Worgen

Worgen are a race of intelligent, lupine humanoids native to Vorgendor, a world beyond Azeroth. They resemble humanoid wolves, possessing coarse fur, elongated snouts, powerful claws, and sharp teeth. Although many worgen encountered on Azeroth behave as savage predators, they possess their own language and social organisation.

Worgen have reached Azeroth through magic capable of crossing the barrier between worlds. Humans can also be transformed into worgen through magical means, although the precise relationship between these transformed individuals and the native worgen of Vorgendor is uncertain.

Character Creation

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Biology

Worgen resemble a cross between humans and large wolves. They possess roughly humanoid bodies covered in coarse fur, with wolf-like heads, long snouts, sharp teeth, and powerful claws. An adult worgen stands approximately 6' tall when upright and weighs around 250 pounds, although they frequently move on all fours.

Worgen possess keen senses and are capable of tracking prey by scent. They are powerful leapers and recover from injuries particularly quickly at night, although they function normally during daylight. Their claws and teeth are formidable natural weapons, while silver weapons are particularly effective against them.

The blood of the worgen was originally pure and blue, resembling the waters of the moonwells. The widespread adoption of blood magic on Vorgendor subsequently corrupted their bloodline.

History

Origins

The worgen originated on Vorgendor, also known as the Blood Dimension, a distant world in the Great Dark Beyond. They were originally favoured children of Elune, created to serve as guardians against encroaching darkness.

The ancient worgen revered a blue moon as a goddess. Their traditions foretold that the Moon Goddess would one day return and that the Blue Moon would reappear, opening a gateway to a new realm untouched by the Emerald Flame where the worgen could prosper.

The Emerald Flame

Vorgendor was eventually invaded by the Burning Legion, known to the worgen as the "Emerald Flame". Facing destruction, the worgen turned to blood magic in desperation. The practice gradually corrupted their race and came to dominate their society, while powerful blood mages known as pricoliches rose to prominence.

Despite their corruption, the worgen continued fighting the Burning Legion and accumulated extensive experience in the conflict. They were ultimately unable to drive the invaders from Vorgendor and gradually began losing the war.

Contact with Azeroth

Knowledge of Vorgendor reached Azeroth long before the modern appearance of the worgen. During the reign of Queen Azshara, Highborne mages opened portals to several distant realms, including Vorgendor. Some Highborne learned to draw power from Vorgendor through rituals fuelled by blood. These rites could increase physical strength, intellect, and agility, but could also cause madness, visions, and transformations into wolf-like creatures. Continued experimentation corrupted the bodies and minds of the practitioners; the survivors were eventually hunted down and banished.

Much later, the Dalaran mage Ur devoted himself to the study of the worgen and their home. He discovered magical pathways between their world and Azeroth and concluded that sufficiently powerful magic could bring worgen across the barrier between them. Ur eventually travelled to Vorgendor himself, where he observed a blood-red moon and communicated with a worgen blood mage. He learned of the worgen prophecy concerning the return of the Moon Goddess and the Blue Moon and speculated that Azeroth might be the sanctuary promised by the prophecy and that the moon of their traditions might be Azeroth's Blue Child.

Worgen eventually began appearing on Azeroth through magical means. Some were accidentally drawn through temporary magical rifts and became stranded near sites of intense magical activity.

The Scythe of Elune

The Scythe of Elune provided another means of summoning worgen to Azeroth. Velinde Starsong discovered that the Scythe weakened the barriers of time and space, allowing her to observe and communicate with worgen fighting beings known as the "Lords of the Emerald Flame". She subsequently used the Scythe to summon worgen to fight demonic corruption. Velinde organised the summoned worgen into packs and sent them to locate areas of demonic activity, but gradually began losing control over them. Eventually, additional worgen began appearing without her deliberately summoning them.

Unknown to Velinde, a pricolich had deceived her by presenting himself as Elune. The influence of the pricoliches eventually overwhelmed her control over the worgen.

Velinde learned that the mage Arugal had also summoned worgen and intended to seek his advice. During the Third War, Arugal had devised a summoning ritual to bring forth creatures capable of fighting the Scourge. The summoned worgen successfully fought the undead, but subsequently turned against their summoners. Driven mad by the failure of his plan, Arugal adopted the worgen as his children and withdrew to Shadowfang Keep.

Worgen associated with the Scythe became established in Ashenvale and Duskwood. In Ashenvale, worgen occupied the Howling Vale, while those appearing in Duskwood established themselves around the Rotting Orchard and Roland's Doom. The inhabitants of Duskwood did not initially understand their origin, describing the worgen as having appeared "out of thin air".

The worgen curse

In addition to the worgen brought to Azeroth from elsewhere, humans can be transformed into worgen through magical means.

This phenomenon is particularly associated with Shadowfang Keep and nearby Pyrewood Village. The inhabitants of Pyrewood appear human during the day, but transform into Moonrage worgen after sunset as a result of an enchantment placed upon them by Arugal. The transformation affects both body and mind, causing afflicted individuals to become predatory and bloodthirsty regardless of their dispositions while human.

The precise relationship between these transformed humans and the native worgen of Vorgendor is unknown. Blood magic drawing power from Vorgendor is independently capable of causing wolf-like transformations in its practitioners, but there is no evidence that this was the cause of the transformations at Pyrewood.

Culture

Language

Worgen possess their own language, composed of a variety of growls, barks, and howls. It has come to be known as Worgenish to researchers.

Faith

The ancient worgen possessed a close relationship with Elune, who regarded them as her favoured children and created them to serve as guardians against encroaching darkness.

They also revered a blue moon as a divine goddess. Their traditions foretold the eventual return of the Moon Goddess and the Blue Moon, which would open a gateway to a new realm where the worgen could escape the Emerald Flame. Ur later questioned whether this moon might be Azeroth's Blue Child, but its identity remains uncertain.

Magic

Worgen blood magic draws extraplanar power from Vorgendor through rituals fuelled by blood. Blood magic became widespread among the worgen following the invasion of Vorgendor by the Burning Legion. The worgen adopted it in desperation as a weapon against the Emerald Flame, but its use gradually corrupted them.

The most powerful worgen blood mages are known as pricoliches. Some pricoliches are capable of dominating other worgen, stripping them of their free will and reducing them to obedient servants.

Technology

Worgen possess a simple material culture. They construct basic huts and wear cured scraps of leather as rudimentary armour. They generally do not use weapons, instead relying upon their claws and teeth.

Customs

Worgen organise themselves into packs led by the eldest male. The patriarch retains leadership until he becomes physically incapable of continuing, at which point his younger kin consume him. The worgen regard this as an honour rather than an act of cruelty.

Worgen also consume their own fallen and believe that consuming the flesh and blood of their kind increases their strength and cunning.

Society

Social organisation

Worgen live in organised packs and tribes. Groups can range from solitary individuals and small packs to large tribes containing hundreds of worgen, including noncombatants and subordinate leaders. The worgen of Azeroth also form tribes, such as the Bloodclaw tribe of Gilneas. A pack is patriarchal and led by its eldest male.

The widespread adoption of blood magic altered this social structure on Vorgendor. Pricoliches rose to prominence as masters of blood magic and some gained control over other worgen through magical domination.