True enough, but she has a history of using others as tools for personal objectives; and if nothing else he DOES seem to take his job VERY seriously as a caretaker of the dead. He may be a shifty goof, but everything I’ve seen or read about regarding Bwon … at the end of the day he treats his duty over his charges with the respect it deserves (and lashes out violently against those that infringe upon his domain or attempt to steal from him).
Also, I would decidedly VERY disappointed if AGAIN the Death Domain was portrayed in a Negative light (that is a VERY Alliance style relationship to constantly reinforce; very few of the Horde races have quite so black-and-white relationship with “Death”). It would be just another way to spit on us and paint us with the villain bat (by portraying the one domain we actually do actually have a more complex relationship with than the Alliance as objectively evil).
"LIFE is GOOD; DEATH is BAD; and the Horde’s cultural practices are wrong and inferior (because they they aren’t the favorite children of demigods).
So does Bwonsamdi. Playing people into making one sided deals with him is what he does.
Despite the metanarrative analysis we can give for it, death as a domain isn’t actually usually a theme that Horde narrative actually reflects on in any meaningful way. Even the Forsaken have never shown undeath to be a good thing.
Sylvanas considered Elune an enemy to her inevitably altruistic death-centric goals, the Echo of Ysera is missing, and there’s now a Twilight dragon calling Alexstrasza her sister. Elune’s 100% going to be revealed as a Void entity.
The price is high for deals with Bwon, but he does not break deals. He does not back out of his side of the bargain. He follows through with his side to the letter. He helped Rastakhan take back his Kingdom, he was under no such bargain to prevent Rastakhan’s death (and as a note, Rastakhan had symbolically been spitting at the God of the Dead’s domain for centuries).
On the other hand, until Talaanji has heirs (and due to the fact that he does seem invested in her in his own way) she’s effectively got some serious built-in plot armor (he will likely go to far longer lengths to save her from any trouble she finds herself in, than he did her Father … who he NEVER seemed to like). He did not betray Rastakhan in any way, he merely ceased to interfere in Rastakhan’s death after a point (that had been artificially lengthened far beyond its time already).
That specific dragon is also trying to unite all dragons under the Twilight flight, I highly doubt that dragon is Ysera or related to Alexstrasza in anyway.
Well, I never claimed he was an altruist. He does his job, he likes doing his job, he seems to do it well, and if you want something MORE from him than that … well its going to cost you.
You don’t need to make a bargain with Bwonsamdi, and if you are going to try … then its likely you are in such a desperate state you have very little to bring to the bargaining table (so he’s going to ask for what you do have). Two sides coming to the bargaining table that ARE NOT equal in power are VERY unlikely going to end up in a NOT One-Sided deal.
Rastakhan got his Kingdom Back; he did so ONLY with Bwonsamdi’s aid; he was unlikely to get it back without him (the other Loa left were just not strong enough to do the deed). Thus, Bwon’s side of the bargain was fulfilled. He’s not a benevolent deity, but he’s not an evil one either (and few races are as privileged in what gods play favorites with them than the Kaldorei or Draenei).
Honestly, I like Bwonsamdi and all, but I want Rezan back. He seemed to be even stronger than Bwonsamdi since he was able to threaten him over Rastakhan’s soul and that cinematic where Talanji summons him during the intro to Zandalar is probably one of like 2 times this expansion that I was excited and hyped up. Vol’jin, bring my T-Rex back with you plz.
Meh, Bwon is neither malevolent or benevolent in my mind.
He, as he is portrayed, is the truest-neutral character we’ve run across in ages. He is the caretaker of the troll dead, and does his duty; however if you want more from him than that … its going to cost you. He is a HUGE part of the Darkspear lore, so to deny them that is just Blizzard spitting on the Darkspear again (even IF they make Vol’jin a Loa).
But … I guess that’s par for the course. The Darkspear remain the single most brutalized PC race in this game; to the point I am genuinely worried their fate is to just be consumed by the Zandalari (a shadow of a once founding race and people of the Horde). I should expect nothing less from Blizzard regarding them … they’ll just punching down on them until they’re gone in all but name.
The Gnomes lost ONE city; largely due to a singular betrayal from one of their own. They also for the most part seem to have reclaimed their ancestral home (even if CURRENT WoW does not reflect that). The Darkspear have canonically been:
Brutalized by the Amani while part of the Gurubashi.
Been brutalized by the Gurubashi due to being a small and moderate tribe.
Were brutalized by the Naga AND Kul Tirans when they PERMENENTLY lost their ancestral home the Darkspear Isles (they will NEVER get these back).
Lost their NEW home (the Echo Isles) for YEARS due to first the Kul Tirans and then Zalazane.
Were butchered wholesale under Garrosh’s Horde.
The only reward they got for ANY of this was Warchief Vol’jin (which was squandered and discarded, leaving them without representation and ruderless to this day).
And now we have no real idea what will happen with either Rokhan OR Vol’jin, because Blizz will STILL not pull the trigger on the prior becoming their leader; and the latter’s fate still remains a mystery.
So, I repeat myself, there is NO PC Race in this game more spit on and dragged through the mud than the Darkspear Trolls.
The Echo Isles aren’t the Darkspear’s Ancestral home. Its their replacement home that they had to create after they were forced to permanently lose the first one. AND … they were forced out of their REPLACEMENT home FOR YEARS! They also lost their spiritual and literal leader Sen’jin when the Darkspear Isles were lost. So the idea that they could also lose their patron Loa in Bwonsamdi to the villain bat is disgusting to me.
I am certainly aware. Those players want all the satisfaction of vengeance, but without getting their own hands dirty doing it (and getting their absurd power fantasy reinforced of being the ONLY race the ONLY real god in all of Warcraft actually seems to give a crap about).