Lorewise - I bring PANDA-MONIUM!

[Jackie Moon]

Greetings one and all! In a time of heat, where all the sparrows fall from roofs, it is time to become Lorewise! Today I will be talking about the elusive Pandaren race...

When you think of Pandarens, only 1 real example may jump into your brain; Chen Stormstout. He was there when the New Horde settled in Durotar, helping out Rexxar a lot. But not many Pandaren have been seen over the years. They tend to keep to themselves on their island nation of Pandaria, an island they settled before the War of the Ancients. In ages past, the Pandaren Empire was a great ally to the Night Elves, but when they witnessed the corruption by the Arcane arts happen, they severed ties and moved away, fearing that it would escalate, which it did in the form of the Great Sundering.

If you have never seen one, they look a bit like furbolgs, only less ferocious and feral. Their fur is white, with black markings around the eyes. Pandaren live by shamanistic ways. They are strong geomancers, sorcerers empowered by the Earth Mother. This makes them close to Furbolgs, Tauren and even the Wildhammer Dwarves. But there is another aspect of Pandaren culture that brings them into kinship with the Dwarves, and that is the love for alcohol, beer specifically.

If you do encounter a Pandaren, there's a big chance that it's one of their famous brewmasters. They travel far across the world in search of new ingredients to spice up their brews. On their travels, they are very social, not afraid to make new friends along the way. The brewmasters truly enjoy it, retelling their stories in taverns over a drink, and buying rounds for everyone. Usually, they are the last one standing in a drinking contest, beating even Dwarves who are famed for their binging. But the brews go beyond just drinking. They have beers with healing capabilities, and some can even enhance its users fighting capabilities. The brewmasters are also very skilled in martial arts, so while they are friendly to almost everyone, they can turn ugly on you if you don't have the best intentions with them.

If any race is the epitome of neutrality, it would be the Pandaren. They are friendly with a lot of other races. It is rather unlikely they will choose either side in the Horde/Alliance conflict. The Alliance on one side may have the Ironforge Dwarves they feel connected to through their fondness of ales and tales, the overall politics is too complicated for their liking. With the Horde they share a lot of their beliefs, shamanism is deeply embedded in both cultures. But the Pandaren believe that the races of the Horde are still in search of themselves, and they shouldn't pursue more races until they have found their own. And the Pandaren are only visiting the land in search of adventure, stories and better beers.

So while it remains to be seen if they will ever choose a side in this conflict, and even though they are friendly to most others, they are very adept in combat. Their armies consist of so called Shodo-Pans leading their warriors into fights. These Shodo-Pans are the ultimate fighters of the Pandaren. Any geomancer or wardancer (their elite warriors) can become one, but they will have to learn the other discipline before being capable of advancing. It even goes as far as not being allowed to practice their own style before the other is mastered. Therefore the Shodo-Pan is revered among its race as he has mastered the physical and the spiritual.

The location of Pandaria is unknown, though it is rumored to be to the west of Kalimdor. Will we ever be able to go there? Will we ever see Pandaren ingame? There are rumors of a Pandaren settlement in the Stonetalon Mountains, will it be there for Cataclysm? We will find out in the future...

Quote of the Week

The recipe for the perfect beer: a barrel of thunderwater, egg of a thunder phoenix, sprig of thunderbloom - and someone to catch you.
-Chen Stormstout

[ChildeRoland]

Just a small question, is this true lore or did you invent it yourself? (I'm serious, cause really haven't heard anything about panda lore, tho I know a lot of other lore )

[Jackie Moon]

Just a small question, is this true lore or did you invent it yourself? (I'm serious, cause really haven't heard anything about panda lore, tho I know a lot of other lore )

It is true, if you read a lot of the books/comics released by blizzard it shows it all