Implications of Orc Priests

So, Orcs got priests. Haven’t seen many of them, but they can be priests now. What are the societal implications of this? I think the first response a lot of people might have is that they’re shadow priests, but I’m not so sure. That would be the case for Mag’har but not for regular Orcs. I think we will be seeing some regular Orcs taking up the path of the Holy Light. What do you think that looks like? Do you think we could see the first ever Holy Light Cathedral built in Orgrimmar?

My guess it is faith in their ancestors, the elemental spirits and maybe even Goldrinn (Lo’gosh in Taur-ahe), whom the Orcs also worship as a Wolf God. As seen in Cata where a group of Orcs traveled to his shrine at mount hyjal. Faith is a major factor when it comes to using the Light. Although one can steal it, as seen in TBC with the Blood Knights using M’uru as a battery.

Zandalari could use the light via their faith in Rezan. A Wild God.

8 Likes

I assume they are the same as Maghar priests

5 Likes

I’d like to think its at least in part drawing from tradition and memory of shadowmoon priests of old. I don’t really expect any lore. If any it will simply an extention of the Argent crusade into the horde.

6 Likes

To me it would seem giving all races priests, rogues and mages were for gameplay reasons with little explanation for lore. Given that priests (healers, clerics etc), rogues (bandits, thief, assassin etc) and mages (wizards, etc etc) are stereotypical fantasy classes. Alongside Warriors and hunters. Hence why all of those can be used by every race now.

Death Knights do however have lore behind them. Even Worgen and Goblin DK’s.

Though I’m hostile to race standardization and I like race-class restrictions, Priests being accessible to most races makes sense, since Priests really are but spiritual leaders, or at least members of their society’s religious caste (no matter what the religion is ; doesn’t have to be the worship of the Light nor that of the Void. For example, Troll Shadowpriests have been largely interpreted as Witch Doctors by the community)

For the Mag’har, lorewise Priests are obviously not related to the worship of the Light. That would be a complete contradiction in regards to their history with the Lightbound. I think them being able to be Priests just reflects the fact that they, unlike the MU Green Orcs, were never severed from their cultural and spiritual roots. Roots that Green Orcs might have rediscovered by now, both through the campaigns in Outland and in AU Draenor and through the AU Mag’har who joined in BFA.

2 Likes

Chances are, much like the Shadowmoon in WoD Draenor, the majority of Orc Priests will be Shadow Priests canonically. Light is not something they revere, especially the Mag’har, who are opposed to it 100%

‘In the early days of the Great Dark Beyond’s formation, shards of fractured Light were sent through the universe. Upon hitting the planets they’d encounter, they would infuse them with the spark of life. The most common and primordial form of life to appear was the elementals, who now populate nearly every world of the Great Dark.’
Chronicles Volume 1, page 18.

You could wager it as them celebrating & worshiping the shards of light that birthed the elemental empire throughout the universe and the balance within helps hold the spark of connection to the elements within their people to shamanism, which is a key part of their culture.

Not in the sense Stormwind does. Each race has their own view & culture on ‘The light’ much like real life religions do on God despite sharing various similarities at times.

If the Orcs were to have their own Cathedral of sorts, instead of it being built of iron & steel / typical trope stuff, I’d say it would be built of stone & having elemental energies flowing through and around it - with pillars of light shining in key places. Have the cathedral be a spectacle of where the shaman, priests and ‘Warriors of Devotion’ reside.

How could the Orcs know about the cosmological origins of the Great Dark Beyonds though ? Especially considering that Chronicles is but a Titancentric view of those origins

I think there’s several possible explanations for Orc priests;

  • Orcs during the heyday of the Horde fought humans who the majority worshipped the Light, so maybe some Orcs tried to learn more.
  • Maybe some Orcs met A’dal in Shattrath and decided to worship the Light.
  • Orcs who wanted to learn more about the Light or the Void over the course of events in WoW.
  • Maybe Blood Elves shared their faith with some Orcs.
  • Mag’har converts who freely worshiped the Light but didn’t want to unify Draenor with a holy war and fled with the other Mag’har.
  • Mag’har who turned to Void worship out of hostility to the Light.
1 Like

I was referring moreso to detecting the shards of light that reside within the elements, and on par to that: Finding their faith. :grin:

Them saying Chronicles was a Titancentric view was a load of absolute hogwash they fabricated on the spot so they could push their BS narratives with the Shadowlands.

There’s events in the Chronicles the titans didn’t know about. Not to mention prior to Legion their souls were all on the run, so the only titan’s perspective it could had been from would had been Sargeras and he certainly wouldn’t have written it like that. They should just retcon the whole ‘Chronicles was the perspective of the Titans’ ordeal and structure their lore around it instead of retconning it —

Spitting in the face of customers —

And wiping their @$$ with our money, by saying the ‘concrete canon’ isn’t anymore - simply because their new terrible writing doesn’t fit within its regime.

I mean the guy who said the Chronicles book was from perspective of titans was fired for sexual harassment anyway, so it’d be for the best.

you want Orc Holy priests explained?
the argent dawn has Orcs in it
done

I believe the upper and lower blackrock spire dungeon had orcs called acolytes. They had the ability to cast “heal” that would do just that to their blackrock orc companions. I treat it like paladins. The class itself is called paladins, but playable Zandalari and tauren aren’t “paladins”. They are prelates and sunwalkers. Perhaps orc priests are no different. They go by a different name, such as acolytes.

Don’t see the point. Religions can spread. Don’t see why that wouldn’t apply to worshipping the light. Don’t see why the Orcs would be any less likely than most races. A few priests doesn’t mean the entire race has abandoned ancestor worship.

2 Likes