Quite a fan of Draenei, and wanting to do a Draenei shaman for a while now.
Im wondering what some lore friendly backgrounds for them would be.
Obviously I am aware of Nobundo, but If I wanted to do a younger one? In training, learning etc? The character would likely have had to pick it up from Nobundo after shattarath? And have continued it within the earthen Ring?
If you have ideas, or could point me the direction of some literature that I could explore as it relates to shamanism/draenei?
Thanks!
I believe Nobundo was the first Draenei shaman. In turn, he taught others.
I don’t think it’s too far-fetched to have learned from other Draenei, or maybe even Dwarves.
It’s possible, though rare to have affinity/ability of the elements without having any training. So it may be that your character always had some latent power they were (un)aware of.
Maybe they were once friends with a shamanistic orc before it all went bad?
Also keep in mind that being a shaman is a good way to be lowkey seen as a failure because it’s the way of the Broken instead of the way of the Naaru.
I can definitely recommend the Heart of Azeroth discord for discussing shamanism and your character with other shaman RPers. I’ve learnt a great deal about shamanism as a shaman-newbie and there are even some RPers willing to take on students IC!
I am not a Draenei lore man myself but I do know some things about them.
I can try to suggest that you’d join the Discord, they can answer your questions.
Good luck! I hope this can help you! https://discord.gg/YyKZW3z https://eu.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/draenei-roleplaying-community-discord/161110
The Earthen Ring itself as a group also is a bit of a nice gateway for a younger Draenei Shaman, who perhaps may have been Rangari before, as a potentail suggestion.
Rangari had a thing for adapting to the land, and it’s not unreasonable that a lost Rangari might potentially take up Shamanism over the light.
But the Earthen Ring has many Draenei Shamans within it and they’re generally accepted among them as kin. While indeed, among actual Draenei society it’s seen as a lowkey taboo, it’s not as bad as it used to be.
Slowly the Draenei are starting to accept them more and more, but there’s still hints of it, such as the fact that they weren’t given too much mind during the Legion’s attack on the Exodar and that they were a bonus objective instead of a main one. Little things like that instead of straight up hate like they used to in TBC era.
Another potential gateway: The local Furbolg in Azuremyst might have something interesting for you in your journies.
So! Answers have already been given, but Draenei shaman were indeed trained by Farseer Nobundo when they first came about. I assume that at this point you can be trained by anyone in the Earthen Ring, willing to teach. Some shaman might also see the Elements as aspects of the Light, to be worshipped as much as the Light/worshipped to make up for previous neglect. My shaman, Malek, followed the same path as Nobundo, though he managed to not get Broken by the mists. Former Vindicator who lost his faith in the Light, and instead sought guidance and purpose elsewhere. Which he found with Shamanism and Nobundo. Malek sees the Elements as being somehow related to the Light, but as a more tangible thing than the “divine” Light. ^^
Though for literature! Of course I will be the one to recommend “Unbroken” which is the short story of how Nobundo came to be.
Yeah I’ve read that one its one of the old ones.
Im thinking to be an adult shaman I’d have to have taken it up during TBC at the latest to be anything short of a student… Since well ignoring what the community at large thinks about Draenei, we have written accounts of 300y old Draenei children… Soo I imagine I can play a very novice, very novice shaman considering they only had like… 10-ish years to learn.
Piggybacking on this… I’m having trouble wrapping my head around timelines.
How long ago did the Broken and also Draenei start practicing Shamanism? I read the Nobundo short story but it didn’t really give any clarity to me.
Did the Draenei start right at TBC launch? Or did they do it way before they crashed on Azeroth?
It is possible to have learned from the Wildhammer. Some draenei moved into the Hinterlands with the high elves there, after the draenei ambassador stayed up in Aerie Peak for a while. It might make for a good story, changing expected vocation.
About a decade (he himself states decadeS) after the Fall of Shattrath/Warcraft 1.
That is, that’s when Nobundo himself learned Shamanism. He returned to the Draenei shortly afterwards to teach anyone who cared to listen after Velen gave him his thumbs-up.
Exodar crashed a bit over a decade later. So, the longest a Draenei/Broken shaman might’ve been in that profession is like 20 years.
I’d say, take Nobundo’s shamanism stuff as a pivot point. Your character could have learned it from the Nobundo itself but I’d personally advice to find another shaman and seek to have mentorship RP.
This way you may learn some extra interesting bits about the shamans or at the very least, get inspiration to come up with something of your own.
as a pivot point. Your character could have learned it from the Nobundo itself but I’d personally advice to find another shaman and seek to have mentorship RP.