"Bestiary" : friends and allies

[Feralan]

Not the best of titles, since not all of the beings listed here are animals, but I couldn't think of a better one. This information consists mostly of excerpts from the Alliance Player's Guide about the creatures who are traditional friends and allies of the Kaldorei, with additional information from WoWWiki and some in-game knowledge tidbits.

[Feralan]

Ancients

Ancients (with a lower-case "a") are some of the most important creatures in night elf society. They resemble sentient trees, but their wisdom and insight are almost unparalleded. Many of them are thousands of years old. They assist their night elf allies with guidance, education (particularly in the druidic arts) and protection. Most ancients resemble decidous trees that live in temperate climates, such as oaks and maples, buta few evergreen ancients also exist.

Ancients spead Darnassian, and a few also speak Common. Their voices sound like trees creaking in the wind.

Ancients are traditionally friends of night elves and good-hearted, but the recent Third War makes them suspicious of non-Kaldorei, though they give outsiders a chance to prove themselves.

The APG does not mention how they procreate, but we can assume they grow sapling "offspring" and I seem to remember reading somewhere that druids can (help) create them as well. A pity the ancients don't play a more important role in WoW, where we only see and interact with a few of them.

Known types of ancients are:


An ancient of lore seems to be in a constant state of autumn -- its leaves are gold and scarlet. Lanterns hang from its branches, symbolizing the light of wisdom. These ancients act as teachers, especially for nascent priests and druids.

The most commonly seen of their kind, ancient protectors often remain near Kaldorei settlements or the resting places of hibernating druids, the defense of which was their early purpose. Critical to the safety of these places, they serve as heavy artillery and powerful soldiers against their enemies.

The ancients of war, whose distinguishing feature are two long tusks protuding from their faces, train Kaldorei in the arts of weaponry, creating the highly skilled archers and huntresses for which the night elf armies are famous. They embody courage and determination and provide a link to the brutal side of nature and the cycle of life and death that rules all creation.

Like ancients of lore, ancients of wind assist in the teaching of Kaldorei druids as well as the training of hippogryphs and their riders. Druids of the Talon revere them as key mentors. They have a hawk- or owl-like appearance and are surprisingly quick.

Ancients of wonder act as creators and storehouses of magical items, and also teach the Kaldorei in the creation of such items and natural alchemy. Energy sparks around their bulky bodies.

Last but not least, trees of life are the most important ancients in Kaldorei society. As the wisest and most insightful of their kind, they gently guide night elf leaders toward the skills they need to effectively lead their people. They are also the largest ancients, and golden sparkles dance through their colossal branches. WoWWiki claims they are saplings of Nordrassil, which would imply no new trees of life can be grown until the World Tree heals.

[Feralan]

Chimaeras

These massive two-headed beasts have historically been one of the strongest allies of the night elves and have developed an empathetic bond with them, though their origins remain shrouded in mystery. They fly above the dark forests spewing forth their terrible corrosive and lightning breath weapons upon all who would defy the sanctity of Kalimdor. Just the sight of them is enough to drive most enemies to retreat. However, they are reclusive and bestial creatures, less intelligent than a saber or hippogryph -- and without the guidance of someone with a powerful control of nature, they become wild.


Faerie Dragons

Also known as blink dragons or sprite darters, these colorful chameleon-like creatures with butterfly wings are not related to true dragons. While they are moderately intelligent, they are incapable of speech. They protect the Emerald Dream from magic and have long been used by the Kaldorei to similarly defend the waking world as well. Aside from being immune to magic themselves and able to phase out of reality, they can also siphon the energy wasted in spellcasting, amplify it, and redirect it at the caster in a devastating feedback attack.

Most faerie dragons seem to have returned to the Emerald Dream though populations still exist in the untainted wilds of Feralas and in Ashenvale (where they likely help purge the demonic magic from the forest).


Hippogryphs

Contrary to popular belief, these beasts with the hindquarters and antlers of a stag and the head, wings and forelegs of a raven are not simple beasts but in fact no less intelligent than humanoid races. They have been the staunch partners of the Kaldorei since time immemorial, and some say they were experiments created by the night elves or gifts of Cenarius. Having sworn allegiance to the Kaldorei in his name, the hippogryphs patrol the skies above northern Kalimdor, scanning the horizon for invaders, and often serve as mounts as well. While kind and generous among Kaldorei, they have become hardened to the demands of fighting demonic forces and are wary of non-elves since outsiders have tried to enslave them. Sentinels watch over the hippogryphs' eggs and young and are seen as part of their families, and likewise the beasts care for the children of the night elves.

Most of them live in Ashenvale (well, not in WoW, sadly : and other regions commonly inhabited by the night elves, preferring to stay close to and protect Kaldorei communities.


Sabercats

Sabers are almost as intelligent as a human, and like the hippogryphs, they are part of the Kaldorei families and communities, acting as mounts and companions. The frostsabers of Winterspring are the strongest and fiercest of the sabercats, and highly revered and sought after by the Kaldorei. It seems that traditionally, only the most experienced Sentinels were able to win a frostsaber's loyalty -- and the priestesses of Elune. The reason for this might be, as the Wintersaber Trainer says, that Tyrande Whisperwind saved the life of the frostsaber queen about 4,000 years ago. These cats have been allies of the Kaldorei ever since. But 4,000 years seems a little recent considering that Tyrande is depicted with a frostsaber as early as before the War of the Ancients, 10,000 years ago.

Trainers will very rarely sell saber mounts to outsiders these days, with the gold being used to support good causes. The Kaldorei are highly selective about whom they allow to "buy" a saber and presumably the cat itself will have to agree, but traditionalists still view the idea of selling these cats almost as blasphemy. (And I guess the same goes for buying and selling any living being, really.)

The official mount lore from Blizzard's website states: "Before they were domesticated by the Sentinel Army and trained as mounts, Kalimdor's savage nightsaber panthers were considered to be among the continent's most vicious inhabitants. While many of these grand predatory beasts still prowl the dusky shores and forests of the night elves' homeland, the finest pedigrees of the species, recognized by their superior swiftness and agility, now serve a more practical purpose for those skilled enough to ride them."