08/18/2018 11:54 AMPosted by
Eevee
I was gonna object to this as a matter of principle but after actually thinking about it I've changed my mind. Despite all the dead Vulpera you encounter questing in voldun, there are absolutely no mentions of graves or any kind of rituals regarding death. It's not actually unreasonable to speculate they have no sentimentality towards the bodies of their fallen, and in that case they may have a "you do you" attitude to forsaken snacking.
I mean with my own spirituality. A dead body is just an empty vessel. And if you're in a place where food is hard to come by cannibalism is more then justified. "Waste not want not" Is pretty much their motto. I'd imagine that'd apply to food. I wouldn't be surprised if they were cannibalistic which would make them fit in with undead and trolls quite well.
So after discussing it with my fellow caravan members, nobody can dig up any example of a vulpera giving a second thought to the body of a fallen friend. They do seem to care for each other's well being but for whatever reason, once a friend dies there appears to be no rituals for caring for the body. No funerals, no graves, bonfires, ceremonial rites. All dead vulpera appear to be left where they fall.
I would theorize that a race that has fought for survival in a harsh environment for so long probably developed a culture that doesn't spend precious resources caring for the fallen. They appear to be taught not to mourn a death, and simply to accept it and move on.
As part of a tinfoil hat theory though... vulpera caravans are all decorated with ornaments that look like fox tails. Most of us assumed these were decorative replicas. However, given they all appear to be roughly the right size and shape for actual vulpera tails, there may be a darker interpretation. Drying and preserving the tail of your fallen friend would take very few resources to accomplish in a desert, these decorations may be mementos of lost family.
Or they could just be wood carvings as some others have suggested.
There's some debate over whether they can be seen bending in this video, what do you think?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BOMuXWMGWU
Vulpera are legit amazing.
08/18/2018 02:18 PMPosted by
Eevee
there may be a darker interpretation. Drying and preserving the tail of your fallen friend would take very few resources to accomplish in a desert, these decorations may be mementos of lost family.
How is that a "Darker interpretation" I don't see it any different then keeping urns in your house
It's kind of sweet actually.
If I can make a druid vulpera you better believe I'm grinding one up.
I dint understand the appeal of this race or why this thread was so long but yesterday i did Vol'dun and they won me over.
08/18/2018 06:19 PMPosted by
Federok
I dint understand the appeal of this race or why this thread was so long but yesterday i did Vol'dun and they won me over.
Welcome, brother! =D
On the topic of Vulpera death rituals, somebody in discord was able to dig up a screenshot of what MAY be Vulpera graves:
https://imgur.com/kuewCg0
I never thought I could want to know the funerary practices of a fictional race this bad :/
So i just got to vol'dun, and all i can say is Blizz you NEED to add these cute little turds in.. i would pay to race change ALL of my toons to these guys, they are absolutely freakin adorable!!! please please please add them in as an allied raced for horde!!
08/18/2018 08:39 PMPosted by
Nadyah
So i just got to vol'dun, and all i can say is Blizz you NEED to add these cute little turds in.. i would pay to race change ALL of my toons to these guys, they are absolutely freakin adorable!!! please please please add them in as an allied raced for horde!!
Vulpera demon hunters! Make it happen!
As for the Vulperan death thing. I believe there is a questline wherein there is a group of Vulpera trying to steal from an undead Zandalari Pirate crew. One of the Vulperan thieves die and they do seem to show regret and disgust by this but opt not to recover the body. (Probably due to the risk) Most likely Vulpera would find it repulsive to find one of their own eaten, but the Vulpera do seem to be rather greedy and selfish, only caring about others to care for themselves. (Safety in numbers and all that.)
Edit: As for fox tails, it is probably similar to shrunken heads.
I was on the fence about them... all I can say without a shred of doubt is that the Sethrak need to wipe them all out then join the alliance so they can continue to wipe out more vulpera, maybe a few bubble elves and forsaken too, and a pinch of blood elves just for taste.
Something I am glad was brought up: the fox tails on their caravans. Are those decorations or are those the tails of their dead families/lovers/ancestors?
I'm inclined to think decorations but that would be like people having arm and leg decorations on all of our stuff and it would be weird.
08/18/2018 09:47 PMPosted by
Basmun
As for the Vulperan death thing. I believe there is a questline wherein there is a group of Vulpera trying to steal from an undead Zandalari Pirate crew. One of the Vulperan thieves die and they do seem to show regret and disgust by this but opt not to recover the body. (Probably due to the risk) Most likely Vulpera would find it repulsive to find one of their own eaten, but the Vulpera do seem to be rather greedy and selfish, only caring about others to care for themselves. (Safety in numbers and all that.)
Edit: As for fox tails, it is probably similar to shrunken heads.
A discord fellow was kind enough to get some screen shots of the dialogue on your return:
http://imgur.com/BYNXptN
http://imgur.com/5NkJQev
They do seem to regret the deaths of others.
As for being greedy and selfish, I can definitely see they have a greedy side to their behaviour but I don't see that they have a particularly selfish side. They seem to be eager to help others and make fair and honest deals. They also seem motivated by the plight of others. Nisha massacres sethrak to protect her people, for example
08/18/2018 02:18 PMPosted by
Eevee
So after discussing it with my fellow caravan members, nobody can dig up any example of a vulpera giving a second thought to the body of a fallen friend. They do seem to care for each other's well being but for whatever reason, once a friend dies there appears to be no rituals for caring for the body. No funerals, no graves, bonfires, ceremonial rites. All dead vulpera appear to be left where they fall.
They go on often on how survival is the most important and driving aspect of their lives, so I'd assume that if/when one of them does die they can tell stories as they move on but... stopping anything to carry out any kind of ritual might seem kind of a waste. Seems they're rather practical for the most part.
08/18/2018 10:13 PMPosted by
Eevee
As for being greedy and selfish, I can definitely see they have a greedy side to their behaviour but I don't see that they have a particularly selfish side. They seem to be eager to help others and make fair and honest deals. They also seem motivated by the plight of others. Nisha massacres sethrak to protect her people, for example
Really does feel like it's mostly due to the practicality derived from the necessity to survive in a harsh area. They seem materialistic and willing to be pretty bold in how they acquire things, they seem somewhat like goblins but on the other end of the scale... they have values and scruples that most goblins have done away with. Goblins are ferengi, Vulpera are like klepto Klingons.
Excuse me now, though, I must go visit Dolly and Dot.
Yeah I think the differences between Vulpera and Goblins are drastic.
Goblins want luxury, Vulpera want endless escapes from hazzards due to harsh upbringings in an extreme climate.
Goblins use up resources and leave pollution, Vulpera are extremely conscientious about conservation and bartering.
I think the Tauren and the Pandas have way more in common with the Vulpera than the Goblins. In a way, Vulpera are more like gnomes re: their approach to inventions.
Yeah I think the differences between Vulpera and Goblins are drastic.
Goblins want luxury, Vulpera want endless escapes from hazzards due to harsh upbringings in an extreme climate.
Goblins use up resources and leave pollution, Vulpera are extremely conscientious about conservation and bartering.
I think the Tauren and the Pandas have way more in common with the Vulpera than the Goblins. In a way, Vulpera are more like gnomes re: their approach to inventions.
The more I try to compare them to other races in the game, the more I realise the Vulpera fill a narrative the PC races don't really have. There really isn't a group of hardcore survivalists in either the horde or the alliance, at least not ones used to working with nearly nothing. There isn't really another race that combines humility, resourcefulness and risk management this way
Something I am glad was brought up: the fox tails on their caravans. Are those decorations or are those the tails of their dead families/lovers/ancestors?
I'm inclined to think decorations but that would be like people having arm and leg decorations on all of our stuff and it would be weird.
It may be weird to you and me but a lot of cultures both past and present have created decorations or tools out of the remains of loved ones. To them, it is/was a cultural norm
I'm not exactly sure what the meaning of a shrunken head is, but I assume the fox tails would be something similar in meaning.
08/18/2018 10:13 PMPosted by
Eevee
08/18/2018 09:47 PMPosted by
Basmun
As for the Vulperan death thing. I believe there is a questline wherein there is a group of Vulpera trying to steal from an undead Zandalari Pirate crew. One of the Vulperan thieves die and they do seem to show regret and disgust by this but opt not to recover the body. (Probably due to the risk) Most likely Vulpera would find it repulsive to find one of their own eaten, but the Vulpera do seem to be rather greedy and selfish, only caring about others to care for themselves. (Safety in numbers and all that.)
Edit: As for fox tails, it is probably similar to shrunken heads.
A discord fellow was kind enough to get some screen shots of the dialogue on your return:
http://imgur.com/BYNXptN
http://imgur.com/5NkJQev
They do seem to regret the deaths of others.
As for being greedy and selfish, I can definitely see they have a greedy side to their behaviour but I don't see that they have a particularly selfish side. They seem to be eager to help others and make fair and honest deals. They also seem motivated by the plight of others. Nisha massacres sethrak to protect her people, for example
The thing that kind of rings in my head about their selfish and greedy nature is one of their quotes. "Take care of yourself, no one else will." Why would that be a common phrase among Vulpera if they take care of each other and help each other out?
Edit: Also, they steal a lot. Doesn't seem like an honest and fair deal to me, and I feel Nisha probably thinks safety in numbers as well. Killing Sethrak raises her chances of living because she is in a group that is endangered by this predator.