As a semi-lore junky, I was very intrigued by the answers given in Round 1 of the Ask Creative Development forum posts. Unfortunately, Round 1 ended with an ominous quote from Bashiok: Expect answers sometime between next Monday and when the Moon escapes the Earth’s orbit!
Well, apparently the moon got mad at being involved with the CDev process and got them to answer Round 2 under threat. It is definitely worth a read. While several of the answers are elliptical, they settle alot of questions that have probably been lingering for those interested in Warcraft lore.
Here are some select doozies:
- Q: Are the Warcraft and World of Warcraft RPG books considered canon?
- A: No. The RPG books were created to provide an engaging table-top role-playing experience, which sometimes required diverging from the established video game canon. Blizzard helped generate a great deal of the content within the RPG books, so there will be times when ideas from the RPG will make their way into the game and official lore, but you are much better off considering the RPG books non-canonical unless otherwise stated.
Commentary: Yikes! This means the many citations and references we use here at WoWWiki are only semi-valid!
- Q: Have we seen a true titan yet in World of Warcraft?
- A: No, only their creations.
Commentary: So Titans may or may not look like Titanic watchers, since we have never really seen a Titan in-game.
- Q: What races were on Azeroth before the coming of the titans?
- A: Besides the elementals, the only known sentient races on Azeroth when the titans' forces arrived to subdue the Old Gods were the trolls, the race known as "faceless ones," and the aqir. Due to the Old Gods' war against the titans, as well as the extensive terraforming that followed the war's conclusion, records of what races existed before even the Old Gods' arrival have likely been lost forever.
Commentary: My read on this — night elves are really just mutated trolls. They don't come out and say it directly, but "the only known sentient races on Azeroth when the titans' forces arrived to subdue the Old Gods were the trolls, the race known as "faceless ones," and the aqir." That definitely leaves out night elves, and since they didn't come here on a spaceship...
- Q: What has become of the blood elf Spellbreakers?
- A: While they were already few in number to begin with, the ranks of this formidable fighting force were thinned drastically when their headquarters on the Isle of Quel'Danas was overwhelmed by Kael'thas and his Burning Legion forces. The lone squad that remains now exists as a relic of a bygone era, as the Spellbreakers have refrained from training any new recruits since Kael'thas's betrayal.
Commentary: Doesn't bode well for a future Spell breaker hero class, but who knows.
- Q: Were there ever different elemental lords before the current four?
- A: Ragnaros, Al'Akir, Therazane, and Neptulon are the only elemental rulers Azeroth has had in its existence. What this will mean for the elements of fire and air with the deaths of their elemental lords is unknown, but it most certainly is not good.
Commentary: Aww...
- Q: Is Elune a naaru?
- A: During a recent visit to Darnassus by Velen, he explained that the kaldorei's description of Elune, as well as the demonstrated powers of the goddess, matched his experiences with powerful naaru. He began to offer advice regarding how to commune with powerful naaru, but Tyrande thanked him for his opinion, then cordially requested that he refrain from making such outlandish claims when in Darnassus or in the presence of Elune's priesthood.
Commentary: Tyrande is appearently a religious luddite.
Any other lore junkies out there?