Changes: The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Watchers

Revision as of 00:47, 19 August 2011

This article is a copy of "The Warcraft Encyclopedia," an official article by Blizzard Entertainment. It presented information about a variety of things in the Warcraft universe. The original article, formerly located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/index.xml, did not survive the overhaul of the World of Warcraft Official Website.

There are no hard and fast rules to define what it means to be a god in Warcraft, save that all gods are immortal. Gods can be fundamentally incorporeal, like Elune, or they may have physical bodies.

Gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Take for example the case of the Soulflayer. Many of the trolls in the Gurubashi empire rose up against his bloody rule. They succeeded in destroying his avatar and banishing him from the world of Azeroth. Also, the benevolent titans, though not gods themselves, cast a magical slumber upon the Old Gods and imprisoned them far below the surface of the world.

It is possible for a god to exert influence over several locations simultaneously. Yet the power of a god is limited. Otherwise, of course, the Old Gods could not have been imprisoned. Nonetheless, an imprisoned, sleeping, or otherwise enfeebled god may still have an effect--conscious or not--on the god's surroundings. The development of the qiraji is said to be the result of just such an incidental influence.

Can one ever truly destroy a god, putting a lasting end to its existence? Unfortunately that question has departed the realm of philosophy and become a matter of vital concern. Not long ago, the priests of Hakkar the Soulflayer succeeded in summoning their hungry god physically into Azeroth. Worse, C'Thun has awakened, freed itself, and reemerged from the planet's depths. Many valiant heroes are banding together in the hope of defeating these two evil gods.

Articles

Elune

References

The information could still retrieved from http://www.wow-europe.com/en/info/encyclopedia/index.xml.

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+There are no hard and fast rules to define what it means to be a god in Warcraft, save that all gods are [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Immortals|immortal]]. Gods can be fundamentally incorporeal, like [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Elune|Elune]], or they may have physical bodies.
-Status: Obsolete
+Gods are neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Take for example the case of the Soulflayer. Many of the trolls in the Gurubashi empire rose up against his bloody rule. They succeeded in destroying his avatar and banishing him from the world of [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Azeroth|Azeroth]]. Also, the benevolent titans, though not gods themselves, cast a magical slumber upon the Old Gods and imprisoned them far below the surface of the world.
-Last known leader: Warden [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Maiev Shadowsong|Maiev Shadowsong]]
+It is possible for a god to exert influence over several locations simultaneously. Yet the power of a god is limited. Otherwise, of course, the Old Gods could not have been imprisoned. Nonetheless, an imprisoned, sleeping, or otherwise enfeebled god may still have an effect--conscious or not--on the god's surroundings. The development of the qiraji is said to be the result of just such an incidental influence.
-The Watchers were the jailors and marshals of [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Night Elves|night elf]] society until shortly after the Third War.
+Can one ever truly destroy a god, putting a lasting end to its existence? Unfortunately that question has departed the realm of philosophy and become a matter of vital concern. Not long ago, the priests of Hakkar the Soulflayer succeeded in summoning their hungry god physically into Azeroth. Worse, C'Thun has awakened, freed itself, and reemerged from the planet's depths. Many valiant heroes are banding together in the hope of defeating these two evil gods.
-==Membership==
-At first, volunteers from the [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Sisterhood of Elune|Sisterhood of Elune]] made up the Watchers, and so the organization was composed solely of night elf women. As their duties were broadened, the Watchers accepted night elf women from other professions. A mixture of volunteerism and military promotions caused the organization's size to grow somewhat, although the Watchers remained a relatively small group. [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Illidan Stormrage|Illidan Stormrage]] killed almost all of the Watchers after the Third War, at which point the group ceased to exist.
+==Articles==
-==History and Organization==
+[[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Elune|Elune]]
-Shortly after the Great Sundering, [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Malfurion Stormrage|Malfurion Stormrage]] sentenced his brother Illidan to imprisonment for having created a second Well of Eternity. In inflicting this punishment, Malfurion hoped to prevent Illidan from continuing his reckless pursuit of arcane power. By this point in time, however, Illidan was already an extraordinarily powerful sorcerer, and Malfurion dared not leave his captive twin to be guarded by only one or two jailors.
-One of the senior Sisters of [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Elune|Elune]], Maiev Shadowsong, had already shown her competence in guarding Illidan before he was brought to trial. Malfurion accordingly asked Maiev to gather additional volunteers from the Sisters of Elune. Maiev obeyed, and Malfurion called this new group the Watchers, for he charged them with ensuring that Illidan never escaped the barrow prison. Maiev, as the Watchers' leader, would answer to the head of night elf government, High Priestess [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Tyrande Whisperwind|Tyrande Whisperwind]].
-The Watchers were created specifically and exclusively to be Illidan's jailors, but as further threats came up, Tyrande broadened the Watchers' role to include guarding other prisoners. Maiev took grim pleasure in these added responsibilities. Watchers became jailors and marshals: they policed the barrow prisons and hunted down dangerous criminals.
-Outside of the barrow prisons, members of the Watchers worked alone. These deadly women were not a militia, nor were they considered part of either the Sisterhood of Elune or the [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Sentinels|Sentinels]]. As the group's leader, Maiev was given the rank of warden, which she later awarded to a select few who had proven their exceptional fighting abilities, tracking skills, and tenacity.
-During the Third War, Tyrande realized that Illidan had been incarcerated for over ten thousand years. She felt that he had more than paid his debt to society; furthermore, she felt that he would be a valuable ally against the [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Burning Legion|Burning Legion]]. Thus, she led a band of soldiers into Illidan's prison. When Illidan's guards would not surrender their charge, Tyrande and the Sentinels fought and killed a number of Watchers. Once freed, Illidan stole and consumed the Skull of Gul'dan, and he was transformed into a [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Demons|demon]].
-Infuriated by Tyrande's actions, Maiev swore she would track Illidan down and put him back in prison. In light of the demon's undeniable might, Maiev took most of the Watchers with her on the hunt. They pursued Illidan across the sea to Lordaeron and thence to the Broken Isles. When he entered the Tomb of Sargeras, Maiev grew worried that he would retrieve a magical artifact and become significantly more difficult to recapture.
-She and the other Watchers caught up with Illidan too late: he had already claimed the Eye of Sargeras. He used the Eye's power on the tomb's stone walls, trapping the Watchers in one section of the tomb while seawater flooded the area. Only Maiev was able to escape; her sisters in arms drowned. In one fell stroke, Illidan had all but wiped out the Watchers.
-Maiev swore that she would have revenge, no matter the cost. She abandoned her duties and continued to hunt Illidan until she at last followed him to Outland. Her lengthy absence from [[The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Azeroth|Azeroth]], together with Illidan's continued freedom, has led the night elves to presume her dead.
 == References ==