User:Mastia/Emerald Dream Expansion Ideas

The Dream of Creation
Since the dawn of time, the created world has been mirrored by a vast plane of verdant, natural energies - known as the Emerald Dream. Consisting of huge forests, vast plains and other less identifiable naturalistic environments, the Dream is all that nature ever could be, if only it had been left unperturbed by the civilised races. Mirroring the shape and form of primordial Kalimdor, before the events of the Sundering, this level of creation has since time immemorial been the realm of the Green Dragonflight, lead by the emphemeral and elusive Dragon Aspect Ysera - She of the Dreaming. For untold ages, the green dragons and their allies the druids patrolled their ethereal kingdom and preserved it from the tumults and disturbances of the waking world. As the continents were splintered, blood was spilt, wild things became extinct and innocence was lost - the Dream remained serene and tranquil - its visitors and permanent inhabitants safe under the protective wings of their slumbering mistress.

All is not well within the Dreamways however. Recently, a dark force, known as the Nightmare, has appeared and has begun to wander the landscape at random. Originating from the warped nightmares of the many thousands of suffering mortals in the material world, the Nightmare perverts and warps the natural order of the Dream, converting healthy creatures into ravening beasts, withers and decays plantlife and torments those unfortunate sentients, druid, dreamer and dragon alike, caught in its path. Growing in strength and power, the Nightmare and those Unwaking who represent it are merely the tools of a much darker and more ancient evil. Older than the very Dream itself, the Old Gods have found a way to penetrate into the Dream after hundreds of millennia. Hoping to destroy the Dream utterly, and with it all life on Azeroth, the Old Gods are perhaps one of the greatest threats the people of Azeroth have ever faced. New races arise to challenge this terrible threat, old rules are broken and the warriors of the Horde and Alliance have finally been permitted to enter the Sleeping Realm while outside of their Dreams, in order to fight this great darkness. The drums of war thunder, even in our dreams.

Sprites- Horde
When the great titaness of life, Eonar, brought the Emerald Dream into being some 70,000 years ago, she created a series of sentient species to populate it, much as the mortal races would come to populate the waking world. Of these spirits of nature, some of the most prolific were the Sprites - a vigorous and mercurial humanoid people who were deeply bound to the essence of life itself. Imbued with a childlike innocence and a love of the living world, the Sprites, or She'noa as they came to call themselves, wandered the dreamways of their native homeland of Daenaan for untold ages, communing with the ethereal plants and animals around them and developing a deeply spiritual society among the great trees of their forest home. While the races of the mortal plane warred and the land was scarred and sundered - the playful Shae'noa remained safe; concealed within the deepest woods of the Dream.

However, with the planting of the World Tree Nordrassil, the eternal peace of Daenaan was shattered - the great tree caused the balance of nature to shift within the Dream, and the mystical energies of the Sleeping Plane began to accumulate around where the roots of the vast world tree crossed into the Dreamlands. Outlying areas of the Emerald Dream as a result soon became starved of the holy powers which sustained the very fabric of the land itself. To correct this imbalance, the Great Dragon Aspect Ysera created a second hub of power on the far side of the Dream from the World Tree, which shifted the energies back to their previous distribution. She of the Dreaming then commanded the She'noa to leave their beloved homeland, and resettle in the wild southern jungles that surrounded the second nexus of natural power, known then as the Tear of Ysera, in order to protect and maintain it. So, with heavy hearts, the Shae'noa forsook their beloved glades and groves, and journeyed south, forming their court in exile. They founded the city-shrine of Taran, with the Tear at its heart.

In time, Taran was visited by wandering Night Elven druids, who were slumbering during the Long Vigil and thus were able to enter the Dream. Though most were friendly and respectful of the She'noa, a number were dismissive and aloof, thinking the Shae'nai as simple and barbaric in comparison to themselves. Indeed, soon rumours began to spread that the Sprites were merely a primitive and debased form of Night Elf - a rumour that still persists among the Kaldorei today. Although insulted by this extremely arrogant attitude, they took no action - believing the Elves would grow beyond this in time. Over the centuries, though still pining for their old realm, the She'noa managed to tramsform the jungles of Taran into a safe and hospitable land.

Then, the world of the Sprites was once again turned upside down. When the Green Dragons mounted an attack upon the Sunken Temple in the Swamp of Sorrows, in an attempt to prevent the Trollish Atal'ai Priesthood from resurrecting the evil Blood God Hakkar, the fighting was fierce but ultimately the Dragons succeeded in smashing the foul complex deep beneath the marshes. However, the Blood God managed to corrupt those Dragons sent to police the ruins, and used the huge drake Eranikus to enter the Emerald Dream in spirit. Appearing with the forests of Taran itself, Hakkar's spirit channeled the power of his Old God masters to fuse the tortured thoughts of sleeping mortals into a seething mass of shadow and corruption - the Emerald Nightmare. Realising what had happened, the Sprites mustered their forces and engaged the raging maelstrom of shadow and hate. Though they fought valiantly at the expense of many lives, the Nightmare was increasing in size far too rapidly to be stopped. Realising that defeat was imminent and that the Tear of Ysera couldn't fall under the Nightmare's influence, the High Matriarch Medb Streamlight ordered for the retreat of her people, and the abandonment of Taran. Using her power to smash the tear into a million shards, Medb told her people to each carry as much of the Tear as they could, and fly north away from the rampaging nightmare. As the last Sprites left the doomed city, it was consumed by the wreaths of shadow from the Nightmare.

Fleeing north to safety, the She'noa retreated to their ancient homeland of Daenaan, which had been untouched in all the years it had been abandoned. Settling within its sheltered eaves, the Sprites created the city of Dalriad - a sprawling arborial capital of wooden huts and standing stones, to house their people. In order to maintain the balance they had preserved for so many years, an ingenious young druid by the name of Veltian Middleswathe discovered a means by which the energies of the dream could be gathered, stored and distributed directly, through the combining of standing stones, Sprite ritual and Tear shards to produce a means of maintaining the existence of the Dream.

As a member of a spiritual people with a proud duty and a land to protect, you must fight evils both known and unknown, in the waking and unwaking worlds.

Available classes:

Warrior -

Shaman -

Hunter -

Druid -

Rogue -

Racials: -Staff Mastery: -Phase Shift (Active): You shift phase, causing you to become intangible for 10 seconds. During this time you cannot attack, cast spells and are immune to damage and spellcasting. Cooldown - 10 minutes. - -

Reputation: Due to their shared link with the spirits and their healthy dislike for the Night Elves, the Shae'nai are friendly with the Darkspear Trolls, Orgrimmar and Thunder Bluff. However, Silvermoon and the Undercity's chequered pasts and their love of the arcane cause the Shae'nai to begin as neutral towards these two factions.

Mount- The Sprites would ride Deer. Colors: Brown, Tan, and Black.

Epic Colors: Gold, Silver, and White.

Furbolg-Alliance
Since the moon first rose on the north western forests of the twilit, primordial continent of Kalimdor, the ursine furbolgs hunted, fished and gathered in the endless woodlands of that ancient land. Revering the twin bear brothers; Ursol the Shaman and Ursoc the Warrior, these bear-men were a peaceful race. Ever since the cataclysmic sundering 10,000 years ago, the noble furbolgs had been the staunch allies of the night elves, with whom they shared the forests of Kalimdor. Protecting plant and beast from those who would cause them needless harm, the furbolgs aided the night elves during the Long Vigil, using their innate link with the land to keep the wooded north safe from all adversaries.

However, when the Burning Legion returned to claim Azeroth and have vengeance on the night elves and their allies, it was precisely their affinity that the furbolgs had with their forest home that proved to be their undoing. As glade and river fell to the demons and became sullied with the Nether's taint, the furbolgs soon lost themselves to a mindless rage that spread like wildfire through the tribes. When Archimonde and his hordes were finally defeated at the Battle of Mount Hyjal, only a single tribe could aid the mortal armies. After the dust settled and the demons were banished, the night elves feared that the bear-men had been all but obliterated – and that those who had survived were corrupted beyond saving. The wizened elders that had lead the furbolgs for centuries were replaced by fierce firebrands, and generations of wisdom were forgotten as the bear-men retreated further and further into their home territories and attacked any who came near.

And yet, hope remained for the children of Ursol and Ursoc. Deep beneath the shattered glades and blasted slopes of Mount Hyjal, a small proportion of the furbolg race had managed to escape the corruption by retreating into the bowels of the earth – taking refuge within the vast network of caverns and tunnels known as the Barrow Deeps, which lay beneath much of the forested heart of Kalimdor. Three tribes – the Purespring, the Barkskin and the Timbermaw managed to evade both total annihilation and the Legion's corruption, gathering under the totem of Celeritas, a wise shaman who had aided and been aided by Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind during the war. Though many of their number had been slain by demons or corrupted wildlife, the furbolgs had managed to discover a tract of tunnels – only recently vacated by the slumbering Druids of the Claw – that due to protective druidic magics were devoid of dangers. Naming their region of dominance Urstaran, meaning “Home of the Bear Brothers” in their own language, a beacon of ursine culture was relit, and Urstaran became a centre of influence for the Purespring Tribe, which Celeritas lead. Furbolg hunters wandered the lands again, searching for food to support their families, whilst furbolg druids and shamans worked to soothe the spirits of the tortured land and to fill the tunnels and caverns with life. Safe at last from the troubles of the world outside, furbolg culture blossomed, villages became filled with the sound of laughter once more and the holds and dens became centres for art and spirituality as much as they were for military strength.

Years pass. Despite the pleasant environment and safety within Urstaran, many furbolgs longed for the wide forests of the lowland woods, and to discover what was going on in the world. The Timbermaw in particular, lead by the aged warrior Gorn One-Eye, wished to return to their old holdings, and to see if anything could be reclaimed. They argued that, had the demons been victorious, the furbolgs would surely have been aware by now and, if the Legion had indeed been defeated, then there was no reason why they shouldn’t claim back their old haunts. The other tribes however were far more cautious. It was felt that even if the Legion had been defeated, the peoples and forests outside would be so impure that they would be dangerous to even contact. Still Celeritas resolved that he would keep no one within Urstaran against their will and so he permitted Gorn and his people to leave, so long as they sealed and guarded the exit tunnels behind them and refused to tell any outsiders, even night elves, about the furbolgs’ new home. The Timbermaw split into two groups, one, consisting of those who felt less inclined to leave Urstaran headed south and exited through an old Earthen fortress, before sealing it and claiming it as their own. The remainder of the tribe turned north, and exited into their old home of Timbermaw Hold, at the northern boundary of the forests that had become known as Felwood. The Timbermaw, expecting to see the crystal streams and verdant vales that they had known, restored after the defeat of the demons, instead bore witness to the accursed, noxious land their territory had become. Frightened by this change, the Timbermaw realized their folly at leaving Urstaran, and resolved to seek out allies who would aid them fight against their corrupted kinsmen – whom the pure furbolgs had dubbed “felbolgs” – and to defend their new homeland at any cost.

After a time, Celeritas and his elders became concerned. The elderly shaman had expected the Timbermaw to return, he himself suspecting that the forests had been corrupted irrevocably. When this did not take place, Celeritas worried that the Timbermaw had been enslaved, destroyed or worse, imprisoned and forced to reveal the location of Urstaran. Not knowing of Gorn’s vow to guard the gates of the Barrow Deeps, Celeritas declared that the united tribes would return to the surface, to discover the fate of the Timbermaw, and the state of the world outside. Knowing that the tunnels the Timbermaw had used were blocked and probably dangerous, the remaining three tribes decided to try an alternative method for ascending to the surface. Using the prolific moonstones that studded their underground home, the Timbermaw used the potent nature magics that surrounded them to create a portal to the heart of Elune’s power on Azeroth – suspecting that such a place would surely be free of the Legion’s taint. As such, the brave pathfinders who volunteered to go through the portal first found themselves stumbling into the moonlit sanctum of the Temple of the Moon in Darnassus. Upon hearing the news that the night elves had not only survived, but were proliferating and allied to a powerful union of races, Celeritas hurried from Ustaran through the portal to meet with Tyrande, and once the pact of friendship between the bear-men and the Kaldorei was renewed, the furbolgs travelled to the Eastern Kingdoms, to pledge their allegiance to the Grand Alliance. The Purespring and Barkskin tribes joined the Alliance, but the Timbermaws remained neutral, considering it better to keep on friendly terms with both factions in order to enlist both in purifying Felwood. Now, with allies to aid them and a defensible homeland to call their own, the furbolgs have a brighter future ahead of them. Their renewed confidence and political power has resulted in many changes – firstly, they have begun to extend their territory further into the Barrow Deeps, which due to their location underneath Felwood still bear the scars of the Third War. As word has spread of Urstaran, those furbolgs who have managed to avoid corruption or who have been cured of it have flocked to the capital of Ustaran, turning it into a centre for trade and learning. As one such furbolg, your destiny within that world is yours to shape.

Available Classes: Warrior- Furbolgs have always been confident and powerful warriors, using their pure strength as a deadly weapon.

Druid- The Furbolg are deeply connected to the Emerald Dream, thus being perfect Druids.

Shamans - The Furbolg have a long history of shamanism, (note the use of totems by the Purespring Furbolgs) and so this class would also work. Honouring their bear-god totems also makes this fitting.

Priest - Furbolgs have been known to worship Elune (Note in WarIII when a Furbolg elder praises Elune) as well as their Bear Gods.

Hunter- The furbolg trapper is a unit in Warcraft III. This, combined with the hunter-gatherer society that the furbolgs exhibit indicates that hunting will be of great importance to furbolg culture.

Racials: Hunter and Gatherer (Passive) -- Gives +5 skill to all gathering professions (Mining, Skinning, Herbalism). Thick Fur (Passive) -- +5% Frost Resistance Blessing of the Bear Brothers (Active) -- Increases strength and spirit by X. Lasts Y seconds. Hibernation (Active) -- Increases mana and health regen by X%. Channeled for Y seconds.

Reputation: The Furbolgs, due to their long history of both fighting the Legion and of friendship with the Night Elves, are friendly with Stormwind, Ironforge, the Exodar and Darnassus.

Mounts: Thre Furbolg Mount is the Bear. Colors: Dark Gray, Brown, and Tawny

Epic Colors: White, Black, and Grizzled.

Brood of Ysera
- The Green Dragonflight watches over all of nature and the Emerald Dream, the ethereal dream world that all life is a part of. Ysera and her brood seek help against the Nightmare.

Ustaran
-the Furbolg capital.

Dalriad
- The Sprite Capital

Kalimdor
Uldum- A Titan vault in Tanaris.