[Spoilers] Shadowlands Alpha Thread

Wyrmrest Accord
2569
BlizzWatch talking about Tyrande stuff in the novel:

The Earthen Ring Yukha has come warning the elemental spirits are angered and not listening to the shamans. Something is troubling them and Thrall will investigate. Thrall’s mission takes him to… Nordrassil, of all places.

Early in the novel, an Earthen Ring agent told Thrall he and the Horde Council needed to know there was unrest among the elemental spirits. Thrall was requested to go to Nordrassil and to talk with Tyrande and Malfurion.

Toward Chapter 14, Thrall makes preparations to travel from Orgrimmar; and Thrall can’t just waltz in into Nordrassil. Tyrande requested the messenger to tell Thrall he had to bring what he owed. Thrall had no idea what this was, but it certainly worried him as he arranged his travel. If that doesn’t convince you to pick up the novel to find out, then how about Thrall doesn’t go alone? He goes to Nordrassil with Baine and… Calia Menethil. Interesting the companion choice here… considering it was Sylvanas’ Forsaken who set Teldrassil ablaze.

As a reminder, it was in Nodrassil that Thrall and Aggra got married with Tyrande and Malfurion as witnesses. This time they aren’t as amicable.

That’s amplified with Shandris and Maiev attending the meeting throwing in their own opinions. Especially with a mourning Night Warrior Tyrande empowered by Elune’s vengeance. So you can imagine how this encounter with Thrall goes.

Madeleine Roux made this entire chapter make my day. The way she describes Tyrande’s eyes, and the ambience as her rage grew internally in crescendo. This is not the lovely Tyrande or the somewhat harsh Tyrande we have met in past incarnations of the character. This is the ummdaphookin Night Warrior of Elune’s vengeance Tyrande. This woman was listening intently every word from Thrall, Baine and Calia for what seemed hours. When that woman opened her mouth — she was terrifying. I could hear in my mind Thrall saying: “Swallow me earth!”

At the end of Chapter 14, we learn exactly what Tyrande meant Thrall owed her. I’m looking forward to see this scene come to happen in the Shadowlands expansion… someday. It can only happen in a cutscene or cinematic.

2570

Asmongold…is that you?!

AEEEeeeeeeiiiiiiiiii!!!..runs off screaming before hiding from Shirt.

2571

What? /10char

2572

The whole high king thing also started because the writers were convinced the Alliance needed a Warcheif figure of their own, because apparently no one knew how the Alliance actually worked

4 Likes
2573
Spoilers

Do the elements ever listen to us? Every other patch they’re mad about something.

3 Likes
2574

were forsaken lighting and firing those catapaults?

1 Like
2575

dunno why we even listen to them, they have been very fallible throughout the years, and sometimes when we think we’re listening to the spirits its a spooky eredar lord or Jailer thingy in disguise

2576

…

Okay, now I want a quest/chain where the player helps paint a fire elemental green so they can go fool a bunch of demons.

3 Likes
2577

You’d think at this point the Horde would be a lot more leery of listening to spirits.

The spirits spoke to Ner’zhul, and we know how that turned out.
The spirits spoke to Vol’jin, and we know how that turned out.

Maybe the Horde needs an exorcism?

4 Likes
2578

Great, if this is true they just retconned a massive point of character growth for Altielle : /

2579

I mean Nathanos gave the order. I’m pretty sure any and all Horde were firing the catapults though.

1 Like
2580

Idk, folks generally go by the cinematic for who participated in the burning. You really only see Orcs and Forsaken. I could be misremembering and leaving some out, but if I am, it’s probably Trolls from the northern Darkshore villiage.

But this is for the participants of the burning, not the reinforcements in The Terror of Darkshore/Darkshore Warfront.

2581

the cinematic (the warbringer thing) didn’t show who was controlling the catapaults, thats why im legit asking here.

the books seemed to mention shamans fanning the flames, but blizz often contradicts their books

i can’t even remember the ingame presentation

2582

I always felt like it was a joint Horde effort. We had direct blood elf involvement in Ashenvale, for instance. And it would make sense that to kick off the war they put everything into the attack, since their goal was to sweep the continent.

But of course, I blame this being covered by 3 different forms of media, two of which had different sides to the coin and resulted in confusion on details.

2 Likes
2583

I thought it was talked about in either A Good War or Eulogy? Idk, I might need to reread it. I half read it when they came out just because, well, no real interest at the time.

Agreed, it would have made the most sense to go all in.

2584

I went back and read the scene, all that it mentions is a troll mage spreading fire to the siege weapons. Either way, I suppose Sylvanas’s Forsaken being the ones to set fire to Teldrassil could be like… a general reference to them being the heads of the operation?

2 Likes
2585

That’s how I would personally interpret it. Mainly because Darkshore does reflect that at least with the soldier investment. Not to mention that they had a lot of…gross and shady things they wanted to add to the Warfront with the Forsaken, but the community rightfully pushed back.

3 Likes
2586

Did anything ever happen to that dude who was bizarrely mad at the night elves for exiling the old Highborne across the ocean? I feel like he only showed up to do The War Crimes before disappearing into the night.

I thought something also mentioned Horde shamans deliberately fanning the flames, which encompasses a lot of races, I think.

2587

They even went out of their way to give Varian a barbarian king aesthetic, a cool Orc name alter ego, an edgy orc gladiator backstory, and a hairstyle that makes Grom’s topknot look sensible by comparison.

…I’m not a huge fan of Anduin but at least he is clearly human, rather than the “human as written by the world’s biggest orc fanboy” wannabe Warchief amnesiac clusterfudge of a character that Varian was

6 Likes
2588

You’re right, actually. I was reading through A Good War, which mentioned the troll. Elegy mentions shamans blowing in wind to fan the flames. So yeah, it certainly feels like a joint effort.

I think he gets mulched by Malfurion.