Love is Alive in the World of 'Warcraft'

WHO IN THE WORLD--OF WARCRAFT DO YOU THINK WOULD RISK IT ALL FOR JUST ONE KISS?

World of Warcraft's Azeroth is known for its lore-based questlines, beautiful scenery and bad ass villains who are always trying to conquer or destroy it. The storylines are always about heroics, defeating the enemy and one-upping the opposition faction. But what about romance? With so much war and tragedy, isn't it about time we had a good love story?

The Warcraft novels and shorts have given us quite a few love stories, though most are riddled with sorrow and death. In the game, however, romance is a quick side note for a quest line. If you play on the Alliance, you will, no doubt, encounter the Romeo and Juliet-esque quest line in Elwynn Forest beginning with Gramma Stonefield. In Pandaria, the Horde encounter the "Regroup!" quest line and get a glimpse of Shademaster Kiryn and Riko the Hozen's blossoming romance. Now let's explore some more of the relationships that can be found in Azeroth.

THRALL & AGGRALAN

On the Horde side, the most well-known romance is that of Thrall and Aggralan. Aggra, as she is called, is an Orc Shaman. She was tasked to train Thrall in the ways of the Shaman. Even though they butted heads at first, they grew close and quickly fell in love. Aggra has been Thrall's guiding light from the beginning, helping him to understand what Greymother Geya told him--that he cannot fully embrace the elements of being a shaman and lead The Horde.

On the Alliance side, the most well-known romantic entanglement is the super love triangle between Illidan, Malfurion, and Tyrande. Illidan "My Demon Hunter's Future Baby Daddy" Stormrage harbors a yearning for his twin brother, Malfurion Stormrage's wife, Tyrande Whisperwind--a burning love that has lasted over 10,000 years. Illidan was arrogant and obsessed with magic. He tried to impress Tyrande, but she saw him as family and cared for him like a brother. Malfurion, however, was humble, focused on his scholarly duties became the "first mortal druid on Azeroth." Tyrande's admiration and love for Malfurion was so strong that during Malfurion's 10,000-year slumber in the Emerald Dream, she waited, patiently. In the Black Temple raid instance, Illidan drops a trinket called "Memento of Tyrande".

While there are other romances throughout the lore, they aren't explored to the extent that they could be. Granted, the game is called World of "War" craft, not World of "Love" craft. But sometimes love is a nice distraction from war. And throughout the lore-based books, there are a few characters where romance was "alluded to" but not quite confirmed. Here are a few romantic relationships that could be explored.

LADY LIADRIN & LOR'THEMAR THERON

In World of Warcraft: Paragon's "Blood of the Highborne", Liadrin and Lor'themar Theron become very close. Although they were never romantically linked, their esteem for each other goes beyond mere friendship. Highborne often hints at mutual attraction between Liadrin and Lor'themar. It may not seem like much of a big deal, but when Liadrin was contemplating how she could sense that Galell, her apprentice, may have feelings for her that she does not reciprocate, Lor'themar shows up, interrupting her thought and she gets all warm and fuzzy. This is definitely a relationship that Blizzard could explore more. King and Queen of Silvermoon, instead of the constricting regent titles--that'd be lovely. And romance on Azeroth isn't so different from romance on Earth. Instead of sending flowers, send your love some "mana crystals" by messenger. 

WARCHIEF SYLVANAS WINDRUNNER & NATHANOS BLIGHTCALLER

From the very beginning of Nathanos' time as a ranger under, then Ranger General Sylvanas' leadership, the two have been very close. They share a very special bond of respect. Nathanos has always been Sylvanas' right-hand man and I suspect he wants to be much more. Their relationship spans life and undeath. 

Lest we forget the Windrunner sisters have a thing for Human men: Alleria with Turalyon, Vereesa with Rhonin. And before Sylvanas and Nathanos were killed and reanimated, it was alluded to that they had a secret romance. That could still be the case. 

KOLTIRA DEATHWEAVER & THASSARIAN

Koltira, a high elf, and protector of Quel'thalas died by Thassarian's hands and he was promptly reanimated under the control of the Lich King. But that did not stop the two from forming a very close bond. Thassarian, even though he chose to serve the Alliance once more, his fondness for Koltira never wavered. When Sylvanas punished Koltira for being too soft on Thassarian, imprisoning him in hopes to purge his compassion for Thassarian, Thassarian devised a plot to rescue Koltira from Undercity. It's true, their bond could be nothing more than that of wartime buddies endured much while both serving the Lich King. But there seems to be something more. Thassarian risked it all to venture into Undercity and rescuing Koltira from the Banshee Queen and new Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner. The love is definitely there, defying race, faction and even death.

ILLIDAN & MAIeV SHADOWSONG

Maiev guarded Illidan's cell after he was arrested for trying to create another Well of Eternity. When Illidan escaped, thanks to the help of his beloved, Tyrande (who is married to his brother, Malfurion), Maiev made it her mission to recapture him, hunting him until his capture at The Black Temple. Could the two have become close during his extended stay in jail? Did Maiev's duty of guarding Illidan include a conjugal visit or two? Anything is certainly possible. And they say there's a thin line between love and hate. Could Maiev's hatred for Illidan be masking a desire for him? It's certainly a relationship that would be interesting to see develop. I'm sure there's enough room for Maiev on Argus.

Special Mention: Alleria Windrunner and Turalyon

Their love story is beautiful. For years Turalyon and Alleria's whereabouts were unknown. But this story is beautiful. With Turalyon being fierce defender of The Light and Alleria controlling The Void, it's exciting to see how this will play out. 

We don't have to wait until Valentine's Day. The realm of possibilities is infinite when it comes to WoW love. We never know what could happen. And love can make for a pretty exciting story. Are there any other possible relationships in Azeroth that you would like to see develop? Let us know in the comments, or talk to us on Facebook!