Warcraft III: Bestiary

Human bandits prey upon hapless travelers and soldiers alike. These lawless rogues think only of theft and burglary and enjoy causing great pain to their victims as well. Though the Alliance has offered large bounties towards the capture of these wretched men, they always find a way to slink back into the shadows of the wilds.

The red Dragonflight, ruled by the Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza, is a noble and honorable group of creatures. They consider themselves the protectors of all life, and in many ways they are. More often than not, they are found protecting sacred areas and items, seeking to keep them from lesser beings who might be hurt by their energies. Their breath is a fearsome stream of fire, and they have been known to swallow enemies whole and slowly digest them over the course of a day. Their most hated enemies are the black dragons ruled by the great, dark leviathan, Deathwing.

These wretched individuals were once counted as the most devout amongst the clergy of Lordaeron. But, after years of constant war and suffering, they have lost their sense of the holy Light. Now they exist only to spread their frustration and negativity to their fellow men and women.

Ghosts are tortured spirits who writhe in the agony of undeath. Unable to realize that are no longer alive, they roam the trackless wastes between the Twisting Nether and the physical world, seeking release from their eternal suffering. Though they are not necessarily evil, they hunger for physical contact, often causing great harm to any living beings they touch.

Gnolls are one of the younger races of Lordaeron. Indigenous to both the Alterac Mountains and the Redridge Range far to the south, these hyena-like humanoids are extremely aggressive and are often found quarreling amongst themselves. Though relatively intelligent compared to most beasts, they are not very bright by human standards. They have been known to manipulate each other into fights over ridiculous things like "whose shadow is larger." It has often been stated that the gnolls would be quite a fearsome race, if they ever stopped tearing each other to pieces long enough to organize themselves into an army.

Golems are magically wrought automatons of varying types of stone. Most Golems can be found in and around Dalaran, for the mages there created them to perform manual labor and guard their mystical holdings. Certain renegade wizards have also been known to create their own Golems to protect their secret dens and lairs. Most Golems are magically protected from spells, so that enemy mages cannot turn them against their creators. Golems are generally thought to be mindless. However, there have been documented cases of Golems roaming freely, without their masters to control them. Where these vagabond constructs go or what they seek is a complete mystery.

Kobolds are a race of sniveling, rat-like humanoids who infest the deep tunnels of the Alterac and Redridge Mountains. Cowardly and pathetic by nature, they can be riled to action when backed into a corner. Kobolds have limited intelligence and usually try to stay away from populated areas where other, larger races dwell.

Though relatively new to Lordaeron, it is purported that Murlocs are actually a very ancient race of Azeroth. These creatures have steadily been moving in-land from their oceanic dwelling places, even adapting to fresh-water lakes and rivers in order to populate areas they would not normally be found in. Though they continue to inhabit more areas of Lordaeron, their supposed intelligence is debatable due to the fact that their guttural language is impossibly difficult to decipher. However, their use of weaponry and uncanny fighting abilities imply a rather sinister racial intellect.

The Nerubian spider-men once ruled over the kingdom of AzjolNerub that stretched like a great web beneath the desolate glaciers of Northrend. However, the Lich King crushed their dark empire and sent them skittering into the arctic wastelands. Though there are few pockets of Nerubian warriors left, they still seek to gain vengeance upon Ner’zhul and reclaim their subterranean kingdom.

Ogres are one of the few races that are not indigenous to Azeroth. They were actually brought from the world of Draenor during the First War a generation ago. Ogres are not the stupid, lumbering twoheaded beasts they once seemed to be. In fact, many of the ogre lords have rallied the remnants of their people that were scattered when the horde fell. Though their plans are unknown, there is no doubt that these powerful, deceptively intelligent warriors will gather their forces once more.

Revenants are hateful undead creatures who outside the domain of Ner’zhul’s control. Bonded to base elemental spirits, these phantom creatures live only to rage and use their powers for destruction.

Forest trolls are one of the most ancient indigenous races of Lordaeron whose civilization actually predates that of the high elves by several thousand years. They are vile creatures for the most part, practicing voodoo, ritual sacrifices, and in some cases - though never documented, cannibalism. Though forest trolls are never friendly, they have a particular hatred for the high elves, whom they consider the despoilers of their ancient homelands. However, their hatred does end with the elves, they hold all the races in contempt and will only work with others if it means the possible elimination of a more hated enemy. The forest trolls worked briefly with the orcish horde during the Second War, but quickly abandoned their orcish allies after the horde’s defeat.

Like their evil forest troll cousins, ice trolls revel in carnage and wickedness. Driven into the desolate wastes of Northrend in ancient times, the ice trolls carved out a meager society for themselves amongst the cold stone and lifeless plains. Cannibalistic by nature, ice trolls are renowned for their love of eating their recently slain enemies raw. Their social structure is very similar to that of their forest dwelling cousins.

The indigenous wendigo of Northrend are exceedingly voracious creatures. Solitary by nature, wendigo rarely live amongst others of their kind. Cannibalistic and savage, these hulking, fur-covered humanoids are highly territorial and do not take kindly to intruders stumbling into their hunting grounds. 

 

Though most contemporary human and high elven mages bow to the sovereignty of Dalaran and the Kirin Tor, there are a great many who choose to delve into the secrets of magic by themselves. Considered to be non-sanctioned renegades by the Kirin Tor, these rogue mages strive to expand their knowledge of magic and spellcraft beyond the constraints of what most other wizards believe to be safe or morally acceptable.

Wolves are indigenous to many parts of Azeroth. They live on every known continent and have a wide variety of sub-species and social habits. Though most wolves are hostile towards humans and demi-humans who encroach upon their territories, there are a few unique wolf packs who have befriended demi-human counterparts (like the orcs, for example).

These wretched tree-creatures were once proud, immortal defenders of Ashenvale forest. Yet, when the Burning Legion invaded the world in ages past, its demonic energies corrupted many of the ancient tree-men and drove them into shadow. Now these tortured creatures live only to spread their corruption and hatred of all living things.

Though the black Dragonflight was nearly annihilated in ages past, a few of the evil creatures have made their homes in the dry, desolate wastes of the Barrens. With their lord, Deathwing, either missing or dead, the black dragons seek to appease only themselves. The creatures are immensely powerful and cruel and revel in mortal suffering. The black dragons are the enemies of every other Dragonflight, especially the great red dragons of Lordaeron.

The enchanted, ethereal green dragons live only to serve the forces of nature and uphold the balance between mortal creatures and the ever-evolving world. The green Dragonflight, ruled by the dreaming goddess, Ysera, holds a special love for the night elves and their druids. Though most green dragons live within the mystical dimension known as the Emerald Dream, a few of the graceful creatures still roam the shadowy paths of Ashenvale forest.

Legend holds that the primitive, barbaric centaurs are actually the bastard off-spring of the night elf demigod, Cenarius. Whether or not this is true, it is certain that they are savagery and brutality incarnate. These horse-men ceaselessly terrorize the Barrens of Kalimdor and maraud the villages and cities of the lands indigenous peoples. The tauren claim that the centaur have always existed to scourge the land.

Furbolgs are hulking, simple-minded bear-men who live within the savage corners of Ashenvale forest. Though they have no special love for war or murder, their tribes have become increasingly hostile as of late. The night elves, concerned by the once peaceful race’s condition, have attempted to help the furbolgs settle their tensions. But the mighty bear-men retreat ever-further into their territories and fall deeper into the rage that is overtaking their race.

These vile, unscrupulous winged women live only to cause mischief and sorrow. Hailing from the windy Stonetalon Mountains, the harpies are masterful at ambushing hapless caravans and foolish travelers alike.

These subterranean beasts share a common ancestry with the mighty kodo beasts. However, they have adapted to life beneath the earth by evolving a number of natural defenses and abilities.

The giant, slow-moving kodo beasts of the Barrens are one of the most intriguing species of Kalimdor. Though gentle and ponderous by nature, these mighty beasts become fierce enemies when threatened or attacked. Many kodos hold a special bond with the benevolent tauren race. It is said that some rare kodos are bound to the spirits of the sky and storm. Thus, the tauren have legends about those they call Lightning Lizards, Thunder Lizards and Storm Walkers. Whether or not these behemoths actually have supernatural powers remains to be seen.

Though Murlocs abound along the rugged coastal regions of Kalimdor, there is a mutant strain of the race that has emerged in recent months. Though it is unclear what has caused the creature’s strange mutations, many agree that something dark and sinister is awakening deep beneath the raging Maelstrom. The mutant Murlocs have been so corrupted that they have been known to turn on their own brethren under duress.

These lumbering, misshapen creatures are beloved by the night elf druids and treants alike. They are benevolent by nature, but fearsome when roused or angered. Though they stay away from populated areas, they are often found in the serene glades of Mount Hyjal.

Quillboars are a race of primitive boar-men that have razor sharp spines protruding from their muscular, hunched backs. These resilient, fearless creatures inhabit the central Barrens of Kalimdor in the labyrinthine maze of thorns called Razorfen Downs.

These strange creatures share an elemental heritage, but have been corrupted by the powers of chaos. Now they exist as tortured masses of semi-sentient goo. No one knows what their motivations are or if there is any specific ecology behind their existence.

Though many scholars believe that all spiders trace their roots back to the ancient kingdom of Azjol-Nerub, the giant spiders of Kalimdor have made a claim to the shadowy corners of Ashenvale Forest. Though not necessarily evil, wild spiders can become fearsome opponents if they feel their nests have been defiled.

Satyrs were once night elves who practiced the magical arts in the days before the War of the Ancients. These magically corrupted night elves, having given themselves over to the will of the Legion, became terribly cursed. Though they retained a portion of their magical power, their bodies were warped and twisted into those of beasts. Now the satyrs exist only to harry their hated night elf cousins and obey the will of the Legion – which they believe will one day return.

These avian creatures are found throughout the Barrens – seeking carnage upon which to feed. The mottled scavengers have been known to aid the vile harpies from time to time – drawn by the promise of freshly slain flesh and blood.