Linken

Linken is a gnome warrior with a mysterious past. He is a true warrior at heart, and unlike other gnomes has no interest in experiments or gadgets.Linken's Adventure He was originally located at Marshal's Refuge in Un'Goro Crater, and adventurers had to help him recover his lost memories and uncover the reason he'd traveled to the crater.
He disappeared from Un'Goro after the Cataclysm, but reappears in The Protectors of Hyjal and during the Great Gnomeregan Run.
==Biography==
===World of Warcraft===
It's unclear where Linken comes from, but he has mentioned a "homeland" and that he used to embark on travels "A long time ago". A :Faded Photograph depicts him standing with an unknown female gnome in Stormwind's Valley of Heroes.
As the last step in a journey, Linken came to Un'Goro Crater to fight the evil fire elemental Blazerunner and recover the :Golden Flame, a powerful artifact from his homeland. He was supposed to send his training sword to Donova Snowden so she could magically temper itIt's a Secret to Everybody (3) as well as enlist Eridan Bluewind's help in creating a totemLinken's Memory to dispel Blazerunner's protective aura.Silver Heart However, before he could do these things, he somehow crashed his raft in the Marshlands,It's a Secret to Everybody (3) got bumped on the head, and lost all his memories. He wandered the crater until he remembered a piece of advice someone had once given him—"Go up, up the mountain ahead"—and made his way to Marshal's Refuge. J.D. Collie was kind to him when he arrived.A Gnome's Assistance
An adventurer found Linken's wrecked boat and belongings and brought the latter to him at the refuge,It's a Secret to Everybody (2) prompting him to remember that he was supposed to send his sword to Donova. She improved the sword as planned, but in order to finish it, the adventurer would need to speak to Gaeriyan, a ghost in Tanaris. After some efforts, the adventurer got a Videre elixir from Gregan BrewspewerThe Videre Elixir and used it to speak to Gaeriyan,Meet at the Grave who instructed them to empower the sword using a secret gravestone near Gadgetzan.A Grave Situation The adventurer gave the finished sword back to Linken, but he still couldn't remember what he'd needed it for in the first place.Linken's Sword J.D. Collie revealed that when he'd first come to the refuge in a disoriented state, he'd mentioned having to talk to Eridan Bluewind to make a totem.
Eridan wasn't familiar with Linken, but understood the reason he wanted her help. She had the adventurer gather reagents from Felwood and then bring them to Lost Rigger Cove, where they summoned the elemental Aquementas, the only creature who could transform the reagents into a silver totem to fight Blazerunner.Aquementas (quest) The adventurer brought the finished totem back to Linken, causing the rest of his memories to return. However, he decided that after all they'd done, it was the adventurer who was now the hero, not him, and it was up to them to finish the quest and defeat Blazerunner. The adventurer returned with the Golden Flame, which Linken stated would be returned to his homeland. He gave the adventurer a gift as thanks for all their help and declared them the "hero of Un'Goro Crater".
===Later appearances===
Linken disappeared from Un'Goro after the Cataclysm, having presumably returned to his homeland as he said he would.
Linken is one of the companions who can appear during The Protectors of Hyjal to help adventurers fight Ragnaros' forces in Sethria's Roost on Mount Hyjal.
During the Great Gnomeregan Run, Linken is seen outside the Rebel Camp in Northern Stranglethorn, cheering at the race participants.
==Locations==
==Quests==
===Un'Goro Crater===
*It's a Secret to Everybody (2) 
*It's a Secret to Everybody (3) 
*Linken's Sword 
*A Gnome's Assistance 
*Linken's Adventure 
*It's Dangerous to Go Alone 
==Items==
Linken is or was the owner of the following items:
*A Small Pack
**Curled Map Parchment
**Faded Photograph
**Large Compass
**Lion-Headed Key
*Linken's Sword of Mastery (formerly Linken's Training Sword, Linken's Tempered Sword, and Linken's Superior Sword)
*Linken's Boomerang
==Quotes==
===Un'Goro Crater===
;Initial gossip
:I... I'm not really sure how I got here...
:I seem to remember traveling... a raft...
;After accepting It's a Secret to Everybody (3)
*A long time ago, during my travels, I met a man that told me, "Master using it and you can have this."What do you suppose that means? I didn't know then, and I still don't now, really...
*Does my name sound familiar to you? Maybe we knew each other a long time ago...I think I'm named after someone important...
*Hi there! I'm glad you came back, <name>. Tell me, have you completed the first quest I gave you? If you have, I might have a second quest for you...
*It's a secret to everybody... including me!I'm glad you found me -- it's a good thing I'm not hiding in a bush or underneath a rock, isn't it?
*Pay me and I'll talk...Oh hey, it's you, <name>! Nevermind about that...
*When I was wandering the crater after I crashed here, I remembered something that I once was told... "Go up, up the mountain ahead," said the voice in my head.Listening to it is how I ended up here, <name>!
;After completing It's Dangerous to Go Alone
:Thanks, <name>! You're the hero of Un'Goro Crater!
===The Protectors of Hyjal===
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==Trivia==
*Linken's name, appearance, and quotes are a reference to , the main protagonist of video game series. Linken's original questline consists almost entirely of references to various characters, items, and game mechanics from the series, particularly the .
**The questline's premise of Linken washing up on a shore in A Wrecked Raft with no memories is a reference to the plot of .
**Linken's repeated line and quest name "It's a secret to everybody" is a recurring catch phrase from The Legend of Zelda, first spoken by the Secret Moblin in the original game.
**Linken's comment about hiding under bushes and rocks is a reference to the notoriously cryptic original game, in which many elements required to progress are hidden beneath ordinary-looking obstacles.
**Linken's mention of a man that told him "Master using it and you can have this" is reference to the Old Man that gives Link the White Sword item in the original game.
**"Pay me and I'll talk" and "Go up, up the mountain ahead" are lines from the Old Women in the original game.
**Linken naming the player character "the hero of Un'Goro Crater" is likely a reference to Link's various titles in his different incarnations, such as "Hero of Hyrule" and "Hero of Time".
**One of Linken's lines during The Protectors of Hyjal, "", is a recurring line from the 1989 The Legend of Zelda cartoon series. Another line, "" is based on the line "Oh, boy! I'm so hungry, I could eat an octorok!" from the infamous spin-off game . The line "" refers to the fact that almost all The Legend of Zelda games are single player-only.
**During The Protectors of Hyjal, Linken rides a Brown Horse that looks similar to Link's horse .
**For other specific references in the questline, see the individual quest, NPC, and item articles.
*Kinnel is an anagram of Linken, and also a gnome in the same green shirt, but there is no known connection between them.
==Patch changes==
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==References==
==External links==
Un'Goro Crater	The Protectors of Hyjal	Great Gnomeregan Run
 	 	
Category:Gnome characters
Category:Warrior characters
Category:Quest givers
Category:Removed Un'Goro Crater NPCs
Category:Mount Hyjal NPCs
Category:Northern Stranglethorn NPCs
Category:Great Gnomeregan Run