Draenei

The Draenei are Reece's favorite race in World of Warcraft. He only plays male Draenei (which a majority of players do not play as they look like humongous refrigerators.)

He sees himself in the male Draenei though, which is why he likes them so much.

## Overview

The Draenei (pronounced as *DRAN-eye*, *DRAHN-eye*, or *DRAYN-eye)* are a faction of uncorrupted Eredar who fled their home world of Argus, and again from Draenor following the corruption of the orcs as part of Kil'Jaedan's plot to wipe them out. Their base is on the Azuremyst Isles, near the west coast of Kalimdor, and they are part of the Alliance in the Burning Crusade expansion. Their capital city is the Exodar.

## Appearance

Draenei males have tendrils coming out of their chin and a fan-like forehead plate which rises and overlaps other forehead plates behind it. Male Draenei have large tails which are held erect by developed muscle structure. The female of the species exhibits marked differences: rather than the forehead plates featured on the male, they have vaguely horn-shaped cranial extensions that extend over the upper cranium and end on either side of the crown. Female cranial tendrils sprout behind the ear and are typically long enough to reach the shoulders. Their tendrils are thinner than the male's. Female Draenei tails are shorter and have a lower muscle density. In both genders, the hooves are relatively large, in contrast to the more compacted hooves of their demonic counterparts.

## Culture

The Draenei culture is centered around two things: the Holy Light of Creation 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. A few have started to follow the path of the shaman under the guidance of Farseer Nobundo.

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.

## Trivia

* The male Draenei dance is inspired by the  "Tunak Tunak Tun" video (1998) by Punjabi musician *Daler Mehndi*.
* The Draenei have many similarities with Eastern European, Middle Eastern, and Indian sub-continent *Sikhs*.[*citation needed*]
* The Draenei people's story is quite similar to the Dunmers' one from The Elder Scrolls universe: both peoples had to run from their native land because of their beliefs or choices, falling in another conflict with the races they meet (the Draenei with Horde races, the Dunmer with Nords, Argonians and then the Empire), and naming themselves in a way that remembers they troubled past (Draenei= Exiled Ones; Dunmer= Cursed Ones); besides both peoples were led by leaders who are called "prophets" (and also share a similar name): the Draenei by Velen, the Dunmer by Veloth.
* The Draenei draw some similarities with the Quarians from the Mass Effect series, including their accents when speaking, and both being alien races exiled from their homeworlds. The similarity is peculiar since the Quarians were first introduced in November 2007 with Mass Effect, but  The Burning Crusade expansion with Draenei was released much earlier in January 2007. It's possible that each team observed the other, but didn't seem to notice the similarities.