaging to the audience; it disillusions them; breaks their suspension of disbelief. Once you can no longer let go in the story, no longer intellectually inhabit the story, it dies.
They need A story author, singular, who has a vision and direction. That job would mean taking a mess never intended to last this long and fixing it.
It would require something Blizzard has never done before; yielding gameplay to story.
It’s not impossible; but you’d suffocate if you held your breath waiting.
Thank you for letting me know, I will keep checking the mail. I may get mine later because coming from Blizzard it would be international shipping for me, but Blizzard has usually had no problem shipping me things I’ve ordered off their blizzard store in a timely fashion.
Because the devs literally lack self awareness for the world they have built and are stewards of
“Hmm, could it be this religious practice common to multiple races, including the majority of the Horde races, that is also the basis of one our classes named Shaman, which regularly communicates with the dead, are able to walk within the veil of death, and transform into spirits should be tied to death??!?!?!??!?!”
Why were you upset with the shaman reffers as ‘‘low magic’’? The book is clearly a point of view.
And in the Ardenwald stories the high mountain Huln appears, the Loas are mentioned, Bwosandi and Vol’jin have a stake in the Ardenwald story. the ‘‘perspective’’ of the horde is very well represented on this map.
The Alliance, for example, has almost no representation in Revendreth.
