The Tauren & The Goblin – Warcraft Story & Lore

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#114: Best Wishes for 2021 (Part I) Dec 31, 2020

Show notes

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Nick and Katie are back with the annual tradition of looking at each character and wishing what they want for each of them in the new year. First, Katie talks about joining the Necrolord covenant. Then they talk about the Deathwing that Katie is wearing on her head.
Finally, they get into the Best Wishes. They begin by talking about Sylvanas and debating what she deserves, as her motivations are now coming to light. They get into an argument about what realm she would be sent to by the Arbiter, and wonder if she can be rehabilitated. Then they talk about Nathanos and Nick wants to see Nathanos be the last surprising shred of Sylvanas' humanity. They also talk about the Jailer and what they want now that they've encountered him. Nick goes on an extended riff about turning the Maw into a giant ball pit. Next, they discuss the Arbiter, although Katie finds it hard to wish something for her since she has been pretty much unconscious since our arrival in Oribos.
They also discuss Bolvar and consider his role as compared to Khadgar and Magni the last two expansions. Next they mention Taelia and look at her relationship with her father. Then they reconsider Calia Menethil and admit that she is probably not Taelia's mother despite it seeming possible previously, with little evidence. They also talk about Lillian Voss and how she's a good leader for the Forsaken. Then they look at Tyrande and her role as the Night Warrior of late. They also bring up Malfurion but he hasn't been as present. Next, they review Anduin, Jaina, Thrall, and Baine who were all trapped in the Maw. They agree they all deserve vacations and are going to have severe trauma coming out of the Maw.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 1/6 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2n9
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#113: On Bastion and Beyond (feat. Edanar) Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Edanar from such shows as Tavern Tales, Dropping Spicy, Heroes Never Die, and Clan of Three joins Nick and Katie to talk about Bastion and the Kyrian and so much more. But before the show even gets started they get off the rails talking as Edanar and Katie immediately butt heads over his dislike of goblins. They then get into a discussion on which hunter pets they use (or lack thereof) and talk a little about the Firelands challenge tames. Then they get into a discussion of mount farming and the struggles of trying to acquire some of the rarer drops. They then talk about raiding Spine of Deathwing and then Nick finally finishes the intro to the show.
They then get into talking about leveling in Shadowlands and how everyone is enjoying the straight narrative path as compared with the choose-your-zone-order that was allowed in Legion and BfA. Nick alludes to the Castle Nathria cinematic only to say that he watched it and did not understand it. They talk about the idea of Blizzard putting out an expansion without leveling where the only requirement is to play through the campaign.
They talk a little about ideas for other podcasts and Edanar mentions that he does not listen to his own shows.
They get back to talking about Bastion and the Edanar compares the fields to Nagrand while Katie thinks the grasses look more like Minnesota. Katie and Edanar argue about being from Minnesota and Wisconsin and Nick compares the Maw to a burning couch. Edanar then brings up his surprise that there was no Overwatch Easter Egg in Bastion and he and Katie hope to see Ganymede referenced but Nick wants the entire zone to turn into a giant cannon. Nick then questions how the Bastion Afterlives ties into the zone since it seems that Devos' role is being obscured, but Edanar says to wait and some answers are revealed in other zones.
Katie brings up the concept of all souls being turned into blue humanoids, and Nick wonders about the prevalance of the human form amongst cosmic beings like the Kyrian and Titans. They talk briefly about Pelegos, then Nick brings up the region where the Void attacked Bastion and wonders where Maldraxxus was, which raises questions about the relationships between the various zones.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @http://mtb.gg/2m9
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77
Kurt Smith
twitter.com/Edanar83

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#112: Shadowlands Initial Reactions Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back and ready to talk about Shadowlands! First they talk a little about what they've been doing instead of playing Shadowlands, especially with Katie focusing on her bag space. At this point, Katie is well into Maldraxxus while Nick is only about half way through Bastion. Then they get into talking about first impressions of Oribos. They compare it to Dazar'Alor and how impressive that city was while Oribos feels a little underwhelming. Katie brings up that Dazar'Alor had dinosaurs, which is a point against Oribos. Nick compares the constant changing of hub cities to moving between college dorm rooms. Katie is fascinated by the vendors and Nick points out they seem similar to ethereals.
Nick brings up the cinematic that introduces the Jailer and has Anduin save us long enough for us to escape. Katie recaps some of the events of the Maw and they get into a side discussion about Helya and Sylvanas. Nick points out that the Jailer got what he needed, and asserts that it may be knowledge of us, since we seem like we might be able to break him out. Nick then talks about the event that breaks the machine of death, when a red orb impacts with the Arbiter. Katie mentions a similar red orb in Legion and Nick wonders if defeating Argus caused all this. They try to ping down the exact timing of the incident, but lack full information. Katie talks a bit about what she saw in Bastion.
Katie finishes by wondering about the shape that souls can take in the Shadowlands.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 12/9 at 10:30 pm EST at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2lm
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#111: On "Terror by Torchlight" and Nathanos' Return Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back and they are alone and they haven't planned any specific character to talk about so they can catch up on some things. Katie reveals that she still did not get the Headless Horseman's Horse during Hallow's End this year. They talk a little bit about Vol'jin. Nick mentions that he's sticking around in Mechagon and working on Balance of Power. Katie has been leveling.
Gin from Morally Grey messaged with a correction to some character ages.
Finally the duo get into one of their topics, "Terror by Torchlight." It is a new short story from Christie Golden which has Flynn Fairwind and Matthias Shaw traveling to Duskwood to fight some undead and recover a missing artifact. Katie recaps the story and then they comment on how they enjoyed the Flynn-Shaw couple. They also talk about how this ties into the Scourge invasion in Shadowlands, and leads directly into the upcoming Christie Golden book, "Exploring the Eastern Kingdoms."
Then, Katie runs through the cinematics leading into the pre-patch Scourge invasion. They talk about how several characters were abducted and they all had a witness left with them to remain behind. This leads to a discussion of how Tyrande was able to fend off the abductors and instead was present to face Nathanos. The pair considers Nathanos' motive for facing us at his home, and then talk about his possible fate. They also discuss how Sylvanas and Tyrande mirror each other from the Light and Death perspective. They talk about how hyped they are for Shadowlands to finally be launching next week.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 11/25 at 10:30 pm EST at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2l8
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#110: On Kael'thas Sunstrider Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back to talk about Kael'thas Sunstrider, former Prince of Quel'thalas, since we'll be encountering him in Shadowlands. But before they do, first they get sidetracked talking about the Steamy Romance novels and the apparent appearance of the author in Boralus. Then they talk about what they've been up to in game. Katie's been running Horrific Visions and islands to get her albatross. Nick is almost done with Mechagon and is planning to go back to the Firelands next.
Then they get into talking about Kael'thas. They talk about his history in Dalaran before the Second War and get distracted by his fascination with Jaina. Then they talk about how the Scourge destroy Silvermoon and that brings him back from his travels, and his ensuing struggles to connect with his people. He christens them Sin’dorei, or Blood Elves. Kael'thas then winds up heading out and encountering the Night Elf contingent of Tyrande, Illidan, Maiev, and Malfurion in a situation that aggravates Katie. Then he meets Garithos and after working with the Naga to stave off the Scourge, is imprisoned by his commander.
Lady Vashj frees Kael'thas and takes him to Outland. They meet back up with Illidan and they work to defeat Magtheridon and claim the Black Temple. After a poorly executed excursion to Northrend, Kael'thas eventually falls under Kil'jaeden's sway and leaves to go to Netherstorm where he takes over Tempest Keep. Players defeat him there, but he manages to barely survive. He then returns to Quel'danas to bring Kil'jaeden to Azeroth but is finally defeated in Magister's Terrace.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 10/28 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2kv
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#109: Living, Laughing, and Loring (featuring Gin & Ali) Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

This week Gin and Ali from the Live, Laugh, Lore podcast (among many others!) join Nick and Katie to talk about Shadowlands hype. First, after Nick rants briefly about episode numbers, they talk a bit about the founding of Live, Laugh, Lore and how Gin and Ali came together from their other podcast projects to talk about Warcraft lore on a biweekly basis.
Then, Nick brings up the book "Enemy Infiltration - Preface" which is found in the Spire of the Unseen Guests, which is a clear reference to the dreadlords. The group discusses the possible interpretations of the book, including the revelation that Lothraxion could still be in league with the Nathrezim and they discuss just how much you can trust the Dreadlords, including even as far as leaving the book around.
Nick poses a theory for how the expansion could end, and that leads to a discussion of whether or not Arthas deserves redemption. Gin mentions that the Art Book that came with the Shadowlands Collectors Edition contains some significant lore nuggets. Katie checks out for a bit while Gin and Ali tell Nick about the purpose behind the Helm of Domination and its connection to the Jailer.
Katie comes back and the group goes off topic a bit talking about popcorn. When they get back on topic, they look at Sylvanas' possible role as Illidan 2.0 in the great cosmic war.
Finally, they about Steve Danuser's recent interview where he compared souls to ropes and try to make that fit with the rest of the known story.
Thanks again to Gin and Ali for coming on! Check out Live, Laugh, Lore on your favorite podcatcher of choice.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 11/11 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2k5
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#108: On Bolvar Fordragon Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back and after Nick gets some letters confused they talk about the history of Highlord and Lich King Bolvar Fordragon.
First, they talk about his history with his daughter Taelia and his possible romance with Calia Menethil, which is purely fan speculation at this point. Nick wonders if they rekindle their relationship if their supernatural natures could allow them to make some special child.
Bolvar appears in vanilla serving as the Regent for Stormwind in Varian's absence, while Anduin is a child king. Bolvar is involved in the Onyxia attunement quests, as rumors suggest that Lady Katrana Prestor is up to no good but Bolvar continually requires proof. Finally, she is confronted and Bolvar helps fight her out of Stormwind, and then sends the player to defeat her in Dustwallow Marsh. Bolvar also sends players to Silithus and Naxxramas when those patches were active.
In Wrath of the Lich King, Varian returns so Bolvar can lead the Alliance to Northrend. He winds up at the Wrathgate where his fate is decided. He seems to have a cordial relationship with Dranosh, until Arthas shows up and kills the orc. Putress then rains down blight and before Bolvar can die, he is burned by Alexstraza's fire which turns him into the charred husk he is today. Nick talks about Arthas being jealous of Alexstraza for burning people with no objection. Katie wonders if the Aspect of Life knew was she was doing when she saved Bolvar.
Bolvar then appears again after being tortured at the Frozen Throne. After Arthas' defeat, Bolvar stops Tirion from putting on the Helm of Domination and claims that fate for himself, becoming the new Lich King and being encased in ice.
In Legion, Bolvar reclaims the Knights of the Ebon Blade as his servants. Nick wonders if that was Bolvar's plan all along, or if he just got lucky.
Katie mentions that Bolvar shows up in BfA to talk with Vol'jin in a hostile fashion.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 10/14 at 10:30 pm E at http://mtb.gg/2jk
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#107: On Garrosh Hellscream Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are back and now that we’ve looked at the Revendreth short, its time to look at the life of Garrosh Hellscream. They discuss his childhood when he was sick and abandoned by his father. Then they talk about Thrall coming and showing him that his father was a hero and recruiting him to the Horde. Next, Garrosh goes to Northrend where he leads the Horde against the Lich King and learns from Saurfang in the process. He comes back and Thrall makes him Warchief and things go downhill. He fights and murders Cairne thanks to the involvement of Magatha Grimtotem. Conversely, he looks noble in Stormtalon Peaks when he rejects Grom’kar’s hostility and throws him off a cliff. He jumps off a zeppelin in Twilight Highlands because he can be hyper aggressive.
Garrosh then bombs Theramore, and sends the Horde into a tailspin. He sends a scouting force into Pandaria to secure a beachhead, and then leads the following invansion. He finds the Divine Bell and almost kills Anduin with it though not for lack of trying. He then gets the Heart of Y'shaarj and uses its power to fight the Horde and Alliance, but is defeated. He is imprisoned and taken to Pandaria, where he compares himself to Arthas before portaling away to the an alternatime timeline Draenor 35 years in the past. He gets Grommash to not drink Mannoroth's blood, and helps build the Iron Horde to assault Azeroth. We go and find him in Nagrand, and then Thrall shows up and they finish their Mak'gora with Thrall killing Garrosh. And then he goes to Revendreth.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/30 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2jb
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#106: On Afterlives: Revendreth Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Nick and Katie are here to talk about the final Afterlives animated short on Revendreth. Nick compares this to the other episodes as they all focused on a character while this one centered on the zone itself, with a marginal (but important) role for Garrosh Hellscream. They discuss if there is an order to the cinematics, showing how the situation in the Shadowlands has devolved over time, since the Bastion cinematic took place while before the anima drought, and even in Ardenweald, the story started ahead of the drought and then progressed into it. Clearly in Revendreth, the drought has been going on for some time.
They talk about Garrosh being used as an anima supply, and the irony of Garrosh rejecting chains and shackles regularly throughout his life only to find himself enslaved in such a fashion. They comment on Sire Denathrius faux-benevolent tone. Katie wonders if we'll see other characters like Kael'thas or Kel'thuzad in the zone. Nick hypes the music for the zone and mentions that Danathrius has the echo affect on his voice like the other leaders of the dead. They mention that he is most likely one of the bosses, if not the boss, of the first raid, Castle Nathria. They also compare Garrosh's situation to Gul'dan at the start of Warlords of Draenor, and speculate how the player and Garrosh finally meeting could go upon their arrival.
Finally, Nick and Katie ponder which of the cinematics and zones they like best, and they debate how “sunlight” works in the Shadowlands.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/30 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons, but please check twitter for any scheduling changes. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2j4
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

#105: On Ursoc and Afterlives: Ardenweald Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

POOR URSOC!!! Nick and Katie are here to work through their grief over the bear god's fate. But first, Nick rants about how Night Elves always have the most tragic stories, in pointing out the similarities between Ardenweald and Val'sharrah (and Teldrassil, for what its worth.)
Then, the duo get into Ursoc's history. They talk about how he and his brother Ursol were empowered by Freya to become wild gods. They also talk about how Freya gave Ursoc the Claw of Ursoc and he worked to master them. Ursoc and Ursol were quick to respond to the call for help during the War of the Ancients, and they were killed when they were overrun by felhounds. Ursoc was resurrected by the Grizzlemaw furbolgs in Grizzly Hills, and then we had to kill him because he was corrupted by Yogg-Saron. He then spends his time in the Emerald Dream until he's trapped by Xavius and corrupted to become a boss in the Emerald Nightmare raid, which is where the cinematic picks up.
Nick and Katie then talk about the cinematic, and try to divine how the cycle of life and death works for wild gods. Nick compares the Emerald Dream to the Firelands for Ragnaros and the Twisting Nether for demons, and wonders if we'll see characters like Ragnaros or Kil'jaeden in the Shadowlands somewhere (probably not.) They also talk about how powerful beings in the Shadowlands (or connected to the Shadowlands) get the echo-reverb effect, like the Winter Queen, or the Archon of Bastion, or the Lich King.
They also then wonder about what it means to live in the Shadowlands like fauns like Ara'lon and discuss what that must be like.
Thank you for listening to The Tauren & the Goblin! Please send any comments or questions to taurengoblin@mash.gg or @taurengoblin on twitter. Our next live show is scheduled for 9/16 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. We are also doing a live recording on 9/17 at 11:30 pm E. Come join us!

Episode URL: http://mtb.gg/2iu
Show Twitter: twitter.com/TaurenGoblin

Hosts:
Nick Zielenkievicz
twitter.com/WookieeBH
Katie Grace
twitter.com/hyrulemaster77

Thank you for listening to a Mash Those Buttons podcast! You can keep up with all of our podcasts in the following locations.

Website: mashthosebuttons.com
Twitter: twitter.com/themashnetwork
Discord: mash.gg/discord

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