Which… is the case, and has already been talked about in the Deep Dive several months ago. There’s three sects of Earthen from Khaz Algar, and two of them’s entire thing is not aligning with what is commonly ‘dwarven’ - one of these even radically opposing it.
Horde Earthen may be a thing because of two reasons. First is the curse of flesh, which I don’t believe won’t be addressed in TWW and I doubt they’ll all bow their necks before the mogu for a cure. And second is, strangely, Magni Bronzebeard. A diamond dwarf known to have earthen at his heel would not be the best person to follow if they value their individuality and don’t want to revert themselves to mere robots again.
1 Like
I’m aware of the different cultures, but I wasn’t aware that there was one that aligns really well with Horde values. Which one is it?
1 Like
They haven’t gone deeply into it, but the Earthen which’s name elude me that are supposed to be the ‘standard ones’ follow the ways left behind by the Titans, and are very ‘dwarvey’ about their whole deal; then, there’s the Unbound, which have entirely discarded these ways and live in freedom.
They’re not super ‘For the Horde!’ which would be weird on a group of people that haven’t met the Horde (or the Alliance for that matter), but they’re most definitely separate from the more dwarven side of their culture straight from the getgo.
Apparently, it’s also mentioned that we’ll be helping them find a way to create more of them to fix their millenia of stagnation, and thanks to the direct help of both the Alliance and the Horde, some of these Earthen might pick a side, rather than entire factions joining one side or another, even if perhaps someone of the Unbound might align far better with the Horde than others.
Veering heavily into the realm of headcanon, I am working on a concept of a Horde earthen who is adherent to the (entirely headcanoned) militant ‘Great Breaker’ aspect of Khaz’goroth (‘forger’ vs ‘breaker’). Remains to be seen if there’s any lore to support anything like this - at the moment I don’t find the “Alliance earthen are oathsworn to Titans while Horde earthen are freethinkers” interesting enough, lore will tell.
I’ve been hoping for loosely Horde-aligned Dark Iron Dwarf mercs since Cataclysm, so I’ll be darned if I don’t make a Horde dwar-- earthen work.
Unlike the Bronzebeard and the Dark Iron, the Wildhammer aren’t very “dwarvey” either, yet they’re still Alliance.
So why wouldn’t any “non-dwarvey” Earthen not fit the Alliance either?
1 Like
Except that they are dwarven clans that have been integral to dwarven culture way before the War that split them was a thing, and they all live in similar city, have similar customs, and have similar traditions and ways of doing things; and for the most extreme case of the Dark Iron, the only playable faction we saw one of them join before Cataclysm was the Horde in the Shattered Hand questline.
I’m not saying that they wouldn’t fit in the Alliance, I’m saying that there is that precedent for why some would choose that. Besides, they’re not joining straight off the bat, as I’ve mentioned. They’re joining because we will restore their way of producing new Earthen after centuries, if not milenia of having their members slowly dwindle.
This couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to the Wildhammer clan.
1 Like
You can put some of that down to proximity and ties to other races (High elves and the Bronzebeard) so it makes sense.
1 Like
Grim Batol and Aerie Peak, as well as outdoors folks also being a thing when it comes to the Bronzebeards, such as mountaineers and those living in Loch Modan. Let’s not act like Wildhammer aren’t adherent to dwarven culture (even if just a section of it) when they literally took the aesthetic of Dwarven slayers from Warhammer to make them.
1 Like
Two clans prefer to live like this:
And the other like this:
There’s cultural differences on both big and granular levels. I like for example how Wildhammer dwarves bury their dead under a pile of rocks decorated with feathers as opposed grander mausoleums or cemeteries the way the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard clan does. And I don’t know why them being inspired by slayers would matter, if anything it lends further credence to the point that they are very different from the other two clans and closer to a “natural” state.
2 Likes
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/images/b/bf/Thelsamar.jpg
https://warcraft.wiki.gg/images/d/d3/GrimBatol_art.jpg
4 Likes
Yeah honestly acting like Wildhammers aren’t aesthetically dwarven is really disingenuous
3 Likes
Ain’t nothin’ more dwarven than this
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/the-grand-bestiary/images/1/10/HillDwarf.png/revision/latest?cb=20151001042634
(also they’re just an offshoot of their D&D origins - Bronzebeards are Mountain Dwarves, Wildhammer are Hill Dwarves, and Dark Irons are Duerge/Deep Dwarves)
5 Likes
“ALL DWARVES ARE DEEP DWARVES!” ~ Vaarsuvius
(But you’re correct!)
2 Likes
And funnily in this setting, if I am not completely mistaken, Wildhammers call Bronzebeards hill dwarves. I’ve come to accept that both Bronzebeards and Wildhammers can be mountain dwarves (Ironforge, Grim Batol, Aerie Peak etc) or hill dwarves (Thelsamar, Kirthaven etc). Rock and stone.
The discussion was regarding Wildhammers being the most offshoot clan culturally, where the original comment claimed that all clans are interchangeable which I disagree with when it comes to the Wildhammer clan, not that they aren’t dwarven in aesthetics.
1 Like
Did I hear a Rock and stone?
I’ve my reservations about Earthern being added, on one hand; I’m all for more dwarf culture, their origin explored, adding more myths and legends to the origin of the dwarfs we have today.
On the other hand; I don’t think they make for that good an allied race, least of all for both factions. I cannot see many Earthern RPers being able to find good ground to RP on, on the Horde side without it being a little jarring or weird. - But who knows, maybe Blizzard will pull a fast one and make it less jarring and or weird.
5 Likes
I kinda figured they just gave them to both factions because they want to chip away at the faction mechanic, considering how DF went storywise, how the Dracthyr are basicaly best buds regardless of what side they pick.
it seems reasonable to assume they are just slowly working towards removing the alliance and the horde as team red and blue on the character select screen.
1 Like