Murloc

Murloc as seen in the World of Warcraft.

The murloc is a fictional race in the Warcraft Universe, created by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a bipedal amphibanoid race residing along coastlines, lakeshores and riverbeds, as well as in underwater ruins. Murlocs are distinguished by their bulbous bodies, large mouths lined with row upon row of sharp fangs, and slime-coated skin. Murlocs range in coloration from turquoise to darkish grey, and in height from 3-1/2 feet to 6 feet.

Murloc culture is tribal in nature, and religion is generally shamanistic, with most villages containing a number of oracles and tidehunters, with coastrunners and warriors for defense. Habitations are generally crude huts with peaked roofs, huddled around a body of water. Oddly enough for amphibianoids, they prefer their food cooked, and will happily build campfires or even large bonfires which easily accommodate their favourite dish, the "spit-roasted gnome warlock".

Murloc behavior toward other races is best characterized as "hostile," and even more so as "unbelievably hostile." Typically, approaching within 100 yards of even one, apparently isolated, murloc will result in the subject letting forth the usual gurgling warcry "Rawgrlrlrlrrlglrl!" and dragging forth his entire village of 20, emerging as if by magic, to battle the visitor. Such assaults generally result in a nasty, slimy overkill against the hapless tourist. Indeed, it is nearly impossible for even the most dedicated murloc hunter to get just one to himself -- three or four Murlocs are usually the bare minimum.

Murloc hunting, however, is a time-honored vocation, particularly since murloc fins are a prized delicacy when used for soup broth, and slimy murloc scales are sought after by advanced leatherworkers for use in crafting fine armor. In addition, hefty bounties are often placed on certain murlocs, due to their incredibly-pronounced disregard for the sanctity of life, generally-accepted notions of fair play, or lack of simple common decency. By the same token, pounding one of them into guava jelly with a large mace is surprisingly satisfying.

Contents

1 Known murloc territories/villages
2 Notable Murlocs
3 New Lore
4 Other Media

Known murloc territories/villages

In these evil times, the murlocs have spread to many various regions of the World of Azeroth. On the western continent of Kalimdor, the murlocs are found with increasing frequency. In dusky Darkshore, the Greymist tribe makes their homes along the shore and among the wrecks in the shallow seas. The Saltspittle tribe lives in and around Lake Falathim in western Ashenvale. A small number have migrated east to Azshara and Dustwallow Marsh. These are as annoying as their more westerly counterparts, being somewhat larger and still more eager to harass passing swimmers.

In beplagued Lordaeron, many murloc tribes have managed to avoid the ravages of the undead plague. In the dying Tirisfal Glades, the Vile Fin murlocs remain entrenched along the north coast, bravely facing the Rot Hide gnolls and persistent Forsaken. To the south in Silverpine Forest, the Vile Fins build huts and villages along the shore and upon the islands of Lordamere Lake. Southeast of Silverpine are the Hillsbrad Foothills which is home to the Torn Fin tribe. These lonely murlocs eke out an existence on the southern shores of the region.

The Wetlands is the only region in Khaz Modan that is hospitable to the murlocs' aquatic nature. The vast fens and sticky marshes are home to the Bluegill tribe who are constantly hunted by the adventurers issuing out of Menethil Harbor.

Further to the south in Azeroth proper, the murlocs are found in their greatest numbers. The tranquil Elwynn Forest is disturbed by an unnamed tribe of murlocs stalking Crystal Lake and Stone Cairn Lake. To the east in the rugged beauty of the Redridge Mountains, these same murlocs plague the waters of Lake Everstill. In golden Westfall, the murlocs terrorize the Longshore. In Stranglethorn Vale, an especially vicious breed of murlocs known as the Saltscale tribe inhabit the Vile Reef. Lastly, in the Swamp of Sorrows, the Marsh murloc tribes live to the south and east of the ancient temple that lies in the fens.

Notable Murlocs

Murkdeep (far right) and two Greymist Murlocs fighting a Night Elf.

Murky, the pet given to attendees of BlizzCon 2005, dancing.

Cookie: Cookie, original tribe unknown, is the ship's cook aboard Edwin VanCleef's Defias vessel in the Deadmines. Known to wield a fierce rolling pin, he is believed to love no soul save for his dear Siamese kitten. However, the fact that he is (presumably) on friendly terms with the Defias Brotherhood could indicate that contact between murlocs and humans has been established.
Gobbler: Gobbler is a member of the Bluegill tribe, and lives in the huts closest to Menethil Harbor in the Bluegill Marshes in The Wetlands. He and his fellow Murlocs often attack merchants travelling along the main road of The Wetlands.
Gobi: Gobi is the plush Murloc created by Bamatick in January 2005 in response to a petition requesting such. Bamatick made the [pattern] Open Source.
Old Murk-Eye: Old Murk-Eye is the leader of the murlocs infesting Longshore in Westfall. He is responsible for leading the two murloc raids on the Longshore lighthouse, the second of which resulted in the deaths of the lighthouse keepers. He can be seen patrolling the stretch of beach near the lighthouse.
Murkdeep: Murkdeep is a member of the Greymist tribe and is wanted for the murder of a Night Elf Sentinel. He lives in a small village on the beach south of Auberdine in Darkshore, and only appears after all the other murlocs in the village have been destroyed.
Murky: Murky is the Murloc pet given to gamers who attended the First Annual Blizzcon Convention in Anaheim California October 28-29 2005. Attendees were given a gift card with an authorization code to enter into a specially setup website. After doing so they were instructed to meet an in-game character who gave them their Murloc pet. Besides the trademark Murloc "Grrrrmalrrrrgrrahhhh" Murky has at least one other talent: dancing!'''
Mutanus: Mutanus the Devourer is a gigantic, mutated murloc residing in the bowels of the Wailing Caverns in the barrens of Kalimdor.

New Lore

Murloc origins are shrouded in mystery. This is due not only to the fact that these creatures appeared on Azeroth's shores fairly recently (as far as world history goes, anyway) but also because murlocs shun mortals and rarely, if ever, speak anything but their own garbled language.

What's been known up until now about the fish-men is the following: they are not the most intelligent creatures. They congregate on shorelines in tribes and villages. They have been known, in certain instances to worship enigmatic sea-deities (sometimes including naga). And they seem to care little for the mortal races.

However, recent accounts by select individuals who managed to gather information— either by spying, torturing or surreptitiously gaining the murlocs' trust, have brought some interesting details to light…

First, murlocs may not be as dumb as everyone thinks they are. Several clues point to the fact that their steady infiltration of the world's land masses may be a coordinated effort. Whether or not this enterprise has been undertaken strictly of their own accord is not yet known.

Also, the murloc race may be far older than most believe. Several accounts and clues seem to substantiate this. In fact, it is now believed that murlocs (or, more appropriately, their ancestors) may even pre-date trolls. Of course these ancient murlocs lived in the oceans' depths and therefore were never known to the world's early land-dwelling races. In the last few years, the vile naga have begun reemerging from their watery abodes, causing historians to speculate that their migration may have triggered the murlocs' slow encroachment onto land. Some also guessed that the murlocs might be working in concert with the sinister amphibians.

But perhaps the most startling revelation to come from recent intelligence-gathering efforts was this: the naga may not be the only nightmarish horrors lurking in the seemingly bottomless oceans of the world. Several indicators from the murlocs themselves point to the possibility that the fish-men are but worshippers or underlings of perhaps several deep-sea monstrosities that currently lie sleeping, or at least waiting, in the murky fathoms – and even more disturbing, that the murlocs' emergence is an indication of their incipient awakening.

If that is the case, the mysterious and somewhat underestimated murlocs may be the world's first glimpse at something far more terrifying.

This new Lore was added to the main Blizzard site on the 22nd day of Feb, 2006.

Other Media

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