Fun 10.2 Side Questline Reveals How Dryads are Born

PTR Posted 2023/10/12 at 11:40 PM by DiscordianKitty

The Dryad Garden

Melyrine Petalshade

We are the descendants of Cenarius. We share his connection to nature and the Dream.
We watch over gardens like this and ensure life persists. By any means necessary.
Are you a plant or a mammal?
We are dryads. We are not centaur. if that's what you're wondering.
Do you need a task? I can give you a task. We have plenty of spears that need sharpening.Newborn Dryad says: Hello! Are you my druid? You don't look like a Creekward.
Newborn Dryad says: Well, you're my guardian now. I never liked the druid Creekward's voice anyway. It's too dreary! What are Dream acorns?
All acorns in the Dream are imbued with great magic. Most are nebulous and can be used in rituals, spells, and much more.
Some are descended from great Ancients and retain the memories of all their ancestors. They become Ancients themselves upon being planted.
And some are dryads. like the ones we care for here.
Do all dryads grow from seeds?
Yes, but not just any seed. They are dryad acorns unique to the Dream. This garden is one of several where they are raised.
It only takes a splash of water for them to sprout, as you have seen.
<Ethidris grimaces at Dionaessa.>
And then they immediately imprint on the first person they see.<Dionaessa mimics your posture and raises her head high.>
I will learn everything I can from you, Guardian. The druid Creekward talks too much. Maybe you will show me how to act!
How did you decide on a name so quickly?
<Dionaessa huffs impatiently.>
The druid Creekward told me all sorts of things while I was an acorn. He would not stop talking about this one dreadful poet!
I do not know what he was trying to teach me with that story. But I learned to like the name of their greatest rival.
Dionaessa!
How did you get here. again?
The druid Creekward tells me he lost my acorn in the garden, then you dropped it into a puddle.
All dryads come from Dream acorns, but not all Dream acorns house dryads.
<Dionaessa grins.>
I am glad my acorn was in your hands, Guardian!
The druid Creekward mostly tends to the dryad acorns, it seems. And there is not much he does aside from talking to them all day in that wearisome voice.
Melyrine is the lead gardener here. I take all my orders from her.
<Dionaessa smiles brightly.>
But your orders will always come first!

Comment by RyskyOMG this is ADORABLE. Dryads are hilarious petty af i love it.Comment by PociumbelulI will sum it up for everyone. It's basically when a druid in bear form and a deer love each other a bit too much, a dryad will be the result.
The end.Comment by IggwilvI always wondered how/why dryads seemed to always have fathers (or just a singular father, being Cenarius) but no mother/s. Now I wonder if Cenarius himself was made in a similar way as opposed to Elune outright copulating with a giant stag. I know legends claim otherwise, but those were always told through the perspective of mortals whose mythologies have only seem to be proven wrong in recent lore. Come to think of it, is there a source where Malorne or Cenarius themselves confirm if Elune is, in fact, Cenarius' mother?Comment by DrakknfyreThe technical name is cervitaur.

I'm still not happy they "upgraded" Dryads by using the Shadowland Vorkai model/skeleton wholesale and simply applied a Dryad skin texture over it. Just because they're both cervitaur doesn't mean they're the same race. In doing this Dryads lost their signature prance animation because Vorkai don't prance, and their arms look goofy in a pseudo T-pose because their rigging was designed to go over/around the armor Vorkai wear. No armor means the arms are just floating stupidly.Comment by QprahAll dryads come from Dream acorns, but not all Dream acorns house dryads.Come to think of it, is there a source where Malorne or Cenarius themselves confirm if Elune is, in fact, Cenarius' mother?As the son of Elune, goddess of the moon, and the demigod Malorne, Cenarius inherited a deep connection to the world of Azeroth and its creatures. The tauren have a myth that purportedly relates the story of Cenarius's conception. Elune birthed Cenarius, but gave him up to Malorne because Cenarius was more a creature of the mortal world and could not be with her. When Cenarius's birth sent a ripple through the Emerald Dream, Ysera took an immediate interest in him. Guiding him into the Dream, she taught him much of its secrets and became a foster mother of sorts to him. In fact, the affectionate understanding that she and Cenarius shared has led many of Azeroth's elder races to mistake the pair for mother and son. Malorne knew that he could not properly care for his son, but Ysera took Cenarius as her own. Cenarius grew to love the lush forests of Ysera's verdant realmComment by Rainy89Wtf did they do to the dryad model?Comment by VamphiirThe WOTLK era models for Dryads looked so much betterComment by hobbidaggyAll dryads come from Dream acorns, but not all Dream acorns house dryads.Come to think of it, is there a source where Malorne or Cenarius themselves confirm if Elune is, in fact, Cenarius' mother?As the son of Elune, goddess of the moon, and the demigod Malorne, Cenarius inherited a deep connection to the world of Azeroth and its creatures. The tauren have a myth that purportedly relates the story of Cenarius's conception. Elune birthed Cenarius, but gave him up to Malorne because Cenarius was more a creature of the mortal world and could not be with her. When Cenarius's birth sent a ripple through the Emerald Dream, Ysera took an immediate interest in him. Guiding him into the Dream, she taught him much of its secrets and became a foster mother of sorts to him. In fact, the affectionate understanding that she and Cenarius shared has led many of Azeroth's elder races to mistake the pair for mother and son. Malorne knew that he could not properly care for his son, but Ysera took Cenarius as her own. Cenarius grew to love the lush forests of Ysera's verdant realmComment by TehLucarioThis is cuteComment by IggwilvUnless Elune being his mother is not literal and means like Life Magic in the Dream Acorn and Malorne was the one who Cenarius was imprinted and raised by.Sounds like the myth would fit with Elune being the creator of the Dream Acorns with Malorne possibly being a muse that Elune chose to design the Keepers and Dryads after. Then Ysera takes over as an adoptive mother since Malorne and Elune are both out getting smokes.Probably the same or similar way but using Cenarius‘ essence or his magic to imbue something that grows them. Also could be something else and him being the ‘father’ of them might just be he created the first of them and they went around after that making more via this method.The night elves would claim he was the son of the great White Stag, Malorne, and Elune herselfassumed arein a senseComment by DruidBernThat was a fun questline to doComment by GuidanceWhat a great Season to not have Malfurion /s

Btw i was playing Wotlk this week and the Old Wolf ( like the Spirit Wolf from Shaman enh talent) and some models like Dryad looks better for me

Idk why the Wolf looks better (if we ignore the low pixels) the Wolfs from retail looks like a dog

they are longer on wotlkComment by Shaitan051Wtf did they do to the dryad model?dryads don't.Comment by mitrooperWill the quest also explain why they have become so ugly in Dragonflight compared to previous expansions?Comment by EazyDemoNWtf did they do to the dryad model?Will the quest also explain why they have become so ugly in Dragonflight?Comment by GoldenHeartChrisThis should not be surprising for those who read the Traveler novels. I would definitely recommend to everyone to give it a try, it's really fun! ^-^Comment by freefrag I know legends claim otherwise, but those were always told through the perspective of mortals whose mythologies have only seem to be proven wrong in recent lore. Come to think of it, is there a source where Malorne or Cenarius themselves confirm if Elune is, in fact, Cenarius' mother?Comment by IggwilvThe source is the last book of the War of the Anients trilogy, book 3 "The Sundering". Ysera told Malfurion that Malorne is Cenarius' father after Malorne was slain in the battle. Malfurion tried to save Malorne but could not.fatherComment by KishunaHow to become a Dryad:
1. Start with a Troll.
2. Lick on some Mushrooms to become a "Forestelf" (because Nightborn are in truth Nightelves).
3. As a Forestelf lick on some Grass to become a Dryad.
4. Start League of Legends and pick Lillia.Comment by OrangeSodaMonThe same thing happened in the Traveler books, it's cool to see consistency between different midia.