Draenei

For the other related groups see Man'ari, Lightforged draenei, Broken, Lost One.
The draenei (meaning Exiled Ones in their own tongue) are a faction of uncorrupted eredar who fled their homeworld of Argus to escape the corruption of the demonic Burning Legion. Led by the Prophet Velen and guided by the divine naaru, they traveled throughout the cosmos in search of a safe world to settle on, eventually landing on a planet they would come to call Draenor, or "Exiles' Refuge". For centuries, the draenei lived in relative peace with Draenor's native orcs, until agents of the Burning Legion found them. As the orcs were corrupted by the Legion and formed the original Horde, the draenei were slaughtered en masse and driven into hiding.
Decades later, the survivors managed to escape the ravaged world of Outland aboard the Exodar, a vessel of the naaru fortress Tempest Keep, but crashed upon the world of Azeroth; more specifically, on the Azuremyst Isles off the western coast of Kalimdor. Inspired by tales of the heroic Alliance that stood against the might of the Burning Legion during the Third War, the draenei joined their ranks and led the charge during the Invasion of Outland.Draenei (playable)#Burning Crusade opening cutscene Following the defeat of Kil'jaeden at the Sunwell Plateau, the draenei completed the desperate mission that first brought them to Azeroth, and some of them were sent back to Outland to revitalize their former civilization. However, the majority vowed to stay and uphold their sacred commitment to the Alliance, as Velen saw through a powerful vision that a great war between the Darkness and the Light was fast approaching, and that Azeroth would be its principal battleground.Draenei (playable)#Cataclysm opening cutscene
The draenei as they are known today were first introduced with The Burning Crusade, though corrupted draenei — later identified as Lost Ones and Broken — were seen as early as Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The draenei of also play a significant role in the Warlords of Draenor expansion.
==History==
===Life on Argus===
Long ago, on the planet of Argus, the eredar race arose. They were extremely intelligent and had a natural affinity for magic in all of its forms. Using their gifts, they developed a vast and wondrous society, in which art, science, magic, and technology were all as one.Invisible Ramparts They were aided in this development by an ancient artifact known as the Ata'mal crystal, a triangular crystal whose origin was a mystery to the eredar, though their legends suggested it had been a gift bestowed upon them in ancient times.Rise of the Horde, pg. 4
At the height of their society, 13,000 years ago,Bringer of the Light the eredar's three most prominent leaders, Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen, were approached by Sargeras, the Fallen Titan. Sargeras claimed he was impressed by the work of the eredar and wanted to supply them with even more power and knowledge in exchange for their loyalty. But while Kil'jaeden and Archimonde readily accepted the deal, Velen had doubts. After touching the Ata'mal crystal in its temple, he had a vision of the future that filled him with dread. He saw the dark future his people were heading towards: siding with the dark titan Sargeras and transformed into demons. Velen saw the Burning Legion in all its terrible might and witnessed the destruction it would wreak upon all of creation. He hastened to warn Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, but they dismissed his concerns and proceeded to profess loyalty to Sargeras. Together, the latter transformed a majority of their people into an insidious race of warlocks and later allied themselves with the Legion.Rise of the Horde, pg. 1 - 8
Velen knew he and those who shared his concerns would have to flee Argus, but the impossibility of such a feat brought him to despair. At that time, the Ata'mal crystal started to glow and arose from its pedestal. A voice came to Velen and explained that it was one of the naaru, a race of sapient energy beings bent on stopping the Burning Legion. The naaru, K'ure, offered to take Velen and any other like-minded eredar to safety and instructed Velen to bring the Ata'mal crystal, revealing that it had been a gift from the naaru in ancient times and a beacon by which the naaru would find Velen and his followers. Deeply relieved, Velen gathered the other eredar loyal to him on the appointed day at the appointed place; they numbered only in the hundreds. He entrusted an old friend, Talgath, in this task, but Talgath was himself seduced by Sargeras' tantalizing offer and betrayed Velen and his cohorts to Kil'jaeden.Rise of the Horde, pg. 12, 14 - 18 With Kil'jaeden and Archimonde hot on their heels, they barely escaped from Argus in the naaru ship Genedar. In their escape, the Ata'mal crystal was shattered into seven shards. The naaru L'ura sacrificed her well-being by staying behind to delay their pursuers and buy them more time.
Kil'jaeden was furious with Talgath's failure and what he felt was Velen's betrayal, and the demon vowed to hunt Velen and the rest of his followers to the ends of the cosmos if need be.Rise of the Horde, pg. 9 - 11
Naming themselves the "draenei", or "exiled ones" in the Eredun language, they hid among many worlds and explored much of the cosmos in their quest to find safe harbor. Still, a hell-bent Kil'jaeden would not give up his pursuit; deciding on mercy for Talgath, he sent his new agent to hunt them down. Meanwhile, the enigmatic naaru race blessed the draenei with Light-given knowledge and power. The naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion. One day the naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable Army of the Light. Deeply affected by the naaru's words, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals.
In the following years, the draenei temporarily visited dozens of worlds aboard the Genedar, but not all of them were aboard the ship, as the Xenedar and those draenei who would later become Lightforged split off some time after they fled Argus.Lost Codex BlizzCon 2017 Interview
===Refuge on Draenor===
More than 200 years before the First War,Micky Neilson on Twitter: Rise of the Horde and the WoW Comic said that the Draenei arrived to Draenor 200 years before W1. That's still accurated? "Yep, Historians confirmed."Dave Kosak on Twitter - "We're moving forward with the 200-300 year timeframe. Long enough to settle a couple large cities, no longer."Rise of the Horde - "It was over two hundred summers ago that your people came here. We were not as We are now."World of Warcraft: The Comic Volume 4 Velen and his draenei settled upon a remote and peaceful world that seemed an ideal refuge. They named it Draenor,Beyond the Dark Portal - "Draenor is name they call world, yes. They proud of selves, they name whole world for selves. They strong . . . before."Rise of the Horde - And they had named the world Draenor., or "Exiles' Refuge" and there they quietly cultivated their society once again. Ever wary of being discovered again by Kil'jaeden's forces, Velen and his mystics kept their magic hidden.The Burning Crusade Townhall/Draenei
The arrival of the draenei had also changed their orcish neighbors' society. With the crash of the Genedar ship in Nagrand, the orcs had adopted the new crystal mountain as Oshu'gun, "Mountain of Spirits". The orcs started holding their Kosh'harg festivals at the foot of Oshu'gun, communing there with their dead ancestors' spirits. The draenei themselves were peaceful toward the orcs; coming now and then to each clan, ready to trade their carefully crafted tools and weapons and decorative pieces of carved stone in exchange for the thick pelts of the forest animals, brightly woven blankets, and raw materials the ores culled from land and stone. For the orcs, the relationship was a curiosity, an occasion of interest in the clans, but the exchanges only lasted a few hours. The draenei did not invite closeness, and no clan leader had ever asked them to stay and share their hospitality. Relationships were cordial but aloof, and everyone involved seemed to want it that way.Rise of the Horde, chapter 2
However, no amount of preparation could keep the draenei hidden forever. Eventually, Talgath—after millennia of pursuit—stumbled upon Draenor sensing the sweet minting essence of eredar magic,Rise of the Horde - And I have sensed their peculiar brand of magic minting the areaRise of the Horde - (...)the sweet essence of eredar magic(...) and reported back to Kil'jaeden.
Kil'jaeden, however, ordered him to investigate this world. After confirming the presence of the draenei, the Deceiver asked for information regarding the other inhabitants of that world, particularly the orcs. The man'ari lord decided to "punish" the exiles: he wanted them dead, but broken and humiliated.Rise of the Horde - Velen and his upstart companions would be punished. But not quickly, not with an army of enhanced eredar to rend them to pieces of bloody pulp. That would be too merciful. Kil'jaeden wanted them dead, yes. But he wanted them broken. Humiliated. Crushed as utterly and completely as an insect beneath a booted foot. Through his orc protégé Gul'dan, he quickly succeeded in corrupting the shamanistic orcs. Smoothly manipulated from a state of wary acceptance into blind rage and blood lust, the orcs attacked the draenei. This bloody conflict lasted nearly eight years, but the orcs' triumph was unequivocal. The orcs killed over eighty percent of the draenei race: approximately nine of every ten individuals.Loreology on Twitter and sent the rest fleeing for safety to the remote corners of the world.
Kil'jaeden's revenge was complete, or so he thought — Velen and a handful of untransformed draenei have survived the destruction of their cities by the orcs and fled to one of the marshes on the coast of the Zangar Sea; presumably it was either the Zangar Shore or Zangarra, as they were the closest to Shattrath. Draenei who had fought the Horde and survived found that they had been affected by the fel energies wielded so freely by the orc warlocks, and both anchorites and vindicators alike, such as Akama and Nobundo, immediately found their link to the Light had been broken.Unbroken These draenei have since mutated into lesser forms, resulting in a series of subspecies.
During the invasion of Draenor, the scattered and desperate draenei saw Alliance forces drive back the Horde and destroy the Dark Portal. These acts gave the draenei hope, and they began plans to send some of their people on a diplomatic mission, preluding their move to Azeroth decades later.The Burning Crusade Flash site#Draenei
===Escape from Outland===
One group of Lost Ones battling the fel orcs were led by Akama, Elder Sage of the draenei, and were slowly losing. Cursed orcs under the command of Magtheridon, a terrible lord whose Black Temple lied to the west, hunted the draenei to the brink of extinction. With the help of Illidan and Kael'thas the draenei hoped to turn the balance in their favor and rid themselves of the fel orcs once and for all. With Illidan's help, they fought back to retake their ancestral lands and hoped that they would end their curse forever.Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
After coming to Draenor, the blood elves discovered the power of Tempest Keep and successfully seized it. To escape, the draenei came out of hiding and managed to wrestle control of a wing of the keep, The Exodar, and tried to use it to flee and find aid in retaking their home. Before they could, however, the blood elves managed to sabotage what is essentially the "engine" of the draenei's transdimensional travel. The remainder of the Keep lies in Outland in Netherstorm and is now the home of Prince Kael'thas.
===Arrival on Azeroth===
When the draenei tried to planeshift, their sabotaged engine went haywire, and The Exodar ended up hurtling out of control through the Twisting Nether until it crash-landed on a chain of islands, the Azuremyst Isles, off the western coast of Kalimdor. Their arrival on Azeroth wasn't pretty — they ended up tearing up the landscape over on Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isle. While they were of course concerned about their fellow survivors,Rescue the Survivors! they were just as concerned with what they'd done to the land and the creatures on it.Inoculation As the surviving draenei salvaged what they could of their ship and tried to help what was left of their people, they began exploring this new world. Eventually, they came to discover that Kael'thas's blood elves (known as the Sunfury) had followed them to Azeroth to murder them,Blood Elf Plans (quest) enslave O'ros,Matis the Cruel (quest) and steal the Exodar.Traitor's Communication After fending off the blood elven incursions,Blood Elf SpyThe Blood Elves the draenei rescued an injured night elf priestess who thought the draenei to be their demonic eredar kin.An Alternative Alternative Inspired by heroic tales of the Alliance and its victories against the Burning Legion, the draenei sought out and pledged their loyalty to this courageous faction.Draenei (playable) Prophet Velen had long foreseen the friendship the draenei would have with the noble Alliance and his prophecy came to fruition when his people made the first contact with the residents of Odesyus' Landing.The Prophecy of VelenA Small Start Together, they uncovered a conspiracy to harm the Alliance and the draenei involving the Sunfury, the Venture Company, and their traitorous agents: Engineer "Spark" OvergrindTree's CompanyShow Gnomercy and Sironas.What We Don't Know... After further investigation, it is discovered that the traitor eredar Sironas (who has been hiding among the draenei populace) has been leading a group of blood elves called the Sunhawks in abducting draenei survivors, torturing themGalaen's Journal until they willingly desire to become man'ari eredar, and also opening Sun Gates to prime Kalimdor for a blood elven invasion.Audience with the Prophet
After securing Blood Watch, the draenei of the Exodar recognized they would require allies and resources to fend off future threats. Jaina Proudmoore readily offered her help to the draenei,Rise of the Horde, epilogue and Anchorite Paetheus sent draenei adventurers to Auberdine, the closest Alliance settlement, to propose cooperation in the fight against their common foes.Newfound AlliesThe Way to Auberdine They have also sent Emissary Valustraa to Darnassus and Emissary Taluun to Stormwind City to maintain diplomatic ties with their new allies and direct their adventurers to support their allies in their troubled lands. Eventually, the Alliance destroyed the Sun GateThe Sun Gate and defeated Sironas and her Sunhawks; which consequently prevented Prince Kael'thas from invading Kalimdor and corrupting the draenei into demons.Ending Their World
Not long afterward, Velen and his noble refugees played a key role in urging the Alliance to invade Outland and disrupt the Legion's nefarious activities. Armed with their unshakable faith in the Light, the draenei ventured to their embattled former home as steadfast members of the Alliance and defeated their ancient demonic rivals. The return to Outland offered many draenei a chance to reconnect with their brethren who had been left behind. Among those who remained behind, the Omenai decided to stay at the Temple of Telhamat in order to reestablish a presence at their holy places across the broken world. Their leader Amaan the Wise notably sent the adventurers to the Pools of Aggonar, in order to cleanse it of the demons that infected these waters once sacred to the draenei.The Pools of AggonarCleansing the Waters After their success, Amaan announced that they could finally begin their work to restore the pools to their former purity.Cleansing the Waters
In Shattrath City, a small remnant of the draenei priesthood still conducted its rites in a ruined temple. This remnant, known as the Aldor, were more than happy to see the naaru A'dal, and with their combined efforts, Shattrath began to truly flourish for the first time in years. Unfortunately, the tentative peace was not to last — Illidan's armies began to attack, including a large regiment of blood elves. These blood elves, led by Voren'thal, were sent to lay waste to the city when something unexpected happened: The blood elves lay down their weapons, and Voren'thal stormed into the Terrace of Light, demanding to speak to A'dal. Kneeling before the naaru, Voren'thal simply said: "I've seen you in a vision, naaru. My race's only hope for survival lies with you. My followers and I are here to serve you." Voren'thal took up residence along with his followers, forming the Scryers faction.
Meanwhile, the blood elves of Silvermoon had been siphoning the Light from a naaru named M'uru that had been given to them by Prince Kael'thas, using its energies to form an order of Blood Knights that bore the same powers as paladins. Kael'thas Sunstrider, unhappy with Illidan's lack of progress, decided to move a step up on the food chain and ally himself with the Burning Legion — specifically Kil'jaeden. So Kael'thas took M'uru from the blood elves and fled to the Sunwell, intent on bringing Kil'jaeden to Azeroth. The Aldor and Scryers immediately dropped their petty bickering and differences and threw themselves into the creation of the Shattered Sun Offensive at the behest of the naaru. This is where the line blurs even further between the two races — both worked together, as one, to take back the Isle of Quel'danas, and both encouraged Alliance and Horde to work together. And it was by working together that the Shattered Sun Offensive succeeded in retaking the Isle and to prevent Kil'jaeden's return. M'uru, who had become a darkened naaru and perished, however, Velen appeared shortly thereafter and uses the naaru M'uru's "spark" to reignite the Sunwell, returning the blood elves' "fount of power."
While some of Velen's race chose to rebuild their society in the shattered land, the majority of draenei remained on Azeroth, vowing to uphold their commitment to the Alliance.Races in World of Warcraft (archived page)
===Wrath of the Lich King===
During the war against the Lich King, a few draenei could be found in Northrend. Vindicator Yaala and Harbinger Vurenn investigate the mysterious Cult of the Damned in Borean Tundra, who have stowed away to Northrend on an Alliance ship.Further Investigation Thoralius the Wise helped the adventurers with a vision in Howling Fjord.Into the World of Spirits Vindicator Maraad was traveling aboard the Skybreaker in Icecrown. They also made a presence at the Argent Tournament later on. The sudden absence of the draenei was explained in Borean Tundra, where draenei that have traveled to Northrend were told they were not needed in the north, due to the meddling of the Cult of the Damned.Enemies of the Light
===Prophet's Lesson===
With Prophet Velen in deep contemplation on the eve of the Cataclysm, the Hand of Argus' leaders returned to the Exodar in an effort to reconnect with their brethren on Azeroth, and convened to discuss their people's future on Azeroth in light of the Exodar's repair. Vindicator Maraad came before them, and was outspoken with his opinion: that the draenei should leave to rebuild their second home on Outland and assist the Lost Ones remaining behind. The Triumvirate of the Hand agreed, and it was decided that unless Velen ordered otherwise, within a week the Exodar would take flight for old Draenor.
Tensions were raised by the presence of Alliance refugees from across the ocean, who had come to Azuremyst to seek Velen - whom they saw as a mighty deity - and the draenei's protection. However, violence broke out when the increasingly paranoid refugees began slurring the vindicators as "demons" and became belligerent. Unsurprisingly, the battle was one-sided in the angered vindicators' favor, leaving the humans broken and dispersed. Following the conflict, Velen himself emerged to quell the unrest, and peace was restored. It was then decided that the draenei would remain on Azeroth to combat the incoming threat.
===Cataclysm===
Sometime after the reopening of the Dark Portal, Anchorite Avuun traveled to the Harborage eager to learn all that he can from Magtoor and the Lost Ones of the Swamp of Sorrows. Avuun has faith that there is a way to bring the Lost Ones back from the brink and find a way to cure the fel energies that have consumed them.Anchorite Avuun#Quotes He worked for years to try to cure the affliction of the Broken. The foul energies that corrupted them did more than twist their bodies - it took the comfort of the Light from them so they cannot feel its warmth.Prayerblossom (Alliance) Avuun was also eager to help Magtoor who became ill and grew weaker every second. Avuun desperately sought a remedy to cure Magtoor but despaired when his remedy failed. As Magtoor began to pass away, Avuun pondered why the Light forsook the innocent. A portal from the Exodar opened and Prophet Velen stepped through. Velen explained that the Light wishes suffering on none, but it does not reign unopposed in their realm. As Magtoor had embraced his plight bravely he was ready to return to the embrace of the Light. In his final moments, Velen performed an unction on Magtoor as he passed away.Remember the Light
At some point prior to the Cataclysm, a number of draenei led by Ambassador Rualeth moved into the Hinterlands. While some of them are seen in the Aerie Peak, others settled with the Highvale high elves of Quel'Danil Lodge to train in the ways of the Light and enjoy the peaceful beauty of the region.Quel'Danil Lodge (quest) As part of the Forsaken offensive in all the continent, the lodge came under attack. With the help of adventurers, the elves and the draenei settlers were able to repel the invaders.In Defense of Quel'Danil The Highvale documents were also retrieved from the chaos by Alliance adventurers and safely delivered to Anchorite Traska.The Highvale Documents
===Warlords of Draenor===
During the war in Draenor, the draenei from an alternate timeline were a major Alliance force in theur battle against the Iron Horde , which took place in the of past Draenor, roughly 35 years in the past. The Iron Horde onslaught threatened draenei cities such as and and the cornered draenei aligned themselves with the Alliance expedition from Azeroth in order to stop the advancing orcish armies.
Maraad also made his return as one of the key characters of the Alliance forces in .
===Legion===
After the disastrous Battle for the Broken Shore, many of Azeroth's greatest defending factions such as the Alliance, Horde, and the Argent Crusade were diminished from their defeat by the Burning Legion. Fortunately, class orders have emerged to take up the fight against the Burning Legion and have rallied together to form the Armies of Legionfall. Prophet Velen became a prominent leader of the Armies of Legionfall and under his guidance, the Armies of Legionfall orchestrated some impressive victories against the Legion during their Assault on Broken Shore. While the Armies of Legionfall were preoccupied with the Broken Shore campaign, the prime naaru, Xe'ra, sent her Light's Heart to transmit an urgent message to the defenders of Azeroth. Khadgar and his class order leaders secured Light's Heart and traveled to the Exodar to get the naaru O'ros to unlock the message. Unfortunately, a Burning Legion army under the command of Velen's corrupted son, High General Rakeesh, assaulted the Exodar and destroyed O'ros. The draenei and the Legionfall champions fended off the Legion incursion and were forced to slay Rakeesh, much to Velen's sorrow. Still, this trespass by the Legion has solidified Velen's resolve to strike back against the Burning Legion.
The Armies of Legionfall were able to unlock Xe'ra's message of Illidan Stormrage being a foretold person of importance in the Legion's defeat, and worked to revive the fallen demon hunter. After which, Illidan, Khadgar, and Velen led an army of Legionfall champions against the Legion's forces in the Tomb of Sargeras in order to sever the Legion's connection to Azeroth. The Armies of Legionfall managed to defeat the Legion forces at Sargeras's tomb and dissipate the Felstorm, but Velen was not satisfied with the strategic victory and pursued Kil'jaeden to his command ship. The Legionfall champions followed suit, resulting in Velen and the Legionfall champions slaying Kil'jaeden and ending his evil once and for all. The Legionfall champions returned to Azeroth to celebrate the blow dealt to the Legion. Yet Khadgar was dismayed that Illidan had forced their hands into immediately following up their victory with an invasion of the Legion's homeworld, Argus since Illidan had left a rift from Azeroth to Argus open. 
After the Burning Legion's attack on the Exodar, the draenei have been hard at work preparing to return to Argus. The draenei had completed the construction of the Vindicaar, a ship to transport the heroes of Azeroth to invade the Legion's homeworld.The Hand of Fate The draenei has issued a call to arms to all of Azeroth to support the counter-offensive, and the Armies of Legionfall, the Alliance, and the Horde have answered their call. The draenei then spearheaded the Argus Campaign, and together with the Vindicaar's forces, they reunited with their long lost kin: the Lightforged draenei of the Army of the Light and the abandoned draenei who became the krokul of the Argussian Reach. These disparate factions eventually rallied to form a resistance against the Burning Legion in Argus. Ultimately, the Vindicaar's forces launched an attack on the Legion's capital, Antorus, in order to free the Pantheon and Argus's world-soul from the Burning Legion's subversion. The Pantheon was eventually freed and the Vindicaar's champions slew Argus the Unmaker, the dark titan created from Argus's world-soul. With Argus's world-soul destroyed, the Legion's armies could no longer regenerate their fallen and were thus broken. The Pantheon then imprisoned Sargeras in the Seat of the Pantheon, thus ending his Burning Crusade. The draenei returned to Azeroth along with the rest of Azeroth's defenders and celebrated their costly victory. It was revealed, however, that the Argus Campaign had diminished the draenei greatly.Elegy, pg. 51
===Battle for Azeroth===
When :Azerite elicited a worldwide war between the Alliance and the Horde, the draenei were called once again to defend the Alliance. While the draenei of Azeroth supported the Alliance in the Fourth War, the draenei from have been busy consolidating the religion of the Light's influence in their timeline. Emboldened by High Exarch Yrel's visions, the alternate draenei began a crusade to convert all of alternate Draeneor's population to the Light — by force if necessary.Sermon of the High Exarch Yrel has amassed a group of fanatical Light believers called the Lightbound, and though they have gained major progress in stamping out resistance to their doctrines, some of the Mag'har Clans have managed to elude them.Tyranny of the Light
After the Burning of Teldrassil, some of the night elf survivors were evacuated to Azuremyst Isle,Teldrassil Evacuation (Horde) under the protection of the draenei.
==Culture==
:By their very being, the draenei lend their inner strength to their allies.Tomadae the Magnificent in the TCG
The draenei culture is centered around two things: the Light and magic. The first is the result of their unique relationship with the naaru, while the second is the path that the eredar have always followed. As a result, draenei usually choose religious professions, such as priests or paladins, or magical ones, such as the mage. Some draenei such as the Auchenai have even mastered the art of talking to the dead. A few have started to follow the path of the shaman under the guidance of Farseer Nobundo, although for some draenei, the shamanistic teachings of the Broken were considered as heretical and a blasphemy against the Light.Draenei Artificer#QuotesFarseer Nobundo#The Exodar
As a people, the draenei have devoted themselves to preparing for the day when they will join the Army of the Light, when they will finally take the fight back to the Burning Legion and atone for the sins of their man'ari brethren. In spite of this overarching goal, the draenei still lead personal lives and pursue their own interests, just as other races do.
As far as interracial relations go, the draenei still distrust or in some cases hate the orcs after having lost so many of their kind when the orcs turned on them. Certain characteristics of modern orcs, such as their still-green skin and the fact that some still practice warlock magic (though their new allies, the humans and the gnomes, are also guilty of this), as well as personal grudges on both sides, make the road to forgiveness difficult, regardless of whatever peace initiatives Velen or Thrall are willing to launch. Nevertheless, there are still cases of acceptance between the two; for instance, the Horde-aligned Earthen Ring has accepted draenei and Broken shamans to heal Outland. The draenei are also coming to loathe the blood elves, due to the unprovoked assault on Tempest Keep by the blood elves under Kael'thas and their new methods of feeding their magical addiction. They do see that not all blood elves serve Kael'thas and even Velen himself has forebodingly told of the redemption of the elven race in the Sunwell Plateau epilogue. As with any other races though, there are people among them that have strong opinions and beliefs based on first impressions: Despite the help offered by the Scryers and naaru's acceptance of them the Aldor are in strict competition with them, going so far as not to associate at all with those who have chosen to side with the Scryers.
Early overtures of friendship with the Alliance had been met with varying degrees of success. Many of the Alliance races have trouble distinguishing the draenei from the man'ari eredar who nearly brought about their destruction. The night elves in particular have twice suffered heavily at the hands of Archimonde. However, the draenei are quickly being accepted by most races, and ambassadors from the Exodar have been welcomed into the Alliance's halls of power — even those of the night elves, where a draenei emissary stands at the right of Tyrande herself.
There could be no worse insult than to remind the draenei of their kinship to the eredar of the Legion.
Draenei do not often have children because they are so long-lived.Rise of the Horde, pg. 76 (ebook) Draenei children on are taught to keep a wide berth of shallow waters due to riverbeasts.Beasts of the Savage Lands — Shadowmoon Valley
The draenei favor graceful crystalline weapons and sculptured armor.The Art of World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor, pg. 139
The draenei do not mistreat or beat their prisoners, even during interrogation. However, they can call on the Broken, as these latter have no issues with violence.Interrogator Khan#Quotes
The draenei built Auchindoun to protect and shield the souls of their dead from their eternal enemies: the Burning Legion, who hunger eternally for draenei spirits.Auchindoun (alternate universe)#Adventure Guide
===Faith===
The draenei society is centered around the Holy Light of Creation.The Burning Crusade Townhall: FAQ - Races
They were introduced to the Light by the naaru while sailing across the cosmos aboard Oshu'gun. Fleeing from the Burning Legion that consumed their original home, Argus, the enigmatic holy beings taught them the ways of the Light, though they already had a certain experience with it through Velen and T'uure. The naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion, and that one day the naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable Army of the Light,The Burning Crusade Bestiary a grand Light-based coalition of all manner of races and one of Prophet Velen's ultimate goals.Prophet's Lesson
The naaru blessed the draenei with Light-given knowledge and power, bestowed a blessing named the Gift of the Naaru upon them to signify their new connection to the Light. Thus, the Prophet's sigil being visible at all times. And to this day, the power of the Light is embedded in the draenei so deeply that all of them can call upon their gift, using its power to heal themselves and others.Rescue the Survivors!
Deeply affected by the naaru's words, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals.
As a result, unlike the humans and dwarves, or other races, whose knowledge of the Light is tied mainly to religious sects, and the blood elves, who usually channel their powers through the Sunwell, the draenei have a more direct link to it through their relationship with the naaru.The Burning Crusade Townhall: FAQ - Races Lightforged draenei for example, infuse their bodies with the essence of the Light.A Thousand Years of War Thus, the draenei serve the Light as either a Vindicator,Unbroken or an Anchorite,The Cleansing Must Be Stopped the most common profession choices for the draenei.
In fact, unlike other Alliance races with the Church of the Holy Light, draenei has their own religious institutions centered on the worship of the Holy Light and their own holy places of worship, such as chapels and temples,Vindicators' SanctumTemple of Sha'naar although some of them may be present in the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind City alongside other priests.Before the Storm, chapter 8 Among them, they have explicit priesthood such as the Omenai, a religious order of draenei at the Temple of Telhamat who remained on Outland to reestablish a presence at their holy places.The Temple of Telhamat There is also the Aldor, an ancient order of draenei priests and priestesses once led by Velen,World of Warcraft Community Site - Retrieved calling themselves the "keepers of the Light" and in charge with the safeguarding of the draenei holy sites and altars.Restoring the Light The Hand of Argus is also present in their society, as an organization of draenei paladins and vindicators that serve as the primary military and police force of the Exodar. The Light's Chosen are an elite order of draenei paladins commanded by Prophet Velen.
While worshiping the Holy Light as a concept, the draenei still do recognize individual naaru for their religious blessings. They used to leave bowls of sweet fruits as offerings for the naaru in the Temple of Karabor,Rise of the Horde, chapter 18 with pilgrims being guided on their long path by various shrines alongside the roads to Shadowmoon Valley.
===Technology===
The draenei have learned to shape crystals for all kinds of purposes ranging from power containment to data storage.Annals of Aruuna The purple crystals often associated with draenei that decorate their buildings, weapons, and armor are known as arkonite crystals and are used to power everyday draenei society.Arkonite Crystal, We Must Construct Additional Pylons On Draenor, arkonite pylons were used to generate power for the tombs outside Auchindoun, though they were sometimes repurposed to power small towns in emergencies.Arkonite Pylon Arkonite is a powerful source of arcane energy.Vindicator Doruu Before Draenor's destruction, it was primarily mined across Talador with additional mines in and Tanaan Jungle. The draenei at the Temple of Sha'naar would often mine the mountains of Tanaan for perfect crystals to power their arcane devicesDisarming Sha'naar (Alliance) and channel their magics.Disarming Sha'naar (Horde) Luminescent Heartglobes are installed atop poles by draenei civil engineers to provide well-lit paths and common areas.Luminescent Heartglobe
The engineers of the draenei are known as the Artificers, and on Draenor were led by Exarch Hataaru. The Artificers excelled in working with arkonite crystals. However, the technology available now is only a shadow of what the draenei had on Argus.
The souls of the greatest warriors of the draenei may be called upon for one final service as they stand on the precipice of the afterlife: inhabiting one of the armored vigilants that serve as the eternal protectors of and the draenei civilization on Draenor.Adventure Guide entry for Vigilant Kaathar
Contrary to popular belief, the dimensional ships used by the draenei, such as Tempest Keep and its satellites, were not created by the draenei themselves. They are actually an example of naaru technology.
===Mounts===
Draenei mainly use Draenic elekk as mounts. Patient and strong, the creatures exemplify the draenei attitude towards the hardships of life.Mount Journal entry for Brown Elekk, Gray Elekk and Purple Elekk Some legends say the draenei first befriended the elekk after one of the beasts saved an injured scout from a pack of vicious podlings.Mount Journal entry for Shadowhide Pearltusk The draenei perfected elekk husbandry long ago, adorning the creatures with Light-infused crystals to make them more docile.Mount Journal entry for Trained Meadowstomper :Exodar Elekk are elekk which have been anointed by O'ros, the naaru who journeyed from Draenor to Azeroth with Velen and his followers.Mount Journal entry for Exodar Elekk
In addition to elekk, many draenei on have been shown to ride enormous faerie dragons, and Azerothian draenei commonly use hippogryphs to travel quickly through the air.
The draenei have long relied on the swift breezestrider, the swiftest of all talbuk breeds, to relay messengers and their missives safely to their destinations.Mount Journal entry for Swift Breezestrider
===Cuisine===
All draenei settlements make excellent cheese, but only the -Aruuna farming region of Talador can lay claim to the original recipe.Telmor-Aruuna Hard Cheese
Talbuks are the favored food of the draenei.http://web.archive.org/web/20101107212050/http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/basics/mounts/special.html#aq
===Language===
Draenei is the name of the official language used by all types of draenei from Outland or Azeroth,Micky Neilson on Twitter: "Not sure if Eredun is cursed but Draenei officially speak "Draenei."" including Broken, Lost Ones and uncorrupted draenei. It is likely most of the language is derived from the original dialect of Eredun. In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, they also speak Common. Many high-ranking draenei who have been in contact with orcs before their corruption also know Orcish. Before the slaughter of the draenei on Draenor, there were orcs who learned Draenei to facilitate trade between the two races;Legends Volume 2, Family Values the reverse could also be plausible.
Innkeepers are called "caregivers".
===Surnames===
Only a few draenei are known to have a surname, those that do includes:
==Government==
Though the draenei rely on the Prophet Velen's leadership and guidance, the administration of the Exiled Ones' society on Draenor was run by the Council of Exarchs. This body, called the "Hand of the Prophet", was formed by the heads of various fields of draenei society and they voted on bureaucratic matters. The Exarch Council consisted of:
* Sha'tari Proconsul, representing Shattrath City
* Rangari Prime, representing the rangari
* Chief Artificer, representing the artificers
* High Vindicator, representing the vindicators
* Speaker for the Dead, representing the Auchenai
Following the destruction of Draenor and collapse of draenei society, the Exarch Council appears to have become obsolete. The Triumvirate of the Hand may be some form of replacement for it to at least some extent.
The draenei of were also ruled by prelate administrators.
==Factions==
*The Exodar: The Exodar is the capital of the draenei in Azeroth, made up of the draenei who followed their Prophet, Velen. Velen led a raid on the naaru fortress of Tempest Keep and stole the Exodar, one of its satellite structures, from Kael'thas Sunstrider. The Exodar draenei joined the Alliance because of their common faith in Light and because they have little love for two of the Horde's races - orcs (primarily because of their genocidal campaigns in the past) and blood elves.
*The Hand of Argus: The Hand of Argus is an organization of draenei paladin that centered at the Blood Watch in the Bloodmyst Isle. It is led by a Triumvirate of the Hand that consists of the Vindicators Boros, Kuros, and Aesom.
**The Defenders of Blood Watch: The Defenders of Blood Watch are a sub-group of the Hand of Argus, they are stationed at Blood Watch in Bloodmyst Isle to defend the region. They are led by Knight-Defender Zunade.
*The Sha'tar: "Sha'tar" - "born from light" - is usually used to refer to the naaru masters of Shattrath City. However, the majority of their military are draenei. In addition to standing guard in Shattrath, there is a Sha'tari Base Camp near Auchindoun, where the soldiers of the Sha'tar battle against the demonic and undead forces of the Bone Wastes. Their leader is the naaru A'dal.
**The Aldor: The Aldor is an order of draenei priests that were acolytes of the Prophet Velen. They survived the destruction of Shattrath City and remained in hiding until the arrival of A'dal. They are now led by the High Priestess Ishanah and reside at the Aldor Rise, where they serve the naaru. They're at odds with the Scryers, a group of blood elf defectors from armies of Prince Kael'thas, due to their origins, and compete with them for the favor of the naaru.
**The Sha'tari Skyguard: The Sha'tari Skyguard is an air wing of the Sha'tar of Shattrath City, defending the capital from attackers in the hills. Their leaders are Sky Commander Adaris and Sky Commander Keller.
*The Light's Chosen: The Light's Chosen are an elite order of draenei paladins. The exact nature of the order and the extent of its membership is unclear, however, they likely serve as personal agents to the Prophet in his quest to preserve the Light.
*The Omenai: The Omenai are a draenei religious order in Temple of Telhamat in Hellfire Peninsula. They are led by Amaan the Wise.
*The Auchenai: The Auchenai are the only known group of "evil" unmutated draenei. Known also as death-priests, the Auchenai appear to have been corrupted by the void energies of the dead naaru D'ore and practice necromancy and warlock magics. They were led by Exarch Maladaar. However, some Auchenai Ballistae were present at the Battle for Lordaeron, indicating that part of the organization still exists as part of Azeroth's draenei society.
Alternate Draenor:
*The Council of Exarchs: During their time on Draenor, the draenei were led by the Council of Exarchs: five Exarchs who ran their society under Velen. They were based in Elodor in Shadowmoon Valley; today all that remains on Outland is the Altar of Sha'tar. There was an Exarch for the Rangari, Sha'tari (the people of Shattrath City, not to be confused with the Sha'tar), Auchenai, Artificers, and Vindicators.
**The Rangari: The Rangari was an organization of draenei scouts that existed before Draenor's destruction. They were gathering intelligence and explored the world in order to gain advantage of their surroundings and eventually, use the land's resources against their enemies. Their leader is Exarch Naielle.
**The Sha'tari Defense: The Sha'tari Defense are the defenders of Shattrath. Their leader is ostensibly Exarch Akama following the betrayal of Exarch Othaar.
**: The Auchenai are the guardians of the dead draenei and their spirits in , unlike the main universe, they have not turned from their holy purpose and still follow the Light. Their leader is .
**The Artificers: The Artificers are the engineers of draenei society. They use magic crystals mined across Draenor, and also likely managed the dimensional ships used by the draenei. Mages seem to be part of the Artificers. Their leader was Exarch Hataaru.
**The Vindicators: The Vindicators are the defenders of draenei society. Their leader is Exarch Akama.
**The Hand of the Prophet: The Hand of the Prophet is the main Alliance force establish in Tanaan Jungle. They are led by Yrel who assembled the remaining Exarchs and called for a crusade in 's name, in order to overthrow .
*The Lightbound: The Lightbound are an army of draenei, Mag'har orcs, and ogres in service of the naaru. They waged war against the unified orc clans known as the for the safety of Draenor. Their leader is High Exarch Yrel.
==Appearance==
Draenei are bipedal ungulates, whose females are on average 7'1" tall while males tend to reach 7'5" in height.Height#Playable races Their skin tone is generally blue but can range from whiteRise of the Horde, ?? to dark violet. Their blood is also blue.Rise of the Horde, pg. 136 Draenei possess hooves and a tail, which tends to be thinner on females and which can be reinforced with plates on males. Tail lengths vary in both males and females though they are often on the longer side. They can also have horns or forehead plates on their heads. While males have tendrils growing out from their chin and neck, female tendrils are thinner and grow from behind their ears. According to Beezil Linkspanner, draenei females are obsessed with the way their horns look and find ways to reduce "horn shedding or something".Forever Young Some artwork depicts them with fangs.http://sonsofthestorm.com/viewer.php?artist=thammer&cat=warcraft&art=16 In-game, draenei can choose from a diverse selection of hair colors including gray, white, dark blue, brown, green, and purple.
Their eyes glow many shades of blue or purple. Lightforged draenei eyes glow yellow. When draenei die, the glow fades away.The Battle for Shattrath Draenei also bear the Gift of the Naaru, a blessing bestowed by the naaru upon all draenei which manifests in the form of a glowing blue or yellow rune on their forehead. All draenei can tap into this gift to heal themselves or injured allies.Rescue the Survivors! Playable Lightforged draenei have several runes they can choose from, all of which are golden. 
==Notable draenei==
;Main universe
Name	Role 	Affiliation 	Status	Location
 	Leader of the draenei and the Light's Chosen, Prophet of the Naaru.	Exodar, Light's Chosen, Alliance, Conclave 	 	Various Locations
 	Elder Sage and chieftain of the Ashtongue Broken. 	Ashtongue tribe, Illidari 	 	Various Locations
 	Grand Artificer of the draenei on Azeroth. 	Artificer, Exodar, Alliance 	 	Various Locations
 	First of the Triumvirate of the Hand, Champion of the Silver Hand. 	Hand of Argus, Exodar, Silver Hand, Alliance 	 	Various Locations
 	Former wielder of :T'uure, Beacon of the Naaru. 	Unknown 	 	Unknown
 	Priestess who aided Kalecgos and Krasus in defeating Dargonax. 	Alliance 	 	Buried in Outland
 	Seer and leader of the Omenai. 	Omenai, Exodar 	 	Temple of Telhamat, Hellfire Peninsula
 	High Priestess of the Aldor, Champion of the Conclave. 	Aldor, Sha'tar, Alliance, Conclave 	 	Various Locations
 	Exarch and leader of the Auchenai in Outland. 	Auchenai (formerly in the Council of Exarchs)	 	Crypt of Remembrance, Auchenai Crypts
 	Uncle of Garona Halforcen and vindicator of the Hand of Argus. 	Hand of Argus, Valiance Expedition, Alliance 	 	Various Locations
 	First of the draenei shaman, Champion of the Earthen Ring. 	Exodar, Alliance, Earthen Ring 	 	Various Locations
;Alternate universe
Name	Role 	Affiliation 	Status	Location
 	Leader of the draenei, ruler of Karabor and Prophet of the Naaru. 	Council of Exarchs, Hand of the Prophet, Alliance 	 	Karabor,
 	Exarch and High Vindicator in the Council of Exarchs. 	Vindicators, Council of Exarchs 	 	Various Locations
 	Exarch and Chief Artificer in the Council of Exarchs. 	Artificers, Council of Exarchs 	 	Elodor Fields,
 	Exarch and in the Council of Exarchs. 	, Council of Exarchs 	 	Various Locations
 	Exarch and Rangari Prime in the Council of Exarchs. 	Rangari, Council of Exarchs 	 	Various Locations
 	Leader of the Sargerei, former in the Council of Exarchs. 	Sargerei, , Burning Legion 	 	Various Locations
 	High Exarch of the Lightbound, formerly exarch in the Council of Exarchs.	Lightbound, Council of Exarchs, Hand of the Prophet	 	Various Locations
==Sub-species==
* — Draenei who have been mutated and cut off from the Holy Light as a result of the red mist unleashed upon Shattrath City by the Old Horde.
* — Draenei who have mutated and devolved even further, becoming primitive and highly aggressive. Most are found in Outland (primarily in Zangarmarsh and Nagrand), though one group also made their way to the Swamp of Sorrows.
==Designing the draenei==
The developers had serious villains like Archimonde and Kil'jaeden from the race called the eredar — big giant demons leading the Burning Legion. As the developers were searching for a new Alliance race, the eredar concept led to a decision that it would be great to have a lawful good version of them. One of the difficulties with the draenei was that they couldn't summarize them in one informative speech.Burning Crusade Behind The Scenes - The Draenei The draenei were much harder to design than worgen because it was harder to define what kind of race they were. Everyone understood the worgen were supposed to have an Eastern European Gothic look. Interview with Game Producer Jason Hutchins and Gary Platner, Lead Environment Artist With the draenei, they wanted to create a very heroic theme for them leading to the "-poses" the draenei model has today. The draenei's poses and animation sets were particularly influenced by ' renditions of Superman in the comic series and .The Comic Volume 1, pg. 3 - 4 — Chasing Thunder: A foreword by Chris Metzen When creating the draenei, the developers wanted them to be very "otherworldly" with their blue skin, interesting proportions, height, horns, and the runes on their head. They also decided very early during the designing process that the draenei theme would be defined by crystals. A lot of crystal energy and crystal-related architecture was added to their concept. Even their armor, clothes, items, and weapons have those crystals on them to make a connection between the items you get and the race those items are from.
The addition of the draenei as a playable race and their backstory in relation to the eredar led to a lot of controversy since their history contradicted Sargeras' downfall as described in the Warcraft III manual. The inclusion of certain sci-fi elements into the setting also led to concerns.
Chris Metzen replied: "The obvious lore contradiction with Sargeras and his encounter with the eredar was clearly documented in the Warcraft III manual. I wrote those bits about four years ago, and to be totally honest, I simply forgot. [...] At this point, even though the NEW lore directly counters the Warcraft III manual, we're still going to run with it. There are a lot of reasons for this, not the least of which is that I think it's far stronger than what I crafted back in the day. The eredar were not necessarily all evil. Sargeras did come to them and tempt them with power. They did NOT make Sargeras crazy. This gives the eredar more dimensionality and roots the draenei to a key moment in Burning Legion history. [...] I remember people getting really upset about dwarves with guns, steam-tech, Gnomeregan as a hi-tech city – many people had a hard time rolling with those technologies in a fantasy setting. But I ask you all – can you imagine WoW without those elements now? To be clear, we're not talking about having the Millennium Falcon cruising around the Twisting Nether (I'm certain there would be some legal issues there, to say the least). The draenei ‘nether-ship' you've been hearing about is far more than it seems. It's part of a larger dimension-traveling fortress called Tempest Keep that essentially teleports through alternate realities. It doesn't bank and roll or shoot proton torpedoes (not yet, anyway)."Metzen on lore
In a 2009 interview, then-game director Tom Chilton stated that one of the things Blizzard learned from the draenei is that it's important to seed races in the world and introduce them to players before making them playable. He explained: "It was harder for players to 'get' the draenei thing because they kind of came out of nowhere. They'd been referred to in previous Warcraft games but nobody had really ever seen or dealt with them. So it was a little harder to do, whereas with blood elves it was a lot easier. What we learned from that is we do wherever possible want to seed that potential, even if it's in a small way."
===Timeframe of arrival===
Warcraft II stated that the draenei had been present on Draenor since nearly five thousand years.Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness manual, The History of Orcish Ascension, The Rise of the Shadow Council The TBC flash site said Auchindoun had been used by the draenei for thousands of years,Auchindoun - The Burning Crusade flash site while Ramdor the Mad suggests that the Auchenai have been caring for the dead for 500 odd years.Ezekiel (quest) Rise of the Horde said the draenei arrived on Draenor when Oshu'gun crashed 200 years ago.Rise of the Horde, pg. 203 (ebook): "K'ure was dying, trapped in the very vessel that it had provided when it had crashed into this world two hundred years past." According to Durotan, "... at least ten generations of orcs had lived and died since the draenei had arrived." And "It was over two hundred summers ago that your people came here."Rise of the Horde, chapter 3 In-game, K'ure said they crashed "many hundreds of years ago"When Spirits Speak and D'ore said it was "nearly a thousand years" ago.Auchindoun... Beyond the Dark Portal described Auchindoun as well over a hundred summers old.Beyond the Dark Portal, pg. 370 (ebook): "Auchindoun had been well over a hundred summers old when Ner'zhul himself had been only a baby." Following the announcement of Warlords of Draenor in 2013, Dave Kosak clarified that Blizzard will be moving forward with the 200-300 year timeframe of Oshu'gun's crash.Dave Kosak on Twitter (2013-12-11) confirms that the draenei arrived on Draenor 200 years before the Dark Portal.
==In the RPG==
The draenei lived alongside orcs for countless generations on the planet Draenor. When that world exploded and crumbled into what is now known as Outland, most of the draenei perished. A few managed to survive the cataclysm, however. When the Dark Portal was reopened into Azeroth, a small number of draenei traveled through, scarred by the ordeal of their world's destruction. These ragged wretches now call themselves the "Lost Ones," in mourning of their former world. Though otherwise a peaceful, private race, the draenei carry an intense hatred for all orcs and will slay them whenever the opportunity arises. Their home on Azeroth lies within the Swamp of Sorrows, though some have begun to travel beyond the Swamp's borders in recent times. Scattered tribes of draenei are rumored to wander still the devastated fields of Outland, the last remnants of Draenor that still float within the Twisting Nether.Manual of Monsters, pg. 26
Having lost their home ages ago, the draenei struggle to reclaim their former lives - an impossibility, since their home no longer exists. Still, without the attempt, they would wither and die. Another factor that keeps the draenei alive is revenge against the orcs who once lived among them. They will take any risk to see an orc killed. If they can wipe out the entire race, so much the better. The draenei avoid combat unless the enemy in question is an orc. Then the normally peaceful draenei lash out in a fury, doing everything in their power to destroy their hated enemy. They established a colony in the Swamp of Sorrows called the Fallow Sanctuary. They became vicious draenei and sequester themselves from outsiders, called themselves "lost ones".Lands of Conflict, pg. 58 - 59
==In the TCG==
In the Trading Card Game, draenei have blue eyes, but some have been seen with a glowing purple hue,Vakeron, Official TCG Artwork.TCG Through the Dark Portal/195, Official TCG Artwork.Gladiator Loraala, Official TCG Artwork.Energized (Drums of War), Official TCG Artwork.Elementalist Psyrin, Official TCG Artwork.Loraala (Drums of War), Official TCG Artwork.Nimaasus the Implacable, Official TCG Artwork. and a glowing green.TCG March of the Legion/215, Official TCG Artwork.TCG March of the Legion/214, Official TCG Artwork.Disperse Magic, Official TCG Artwork.Elder Tomas, Official TCG Artwork.The Decapitator (Blood of Gladiators), Official TCG Artwork.Mollie Brightheart, Official TCG Artwork. There's no pattern or correlation between magic types being used and eye color, and both green and purple hues seem to be a naturally occurring eye color.
Some have also been seen with glowing yellow eyes,Essence of Mending, Official TCG Artwork.Xerandaal, Shade Servitor, Official TCG Artwork. with both of these examples being priests. As with some blood elves and humans, this was thought to only occur when channeling powerful Light spells, though a draenei shaman has also been seen with yellow eyes. It's possible it is also related to magic, as he's depicted casting a spell in his artwork.Gladiator Kinivus, Official TCG Artwork. If this is the case, yellow would just be a temporary eye color for normal draenei.
==Notes and trivia==
*Draenei tails are a potent necromantic ingredient when ground finely.Draenei Tail
*The longer tail option that was added for female draenei in Shadowlands existed in the game files since the release of Warlords of Draenor.
**There also exists a longer tailed option for female Lightforged draenei within the files but isn't currently available in-game.https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/868yun/please_give_this_tail_option_to_lf_draenei/ Luckily, Patch 9.1.5 made this option available.
*Draenei borrow from a wide variety of sources, such as , Roman history, Greek motifs, Western Asian, or Eastern European cultural themes.
**They tend to speak with an Eastern European, Indian, or Arabian accent.
**Some of the musical compositions used for the draenei resemble music and feature nigunim.Warlords of Draenor Soundtrack
**Velen's title and role as The Prophet seems inspired by that of or .
**The name "Velen" is near identical in pronunciation to "Belen", which is how is rendered in various Romance languages; likewise many Draenei NPCs have names that are often derivatives of Semitic or South Asian names or words such as the song "Malach" from WoD which may come from the Hebrew word malak meaning "messenger".
**The names of the ships Genedar and Exodar are inspired from the books of and .
**Likewise the fleeing from Argus and later Draenor can both be considered based on .
**The eredar society's Triumvirate may be a reference to the Roman Imperial .
**Given Velen became a sort of religious leader, as well as the fact that Velen and Kil'jaeden were the Second Duumvirate, parallels can be seen with the as one of the members was exiled by the others but allowed to be the , a precursor role to the .
**Much of draenei architecture, especially in alternate Draenor, use that was heavily used for Burning Crusade's aesthetics.
**The way the Temple of Karabor is sacred to the draenei and was a pillar of their religious society, resembles the ancient Hebrew's and religious Jews' relationship to the Temple in Jerusalem or the Muslims' relationship with the Kaaba in Mecca.
**These themes are reinforced with the fact that s are originally from western Asia and eastern Europe, and thus the cultures in those areas are the ones that most heavily depend on and feature goats.
**The use of elephant-like animals for battle is derived from , famously used in India.
**The draenei people's identity as an "exiled people" which are littered with instances of difficulty and struggle is similar to that of the Jewish and Romani diasporas.
==Gallery==
;World of Warcraft
File:Almonen.jpg|Old draenei male model in The Burning Crusade.
File:Jihi.jpg|Old draenei female model in The Burning Crusade.
File:Arred.jpg|Draenei male since Warlords of Draenor.
File:Haferet.jpg|Draenei female since Warlords of Draenor.
File:Model updates - draenei female 1.jpg|Patch 6.0 revamped draenei female model.
File:Model updates - draenei female 2.jpg|
File:Model updates - draenei male 1.jpg|Patch 6.0 revamped draenei male model.
File:Model updates - draenei male 2.jpg|
File:April Fools 2014 - draenei2.jpg|April Fools revamped female model.
File:Duna.jpg|Draenei boy
File:Isel.jpg|Draenei girl
File:VelenPTR.jpg|Velen (old model).
File:VelenWoD.jpg|Velen model from 6.0.
File:Yrel Black Gate.jpg|Yrel
File:Maraad Lunarfall.png|Vindicator Maraad
File:Path of Glory - Close-up.jpg|Path of Glory in Hellfire Peninsula made of bones of the draenei victims of the Old Horde.
File:Draenei banner WoD 2.jpg|Draenei banner
File:Draenei banner WoD.jpg|Alternate draenei banner.
File:Draenei Totem.jpg|Draenei shaman totems models before patch 8.1.
File:Draenei Totem 8.1.jpg|Draenei shaman totems from patch 8.1.
;Cinematic stills / Movie
File:Maraad cinematic 3.jpg|Vindicator Maraad in The Burning Crusade cinematic.
File:Maraad cinematic.jpg|Maraad face in the cinematic intro.
File:BfA cinematic Draenei.jpg|A cinematic still of a draenei from the Battle for Azeroth intro.
File:BfA Alliance.jpg|On the Battle for Azeroth Alliance wallpaper.
File:BtS-Draenei Mother.jpg|Draenei Mother in the Warcraft film.
File:Draenei skulls Warcraft film props.jpg|Draenei skull props for the Warcraft film sold in the Warcraft Auction.
File:Draenei skulls Warcraft film props 2.jpg|Draenei skull props for the Warcraft film sold in the Warcraft Auction.
;Art
File:Uncorrupted draenei.jpg|Artwork of a male draenei by Glenn Rane.
File:Draenie copy.jpg|Artwork of a female draenei by Glenn Rane.
File:DraeneiPaladin.jpg|Male draenei paladin by Glenn Rane.
File:Draenei Female Paladin by Glenn Rane.jpg|Female draenei paladin by Glenn Rane.
File:Draenei Female art.jpg|Draenei female concept art by Wei Wang.
File:Draenei - Wei Wang.jpg|Illustration of a female draenei by Wei Wang.
File:MaraadAndRefugees.jpg|Draenei refugees in Lords of War.
File:Vindicator Nobundounbroken.jpg|Nobundo as a draenei in Unbroken.
File:Yrel Art.jpg|Yrel artwork.
File:Yrel.jpg|Yrel concept artwork by Cole Eastburn.
File:Vindicator Maraad LoW.jpg|Vindicator Maraad artwork.
File:Maraad by Eric Braddock.jpg|Maraad by Eric Braddock.
File:Chronicle2 - Leran and Maraad.jpg|Maraad and Leran in Chronicle.
File:WoW22CoverArtwork.jpg|Maraad on the cover of the comic Whispers.
File:Blood elf vs draenei.jpg|Draenei paladin fighting a blood elf rogue by Wei Wang.
File:Zhenya Chung.jpg|Draenei vindicator fighting orcs by Zhenya Chung.
File:Marta Nael.jpg|Draenei vindicator fighting a tauren by Marta Nael.
File:Draenei Paladin by Bernie Kang.jpg|Draenei paladin concept art by Bernie Kang.
File:Draenei male hair concept.jpg|A male draenei hairstyle concept.
File:Draenei female hair concepts.jpg|Female draenei hairstyle concepts.
File:DraeneiDevolution.jpg|Draenei, Broken, Lost One.
Exodar concept art.jpg|On the Exodar concept art by Jimmy Lo.
File:Draenei Structures concept.jpg|Concept art of draenei structures.
File:Draenei structures concept 2.jpg|More draenei structures.
File:The Bone Wastes art.jpg|Art of Auchindoun and draenei skulls in the Bone Wastes.
File:Small World - Draenei.jpg|Race artwork for Small World of Warcraft by Miguel Coimbra.
;Trading Card Game
File:Akiko the Alert TCG.jpg|Akiko the Alert
File:Anaka the Light's Bulwark TCG.jpg|Anaka the Light's Bulwark
File:Anchorite Viluaa TCG.jpg|Anchorite Viluaa
File:Auryna the Lightsworn TCG.jpg|Auryna the Lightsworn
File:Bakaar TCG.jpg|Bakaar
File:Bulvai of the Watch TCG.jpg|Bulvai of the Watch
File:Defender Nagalaas TCG.jpg|Defender Nagalaas
File:Durzion Champion of A'dal TCG.jpg|Durzion, Champion of A'dal
File:Earthmender Vaaki TCG.jpg|Earthmender Vaaki
File:Enfea Contha TCG.jpg|Enfea Contha
File:Esonea TCG.jpg|Esonea
File:High Priestess Ishanah.jpg|Ishanah, High Priestess of the Aldor
File:Iravar TCG.jpg|Iravar (Fields of Honor)
File:Janvaru the Thunderspeaker.jpg|Janvaru the Thunderspeaker
File:Kinivus the Focused TCG.jpg|Kinivus the Focused
File:Kylanda the Harmonious TCG.jpg|Kylanda the Harmonious
File:LoraalaTheFrigid.jpg|Loraala the Frigid (Naxxramas Treasure)
File:Memri the Channeler TCG.jpg|Memri the Channeler
File:Moala Stonebinder TCG.jpg|Moala Stonebinder
File:Nimaasus.jpg|Nimaasus the Implacable
File:Obora the Wise.jpg|Obora the Wise
File:Orelis.jpg|Exarch Orelis (Servants of the Betrayer)
File:Ozzati TCG.jpg|Ozzati
File:Phadalus the Enlightened TCG.jpg|Phadalus the Enlightened
File:Statia the Preserver TCG.jpg|Statia the Preserver
File:Vakeron.jpg|Vakeron
File:Velen prophet of the naaru.jpg|Velen, Prophet of the Naaru
File:Vindicator Kaldel TCG.jpg|Vindicator Kaldel
File:ZophosTheVengeful.jpg|Zophos the Vengeful
File:Zorin of the Thunderhead TCG.jpg|Zorin of the Thunderhead
File:Heroic Presence.jpg|Heroic Presence
File:Draenei Heroism.jpg|Heroism (Fires of Outland)
File:Rescue the Survivors TCG.jpg|Rescue the Survivors! (Through the Dark Portal)
;Hearthstone
File:High Exarch Yrel HS.jpg|
File:Xyrella, the Devout.jpg|
File:High Abbess Alura HS.jpg|
File:Nalaa the Redeemer.jpg|
File:Stargazer Luna.jpg|
File:Aldor Attendant HS.jpg|
File:Aldor Truthseeker HS.jpg|
File:Battle Vicar HS.jpg|
File:Blackguard HS.jpg|
File:Class Action Lawyer HS.jpg|
File:Cornered Sentry HS.jpg|
File:Corporal HS.jpg|
File:Enthusiastic Banker HS.jpg|
File:Frozen Shadoweaver HS.jpg|
File:Gear Grubber HS.jpg|
File:Guild Recruiter HS.jpg|
File:Selfless Hero HS.jpg|
File:Kirin Tor Tricaster HS.jpg|
File:Mystery Winner HS.jpg|
File:Package Runner HS.jpg|
File:Shieldbreaker HS.jpg|
File:Stonehearth Vindicator HS.jpg|
File:Charged Call HS.jpg|
File:Desperate Measures HS.jpg|
File:Gift of Luminance HS.jpg|
File:Gift of the Naaru HS.jpg|
File:Libram of Wisdom HS.jpg|
File:Power Infusion HS.jpg|
File:Renew HS.jpg|
File:Time Out! HS.jpg|
File:Prophet Velen Mercenaries 2.jpg|Velen in Mercenaries.
File:Prophet Velen Mercenaries 3.jpg|Velen in Mercenaries.
File:Draenei Curse of Naxxramas trailer.jpg|In the expansion trailer.
;Heroes of the Storm
File:Yrel HotS Art.jpg|Yrel character key art.
File:Yrel - Heroes of the Storm.jpg|Yrel's in-game start screen.
File:Mecha Pilot Yrel HotS.png|Mecha Yrel pilot art.
File:Yrel HotS.jpg|, the Light of Hope
File:Yrel HotS Silver Hand.jpg|Silver Hand Yrel
File:Yrel HotS Mad Jester.jpg|Mad Jester Yrel
File:Draenei Executor Artanis HotS.jpg|Draenei Executor 
File:Draenei Executor Royal Artanis HotS.jpg|Draenei Executor Royal Artanis
File:Draenei Executor Darksteel Artanis HotS.jpg|Draenei Executor Darksteel Artanis
;Draenei technology
Draenei Temple concept art.jpg|Architecture.
Shattrath City WoD concept art.jpg|Architecture.
File:Vindicaar empowered.jpg|Empowered Vindicaar
File:Ancient Pylon.jpg|Arkonite defense crystal
File:Arkonite Pylon.jpg|:Arkonite Pylon
File:Emitter Spare Part.jpg|:Emitter Spare Part
File:Talador Draenei Ballistae.jpg|Draenei ballistae
File:Vigilant Quoram.jpg|Vigilant
File:Spirit Tower Talador.jpg|Spirit Tower
File:VaultLightsUpper.jpg|Exodar Holographic Emitter
File:Assault on Drustvar, Purified 1.jpg|Barrier Generator
File:Crystal Shot Longrifle.jpg|Crystal Shot Longrifle
File:Vindicaar Matrix Core.jpg|Vindicaar Matrix Core
File:Light's Judgment.jpg|:Light's Judgment
File:Draenei bunker.jpg|Draenei bunker
File:Lightforged Beacon.jpg|Lightforged beacon
File:Lightforged Battery.jpg|Artillery battery
File:Lightforged Warframe.jpg|Warframe
File:Netherlight Crucible.jpg|Netherlight Crucible
File:Argunite Matrix.jpg|Argunite Matrix
==See also==
*Draenei (Warcraft III)
*Draenei controversy
*Draenei Village
*Vigilant
==References==
 
 
Category:Argus
Category:Outland
Category:Alliance races
Category:Lands of Conflict
Category:Manual of Monsters
es:Draenei
it:Draenei