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aokoaoi · 1 year

Note

Hey, I know you're writing more stories but if you have time could you write a oneshot? Y/n is mate of Ao'ung and eldest daughter of Jake and Neytiri and in the battle she dies instead of Neteyam taking the bullet instead of him, I know it is a bit angst but for me it's a good idea🥺

Thank you❤️

— pairings : ao'nung x fem!reader.

— warnings : avatar the way of water spoilers. angst. character death. mama neytiri suffers again<\3.

— author's note : this feels just like my first neteyam post all over again but different characters😭.. anyways this was so fun to write imao, i hope you like it<3

It was clear Ao'nung was your favorite amongst the Sully siblings. It wasn't said that he never picked on you, but he rarely did it. After all, you're the eldest siblings of the family, which meant your also older than him.

He respects you of course, more than he respects your younger brother, Neteyam.

It was then he grew some sort of admiration towards you, and the situation turned into a blossoming romance between you two. He has seen the way you act differently towards him as well, you were more soft spoken and casual, rather than stoic and fierce.

It was as if he met another version of you when he managed to befriend you. Since you were just a year older, you treat him as if he was some disobedient child when you get the chance. Whenever he's messing around, you'd be the one scolding him and such.

He'd never go against your words though. It would be like playing with fire.

The boy noticed how you acted more like your mother, you were fierce and responsible on the outside, but in the inside you were actually shy and a softie. Imagine his reaction when he saw you get flustered over his words for the first time.

He was in awe, I tell you.

Greatmother, he was so smitten for you. Absolutely head over heels It drove him insane. He even went to his sister once to help him with his feelings, and Tsireya was just as surprised as he was.

He was planning on telling you his feelings soon, but he felt that it wasn't the right time yet. But as he lost his chance, time had gone thin.

"Where are you going?!" Ao'nung harshly grabs your hand as you tried swimming away with your Ilu. Kiri had justed used some weird reef telekinesis earlier to save all your lives, but your mind was on the battlefield.

"To fight!"

Ao'nung sneered at you words, shaking his head. "You can't go out there! Didn't you see what they had as weapons!? You'll be killed!" He hisses, his grip on your forearm tightening.

"I'm fighting for my brothers and sisters, Ao'nung. I was born to fight! This isn't my first battle." You tell him, trying to jerk off his hold on your hand. He let's out a frustrated breath, brows furrowing.

He hesitantly soften his hold on your arm, and you neared him as he did so. Your hand comes up to his cheek, forcing him to look at you. "I'll be back, okay? I promise." You softly spoke.

He watched as you dived down into the water with your Ilu, eyes brimming with irritated tears. Rotxo comes from behind him, grasping his shoulders. "She'll be alright, mate. (name) is a strong girl."

You emerged from the water with a quick breath, ordering your Ilu to swim faster ad you neared the attack scene. There was so much going on, not to mention Lo'ak's tulkun literally slaughtering the people inside the small boats.

Your breath hitched as an Ikran drops from a rock beside you, aiming a spear at the animal until you saw the familiar patterns and colors of the creature. "Mother." You sighed. The woman shouts your name, hastily yelling at you to come on.

You did as you were told, biting your lip as your feet scrapped on the sharp edges of the rocks. Your mother immediately gets back to flight, barely missing the boat that was being thrown onto the rock.

Your fist tightly held your bow has you aimed on the unprotected sky-people, shooting your arrow at one. You grunted as you hear bullets being shot at your direction, and you turned to see the same Avatar from back home.

Neytiri recklessly dodged the shots, and you aimed a spear from the Metkayina clan at him. Your father then emerged from the water, shooting at the Avatar as your spear was sharply thrown at the demon-blooded's Ikran.

The Ikran falls down into the water with a pained hiss, along with the demon-blooded who bonded with it. You let out a yell at your actions, grinning from ear to ear as your mother does the same.

"Mother, fly by that boat!" You instructed your mother, pointing at the said transportation. She immediately does a sharp turn, hastily flying to the boat.

You dropped down at the thick metal right after your mother hands you your bow, surprising the three as you saw your brother already helping them. "Big sister!" Tuktirey let's out a cry, you simply smiled at her as you brought out the sharp knife from your waist-trainer.

"You okay there, bro?" You asked Lo'ak, watching as he rolls his eyes. "Who is the mighty warrior?" You hear Neteyam tease the boy, Lo'ak scoffs, but doesn't hide his obvious smile.

"Come on! Let's not waste time." You scolded the two as they laughed together, hitting the back of their heads as they let out a yelp. Neteyam grabs your hand as you two tried to jump from the boat, but you see Lo'ak at the corner of your eyes go the opposite way.

"Lo'ak!" You hiss. You ran towards him, tugging on Neteyam's hands as he looked at you, confused.

"They have spider, we have to get him." He tells you. You furrowed your brows together, unsure of what to do. He slowly stands back up, obviously serious of what he's saying. "Come on you two, we can't just leave him!" He complains.

Neteyam looks at you, and you groaned in annoyance. "Fine! Skxawng." You sneered, grabbing your bow harshly that it could practically break. Lo'ak grins at your agreement, and you you followed after him into the boat.

You carefully leaded the way as you now had an eye on where spider was. You aimed your bow at a man, shooting immediately when you had a clear path on his head. The sky-people watching spider let's out a yell, and immediately your brothers dropped down, attacking them.

You hung your bow on your back, grabbing the arrow your used to shoot the man in the head as you sharply drew in through the nearest sky people beside you before they could shoot at your brothers.

You grabbed another one by the neck, standing up straight and pulling him up with all your strength, basing his head onto the metal railings on top of you as you head the breaking of glass from his mask.

Grabbing your knife from your waist-trainer, you spot another human struggling to reach his gun. You pushed Lo'ak away as you used your strength and threw the knife at him, watching as the blade jabbed his chest. Lo'ak looks at you, surprised.

You breathed heavily, scowling as you watched a grin form on his face. "You should teach me that move sometime."

"First, we got out of here. M'kay?" You sneered passively. You grabbed his forearm as you dragged him with you, following Neteyam as he heads the way.

You hopped down from the short staircase, watching as Spider does the same. "Thanks guys." The human says. You waved your hand at him dismissively, your eyes scanning the area. Lo'ak spots another demon blood, and raises his gun.

"No!" You yelled. You let out a hiss as you feel a bullet shoot through your hand, making you instantly grab Lo'ak and drag him to the nearest corner to take cover. Neteyam followed right after, watching the bullets hit the metal railings.

"Give me that!" Neteyam grabs the gun from Lo'ak, reloading it as he pulls the trigger, carelessly shooting everywhere. "Go jump in the water!" You told the two boys. They looked at you hesitantly, and you sneered. "Goddamn it, hurry!" You growled.

They instantly jumped down, and your hastily grabbed the gun from Neteyam. "Let's go!" You yelled. He goes after Lo'ak, jumping in. You let out nervous breaths, your ear twitching as you hear the footsteps nearing your direction.

You took big steps forward, running towards the water and diving in. A stinging pain swelled up in your chest, but before you could let out a pained yell, you dropped into the water.

Hurriedly swimming back into the surface, you watched as your brothers celebrate their escape. Tsireya arrives with her Ilu, instructing you four to get on. Neteyam glanced at you as he notices you struggling to swim, his smile dropping.

"(name)—?"

His eyes then lingered at the blood seeping the water near you, and his heart dropped at the sight. "Shit!, (name)–" He jumped from the Ilu, swimming towards you as you struggled to keep your head above water.

"Oh no." Tsireya gasps, gaze on the bloodied water.

"Hold her up!" Neteyam hisses at spider as he placed your body on top of the girls ilu. You growled and slapped Spider's hand away, but then choked when your hand pressed against your chest.

"It's okay, sister. I've got you, okay? D-dont close your eyes." Lo'ak says, stuttering over his words. "S—skxawng. Why would I do that." You hissed harshly, your voice wavering as you struggled to breathe for air.

"Let's go!"

"But— they have Kiri and Tuk." Tsireya speaks up. Your ear twitched at her sentence, you kept a hand on your chest as Neteyam does the same, his hand over yours while he applied pressure.

"Just breathe, sister." Neteyam softly said, his voice wobbling.

Your brother leads the Ilu towards a rock, spotting your father. "Dad! Dad, help!" Lo'ak shouts. They carefully carried your body as they placed you on the rock, careful not to hit your head. Tsireya sobbed at the sight of your bloodied torso, shutting her eyes.

"Father—" You spoke up, your blurring eyes seeing the figure of your father next to you.

"Shhh," he turns your body over, seeing that the bullet had completely went though your chest. He mutters a cuss as you wheezed for air, coughing and choking as your lungs tightened up from the struggling.

He gestured over Neteyam, grabbing his hands as he instructed the boy to put pressure on your chest. Your brother does as he was told, and you yelled at the feeling of the pressure.

You sobbed at the aching sensations swirling through your chest, eyes blinking the tears collecting in your eyes as it refused to fall from your cheeks. Your mother the arrives after hearing your yell from a small distance, eyes widening at the sight of your blood on your brothers hands.

"No! No, no, (name), don't do this." She let's out a cry, kneeling down beside you. "My sweet girl.." neytiri sobs at your cries, your chest heaving as the pressure Neteyam was putting on your chest only made the feeling worst.

"Ma—"

Neytiri sharply inhales at your call, her big hands grasping your own as she let's the sensation of your hands caress her cheek, "Yes, ma child? Speak to me."

"I'm sorry." She shakes her head at your words, breaking down. "I'm so sorry, mother— I let you down." You heaved for air desperately, watching as your mother sobs harshly.

"No, child. It's gonna be okay, I'm here for you. We're all here—"

"(name)?" Tsireya turned at the sound of her brother's voice. She let's out a tight exhale as she stood up, walking towards her brother as she immediately engulfed him into an embrace.

Ao'nung walks away from his sisters embrace, walking towards you. He kneels beside you, eyes scanning your face as he watches the trails of previous tears make wet patterns on your face. "Ao'nung." You coughed up.

"Shit, just breathe, okay? You're gonna be fine— you're fine," Ao'nung continued to convince himself that as he placed a hand on top of Neteyams hand when he saw the bloodied wound. You shake your head with a tired sigh, blinking repeatedly as it was already hard to keep your eyes open.

You smiled at him before your last breath slipped from your mouth, your struggled breathing halting as your choking seized. Neteyam snapped his attention to your face, seeing how you've completely gone cold. Ao'nungs hand twitched as he feels your chest stop beating, blinking repeatedly.

Neytiri cries out in anguish, the palm of her hand touching your face as she cradled your head. "My child!" She exclaims, bringing your head up to her chest as you didn't move a muscle.

Ao'nung's breath trembled as his hand slipped from your skin, looking at the light from your eyes disappear, and it was replaced with a blank, empty gaze. "No."

Tsireya sobbed at his words, watching as he shakes his head repeatedly. "No, (name), you can't do this to me." His voice trembled as he hicced, sniffing harshly. "You promised!" He yells, his voice loud and clear despite your mother's cries.

Tsireye looks down as her brother leaned against her, his head on her shoulder as he sobbed on her shoulder. "She lied."

"Im sorry, brother." Tsireya sympathetically spoke up, wiping her tears as she wrapped her arms around her sobbing brother, feeling his shoulders shake from his trembling cries. "She promised me, Tsireya. She promised to come back." Ao'nung harshly breaths.

Your father looks at the two upon hearing Ao'nung's words, sighing as he embraced his wife was she continued to cry out for you, begging for Eywa to bring you back.

"I didn't get to tell her." Tsireya hushed her brother, cradling him against her as she took in his sobs.

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lunamochii · 1 year

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Need you close to me || part I

Synopsis; Just like Spider Soccoro, you grew up together with the Sully kids. Although when you got older, you stayed most the time in the lab. Trying to perfect your project of making your own avatar. Although this has made Neteyam worry for you to the point he almost forgot his duties.

warning; y/n have acrophobia, Neteyam being the sweetest, fluff, angst

1.8k words

a/n; hope you will like my first fanfic on Avatar! Characters may be out of character but please bear with me! Reblogs and feedbacks are very appreciated🤍 request are open!

part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5

—

“You’re out of your mind!”

Flinching at his sudden increase of his voice, you get why his mad right now it’s all because Spider spilled the project you are making during the shared dinner you had with the Sully’s

You glance at your side and flip your finger to Spider who have a grin plastered on to his face. You flinch again when you felt Neteyam’s gaze at you

“I just want to experience the same feeling Jake experienced okay!”

“Dad was an adult! Of course he can handle the side effects!“

You huff and march away from them, you got back to the lab so fast and you slam the door so loud that it might have echoed throughout the forest

Neteyam pinch his forehead and hisses with annoyance and immediately followed you, Lo’ak and Spider look at each other and grin knowing that you and Neteyam are just fools in love but can’t admit

Neteyam composed himself before knocking on the door “It’s me princess..”

“Go away skxwang”

He rolled his eyes and tilt the lock and let him self in and he saw you sitting on a table, hugging your legs and he can hear your soft sobs

He shook his head and went closer as he put his hands on both of your side and lowered him self to your level

“I’m just worried Y/N, my father often tell us that on the making of their avatar there are sometimes conflicts.. I’m just..”

You look up and Neteyam smiled softly as he wipe your tears

“I’m just afraid that something will happen to you”

“Norm and Max is helping me. Trust me in this one, please Teyam?” You replied while rubbing your cheeks on his big palms, Neteyam close his eyes and when he opened his eyes once again he stared right at your eyes as if he can see beyond, you felt your cheeks heat up making you push him away as you got down from the table

“I gotta go now, Norm and Max still needs me to complete the project”

He watch you walk away and he found him self staring at his palm, your warmth lingering, he clench his hand and brought it to his lips

“Guide me, greatmother…”

+ next day +

“You sure you wanna do this?”

Max ask you and you reply with a nod. Max and Norm nod at each other as you lay down on the machine, your heart beating fast as they slowly close the pod

“Relax Y/N”

Max told you before completely closing the door, you shut your eyes close and leave the rest to them

+ somewhere in the forest +

“Stop walking back and forth Neteyam… I’m getting dizzy”

Tuk muttered and went to hug her older sister, the oldest let out a sigh and finally sat down which made everyone sigh in content

It has been 5 hours ever since Spider informed them that Y/N decided to test out their project, both Jake and Neytiri went to check but in Neteyam’s mind he can’t help but feel restless

He was about to go when he heard the whistling of his dad and when they finally landed, he saw him helping someone get down

The moment your legs touch the ground it immediately wobbled and you found yourself catching your breath, hand over your chest as you close your eyes

“Are you okay?”

Neytiri is beside you, rubbing your back as you weakly nod and the woman help you get up. Putting your arms around her neck

“You’ll get use to it, princess”

You smiled weakly to Jake and Neytiri as you guys walk towards to their home. Who knew that your acrophobia will still act up even in your avatar form and YES.

You together with Norm and Max succeeded on the project although after this you don’t know when you will be able to experience being on your avatar body again. You saw the group of people gathered in one hut, you immediately recognized them as you wave to them

“Y/N! It’s Y/N!”

Tuk got on her feet and came running straight to you, letting a small laugh as you pat her head. Kiri went to your side and place her forehead to yours, as you smile at her warmly

“Whoa! Now you can finally spend a lot more time with us!”

You laugh at Lo’ak’s remarks knowing full well he will be disappointed later on that you still need to do some observation on this new body of yours

“Sit for now Y/N. You still ought to gain strength”

“Yes, Neytiri”

You bow your head down slightly as you watch the Sully couple walk away from the hut. The second the parents left their eyes away from their childrens, Neteyam immediately sat down beside you and place your head on his chest, kissing the crown of your head

His one arm wrap around your waist, you sigh in relief and make your self be at ease on his embrace. You notice Spider staring at you making you smile

“Don’t worry Spider, I will als—“

“It’s fine. I don’t need a avatar to beat Lo’ak ass everytime we compete”

“Hey!”

And that’s the start of their bickering in which often you see inside the lab. Kiri and Tuk excuse their self not wanting to hear more and Lo’ak challenged Spider to some race only Eywa knows where

You are left with Neteyam and you can feel his gaze, his thumb rubbing the back of your hands

The you in front of him is a new sight for him. You are already beautiful when you are human, you’re even more beautiful on your avatar form

“You don’t know how agonizing it was for me, those hours were pure torture”

You laugh and move away from him although you are still holding his hands

“I’m here now, ain’t I? So.. how about teaching me to ride and climb?”

Neteyam shook in disbelief as he stood up and pulled you up. You can also tell that the weakness you felt on your legs were gone, he called out his ikran and the fear of flying again is engulfing you once more

“Don’t be afraid, pretty. I’m here”

He said and swoop you up, placing you infront of him as he connected his queue to his ikran and you immediately wrap your arms around his neck, earning a laugh from the future Olo’eyktan

“Open your eyes, my love”

Opening your eyes slowly, you saw how grand it is to see the floating island this much close. Since down on the ground all you could see is the large trees and the clouds. You can’t help but scream as you stretch your arms, letting out your pure joy

“See? Told you that you’ll like it” Neteyam is wearing his infamous smirk and you giggled as you put both of your hands on the side of his cheeks and give him a quick kiss

“I love it!!”

Neteyam blink twice before joining you on your hoorah, the both of you very much enjoying the time. He took you to all the beautiful spots that he knows, spots that only he knows, spots that holds dear to him, spots where he swore one day he would take you to

Neteyam can give up everything just for you, for him to see you smile like that always, for him to hear you laugh, to feel you.

You turn around and hug him tight, he hug you back and the both of you just spent a couple of minutes hugging before deciding to head back to their home

Neytiri and Jake watch as their eldest get off of his ikran assisting his fated mate, you got down having a wide smile and you kissing Neteyam on the cheeks as you jog towards Tuk

“Reminds me of us back then” Neytiri said as she look at Jake

“Yeah but I wonder where that boy got his moves” Neytiri laugh at her husband remarks, surely Jake is oblivious to the things he did back in the past

———

The night fell upon the pandora and the pod you laid in opened as Max and Norm help you get up, you can’t help but feel dizzy that you wanted to throw up. The moment your feet touch the ground your vision black out and the last thing you remembered was Norm and Max screaming your name

———

The moment Neteyam woke up he immediately went to the hut where your avatar is supposed to be resting but his brows furrowed when he saw no one is laying down there

“Bro bro! Follow me quickly!”

Neteyam didn’t question his brother and immediately rode his ikra towards the lab

There he found his father inside with his mom calming Kiri and Tuk, he got inside and Lo’ak together with Spider tried to stop him entering further

“She could have exerted her self when she was out, she was coughing up blood when she got back”

He heard one of his friends dad say and his head whipped to the girl laying on a bed, he saw the wires connecting to her body. He even saw her avatar that was just on his arms yesterday

His ears droop down, tail hang low as he watch his mate through the glass. Jake saw his son and he excuse himself and the two sky people return on doing all they can to monitor and make sure you’ll be okay

Jake tap the shoulder of his son letting him know that his here, that his family is here

“Let’s go back for now Neteyam. She’ll wake up soon don’t worry”

Neteyam clench his fist and shook the hand of his father making Jake stun, his boy never did this, not even once

“I want to stay here father”

He sounded stern, Jake wanted to protest but he just let out a sigh before patting the head of his son and walking out together with the rest of their family. Spider was kind enough to stay back and be with Neteyam.

———

It’s been weeks ever since he last spoken to you and he is going sane as the day goes by, he needs to feel your warm, your palm against his cheeks, your smile, your laugh, your everything!

Neteyam is touch starve if only he can go in and hold your hand but all he can do is stare at you. His even skipping the hunt and forgetting his duties

Resting his forehead against the glass, he close his eyes and prays to Eywa to bring his mate back or he will lose sanity soon

“Need to see and touch you, my Y/N..”

#neteyam x y/n #neteyam #neteyam x reader #avatar the way of water #atwow fanfiction #atwow x you #atwow neteyam #jake sully #kiri sully #spider socorro #neytiri sully #tuktirey sully #sully family #lo’ak sully #neteyam fic #atwow fandom #fluff #angst

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shamanofthewilds · 2 years

Text

Orc Lore Dive: Elder Shaman and Shaman Leadership

So there was a forum post that I answered a few days ago for someone asking what age it takes to become an ‘Elder Shaman’ so I decided to do some digging to brush up on what Elder Shaman meant and what is the difference between a shaman who is an elder and someone who is an Elder Shaman.

This is yet again, another very long form deep dive into a very niche thing. It’s long, I know, but I hope it provides some aid in some RP. Please excuse any typos or mishaps!!

So lets look at what it means to be an Elder Shaman as well as who can be one.

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We’ve seen so far, that while orcs are all going to have their own views there is an over all sense that there is respect for an elder status. Like in many cultures in the real world, respect to the people who have gone through the most and have experienced life at it’s fullest will have more respect for what they can teach the future generations.

We can assume with orcs that is the same, regardless if we’ve seen any characters look down upon those who were weaker or more advanced in age.

✦ So lets look at the title “Elder” and “Mother”.

I’m sure there far more examples than what I’ve found but these are the ones I’m using and we are going to use: Drek’thar, Ner’zhul, Nelgarm, Mother Kashur, Mother Om’ra, Greatmother Geyah and any other examples I find.

What all of these characters have in common is that they were or are in a position of leadership or something as close to leadership as one can get.

The highest level of shaman in an orcish clan, and likely other similar cultures, puts them almost on the same level of respect and leadership to the Chieftain.

✦ Lets start with Mother Kashur, the Elder Shaman of the Frostwolf Clan. ✦

✦ Mother Kashur, Elder Shaman of the Frostwolf Clan

(Image from Warcraft: Legends)

It’s noted that: “Because of her high position of honor, her tent was second in lavishness only to that of Garad, the clan leader.” Rise of the Horde Ch.3.

Even when Durotan was asked by name by the Ancestors, Mother Kashur was astonished to think of how difficult a task it would be to be a leader and a shaman at he same time. Likely due to how being a high ranking shaman to begin with is full of responsibility already.

(The rest will be under Read More)

Mother Kashur was the Elder Shaman to the Frostwolf Clan. Her student being Drek’thar. So when Mother Kashur died during a hunt, Drek’thar then became the Elder Shaman to fill her place.

(As a side note: This makes the orcs manipulation by the Legion all the more devastating. Kil’jaeden went straight to the people the orcs were suppose to trust most. The spiritual leaders of their faith and the ones connected with their dead loved ones. Due to orcs leaning toward having customs that are very indigenous (with respect elders and a focus on animism), they used the respect they have for these Elders against them. Drek’thar, who became Elder Shaman now, had the respect and love for his teacher used against him. Kil’jaeden disguised as Mother Kashur to tell him that the draenei were in fact deceiving. The same goes for Ner’zhul, who was both Elder shaman and Chieftain. )

✦ His job was to then lead the important ceremonies for his clan. This is where it separates (for what I’ve seen so far) of who are the shaman that lead these rituals and who are the ones who are apprentices and aiding in it. It is the Elder shaman’s job to over see the Om’riggor, newborn ceremonies and leading young orcs to test and see if they have shamanic potential.

But going back to Mother Kashur for a moment, it seems that the title Mother is the title given to the spiritual women of high status. It is stated in the novel itself, that the Frostwolf Clan refer to her as Mother Reverently.

A role of caretaker, by being both elder and shaman, are deemed mother. Mother Kashur again was THE highest ranking shaman in the Frostwolf Clan. Even her own death was her choice after insisting on attending a hunt, which she had not done in years. She let herself be trampled.(The reason for her being there was the shaman role of helping distract beasts for the hunters as well as healers.)

✦ Mother Om’ra, Shadowmoon Chieftain.

(Screenshot from Wowhead.)

This is backed up by the NPC named Mother Om’ra who walks around with the title <Chieftain> in WoD’s Shadowmoon Valley. Because little lore was given for her aside from one drop that's titled ‘Legacy of Om’ra’ we can assume she was a Shadowmoon Chieftain as well as a Shaman, especially due to her dress of wearing the matching shaman set of the wolf headdress and shoulders.

Mother Om’ra, Mother Kashur and Greatmother Geyah are all shamans with a position of leadership and/or respect. (While not an orc, I found a taunka shaman named Mother Tauranook who you are directed to speak to for a quest.

✦ Greatmother Geyah, Spiritual Leader of Garadar

Greatmother Geyah, mother to Durotan and Grandmother to Thrall, assumed the position of spiritual leader to the Mag’har of Garadar.

(Garadar was the settlement in Nagrand to quarantine the orcs suffering from Red Pox. The disease that appeared 400 years ago. It was named after the Geyah’s mate Garad, who was father to Durotan and former Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan. Here she took care of the ailing orcs who were struck with red pox.)

While the title is not Mother, Greatmother seems to be a title still of status and respect. She is also a shaman, who Thrall wanted to learn from.

She is one of the surviving orcs from a time when Durotan was Chieftain and when the orcs lived in peace among their clans with brown skin.

When she gained the position of spiritual leader of the Mag’har, Mother Kashur began visiting her in her dreams.

Varok Saurfang trusted her and the other elders to watch over his son and hid him away in Garadar, hence why he was able to remain his natural skin color.

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✦ So we see now that the title Mother (Or Greatmother) is one of respect for orc women who became the highest rank of shaman in the clan. Now, this is probably not always the case. Customs change, clans differ and an individual may have a preference. However so far, Mother has been consistent.

It’s even stated that the Frostwolf Orcs ‘Reverently’ addressed her as such, like mentioned earlier.

Non orcish versions would be Mother Tauranook of the Taunka. But if she is a high up leader it’s unknown. We can only infer she is important to speak to since you are instructed to go find her.

Magatha is a rare example, she is Elder Crone.

---

So now getting on the full topic of Elder we have several examples of orc shaman leaders being called Elder.

The Elder examples we can take a look at now , who did not gain a title of Mother, are Drek’thar and Ner’zhul (and others if I find). Like mentioned earlier, when Mother Kashur passed, Drek’thar took her spot as senior shaman. Meaning he was the head shaman responsible for over seeing the same things she did.

✦ Ner’zhul, Chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan

Both Drek’thar and Ner’zhul have or held the title of Chieftain. Ner’zhul was the Chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan. He was one of most respected shaman among the orcs and known for his power. He is also titled as Elder Shaman of the Shadowmoon Clan seeing as he both Chieftain and Shaman at the same time.

To be a shaman and a leader is extremely difficult according to Mother Kashur as noted here from the novel:

“She had not thought Durotan's feet would walk that road; it was rare that a shaman led a clan. There would be too much pulling him in each direction for him to be an effective leader. To both listen to and honor the spirits and to guide one's people well were more than most orcs could manage. One who could do both would be a remarkable orc indeed.” Rise of the Horde , Chapter 3

(While some lore about Ner’zhul has been...switched around due to the Chronicles, this statement on leadership still holds up.)

This right here states without stating it why Chieftain Ner’zhul was such a well respected orc. Not only was he a leader to the Shadowmoon, he was an effective shaman who managed to grab the attention of not just his own people but all of the orcs when speaking during the Kosh’harg. It shows how spirituality plays an important role into an orcs status and why he was so well beloved and looked to, and why his downfall is all the more tragic.

He played a pivotal role of speaking at the Kosh’harg, which was a bi-annual festival started by the Shadowmoon Clan themselves many years before his leadership.

✦ Orcs rallying together 400 years before the Dark Portal

✦ Nelgarm, however, has not been stated if he was Chieftain of the Shadowmoon Clan. He has only been labeled as Elder Shaman of the Shadowmoon Clan. This is important due to his role against rallying forces against the ogres.

Nelgarm was introduced in the Chronicles: Vol II having been an orc shaman 400 years before the time of Ner’zhul. His story holds up the draw and leadership an Elder Shaman. It was his pleading at the next Kosh’harg to the orcs to join with him and push back the ogres of the Gorian Empire who were violating the Throne of the Elements with arcane. All clans rallied with him against the ogres and all of Draenor went to war. Every orc against every ogre.

The orcs were victorious when they pushed them back to the capital of Goria. It was here the capital saw the full wrath of the elements and was flattened. It was also during the time when red pox first appeared.

Nelgarm is notable for all of this. His leadership into not only rallying an army, but making it a successful one. The fall of the Gorian Empire and seeing first hand how frightening the elements were.

Yet, it did not state who was Chieftain at this time and it did not say he was Chieftain. It is highly possible he was, but until that is stated we cannot say for certain.

✦ Drek’thar

Drek’tar was named Elder Shaman once his teacher, Mother Kashur, died during a clefthoof hunting party. As stated earlier, he was unfortunately met with Mother Kashur in his visions, an actual disguised Kil’jaeden, and led him to believe that the draenei were an enemy. This let him accept when Ner’zhul announced what he had been told as well. Two Elder Shaman, speakers for the Ancestors, trusted what these ancestors had to say.

As Elder Shaman, he spoke for the right for him and his shaman to learn the ways of the Warlock, because without that, they were useless.

Drek’thar eventually in life gained the title Chieftain as well as Elder Shaman, much like Ner’zhul. During the Frostwolf exile into the Alterac Mountains is where Drek’thar ended up until Thrall appeared.

Due to Thrall’s newness of being a shaman at the time is probably why it has not been stated anywhere that he was Elder Shaman. He was Chieftain and a Shaman, but Drek’thar likely still had that role being the more experienced of the two. Once Thrall stepped down, Drek’thar resumed his position as Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan and Elder Shaman.

(Speculation: It can almost be assumed that should Chieftains and heirs of Chieftains go missing, the Elder Shaman assumes control. Considering the fact that once Durotan and Draka disappeared with Thrall (Go’el), Drek’thar, even in his advanced age, was the one to lead the Frostwolf Clan during their exile. This, again, is an assumption.)

✦ What do Elder Shaman do?

So far we have seen that Elder Shaman have a position as close to a Chieftain as they can be if they are not already one. They are still limited in what they can do, seeing as they still need the Chieftain’s permission for some choices. One being the allowance of the shaman becoming warlock due to Durotan originally forbiding it.

The Elder Shaman is close to the Chieftain and aids in advising them. They are the primary healers on hunts. Along with other shaman who join the hunts, they aid in the distraction of animals to help the hunters in their shot.

They over see the important ceremonies. Such as newborn ceremonies where infants are handed to the father while they stand in a body of water. At the end of it, the Elder Shaman over sees the infant’s blessing by the elements.

The Elder Shaman is also responsible for over seeing the clans young ones in testing for their shamanic gifts. It can also be assumed they are overall head healers, speakers at the Kosh’harg and experts on dealing with the natural world and the shaman below them learn from the Elder Shaman.

While not stated out right, the Shaman who taste the blood at the end of an Om’riggor might be any shaman. Though, seeing this is a rite of adulthood, it can be assumed that the Elder Shaman over sees this the majority of the time. For cases like Durotan, Mother Kashur most likely over saw his Om’riggor seeing as she led him to Oshu’gun as she had done for many other orcs.

These days, due to there being less of a clan structure, it’s uncertain how Elder Shaman go about their duties. There is no complete dissolving of idenfitying to a clan heritage, so here is where some assumption has to be made as to how people access their cultural elders. The shaman who live on the premises may be able to fulfill the cultural needs of the orcs. This being shaman who live and work in Orgrimmar as well as other settlements across Azeroth. This could also exist within the family, if the Elder Shaman becomes the shaman who lives with the family now that orcs live less in nomadic clans and more in traditional family structures.

✦ Farseers

Farseer are powerful shaman who are able to do remarkable things with their gift and were among the trusted shaman close to Thrall. Drek’thar is stated in being a Farseer. Farseers can have access to the future in visions and can call upon powerful spirits like spirit wolves. However not every Farseer appears to be an Elder Shaman. But it might be possible that Farseer might be able to fulfill Elder Shaman duties...but this has not been stated anywhere and is merely a speculation due to modern times being without Chieftains.

✦ Elder Far Seer Zor Lonetree?

An orc who works in Grommash Hold, it’s not stated that he has any spiritual leadership, but he IS an Elder existing where the Warchief would be.What he does aside. However, he does seem to be there for his political knowlege of the Alliance as well as his spirtual guidance. He is noted for being well versed in it. He was able to identify jewelry being of Alliance make and access to scholars if the item that was given to him was of any importance among human nobility. What his title as an Elder and a Far Seer may also mean has yet to be found yet (by me.)

(We’re getting into a bit of fanon now, but it would not be impossible to say that orc settlements and societies in modern times have shaman living in the community still to fulfill the orcish needs of spiritluality. Especially considering the presence of “Shaman trainers” in cities among other paths. But that is pure speculation, but with the use of what is shown to us. I try to use context clues to build off anything I may not know to avoid making things up and making others go along with it.)

✦ Who can be Elder Shaman?

So far, just shaman. Of any gender identity so long as they are the apprientance to the higher ranking, pre existing, Elder Shaman who learn the traditions that they will some day be fullfilling.

They can become chieftains as well, as we’ve see, which retains the Elder Shaman status. Far seers can be Elder Shaman. We’ve also seen this title among other cultures such as tauren, draenei, even wolvar. Even in the wolvar tribes, an appointed Elder Shaman have high responsibitlies as shown by Elder Moky from WotLK.

-------

Many cultures in WoW who lean toward native traditions of shamanism seem to have the general belief system of elders being a position of respect. Be it age or position of power, the elders of ones community are to be respected.

I am sure there is more to this, and I probably missed some things as well.

There is a lot missing in understanding what some of these titles mean and how they are gained or where they come from.

And what is even worse is when a lot of the genuine looks into the world , like the novels, are subject to awful retcons and reworkings of stories. Theres plenty of books and quests I have not seen and there very well could be things I’ve missed!

Either way, I hope this long write up was interesting and helpful. I will probably be fixing typos and re-reblogging it in the future. But I’m incredibly hungry at this point!

So until then, May the Ancestors watch over you!

#orcs #orc lore #warcraft lore #shaman lore #World of Warcraft #orc shaman #orc rp #WRA #Elder Shaman #lore writing #long post #writings and such #This is very long and I will be going back and fixing typos later but I wanna post this now

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klug · 2 years

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these guys are technically on my toyhouse but I never remember to update it and not everyone uses toyhouse. Also some of these characters don’t even have refs/blurbs yet, so quick primer on my extended puyo fan universe freaks (based mostly on the aruka civilization from fever 2)

Amalthea (she/her): the “”proto-Amitie””. Unfortunately I don’t have too much of her personality fleshed out but she’s a healer that’s part of a family of religious leaders in Aruka. her family are considered to be descendants of the moon goddess that the people in Aruka worship, so they’re highly revered, especially the women. Her expertise in primarily in star-charting (like navigating on open seas) and medicine. She’s refined and well-behaved when she needs to be, but she secretly wants to leave Aruka and explore the world and has a bit of a rebellious streak that her family does their best to cover up. She’s an only child. she’s friends with Seire which leads to the primary conflict of the story. She’s expected to act like a leader for her people, but doesn’t feel ready for the task. She died after summoning a tidal wave to wipe out the town as revenge for what happened to Seire.

Arelate (she/he): Amalthea’s childhood friend from one of the 3 leading clans of Aruka, while she used to be much more of a tomboy in childhood, she now acts as Amalthea’s personal attendant, spokesperson, and bodyguard on occasion. She’s adjusted better to the expectations set on her by her family and society, so she’s more mild-mannered on the surface, but she feels really badly for Amalthea who doesn’t feel equipped to take on the work that’s expected of her. She deals with political goings-on that Amalthea doesn’t want to deal with herself. Since her family were traditionally warriors, she is also skilled in hand-to-hand and magical combat. She’s the one that managed to save the townspeople from Amalthea’s tidal wave, but wasn’t able to save her own friend. She goes on to become Arle’s greatmother in the future.

Penumbra (she/her): The retired head of one of the major clans of Aruka, she was a gifted engineer and architect and has two children: Tempo and Sonata. She was responsible for many of the technological advancements in Aruka, but she retired after creating the magic that is used in tome of sealing as she felt that it would do nothing but bring harm and misfortune upon the town. She lived out the rest of her days quietly, but died shortly before Seire’s sealing, the secrets of the magic behind the tome died with her.

Tempo (he/they): Penumbra’s son and the elder sibling. A talented woodworker and dark magician, but harbored a deep resentment for demonkind after they scarred his mother’s eye and killed his father. A brooding young man who tended to keep to himself, he was deeply suspicious of Seire and secretly kept records of his mother’s magic research even when she intended to destroy all of it. He fled Aruka shortly before the tsunami that wiped them out, taking the 3 unsealing items with him, despite promising to give the last one over to his sister Sonata. Their relationship ended up being strained for a long time, but he went on to become a successful dark mage and is the ancestor of Lemres’ family.

Seire (they/it): A demon from across the sea that settled on the offskirts of Aruka. A recluse who’s wandered the world, they’re rather frightened of humans and seem to have a reptuation of being scarier than they seem (it’s really just the eyespots on their wings making them look larger than they really are). They are friends with Amalthea as she was one of the only people to reach out to them around the time they settled, and they were happy to impart their traveling experiences with someone that had never set food outside of Aruka. Half of their soul was eventually sealed into the tome of sealing and their body remained, forming Sig and Aya as we know them now.

Sonata (she/her): Penumbra’s daughter and the younger sibling. A talented songstress that studied all sorts of magic. A kind woman with an eccentric streak. She learned various demon languages in order to better communicate with them, and while Penumbra encouraged this, Tempo deeply disapproved of it especially after what happened to their father. She believes strongly in kindness, but it got the better of her when she placed too much trust in her brother. She and Weiss managed to escape Aruka but did not go with Arelate to an alternate dimension; rather she and Weiss ended up moving to the area that would later become Primp Town and they settled there together. Sonata founded a school in the area and she is Accord’s predecessor.

Weiss (they/him): A standoffish bookbinder and bookseller that set up shop in Aruka a few years ago. As an outsider, the town looks upon them with a bit of suspicion, and their irreverence for Arukan customs doesn’t really help their case. They’re acquainted with Seire as they’re the only merchant willing to make deals with them.

#ramblings #arukan lore

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