Thura Time!

I’ve been holding out on this thread for a week cuz I wanted to let the whole initial 8.2.5 shock to die down as to not have my thread get drowned out by all the rabble.

Anyways, now that Saurfang has been slain by the Banshee Queen Sylvanas (#notmyWarchief), there can be no better time than to finally bring his niece Thura into the greater narrative.

I envision we’ll get a final epilogue CGI cinematic depicting Thrall back in Nagrand laying Saurfang to rest alongside his wife and son. Maybe he’s accompanied by Zekhan, who is also mourning his fallen idol. Then a mysterious Orc woman shows up with a strange axe that appears to be made out of wood…

Upon hearing the news of her uncles’ death at the hands of Sylvanas, she declares a blood oath to avenge him by hunting down and slaying the Banshee.

There literally couldn’t be a better point in the story to introduce this character to the game if that point literally came up to the story and shot at it with a crossbow. The writing couldn’t be more on the wall, if that wall was literally glued onto ones eyes. If they don’t use this character next expansion, then they’re simply better off not using her at all.

The Horde needs powerful characters that can measure up to characters like Jaina or Malfurion and who could be better representative of the Horde than an god-axe wielding, Orc Warrior, related to two of the Hordes greatest heroes’? This would be especially good since the Horde in particular has been lacking in strong female representatives since its’ inception, with only really having Sylvanas and the short-lived Zaela, being the sole representatives of that demographic and some of the allied race characters coming across as annoying and redundant.

glares at Talanji

While others we’ve gotten like Thalysra have been an absolute blessing and a breath of fresh air injected into a Horde that’s running out of steam since Cataclysm.

Thura would be both something familiar yet also new, which imo, is something we desperately need right now as our WC3 hero roster has been depleted with only Thrall, Rexxar, Gazlowe, and Rokhan now remaining. The Horde needs a return to form, and this is a way to begin that.

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I’m afraid whatever development they can make for Thura will be passed to Geya’rah. : /

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As much as I like the idea of Thura… Do we need more reasons and more people to have blood oaths against Sylvanas? Do we need more motivation.

Within minutes of a cinematic, the entire Horde was convinced to hate everything they fought for only moments before. Sylvanas is now public enemy #1 for the Horde, along with the Alliance.

I would like to see Thura return, but she does not need to be swallowed whole by the Sylvanas narrative. That narrative tends to ruin everything it touches.

I would rather have Thura help Malfurion heal Ashenvale as penance for her Uncle. Perhaps using the Axe of Cenarius to defend the forests in her Uncle’s name. In the Saurfang name.

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Given Blizzard’s track record of writing the children of famous characters I don’t think I want her anywhere near the game. She’d probably turn out to have the magical ability to reverse undeath or some other nonsense.

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God, I hope not. Geya’rah is literally the last thing the Horde needs for two reasons:

  1. She’s a Mag’har in a world which there’s already a far more interesting Mag’har leader who’s’ name is Jorin Deadeye and I’ll probably make a thread on him another time. (Unless i already have)

  2. She’s a generic Orc warrior archetype in a literal sea of that archetype, with nothing particular or unique that sets her apart from the rest aside from being fem Thrall.

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Also she suffers from the AU Orc affliction of acting super tough and ruthless and badass… until her side is losing.

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I think Warcrafts writers are trying to pass that off as “learning”?

It falls flat… but I think that is the message Blizzard is trying to send. Seems more like opportunistic turn coats to me. But I dont make the story. I just play through it and facepalm now and then.

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I mean, the entirety of WoD was like that, the only IH guy to stand and fight for real even when he didn’t have the upper hand was Blackhand. Iron Horde is super ruthless and all talk about weak foes and how they’re so great and will never be slaves… once they start losing? “Yeah sure guess we’ll be slaves give Felblood plz.” Grom’s entire war of genocide and conquest is stopped, falls apart around him after all his arrogant talk? “Oh, uh… Draenor is free, I’m on your side now!”

And so on.

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Agreed. Once it runs its course, you end up with a “what now?” point for the character, just like Sylvanas at the end of Wrath of the Lich King. Arthas was dead. her revenge story was over. What now? Well, apparently Blizzard had about 12 different ideas, and tried them all at the same time, which is why post-Icecrown Sylvanas is the most worthless character in the story.

“My entire character is revenge” is just not interesting. it’s an instigation for moving the story along, but it makes a pretty poor story in and of itself - and is wholly worthless for a character’s development. Instead, you want your character to be a person with several layers and motivations and hey, sure, revenge can totally be one of those, but you need all that stuff BEFORE you send 'em after their white whale.

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As others have said, Geya’rah is more or less a different flavor of Thura at this point. Thura’s long absence from the game in general is also a bit difficult to rectify. Knowing Blizzard’s track record we’d get something like…

Thura emerges from the Emerald Dream and declares she’s the first Orc Druidess. Then an unheard of group of Orcs who didn’t like the Horde all that much and thought Thrall was dumb and Garrosh was evil, etc… had been living on an island, also studying Druidism, only to unleash an ancient kaldorei artifact and get transformed into plant-Orcs. Geya’rah vows to kill them all because they’re clearly corrupted by the Botani, and Thura goes to Malfurion who welcomes them into the Alliance…

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She has that Light is evil plotline to explore. Besides this was the expansion to introduce Thura and being conflicted with the actions of her uncle. Probably is forgotten already with most of the characters created by Knaak

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It would serve as motivation to bring her into the story, jumpstarting her journey in WoW. Then it could segway into fighting Old Gods and stuff like that.

I wouldn’t necessarily think that “swallow” her entire character, but it would be a strong pivot point that would give players who may not have read the Stormrage book necessary insight on who Thura is and a synopsis on why her introduction is supposed to be significant and where her character can go afterwards.

That would be a great way to give Horde questing in Ashenvale in a post-BfA world in the event of a world revamp.

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Hmmm. The light doesn’t matter to Geya’rah so perhaps something between her and Grom’s child?

Could have time to see her take a class change.

I really like that Idea actually, her and maybe a handful of orcs/tauren sworn to defend Ashenvale. Even against other members of the Horde who attempt to poach or cut down trees.

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It’d be a good excuse for cross faction/merc pvp. Some Horde/Alliance feel that the Kaldorei can spare the trees for the good of X group (people looking to rebuild after the war/n’zoth, explorer’s league wanting to dig in Ashenvale, etc) and others take up arms to defend the forests against the first group.

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Indeed, Could also play up the. Your lucky its us who found you, if The night elves found you they wouldn’t just kill you they will leave you make you suffer for days.

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…Saurfang has a niece? Is she from some book that I didn’t read?

Yup :smile:

Neat. So, she’s from that camp generation then so she’s not slathered with the whole Orc original sin thing. The Horde needs more of those that are of the Thrall bend, as opposed to Garrosh-like rage-and-conquest machines, or worse yet, the Iron Horde, which is like the Garrosh Horde’s worst qualities tuned up to eleven.

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