I’ve mained a BE for a while but I feel like being a BE shadow priest kinda ruins my immersion because it makes zero sense since void elves became a thing. I was considering race changing but before I do I kinda wanted to source if Zandalari shadow priests were just as redundant in lore because they seem fairly devoted to the light in the form of their loa.
If they don’t make sense, which Horde shadow priest would be the most likely aside from undead? (I hate the bones through all my great robe mogs!)
I don’t see why not. From all indications, Trolls in general channel divine power from the Loa.
Zandalari Paladins are by technicality Paladins of the Loa; and seem to channel the LIGHT through those sources. Shamans, Druids, and Priests are all of a similar vein. I don’t really recall there being any real antagonism between the Loa and “Shadow” … so I can’t imagine there would be antagonism from Trolls in general towards that sort of thing as long as the Priest is still Loa devout.
If anything, you might just be a Priest of Bwonsamdi (and he’s a pretty fun guy). Other loa that seem to have a Shadow vibe would be Quetz’lun; Hir’eek (may be dead); and Shadra (may be dead).
Thanks for your reply! On that vein, would a Priestess of Bwonsamdi be considered more of an outcast? I’m kinda confused about Bwonsamdi’s place as a loa, he seems to be revered but also reviled so I’m not sure where they would stand in Zandalari society.
Quetz’lun is “dead”, but she’s not really. It seems possible for Loa to return after their physical bodies are destroyed; just like Wild Gods. As long as their souls aren’t destroyed (like in the case of Mam’loth or perhaps Rezan) … they are still able to exercise their wills. Bethekk (the Gurubashi Panther Loa) is also another Loa that has strong “shadow” vibes; and despite her body being dead she’s still considered “Active”.
As for worship of Bwon … it seems complicated. Outside of the Farraki, Bwon is widely regarded as the Loa of Death. The reason that Trolls are SUPPOSED to be strongly against Necromancy is because of him (as they would be denying him the souls he’s due). He is meant to be the caretaker of the the dead (or at least those within de Otherside). He is also the Patron Loa of the Darkspear, and the Zandalari don’t practice Necromancy in reverence to him as well.
However … death still seems like an uncomfortable topic; and Bwon is absolutely not a benevolent Loa (he’s one that takes pride in his work, and does seem to take it seriously). He seems like one of the most TRUE NEUTRAL characters we have in the WoW franchise. So being a devout priest of his might get a few side-ways glances, but its not something unheard of I’d imagine (what the Zandalari seem to have issues with right now is that he’s currently their Patron Loa).
Depends on what you mean by make sense. They exist in lore. And any individual in a society can follow a certain path if they wish. Obviously Mag’har also fit as some Shadowmoon dabbled in Void magics.
Bwonsamdi is associated with death, not void. I don’t think any Loa actually have a void connection. That said, Trolls call most powerful spirits Loa. And that confusion made them think Kith’ix was a Loa.
I guess for me ‘making sense’ is existing in lore in any form. For example, I wasn’t sure if they fell into the same category as Lightforged shadow priests or Void Elf holy priests which don’t really make sense in lore and are just available for gameplay reasons. I know that Darkspear shadow priests exist (Zabra Hexx) but I was unsure about Zandalari due to their affinity for the light/loa.
By this standard they certainly would make sense. A Zandalari shadow priest could have encountered the Sha and began studying the void from there. The limit here is your imagination!
The same could be said for a Blood Elf shadow priest. Perhaps your character saw what happened to your void elf siblings and decided to keep your studies and practices mostly secret, at least from those with authority, while still possessing your valuable power for your people.
Pretty much this. Spriest made a lot more sense when it was basically invoking the wrath of your chosen deity to bring ruin upon your enemies. The void aspect of it only came into play with Legion.
I’d say just RP as you want and ignore the void bits.
Rogues are in the same boat - combat became all pirate themed with the change to outlaw in legion, and sub went all in on vaguely defined shadow magic and stuff.
Back then it all used to be the same thing, a mixed bag that was way less defined.
Now a days, it still kind’ve is that way, but in a much more defined sense. Voodoo is still shadowy, we just now know what shadow is.
Voodoo, mojo, etc. seem a lot more of a mixed bag in terms of magics. As you said, Shadow, Light, Arcane, Shamanism, Druidism can all be considered “Voodoo”. The loa follow this line of thinking, that they aren’t beholden to just one power, and those that don’t follow those lines are usually strange exceptions (like Bwonsamdi).
Most priests involve a certain amount of compromise. “Faith” is a really big thing to represent in just one class, so everything had to be flattened down into a very simple and abstract representation.
The priests of any “dark” loa, like Shadra or Bwomsamdi, could reasonably be represented by a Shadow Priest. It’s not a perfect fit, any more than a Shaman is a perfect fit for a Shadow Hunter, but it’s close enough that you can pretend.