Vrykul

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Vrykul art from the official site

The vrykul (pronounced vrai-koul) are a race of Norse-themed half-giant warriors native to the Howling Fjord located in southeastern Northrend. It is said that in ancient times the vrykul inhabited the land, founding a vast and prosperous civilization. Then one day, without warning or explanation, the vrykul vanished, leaving behind only deserted villages and abandoned temples. Due to the encroachment of the Alliance settlement of Valgarde on their lands, the vrykul have recently returned.

Led by King Ymiron, these formidable warriors have begun attacking Horde and Alliance settlements from the fortress of Utgarde Keep, not far from Valgarde. The vrykul's motives and their whereabouts for the past several thousand years remain a mystery, though they have recently become allied with the Lich King.

The vrykul are dark and vampiric in nature, and are served by worgs and a similarly mysterious race of proto-dragons. They practice a runic magic that even the most experienced wizards find unfamiliar. For some reason they frown on manual labor, thinking it lowly.

The vrykul will apparently tie into the Titan creation myth that will unfold as events of the expansion take place, and in a recent interview with lead game designer Jeffrey Kaplan it was revealed that the vrykul are almost like the progenitors of the human race. They were part of the Titan's early plans for creating the original race that ultimately became humans, but they have turned slightly evil. Perhaps much like the stony troggs that evolved from the earthen.

The quest Anguish of Nifflevar states that vrykul children born in a certain time after their gods "abandoned" them were "weak and ugly". King Ymiron ordered all those children to be killed, but events observed in the preceding quest The Echo of Ymiron hint that not all parents obeyed this order and instead hid their children, to grow up far away from Northrend.

A dialogue uncovered by Brann Bronzebeard in Ulduar lists the Vrykul (along with the Earthen and Giants) as "seed races", suggesting that they are direct creations of the Titans, as opposed to having evolved from some other race over time.

Appearance

Vrykul appear as very large and muscular humans, usually with beards.

Types

There appears to be a few different types of vrykul. The only known types are:

Iron Vrykul - Iron Vrykul, as the name suggests, have runes engraved into their skin, and have stone-like skin. Sjonnir The Ironshaper appears to be this type of Vrykul.

Frost vrykul - Frost Vrykul are undead vrykul with blue skin. They are also covered in ice.

Sea Vrykul - Sea Vrykul are a fleshy variation, covered in green scales and barnacles, with a pirate-like appearance. The Skadir clan seems to be composed of them.

Vargul - Vargul are vrykul brought to undeath that weren't found worthy by the Lich King. They are the losers of the challenge to 'ascend' at Jotunheim. The winners are the Ymirjar.

Clans

• Dragonflayer Clan
• Skadir Clan
• Winterskorn Clan
• Kvaldir Clan

Inspiration

The vrykul seem to be inspired by the Einherjar (ine-her-yar, "lone ravagers/army of one") of Norse mythology who were the spirits of warriors who died glorious deaths in battle and were resurrected to serve the gods at the time of Ragnarök. Unlike the Einherjar however, the vrykul serve an evil purpose.

The name vrykul comes from the Greek equivalent of the vampire, the vrykolakas (from the Slavic vǎrkolak).

In addition, the vrykul may have ties to the Warhammer universe's Norscans, a nomadic and violent race of humans enthralled to the Chaos gods. The Warcraft series is believed to be originally inspired, in part, by the Warhammer games.

Speculation

This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

It can be speculated that the birthing of humans was a severe side-effect of the Curse of Flesh on the vrykul.

Excluding undead vrykul, all sub species of vrykul use the same generic model, with varying skins.

Gallery

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  Male vrykul concept art

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  Female vrykul concept art

• Vrykul Warrior.JPG

  Older model

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  Vrykul fighting a Dwarf Warrior in Utgarde Keep