- Not to be confused withsaurolisk.
| Saurok | |
|---|---|
 A saurokdinomancer inHearthstone. | |
| Classification | Medium Humanoid |
| Faction/Affiliation | Independent,mogu empire (formerly) |
| Homeworld | Azeroth |
| Area(s) | Pandaria,Great Sea |
| Language(s) | Mogu[1] |
| Organization(s) | Tribes |
| Sources:World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria | |
Thesaurok are a race of lizard-men,created by themogu from the fauna of theVale of Eternal Blossoms, choosing several particularly sturdy varieties of local reptiles,[2][3] designed to be smart enough to use weapons and fight for the mogu, but over the years some escaped. They are found acrossPandaria, in dungeons[4] and in the open. They also attackedThe Wandering Isle from the sea, led byVordraka, the Deep Sea Nightmare.
Background[]
Creation and rebellion[]
The saurok were likely created in theSaurok Creation Pit during the reign ofLei Shen, as the Throne of Thunder was abandoned afterwards.
In the search for shock troops to consolidate their hold over ancient Pandaria, the mogu turned to an unlikely source: the fauna of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. The mogu chose several particularly sturdy varieties of local reptiles, andtwisted them in body and mind, imbuing them with an upright gait and sufficient intelligence to wield weapons[2] A saurok culture of superiority and hatred for weakness developed, fueled by the ego of themogu masters. Soon, saurok guards began to plunder the very people they were supposed to police. They grew disobedient, turning on their own mogu commanders whenever they were displeased with the spoils of war.
Rebellion[]
Emperor Dojan responded in the traditional mogu way: the souls were ripped from every living saurok in theVale of Eternal Blossoms, and he demanded the same fate for the legions still in the field. So began the greatPurge.[5] Defiant to the last, the saurok stood their ground against the mogu in theswamp of Krasarang. It was here they had a fighting chance, drawing the imperial forces deeper in to unfamiliar territory. The mogu death toll began to climb as the rebels poisoned water supplies and sabotaged structures. In his fury, the Emperor Dojan continued to send troops, slaves, and weapons to Krasarang in an effort to eradicate what remained of the saurok. They were never successful.[6]Emperor Dojan II's maniacal drive to finish his father's work and complete the Great Purge against the rebellious saurok legions drove him to leave his court in disarray while he set out on a doomed military campaign. From his perch high on the cliffs overlooking the Krasarang Wilds he oversaw the slow clear-cutting of the jungle, the establishment ofDojanni Dungeons, and the gradual genocide of the saurok race. What he didn't expect was for the remains of the saurok fifth and seventh legions to scale the enormity of the cliffs in the dead of night, ambushing his imperial pavilion from theValley of the Four Winds and forcing him over the edge. His body was never found. And the resulting disarray in the capitol left the empire in chaos for over two years while the saurok melted back into the wilds and disappeared.[7]
Modern saurok[]
Deep Sea Tormentor, a typical saurok.
After the mogu withdrew from thePandaren empire, their creations, the Saurok, survived by scrounging and hiding in the wild places of Pandaria. As lone bandits possessed of brute strength and innate aggression, the Saurok can be dangerous enough – but they have slowly begun to organize in roving warbands. Unburdened by "civilized" notions of property, these raiders charge into battle, seeking the spoils of softer races.[2] The ruthless saurok now roam Pandaria, stealing what they can and harassing the island's other inhabitants. TheGlintrok can be found on a daring mission to plunderMogu'shan Palace. The most infamous of these reptilian pillagers areChief Salyis andhis warband.[8]Vordraka, the Deep Sea Nightmare leads the saurok attacking both theAlliance andHorde encampments upon theWandering Isle.Aysa Cloudsinger faces off against him within the wreckage, aided by players.
TheSkumblade tribe are led by theSkumblade Saur-Priests, who promote the idea that the saurok were not created by themogu, but instead were created byKros, the invisibledevilsaur in the sky.Kroshik is held to be a gift from Kros and and a glimpse at the Skumblade's future.
Tribes[]
Chief Salyis of Salyis's Warband
Saurok form[]
A player transformed into a saurok.
The buffSkin of the Saurok comes from doing the quest
[32-35] Skin of the Saurok. You only need to complete this quest once to start getting the buff; it will be applied on each subsequent return toIhgaluk Crag. The buff transforms you into a Saurok that runs quickly on all fours, travels very far when jumping, takes no fall damage and is friendly to all Saurok unless in combat.
If you have acombat pet with you, it will also get this buff, and randomly transform into of one of the following creatures:
Notes and trivia[]
Concept art for a "salamander".
[Sunwalker Scout's Report] mentions that the locals of theKrasarang Wilds call them "soren".- The adjective form of saurok is apparentlysauroken.[5]
- The name Saurok is probably derived from the Ancient Greek wordσαῦρος/saûros, meaning "lizard".
- The saurok bear striking similarities in name and overall design to theSaurus, aWarhammer race of Lizardmen.
- They use the same skeleton and animations as the maleworgen model.
- ThehunterTier 15 raid set,Battlegear of the Saurok Stalker, is themed around the saurok.
- Generic saurok are voiced byDave Mallow.
- TheTrapped Saurok in theMogu'shan Palace at the time ofN'Zoth's return can be seen devouring one of their own.[9] It's unclear ifcannibalism is something commonly done by the saurok or if they did it only to survive out of desperation.
In Hearthstone[]
This section contains information exclusive toHearthstone and is considerednon-canon.TheHearthstone expansionJourney to Un'Goro features a group of saurok living in the humid swamps ofUn'Goro Crater. While saurok are not previously known to exist in Un'Goro,Hearthstone Game DesignerDean Ayala has stated that with the saurok's mogu creators having been created by thetitans and with Un'Goro being such a heavily titan-influenced location, it's not so unrealistic that similar beings were created there.[10] Blizzard originally planned to introduce an all-new reptilian race that would have resembled crocodiles or alligators more than lizards, with the reasoning that the nearbytol'vir would have had to create a bulkier version of the saurok to combat thedinosaurs of Un'Goro. However, it was eventually decided to simply use the pre-existing saurok instead.[11]
While traveling through an Un'Goro marsh,Professor Doyle andEddie Malone were briefly captured by saurok before they were rescued by a group oftortollans.[12]
Notably, theUn'Goro Madness micro-holiday inWorld of Warcraft features a lone saurokdinomancer by the name ofAkaridal.
Unused saurok artwork.
Unused saurok artwork.
- A saurokenvenoming a weapon.
Speculation[]
 | This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials.It should not be taken as representing official lore. |
Progenitus may have been the first saurok created by the mogu, judging by his name and his title, <The Firstborn>.
Gallery[]
- Art fromDeath From Above (short story).
- In art forIsland Expeditions.
See also[]
References[]
- ^Unity at a Price
- ^abcMists of Pandaria Expansion Features/Bestiary
- ^ [30-35] Between a Saurok and a Hard Place
- ^Mists of Pandaria Press Tour. MMO-Champion (2012-03-19). Retrieved on 2012-03-19.
- ^abThe Defiant
- ^The Last Stand
- ^The Lost Dynasty
- ^Dungeon Journal:Salyis's Warband
- ^File:Trapped_Saurok_-_Cannibalism.png
- ^Dean Ayala on reddit (2017-03-21). Retrieved on 2017-04-05.
- ^Dean Ayala on reddit (2017-03-21). Retrieved on 2017-04-05.
- ^Daxxarri 2017-03-14. E. Malone's Expedition Journal - Week Two. Retrieved on 2017-04-05.
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