I was about to write and draw stuff for this thread, but then realized all my ideas were rehashes of the original chinese and japanese myths, and WoW usually doesn't c/p mythology (maybe creatures, but not the histories themselves).

Actually panda has not much to do with Chinese/Japanese myth.

Yeah. I'm doing this shit anyway. Just drew a "red" ogre (based on an Oni ). Gotta browse the Bakemono Project site to get some strange versions of the WoW creatures. This gotta be fun. I think I'm writing some fan-lore on the races and sub-races of my rendition of Pandaria

I really hope Blizzard can add some powerful eastern mythical creatures into the game, maybe as high rank Loa. Such as Peng and Kun.

Some stuff I'd really want to see, considering that this is Blizzard's take on Asia, and considering that both Japanese and Chinese cultures would be featured as the main background:
- some Night Elves under the Cenarion Circle speculating whether or not the Pandaren are related to the Furbolgs;
- references to Akira Kurosawa's movies such as Dreams (a mountain with horned demons, maybe?), Ran and Seven Samurai;
-Dwarves getting along with Pandaren due to the booze;
- A Great Wall (this one's pretty much granted) and an Imperial City;
- references to Tibetans and Mongols;
- Shivarra and Naga opponents, as they're directly derived from Asian (Hindu) mythology;
- references to haikus and zen-buddhist anecdotes;
- pop culture references to Pai Mei and Hattori Hanzo (Kill Bill), Death Note, Dragon Ball Z, Ultraman and all that;
- the usual troll ruins in the jungle would be based on Angkor Wat.

Also, if there is a civil war among Pandaren clans, draw a few inspirations from the Contending States time in Chinese history (Liu Bang, Xiang Yu, the Qin Emperor etc). Actually a powermad emperor obssessed with immortality would be really cool, specially if there was an speculation that the old gods were driving him mad and in the end this was proved completely wrong and he was acting on his own will. However if I recall, the First Emperor is quite a controversial figure in China, so caution would have to be taken, but this is the same Blizzard that's currently featuring direct references to Goebbels and Hitler in Cataclysm, so they might just not care.

Returning to thematics, maybe there should be something based on elemental balance - this is something quite present on Taoism and the old Chinese alchemy - and so elementals could show up again, perhaps as allies.

Of the present races in Azeroth, I think Night Elves, Orcs and Dwarves should get the most interaction with the Pandaren. NEs due to their architecture which is obviously based on medieval Japanese architecture and due to the "balance in nature" theme which may draw a paralel to the eastern philosophy/religion of Taoism; Orcs since the original Horde came from Mongolia; and the Dwarves 'cuz of all the booze.

I do agree that much has to be researched so that it retains a Warcraftish feel and doesn't become a ripoff of the cultures of China, Japan and Korea. The pop culture references regarding anime would be there mostly as comic relief or easter eggs.

Agree on most of your listed points, except on the Death Note references (WTF?). Dragon Ball is okay because it's based on a chinese legend.

Pandaren Emperor trying to gain immortality? Awesome plot.

On elemental balance: Make the four guardian beasts Zhū Què (fire), Qīng Lóng (air), Bái Hǔ (water), and Xuán Wǔ (earth) elemental spirits. Something like the "Dragon Aspects" version of the elements (contrary to the elemental lords, who are evil, these spirits would be benevolent creatures). Also Huang Long could be made to represent the Void (not sure how that could play out, but someone might have more ideas ).

Remember that we're still at Azeroth, far from Maelstrom-surroundings lands, yes, but still at Azeroth. I wouldn't try to make any kind of imba god or equivalent power to those already existing.

As for references, we don't need to abuse of them, but yeah, some joke reference to Death Note would be cool, like a book with a bad spirit chained on it, that does your written will.

I must try to get a simple map in a clear image. Will try later. My sketches suck too much (basically because only I understands them xD), but I don't have time to draw anything with quality, so I'll have to search balance somehow .

I'll try to write small stuff on each zone after I get the map, too. We're going to turn this into a cool project .

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Metzen: They are one of the ancient races of Northrend that we haven't spoken of before... because we hadn't made them up before. (laughter)

~Main: Expansion theorycrafting, Expansions list, The Age of Nightmare, Empire of the Tides (coming soon)~
~Fan ficton: Anachronos Journey: The Timeless Heir~ ~Geography of continents series: Old Kalimdor (original), Pandaria~
~Locations as zones series: Azjol-Nerub, Barrow Deeps, Zul'Aman, Demon Hunter zone, Caverns of Time~

All I know is there'd better be a Pandaren cooking trainer named Po who teaches you his Secret Ingredient Soup recipe.

Turtle people that have bone-breaking fighting styles that live in the lakes and rivers nad fight the naga trying to swim up into the area.

Based off the Kappa from actual mythology.

Do want.

Yes please.

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I guess it's a coincidence, but I wanted to include some turtle people, enslaved by the sea dragon serpents.

Nice to get sources that could help me develop them further .

Well, now that I'm on it, I'll give you some hints about the races I have planned (I already posted some info the first page of this thread, but I'm elaborating on it anyway):

-Sea dragon serpents: these huge chinese-dragon like sea creatures are one of the biggest creatures of the world, and live around the coasts of Pandaria, with their main lair at the western part of the "Coastal rocky zone". Some years ago, their benevolent king disappeared, either dead or retired, and his son raised to power. His lack of experience made him an easy target for corruption, and since then, he and his soldiers have been the terror of the seas, seeking to rule over everything under their waters.

-Turtle people: they have the size of quillboar/gnoll/trogg, and are pretty similar to the turtle mount and the turtle pet. They're "cute" and peaceful, but they can get dangerous with martial arts and water magics if you menace them. They live at a series of outer underwater cliffs, in the "Coastal rocky zone", where they have a city overlooking the seafloor that extends beyond Pandaria. They had a good relationship with the neighboring sea dragon serpents, but some years ago, their new king enslaved them, forcing most to work at underwater quarries. The turtle people live in dark days, but they endure as best as they can day to day.

-Butterfly people: they have the size of a small dwarf, a little bit bigger than the turtle people. They look like the faeries of the typical european tales, but a bit bigger. They are long distant cousins to the aqir, and share most of their features, plus some wings they use to move across their domain: the "Faerie forest". They have a village in that very forest, built between some old trees, where they live and store their most appreciated food: the nectar of a special plant that grows only at a valley at the western side of the "Himalaya mountain". They often clash with the bee people for it.

-Bee people: they are a bit bigger than the butterfly people, and a bit slower due to that. They look exactly like the butterfly people, but with different colors and a simpler anatomy. They are close cousins to the butterfly people, having the same ancestors, but they have a different domain: the "Arabian desert". They have a village there, caved into the rocks, where they gather during the harsher hours of the desert, and where they store their most appreciated food: the same nectar the butterfly people reclaims. At the beginning, the nectar was abundant, and there was enough for both races, but lately there's conflict between the two races for harvest of the best nectar, conflict that has nearly escalated into a small war.

-Seven(or nine) tailed foxes: these usually white/beige-skinned seven tailed foxes have the size of a big wolf, and are usually used as combat mounts by the pandarens. They are loyal and cunning, and had proven one of the best resources of the empire. Their father-ancient is a smaller-than-usual orange-red fox with longer-than-usual tails, that compensates his smaller size with an incredible magic skill. He lives at the heart of the "Rice hills", near the "Faerie forest". He doesn't usually like to see his sons die in battle, but he respects their decisions, and likes the link they have with the pandaren.

-Mantaxx: huge mantis that populate "Mantidae forest", used as mounts by the aqir. They are very aggressive to non-insect races, and don't trust other insects too much, due to their dark past times, where everyone tried to prey on them. The aqir have worked hard to domesticate them, and they have turned to be excellent and fierce companions, that work together easily with the aqir to make a better living for both of the races. All the females of the race can lay eggs, but only the queens lay royal eggs, that spawn stronger mantaxx. The community chooses their queen, who is transported to the sacred lair and feed up specially until she grows into a huge creature, prepared to breed a new generation of male warriors to protect the species.

I think that's enough for now. Opinion and criticism are welcomed .

I'm now thinking about evil races like psychopath swans, treacherous Alicia-in-Wonderland-like cat people, squid small humanoids that hide in the waters of dark caves and mushroom people.

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Metzen: They are one of the ancient races of Northrend that we haven't spoken of before... because we hadn't made them up before. (laughter)

~Main: Expansion theorycrafting, Expansions list, The Age of Nightmare, Empire of the Tides (coming soon)~
~Fan ficton: Anachronos Journey: The Timeless Heir~ ~Geography of continents series: Old Kalimdor (original), Pandaria~
~Locations as zones series: Azjol-Nerub, Barrow Deeps, Zul'Aman, Demon Hunter zone, Caverns of Time~

I like them

The Bee People, though, shouldn't be Arabian. That is already covered by the Ethereals. Maybe Turkish or Persian (I don't think either of them are covered), or maybe even Afghan (which would be cool in my opinion).

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SILENCE WILL FALL

I'll throw my opinions about Lon's races later, BUT I want to point out something.

THIS should be the Pandaren mount:

Damn, Lon, I wanted to claim the Mantaxx for my own Pandaria spinoff.

I had written up an outline for a lvl 60-70 subcontinent/island south of Pandaria, a sort of Taiwan to Pandaren/Aqir China. I decided not to post it because this thread was pretty dead by the time I finished it, and so it's now gone.

In short, it would be an alternative to the Outland leveling experience, and the main plot involved the Alliance and Aqir competing with the Horde and Pandaren to gain the friendship of the Pandyr people native to the region, and who possess some funky magitech that the superpowers want to get their hands on. They also both want the Pandyr in their ranks to give them a numerical edge over the other faction.

The Pandyr are neighbors and rivals with the primitive instectoid Mantaxx, who use the pandyr as their primary source of food. Somehow the Mantaxx have been getting modern weapons and learning tactics, and now the Pandyr are endangered and their civilization is falling apart. Most of the 60-70 experience would involve the Alliance+Aqir, under Anduin Wrynn, competing with the Horde+Pandaren, under Thura, for the hearts and minds of the Pandyr by defending them from the Mantaxx.

Around lvl 67, when Horde and Alliance get duped into sending their armies to the far corner of the island for an invasion of the prime Mantaxx hive, the insects launch a sneak-attack on the Pandyr capital, delivering their species just short of the coup de grace. When the armies get back to the capital, the early leveling zones are in ruins, nearly all the Pandyr are dead, and the survivors blame the Horde and Alliance. The Pandyr survivors become the new enemy for the final levels, while players get to grind reputation with a new Mantaxx faction to try to get their hands on the last of the Pandyr technology.

The big reveal at the end is that it was the Aqir arming and aiding the Mantaxx from the beginning, and who had duped the Horde and Alliance into leaving the capital undefended. The Horde and Pandaren are furious for the loss of the Pandyr, whom they had great affection for, vowing renewed war against the Alliance, while the Alliance can't do anything against the Aqir, since they are needed as allies against the furious Horde, swelled by the Pandaren armies (and Anduin gets his first real 'oh fuck' moment and learns about the necessity of sometimes working with the bad guys, and the Alliance gets an overtly evil race of their own)

Panderan mounts should be THE CRANE!. It comes in black and white and it's Asian.

And they must war with Ninja Turtles...who rides skateboards and eats pizza and plays rock music and always leaves Pandaria a mess in which the Pandarens scold them and tell them to get off their lawn stupid teenagers!

And a neutral faction of wise kobold monks led by Master Splinter.

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Dis my Jam

Who said they should be arabian?

They're just a humanoid version of those bees that build their nests underground (dunno how they're called, earth bees?). They would just have some normal cloths around, but most of their body would be clothless; after all, they are adapted to their environment.

That's too gross .

Nice. In my idea, 16k years ago the qiraji betrayed the aqir and manipulated the nerubian, and when they discovered them, they slaughtered their city (which serves as the 55-60 zone). Most of their temporal allies during the war were attacked, too, feeling betrayed by them.

After all these centuries, they're still peaceful like before the war, but don't hesitate to slaughter anyone instead of trying diplomacy, because they feel everyone hates them.

Could use that instead of swans. I find interesting one of the pictures at the article, at the end of it: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ng_Dwarfes.gif

I lol'd .

I have another idea for a tauren spinoff. At the beginning, I didn't want to include any, but after I linked my Old World theories, thought about the sides, realized that pandaren and aqir should have allied races around and saw that I didn't have many human-size races, I decided to think a bit about them, and I think the result is satisfying .

As a preview, they are a mix between yaks and jungle yetis of reddish hair.

__________________


Metzen: They are one of the ancient races of Northrend that we haven't spoken of before... because we hadn't made them up before. (laughter)

~Main: Expansion theorycrafting, Expansions list, The Age of Nightmare, Empire of the Tides (coming soon)~
~Fan ficton: Anachronos Journey: The Timeless Heir~ ~Geography of continents series: Old Kalimdor (original), Pandaria~
~Locations as zones series: Azjol-Nerub, Barrow Deeps, Zul'Aman, Demon Hunter zone, Caverns of Time~

Too bad, I can't think of any new race :S.

Well, here goes my idea for the tauren-cousin at Pandaria. It contains a lot of information from my ideas about the "16,000 years ago war", which I haven't posted around elaborately enough yet, so I guess that compensates for the lack of other races:

-Pandarian tauren: 16,000 years ago, during the war between aqiri and trolls, the tauren had a growing civilization across the southwestern grasslands of Old Kalimdor. During the war, they joined the aqiri, ignoring the worship of the Old Gods by some of them. As a sign of allegiance, a battalion of soldiers was sent to the outskirts of the capital city of Azj'Aqir. When the qiraji sieged the city, the tauren weren't able to react in time, and had to flee with the silithids chasing them. Eventually, the silithids retreated, and they were able to regroup and try to rebuild their settlement.

However, the silithids had ravaged most of the lands around them, and the valley where they lived had become nothing more than a barren wasteland, where corpses and ruins littered the landscape (current Arabian rocky desert). In their journey to find a new shelter, they met the aqiri survivors, but they denied them aid, being overwhelmed with their injured people and their own lack of resources. Although both leaders understood the situation and could do nothing but to resign to themselves, low voices between their peoples whispered words of betrayal by the opposite sides.

Most of the tauren left with the same thought: "We were all betrayed by their own brothers, because they failed to rule their people righteously", and the aqir watched them leave with another seemingly identical thought: "They occupied our lands to help us in our war, and they ran away like cowards at the first sight of it". Relationships between the two races never recovered since then.

Eventually, they crossed the mountains, and arrived at the jungle, which had withstood the silithid invasion a bit better than the other lands. There, they built a new settlement, where they gathered resources and prepared for the journey southeast, back to their home. Unfortunately, situations and dire rumors about the silithid advance made travelling too far impossible. Alone at this side of the world, they buried all their memories in a tomb, and they started a new life.

Centuries later, they would befriend the pandaren, a new race that resembled the furbolgs they fought during the war, and much more later, they would lose connection with the old world forever, after the Sundering shattered away the continent, surrounding their lands with water.

Nowadays, they are one of the most loyal allies of the pandaren. They still live at the jungle (current Indonesian jungle) but they have settlements at the Rice Hills, the Himalaya mountain and the Arabian rocky desert, where their former settlement has become a graveyard for all their generations.

All those years of exile have changed their physiology considerably. Most of them show a red-brown (sometimes dark) fur, and their horns are wider than their cousins, to help them walk across the jungle.

Well, that's it for the Pandarian tauren. Opinions?

__________________


Metzen: They are one of the ancient races of Northrend that we haven't spoken of before... because we hadn't made them up before. (laughter)

~Main: Expansion theorycrafting, Expansions list, The Age of Nightmare, Empire of the Tides (coming soon)~
~Fan ficton: Anachronos Journey: The Timeless Heir~ ~Geography of continents series: Old Kalimdor (original), Pandaria~
~Locations as zones series: Azjol-Nerub, Barrow Deeps, Zul'Aman, Demon Hunter zone, Caverns of Time~

I agree that some Tauren lore should be include on Pandaria (maybe some tauren ancestor). Not sure about the story though. I see the Tauren more connected to the Pandaren than the Aqir.

if there are type of tauren in pandaria, then I want them to have an advanced civilization and not just live in huts or wooden lodges (taunka). There is that cool golden tauren statue in the files.

I'd prefer a Pandarian splinter of Tauren to be yak-headed, with culture based on Tibet. The buddhist-like approach kinda suits Tauren, don't you think?

I totally agree... and then making them live in secluded areas in the himalaya mountains, instead of the jungle/forest. Although msot people would think that seeing them living in a cold region, they'd look like the Taunka to much.... but the buddhist-like approach would totally make up for that.

The only question is: What would their Dalai Lama be called?

__________________
SILENCE WILL FALL

Pandaren just got a new class:
http://sonsofthestorm.com/viewer.php...rcraft&art=130

Samwise did it again