The Genesis of the Worgen

This is a bit of a lengthy read, so bear with me here. I've noticed that there is some confusion amidst people regarding how the Worgen came to be. This thread is a compilation of all the Lore available that explains the Genesis of the Worgen.

I have played through the Worgen Starting Area 3 times over now. I have read through and extensively analyzed the graphic books - World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen and World of Warcraft: Dark Riders. (Also using the same reference points that notorious Lore sites wowwiki and wowpedia have also used)

Through all this, I have spent a full day compiling all the information into one post following the best chronological order I could put it in. I hope that this Post will clarify any confusion regarding the Lore surrounding the Worgen and how they came to be. ANY and ALL input and feedback would be greatly appreciated. Any questions or concerns you have I would be more than happy to clarify. So let us begin...



The legacy of the Worgen began many years before they're curse erupted in Gilneas, we must go back as far as the War of the Satyr. The War of the Satyr was a conflict fought between the Kaldorei (Night Elves) and the formerly Night Elf demons, the Satyrs, years after the War of the Ancients had concluded. Large armies of these Satyrs attacked the Kaldorei with the intent of destroying their civilization.

The Satyrs were helped by remnant forces of the Burning Legion that lingered on Azeroth after their defeat during the War of the Ancients. The Kaldorei were directed by Malfurion Stormrage, Tyrande Whisperwind, and Shandris Feathermoon. The Night Elves Ralaar Fangfire, Belysra Starbreeze and Arvell played key roles during the events that brought the Worgen upon Azeroth.

Ralaar Fangfire fought alongside his friend Arvell, Arvell's lover Belysra Starbreeze, and other night elves against the satyrs in Ashenvale, during the War of the Satyr. Due to heavy loses and their constant retreats, Ralaar argued with Malfurion Stormrage over use of the Pack Form, which he felt would give them the strength to end the War.

The Pack Form is a druid shape shift ability that allows the druid to take the form of a Wolf. This form is known for its power and ferocity that embodied the fury of the wolf ancient Goldrinn. Unfortunately, those who undergo this form tend to lose their minds to the form's feral animalistic instincts.

The Pack Form was first discovered by Malfurion Stormrage. During his time spent consumed by the form's rage he blindly attacked Cenarius. Due to its uncontrollable volatile nature, Malfurion prohibited the use of this form by any druid. Some druids disobeyed Malfurion's edict, separated themselves from their druid brothers, and became known as the Druids of the Pack.

Later during a vengeful attack by the druids and sentinels on Xavian, the heart of Satyr forces in Ashenvale, Ralaar and Arvell successfully assassinated Xalan the Feared, the Satyr's most accomplished General. Upon discovering their deceased leader, the Satyrs hunted down the Night Elves responsible. Ralaar and Arvell were cut off from the others and surrounded by the Satyr forces.

In order to save themselves from utter anihilation, Ralaar and Arvell both assumed the Pack Form and began tearing through the Satyrs with unprecedented rage. Unable to control the fury that burned within them, Ralaar and Arvell turned on the Sentinels and slayed four of them before Malfurion intervened and subdued their rage.

Once they had regained their senses, Arvell was overcome with guilt for the fallen sentinels he was responsible for. However, Ralaar was not so remorseful, claiming that if not for the Pack Form, he and Arvell would have both been slain.

Belysra, who was originally skeptical of the Pack Form was now in full agreement with Ralaar after realizing that her love, Arvell, would be dead without it. Later, Arvell and Belysra were wandering through the forests of Ashenvale when they came upon significant Satyr fortifications dangerously close to the Night Elves settlements.

They were attacked by a scouting party of Satyrs and Felguards soon after, heeding Malfurion's warning, Arvell refused to take on the Pack Form to save himself and was killed during the confrontation. Before Belysra was overcome by the demonic forces, Ralaar appeared in the Pack Form and saved her from impending doom.

Ralaar and Belysra returned to Maflurion with Arvell's corpse and Ralaar blamed Malfurion for Arvell's demise, claiming that had he not condemned the use of Pack Form, that Arvell may still be alive. Belysra, overcome by grief, wanted to find a way to tame the Pack Form and harness it's rage to use as a weapon against the Satyrs. She felt that in doing so, Arvell's death would not be in vain.

After his confrontation with Malfurion, Ralaar set out to find the other Druids of the Pack who had also disobeyed Malfurion's guidance. Ralaar and the Druids of the Pack still sought to temper the uncontrollable rage inherent in the druid Pack Form. He discovered that these Feral Druids of the Pack had worshipped a large Fang that is believed to have come from the Wolf Ancient, Goldrinn.

Ralaar believed that the Fang would help in improving the Pack Forms power. He had rallied these other Druids of the Pack and assumed the role as Alpha of their pack. Ralaar told the other Druids of the Pack that their savagery could be strengthened and controlled. With the aid of Belysra, they affixed Goldrinn's Fang to the top of Belysra's Staff of Elune, thus creating the Scythe of Elune.

Ralaar and his Druids of the Pack willingly submitted to the powers of the newly formed Scythe, thinking it would grant them control over their Pack Forms. Rather than abate the druids’ fury, however, the Scythe of Elune transformed Ralaar and his followers into the first Worgen: bestial humanoid-wolves enslaved by their own primal instincts.

After being transformed from their Wolf-like forms into Worgen and realizing the power they now wielded, the Druids of the Pack assumed the title Druids of the Scythe.

Later; Malfurion, Shandris, and Tyrande led a raid upon the Satyr Fortifications discovered earlier by Arvell and Belysra. At first, the seige was going slowly, and it appeared as if it would take days before a dent was put into the Satyr's forces. This was until, Ralaar and his new Druids of the Scythe converged on the battlefield to turn the tide of the War in the Night Elves favor.

The Druids of the Scythe, or Worgen, tore into the Satyrs with ferocity unparalleled. These Worgen were a force unlike any other, terrifyingly unstoppable. Rather than taking days, the Satyrs and their fortifications were decimated in a single night of bloodshed. The combined forces of the Druids, Priestesses, Sentinels and Worgen were indomitable.

In the aftermath of the Battle, Ralaar, now calling himself Alpha Prime, and his Worgen turned on the Night Elves and began attacking without mercy. Those who were bitten by the Worgen were transformed into Worgen themselves, as the Worgen numbers grew uncontrollably. The Night Elves were forced to fall back, not knowing how to fend off this new threat.

It was discovered during this battle, that all druids who had submitted to the Worgen form, lost their ability to call upon the forces of Elune and Nature. They were independant.

Realizing the dangerous nature of druidism, especially the druidic forms they had not yet mastered, Malfurion summoned his fellow druids to a meeting within the Moonglade, the most sacred grounds of the Druids.

There, the Druids lead by Malfurion established a new order. An order that would do all it could to protect nature and establish a tradition of Druidism. This order would ensure that tragedies like the Worgen, and other misuses of the Druidic ties to nature would never happen again. Thus, the Cenarion Circle was born.

Belysra approached the Cenarion Circle in repentance. She sought to redeem herself for unleashing the Worgen upon the world, by helping the Druids of the Cenarion Circle banish the Worgen from the realm of the living.

Belysra sought out Ralaar and confided with him, convincing him to rally his Worgen to decide upon the punishment of Malfurion Stormrage. However, she had deceived Ralaar. Malfurion and the Cenarion Circle waited for the Worgen to gather with Ralaar, and with Belysra's aid, used the Scythe of Elune to banish Ralaar and his Worgen to the Emerald Dream.

Within the Emerald Dream, Ralaar and his Worgen rested beneath Daral'nir. Daral'nir is a great tree within the Emerald Dream that has the ability to calm and soothe enraged beings. Daral'nir's Real-World counterpart, Tal'doren resides within the Blackwald in Gilneas. The Worgen would slumber under the shade of this mighty tree for ages to come, until they would be called back into the world years later.

After banishing the Worgen from Azeroth, Malfurion realized the powerful nature of the Scythe of Elune, and the unspeakable horrors it unleashed upon the world. Malfurion secretly entrusted the Scythe to Mel'Thandris Starsong to keep it safe and hidden from those who sought its power for themselves. Mel'Thandris later sacraficed herself to save her fellow Night Elves in the Final battle of the War of the Satyr. A Shrine was erected in northern Ashenvale in honor of her sacrafice.

Thousands of years after the War of the Satyr had concluded, The Demonic remnant forces of the Burning Legion had resurfaced across Ashenvale and Felwood. It was a dark time of violence and bloodshed. Velinde Starsong, Niece to Mal'Thandris Starsong, was called away from her studies to join the battle along the border of Ashenvale and Felwood.

Before Velinde had departed Darnassus, she spent hours in study and praying to Elune for guidance. Her prayers were seemingly answered when she stumbled upon a book she had not seen before; a Journal from the War of the Satyr. The book spoke of a powerful weapon, The Scythe of Elune.

The Demonic incursions in Felwood continued unabated. Armed with this new knowledge, Velinde returned to Ashenvale to uncover the Scythe's location. She recalled tales she had heard from her Aunt Mel'Thandris of a relic of unimaginable import that was secretly entrusted to her by Malfurion for safekeeping, Velinde believed this to be the Scythe of Elune.

Upon investigation of the Shrine of Mel'Thandris, Velinde had uncovered the long-lost Scythe, unknowing of the evil it would wreak across Azeroth. Velinde grasped the Scythe and was granted a vision of the Worgen decimating the Satyr's rank years before.

Using the Scythe, Velinde was able to communicate with the long dormant Worgen slumbering within the Emerald Dream. She summoned a score of Worgen to aid the Sentinels in their relentless battle with the Demons.

The scales tipped once again in the Sentinels favor, and for a time everything was going well. Something was amiss however, Velinde began to notice the Worgens numbers were increasing even without her intervention.

The Worgen continued to multiply, their sheer ferocity and brutality in battle terrified the other Sentinels. Velinde had ordered the Worgen to retreat to the Shrine of Mel'Thandris while she continued her investigation regarding the Worgen.

Velinde could not find anything in the Library of Darnassus, yet she had heard whisperings that an Archmage of the Kirin Tor named Arugal had also successfully summoned the Worgen into the World.

Originally a respected patriot of Gilneas, Arugal eventually became a member of the Kirin Tor of Dalaran. Arugal was called by King Genn Greymane to protect his kingdom during the Third War. Arugal's research led him to discover the writings of a powerful sorcerer known as Ur. Ur had discovered the existence of the Worgen and knew how to summon them, yet some believed his conscience held him back from releasing the Worgen.

Arugal warned Genn about the Worgen's strength and ferocity. Genn Greymane had no other choice, his kingdom teetered upon the brink of extinction by the Scourge, So he allowed Arugal to summon the Worgen. Using Ur's research, Arugal summoned Worgen to attack the Scourge that attempted to pass the Greymane Wall. Though they were successful in killing the Scourge, they eventually turned their rage against the Gilnean soldiers outside the Wall as well.

That day, Genn Greymane closed the gates of the Greymane Wall and never opened them again. Genn later learned that Arugal had lost his humanity and betrayed his nation. Arugal treated the Worgen he summoned as if they were his children, they developed a sort of loyalty to eachother.

Only afterward did Genn Greymane also realize that the wounded soldiers brought inside the gate were afflicted with the Worgen curse, which spurred the spread of the affliction throughout Gilneas.

Velinde had travelled to Ratchet to catch a ship to Booty Bay. She had planned to meet with Arugal to learn how he had been able to control the Worgen. It is later discovered, however, that Alpha Prime (Formerly known as Ralaar Fangfire) was among the Worgen to escape the confines of the Emerald Dream, and that he held the Maddened Arugal under his sway.

Alpha Prime was eager to obtain the Scythe for himself, yet there was another who coveted the Scythe. His name was Varkas, a subject of Prime's who sought the Scythe to usurp the power of his master. Varkas and three other Worgen who would defy Alpha Prime made haste to Duskwood to intercept the Scythe for themselves.

When Velinde's caravan was travelling through Duskwood, she felt as though she was being stalked by something. Velinde sought refuge within a nearby mine called Roland's Doom. Velinde had hoped the miners there would come to her aid, but it appeared they had been slain. Velinde was soon attacked by Varkas at Roland's Doom. A case of dynamite exploded during the struggle, killing Velinde, Varkas and his three minions, and burying the Scythe within the cave.

Later on, a Human named 'Jitters' would find the Scythe of Elune jutting out of some rocks at Roland's Doom, by grabbing the Scythe, the Worgen were unleashed upon Duskwood. Jitters somehow managed to escape after the Worgen killed all of his comrades but lost the Scythe.

The Scythe was later discovered to be in the posession of members of the Wolf Cult in Duskwood, who used its power to convert their followers into Worgen. The members of this Wolf Cult were dispatched, and the Scythe fell into the hands of Revil Kost. Revil Kost is a human priest of the Holy Light. His family was apparently slaughtered by the Worgen.

A Gnome Rogue named Brink, an agent of SI:7, later met with Revil and eventually acquired the Scythe of Elune, claiming he must return the Scythe of Elune to a Night Elf [Reference - World of Warcraft: Dark Riders]. The Night Elf Brink is referencing is likely Valorn. Valorn is a part of the Night Elf expeditionary force in Gilneas. He brought the Scythe of Elune to Belrysa Starbreeze mere days after it was found in Duskwood by Revil Kost.

Valorn gained access to Gilneas through a set of dirt tunnels running beneath the Greymane Wall, Valorn then aided Belysra Starbreeze during the battle against the Alpha Prime and the Forsaken. [Reference - Curse of the Worgen]


<> FURTHER READING AND REFERENCE POINTS <>


If you wish to read/learn more regarding Belysra, Arvell, Alpha Prime, Velinde Starsong, Scythe of Elune, and the War of the Satyr, Read - World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen by Mickey Neilson and James Waugh.

If you wish the read/learn more regarding Revil Kost, Brink, The Duskwood Wolfcult, and Scythe of Elune, Read - World of Warcraft: Dark Riders by Mike Costa and Neil Googe.

If you wish to learn what happens after/during the events of World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen, the story continues and unfolds during the events that transpire in Gilneas during the Worgen level 1-12 Starting Questlines.


TL;DR = Night Elves, Worgens, Scythes and shiz.