Vulpera Homebrew - Spirit Talker
Disclaimer
This is a homebrew, not official lore. Please treat this as merely a different take on the Vulpera race, and an attempt at providing more roleplay options to make our favorite races more approachable or give it more elements to use during roleplay sessions in the game.
The Vulperan Spirit Talker is a spin on the Druid and Shaman classes. They are the Vulpera that have wandered the path of the Druid and understand that life is about balance. That everything has its place, and that life doesn’t merely end at death. It is a cycle, and those who have come before will come again.
The Basics and TL;DR
- This is inspired by the amazing Duneblessed
- A Vulpera Druid is neither a classic Druid nor a Shaman, they are the path in between that goes from the Druid towards the Shaman
- They understand the ecosystem they live in. Similar to the Duneblessed, they worship not just the Desert, but the world around them as it guides them on their path.
- Build upon existing lore elements as much as possible to allow hooking into World of Warcraft
The key aspect is that Vulpera Druids walk the path between Shamanism and Druidism.
They are neither, yet both at the same time. When deciding upon a goal for a character, it would be wise to keep in mind that the Spirit Talker starts as a druid, and aims to walk toward the path of a Shaman to guide their people. Given the setting of Vol’Dun, Shamans make more sense for Vulpera, this path ties the two classes together, allowing that mix to be played out without just being a classic druid or shaman.
Life and Death
As the world opened for the Vulpera and they came in contact with the various other races, druids were one of the many paths they had to deal with. Now to establish Vulpera druids, we need to move on beyond just wanting to plant a tree in the desert and make it green again.
Sources
The quest surrounding Naralax in the Barrens is a great example of how druids frown upon interfering with life. Naralax is told to not try to change the ecosystem that has developed in the Barrens.
The Book Stormrage explains that druidism is about the balance of life, the circle of life and death. The barrens are used here as an example, where the Archdruid saw no purpose in spending effort to terraform this and considered arid, tundra, and desert places equally useful to Azeroth.
The description of the Feral Druid tells us the following:
Feral druids also seek to curb imbalance in nature. They observe the fantastic intricacies of the physical world and the delicate fabric in which all living creatures are given purpose.
Death is part of the cycle that sustains life, Whether on land or in the sea, in a lush jungle or an uncultivated desert. Nature is an eternal dance between predator and prey.
Understanding Life and Death
The Vulpera druids understand this. They do not wish to change the desert or force life upon what is currently dead, their goal is to move the cycle further and let the natural order of things happen.
Life is followed by death, and death is followed by moving on through the Wailing Bone, and as the Caravan moves on, so does life. This cycle is the core belief of the Vulpera druid.
Loa Influence
The official lore surrounding druids clearly states that druids are taught on how to shapeshift through the blessing of Ancient Wild Gods. They embody the aspects this Wild God represents and through that embodiment gain the ability to shape their body into the animal and receive their powers.
For the Vulperan Spirit Talker, this is not any different.
Grasping on the little Lore we have available, a few Wild Gods actually become available that allow us to tie into the existing Lore of Vol’Dun:
Akunda
He is known as the Loa of Storms and new beginnings.
And it is this new beginnings that grants the Vulpera Druid the power to harness the will and might of Akunda. Vulpera have left the confinement of the Vol’Dun desert, they have joined the Horde and taken on new ventures in the world. For many this has been a new beginning and embodiment of the Loa.
Stepping on the path of Druidism is the first criterion to achieve the blessing of Akunda.
The second comes from pushing the circle of life onward as druid, and ensuring that new beginnings keep happening in the Caravan.
The blessing of Akunda grants the Vulpera druid the ability to shapeshift into a Thunderhorn.
Kimbul
Kimbul is a unique take even for a Loa.
Known as Prey’s Doom, Kimbul was the embodiment of the hunt, the fierceness of a predator and its relentless hunt to get the prey at the end.
The Vulpera’s life-style has shown them to be relentless in whatever it is they do. Be it hunting for trinkets in the ruins of temples, fighting the Sethrak head on during their liberation effort in the Battle for Azeroth or their tenacity in the life afterwards when establishing themselves in the Horde and the world around them.
This tenacity and ferocity has attracted the blessing of Kimbul for Vulpera Druids, granting them the ability to shift into a Tiger form.
Lord Renard
Sadly there is not much known about this Wild God outside what we learn and see in Aerdenwald. But he is the embodiment of the Vulpine, and rumor has it that the Vulpera descent from him. The quest where one needs to catch the Vulpine kit, as well as his gossip are the embodiments of the Vulpera themselves. They are playful, often underestimated and nimble in combat.
Lord Renard gives the Vulpera their travel form : A Vulpine
The Wailing Bone
One of the very few bit established lore that comes from the book Lay Down My Bones.
As A Vulpera dies, their Caravan is tasked with finding the resting spot for the body of the deceased Vulpera. Failure to do so will have dire consequences on the Caravan, to the point that the Caravan becomes cursed and all will die.
The Vulpera Druid is at this point the Bone Champion of the Caravan.
Their responsibility lies in communing with the deceased spirit through the bone, and guide the Caravan on its path to the final resting place.
Their attunement with life and the surrounding world aids them in diving the will of the deceased, the wishes of the spirit and most importantly ensuring that the circle of life keeps turning. As was written earlier on, Life doesn’t end at Death, it merely spins into the next phase of the ever rotating circle.
Vulpera Druids carry the burden of Death on them.
It’s not sufficient to grant the wish of the deceased and help them move on.
Their link to both the Emerald Dream, as well as Aerdenwald keeps them in constant contact with the deceased spirits of their Caravan. While this might be overburdening for a fresh druid, it becomes an immense font of power and wisdom that a Spirit Talker can tap into. Be kind enough to those that passed on, and they will even share their secrets and knowledge with the druid, imparting powers upon the Spirit Talker.
The Wailing Bone is where the Vulpera druids draw their abilities from:
- Bone Divination
- Spiritual guidance and ancestral recall
Every time the bone wails, the druid of the Caravan becomes their Avatar of Vengence, ensuring that through the embodiments of the various Loa, their deceased companion is avenged and put to rest.
The Path Inbetween
We are aware that most of the Druids in this game represent life and nature.
For the Vulpera this makes less sense. While they do not break entirely with the link to Life and Nature, their representation is done through the usage of what the desert provides.
- Vulpera Druids wear headdresses or helmets made from animal bones.
- Their outfit can be in tune with nature but should embody the aspect of death and not just nature. Instead of a full green nature outfit, they have autumn colors or use more dead branches to decorate their looks.
- The Wailing bone is carried around their neck on a leather cord.
- A pouch of Desert Sand is carried upon them, representing the ever-shifting sands of the Desert, as well as the cycle of life.
Vulpera Druids know that death comes for everyone and their symbology reflects as such.
While they do not advocate death as a solution, they use it as a tool to ensure balance is achieved.
Rites and Rituals
The Beginning
This rite focuses on the beginning of life.
When a couple in the Caravan decides to bring forth kits into the new world, this is celebrated in the Caravan.
The druids offer assistance during the bearing of the kits and also lead the ceremony when the kit is introduced to the Caravan for the first time, reminding everyone that life always begins a new, and that the kit is a blessing upon the Caravan.
The Passing
Death comes to all of us. When Kin dies, their body is wrapped in special bandages to help preserve the body during these hard times as the Caravan prepares to set out for their Wailing Journey.
The Wailing Bone will be instrumental in this part of the journey to guide the Caravan to the place where the deceased will be buried.
Relying on the harsh environment of the Sands, the Caravan will embalm the body, and bury it in the sands at the designated place. The sands ensure that the body remains well preserved, even in death.
For Vulpera this signals the circle of Life further. While they have passed on, they are never truly lost to us. Their spirit is reachable through the Wailing Bone, and the desert preserves the body, keeping the memory alive.
Every time, a Caravan passes one of these burial sites, it reminds them that those who have come before will come again.
Divination
Vulpera druids can do bone readings and gain understanding to answer questions or predict outcomes.
Notes and Revisions
I first of all want to thank the people that have voiced their input on this, both in the thread as well as over Discord. I really appreciate reaching out, voicing your input and helping in shaping this post.
While I play the concept with Keento, I hope it provides more opportunities for others to join in and interact. As I mentioned in the disclaimer, this is a homebrew and not a strict set of rules. Our Lore is already limited, and this providers an new view on the world, granting us the opportunity to do more.
| Revision | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 08/10/2024 | Initial Draft |
| 1.1 | 11/10/2024 | Incorporate feedback from Duneblessed, Speedwagone and Rotwild |
| 1.2 | 11/10/2024 | Incorporate feedback from Telaryn and the Stormrage book |