[Protheus]

The Horde
If you are a member of the Horde, your allies are orcs and tauren. You have string leadership in the living legends Thrall son of Durotan and his tauren friend Cairne Bloodhoof. If you are an orc, you claim the new country of Durotar as your home, with the city of Orgrimmar as the seat of its power. If you are a tauren, you call the plains and mesas of Mulgore your homeland, with the city upon Thunder Bluff as its capitol. The two regions have regular trade, so you may well be from either Durotar or Mulgore as you see fit.

The orcs are in the process of great reawakening - a grand racial enlightenment. For years, they suffered under the fist of the Burning Legion, carrying out demonic plans and fighting wars that were not their own. They have finally become free of that dominance and now work to reclaim their shamanistic heritage.

Unlike the Alliance, the Horde has claimed a sizeable portion of Kalimdor as a new homeland. Before affiliating with the orcs, the tauren were a nomadic people and easy prey for savage centaur warbands. Tauren have since settled the realm of Mulgore and revel in permanent settlements such as Thunder Bluff, but they are still subject to centaur attacks.

The homeland of Durotar holds particular significance to the orcs since their home world Draenor was ripped apart during the Second War. Still, Durotar is not yet the country that Thrall and the other members of the Horde wish it to be. Much must be done to establish it as a country in its own right and as a true homeland for the orcs.

The Horde is the best affiliation because it combines a noble spiritual heritage, strong leadership, internal unity, and the desire and ability to crush enemies with sword and axe.

[Protheus]

Independent
Allegiance to either the Alliance or the Horde is by far the norm, but some races remain steadfastly independent - most notably the goblins of Ratchet. Independent characters have no land to call their own and answer to no one. They may find welcome in the teeming city of Ratchet, but they are met with suspicion by members of both Alliance and Horde.

Yet independence has its advantages. No one will attack you because of your allegiance (though they may attack you because of your lack of allegiance...). Independent heroes often work as mercenaries or free agents and may become embroiled in any of the same machinations that drive other affiliations.

Independent is the best affiliation because it allows the greatest flexibility of where a hero can go and what he can do. Still, an independent character should join up with an Alliance or a Horde party. A group of entirely independent heroes is not as likely to enter easily into stories that form the majority of [B]Warcraft[/B) campaigns. The GM has final say on whether a party of independent heroes will work in the campaign.

[Protheus]

Changing Sides
In the course of a campaign, an opportunity may arise wherein your character faces a personal crisis that could result in a change of affiliation. Perhaps your character can no longer ignore the unease he feels when dealing with the secretive high elves. Perhaps he tires of the anger and resentment his orc brethren show toward the Alliance races. Perhaps he made too many enemies in his current affiliation and would prefer to be where they are not. Perhaps he spent many months as a captive of the other side and to his surprise learned to appreciate the new culture in a way he never felt for his own.

Though uncommon, switching affiliations is possible. In fact, leaving the current faction is easy. Joining the other side is the difficult part.

When your character changes sides, his previous allies will abandon him. This choice is a significant life change, one that his shocked friends may even equate with treason. He is turning his back on all that he knows, after all, and is effectively spurning his friends' beliefs. No one likes a turncoat.

This choice is also difficult in game terms. Remember that all heroes in an adventuring party must belong to the same affiliation, so unless all the heroes switch sides at the same time, things will become difficult. If the entire party defects, members of the new affiliation will view it with distrust, if not open derision. Your characters must work very hard to prove themselves. If your character keeps the shift secret from the other heroes, it is possible to create a double agent within a network of "friends" - though this is a difficult and highly dangerous endeavor.

Before getting to the aforementioned complications, remember that the GM mus approve any change of affiliation. Think carefully before you request something like this for your character. Changing affiliation can shift the course of the entire campaign, and there may well be no going back once it's done.

[Protheus]

Faiths
Five popular approaches to faith are active in the world of Warcraft. Humans take a philosophical approach that stresses ethics and spiritual living other cosmology. Night elves, orcs, and tauren seek to understand and sometimes communicate with the spirits of the world that surround them. Dwarves approach the mysteries of their lives with more curiosity than faith. Worshippers of the Burning Legion remain, their spiritual fulfillment derived from power and madness. Finally, the members of Ner'zhul's death-worshipping cult seek fulfillment in the trappings of mortality and undeath.

[Protheus]

The Holy Light
The Holy Light is not a religion. It is a philosophy, a way of living that provides spiritual strength and guidance to those who follow it. For those who understand the Holy Light, faith is a matter of practice rather than worship.

The fundamental concept of the Holy Light is that feeling - in both the emotional and physical senses - is evidence of the connection between the self and the universe. If you feel emotion, you know that you exist, that there is some force within you from which those emotions spring. At the same time, you know that the world around you exists. It acts upon you and changes the way that you feel. By acting on your feelings, you can, in turn, change the world. To deny the importance of either the self or the world cuts you off from half of existence.

The Holy Light teaches that once you acknowledge the connection between yourself and the rest of the world, you must acknowledge that your health and happiness are also connected to that of the world. If you wish to be happy, you must try to make the rest of the world happy; if you open yourself up to the beauties of the world, you can unlock your own inner beauty. Yet if you give yourself over to despair, then you diminish the rest of existence. The Holy Light is the energy of the soul lighting up the world around it.

Humans are the primary followers of the Light. High elves and dwarves once followed the Light. Most Quel'Dorei have fallen from its teachings as they succumb to the grip of their magic addiction, while Ironforge dwarves have embraces the pursuit of new truths that lie in their titan origins. A night elf, orc, or tauren even considering the values of the Holy Light is almost unheard of.

The Three Virtues
Those who practice the Light focus their efforts on developing three virtues: respect, tenacity, and compassion. Each virtue is further divided into a principle and a lesson (see the "Principles and Lessons of the Three Virtues" sidebar).

Every creature that has feelings shares the same kind of connection between self and world that you do. If you destroy another being's happiness, you diminish the happiness of the world - and, ultimately, your own as well. The practitioners of the Holy Light understand that conflict and suffering are inevitable, but they seek to minimize the unhappiness of others.

While the self and the world are of equal importance to any self that considers them, the philosophy of Holy Light also acknowledges that the world is much bigger than the self. The events of the world can sweep up a self and change it in a day, but years are needed for one self to change the world through its actions.

Even if years are needed, however, that one self inevitably changes the world. The connection between self and and world means that you cannot help but have an effect upon the world, even if that effect is small. You can also inspire the efforts of other selves, each with their own small effect that adds together with others until significant changes happen. Because the self changes, that the world will change to fit the self is inevitable.

The first two concepts lead to the third: compassion. You have only one connection to the world, which limits the effect your happiness can have upon it. By helping another, you make both yourself and that person happy. The effect upon the world is doubled. At the same time, you become stronger, more able to help others. Your ability to affect the world grows.

Compassion must be practiced carefully. Overeager helpers give aid where it is not needed, preventing the recipients from persevering and developing their own strength. Clumsy helpers provide the wrong help, doing harm instead of good and increasing the suffering of the world. Wise and compassionate characters identify the true needs of others, the supply the support those creatures need to overcome their problems themselves.

Principles and Lessons of the Three Virtues
The principle of respect:
Each thing has its own connection to the world.
The lesson of respect:
Do not harm what you would value if it were yours.
The principle of tenacity:
The world is too large to be remade in a day.
The lesson of tenacity:
Persevreance creates strength.
The principle of compassion:
You accomplish more brightening the lives of others than your own.
The lesson of compassion:
Give aid freely, but do not diminish the one who receives it.

Worship of the Light
The Church of the Light was a tremendous influence in Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas, and the Knights of the Silver Hand its mightiest agents. Then those lands - and the Church - fell before the unstoppable power of the Scourge. The Church of the Light remains strong in the land of Stromwind, but that means little on the continent of Kalimdor. Those who survive in the new world must hold to their faith without the support of an organized church. Some - including the stalwart paladins of the Silver Hand - work to establish a new church on Kalimdor.

Followers of the Light encourage a great deal of debate, and the libraries of Lordaeron were once filled with densely written texts exploring the fine points of ethics and interactions of the three principles. Sadly, most of these textes were destroyed in the war. Scholars are left with those few books they could save and carry to Kalimdor. The commentaries on the Holy Light are being rewritten, and the process is reinvigorating the tradition of philosophical thought. Rather than exploring obscure corners of long-established treatises in search of a crumb of originality, fresh minds are taking ethical thought in new directions.

A few angry thinkers have condemned the reconstruction of the textes, calling the entire philosophy outdated and simplistic. Many have presented new systems of thought, most of which depend on complex systems of divination and ethical resolution. They make a great deal of noise in scholarly circles but have little impact upon the secular folk of Kalimdor. Most prefer to follow the same Holy Light practices that they've enjoyed for years.

Knights of the Silver Hand
Scholars are not the only group with a special interest int he Holy Light. The Knights of the Silver Hand is an organization of paladin warriors who have devoted their lives to the three principles. By placing themselves under the authority of a holy order, paladin warriors seek to multiply their efforts and strengthen each other with their dedication.

The Knights are quick to point out that their way of life is not for everyone. They give up a great deal for their calling, starting with their own independence.

Uther Lightbringer founded the order just before the onset of the Second War. In the past few years, the holy order suffered a tremendous blow to its stability when one of their number, Prince Arthas, was consumed by the forces of evil and became a death knight in service to the undead. Once a great champion of the Alliance, Arthas turned into one of its most dreaded enemies. Though Light triumphed over darkness in the Third War, the paladin warriors cannot forget Arthas's betrayal and juts how close their order - and all of Azeroth - came to destruction. They hunt down the remnants of the undead and the Burning Legion that scattered to the dark places of Kalimdor, ensuring with grim determination that such a tragedy will never happen again.

[Protheus]

Shamanism and Nature Worship
To orcs, tauren, and night elves, the world is alive with spirits dancing on the edge of perception. Everything that has ever lived owns a unique and enduring spirit, an essential spark that calls out to all the other lives in the world. The shamanistic and druidic races do not dismiss the Holy Light that the humans prize, but they understand that the light comes from countless myriads of brightly shining points. In a rush to embrace the all, the shamans agree, humans quite literally miss the point.

Shamans are puzzled by the goblins, who profess many of the same ideals but do so in a "thank the spirits while you get on to important stuff with gears" fashion. The goblins' casual attitude toward spirits can be very frustrating to the spiritual mind.

Night elves take a personal approach to their spirit relationships. They recognize each spirit that they encounter as an individual life and persuade or honor them as the occasion demands. They interact mostly with the spirits of nature and do so primarily concerning matters in the immediate vicinity of the spirit with whom they are dealing. When greater matters are at stake, night elves entreat nature deities, a pantheon of greater spirits that represent especially important parts of the night elves' world. Elune the moon goddess is an example of one of these greater spirits.

Orcs and tauren take a more symbolic approach. The spirits they encounter on the wild plains of Kalimdor are less specific, cover a wider ranger, and are more likely to be spirits of earth and fire than the essences of trees or animals.

Instead of negotiating with individual spirits, tauren carve representative imagery on their totems and draw power from acting in a particular spirit's name. This relationship provides tauren with great strength but little spiritual comfort. For such comfort, they look to the spirits of their ancestors. Each tauren learns at an early age to recite his lineage - an impressive feat, given that most tauren family trees go back at least ten generations. Tauren tell many tales of their ancestors, and most tauren establish a strong bond with one or two of their forebears. A tauren lives his life in honor of these favored ancestors, doing great deeds in their name and meditating on their adventures for guidance in the choices of life.

Orcs do not share the steady faith of tauren and night elves. They are only now learning to accept their old traditions again. The Burning Legion's corrupting influence drew them away from their ancestral traditions, and most of their spirit knowledge was lost. Having thrown off the Burning Legion's dominance, they must learn again how to communicate with the spirits.

Luckily, orcs find this process relatively easy. Some of their lore is preserved in epic tales and children's stories; an orc that remembers his granddame's fables may draw on that insight when dealing with the spirit world. Orc shamans are back on good terms with many ancestral and nature spirits, and they are reintroducing their people to the natural world with prayer, lodge sweats, and vision quests.

[Protheus]

The Mystery of the Makers
For humans, the present has always mattered more than the past. They spend little time exploring their origins. As far as they are concerned, they have always been here. (Older races raise an eyebrow at this assertion, but even the elves must admin that human tribes were well established when the elves discovered them.)

Incontrast, dwarves have always been curious about their origins. Their oldest dwellings and relics contained hints at an origin myth, but only after their recent arrival upon Kalimdor did the dwarves see the larger truth behind their fragmented legends. Based on scattered ruins they discovered in the wilds of Kalimdor, the dwarves were apparently created by a now-vanished race that ruled the world in ancient days.

Incredible as this possibility is, it barely answers one mystery while giving rise to a host of questions. Who was this ancient race? Why were the dwarves created? What did these titans intend for them to do and should they be doing it? What were their creators like, and what happened to them? When they disappeared, why were the dwarves left behind?

Still, the dwarves' practical nature does not lend itself to blind worship of a progenitor race, regardless of how compelling the evidence may be. They rely upon measurements, mathematics, and the work of their hands. Rather than taking the measure of their creators on faith, the dwarves have embarked on a mammoth investigation of their past.

This evidence of titan progenitors has awakened a powerful excitement within the dwarves of Kalimdor. They rush out to explore the world around them, searching for clues as their time and resources allow. Any possible piece of evidence is studied, tested, and passed on to another dwarf for examination. The information piles up, the theories are tested and shared, and the base of knowledge grows.

The other races look upon the dwarves' efforts with everything from bemusement to treasure-seeking avarice to concern. Some are as curious as the dwarves themselves, while others worry that seeking hidden mysteries may awaken something primordial and dangerous.

[Protheus]

Burning Legion
They're still out there. The followers of the Burning Legion are scattered and leaderless, but the survivors still lust for infernal power. They know that new opportunities are never far away, that achieving the power they crave is far from impossible.

What drives these fanatics? Why have they pledged themselves to beings who are dedicated to pillaging and destroying the life on every world they visit? What do they have to gain?

In the past, the Legion's pawns were lured by promises of power, the leveling of social orders and hierarchies, and the chance for eternal life. A rational (if amoral) individual could serve the demons, believing that the world would be a better place under their rule.

No more. The destruction of Lordaeron tore away the last of the veils that obscured the demons' agenda. Any sane follower of the Legion now understands precisely what the demons are looking for: destruction, not domination. Many of those followers quietly buried their unholy symbols and Eredun tomes, changed their names, settled down in the new villages of Kalimdor, and prayed that no one would ever discover their dark past.

Most of the demon cultists who remain faithful are insane. Some began that way, while others lost their minds in the cataclysms of the war. They cling to fragmented memories of their service, performing odd tasks or the same missions over and over again. Sometimes, they do not remember who they are or who they serve, only that they are supposed to kill a small child every 21 days at midnight. These mad servants can be cunning; they can even pass for normal people going about their daily lives. Yet a blankness is in their eyes, and a point in almost every conversation is reached where they stray past the tattered remnants of their self. The uninflected truths they speak then can give even stalwart heroes nightmares.

Dangerous as the mad servants can be, they are at least easier to spot than the depraved ones. The mind of this cunning ilk is more bent than shattered. The depraved ones have discovered that they enjoy inflicting pain and that the suffering of others gives them a purpose unlike anything they ever knew before. They know that the Legion intended for them to be destroyed with the rest of the world, but they do not care. They enjoyed the freedom to explore countless depravities that serving the Legion offered. The depraved ones maintain service to the Burning Legion with death cults and acts of violence. Even if the demons are gone forever, these disciples take pleasure in the deeds that they do in the Legion's name.

The fewest and most dangerous of the Legion's followers are the true disciples. Most notable among them are those who form the Shadow Council (see below). Like the depraved ones, they understand the Legion's true purpose. They believe, however, that they can turn this purpose to their advantage - and, given the power at their command, this arrogance is not without validity. Some are convinced that the Legion will come again and that they can survive and prosper in whatever rubble the demons leave behind. Others are certain that the demons' day is over, but they can build a new power base of their own using the knowledge and gullible followers that remain. They give lip service to serving the Burninbg Legion while aggrandizing themselves.

True disciples of the Legion pursue many routes to power. Some explore ruins for ancient knowledge and magical artifacts. Sometimes they find what they seek, but more often they awaken horrors that have been sleeping for hundreds or thousands of years. Sych horrors may be recruited or simply turned lose to rampage through Kalimdor.

Others recruit followers and build new organizations. They do not speak of the Burning Legion - that would be suicide - but they offer the same enticements the Legion offered to them: power, the reversal of the social order, even eternal life. Some take advantage of the greatest weakness of the Holy Light and "discover" one or more "gods" in which the foolish may place their personal faith. Some start secret schools of magic, offering the power of arcane magic to anyone who does not ask too many questions about its origins.

As their power grows, the Legion's mortal servants may take control of villages and small towns, ruling the population with honeyed promises or threats. Some warlocks turn the towns into abattoirs dedicated to their lords' name.

Others prefer to rule behind the scenes, quietly directing mayors and town councils as they stock pile wealth and magic. This technique works best among the scattered tribes of orcs that used to worship the Burning Legion. Most of these tribes have publicly disavowed their allegiance, but a few influential members remain who have chosen to keep using magic and secrets they learned from the demons.

The servants of the Legion represent a minor threat... at least for now. Not only are they few and far between, but the leaders of Kalimdor keep a sharp eye out of Legion activity. Any cultist who comes to their attention is dealt with immediately, so the smart servants keep a low profile.

Currently, no evidence suggests that any servant of the Legion has slipped into a position of trust among the leaders of Kalimdor, but that does not mean this development has not occurred. If this hypothetical sleeper agent were to exist, then she would need to be very careful. Any plans the agent has would take years to hatch, but they could shake Kalimdor's growing societies to their foundations.

The Shadow Council
This group was established on the world of Draenor under the leadership of the orc Gul'Dan. Comprised of warlocks in league with the Burning Legion, the Shadow Council was directly responsible for the creation of the Horde. The altruistic Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer disbanded the Council in the course of the Second War. This eventually led to the orcs discarding their demonic influence and returning to their shamanistic ways under the leadership of Warchief Thrall.

In recent times, a few orc warlocks revived the old tenets of the Shadow Council... and recruited other races into their dark cabal. This new Shadow Council has a secret headquarters in Felwood, a corrupted pocket of Ashenvale Forest on Mount Hyjal. Here, they maintain the land's corruption and work to subvert control of the region from the night elves and druids of the wild.

[Protheus]

The Scourge
The Lich King was once an unwilling tool of the Burning Legion. He and his undead forces gained their freedom from the demons after the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Now the Scourge answers to none but the Lich King, and he has a vile agenda for his followers.

Like the Burning Legion, the Scourge has but minor influence upon Kalimdor at present. The Lich King's forces seek to change that, and not just through force at the hands of the undead. They also seek to corrupt the living via the Cult of the Damned, a group of fanatical mortal acolytes. The same issues of madness and lust for power described above for those who still follow the Burning Legion may be applied to these depraved men and women. They know of no deed too dark in their efforts to make the Lich King the supreme power over all of Azeroth. Their work is subtle for the most past, however, for they do not yet have the power to strike openly against the enemy. Instead, the Cult of the Dmaned lures the weak-willed into their fold through promises of wealth, power and wish fulfillment. They slowly corrupt those with influence through mysterious favors and gifts. And, whenever possible, they turn the attention of Alliance and Horde alike away from the lurking menace of the Scourge to a far more convenient target: one another.

After all, increased strife, bloodshed and death amongst the living races can only benefit the Lich King...

[Taupe Lunatique]

Affiliation

Le choix d'une affiliation est un élément crucial d'une campagne de Warcraft JdR. Cette décision affecte non seulement chaque héros pris individuellement, mais également l'ensemble du groupe, étant donné qu'elle définit les origines de ce dernier ainsi que certains objectifs des héros. Le choix de l'affiliation de votre personnage détermine son pays natal et son allégeance, ainsi que ses alliés et ses ennemis.

Tous les héros d'un groupe doivent posséder la même affiliation, c'est pourquoi il est important de vous entendre avec les autres joueurs et le MdJ avant de prendre votre décision.

Les deux affiliations possibles sont l'Alliance et la Horde. Certaines races sont considérées comme « indépendantes » (comme les gobelins dans Warcraft JdR, par exemple ; d'autres races indépendantes apparaîtront dans les prochains suppléments). Elles peuvent posséder l'une ou l'autre affiliation.

Actuellement, l'Alliance et la Horde ne sont pas en guerre l'une contre l'autre, mais elles ne sont pas non plus en bons termes. La coalition formée aux heures les plus sombres de la Troisième Guerre n'était que transitoire. Bien que les chefs des deux camps se tiennent chacun en grande estime, ce sentiment n'est pas partagé par leurs peuples. De nombreux soldats humains se souviennent de l'effroyable destruction semée par les orcs lors de la Première et de la Seconde Guerre. De leur côté, les orcs se souviennent de leur capture et de leur mise en esclavage par les humains. Des décennies d'inimitié raciale ne disparaissent pas aussi facilement, et laissent au mieux des relations tendues entre les deux factions. Une trêve fragile empêche le déclenchement d'une guerre générale, mais les escarmouches, brèves et sauvages, sont fréquentes près des frontières. Les platitudes politiques ne suffisent pas à empêcher les membres de chaque camp de trouver des excuses pour laisser libre cours à leur soif de vengeance et à leurs haines ancestrales.

Détermination de l'affiliation

L'Alliance comprend les humains, les nains, les hauts-elfes, les elfes de la nuit, ainsi que les quelques demi-elfes qui existent en ce monde. La Horde est principalement composée d'orcs et de tauren. Les demi-orcs appartiennent généralement à la faction dans laquelle ils sont nés, mais ils éprouvent des difficultés à être acceptés, quelque soit la société dont ils font partie. Les gobelins sont rarement conduits à se liguer avec l'une ou l'autre faction.

Si l'affiliation est en grande partie déterminée par cette distinction raciale, il ne s'agit pas d'une condition absolue. Ce n'est pas parce qu'un héros est un elfe de la nuit qu'il doit forcément appartenir à l'Allliance ; de la même manière, tous les tauren ne font pas partie de la Horde. Les deux factions acceptent des membres des autres races dans leurs rangs. Ces individus constituent bien sûr des exceptions, mais de toute façon, les héros sont par définition des êtres exceptionnels. En réalité, le fait de jouer une race dans la « mauvaise » faction offre des possibilités plus grandes pour l'histoire de votre personnage. Après tout, vous devez décider de la raison de son appartenance à la faction choisie. Toutefois, bien que les histoires « d'étranger dans un monde étrange » puissent être intéressantes, prenez garde à ce qu'elles restent une exception.

Affiliation et conflits généraux

Certaines réalités du sinistre monde de Warcraft font partie de la vie des personnages, indépendamment de leur affiliation. D'un côté de comme de l'autre, les héros devront affronter le danger, l'aventure, et l'excitation. Ils croiseront le fer avec des membres de la faction opposée, voir même avec des membres de leur propre faction. Après tout, deux personnes possédant une allégeance commune ne partagent pas forcément les mêmes buts et les mêmes croyances.

Les terres de Kalimdor sont sauvages et en grande partie inconnues. Les découvertes et l'exploration ont plus d'importance pour l'Alliance que pour la Horde. Les créatures natives de Kalimdor, dont font partie les centaures, les harpies, les gnolls, et les trolls, ont un comportement hostile et tiennent rarement compte de l'affiliation de leurs ennemis. Bien que la Légion Ardente et les terribles forces du Fléau eussent été anéanties pendant la Troisième Guerre, des membres dispersés de ces deux factions subsistent encore. Créatures morts-vivantes, nécromanciens, et autres effroyables démons rôdent à travers les terres. Les orcs et les elfes de la nuit souffrent de la corruption causée par la Légion Ardente, celle-ci ayant laissé dans son sillage des satyres dépravés et des Anciens d'Ashenvale corrompus attaquant tout ce qui se trouve à leur portée. En plus de cela, la menace d'un nouvel ennemi, les mystérieux naga, s'étend peu à peu sur le monde.

Niveaux d'affiliation

Les factions auxquelles appartiennent la plupart des races connaissent des conflits depuis des générations et leurs styles de vie sont parfois extrêmement différents. Ajoutez à ce fait un monde où la violence et les combats sont des choses courantes et vous obtenez la xénophobie. Cette réaction s'exprime à travers le Niveau d'affiliation (NA), qui peut modifier le DD des jets des compétences sociales lorsque des membres de groupes en conflit interagissent.

La « Table 3-1 : Niveaux d'affiliation » liste chaque affiliation ainsi que les modificateurs de NA qui s'appliquent avec les autres groupes. Chaque modificateur agit comme un malus de circonstances sur les jets de Bluff, de Diplomatie, de Renseignements, et de Représentation, mais comme un bonus sur les jets d'Intimidation.

Le Niveau d'affiliation ne reflète que les premières réactions ; le comportement d'un personnage vis-à-vis d'un autre peut ensuite s'améliorer. Pour chaque bonne action réalisée par un personnage (comme empêcher un crime, vaincre un monstre s'attaquant à une communauté, aider un fermier à faire sa récolte, etc.), celui-ci réduit un peu l'intolérance liée à son affiliation. Son NA vis-à-vis de ce groupe ou de cette communauté diminue de 1, et ce jusqu'à un minimum de 0. De tels efforts ne sont pas rares parmi les membres de l'Alliance ou de la Horde (ou chez les héros indépendants), mais un adorateur de démons ou un laquais mort-vivant ne prendrait sans doute pas cette peine.

Les Niveaux d'affiliation ne s'appliquent que si la personne concernée appartient clairement à une autre faction. Un espion de l'Alliance travaillant sous couverture à Durotar et un citoyen de Theramore qui est en secret un suivant de la Légion Ardente sont respectivement traités comme des membres normaux de la Horde ou de l'Alliance. Les modificateurs de NA s'appliquent toutefois si leur véritable affiliation est démasquée... mais ils auront probablement des soucis plus importants à ce moment-là.

Il n'y a pas de modificateur de NA pour les amis ou les alliés, tels que d'autres PJs ou compagnons de la même faction.

Les distinctions entre les affiliations existantes sont décrites plus loin. Référez vous à la section « Affiliation » du « Chapitre 6 : Campagnes » pour plus d'informations à ce sujet.

[Taupe Lunatique]

Affiliation;Alliance;Horde;Légion Ardente;Fléau;Indépendant
Alliance;;3;;;1
Horde;3;;;;1
Légion Ardente;6;6;;2;5
Fléau;6;6;2;;5
Indépendant;1;1;;;

Exemple : un suivant de la Légion Ardente qui rencontre un membre de l'Alliance ou de la Horde subit un malus de -6 sur ses jets de Bluff, de Diplomatie, de Renseignements, et de Représentation mais gagne un bonus de +6 sur ses jets d'Intimidation ; cependant, ses modificateurs sont de -2/+2 avec un serviteur du Fléau.

[Taupe Lunatique]

L'Alliance

Si vous êtes un membre de l'Alliance, vos alliés sont nombreux et variés. Vous pouvez en trouver parmi les humains, les nains, les elfes de la nuit, les hauts-elfes et les demi-elfes. Vos dirigeants sont puissants mais divisés. Jaina Proudmoore, Tyrande Whisperwind et Malfurion Stormrage sont des chefs capables et respectés, mais les tensions subsistent entre les factions de l'Alliance.

L'Alliance s'est établie sur l'île de Theramore, balayée par les tempêtes à quelque distance des côtes de Kalimdor. Avec autant de races regroupées au même endroit, il n'est pas surprenant de voir que les frictions internes sont monnaie courante au sein de l'Alliance. Les hauts-elfes sont souvent distants et s'aliènent les autres races, en particulier celle des elfes de la nuit, qui les considèrent comme des êtres corrompus, victimes de leur soif de mana. Les demi-elfes se battent pour être acceptés, les nains sont obsédés par leur héritage récemment découvert, et les humains cherchent des solutions après la décimation de leurs plus puissants empires.

Ces relations sont d'autant plus tendues que rares sont les membres de l'Alliance ayant des terres à revendiquer. Le continent de Kalimdor laisse entrevoir un nouvel avenir, mais du passé ne subsistent que des ruines. Lordaeron et Quel'Thalas ne sont plus que des cimetières dévastés, hantés par des fantômes réels ou imaginaires, contrôlés par Arthas, le chevalier de la mort. Mis à part les elfes, qui résident toujours sur le Mont Hyjal, et les nains, qui ont revendiqué Bael Modan, les peuples de l'Alliance se mêlent les uns aux autres à Theramore. Ce brassage des peuples contribue à faire de Theramore un centre marchand actif et une base de pouvoir puissante, mais l'île se fait étroite et la situation devient instable pendant que les races luttent pour parvenir à leurs divers objectifs.

L'Alliance constitue une bonne affiliation en ce qu'elle permet aux personnages de s'impliquer dans l'espionnage social et politique, et parce qu'elle se focalise sur l'exploration de terres inconnues et la découverte d'anciens et puissants secrets.

[Taupe Lunatique]

La Horde

Si vous êtes un membre de la Horde, vos alliés sont les orcs et les tauren. Les légendes vivantes que sont Thrall fils de Durotar et son ami tauren Cairne Bloodhoof sont des chefs puissants. Si vous êtes un orc, vous revendiquez pour patrie le nouveau pays de Durotar, avec la cité d'Orgrimmar comme siège de son pouvoir. Si vous êtes un tauren, vous revendiquez pour patrie les plaines et les mesas de Mulgore, avec la cité de Thunder Bluff comme capitale. Des échanges commerciaux s'effectuent régulièrement entre les deux régions, c'est pourquoi vous pouvez choisir d'être originaire de Durotar ou de Mulgore comme bon vous semble.

La renaissance des orcs est en cours, telle un grand éveil racial. Pendant des années, les orcs ont subit le joug de la Légion Ardente, exécutant des plans démoniaques et combattant dans des guerres qui n'étaient pas les leurs. Ils se sont enfin libérés de cette domination, et travaillent à présent à restaurer leur héritage chamanique.

Contrairement à l'Alliance, la Horde a revendiqué une partie importante de Kalimdor pour sa nouvelle patrie. Avant de s'allier aux orcs, les tauren étaient un peuple nomade et constituaient proie facile pour les groupes sauvages de guerriers centaures. Les tauren ont depuis établi le royaume de Mulgore et apprécient grandement leurs demeures permanentes telles que Thunder Bluff, mais ils continuent de subir les attaques des centaures.

Le pays de Durotar revêt une importance particulière pour les orcs, étant donné que Draenor, leur monde natal, fut ravagé lors de la Seconde Guerre. Néanmoins, Durotar n'est pas encore le pays dont rêvent Thrall et les autres membres de la Horde. Il reste encore beaucoup à faire pour qu'il devienne un pays reconnu et la véritable patrie des orcs.

La Horde constitue une bonne affiliation en ce qu'elle combine un noble héritage spirituel, des chefs puissants, un sentiment d'unité, ainsi que le désir et la capacité à écraser ses ennemis à l'aide d'épées et de haches.

[Taupe Lunatique]

Indépendant

Prêter allégeance à l'Alliance ou à la Horde constitue de loin la norme, mais certaines races restent malgré tout indépendantes, la plus connue étant les gobelins de Ratchet. Les personnages indépendants ne revendiquent aucune terre comme la leur et n'ont de comptes à rendre à personne. Ils peuvent trouver accueil dans la ville grouillante de Ratchet, mais sont toutefois confrontés à la suspicion des membres de d'Alliance et de la Horde.

L'indépendance possède néanmoins des avantages. Nul ne vous attaquera à cause de votre allégeance (bien que vous puissiez être attaqué à cause de votre absence d'allégeance...). Les héros indépendants travaillent en général en tant que mercenaires ou agents neutres, et peuvent se retrouver impliqués dans n'importe quelle machination concernant les autres factions.

L'indépendance constitue une bonne affiliation en ce qu'elle permet une flexibilité maximum concernant les lieux dans lesquels le héros peut se rendre ainsi que les choses qu'il peut faire. Cependant, un personnage indépendant a tout intérêt à rejoindre un groupe de l'Alliance ou de la Horde. Un groupe exclusivement constitué de héros indépendants est plus difficile à intégrer dans les histoires qui forment la plus grande partie des campagnes de Warcraft. C'est donc le MdJ qui a le dernier mot lorsqu'il s'agit de décider si un tel groupe peut fonctionner dans la campagne.

[Taupe Lunatique]

Changement d'affiliation

Au cours d'une campagne, une opportunité peut se présenter, lors de laquelle votre personnage devra faire face à une crise personnelle qui peut conduire à un changement d'affiliation. Il se peut que votre personnage ne puisse plus ignorer le sentiment de mal à l'aise qu'il ressent lorsqu'il a affaire à des hauts-elfes. Peut-être est-il fatigué de la colère et de la rancune que ses frères orcs éprouvent à l'égard des races de l'Alliance. Peut-être s'est-il fait trop d'ennemis au sein de sa faction et préfère-t-il donc se trouver là où ils ne sont pas. Peut-être a-t-il passé de nombreux mois en tant que prisonnier de la faction opposée et, à sa grande surprise, a-t-il appris à apprécier cette nouvelle culture d'une manière qu'il n'avait jamais éprouvée au sein de sa propre faction.

Bien qu'ils soient peu courants, les changements d'affiliation sont possibles. En fait, quitter sa propre faction est facile. Toute la difficulté consiste à rejoindre l'autre.

Lorsque votre personnage change d'affiliation, il se retrouve abandonné par ses anciens alliés. Ce choix est un tournant majeur de sa vie, et ses amis choqués peuvent considérer cela comme une trahison. Après tout, votre personnage tourne le dos à tout ceux qu'il connaît, et dédaigne les croyances de ses amis. Personne n'apprécie ceux qui retournent leur veste.

Ce choix est également difficile en termes de jeu. N'oubliez pas que tous les héros d'un groupe d'aventuriers doivent appartenir à la même faction ; ainsi, à moins qu'ils ne changent tous d'affiliation au même moment, les choses se compliqueront. Et même si l'ensemble du groupe effectue ce changement, les membres de la nouvelle faction verront cet acte d'un air méfiant, si ce n'est d'un air moqueur. Vos personnages devront travailler dur pour faire leurs preuves. En cachant le changement d'affiliation de votre personnage aux autres héros, il est également possible de créer un agent double avec un réseau « d'amis », bien que cela soit difficile et très risqué.

Avant d'en arriver aux complications qui viennent d'être citées, souvenez-vous que le MdJ doit approuver tout changement d'affiliation. Réfléchissez bien avant de soumettre une telle requête pour votre personnage. Un changement de cette importance peut modifier le cours de toute la campagne, et il pourrait bien n'y avoir aucun retour en arrière possible par la suite.

[Taupe Lunatique]

Croyances

Il existe cinq approches principales de la foi dans le monde de Warcraft. Les humains possèdent une approche philosophique qui met l'accent sur la morale et sur une vie spirituelle fondée sur la cosmologie. Les elfes de la nuit, les orcs et les tauren cherchent à comprendre et parfois même à communiquer avec les esprits du monde qui les entourent. L'attitude des nains face aux mystères de leur existence relève plus de la curiosité que de la foi. Il existe encore des adorateurs de la Légion Ardente, qui trouvent leur accomplissement spirituel dans le pouvoir et la folie. Enfin, les membres du culte de Ner'zhul, qui vénèrent la mort, cherchent le leur dans les pouvoirs conférés (trappings) par la mortalité et le réveil des morts.

[Taupe Lunatique]

La Lumière Sacrée

La Lumière Sacrée n'est pas une religion. C'est une philosophie, un mode de vie qui offre conseils et force spirituelle à ceux qui le suivent. Pour ceux qui comprennent la Lumière Sacrée, la foi relève plus de la pratique que de l'adoration.

Le concept fondamental de la Lumière Sacrée est que le fait de ressentir, à la fois au niveau émotionnel et au niveau physique, est la preuve d'un lien entre l'être que nous sommes et l'univers. Si nous éprouvons des émotions, nous savons que nous existons, et qu'il existe une force dont jaillissent ces émotions. En même temps, nous savons que le monde qui nous entoure existe. Il nous affecte et transforme notre façon de ressentir les choses. En agissant sur nos sensations, nos sentiments, nous pouvons à notre tour transformer le monde. Nier l'importance de l'être ou du monde nous prive de la moitié de notre existence.

La Lumière Sacrée nous enseigne qu'après avoir admis le lien qui existe entre nous et le reste du monde, nous devons admettre que notre santé et notre bonheur sont également liés à ceux du monde. Si nous souhaitons être heureux, nous devons faire en sorte que le reste du monde le soit aussi ; si nous nous ouvrons aux beautés du monde, nous pouvons libérer notre propre beauté intérieure. Toutefois, si nous nous abandonnons au désespoir, nous diminuons le reste de notre existence. La Lumière Sacrée est l'énergie de l'âme qui éclaire le monde autour d'elle.

Les humains sont les principaux adeptes de la Lumière Sacrée. Les hauts-elfes et les nains la suivirent autrefois. La plupart des Quel'Dorei ont abandonné ses enseignements en succombant à l'emprise de leur soif de magie, tandis que les nains d'Ironforge se sont mis en quête de nouvelles vérités résidant dans leurs origines titanesques. Enfin, rares sont ceux qui ont jamais entendu parler d'un elfe de la nuit, d'un orc ou d'un tauren s'intéressant ne serait-ce qu'aux valeurs de la Lumière Sacrée.

Les Trois Vertus

Les adeptes de la Lumière concentrent leurs efforts sur le développement de trois vertus : le respect, la ténacité, et la compassion. Comme vous le verrez plus loin, chaque vertu se divise en un principe et une leçon (voir la section explicative « Principes et leçons des Trois Vertus »).

Toute créature capable d'émotion partage le même type de lien être-monde que nous. Si nous détruisons le bonheur d'une autre créature, nous diminuons le bonheur du monde et, au final, le nôtre également. Les adeptes de la Lumière Sacrée ont conscience du fait que les conflits et la souffrance sont inévitables, mais ils cherchent à réduire au minimum le malheur des autres.

Bien que l'être et le monde soient d'égale importance aux yeux de tout être qui les considère, la philosophie de la Lumière Sacrée reconnaît également que le monde est bien plus grand que l'être. Les évènements du monde peuvent s'abattre sur un être et le transformer en un jour, mais des années sont nécessaires à un être pour transformer le monde à travers ses actions.

Cependant, même s'il lui faut des années pour cela, l'être transforme inévitablement le monde. Le lien être-monde signifie que nous ne pouvons nous empêcher d'avoir un effet sur le monde, même si celui-ci est infime. Nous pouvons également encourager les efforts des autres êtres, chacun d'entre nous ajoutant son petit effet à celui des autres jusqu'à ce que des changements notables se produisent. Parce que l'être change, le monde changera inéluctablement pour s'adapter à lui.

Les deux premiers concepts conduisent au troisième : la compassion. Nous ne possédons qu'un seul lien avec le monde, ce qui limite l'impact notre bonheur sur celui-ci. En aidant une autre personne, nous apportons du bonheur à cette personne ainsi qu'à nous-même. Notre action sur le monde est donc deux fois plus grande. Nous devenons en même temps plus fort, plus apte à aider les autres. Notre influence sur le monde s'accroît.

La compassion doit être pratiquée avec précaution. L'impatience conduira à une aide superflue, empêchant ainsi ceux qui la reçoivent de persévérer et de développer leur propre force. La maladresse conduira à une aide inadaptée, provoquant des dégâts plutôt que d'apporter le bien et augmentant ainsi la souffrance du monde. Mais la sagesse permettra d'identifier les véritables besoins des autres, et de leur apporter le soutien dont ils ont besoin pour régler leurs problèmes eux-mêmes.

Principes et leçons des Trois Vertus

Le principe du respect :
Toute chose possède son propre lien avec le monde.

La leçon du respect :
Ne détruis pas ce que tu chérirais s'il était tien.

Le principe de la ténacité :
Le monde est trop vaste pour être changé en un jour.

La leçon de la ténacité :
La persévérance crée la force.

Le principe de la compassion :
Nous accomplissons la vie des autres avec plus d'éclat que la nôtre.

La leçon de la compassion :
Offre ton aide sans rien attendre en retour, mais n'affaiblit pas celui qui la reçoit.

L'adoration de la Lumière

L'Eglise de la Lumière exerçait une énorme influence dans les royaumes de Lordaeron et de Quel'Thalas, et les Chevaliers de la Main d'Argent en étaient les plus puissants agents. Mais ces terres, ainsi que l'Eglise, tombèrent ensuite sous l'implacable puissance du Fléau. L'Eglise de la Lumière reste aujourd'hui puissante dans les terres de Stormwind, mais cela n'a que peu d'impact sur le continent de Kalimdor. Ceux qui survivent à présent dans le nouveau monde doivent entretenir leur foi sans le soutien d'une église organisée. Certaines personnes, dont les paladins dévoués de la Main d'Argent, travaillent à l'établissement d'une nouvelle église en Kalimdor.

Les adeptes de la Lumière encouragent beaucoup les débats, et les bibliothèques de Lordaeron étaient autrefois remplies de livres explorant de subtils points d'éthique ainsi que les interactions entre les trois grands principes. Malheureusement, la plupart de ces textes furent détruits au cours de la guerre. Il ne reste plus aux érudits que les quelques livres qu'il purent sauver du désastre et emmener avec eux en Kalimdor. Les textes de la Lumière Sacrée sont actuellement en cours de réécriture, ce qui va permettre une renaissance de la pensée philosophique traditionnelle. Ainsi, plutôt que d'explorer les recoins les plus obscurs de traités depuis longtemps établis à la recherche de bribes d'originalité, des esprits ouverts vont considérer cette pensée sous de nouveaux angles.

Quelques penseurs en colère condamnent la restauration des textes, considérant l'ensemble de la philosophie comme dépassée et simpliste. Nombre d'entre eux proposent de nouveaux systèmes de pensée, dont la plupart reposent sur des systèmes complexes de divination et de résolutions morales. Cela entraîne un véritable remue-ménage au sein des cercles d'érudits, mais ces penseurs n'ont que peu d'influence sur les peuples séculiers de Kalimdor. La plupart des adeptes préfèrent pratiquer la Lumière Sacrée comme ils ont aimé le faire pendant des années.

Les Chevaliers de la Main d'Argent

Les érudits ne sont pas les seuls à posséder un intérêt particulier pour la Lumière Sacrée. Les Chevaliers de la Main d'Argent sont une organisation de guerriers paladins qui ont dévoué leurs vies aux trois grands principes de la Lumière. En se plaçant eux-mêmes sous l'autorité d'un ordre sacré, ils cherchent à multiplier leurs efforts et à se renforcer mutuellement à travers leur dévouement.

Les Chevaliers n'hésitent pas à faire remarquer que leur style de vie n'est pas à la portée tout le monde. Ils renoncent à de nombreuses choses pour accomplir leur vocation, à commencer par leur propre indépendance.

Uther Lightbringer fonda l'ordre juste avant le début de la Seconde Guerre. Au cours des dernières années, la stabilité de ce dernier fut bouleversée lorsque l'un de ses membres, le Prince Arthas, fut consumé par les forces du Mal et devint un chevalier de la mort au service des morts-vivants. Arthas, autrefois un grand champion de l'Alliance, se transforma en l'un de ses plus terribles ennemis. Bien que la Lumière ait triomphé de l'obscurité lors de la Troisième Guerre, les guerriers paladins n'ont pu oublier la trahison d'Arthas ni à quel point leur ordre, ainsi que l'ensemble d'Azeroth, fut proche de la destruction. A présent, ils chassent et abattent les derniers morts-vivants et membres de Légion Ardente qui se sont dispersés dans les places sombres de Kalimdor, s'assurant avec une sévère détermination qu'une telle tragédie ne se reproduira plus.

[haraelendil]

Le Plan Elementaire


Le Plan Elementaire est un mystère pour les habitants d'Azeroth. C'est là que vivent les élémentaires (d'air, de terre d'eau ou de feu) qui ont été chassé d'Azeroth il y a longtemps par les titans. Les élémentaires se sont attaché à leur maison d'adoption pendant les millénaires qu'ils y ont passé.Ils peuvent être appelés sur Azeroth pour une courte période, mais la plupart d'entre eux doivent réintégrer leur monde quand le sort qui les a invoqué arrive à sa fin.

Communiquer avec les élémentaires est difficile, et ils ne communiquent que peu d'informations sur la nature de leur royaume. les érudits croient que Le Plan Elementaire prend la forme d'un unique monde suspendu dans le néant, et que chaque type d'élémentaire a réclamé une partie du monde. Apparement, la surface du royaume est divisé à peu prés équitablement entre profond océan et un gigantesque continent doté de volcans actifs. Si des coulées de laves, des tremblements de terre des tornades et des tsunami sont fréquent comme le disent les théories des érudits, alors Le Plan Elementaire est un endroit très dangereux à visiter.

Le Plan Elementaire a les particularités suivantes:

- Divine Morphic: Les élémentaires peuvent altérer le plan d'une pensée (ceci est considéré comme une action standard). Les créatures ordinaires trouve que ce monde est aussi facile à transformer que le plan matériel d'Azeroth (il peut être affecté par des sorts ou des efforts physiques). Donc, ce paysage change de lui même d'un instant à l'autre. La plupart de ces effets ne sont pas directement dangereux dans l'immédiat, peut importe comment les évènements peuvent être perçut. Si un lac de feu apparaît, on reste normalement sain et sauf sur une pierre au milieu du lac. L'environnement est plutôt réel, de toute façon, et peut créer si on plonge dans ce lac.
- Domination d'un élémentaire spécifique: Aucun élément ne domine les autres dans ce plan comme un ensemble. Donc chaque région donnée (air, terre, feu ou eau) est traitée comme si il possède une dominance caractéristique de l'élément présent.
- Magie accrue: Les sorts et habilité considérées comme magiques qui use, manipule et crée les quatre types élémentaires (air, terre, feu et eau) est considéré comme si les dons Quintessence des sorts et Extension de portée sont appliqués sans nécessiter l'extension de niveau de sort.

[haraelendil]

Le Rêve d'Emmeraude


Le Rêve d'Emmeraude est le coeur primaire d'Azeroth. C'est un plan sauvage couvert d'arbres mythiques et d'animaux puissants, une mémoire de ce qu'aurait été le monde si les humains, les elfes et les autres races intelligentes n'avaient jamais existé. C'est un endroit merveilleux mais aussi sauvage est mortel.

Le Rêve d'Emmetaude peut être visité en rêve ou en chaire. Certaines créatures ne peuvent pas l'atteindre, mais elles peuvent rêver du plan et d'y trouver sans aucune préparation ou état conscient. Ces créatures sont généralement accueillies par les habitants du royaume et interagissent avec eux de manière à être perçut comme prophétiques. Ces rêves sont envoyés pour gouverner le monde d'une certaine façon, mais personne ne sait qui les envoie.

Les autres créatures utilisent intentionnellement les rêves pour rejoindre Le Rêve d'Emmeraude, tel que la capacité spéciale d'hibernation des Druides de la griffe. n'importe quel sort qui utilise les rêves pour avoir des informations ou pour se déplacer entre deux mondes contacte Le Rêve d'Emmeraude au lieu du Néant Distordu.

Les périodes de rêve ont des avantages et des inconvénients. Elles sont relativement sures, et les créatures qui visite le plan primaire en rêve seront accueilli,ou, au pire, ignorées. Ramener n'importe quel objet physique des périodes de rêve est impossible de quelque manière que ce soit. La créature arrive dans Le Rêve d'Emmeraude avec ses habits et son équipement habituels, mais retourne les mains vides dans le Plan matériel.

Il est possible (quoique improbable) de mourir suite aux évènements d'une périodes de rêve. Si une créature est "tuée" dans Le Rêve d'Emmeraude, elle doit réussir une sauvegarde de Fortitude de DD 10 pour ne pas mourir dans le monde physique.

On peut aussi utiliser un sort tel que Portail pour visiter Le Rêve d'Emmeraude physiquement. S'aventurer dans le Rêve d'Emmeraude de cette manière peut être dangereux. Le voyageur est perçut comme un intrus, n'importe quelle créature arpentant le Rêve a une attitude inamicale et devient hostile si elle se sent menacée pour quelque raison que se soit. Si une créature du Rêve d'Emmeraude est blessée, toutes les créatures du plan deviennent hostiles envers celui qui a blessé la créature (Voir "l'influence sur l'attitude des PNJ" Chapitre 4: Compétences de Donjon et Dragon).

Les voyageurs qui passe des périodes physiques dans Le Rêve d'Emeraude peuvent ramener avec eux des objets à leur retour. La mort n'est pas un rêve dans ce cas, de toute façon; si on meurt physiquement dans Le Rêve d'Emmeraude, on meurt pour de vrai.

Le Rêve d'Emmeraude est sous la protection du dragon vert Ysera, un des cinq derniers grands dragons. Elle n'accorde que peu d'attention aux chose qui se déroule à l'extérieur de son plan, mais il n'est pas bon de le croiser.

Le Rêve d'Emmeraude possède les caractéristiques suivantes:

- Divinely morphic: Le mythique Ysera peut modifier les caractéristiques du plan par la pensée, mais toutes les autres créatures doivent utiliser des sorts ou des efforts physiques pour le modifier, comme sur Azeroth.
- Alignement neutre bon.

[Protheus]

Arcane Magic
The first Well of Eternity existed ten millennia ago, shrouded in the mists of legend and ages past. This large pool was resplendent with liquid magic, and this energy's influence transformed a group of the primitive, primal denizens of the world into the Kaldorei - the beings who would later be known as night elves. The Well intrigued the nascent night elves, and they eventually learned to harness its power. They used their newfound magic to forge a great civilization on the primeval world.

Yet arcane magic has a dark genesis. It was born of demonic power, of terrible creatures that stalk through living nightmares, and it has always borne their accursed taint. The forces of the Burning Legion, led by the fallen titan Sargeras, discovered of the Well of Eternity and the strength it promised. They decided to make it theirs and destroy Azeroth in the process.

They were aided by Queen Azshara of the Kaldorei and her Highborne servitors. She became tainted through her reckless use of arcane magic and summoned the Burning Legion to Azeroth. The demons smashed cities and torched the land, but the great druid Malfurion Stormrage led a few Kaldorei heroes to victory against the demons. This band of warriors destroyed the Well of Eternity, a feat that sundered the world, and the Kaldorei believed that the taint and danger of the arcane had been banished from Azeroth.

Such was not the case. The renegade night elf Illidan Stormrage, Malfurion's brother, had succumbed to magical addiction. He created a new Well of Eternity at the great Mount Hyjal. Although imprisoned for his crimes, Illidan's act ensured that arcane magic would remain on Azeroth.

Centuries passed and the night elf civilization again grew mighty. Once more, the surviving Highborne obsessed with the use of arcane magic and decried their brothers who would see it forever dormant. These elves, calling themselves the Quel'dorei, or high elves, sought to convince the other night elves of the potency of arcane power and ended up unleashing a savage magical storm that ravaged the land. The Kaldorei banished their cousins from Kalimdor for their recklessness, and the Quel'dorei eventually settled on the continent of Lordaeron. Here they created the mystic kingdom of Quel'Thalas. At its heart was the Sunwell, a new magical wellspring created with waters they took from the Well of Eternity. The Sunwell empowered the high elves and served as the source of their arcane power.

In times, the Quel'dorei discovered that their arcane practices eliminated the deific qualities they bore as night elves. They were no longer immortal; their arcane use divorced them from their night elf heritage. This legacy lasts to current times, for a night elf who practices arcane magic loses his mystical traits and suffers the same racial modifiers as a high elf. (The night elf does not undergo a physical transformation, however.) The Quel'dorei did not regret this change; they gladly traded their Kaldorei lineage for arcane power. Such was their pride that the high elves even contacted the primitive humans of Lordaeron and taught them arcane secrets.

The Burning Legion eventually sensed the arcane energies and was again drawn to Azeroth. Lured by the promise of revenge and the power brimming within the new Well of Eternity, the demonic lord Archimonde led the Legion in a terrible invasion. This was the Third War, a titanic struggle that ended but one year past, in which undead and demons smashed entire kingdoms and courageous men and women became great heroes. The Legion was finally defeated at the Battle of Mount Hyjal, but the battle left a world of ash and cinders in its wake - a reminder of arcane magic's true nature.

[Protheus]

The Nature of the Arcane
Arcane magic is a drug. Its use is intoxicating and sends power throbbing through the veins, but it is also addictive, subtly corrupting and even maddening. The high elves' addiction to arcane magic is partly representative of this feature. An even more chilling example is the rise of warlocks among the orcs - their dark manipulations of the Twisting Nether eventually destroyed their entire world of Draenor. Furthermore, when the warlocks were slain after the Horde was defeated upon Azeroth, the orc race suffered a kind of withdrawal from the warlock magics. These grim events serve as reminders that magic has the power to affect an entire race. All practitioners must be wary, for the arcane can turn one away from the light and into the gloom, to become a puppet of dark powers. If one is reckless and uses magic foolishly or excessively, the demonic energies change him. This a slow, insidious process, as shadow gradually clouds the mind and stifles rational thought. This demonic legacy is one of destruction and manifests itself in a corrupt arcane spellcaster by driving him to violent insanity.
Night elves have known of this danger since the Legion's first invasion over 10,000 years ago. High elves knew of the dangers also and shared this knowledge with the fledging human nations. Yet the power of the arcane is such that humans and high elves cannot resist its allure. Instead, they have attempted to discover ways to make it safer. Magic wielders have tried to be discreet and select in their use, and a powerful organization, the Guardians of Tirisfal, came into being in order to combat the Burning Legion's sinister forces. Even these precautions ultimately failed, however, as shown when demons came once more to the world. As long as arcane magic remains in the world, the Burning Legion will return again and again until Azeroth is nothing but a smoking ruin.
The Rules of Corruption
Unlike in other fantasy milieus, arcane magic in Warcraft is a dark and dangerous force. Yet no explicit rules govern arcane magic's corrupting effects on characters. We don't want to force your PCs into evil and madness; such decisions should be left up to you.
Arcane magic's sinister nature is left as a theme for you and the GM to explore in your campaign, not as a liability to cripple wizards and sorcerers.
Wielders of the Arcane
Many races wield arcane magic in these grim days, dark and tantalizing as it is. High elves make great use of it - indeed, their civilization and culture were forged in the arcane. Though reunited with their lost brethren, night elves are extremely suspicious of their kin: the stink of the arcane hangs heavy about the Quel'dorei. The high elves distrust their cousins in turn, remembering how their ancestors were persecuted at Kaldorei hands.
Humans also use arcane magic. High elves taught arcane secrets to the burgeoning human kingdoms centuries ago, in return for help battling the savage forest trolls. Humanity took to arcane magic quickly and even constructed the famous magical city of Dalaran, a great center for arcane study. Out of the academies of Dalaran came the human archmagi, wielding fearsome battle magic and possessing incredible knowledge. Dalaran was destroyed during the Third War, but some of the wizards remain on Kalimdor. Some night elves are suspicious of the human factions because of human reliance on magic.
Arcane magic is in the hands of darker forces as well. The undead Scourge wielded terrible powers in the Third War, and those undead still extant possess arcane skills that make the mind reel. The undead are the Legion's creation, but they have thrown off the demons' shackles. Now, the Scourge draws its necromantic powers directly from the Twisting Nether. Necromancers animate fallen corpses into a horrible semblance of life and empower these grotesque creatures with unnatural power and ferocity. The undead have even discovered how to manipulate arcane energies to bring their own necromancers back from the dead in full control of their faculties and sentience, and with chilling new powers - liches, devious undead spellcasters who have traded life for dark power.
Some orcs have control over arcane power, but they are not members of the Horde. These outcasts are warlocks, demon-worshippers who have either been reacquainted with or have never thrown off the taint of the previous generation. Warlocks serve their demonic masters with gleeful violence and fling fire and rage at those they once called kin.
The most terrible of the arcane spellcasters are demons. These creatures hail from the Twisting Nether, the source of the arcane. Dark energies drip from their bodies. They can sense the use of arcane magic's, and they offer it as a lure to those who would do their bidding. The eredar are a race of demonic warlocks, and their might is unquestionable. One has only to look at the charred ruins of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas to know the Burning Legion's power.
"Distrust" Does Not Mean "Kill on Sight"
Though many night elves distrust both high elves and other arcane spellcasters, combining a night elf and a high elf - or other race who happens to be an arcane spellcaster - in the same party is not a recipe for disaster. The night elf character may be suspicious of her companions, or she may not. Some night elves are of a more forgiving nature, and in any case both night elves and high elves (and other arcane spellcasters) are still part of the Alliance. More importantly, the PCs are part of the same adventuring group. Heroic characters can put aside petty differences and develop lasting friendships.
Use of the Arcane
Arcane magic has many uses; the most famous is for battle. Rains of fire and jagged ice, hurtling balls of smoking cinder, and magically created beasts of destruction scar the battlefield. Magic is also used for subtler means of conducting war, from hiding an ally from sight to slowing enemy movement. Arcane magic is also serves for defense and to counter the opposition's spells. Before the ruin wrought by the Burning Legion, new uses for magic were being researched; the most eminent of these discoveries is teleportation. A teleporting wizard can circumvent an enemy's defenses entirely.
Individuals who use arcane magic have little to fear from it, so long as they are careful in its use. Night elves distrusts all arcane spellcasters, since the use of the arcane first summoned the demons to this peaceful world and caused the division between the night elves and the high elves. An arcane spellcaster will quickly become aware of the night elves' dislike for him - and he should be wary of those extremists among them who may try to do him harm.
The most dangerous arcane practitioners are demons. They have been defeated and scattered (on Azeroth) but not obliterated, and many demons see the arcane and those who wield it as their path back to dominance. A source of magic must be exceptionally vast or powerful to summon demons from far away, but nearby - where none want a demon to be in any case - demonic forces take note of a magical item or spellcaster.
Some regard the possibility of demonic intervention as beneficial. These arcane spellcasters see the Legion as a tool they can use to further their own ends - a powerful, dangerous and unpredictable tool, but a tool nonetheless. Such individuals - usually warlocks - purposefully attract demonic attention and pretend to serve the Legion, all the while trying to manipulate the demons into serving the spellcaster's purposes. This strategy is extremely dangerous and a course of action usually undertaken only by those already on a magic-induced decline into oblivion. Young wizards and sorcerers are always warned: never believe that you are smarter than the demons, for along that path lies damnation. Not even the last Guardian of Tirisfal, Medivh, was immune to such temptation.
In ages past, such reckless use of arcane magic brought about its wielder's undoing. As long as one is careful and discreet, arcane magic is a powerful tool and a devastating weapon - but the lure always beckons on the edges of perception to dive into arcane magic's burning depths and give one's self up to the madness.

[Protheus]

Divine Magic
The origins of divine magic are varied. Some practitioners draw divine energy from the strength of their own faith, some call to the spirits of their ancestors, some turn to the forces of the earth for divine inspiration, and some claim a divine legacy that runs within their blood. Whatever the source, all divine spellcasters share much in common. They have the ability to ease their allies' wounds and crush their enemies, all while remaining hidden from the shadowy eye of the Burning Legion.
Although gods exist in the world, they do not take the same roles as the gods of other fantasy settings. Warcraft's gods are far more theoretical in nature. They do not manifest themselves upon the world, they do not show divine proof of their existence, and they do not reward their followers with special powers or spells. Indeed, some wonder if these gods even exist at all - and whether the gods might just in fact be a comforting, fictional creation. Even if this is the case, the believer's absolute faith in the gods is enough to tap into a divine spark within themselves, and they draw spells and powers from their own devotion.

[Protheus]

The Gods of the Night Elves
Night elves venerate gods where other races do not. They revere Elune, the Moon Goddess; Cenarius, Lord of the Groves; and Malorne the Waywatcher. They also venerate the twin bear gods Ursol and Ursin, and Aviana, the Lady Raven. The mighty bears fought at the night elves' side against the Burning Legion in the War of the Ancients, and the raven goddess was a messenger and patron of the secrets and mysteries of the wild earth.
Respect for these gods is a central aspect of night elf life and influences the culture in profound ways. Many other races have only a passing knowledge of these gods, and some wonder if they truly exist. The gods do not grant spells to their devotees, but they and their mythos provide the faith that allows one to draw divine power from within.
Night elves revere their gods as teachers instead of worshipping them. To outsiders, this reverence is often mistaken for worship, but it is not the same. For example, Cenarius taught his arts to the night elf druids, granting them the power to call upon nature. The druids also draw their totemic powers from the blessings of Ursol, Ursin, and Aviana.
Elune
Over 10,000 years ago, the feral Kaldorei, who would become the night elves, worshipped Elune, the Moon Goddess. They believed she slept within the iridescent waters of the Well of Eternity during the day, and when night fell she rose into the sky in all her pale splendor. The night elves believe that she watches over and protects her children and grant them the ability to meld into the velvet darkness of the night. Priestesses of Elune, such as the famed and ancient Tyrande Whisperwind, represent the grace and might of Elune in the mortal world. They use the power of their faith to fight her enemies and cloak themselves in silvery mail. The fearsome night elf huntresses also draw their strength from Elune, though they do not wield divine spells.
The night elves revere Elune and draw much of their martial strength and divine energy from this devotion. How the belief in Elune began is uncertain, as passing millennia have obscured her origins. Perhaps she does truly grant the night elves their unique ability to shadowmeld; perhaps they draw this power from an association with the Well of Eternity or some other force. In any case, though the actual existence of Elune may be unsure, one thing is certain - she lives in the hearts and minds of her people, and this is all they need to call down her wrath.
Cenarius
Cenarius is the druidic demigod of the Groves. He, unique among deities, is known to have existed in the physical realm. The mighty Cenarius has the torso and head of a night elf and the body of a great gray stag. He is master of the druidic energies that course through the earth and is father of both the fey dryads and the wise Keepers of the Grove.
It is also widely rumored that he sired the cursed, barbaric centaur that ravage the dusty plains of the Barrens - though this claim has never been substantiated.
The night elves first encountered Cenarius in an age of mists, when they were the Kaldorei and the world was unsullied by the taint of the Legion. The primitive night elves befriended the demigod, and he taught them to venerate the forces of nature and all things living. He has ever been suspicious of the arcane, and he lent his strength to combat the first demonic invasion during the War of the Ancients. After the demons were driven away and the land was sundered beyond recognition, Cenarius took steps to prevent a similar catastrophe from ever again befalling the world. He and the hero Malfurion Stormrage together sealed Malfurion's treacherous brother Illidan in an eternal crypt beneath the earth, and the demigod instructed the night elves in the druidic arts. This magic allows one to summon the primordial energies of the earth and of living things.
Like Horde shamans (see below), night elf druids draw upon the forces of earth and nature to empower their spells. The druids bypass the spirits, however, and tap directly into the primordial energy that flows through the ground and through every living thing. Druids share an intimate bond with nature. Those who wield the druidic magics have the ability to transform themselves into fearsome beasts and to call upon the trees to combat their enemies.
Millenia passed in which Cenarius watched over the night elves from the Moonglades and the Sentinels kept their long vigil. Eventually, as all remember, the demons again invaded the land, and men and orcs came to the continent of Kalimdor. Grom Hellscream drank the tainted blood of Mannoroth, and his corrupted fel orcs clashed with the Cenarius' forces. The powerful demigod, wizened with years and wise beyond all telling, was slain in the forests of his home. His spirit lingers, but his physical self has been forever destroyed.

[Protheus]

The Dwarves
The dwarves recently discovered evidence that they are in fact sons and daughters of the titans - great, metallic-skinned, godlike beings who set order to the cosmos and long ago cleansed Azeroth of its vile elemental rulers. According to ancient sources, the titans created dwarves from living stone. The first dwarves assisted the titans with the ordering of the world by dredging out vast caverns beneath the earth. Since this discovery, the dwarves have become obsessed with investigating the mystery of their true genesis and have reawakened powers locked deep inside them for untold ages. The dwarves have learned to change their skin to stone for brief periods of time, and they believe that this is only the first of such powers, the likes of which have not been seen since the titans left the world.

[Protheus]

The Horde
Tauren and orcs practice a shamanistic religion that hinges on spirit-worship; often, these spirits are orc and tauren ancestor-spirits. Horde shamans bear great respect and reverence for those came before them and call upon the spirits for guidance and strength. Many orcs and tauren claim that they can hear or sense the spirits, and they use this awareness to their advantage. Few can argue that the spirits answer when their descendants call, for shamans wield fearsome, primal energies that speak of the anger of the dead. Most believe that the spirits provide direct divine energy to those who call upon them, and their spellcasting ability is not rooted solely in the spellcasters' devotion (as it is with those who revere gods and philosophies).
Shamans also believe that everything - from sentient beings to animals to trees to rocks to the world - has a spirit and that one can speak to these spirits and draw power from them if one knows the way. This is the ancestral shamanism that Thrall rediscovered. Like the ancestor spirits, the earth and elemental spirits desire to aid and protect those who speak to them. Orc shamans have the power of nature in their fists, and earth, wind, and fire come to their call.