Ask a Faction Leader: Prophet Velen
by Michael Sacco 
Oct 20th 2009 at 1:00PM
WoW.com's prestige in the community has afforded us the opportunity to speak to major Azerothian leadership figures on any subject, and we're letting you, the reader, Ask A Faction Leader!
We recently spoke to Garrosh Hellscream, leader of the Horde's Warsong Offensive, and he shed light on several key issues, including moral dilemmas, basic campfires, faction changes, draenei donk, and the merits of getting eaten by sharks. In this installment of Ask A Faction Leader, we'll be sitting with venerable draenei leader Prophet Velen.
Dear Velen,
Being a prophet, you are probably aware of forthcoming cataclysm. With Thunder Bluff built on 4 mesas, I am worried about safety of the city and its citizens. Since you guys possess some kind of expertise in crashing things (specifically capital cities) I was wondering if you could lend some advice for case it gets struck down.
Best Regards,
Baine Bloodhoof
Velen replies:
Ah, it's good to see Horde leaders initiating a rapport. While I'm certainly not an architect or artificer -- trades better left to younger and stronger draenei -- I have been around for quite a while, so I can give some advice regarding the construction of your city.
Crystals. Tons of crystals. Ask the blood elves to give you some, I'm sure they have huge underground silos just filled to the brim with the damn things. Add them everywhere. On doors, on your roofs, on pillars, hell, even just lying around on the ground.
Want your city to float? Crystals. Want your city to repel attacks? Crystals. Want your city to irradiate local wildlife? Crystals.
Crystals are pretty much the key to doing things. Every things. All of them. One of those things may indeed be "preventing a poorly-built city made of sticks and mud from falling into Deepholm."
Dear Prophet Velen.
I wanted to ask. Are you sure it was a good idea to restore the Sunwell? I mean, the High Elves fed off of the arcane magic, and started to die when Arthas destroyed it. What about now? Aren't you afraid that they will become addicted to the Holy Light? These are the beings that drained poor M'uru of his life, and turned him into Entropius, and that it was Blood Elves that sabotaged the Exodar.
Sincerely,
Rularuu - Blood Elf Warlock.
Velen replies:
Worry not for M'uru, as his fate is the fate of all naaru -- the waxing and waning of void and light. And, in case you aren't familiar with the situation, it was indeed his decision to be captured, to try to put the blood elves back on the right track.
As for helping the blood elves themselves, well, I think that the blood elves we encountered on Draenor weren't aware of what their leadership was really up to. They were just following orders. Which explains why a grand total of one blood elf has even bothered to apologize or say thanks after we restored the Sunwell. And why we still haven't gotten our other four ships back. And why someone in Shattrath following Scryer orders tries to poison our food every day.
Man. Why did we help them?
Dear Velen,
Do you know you always have something floating on your forehead? What is that?!? Have you seen a priest or a shaman about it? You should really get that checked out.
Sotharian
Velen replies:
Oh, I'm definitely concerned about it, but it'll go untreated, as I don't have health insurance. I know, I know, you're probably surprised. Certainly Azeroth must take care of its elders and keep them healthy! But no. Big Mana and its lobbyist paladins have had the healthcare industry under their thumbs since the First War. Until King Wrynn brings about healthcare reform, that is. At least Grand Crusader Snowe looks like she might cross faction lines to make sure the scroll gets passed.
To Prophet Velen,
I have a lot of questions, but I'll ask just one.
A while ago, some draenei were barred from joining the Alliance at Valiance Keep. While this turned out to be a ploy by the Scourge, it made me think: how much are you included in the decisions of the Alliance? King Varian Wrynn is a good man, but it seems that he simply reappeared and took over. Now the forces of Stormwind are one thing, but I see representatives of every race battling the Scourge -- save for the draenei. Were the draenei really barred from service in the Alliance military? Have you forbade your people from formal service? Did you just miss the boat?
Thank you for your time, Prophet.
- Bryce
Velen replies:
Ah, yes. I have heard these questions many times from other races, and I must say that I don't know where this worry is coming from! We draenei are quite involved with Alliance decision-making, and we certainly aren't barred from service. You can see us serving in every corner of the planet! Serving in mess halls, serving court papers, serving wealthy nobles, serving wack dance crews. You just have to know where to look!
Mr. Velen,
There have been rumors of existence of life in other planets for a long time. I mean, here in Azeroth we knew only of the orcs. As space-flying draeneis, have you ran into some other races on the universe, say zerg, terrans, protoss or any crew from the Enterprise?
Velen replies:
I'm unfamiliar with the races you mentioned, but we have run into races from other planets in our travels. People who honestly enjoy reality television, for example, or people who wear socks with sandals.
Prophet Velen,
As a Prophet, do you see any new threats to Azeroth?
Rylyn,
Druid.
Velen replies:
My work of late has been mostly non-prophet, but on your request I've done some meditation and compiled a list of threats that appeared to me.
- Goblin rogues
- Worgen druids
- Christian Belt
- Alliance mail Tier 9
- Two separate Barrens Chats
- This one was fairly vague; all I could get was "LF4M RFD MUST HAVE 4+ HEIRLOOMS WILL CHECK ARMORY"
- The Argent Tournament
- Loremaster mods
- A basic campfire
- Cairne Bloodhoof -- wait, hang on, never mind that one, it's taken care of
- That neighbor kid with the loud hippity-hop music
- Can't really understand this one either. Goo Squid? Gun Squad? Gum Squat?
- Armor penetration -- oop, taken care of too
Mr. Velen,
As part of my paladin training I have to to a report on someone Important who follows the light. In trying to do research on you I cannot seem to be able to find you or the draenei's origins. The hoofs suggest that your ancestors were land dwellers, perhaps bovine in nature. However, the octopus attached to your face suggests something from an aquatic origin. Are the draenei the product of an experiment gone horribly wrong or the outcome of a forbidden love? Please advise, this is 25% of my final grade.
Thanks,
Eronar of Kael'Thas
Soldier of the Blood Knights
Velen replies:
It's heartening to see a member of the Horde so interested in the natural history of my people. I'm happy to help! Our origin is clearly explained in our race's great holy text, "Faraad Al Viraan Tonos Alavaad," or "Why we have hooves and what the heck is with these tentacles anyway." Book IV, Verse 9, Part XIII explains our creation:
"The creators were painted into a corner. They needed an Alliance race that fit for Outland. The issue was that the only canon sentient race from Outland (WC3 draenei) were way too ugly to be playable, but the only other canon race that would fit the Alliance at all (pandaren) was a joke race that had no right to be playable or even present in-game, so the artists took the eredar and tinted them blue and made them really noble-looking (male) or sexy (female), and the writers reversed an (in the scheme of things) innocuous bit of pre-WC2 lore, thus creating an Alliance race that would simultaneously make sense for an Outland expansion, provide the Alliance with a 'big' race to counter the Horde's monopoly on them, and give male Alliance players the chance to play a male character that didn't have a beard, terrifying hydrocephalic head, or hare lip."
We're not really sure what it means. But there you go!
dEAr ProPhET vElEn,
i HAVe pICtureS oF You anD thE EREdaR tWInS.
SEnD mE 100000g iN cASh, oR i shOw thE aLDor whAt yOU ReAllY MeaN by "COMMunIOn wItH tHE HoLY lIGhT."
DetaILs To FoLLow.
Velen replies:
Yeah, I gotta, uh. I gotta go.
That's all for our audience with Prophet Velen! Next week, we'll be speaking with Cairne Bloodhoof, High Chieftain of the tauren! If you have questions for Cairne, whether you need advice or have questions about totems or nursing homes or anything in between, send them via email to sacco@wow.com with the subject line "AAFL".
Filed under: The Burning Crusade, Lore, Interviews, Cataclysm, Ask a Faction Leader
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
snowleopard233 Oct 20th 2009 1:10PM
Yes!!!!!!! Draenei power!!!!!
Okay, my apologies. I was just extremely pumped to hit reload and see my favorite faction leader staring back at me, ready for his interview. Now with eager anticipation, I will actually read the article lol.
snowleopard233 Oct 20th 2009 1:20PM
Lol that was pretty awesome. I loved the crystals bit at the beginning as well as the fact that only one blood elf has thanked them for restoring their source of magical life.
The funny thing about the Draenei is they always seem to be happy and proud with whatever they're doing. They could be in a mess hall or latrine cleaning for the alliance and still wave jovially back at their allies as they marched off to war, only starting to suspect the worst about the allies they love so much. They just have such a positive view on people that it can sometimes lead to them being taken advantage of in my opinion.
Cairne's next week? Draenei and Tauren racial leaders back to back? Sacco, you spoil us all.
jorath Oct 20th 2009 1:13PM
Amazingly unfunny...
Boz Oct 20th 2009 2:34PM
I, too, was disappointed because Velen has so much potential to be funny in a Yoda or Drunken-Master kind of way. Maybe it's just easier to take potshots at Garrosh since he's such a two-dimensional character (Argh! I'm angry! Horde rules! Go Orcs!), but I felt this one just tried too hard, and - for me - fell flat.
Keep at it though, I really enjoyed the Garrosh entry.
samd.tyler Oct 20th 2009 1:14PM
Win
Highstrung Oct 20th 2009 1:16PM
"Serving wack dancing crews"
Win of epic proportions imo.
Ulupoka Oct 20th 2009 1:32PM
by far my favorite quote as well.
Spiraea Oct 20th 2009 1:16PM
Funny read IMO
schadenfreudster Oct 20th 2009 2:43PM
Grand Crusader Snowe is made of win....
Jack Oct 20th 2009 1:19PM
#2: Christian Belt lolz. thats awesome!
Nina Katarina Oct 27th 2009 1:05PM
Two separate Barrens Chats is even scarier.
macster Oct 20th 2009 1:57PM
Or, as his evil alter-ego is known, "Archmage Pants"...
alpha5099 Oct 20th 2009 1:23PM
What's this about Draenei and Valiance Keep? I must've just plowed through the quest text without reading it (do that too much, honestly). What happened?
Outis Oct 20th 2009 1:32PM
I want to know that too... plz =D
jealouspirate Oct 20th 2009 2:02PM
It's an incredibly thin plot excuse for not having the Draenei in Northrend, which apparently Blizzard didn't want.
Basically, the Draenei offer their military service to the Alliance, which is rejected on the grounds that average Alliance soldier doesn't trust such "foreign" people, and wont fight beside them.
Just ignore the fact that they're willing to fight alongside Night Elves, and in some cases even the Horde (ie Wrathgate), but Draenei are just too weird to trust.
Anyway, upon investigation you find out it's really a Cult of the Damned infiltrator that has manipulated things to keep the Draenei, a formidable foe, out of the fight.
But even after you uncover this plot, nothing happens. It just stays the same way.
Vladeon Oct 20th 2009 2:13PM
Make a DK or something and do the beginning quests in outland (after hours and hours of grinding to get to lvl 68 that is) and you'll find that the draenei are there, eagerly awaiting their chance to battle the scourge, but the racist guy in charge won't have anything to do with them and has them doing menial tasks around valiance keep. Suffice it to say, the leader of the draenei asks you to do some recon for him. starts with this quest http://www.wowhead.com/?quest=11792
snowleopard233 Oct 20th 2009 2:35PM
There are still plenty of Draenei in the Argent Crusade, a shaman and healer in Howling Fjord, and there’s Vindicator Maraad(if I have his name right) on top of the skybreaker) so it’s not like they’re entirely absent in Northrend. They’re government just isn’t playing a very large role, which is fine as far as I’m concerned. TBC was all about the Draenei and arguably had a lot of involvement from the Night Elves as well. Northrend, by comparison is very much about the titans and their creations as well as the repercussions behind humanity’s greatest son turning to evil. Dwarves, humans, and gnomes had little lore in TBC, so it’s nice to see them get some attention in this expansion.
Now, if there’s no Draenei involvement in Cataclysm, I’d really start to get worried about Blizz’s concern for their story. It’s after all, an expansion that concerns all mortal races of Azeroth, and the Dranei, for better or for worse, do live on the planet. It would be a shame to have Blizz throw them to the wayside and leave their interesting story stagnant.
Angus Oct 20th 2009 6:05PM
oh hey, an Alliance military leader that is a racist?
Oh that never happens. Not like they tried to kill off the leader of the High (Blood) Elves in a suicide mission and then accused him of being a traitor because the naga had to step in and save them.
The humans don't need excuses to be like this, they do it all the time and are taking cues from their leadership.
While I like that the humans are flawed and so much closer to real. Having them be so far from actually noble as a race due to their misguided leadership sucks. It's the biggest reason why the Horde hates Garrosh. He's worse than a campfire for that reason.
FarseerLolotea Oct 21st 2009 1:50AM
@jealouspirate: Take a look at the (*shudder*) official forums on occasion, or at TVTropes. People started nerdraging about draenei when TBC was in development, and some of them haven't stopped. I half suspect that the detractors were so vocal that Blizzard has concluded that draenei are universally hated.
@snowleopard233: I'm not holding my breath for draenei playing any sort of a role in Cataclysm.
snowleopard233 Oct 21st 2009 9:51AM
Farseer, I wouldn't use the forums as a measuring stick for race popularity. If such were the case, there would be only be five blood elves total on the horde, no one would roll Death Knights, and Draenei would be nonexistent. The people posting on the forums are often those who are upset about something and therefore feel the need to be very vocal. You’re not going to see people starting threads just to say how much they love Draenei and how much they’re enjoying the game (although there are plenty of /waggle appreciation threads lol). Honestly, they’re probably too busy playing to do that.
Draenei are, in the very least, a popular race. No one can know the exact numbers except Blizz, but I will say my server’s filled to the brim with them. WoWrealms, although a rough and imperfect survey, shows them outranking half of the races in terms of level 80 populations, and even Blizzard, when asked why they would not be getting a new class, stated they were a popular race and didn’t want their numbers to increase anymore. These observations, to me, weigh more heavily than the handful of lore QQ'ers that are on the forums. Overall, our squid-headed friends are far from being universally hated and if anything, are a well liked option for wow players.