Training at Dalaran could be a story in itself, though considering that Dalaran was in Northrend during the war against the Lich King I'm not sure how well that actually removes him from the conflict. If he's a talented scribe, you could have him spend the war doing unexciting but important paperwork to keep the war effort running as smoothly as possible (somebody has to keep track of logistics) while studying the arcane in his spare time and, in Cataclysmm, having finally reached a level of arcane mastery that he feels comfortable becoming an independent adventurer.

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Edith Wharton - "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."

Mkay, here's my bare-bones outline.

Name: Draxar Flamefist

Age: 17

Race: Orc

Class: Mage

Draxar was born to Orosh Deathfist, a warlock, and Gormal, a shaman, while the two were being held captive in one of the internment camps. Shortly after he turned seven, the camps were freed. Draxar's family followed Thrall and the new Horde into the mountains of Lordaeron to begin their new lives.

His father taught him the read and write in orcish, Common, eredun, and in the magical rune language used in the arcane arts, in hopes that Draxar would follow in his footsteps. Draxar's mother, however, was certain that the spirits would speak to her son and he would follow the path of a shaman. This led to some interesting and quite frighteningly intense confrontations between the two. These persisted from the time the orcs settled in Lordaeron, all the way until they followed Thrall across the sea to Kalimdor.

By the time Draxar had turned twelve, the age at which an orc male is considered an adult, he had yet to display any real talents outside of his ability to copy letters and runes onto whatever medium he needed to use. He did not trust his father's dark magics, and the spirits hadn't so much as tapped at his subconscious. Holding an axe in his hands was awkward for young Draxar, who was more accustomed to wielding a pen or quill. He attempted to aid the Horde as a craftsman, but he proved much more valuable writing down measurements and orders for the foremen. Finally accepting that his son's heart lied with words and symbols, Orosh arranged for Draxar to go to Orgrimmar and train as an apprentice scribe.

Draxar's master was a troll named Jo'mah. Jo'mah was a scribe by trade, but he was also a mage. Draxar studied his craft alongside his master, and watched as Jo'mah would wield his arcane powers around the shop. These abilities intrigued him greatly, and Jo'mah took note of Draxar's interest. He decided that even though there had never, to his knowledge, been an orc mage, he would take young Draxar as his apprentice. He did not anticipate the orc's bullheadedness. It took several years for Draxar to master some of the most basic of spells, but Jo'mah stayed with it. Eventually, Jo'mah broke through to Draxar, and his young apprentice soon blossomed into a true mage at the age of fifteen.

Soon after, the Lich King attacked Orgrimmar, causing most able-bodied orcs to be called into action. While few were aware of Draxar's proficiency with the arcane, he had made a name for himself as a scribe. He was ordered to report to Dalaran, now relocated to Crystalsong Forrest in Northrend, to act as one of Orgrimmar's official correspondents, and was required to transcribe and send most communication between the Horde's leaders and Dalaran's officials.

While there, Draxar used his free time to pursue his other passion: magic. After purloining a few manuals and scrolls, Draxar discovered he had a natural affinity for the school of fire magic, and longed to prove himself in combat against the Scourge. However, most of his days were spent in session with the various Horde leaders, taking notes and preparing official documents to be sent among them.

The war, like all wars must, ended without Draxar seeing one day of action (he even missed the blue dragonflight's attack on Dalarn due to illness). He packed his bags and stepped through the portal to Orgrimmar. He would have opened his own, but hadn't quite had a successful test. His heart went out to all the squirrels and rabbits that had to die so he could practice his art.

His time off was shortlived, however. Deathwing's Cataclysm shattered the world, and Draxar saw this as his chance to step up and show the world that an orc was a dangerous foe, whether he wielded an axe, the power of the elements, or the dark magics of Twisting Nether. Or the "weaker" powers of the arcane. Draxar would make his name known the world around and earn the respect his powers deserved...or would deserve, just as soon as he could figure out the proper invocation for that one spell...

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I like it, and the additions of his parents adds a compelling element to the backstory because it gives Draxar two people very close to him to prove himself to. I imagine both his warlock father and shaman mother would initially think their son crazy for pursuing the path of a mage, but by the end of Cataclysm with a number of great accomplishments under his belt Draxar may very well earn their respect and the accolades of the Horde, particularly reinforced if the player is treated as a hero by NPCs in the later zones as was sort of the case in Wrath.

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Edith Wharton - "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."

I'm actually condsidering having his father be the accepting one, due to a grudging respect for the human mages he fought in the Second War, and the ones he'd worked with in the Horde. I don't want his dad to be the typical warlock and be all about personal power; he made the decision to take up the dark arts for a very noble reason and I'd like him to be more like Snape than Lucius Malfoy, if I could use that example.

Draxar's mother, on the other hand, is going to have some issues of her own with her mate and child (because at the time Cataclysm begins, Draxar is only 17 and I plan on playing him as a bit childish and arrogant) being "unworthy" of the power of the Elements. I'd like her to turn traitor to the Horde and join up with the Twilight's Hammer, but that may stifle Draxar's rise in the Horde.

Also, Draxar is going to be a full on supporter of Garrosh; I plan on having him be the one that was tasked with writing Orgrimmar with news of Garrosh's victories in Northrend. I know this may be a bit close to Knaak territory, but come on. I'm not making him a superpowerful mage; he's just got fantastic penmanship and is extremely eloquent. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it seems just like the thing Garrosh would do; pay the best scribe to record his successes and paint him in an even better light.

Those are my current plans. I'm really getting into this mage's story. Probably more so than I have my current mage on live. I'm going to be faction changing Eraatu, so I guess I need to come up with a suitable death for the 30,000-year-old draenei elder. To be honest, that thought makes me tear up a bit...

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Infections thorn caught in his hoof! Ho ho.

Could always just say he died in one of the massive environmental catastrophes brought on by the Cataclysm. Even give him a heroic passing if he sacrificed himself to save others from the same catastrophe or something.

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Right, so with me getting in the beta and testing Worgen, I feel it is time t think about (what will be, my main toon) a Worgen....and I get stuck at the class. Why? Well, backstory wise, I want a compelling character, but I get stuck up on to many idea.

What I do knoa about him, is he is from noble descent, and many of his family members died in the Second War (dislikes Orcs) He's pretty youngish. Personality-wise. he will be intelligent (probably witty, since I am) and has a spirit to explore. He's sometimes cocky.

My two picks are... Druids, getting afflicted with Worgenism, and the revelations of the Drudis of the Scythe jives well with the character (but I hate Moonkin form, and while the forms look cool, I don't know if I want to spend my time as a bear/cat, yet Healing doesn't sound like his thing.)


Rogue - Sounds almost natural, but it just doesn't sound like it has the impact I'm looking for.

So, any thoughts?

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Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits Dreaming"

"Icrecrown: I hear the natives can be real liches..."

'sup? I've just written the RP-story of my tauren druid, whom I have played since the launch of WoW. I would love some feedback, and I need to know if all of it is correct accordings to the lore and such.

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If you're looking for something with more "impact," what about a warrior? That fits your character's noble background and wartime history, and warriors by their very nature tend to stand out and be more prominent than rogues. You could very easily roleplay as a frontline soldier who unleashes his inner beast against his enemies on the battlefield.

Or if your choices are entirely between druid and rogue, you could develop your build entirely around DPS. With the dungeon finder "pre-assigning" roles it's arguably more acceptable now for a hybrid class like a druid or a shaman to focus almost entirely on damage (and only assist healing if the main healer needs the help), and while I haven't played a WoW rogue I'm sure there are ways to emphasize power over stealth.

Other than the assumption that 2 years passed between Naxxramas and the Wrath pre-launch event, your RP backstory seems to match the game's lore. And the 2 year figure could be right - I'm not certain myself and had previously thought that a single year generally passed between expansions, but apparently Cataclysm has cast doubt on that.

Anyway, it's a good backstory too, and I like the understated role your character plays. With so many people (myself included at times) trying to fit their characters into key roles of WoW's progression, it's nice to see someone who's willing to have their character present in and around important events but not necessarily as the ultimate hero who triumphs over evil and saves the day. It makes your character seem more plausible.

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Edith Wharton - "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it."

Yes, yes. Good point. It was coming down to rogue or Druid because I was already going to make a warrior. But now that I fell in love with Night elf mages, I might only make one Worgen, and race change my priest.

Which now leaves me at.... Warrior or Druid? =/

Really, it boils down to, do I want to still keep to the human side, or embrace the beast, and the Night elf side. Hard choice.

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Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn
"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits Dreaming"

"Icrecrown: I hear the natives can be real liches..."

Timelines are always a problem, but I'd like to believe the campaign in Outland lasted longer than a year, really. Who can conquer an entire planet in a year? It's blasphemy!

I try to keep my character as just another grunt, or in this case some kind of druid infantry/special force. Making your character too significant is boring, because there are too many people doing that.

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In the Beta thread, I mentioned my upcoming shaman's methods being similar to the taunka's. I've yet to decide what race I'm going for. The obvious choice would be tauren, as they are closer to the taunka than the other Horde races. I'm considering draenei, however, as I think it would be interesting to see how I could interact with other Alliance shaman after adopting the methods of what amounts to a heretical Horde race.

If I do a tauren, he's going to be young and impressionable. I may have him being born just a few years prior to the establishment of Thunder Bluff. He won't remember living as a nomad, he won't have the experiences with the Elements that the older tauren have had, and he'll be growing into both his role as a shaman and his adulthood in a world ravaged by Deathwing's Cataclysm. He'll see the taunka's methods as more reliable than the older, more traditional ways of shamanism and adapt them.

If I decide on draenei, I'll be taking my old warrior's name (I got hacked, Blizzard returned all my other characters' gear but my warrior's so I deleted him...) and giving it to my shaman. Basically, after the war with the Lich King, Koonu will have seen so much death and dealt with spirits enough that he begins to hear the voices of the departed. He goes to Farseer Nobundo and it is revealed that he has been contacted by the Spirits and chosen to walk the path of a shaman. Then the Cataclysm rocks the world, and his tenuous bond is severely damaged. He recalls the savage taunka shaman he had encountered and takes a play from their book, and begins forcing the cooperation from the lesser elemental spirits. His history as a warrior lends itself to this more brutal form of shamanism.


I like both scenarios pretty well, might be leaning more towards the tauren. What do you guys think?

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The "problem" in your Draenei is the whole "spirits have chosen you" you get this "destined hero" thing going on, but if you for example choose Nobundo simply being kind and making your Warrior into a shaman you get the "awesome lore character pimping your own" thing going on.

Your Tauren Shaman idea is pretty awesome tho.

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The thing about draenei though, is that there are so few of them left that you really can interact with the bigger lore characters and it doesn't count against you. Like my mage, who is one of the original survivors of Argus and counts Velen among his closest friends. In a younger, more populous race, this is a no-no, but for a draenei its okay.

But yeah, the idea of a controversial, badass tauren youngling making the elements bow to him in the time of chaos following Deathwing's cataclysm is really appealing to me.

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I am working on an worgen character for an RP server. It's a quite a bit, since I not only wrote the backstory of the character, but I also ended up writing ones for his family members, two noble houses, and a legendary figure from which his noble house claims descent. The timeline is iffy, since the order of events in the Gilneas timeline remain uncertain. I will likely have to post this in multiple posts, so bear with me.
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Feryl Grimbard
Character Name: Feryl
Real Name: Erryl Grimbard
Race: Worgen
Nationality: Gilnean
Class: Druid

Part I: The Lineage of Erryl Grimbard
Part II: The Parents of Erryl Grimbard

Part III: The Children of House Grimbard

I really like it, Genesis. Very cool.

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Here's my character, to be created when patch 4.03a hits.

You may want to rethink how long he was in Northshire, especially if he came there after Northrend. The time between the start of the Northrend Wars and Cataclysm is roughly three years, from what I recall. It may even be less than that.

Here's something I've been arguing with people for a long time that ties into a character's RP backstory:


Did the Goblins know of and visit Kalimdor before the rest of the EK and, even more importantly, did they have any form of relations with the night elves?? We know they've been considered extremely intelligent since the WotA era, they live pretty much halfway between the two continents, they have great mercantile fleets. I remember reading somewhere, probably on WoWWiki, ages ago, that the goblins kept Kalimdor as a trade secret, but I've never found any actual citations about it.

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Depending on how deeply the details of War3 can be considered canon, the Goblins definatly knew about Kalimdor before its "discovery" by the other races. Neeloc Greedyfingers was there before Grom, right? Whether made up by fans or not, "trade secret" is the most plausible explanation.

On the other hand, the Goblins didn't do very much in Kalimdor. Either they got there not very long before "we" did, or the continent's abundant natural resorces had to remain untapped thanks to the hostile natives. The Night Elves would've considered any intrusion into Northern Kalimdor an act of war. The Centaur were overrunning Central Kalimdor prior to Thrall's arrival, and they aren't that keen on trade. Southern Kalimdor is a forbidding desert without much to fight over. Speaking of which, was it ever explained why Gadgetzan was build where it was?

Anyway, my point is that exploiting Kalimdor would've required the collective effort of every single Goblin. Perhaps the little green guys knew about it, but they didn't have the manpower to develop it. Then again, if it was of no value to them, why keep it secret? Or maybe they just figured nobody else would be able to develop it either?

The other races seemed to regard Kalimdor in much the way Medieval Europeans thought of China and India: it exists somewhere over there, but everyone who tries to find it never comes back. Medivh certainly knew about it, and perhaps a few others. I can see intrepid explorers from Kul Tiras making landfall there. They would dutifully catalogue their position, but with out a reason to come back, they never did. Imagine that nobody was trying to reach India by sailing west and no gold was found. Do you think the Europeans would've bothered to stop and conquer the Americas? I don't think so. The Vikings didn't.

There is also the small matter that sailing west means skirting the Raging Maelstrom, a very risky thing to do. Why would anyone risk their lives to reach a place filled only with people who want to kill you? As such, I can see the information getting buried in a library somewhere and "lost." Meanwhile, successful colonies were founded in southeast Northrend. That was never explained either.

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"How do you deter and contain monsters? Simple: you use the only languages they understand, force and fear. How do you strike fear into the heart of a monster? Even simpler: create a worse monster and send it after them."

I mostly ask this because my character, a night elf, would have knowledge of goblin alchemy prior to the events of WCIII. If the goblins had contact with Kalimdor, it's easy to say he bought some textbooks, otherwise... yeah

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Sorry. I can get a little carried away at outlining theories in detail. In your case, the question is not so much how he got Goblin books, but how he learned to read them. I don't see the Goblins and Night Elves getting along very well.

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"How do you deter and contain monsters? Simple: you use the only languages they understand, force and fear. How do you strike fear into the heart of a monster? Even simpler: create a worse monster and send it after them."

He could read them for the same reason that Tyrande and Jaina could talk to eachother in WCIII

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Working on coming up with a backstory for my recently race-changed worgen death knight. It's not going well, as their very existence confirms that being a worgen doesn't make you immune to undeath. I can either go with the "we escaped from Arugal only to be mauled by the Scourge" from the worgen DK Special Surprise quest, or just have my human DK contract the worgen curse somehow and stick with his old backstory with the worgen curse just being the next chapter.

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