Breakfast Topic: Getting to know your neighbors

World of Warcraft is loaded with characters outside of human control, be they bosses or barmaids, with varying amounts of backstory. While it's easy to give character motivations, wants, and desires to a raid boss, doing so for every vendor or quest giver in the game would be an impossible task. I can't really fault Blizzard for failing to make sure that every NPC with an exclamation mark over their head tells you about their pet cat or what they were planning on having for dinner. Some characters exist to get you to kill 10 spiders and only for that purpose, and I'm okay with that.
All that being said, some NPCs are tantalizingly incomplete in a way that gets under your skin. They don't say much, they might not even offer you quests, but they're there and they're compelling because there's just enough information about them to get your attention, but not enough to round out their stories.
Myra Tyrngaarde, I'm looking at you.
Lucky for us, though, WoW isn't a static medium, and every patch brings the opportunity for us to cross our fingers and hope for a little character development. What background NPC do you wish had a more compelling story attached to them?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
K2 Jun 24th 2011 8:04AM
We know not what horrors the bread lady is capable of.
babywhiz Jun 24th 2011 8:43AM
It appears someone did kill her... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnL6SudYga8
chaosdefined Jun 24th 2011 8:10AM
When I first levelled in Vanilla as Alliance, I arrived in Redridge Mountains and was asked by Darcy the Waitress to take lunch over to Guard Parker who was alone by some rocks outside of town.
Revisiting the old world, I couldn't help smiling when I discovered Darcy was now married to the promoted Watch Captain Parker and they have a daughter.
Made me feel like this was a real world evolving, and I really wanted to know more about Parker's life.
Josho Jun 24th 2011 8:17AM
Cro Threadstrong NEEDS to make a reappearance. I can't begin to tell how many apples I've squashed into oblivion.
HAH! I CRUSHED AN APPLE, FRUIT VENDOR! THIS WILL NOT BE THE LAST!
fallenphoenix Jun 24th 2011 9:43AM
For Cro Threadstrong!
My tankadin keeps a healthy supply of these apples handy and crushes one whenever I'm about to engage a boss :)
Jormund Fenris Jun 24th 2011 9:43AM
But... if Cro is a vendor... and he has apples for sale... then... Cro... is a...
Gordal Jun 24th 2011 10:03AM
Jormund: He took them off the cart the clueless fruit vendor parked in front of his stall.
poggg Jun 24th 2011 10:24AM
So in other words, he's selling them ironically.
...
He's a hipster! That's even worse!
ejunk Jun 24th 2011 8:20AM
great screen cap. one of my favorite BC characters. Definitely the highlight of Shatt.
zac Jun 24th 2011 8:31AM
Chaos is correct
MattKrotzer Jun 24th 2011 8:32AM
Man, Jack Thompson, you sure are a big douchebag... wait, it's not THAT Jack Thompson, it's THE Jack Thompson?
Oh. Oops.
;)
I've often RP chatted with the Wellers, Gunther and Marda, in the trade district in Stormwind. Its a great way to immerse other people in the world while they're in there vendoring greys.
I'd really like to know more about Elly Langston, the barmaid of the Pig and Whistle in Old Town. I've tied her into some quests using TotalRP2, as a childhood friend of my character who had a falling out. The questline explores why they had a falling out.
Gracandrea Jun 24th 2011 8:32AM
The girl in Stormwind that was having a love potion made. Always wondered WHAT happened there.
And Dornaa. What's happening to Dornaa?
Chan Jun 24th 2011 10:27AM
Dornaa, for sure. I wish I could go to the Exodar and check up on her watch her shaman lessons or whatever.
Pika Jun 24th 2011 8:41AM
I'm still waiting to see the next appearance of that BE and Draenei duo (Asric and Jadaar?).
etherlithium Jun 24th 2011 9:09AM
This, a thousand times this! Asric and Jadaar need to turn up in Cataclysm. Please let them be in the Firelands hub...
Revnah Jun 24th 2011 8:45AM
I've always wondered what the heck Donna and William's parents are doing - they're forever running around Stormwind, first William had stolen Donna's doll and now she's got his gorilla... -honestly, shouldn't the parents intervene already and teach them about mine versus yours and sharing and caring and all that? ;-)
exogenesis. Jun 24th 2011 8:51AM
I'm still desperate to know what will happen to Salandria in her future.
Nina Katarina Jun 24th 2011 8:51AM
Gamon. What did he get up to that made him so powerful?
Katsuya Kaiba Jun 24th 2011 11:30AM
http://youtu.be/Y_0tknj3CBc
WoWcrendor tells the tale!
Demeternoth Jun 24th 2011 8:55AM
Chester Copperpot. If only because it might mean we can whoosh down tunnels and find One Eyed Willy and scream 'Hey You Guys!'. What a cool quest chain that would be.