I’m gonna keep beating this drum until (and unless) I’m proven wrong: They’re going back to the Alliance, folks. Blizzard thinks it’ll be a big shocking twist when they betray Sylvanas and rejoin their Night Elf friends. They’re “important to Night Elf culture,” after all.
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Of course it’s not mind control. Their just put into a frenzied state which makes them likely to kill anything in their path. The people who resurrect them know this so they point the crazed undead back at their friend, and in some cases, family until they calm down. Cause that’s much better.
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That’s just mind control with extra steps!
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Sira did not do a 180. She accompanies you on the Night Warrior quest and just before she is sent on her scouting mission she makes it QUITE plain that she’s lost all faith in Tyrande and the goddess she serves. She states quite clearly that Elune’s failure to prevent the decimation of her children is proof that she either is unwilling to do so or unable to do so. And she considers that rather poor return on tens of thousands of years of worship.
If you watch the cinematic or read elegy it’s also very much clear that she has given up on her hopes. She even rejects the vision of the one she had held dear and had lost earlier in the campaign when he invites her to find peace beyond the travails of life.
BOTH rejected the beliefs they held BEFORE they died. In Sira’s case it was even for a longer period.
So the assertion that we had two cases of instant 180’s is counter to the facts presented in the story.
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Drahliana, you should see the Horde side introduction questing for the Darkshore Warfront, where Sira is confidently promoting either Tyrande or Elune up until her execution and assured that they were going to defeat the Horde. I image it gives the Horde players a perspective of whiplash that she then becomes their warfront general.
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They’re trying to do an Arthas/Sylvanas parallel, having the noble defender of the elves murdered and forced to serve her killer in undeath, but critically forgot that Sylvanas was made to do so against her will, hated every second of it, and plotted revenge the moment she was able. She wasn’t a crazy idiot whose about-face was due to zombie brain damage or whatever nonsense we’re told has led Sira and Delaryn to wage war on their people and homeland on behalf of their murderers.
It’s just so silly. They already had Sylvanas violate the Forsaken’s free will clause with Derek, they should have explicitly done so again to explain why these night elves, our bitter enemies fifteen minutes ago, are now our generals. Or better yet, they should have kept Darnassian night elves on the Alliance, where they belong, instead of cramming them into the Horde for… reasons. I dread to wonder what reasons.
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For reference, imagine instead that Nathanos was restored fully to life by Tyrande, and immediately started slaughtering Forsaken and cursing Sylvanas, talking about how loyal he is to the Alliance now.
That.
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Lord Godfrey (and many others) would like to have a word with you.
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Don’t forget to include the official tweets confirming that he’s doing this 100% of his own free will!
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I am fine with the idea of Sira and Delaryn - fallen Alliance soldiers who changed their minds before death, and returned with a vengeance. Except the execution and story background is minimal, if there at all. Blizzard has done a poor job of establishing much cause for them to switch.
They seem to know it. And they are purposefully delaying an explanation.
Maybe that means there is no real explanation, and they will work on one as they go. Perhaps they just thought Dark Wardens and Undead Night Elves were cool.
Or it is an important detail to be revealed later. Blizz has said Sira and Delaryn are important to Night Elf culture. But that could be as a part of it or as a direct confrontational schism in philosophy.
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I’m working on leveling my Horde toons… Honest! What you’re saying however tracks on how the quests and the storyline for the War of Thorns tracks so differently by faction. What this means that we have three different stories, the novellas, and the different Horde/Alliance storylines about what went down in Ashenvale and Darkshore.
The 180 is not the faith in Elune or Tyrande. It is fighting to save their people and being killed then turning around and swearing fealty to the ones who killed them and trying to kill their people (including friends and family).
Fighting to save Night Elves and free Darkshore -> Fighting to kill Night Elves and ruin Darkshore.
And here is the problem. Vengeance on who? The ones who killed them and slaughtered their families? Apparently not. Instead they swear loyalty to them and promptly decide to kill their former comrades.
The truth is, based on their characterization you would expect them to still want to fight for their friends and family. In Sira’s case I would even expect some just plain rage at those that killed her. So, the most likely case would be them fighting for the Alliance. But, I would be fine with them being raised and just straight giving up. Leaving and refusing to fight anymore. An ‘I gave my life, that is enough’ situation. That would fit with a loss of faith. I am just not fine with ‘I am going to join the people that ruined my home and killed me.’
Which, if that is the intent it is even worse for them to be on the Horde. If they are supposed to be part of the culture they have to be more than just a traitor and enemy. Plus, if they are expected to be part of Night Elf development, Night Elf players would have to roll Horde to interact with them and get their part of the story. Being required to play Horde to see half the Gilnean’s intro story was bad enough. Lets not require Alliance players to again have to jump over to the Horde to see the development of an Alliance race.
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And that’s where you’re wrong. Sira’s rage is directed at the same being it was in life. Elune herself. Sira’s rage at Elune overshadows all other considerations, but the only targets she has for her rage are the lands and people dedicated to her.
I agree - I think the end of Elegy describing Delaryn’s last thoughts did a good job of setting her up for returning as an undead, with a deep sense of betrayal and rage against Elune. But then… she gets up and starts killing the people she just died to protect. Not raging against Elune, not against Tyrande, not even yelling any rationalization of why she’s killing other elves who were betrayed like she was.
I think the strength of WoW’s story is the breadth of its world and all the characters in it, so I like it when characters show or develop new facets of their culture even (or especially) when they clash with the established norm. I really like the idea of undead who are there of their own will, exploring what motivated them decide to live again in this new form. Anger? Revenge? Hope for a new chance at (un)life?
So these plots are doubly annoying to me - they take an idea I want to see explored, then execute them in a way that (to me) is worse than not writing them at all.
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Only if you assume they weren’t already on the path.
Sira Moonwarden says: Elune… was she watching over us as Teldrassil burned?
Sira Moonwarden says: Soon she will be here, and she will tear you to pieces.
Sira Moonwarden says: Where… is she…?Sira Moonwarden says: We placed our faith in you.
Delaryn Summermoon says: And you abandoned us. Elune abandoned us!
Delaryn Summermoon says: We have nothing left. We are forsaken.
What have I done?
Teldrassil.
The Crown of the Earth.
The illumination of its branches, enormous and hitherto a sanctuary, bathed the water and the
land with an orange glow and grotesqueries of shadow.
Now, you understand, the Banshee Queen had whispered into Delaryn’s ear—before she did the unthinkable. Before she…
But the Dark Lady had been wrong. I understand nothing. Delaryn’s grief and guilt raged as fiercely as the fire. In a final touch of malice as unfathomable as her motives, Sylvanas Windrunner had turned
Delaryn’s head so the dying kaldorei had a perfect view of the incineration of all she loved—all she had fought for, believed in, bled for. All she had lived for… and was about to die for.
The tree of life was now a deathtrap, and soon would be the site of the greatest mass cremation Azeroth had ever known.
“Close your eyes,” Ferryn said. He stretched out in front of her, trying to shield her from he inferno’s tortured brightness. But his ghostly form was translucent. He blurred, but did not lock, the sight.
I cannot close my eyes. Though she couldn’t say it. She was long past speaking. Her breaths had numbers. I have to see this.
If there were any mercy, the excruciating sight would burn her eyes to blindness, but cruelly, that solace was denied her. Her senses were at their peak, screaming. She shouldn’t be able to hear the crackling groans of the World Tree’s burning limbs, yet the sound mingled with the shrieks of those left on Darkshore.
With a strange perversity, Delaryn felt only coldness in the face of the scorching heat.
Death is cold, she thought. Even for those who burn.
Those whom I failed.
“Release your hatred and your fear,” Ferryn said, so softly, so gently. “You are past all of it now. Come with me.”
You are not real, Delaryn thought with both anger and anguish. You are only wistful shadows, promising peace.
There will be no peace. Not for me.
The ghostly form of the night elf druid disappeared—but of course, it had never been there.
Above the canopy, above the burning tree, above all the trials and torments of this world, hung two moons: the White Lady and the Blue Child. Mother and infant, Elune and her people. The night skies once offered such comfort and balm. Now they were cold, the stars as hard as the diamond they resembled.
Where are you, Elune? How could you abandon your children to fire? We gave all we had. For what?
She was lucky. Arrows would claim her life. But the children whose cradle had been the oughs of the World Tree would die in agony and, worse, in utter innocence.
Turn your face from Azeroth in shame, Elune. Her thoughts were daggers. You have abandoned us. We tried so hard… We believed in your love, in your protection…
Her mouth was too dry, her body too weak, to even spit in contempt.
Her pain grew, even as the coldness seeped into her heart.
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Doesn’t work. She was still fighting for her people before she died. That is literally why she was in Darkshore. She was absolutely angry at the Forsaken. And then they killed her. I am not sure how that would suddenly make her want to help the Forsaken. She should hate them.
Again, I would accept her just walking away and refusing to fight for Elune or Tyrande any more. But I just can’t get behind her deciding that teaming up with the people who killed her people and destroyed her home to kill more of her people.
She may be angry at Elune for not stopping the Forsaken, but she should be even more upset at the Forsaken themselves. And that is why her whole situation is such a farce.
Look, your quotes make a case for them being unhappy, certainly. Even losing faith. But losing faith does not equate to turning and trying to kill any friends and family still alive. Dalaryn’s comments talk about how upset she is about those that she failed. Those children that would die. Turning around and trying to kill more just does not fit. ‘Oh, how sad for all those that died, let me kill some more.’
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Again she’s not sad… She’s ANGRY. like a ghost from beyond she’s fixated on one single emotion and as for her turning on her own… that IS a classic undead trope.
She’s not killing her own people, she’s smiting proxy targets for a hated enemy she can’t otherwise touch.
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It is a trope when the undead are not all there. Not aware of what is going on. The idea is they are half in the world, half out of their minds and don’t really know what is going on. This is not the Forsaken.
And again, I am fine with anger. Just not the join those that killed me and people I loved to kill more people I love.
In the end, if you don’t think dying fighting for your people and then being raised and killing your people is a 180 degree change, I am not sure where to go with this.
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It’s not Elune, or Tyrande, that make it weird.
It’s the fact that both characters are so committed to their people that they start to lose faith in those not doing ENOUGH to protect them.
I’d be fine with them rising and giving up. Hell, I’d even be okay with say, Sira trying to hunt down and kill Tyrande/Maiev for letting her down.
But to go “I’m so upset that my people are being killed that I’m going to kill more of my people with the folks who’ve been murdering us this whole time” is just… Well, I’d love more explanation than “Too busy.”
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The time and cultural investment the Night Elves have in Elune makes it deeply profound. Losing faith in that, I would consider that absolutely a starting point to working against what you felt used to be right. Secondly, the altering aspect of undeath. Which makes negative emotions extremely more prevalent.
It fits, ‘all we served once served was pointless and I want to tear down the system I foolishly followed.’ Per Delaryn’s view, she has nothing left. And clearly serves such nihilism by inflicting pain against those who still have hope.
Sira
No words, only pain.
At last, I see the true path.
Delaryn
We are all damned.
Death spares no one.
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