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Throughout the history ofWorld of Warcraft, the Explorer’s League has been ever present at various archaeological and historical sites. Determined to uncover the mysteries of Azeroth, this organisation has primarily aided the Alliance in their exploratory efforts and presents a direct counterpart to the Horde-aligned Reliquary. A key player in several major storylines, the Explorer’s League has existed since before the game’s launch and features some important lore characters among its ranks.
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Responsible for uncovering notable locations such as Uldaman, the League has at times teamed up with other in-game factions who share their goals. Serving as members of the Uldum Accord during Cataclysm and the Dragonscale Expedition in Dragonflight, they are capable of putting aside their differences with their rivals in the name of progress and exploration.
History Of The Explorer’s League
The Explorer’s League wasinitially founded as the Explorer’s Guild of IronforgebyKing Magni and Brann Bronzebeard. An organisation targeted atuncovering the secrets behind the lost heritage of the dwarves, the guild set up its base of operations within theHall of Explorersin Ironforge. The league focused its excavations on sites that contained titan power, but in the process also yielded natural resources such as gold, making them a valuable tool for the Alliance.
The League’s use of explosives led to many conflicts with the natural inhabitants of certain areas, with theTauren of Mulgorebeing particularly opposed to their methods. The explorers often have to contend with hostile wildlife such as Raptors or Spiders, and many Explorer’s League quests in World of Warcraft are focused on rescuing a lost or trapped explorer who has wandered a little too far from their camp.
Present in many zones across Azeroth, the Explorer’s League is constantly challenged byThe Reliquary. A blood elf organisation aiming to discover and collect powerful magical artifacts,the Reliquary serves as the Horde-focused version of the Explorer’s League. Horde players will most likely interact and view the League as their enemies, and Alliance characters can increase their reputation with the Explorer’s League, as they are part of theAlliance Vanguard, a Wrath of the Lich King reputation.
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Over time, the League began accepting non-dwarf members into its ranks.Gnomes, Humans, Worgen, Draenei, Night Elves, and evenTaurenhave all been admitted, alongside theDark Iron Dwarves. This new approach eventually led to the formation of theDragonscale Expedition,a joint venture between the Explorer’s League and the Reliquary. Targeted with exploring and cataloguing theDragon Isles, a wary tension is maintained despite the common goal, as multiple expansions of hostility remain ever-present.
Notable Members Of The Explorer’s League
While the Explorers League features many characters that can be found in-game, two stand most prominent. BothMagniandBrann Bronzebeardare core characters in several of World of Warcraft’s storylines,
Magni Bronzebeard
The former king of Khaz Modan, Magni Bronzebeard is the eldest of his siblings and was the leader of the Bronzebeard clan. A legendary character, Magni has achieved important feats such asforging the Ashbringerandsacrificing himself to save Ironforge from the Cataclysm. Utilising an old ritual, he became encased in diamond and remained in Old Ironforge for four years.
Awakened by his daughter; Moira, Magni became able to travel, but remained encased in his diamond form. It was revealed that while he slept,he was able to talk directly with the world soul of Azeroth,and it was he who revealed to Brann and Khadgar thatAzeroth was a sleeping titan, and was therefore at threat from Sargeras' Burning Crusade. An active member during the latter stages of Legion, Magni was the first character to take action after Sargeras fatally wounded the planet.
Known asThe Speaker, Magni oversaw the construction of a camp in Silithus and led adventurers from theChamber of the Heartthroughout the Battle for Azeroth expansion. His primary goal was to heal the wounds left behind by Sargeras and tostop the exploitation of Azerite by the various races of Azeroth. Directly involved in the Ny’alotha raid,Magni helped the Champion of Azeroth to destroy N’zothand heal the wounds inflicted by the mad titan.
While Magni did not resume control over the Explorer’s League, he became Azeroth’s best source of knowledge about the mysterious power of the titans and was in a way able to achieve the goal that the Explorer’s league was founded for.
Brann Bronzebeard
A founder andthe current leader of the Explorer’s League, Brann has been central to the major plots involving the organisation, ever since his brother went missing. A cheerful, happy-go-lucky character, Brann’s enthusiasm for discovery has gotten him into trouble at times, but the dwarf remains steadfast in his desire for knowledge.
Brann has featured in the majority oftitan story arcsever since his introduction in theWrath of the Lich King. His lengthy role-play section within theHalls of Stonedungeon may not have endeared him to players, but Brann has been a staunch ally throughout multiple expansions. Often found around titan repositories or near a dig site, the youngest of the Bronzebeard brothers is the quintessential archaeologist andserves as the primary NPC for major instances such as Ulduar.
Accompanied by Gibb; his pet Gorilla, Brann traverses the world of Azeroth in an attempt to further the Explorer’s League’s understanding of the planet. Taking a major role in exploring the ancient zone of Uldum,Brann was central to discovering the Halls of Originationand was the key Alliance NPC for the Battle for Azeroth raid of Uldir. Brann has aided players against the Blood Trolls of Naz’mir, stopping the rise of G’huun, and is the character via whichdwarves who are level 120 and Exalted with Ironforge can claim their heritage armour.
Outside Brann and Magni, other notable characters in the Explorer’s League include:
