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shamanofthewilds · 2 years

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Exiles Reach Shaman Lore

A Shaman’s Duty & Ghost Wolf Form

And how it reveals the important job a Shaman has in the world and how you can use it in your stories and enhance your RP.

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Each class gets its own little bit of flavor for Exiles Reach. Quests specifically dedicated to expanding on the lore or giving slight context to their power. One bit of lore that was removed ages ago was the quest to gain your Ghost Wolf form as a shaman.

The Ghost Wolf is something I see interpreted and handled many different ways, some of which (while perfectly fine to enjoy how you wish) a bit inaccurate to the nature of a shaman’s ability to connect to the spirits. This isn’t really at the fault of the players, but the game itself failing to communicate the lore and making people have to guess or make up how it works. Not to mention we’ve seen the ghost wolf form used only a few times by characters in game and varies from medium to medium (In-Game, Heroes of the Storm, TCG, Offical Concepts, Hearthstone). So I can understand why there would be a little bit of a mix up.

But this isn’t about the Ghost Wolf form in general, this is covering the specific lore and it’s context on Exile’s Reach and how I would approach this form the view of RP and Story Telling. I get detailed, but anything to help give my take on Shamanic story telling. You can get a lot, from a little!

(Yes this is long, but you can’t say I’m not thorough when wanting to help RPers see how much you can expand your character by paying attention to things that apply to you!)

So let’s begin:

As your shaman reaches the Ogre Ruins with the rest of your stranded crew, you will see a Ghost Wolf sitting close to the fire with a quest called:

A Shaman’s Duty.

◆ Upon greeting him, his quest text immediately addresses to you: “Your companions cannot see me. Only you, for you have trained in the ways of the shaman.”

This sets the stage for you as a shaman to what can, and cannot , be experienced to those untrained in the shamanic ways. Meaning that, unless your character has/had a sudden spiritual awakening, by any circumstance, that more often than not...unless they are in tune and connected to the spirit realm , they will not see , hear or experience the spirits. (This does not include instances where a non spiritually in tune character was given a powerful experience to see spirits where they otherwise would not.)

This Ghost Wolf purposefully reached out to a young and upcoming shaman through the spirit realm and onto the waking realm without anyone noticing but the shaman.

◆ He then explains his dire request for communicating with you. That: “The necrotic energies of this island have ensnared my pack. I need your aid to free them.”

We know in the story of this island that there are many volatile forces at work from Ogres, harpies and quilboar. At this point we know the ogres are pulling at necrotic energy with the intention of raising a powerful dragon from the dead.

This is where the name of the quest makes sense. A Shaman’s Duty. We have now established the important role you have as a shaman and what it is your character will often be faced with. As a person connected to the spirits and with nature, it is your duty to ensure that dark, corruptive and dangerous forces keep their grip off of the elements and the spirit realm. You are going to be among the gifted few tasked with making sure that the sacred balance is not harmed and that the wise spiritual beings (who cannot fix matters like this alone) are not tortured and lost forever.

This also shows the inherent impact magic akin to necromancy and other necrotic related powers have on the spirit plane and why shamans are right in distrusting it. A good thing to note is that this is a massive ritual that would reach farther than one person raising a dead body. Either way, it shows the harmful effects.

◆ Lastly in his quest text he states: “Gather veil blossom from the surrounding area. Burn them on the campfire and breath deep of their smoke. Then you will see my packmates and release them from their bonds.”

This is now where we establish the common traditions that will more or less span across most shamanic cultures and why the Ghost wolf have established themselves as a sacred piece in this universe’s shamanic practice. The Ghost Wolf imparted wisdom unto the up and coming shaman on what natural substance will elevate their mind and spiritual self through smoke inhalation. This establishes a sacred herb to see to the spirit plane and is a resource for shaman to seek out. We also now see the importance of the common practice of smoking/burning with the intent of ritual use.

Your shaman now has a sacred source of other worldly information about what is around them and see first hand how the spirits communicate their wisdom. Many shaman come from nomadic, nature based, and clan like cultures where travel and connection to the world will be a major point of religious importance. So the ritual use of herbs and nature based materials will be a key function for a shamans on going practice both in aiding the spirit realm and their community.

After you accept your mission given to you by the Ghost Wolf, he speaks to you, with a wise masculine voice that is calm and paired with a ghostly echo.

He cautions you on the complicated and strange nature when peering into the spirit world. Not all can handle being able comprehend a world of the dead and the spirits coinciding with the living.

Before you leave, Warlord Breka Grimaxe, takes notice of your behavior. Her tone indicating the importance of your action and a slight sense of intrigued reverence.

Warlord Breka Grimaxe is an orc warrior and that is important to know for this context. One thing many people seem to not connect is that someone doesn’t need to be a shaman, in order recognize the spirits in a religious or faith based manner. A human can pray to the Light and not have to ascend to a priesthood, so an orc can seek for a sign from the Ancestors without becoming a shaman.

Shamans hold an important role in the culture of orcs, and the Horde as a whole. Her being a witness to a shaman directly gaining wisdom from a spirit she cannot see is a moment of quiet awe inspiring reverence. It will vary from culture to culture, but the Horde over all have a majority shamanic based leaning culture with exception of Elves.

The Alliance side has a much different reaction to you speaking to an unseen entity. The human named Captain Garrick says to you in a tone hints she finds your behavior odd, and not usual for her.

◆ “Uh, recruit? Who you were talking to?”

Humans, and Alliance as a whole, do not have the same mindset when it comes to presence of spirits. While they might have cultures where shamanism has shown itself, the Alliance largely doesn’t see *animism as a main focus of their spiritual and faith structures. The cultures themselves (dwarves, draenei, kul’tiran, pandaren) all manifest and approach shamanism for vastly different reasons and many different ways. Any version of shamanism on the Alliance will always be a little different and it is typically an uncommon sight.

It is very important to know what culture you’re playing as and how this effects them, as well as how their peers may react. EX: Draenei shaman are not exactly the most popular, even if seen as wise and helpful by some. No matter how much reverence they show to the spirits , they will always be the one going a little against the grain in the eye of popular draenei belief and customs. This will shape how you conduct your characters habits, and what you should expect depending on how you portray your shamanism to other characters of the same or different background.

The orc might be more inclined to agree to the draenei shaman.

But other draenei may see them as blasphemous. (Which might be a mindset to consider others in Alliance might have)

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* Animism is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence.

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Veil Blossoms

Exiles Reach introduced a plant called Veil Blossom. The Ghost Wolf instructed you to go gather this plant in order to access sight into the spirit realm. In doing this, you are fulfilling a role as a learning shaman doing something at the request of a wise spirit, furthering your knowledge of nature and ritual practice of gathering herbs for sacred usage.

The Veil Blossom themself were found around the edge of a body water at the Ogre ruins connected to a flowing water source. It can be assumed that this plant might commonly be found around or near bodies of water (and maybe more so bodies with running water).

They are depicted with the model of plant that is tall with long leaves and stalks, making it appear like a type of Reed. It has a tall red feathery cluster of flowers up top.

We gain insight on this plant as we collect it for our special mission:

We can assume that Veil Blossom is not unique to Exiles Reach, but is instead a plant likely found in multiple places in Azeroth. Meaning that for many, this is an annoying plant with not much usage for a majority of people. But a shaman will know it’s sacred usage thanks to the insight of the spirits. Your shaman will occasionally get to learn rare bits of wisdom like this. It’s important your shaman learns to treat substances like these with a sense of reverence or respect. They are what connects them to the spirit realm through ritual burning and will be used often in ceremonies.

These are all things your shaman can gradually learn through experience and exposure in their journey of becoming more spiritually in tune with their cultures practice.

Veil Blossom will get it’s own separate post.

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Returning to the Camp and Breathing Deep.

Now that you have your ritual plant, you toss it into the fire and immediately see a change to your surroundings. The smoke goes from dark gray to crimson and your sight takes in everything with an ethereal shift as you gain access to see the plane that exists between life and death.

It should be noted, that things in-game are usually quick for mechanics sake and to streamline questing so that it is easier. However it is not unbelievable to think that the smoke can have a fast reaction. But is important to remember context clues when knowing how to approach these details for RP as well as what we know about inhaling mind altering smoke in real life.

The Ghost Wolf instructed you to “breath deep of their smoke”. A ceremonial in take of smoke would not be instant, nor would any effects be instant (usually). Your shaman would of stood there a good few moments...as they took a long deep breath to fill their lungs and let their mind open up so that their eyes can see the unseen. Practices like this are things your shaman may find themselves doing for special ceremonies alone , with other people, or for a specific purpose. So it’s key to pay attention to the importance of this transition and show the calm reverence your shaman has as they feel themselves elevate spiritually.

Once your shaman gained access to the spirit plane, you get another reaction from Warlord Breka Grimaxe and/or Captain Garrick. Without overly explaining it, it shows again the difference in mentalities of how the Horde and Alliance view things like shamanism and spiritual contact.

◆ Warlord Breka Grimaxe (Shamanistic Culture, proud):

◆ Captain Garrick (Non-Shamanistic Culture, as if recalling something):

Now we have access to the spirit plane through a ritual burning of a plant that you learned through the wisdom of your ghost wolf guide.

For this moment, your shaman is given a Veiled Sight. Seeing what lingers beyond the veil. You exist in a duality of life and death, spirit and physical. You walk the land among living, but see what others cannot. A shamans job is to understand this balance, as all things in shamanism are about balance and harmony. This is an experience that drives home that a shamans job is in tune with almost every aspect life. It should be noted, that depending on skill level, not every shaman may be ready for something like this, hence why this has been a guided quest from a ghost wolf. A moment like this might be aided at the request of a teacher as well. Later on in life, this may be an occasional thing your shaman.

And now we see what a gift like this reveals:

The spirits of stranded and ship wrecked people who found their demise on this island. All people who had lives, families, interests and homes. Faces you may recognize, faces you may have forgotten, now before you. It could be over whelming, or it could be loving. A shaman may feel deep care and empathy for all these people, in awe that you see them and now know them. (Or it might be jarring, depending on the person and skill level.)

These spirits are all very aware of your presence. As you run past them, they face you as you move. This can be incorporated now, that a skilled shaman with experience may be able to speak with confidence that the spirits are in fact all around, and are , more often than not , very much aware of those with a spiritual gift. (If you can sense them, they might sense you.)

But again, always think of your character as a person. These experiences will all be different. Yet , it’s good to know background information to better reinforce your stories. Moving on.

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Rescuing the Ghost Wolf Packmates

The next bits of information just reinforce that necrotic magic directly effects and harms the spirit plane, especially when done in such a large amount when referencing the ogre ritual being conducted.

A novice shaman may not be able to feel when the spirits are upset, that is a sensitivity that must be nurtured (and might always be something fluctuating). So it is important that they listen to when they are approached with news from something or someone as important as a ghost wolf , ancestor, or elemental.

For the ghost wolf pack in the veiled plane, they are all bound and immobilized with necrotic magic in the center of a formation of stone with one singular stone standing out from the rest.

Prairie dogs stand just outside the circle in the waking realm, aware that something is happening despite being unable to see it. This actually shows a good example of where shamanism blends with their ability to tap into nature magic and the wilds. A good representation of why druids and shaman often help each other in a crisis that effects the environment. (They were also seen near the lake with the Veil Blossoms)

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Speculation:

It’s important to see the use of the word ensnared, because this could imply these ghost wolves were caught on purpose, which would explain these rings of stone. It is highly possible the ogre here know of these wise ghost wolves and made cursed spirit traps to keep them in place, or its possible it could be detrimental to any spirit that gets close. But this is merely speculation. Which is what you should encourage in your shaman. To always be thinking of the why in a situation like this to better understand how the spirit realm can be corrupted. The ring, however, may be good inspiration when thinking of structures for shamanic uses.

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Upon saving them, each Ghost wolf communicates with you vocally before running off. It shows more importance at halting large form usage of necromancy.

Ghost Wolf says: Thank you, shaman. I am in your debt.

Ghost Wolf says: The ogres' necromancy has ravaged the spirit world.

Ghost Wolf says: You must stop the ritual before it is completed.

Clear view of the circle:

Close up to the large stone design:

Minor speculation unrelated that may or may not have been spoken about: A lot of these magical stones, seen with shaman and druid ect, often have a hole in them. They make me think of “Hag stones” (or adder stones). Stones that have been naturally created to have a hole in them after a long time of being run over with water. The folk lore goes that they bring good luck and ward off evil, and that the hole itself is a portal to the fae realm. Looking through it might give you a glimpse of it.

When expanding on your shamanic lore and your characters practice, look at in real life examples to better get a feel of the connection to nature. Just always do your research you’re not adapting something you shouldn’t be and be mindful of the symbols you are interacting with. But this is a whole other topic.

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Gaining the Ghost Wolf form

Here is where we get direct confirmation of the information that has been more or less consistent on how the ghost wolf form works.

Upon returning , you approach the Ghost Wolf once more to show you have completed your task. The Ghost Wolf and his pack have been severely weakened by the ogres necromancy. They are unable to do anything to stop what is happening (A good indicator that the ghost wolves are in fact something to worry about if you mess with the spirit plane and how powerful they may be)

Then, once completed, you roar/howl as you are given a blessing from this Ghost Wolf and have been gifted with the ability change your form.

They are granting their strength to help fight crimes against the spirit realm.

As a shaman, your duty is to use your gift and the blessings bestowed upon you to continue this balance between the realms.

Now, as we look at this quest. The context is important. Not every shaman was on this mission to this island, and they were not all tasked with the same mission to free the pack mates from necromancy. You must be able to see what this quest is telling you and how you can take this information and use it to tell your own story if you wish to write a story or role play your shaman gaining their ghost form.

This quest is very much in line to the original removed Vanilla quest on the basis that you proved yourself to a great and powerful spirit of the spirit realm and wild. You did this by tracking the spirit and by doing so, gained a mutual trust.

You proved to this Ghost Wolf that you were able to do right upon the and did so with respect to the balance. You showed that you understood how important this task was and that you are capable of seeing it through.

So this means, that in order to gain the gift of a spectral form, proving yourself in the context of shamanism is key.

=Here is where the information is even more important to understand.=

The Ghost Wolf form is not like a druid form.

The Ghost Wolf form is a borrowed form.

In this quest A Shaman’s Duty, the Ghost Wolf states that he and his pack mates are giving you the last of their strength.

This is directly saying, that when you use the Ghost Wolf form, you are tapping into a borrowed visage by reaching out into the spirit realm that was granted by them. You are swapping places by transitioning from physical to spectral. The shaman now becomes an embodiment of the sacred balance of the living, the spiritual and the natural.

By the Ghost Wolf giving you their strength, they will always be with you. You have proved yourself, and they are repaying their debt to you. You will use this blessing to carry out their want to stop things like necromancy in the face of the spirits.

This can open up a lot of interesting options for story when you create it. You can have a ghost wolf guide your shaman in teachings or appearing only for certain moments. If your shaman is very skilled, you might even be able to make this relationship be that these are the spirit wolves you’re calling into battle like a powerful Farseer.

You might be able to always feel the presence of this wolf when changing, or it can be symbolic that by having this blessing it will remind you of the mutual respect between you and the spirits and what wisdom you gained through them.

All of this can be used for any culture with shamanism. All you would have to do is look at it within the context of their culture and what animal would make sense for your shaman to be showing respect to. The Exile’s Reach campaign is a highly specific story, meant to show you essences of what each class does mechanically and lore wise.

Lastly, as you gain your blessing of the Ghost Wolf you get one final difference in reactions based on what Faction you’re on.

Warlord Breka Grimaxe recalls fondly of Shuja’s first connection to the spirit world. A proud and important moment for her, showing that Shuja likely had went through a lot of training and discipline to finally touch the spirit plane. As an orc, she is proud to see a successful up and coming shaman.

Captain Garrick on the other hand, is only caring about the information to help their mission. She doesn’t seem to put much thought into who you were talking to, just that it at least gets the job done. By shamanism being less of a cultural thing, she cannot approach it with the same reverence as an orc would. She knows something happened (that she knows little about), and is not insulting you, but she pretty much prefers to move on by the tone of her voice.

And there you have it!

This is an extremely short quest, that literally takes ...five minutes to complete.

But you can learn a lot about how you expand your character by really taking the time to see what it is you’re being told and what you’re being shown. It can be easy to just drink down information and move on, but if you really are passionate about rounding out your shaman always take time to look at quests, text and environment to help you expand your characters personal practice.

The Ghost Wolf form is one of the iconic staples of World of Warcraft, and it’s lore has been moved around a lot to where many people forget all together what the wolf spirit means to the orcish people and what shamanism means to the Horde and the Alliance.

I really love being able to show you how my mind pays attention to quests that can help expand my characters experience, and the ghost wolf form is something I’m very interested in getting into!

I hope this helps someone in expanding their ability to see the world of Azeroth through their characters eyes and realizing that with a little bit of work, you can take a little and go an extremely long way!

Aka’magosh and Spirits be with you!