Greetings, members of the Argent Dawn community! With patch 8.3 coming out in a couple of weeks, I felt this would be a good time to bring out a makeshift guide and suggestion list on how to make our furry fox friends feel all the more welcome into the Horde, as a follow-up to my previous Zandalari guide I made some time ago. These are just suggestions, don’t let me stop you from playing what you wish!
General information:
The vulpera are survivors, scavengers and traders. They are a people humbled by living in the harsh desert of Vol’dun, seeing value in anything big or small, whether it be for immediate use to aid in their daily lives, or if it can be traded for something better. One of their racial traits involves having a pouch of supplies to either harm enemies or heal allies, indicating that this scavenger trait goes across all vulpera walks of life, and each and every one is bound to have at least something on their person.
In general, the vulpera are a very friendly people and accept aid willingly, and have shown a great willingness to aid those in need, no doubt in sympathy for knowing their own fair share of struggle. But even then, they realise that the only one truly capable of helping you is yourself, and you cannot always rely on others. But some have turned to piracy, leaving their home dunes to terrorise the seas under the banner of the vile Bilge Rat pirate crew, lead by one of their own: Captain Eudora. With her demise in Freehold, it is unknown what the status of the Bilge Rat crew is as of late. Shaken, but firm? Shattered and splintering? We do not know, but the vulpera in their ranks will surely be a part of it no matter what.
Concerning surnames, we have never seen a vulpera with a surname. Draenei do have them, but they seem to be a rarity, but the vulpera seem to lack a surname system in their culture. It is possible one may take up a surname, but it would likely be perceived as strange by the other vulpera.
Recommended racial mounts: Hyena, Alpaca, Krolusk, Vulture.
I will list their classes and their place in the lore:
Warrior:
“Today is a good day to fight. Every day is.” - Nisha
Every race needs its basic fighters. Vulpera warriors are known for taking the brunt of whatever hostility comes towards their people, and will go out of their way to avenge wrong committed towards their people if the aggression is great enough. A known warrior, Nisha, played a crucial part in saving the Speaker of the Horde from the Faithless sethrak and aided in numerous assaults against Korthek’s armies, and aided in fighting back against the Alliance incursion of Vol’dun.
Hunter:
In the desert, it is vital to be able to find any resources you can as it can literally mean life and death. For this, vulpera hunters would make excellent trackers and seekers of such resources. Their eye to detail would be unrivalled, and their ability to tame the beasts of the desert can turn potential predators into staunch allies. Recommended pets: Serpent (Cobra), Lizard (Saurolisk), Hyena, Carrion Bird (Vulture/Roc), Krolusk, Scorpid, Wasp.
Rogue:
Rogues are excellent scouts for dangerous places, and for keeping a close eye on potential enemies. The vulpera’s knowledge of the desert grants them knowledge of every hiding place, and where to potentially ambush enemies that pass them. The wasps of Vol’dun are known for their venom, and a vulpera rogue can use this venom to coat their blades to make even the smallest of strikes far more effective.
Priest:
The religious belief system of the vulpera is currently unexplored, but it is possible that after witnessing hero priests of the Horde fight for them, some vulpera may be attracted to using the Light as a means of further aiding their allies due to their generally helpful nature. Some may be bitter about the suffering inflicted upon their people, so they may turn to the Void to make their enemies feel the pain the vulpera have endured for so long, physical and mental.
Mage:
The vulpera are a race of great cunning and intellect. It is how they survived the desert for so long, so it is no small wonder that some have taken up the mantle of the mage after joining the Horde, as no vulpera magi have been seen prior to their recruitment. No doubt many would choose the element of flame, seeking to weaponise the scorching heat of the desert itself to defend their people. Some may turn to frost magic to negate this heat and provide relief for those who are suffering at the sun’s hands. Some could even turn to the arcane from simple curiosity alone, and arcane knowledge could aid in their survival by pure magical force.
Shaman:
“We go where the sands take us.” - Kiro
The elements rule Vol’dun, not the vulpera, not the Zandalari exiles, not the sethrak. To commune with the elements would be a great boon to those seeking to survive, such as being able to find hidden oasis in the desert. The ability to turn the desert’s own scorching heat into a means of defense against attackers, as well as using the sand itself to slow them and the little moisture in the air to replenish and heal allies would make vulpera shaman a welcome sight. Given his use of totems, the vulpera racial leader Kiro may be a shaman himself, and his knowledge of anti-venoms and general medical practice may show another aspect to shamanism practices of the vulpera.
Monk:
The vulpera are small, and with resources and weapons scarce in Vol’dun, some may have had to rely on their paws to fight. Being small doesn’t mean one is useless: they are swifter and able to strike far more quickly than a larger opponent. A vulpera could train themselves to strike with a greater precision and force, aiming for critical weak points on a target’s legs and lower body, not to mention their claws would deal just that little bit extra damage. It is also possible that they may desire to learn of the August Celestials from the pandaren, as those Wild Gods do represent traits the vulpera utilise every day to survive in the desert.
Warlock:
The vulpera are a generally friendly species, but some may have grown bitter and hateful after the slaughter of their people at sethrak hands, seeing their friends brought into slavery. There may be a burning desire to hold dominion over another being, so to learn the ways of the warlocks from the Horde and being able to subjugate demons to destroy those who have wronged the vulpera may be an allure to some of those who still cling to anger.
Death Knight:
“In life, you were a hero to your people. For their sake, you made the ultimate sacrifice. But your duty to Azeroth is not yet complete. More is demanded of you, a price the living cannot pay.” - Bolvar Fordragon
Dark times are coming, and the dead are forbidden to rest as the world itself needs those who need no sleep, no rest, no moral compass. Many vulpera have died in the Blood War, and the Lich King has seen potential in their people to serve as his new generation of Death Knights. He has seen something coming, and the undead vulpera shall be a part of his vanguard. They likely do not know what is coming, but the death knights know to stand ready. They will be reviled, mourned for, scorned and hated, but their duty to Azeroth goes beyond the opinions of others.
Factions: There are only two known major factions the vulpera have appeared in, so I shall list them here.
Voldunai: The Voldunai are not just of vulpera, but all inhabitants of Vol’dun. This kinship forged from the heat of the relentless sun is unlike any other, and the vulpera can always be counted on to aid those who need it. But with the Horde’s arrival, the vulpera can now explore outside the dunes, but they will never forget where their true home lies.
Bilge Rats: A pirate crew made from the mongrel races of the world, including vulpera, hozen, quilboar and saurok, these pirates were once lead by Captain Eudora. The vulpera of the Bilge Rats were known as rogues, and also were known to have “firefoxes” in their ranks: alchemists that specialise in throwing vials of explosive flame. With Captain Eudora’s demise, some vulpera may try and create splinter factions of the crew, or even seek to keep it together in the name of their fallen captain, or perhaps some may simply leave to find more profitable organisations to join.
Faction relationships:
Alliance: The Alliance, initially, were indifferent to the vulpera as they did not actively aid the Horde’s war efforts. But when war fully erupted, the vulpera began to aid the Horde in shipping supplies through Vol’dun, and the Alliance would not permit this. The vulpera were shocked and fought back, even if the Alliance did seek to cause as few casualties as possible. Many vulpera are likely to be very distrusting of the Alliance as a result, but with the knowledge of the Horde’s former Warchief and exactly what type of war the vulpera were aligning themselves to, alongside this new peace, perhaps the vulpera may at least come to understand why the Alliance did what they did. Or perhaps they will never forgive and forget, and will gladly take vengeance when given the moment.
Faithless sethrak: The vulpera have suffered greatly at the hands of the Faithless. Tortured, killed and enslaves, the Faithless showed no mercy. The hatred towards the Faithless burns bright in the vulpera, and Nisha is a prime example of this. Whatever role the person has in the vulpera way of life, they all no doubt share the same hatred towards this group of sethrak.
Faithful sethrak: Given the attacks from the Faithless, the vulpera may be wary of the sethrak who retain worship of Sethraliss under Vorrik’s command, but their co-operation against the Faithless which lead to the demise of Emperor Korthek shows that they are at least willing to work together. Some may even open up to trade and aid the Faithful in times of need.
And this is my guide to the vulpera. I hope you enjoyed the read, and be sure to take the little guys seriously. They mean well, and they may take your things if you annoy them too much!
