Headcanon 2: Electric Boogaloo

Argent Dawn
3330

In the Blue Dragonflight questline’s Stranglethorn part, the pirate crew of Grub Redcut wish “Tentulos” to devour the adventurer. This puzzled me for a moment but then I realized that…

Some of the pirates hailing from areas controlled by Kul Tiras have adopted a further bastardized version of Tidesages’ worship of “the horrors of the ocean”. The rogue Tidesages who joined pirate crews did not have time to be fully indoctrinated into “k’thir cult”, as they fortunately escaped that fate to follow the cause of the coin. However, they retain some of the early teachings: instead of Tidemother in her original form, the rogue Tidesages invoke the names of helsquids and other similar creatures - not quite the Old Gods, but still removed from the original aspect of Tidemother.

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3331

The cloth/leather/mail/plate sets from Uldir are actually replica’s of the clothing of the old Kaldorei Empire.

Mostly used and worn by the Highborne of Zin-Azshari(as we can see in Nazjatar), the blood Trolls of Nazmir found it, assumed it was powerfull and enhanced their magic, thus they had it replicated and dispersed throughout Uldir, where it found itself in the possesions(or ingested by) some of the inhabitants of the Titan facility.

3332

Can it not be that the kaldorei empire adopted the fashion of looted titan relics to reflect the ancient glory of the precursors. The zandalari certainly did.

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3333

Probably, but the Blood Trolls don’t know it! :smirk:

3334

Do blood trolls even know what fashion is?

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3335

No. Blood Trolls do not know. They know nothing but a lesser magic form. Obviously Arcane Magic is superiour. And the wannabe magic the Trolls use is semi-superiour to whatever the Blood Trolls use.

3336

Kobolds have a strong connection to the Light. Their understanding of the great powers; the greatness of lifegiving warmth and a beacon to guide one though the dangerous darkness is fundamental. It may be rudimentary and crude, but in this simple, honest concept there is a purity of sincere belief.

It would take very little to establish a more formal path and raise a number of genuine adepts in the way of the Light but the kobolds have yet to pursue more than what their comfortable basics permits them. They’re quite content in their understanding: Light is Good, for it drives away the Dark where the Bad Things dwell. Things that bring Light are Good. You make candle, light candle, praise candle.

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3337

So this is probably about as “deep-dive tinfoil-hat-speculating” as I’ve gone in a while. All of it really centers around a single question.

Have you noticed a change in the Void?

Historically, the Void has been shown to be a dark, purple-ish sort of magic. Ranging between really, really dark purple and somewhat lighter, even muave hues.

Since DF however, it seems to me that we’ve been introduced to a new variant of this cosmic force. Or since BfA I suppose, if we consider the Void Elf heritage armour’s decorative wings.

I say cosmic quite deliberately as well, as it’s cited by the artists behind it to be “cosmic Void” rather than simply “Void”. This variant effectively replaces the purple and violet colours with shades of blue instead, complete with white star-like dots and focal points.

So obviously I’m left wondering. Is this simply an aesthetic change the art team felt was overdue - a magical facelift if you like - or is there a lorewise implication?

Could it be that the so-called cosmic Void is the pure, unfiltered magic of the Void’s own realm, and the purple variant the more diluted, Old God stuff? If so, is there any practical difference between the two versions of the same magic?

I wish I was going somewhere with this, but I think I partially just needed to share my thoughts. After seeing the Xal’atath animated short and noticing her using the same rendition of the Void as Sarkareth, ergo it not being an isolated case with that boss encounter, it began really nagging me.

Thoughts? Or possibly a friendly “stop cooking” to remind me not to analyze too deeply on what is, on its surface, just a change in colour? :sweat_smile:

3338

I think there might be some implications, considering some of the views Xal’atath has, which, I won’t spoil for those who haven’t read up on them - but that also, it’s possibly a facelift as well, on a more out-of-universe point of view.

You’re probably right about it having some implications about what it might be, but the art team probably also simply wanted to make something more visually interesting than not just yet another expansion where the big antagonist is uses purple void magic; but two and possibly three of them in a row. Both things can be true at the same time!

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3339

It is pretty clear that there are cosmic forces that are restricted to their particular realm and then there is their representation on reality. Reality meaning Azeroth etc.

So cosmic void might have this blue tone and color. But it is restricted to the void realm and a spellcaster has to breach that barrier to call upon its powers. All else is just shadow magic which is an inherently weaker form of void and is purple with tentacles.

Same works with life, order, death, light and fel.
No cosmic force can exist in reality by itself but has weaker variants of itself present there.
Life being nature / spirit. Order being arcane. Light is represented as holy.
So far we have not seen any cosmic light, cosmic order or cosmic life.
One might argue that the naaru, the titans or the wild gods, loa etc. are examples of those cosmic powers.

But personally I would compare them to the old gods. They have deep ties to their magics realm but they are just a fraction of what those confined in the cosmic realms have to offer. They are invasive species to reality. And they are there to turn people and worlds to their cause in their own unique way. The naaru grooming the draenei is a prime example. Or the wild gods / loa grooming the tauren, pandaren, trolls and kaldorei. The titans creating their subjects and destroying or imprisoning everything that does not fit into their utopia. The void having their old gods to turn people which led to the creation of living titan constructs.
But I digress.

So far I have left fel and death out of the picture.
Cosmic death has its representation with decay magic that has been popularized in DF (but has been an existing thing for almost the entirety of WoW’s lifetime). I also might add that necromancy is NOT death magic. Necromancy is in lore a practice and it can be performed by any cosmic force, its not restricted to the realm of death.

And cosmic fel is a tricky one. It essentially is raw and untamed energy. The twisting nether is a realm of pure chaos, we even visit pieces of it like on Outland for example. But those are mere glimpses. So cosmic fel might be just… everything?
I dont really know, someone could maybe clear the picture there.

But I hope that this little excursion into magic was helpful!

3340

My contribution to this foray into the void:

There are old gods in Starcraft.

Very few people I’ve chatted with seem prepared to go there since the audiences of Warcraft and Starcraft don’t seem to overlap, but it’s exceedingly clear in the Starcraft comics to anyone who’s a fan of both. In one of the comics, on a distant dead planet, the “voice in the darkness” with telepathy, tentacles, and mind control powers is described as a being of void energy, and it basically comes off as N’zoth in space - but back in 2009.

Alas, Starcraft is dead, Warcraft is mending, and never the twain shall meet.

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3341

Just want the point out that the Titans are the Pantheon of Order and are everything Order (and Arcane, I guess) have to offer.

The same way the Void Lords or the Pantheon of the Void and the Old Gods are their avatars/agents in the mortal realms.

The Titan version of a Old God is a Titan Keeper like Ra-den or Odyn!

3342

While we all know of the existence of the three holy virtues that every good light worshipping paladin should follow, we also know there are unholy paladins, such as the tyrants in Hellfire citadel or the undead crusaders in Icecrown.

Thus I argue there ought to exist a equal and opposite set of guidelines for the unholy variant, thusly I bringeth you:

the Three Vices of the Unholy Light.

Contempt: Those who cannot help themselves are deemed undeserving and doomed by the cruel hand of fate. Do not allow the narrow perspectives of others to cloud your vision; instead, hold steadfast to your beliefs with unwavering certainty and stubborn resolve. Disregard the burdensome shackles of morality, kindness, and honor, for they serve only to constrain and hinder your vengeance. let contempt be your guiding principle, fueling your disdain for the feeble and reinforcing your dominance over all who dare to oppose you.

Relentlessness: Embrace the unyielding fire of relentless pursuit, for it is the forge upon which victory is forged. Let your will be as unyielding as iron, never bending, never breaking, as you march ever forward toward your goals. In the face of adversity, show no mercy, no hesitation; instead, unleash the full fury of your wrath upon those who dare to stand in your path. Let the flames of rage and vengeance consume all who oppose you, fueling your ascent to glory or oblivion, for in the crucible of relentless pursuit, only the strong emerge triumphant.

Cruelty: The world is a cold and indifferent place, where only the strong survive. Embrace the cruelty of existence, for it is the truest reflection of the world’s unforgiving nature. Show no empathy, no compassion, for such sentiments are but weaknesses to be exploited by the cunning and the ruthless. Let your heart be as cold as ice, your actions as merciless as the reaper’s scythe, as you carry out punishment to those who dare to oppose you. In a world where only the strong prevail, let cruelty be your weapon, ensuring your dominance over all who would dare to challenge your supremacy.

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3343

Probably no more complicated than an aesthetic evolution but if we want excuses?
Purple/black Void is what we see the old gods, shadow priests and warlocks leak while this blue/black space void in all its cosmic flair seems more about “actual” Void as an otherworldly place.

While not different, purple Void is of the incarnated manifestations; the parasites sent from Void-space to infest physical reality and the living entities that channel it. A simple consequence of being filtered through the realm of flesh. Conversely, the holes in reality that Sarkareth tears open spew gales of unfiltered blue Voidstuff from the realm of nothingness. Rather than wildly corrupting flesh, it simply rejects the form of what it touches, unmaking it rather than reshaping it to suit the cosmic infection brought by old god entities. Thus his more twisted form is visibly disintegrating as it changes during the encounter, destroying his face.

Telogrus for its part is full of purple and blue. The Void Tempest at the heart of the rift has settled since the Fourth War and in its wake we see these currents of blue around the calmed islands as we traverse them.

Starcraft’s Void not being wholly malevolent and madness inducing sets it apart from the Lovecraft-lite version that assails Azeroth but it does suggest a narrative approach to gradually shed it in favour of more nuances.

I was kind of hoping we’d see a scenario where Xal’atath is more ambiguous and even vaugely helpful while still obviously dangerous as an entity we begrudgingly tolerate while facing down the actual Void Lords. A creature that values its own freedom and agency more than the rewards of distant masters while pulling trickster fakeouts to screw with us and our enemies while trolling the “I can change her/would make her worse/would let her ruin me” crowd.

3 Likes
3344

I offer no headcanons today, but instead approach ye all with a question.

Would it be possible for a person of questionable morality to hatch and by proxy own a corrupted firehawk from the Firelands? And if so, how?

3345

Druid of the flame friends/indebted assets.

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3346

AFAIK Druids of the Flame can open portals to the Firelands. One could assume (Dark) Shaman attuned to the Element of Fire would be able to too.

You could obtain one in the chaotic wake of the Firelands’ aid to Fyrakk and subsequent loss of another Firelord, if the Firelord could enter Azeroth/The Emerald Dream, other Elementals would/did/could follow in his wake.

Maybe you could’ve snuck through the Portal to the Firelands in Hyjal to obtain one, but admittedly that runs into the problem of the Cenarion Circle and Earthen Ring having a pretty large presence in the area around the World Tree.

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3347

What do you expect to be the actual scenario? Or even better…what’s your headcanon based on what we currently know, if not the first scenario you described above?

3348

I’d like to point out that the egg would be a corrupted one.
Whether it is corrupted before or after retrieval doesn’t matter, but might change up the story.

3349

So, do orcs possess night vision in canon? They certainly have the eye-shine (or tapetum lucidum, apparently) of animals capable of seeing in the dark, but it’s not something I recall ever having come across in the lore.

If it’s not established, then my headcanon is that they can see in the dark.