Satyr (WoW)

"Pathetic wretches! It pains me that you once called yourselves night elves!"

- Malfurion Stormrage

The original satyrs are the descendants of the kaldorei highborne, the first being Xavius, who allied directly with the Burning Legion during the first invasion ten thousand years before the First War.

Introduction
All satyrs have been transformed into their current shapes by inheriting the demonic curse that originated with Xavius. These immortal demons delight most in inflicting emotional and physical pain upon their enemies. Both spellcasters and non-spellcasters have joined the ranks of these bestial demons, who have increased physical strength and an incredible talent for manipulation. Like Xavius, all satyrs have the ability to pass their curse on, and they have gleefully done so. The curse has therefore continued to spread, although it has weakened over time, and so very few satyrs are still being created. New satyrs can only be created by preexisting satyrs. Over time the satyrs discovered that they could pass their curse on to races other than the night elves. Although most satyrs today are former night elves, satyrs have therefore also been created out of other races. According to scattered reports, there are both male and female satyrs; however, researchers have failed thus far to secure irrefutable evidence of female satyrs on Azeroth.

War of the Ancients
The history of the Satyrs starts with Xavius and the first Burning Legion Invasion in the world of Azeroth. Xavius was a Highborne loyal to Queen Azshara and the Burning Legion, tasked with opening and securing a portal connecting the Twisting Nether and Azeroth, a portal that Malfurion later managed to seal. Sargeras, creator of the Burning Legion, was enraged by Xavius' failure and tortured his disembodied spirit for some time before deciding that Xavius might, after all, still prove useful. To that end, Sargeras created a new body for Xavius, who became the first satyr in existence. From the waist up, Xavius resembled his former night elf form, but his fingers now sported a set of sharp claws, and his head bore two horns. His goat-like lower body, however, had hooves and a long leonine tail. Pleased with his creation, Sargeras sent Xavius back to Azeroth to further the Legion's ends. Xavius spread the demonic curse to other creatures--at first primarily other power-hungry Highborne who lived in Zin-Azshari. Despite the fact that Malfurion ultimately destroyed Xavius again, satyrs worship Xavius to this day in the hope that he will again return to Azeroth and lead them. Nor are the satyrs the only ones who invoke Xavius' name. Scattered individuals venerate Xavius because they hope to become satyrs themselves. Fortunately such practices are not widespread.

War of the Satyr
After the Legion's defeat, remaining demons and satyrs later rallied against the night elves in the War of the Satyr. The demons proved a powerful opponent to the night elves, but proved especially vulnerable to the uncontrollable Pack Form. The satyrs were ultimately defeated by the newly formed worgen of the Druids of the Scythe. The war completely decimated any semblance of central leadership for the satyrs, forcing them to live in small sects to this day.

Third War
Thousands of years later, during the Third War, the Satyrs play a small, but still important role in the Legion's invasion. They first appear during the Orc campaign of Reign of Chaos, after Mannoroth spills his blood into a Fountain and corrupts the surrounding area. The Satyrs (attracted by the Fountain's corrupted powers or even former Night Elves changed into Satyrs by the Fountain's corruption) try to defend the Fountain from the Orcs that try to consume its energies in order to defeat Cenarius. As a result of this confrontation, this small group of Satyrs are slaughtered by the Orcs.

Later, the Satyrs appear during the Night Elf campaign of Reign of Chaos, now as demons under the command of the Burning Legion (under the Dread Lord Tichondrius). They try to stop the Night Elves, led by Tyrande and Malfurion, from awakening the Druids of the Talon, but they are killed by the Night Elven raid. Later the Satyrs face and try to stop Illidan Stormrage, who wants to not only cleanse the land known as Felwood, but also to consume the Skull of Gul'dan, the source of fel energy that was corrupting the land. They failed to defend the Skull, and were murdered by Illidan's army. Ironically, the Satyrs will reappear during The Frozen Throne events under Illidan's command.

The Frozen Throne
A small group of Satyrs join Illidan's (now twisted into a demonic body) ranks alongside the Naga. This group, located in Azshara, tries to stop the group led by Maiev Shadowsong from reaching their master, near the Night Elf docks. They also manage to capture and torture a few Night Elves. Luckily for the Night Elves, Maiev manages to free them all and kill all Satyrs who tried to stop her group.

During The Frozen Throne events, this group of Satyrs was still made of members of the Burning Legion, since Illidan was an agent of the Legion.

It seems that not all Satyrs led by Illidan were slain. During The Burning Crusade events, players can notice that Illidan has some Satyrs under his command, who probably joined his ranks during The Frozen Throne, based on the fact that that was the only moment when Illidan (now as a demon lord) was seen in Kalimdor (the only place where you could find Satyrs by that time).

World of Warcraft
Five years have passed since the Legion's defeat, yet a great number of Satyrs can be found living in the lands of Kalimdor. They live in small groups, each group with its own leader, and each group with its own goals. The ultimate goal of all the groups is still the same of the first Satyrs to ever wander Azeroth: Corrupt the land and its creatures. Some groups still remain in contact with the Burning Legion, while others act independently, but one thing is certain; they are not fully independent beings at all. When the Legion calls, they will answer.

Some Satyrs work by themselves, spreading the corruption amongst groups of Furbolgs and Moonwells and even giving missions to anyone who accepts them. One Satyr in particular is part of a very complex, and still promising part of the lore, the Twilight Corrupter. It looks like he was attempting to corrupt a moonwell, located near one of the portals that lead to the Emerald Dream. He was the only Satyr, by the time these events began, who lived in the Eastern Kingdoms (Duskwood), making people wonder how he got there. Possibly he used the Portal, indicating that he came from the Emerald Dream. This could indicate that the Satyrs or the Burning Legion are behind the Emerald Dream's corruption by the Nightmare. Then again, as the Nightmare seems to have been created by the Old Gods, it could just mean some satyrs have chosen the Old Gods as their new masters similar to how some Satyrs followed Illidan. Only time will tell the answer...

All the groups of Satyrs of Kalimdor suffered great losses by members of both Alliance and Horde, and most of their leaders were killed, but it's very likely that most of these groups still exist.

The Burning Crusade
Some Satyrs, who likely followed Illidan, now serve their new master. That was the first time when Satyrs cut the relations with the Burning Legion and served a new master. They are very few and located in Shadowmoon Valley. This group shares territories (old Draenei ruins) with other Servants of Illidan, such as Succubi and Dread Lords, while others live in the Black Temple and help with its defense against the Shattrath offensive against the temple.

Wrath of the Lich King
A small group of Satyr, known as the Unbound, live in the Crystalsong Forest. This group share a peculiar mutation that turned them into "crystal satyrs". What caused this mutation and what this sect of Satyrs is doing in Crystalsong is still unknown, but evidence shows that they are corrupting the Treants and Ancients that wander there.

The Cataclysm
With the threat of the Twilight's Hammer, some Night Elves have relied on calling on the help of their imprisoned Satyr brethren. One named Tyrus Blackhorn, can be seen in Mount Hyjal. There are some who seek redemption from the wretched form like a satyr in Ashenvale known as Avrus Illwhisper who eventually is saved and turned into Avrus the Redeemed. Arch Druid Navarax, leader of the Emerald Circle in Felwood, is a disguised satyr.

Appearance
Satyrs are former elves that were taken by the demons and twisted into shapes that more accurately reflected their nature. In place of their former sinewy elven bodies, they now possessed massive hairy forms, standing upwards of 9 feet tall. Their hands became claws, their feet replaced by cloven hooves and horns sprouted from their head.

Culture
Satyrs possess little culture. Their society is loosely hierarchical, and they are organized into groups. Each group is called a "sect". A sect of satyrs lives in the same geographical region and has a specific mission. Satyrs of different sects get along only some of the time. They live in ruins scattered throughout northern Kalimdor and Desolace; satyrs prefer places of corruption to make their homes, such as Felwood and certain areas of Darkshore. Their sects are small, usually no more than a hundred individuals. Satyrs are cruel and sadistic creatures. They enjoy tormenting other creatures, particularly intelligent ones. Satyrs patrol their territory, hoping they can find travelers they can eviscerate in the most bloody manner possible. They operate at a faster level than their former selves — while before they may have been stately and calm, they now burn with feverish energy. Their movements are swift and jagged, like predators sensing prey.

Trivia
(TBA)