Heya.
As some of you may already know, I like Ethereals... wait, I LOVE Ethereals. Independently of this, I think they are a great race to become playable at some point in the game... soon™.
We know little about Ethereals, but we knew even less from Pandaren when they first announced that they'd be playable, so this is no hinderance.
Why are they a good addition? Well, their lore, while short, is intense and dramatic, and what's more: their storyline is now ultimately open after the death of Dimensius in Netherstorm, being now free to choose their fate.
http://wowpedia.org/Ethereal
http://wowpedia.org/Dimensius_the_All-Devouring
Horde or Alliance? I'd rather say neutral. There are Ethereals both sides, most widely known as transmogrifier, reforger and the void storage guy.
That said, if their design were in your hand, how would you introduce them?
Intro: K'aresh
As an "Ethereal" (you're not an Ethereal as is at this point), you'd begin at level 1 in K'aresh, planet of the Ethereals in a past time prior the arrival of Dimensius. You'd explore the surroundings and see the landscapes, as well as meeting some of the leaders (Nexus-King Salhadaar and the Princes) and learning a bit more of their history. All unknown until now.
Illustration by Blink@Deviantart. Could K'aresh be something like this?
Intermezzo: Dimensius and the Twisting Nether
Upon reaching a certain level, you'd be witness of the siege of Dimensius and participate on the defense of the planet, see how Dimensius rips the flesh of your race and manage to survive on the Twisting nether thanks to their advanced technology, wrapping your volatile anima in powerful binding bandages and thus creating the Ethereal race as we know now. Afterwards, comes the exodus to the Outlands (Draenor, HINT!) and the settlement on Stormspire, Netherstorm.
Illustration by Dan Scott.
Prelude of the End: Netherstorm and the death of Dimensius
As a now proper Ethereal, you'd now be witness of the fall of the Ethereum and the fall of Dimensius the All-Devouring in Manaforge Ultris in Netherstorm, avenging your race and closing the past wounds of the Ethereals.
Panoramic view of Netherstorm and the Eco-domes.
Final act: Future of the Ethereals
This is now all speculation. How they could join either the Horde or Alliance remains a mystery. What we know is that Ethereals are somewhat freemen, mercenaries often under the banner of a Nexus-Prince. What would come now is to know both leaders somehow, work for both and see which one fits your character most, to ultimately reinforce and prepare the Horde or the Alliance against the upcoming attack of the Burning Legion or any other evil that dares stand between you and your interests. Furthermore, they could create an important technological triumvirate with Gnomish, Goblin and Ethereal tech.
Said all this, this is how I think that they should be introduced (in the hypothetical case that they would actually be). I think it's important to get to know the history of a race firsthand and there's nothing better to do so than living it by ourselves, thing we could do since we do not know if Ethereals do actually age.
With this, I'd like you to comment or opine and/or add your own version of the story. I hope you like it.
Edit: more arguments for playable Ethereals.
- They've got a cool story.
- They are NOT furry, we already have many animal-like races (Tauren, Pandaren, Worgen), so getting Arakkoa (although they're feathery, not furry, lol) would be a bit too much.
- Like Forsaken, Ethereals could show pieces of bandages or some energy through.
- They are superb engineers and could form a good trio along with gnomes and goblins (Gnomish engineering (alliance), Goblin engineering (Horde), Ethereal engineering (neutral).
- They can be a wide variety of classes as all the other races.
- Their sprint animation would be quite interesting, leaving copies behind!
- They could teach Alliance & Horde how to travel through the Twisting Nether (even if Draenei already know), allowing them to eventually hop onto future Argus or whatever planet they encounter.
- There are already non-Consortium neutral Ethereals both in Stormwind, Orgrimmar offering their services.
Edit: racials!
Originally Posted by ZerorOriginally Posted by Azalar