Global Supremacy: Episode 4: Gilneas and Stormwind; International Policy

[Jeremiah]

Welcome to the forth issue of Global Supremacy. This week, we discuss the consequences of Gilneas' reemergence into the geopolitical landscape, and discuss their interesting relationship with other member states of the Alliance.

You may be wondering, what is Global Supremacy?

Global Supremacy is an MMOwned news feature about the influence of philosophy and the empirical social sciences on World of Warcraft and its storyline. Here, we'll be talking about WoW's lore and storyline, and how it relates to political and philosophical concepts in the real world.

The other half of Global Supremacy is lore speculation and debate. Readers can get involved any time by posting a comment on the article of the week. I will select a pool of readers from the comments each week, and will end each post with a question for my readers. You are also free to make suggestions in the comments, and I will try to read as many as I can at once.

But let's be done with all of the boring technicalities, and dive right in!

Gilneas is a nation with a rich history and diverse people. Unlike the regal humans of Lordaeron, or the hard-working pragmatists of Stormwind, Gilneans are deeply-rooted in their coastal culture. Many Gilneans, not unlike the Lordaeranian commoners, were excellent farmers.

Gilneans are admired for their adaptability and independence. With significant numbers of farmers and anglers amongst their people, Gilneas cultivated a self-sufficient empire, isolated not only by massive stone walls, but their pride and mistrust of other civilizations.
In the Second War, Gilneas took their leave of the Grand Alliance, refusing to be taxed for the funds and supplies required to keep the Orcish Horde imprisoned within join Alliance internment facilities. King Greymane noted that he would have rather killed off the entirety of the species than keep them alive, as they were far too dangerous to maintain.

Ironically, Greymane turned out to be right. The Orcs lethargic state faded the moment a wise leader took the helm. Thrall led his people out of their internment camps, and rallied with them in the wilds of Lordaeron and the Eastern Kingdoms.


Gilneas and Druidism

Gilnean humans seem to be the only humans with a large population of individuals who are proficient in nature magic. The farmers of the Harvest used nature magic to seed infertile lands with acres of healthy crops, in order to help sustain Gilneas’ fast-growing infrastructure. As their powers grew, the men and women of the Harvest called upon the mysterious forces of nature, sending bolts of lightning and spires of Moonfire from their fingertips.

This naturally paved the way for more druidic studies. Jointly with the Night Elves, the Gilnean people (now Worgen) have created a substantial coven of druids, known now as the Druids of the Scythe.

We learn in Cataclysm that Arugal was not directly responsible for the Worgen curse; it was a group of druids who were imprisoned in the Emerald Dream, after using reckless druidic magic to turn into powerful dire wolves. Arugal opened the waygate to the Dream, communicating with a race of wolf-like beings he thought to be an entirely separate species, but were only transformed by their increasing savagery, and by the raw natural energies of the Emerald Dream in tandem. Arugal used the Scythe of Elune, an artifact he acquired from a long mission that led him to Duskwood, which can be seen in-game (and is worth the time taken to do the quest yourself).

The Druids of the Scythe revere a demigod known as Goldrinn, who is an ancient wolf spirit. Will Worgen Druids of the Scythe pay tribute to this demigod? The Druids of the Scythe saw the Worgen curse as a blessing, as opposed to an illness, so it isn’t impossible that Worgen druids will embrace the curse with open arms, and use it to their advantage.

The potion administered to Worgen players that helps them keep a grip on their human side (and essentially ‘cure’ them of the curse) essentially keeps their animalistic instincts from taking a hold of their better judgment. Perhaps Worgen druids lose a grip on their human traits when they transform into animals? It is a great possibility, and may complicate Gilneas’ relations with other nations in the Alliance, since most Alliance nations do not necessarily feel comfortable in embracing their primal instincts. Imagine a Worgen diplomat at a meeting, who can’t resist his hunger for blood. Humorously, he might tear off his clothes and dash out on all fours to go catch a small animal.

Gilneas and Foreign Relations

After the announcement that King Greymane made the decision to secede from the Grand Alliance, civil conflict boiled in Gilneas. While most of Greymane’s lords remained steadfastly loyal, Lord Darius Crowley, an Alliance patriot, and one of Greymane’s wisest tacticians, led an underground rebellion within the powerful nation.

Crowley was imprisoned as soon as he showed dissent, but was later broken out of Greymane City’s prison by followers, beginning the Gilneas Civil War. The Gilnean rebels fought against King Greymane’s forces, attempting to call for Alliance support. Being unable to cross the mountainous passes within Gilneas, the rebels were forced to attempt to dethrone the King by force. They loaded artillery in an underground network of cellars, but fought a losing war against Greymane’s forces. After the Civil War came to an end, Lord Crowley was once again imprisoned, along with his strongest followers.

Days before the Cataclysm, the Worgen Plague begins to spread to Greymane City’s alleyways. In order to fight against the curse, adventurers bust Lord Crowley out of Greymane City’s prison by order of the King. Crowley and his men secure their artillery to use in the defense of Light’s Dawn Cathedral. After fighting off the better part of the Worgen forces, Crowley finds himself infected with a festering bite, which in turn transforms him into a Worgen.

Crowley’s men join the Alliance once again upon encountering the Night Elves who have come to help battle the Forsaken. Sylvannas sends fleets of undead galleons to take the coastline of Gilneas. The Night Elves essentially bring Gilneas into the Alliance, and begin a long-term armed conflict within Greymane City, henceforth known as the “Battle for Gilneas”.

Since Lordaeron and Alterac are completely out of the picture, it is safe to say that King Greymane will find Varian Wrynn’s policy on the Horde more reasonable. Greymane replaces Staghelm as the Alliance’s “Anti-Hero” chief. His genocidal views regarding the Horde and their races echo that of the paranoid ancient Highbourne.

Crowley, being himself an unwavering supporter of the Alliance, will probably serve the Alliance as their Saurfang. Not only is he a bad-ass (he beats invading Worgen to death with his fists), but he is all about Alliance unity and strength, and whips dissenters into shape with his massive muscles (and his rationality).

Night Elves

The Worgen of Gilneas will have a long-standing relationship with the Night Elves. The Kaldorei themselves are wild, revering and living amongst ancient woods and animals. It is only logical to say that they will find the Worgen more likable than the rest of the Alliance races.

Dwarves

Naturally mistrustful of the shadowy things of the world, the dwarves might be a bit mistrustful of the Worgen, but not to the point that they have any hatred for them.

Gnomes

The gnomes don’t get along terribly well with the Night Elves, and by extension, probably won’t be very companionable with the Worgen. It is the spirit of the Gnomes to conquer the wild and to dominate nature, not to submit to it. I can imagine that a Gnome’s worst nightmare would be to turn into something hairy and primal.

Humans (Stormwind)

Once humans themselves, the Worgen will get along fine with Stormwind. While Gilneas and Stormwind have vastly different cultures, it is safe to say that the humans, being naturally curious about the outside world, will find much to talk about with the Worgen. Human gardeners will have to double-check for dog doo-doo in their front yards, and paw prints in their flowerbeds.

Draenei

Since the Draenei have a long-standing relationship with the Kaldorei, they will probably be used to working with the Worgen sooner than the other races of the Alliance. The Worgen and Draenei share a common enemy: the Undead. While the Worgen wish to get rid of the Undead for sheer practical purposes, the Draenei have a deep hatred for any remnant of the Lich King’s corruption, and are actively working to extinguish the Forsaken.

Orcs

Not unlike the Worgen, the Orcs are savage and very much concerned with heredity and honor. While the Orcs may not be familiar with the idea of nobility, they believe in the importance of merit, and share this with the pragmatic and proud Gilnean people. However, do not forget that the Worgen once tried to extinguish the entire Orcish race, and will probably be unlikely to trust that they have truly progressed from their darker days under Kil’jaeden.

Trolls

The Worgen may be working closely alongside the Trollish Druids, but that is all up to speculation at this point in time. While the Trolls and Worgen have nothing in common aside from profession, the human part of the Worgen would probably feel uneasy for the cannibalistic and dark traditions of the Trolls and their ancestors, as well as their close allegiance with the other Horde races.

Blood Elves

Gilneas never trusted arcane magic or elves. The Night Elves are probably the first elves that the Gilneans like at all. While both the Worgen and the Blood Elves did leave the Alliance at one point, the hedonistic lifestyle of the Sin’dorei would probably sicken the Worgen to the point that they would lose their lunch.

Tauren

The Tauren are long-time friends of the Kaldorei, and by extension, are probably the race of the Horde that the Worgen have most in common with. I can foresee a lot of cooperation on the parts of the Tauren and the Worgen, especially when it comes to working with the Worgen curse.

Undead

The Forsaken are perhaps the most reviled race within Gilnean culture, purely because they have tried to extinguish the kingdom of Gilneas for several years following the Third War. Greymane treats Sylvannas’ name as a curse word, and so it is easy to deduce that the reputation of the Forsaken with the Gilnean people is in an irreversible state of disrepair.

It is certain that the emergence of the Worgen in international relations will be a truly astonishing complication in the equation. Along with the Goblins, the Worgen bring a lot of history to the table.

Join us next week for a discussion on the history of the Goblins, and how their wacky technologies may or may not drive the Horde into a new age of modernization!


Question of the Week
Q: Do you believe that the Alliance will truly be able to accept the Worgen and integrate them into society? Why or why not? Post your comment below!

Old GS Issues:
http://www.mmowned.com/forums/conten...e-0-horde.html
http://www.mmowned.com/forums/conten...ighbourne.html
http://www.mmowned.com/forums/news/s...-republic.html

[Klein~]

Yes and no!
Gilneas left the Alliance a decent long time ago because they didn't want to spend resources on the Alliance and were a little selfish.
What could the leaders of the Alliance races conclude of this? The worgen might have to earn their trust back.

But! The Worgen are savage and powerful creatures, they add as a strong feature to the Alliance!

[Alexial]

This was a fantastic article!! I rarely read the whole things at work (no offense, just not a lot of time at work) but I found myself swapping tabs in firefox when my boss wasn't looking so I could finish this! You pointed out a lot of interesting perspectives, and at the same time given me some wonderful ideas for RPing my Worgen. I love how you explore the views from both sides (horde and alliance) as well as racial acceptance of the Worgen per race.

As for your question: I think a lot of humans will be willing to accept the Worgen eventually, strengths and faults. Humans (both in real life and seemingly in game as you stated) are fairly curious by nature, and I think that will bring forth a lot of questions, and open up the lines of communication between the two 'races'. I doubt it will be 100% trust at first, since that would be militarily foolish, but with time I'm sure that most humans would be willing to accept their estranged kin.

On the other hand, you do have to look at how humans react to relatives they know who may have become undead (Either Forsaken or Death Knights). The reaction could be mild, or extreme, depending on the person; They may be happy to see the person, but disgusted with what they have become and therefor refuse further attempts at contact. Most people that have become undead know better then to seek out people they may have known in life to avoid this conflict, shock or fear, but the Gilneas may need that sense of connection to help reintegrate with society after a long isolation.

I dunno, random ramblings Back to work!

[Jeremiah]

Thanks for your responses, guys. Always interesting to read what the rest of you have to think about all of this.

[miros]

Hmmm... There's something that doesn't seem to fit well...
If worgen started out as a Druid form (and then, because of their dire nature, made those druids go wild)... why would it spread to other people like a curse?
I quite don't get it...
Otherwise, great article =)

[Toyoka]

This is a very intriguing topic. I love the lore and constant struggle between the denizens of Gilneas and the rest of Azeroth (especially since they start very near the things they hate most, the Forsaken). I'll take a jab at your question and say: Yes, they would fit nicely into the society of the Alliance. Their curse is having less of an effect over them and they are able to control it so they aren't that much different than Night Elves (as druids) or any other shape-shifting-able race. The fact that they were former (and still in some part) Humans, helps as well. Good article, I enjoyed reading it