Mogu

The mogu are powerful, magical titan-forged who live in Pandaria. Proud, hateful, and powerful both physically and magically, the mogu are the foremost enemies of the pandaren. They have fought over the future of Pandaria since time immemorial.

They were created by the Keepers during the ordering of Azeroth to shape and protect the land. An extension of Keeper Ra's will, they were agents of order, obedient and mighty. They would later be afflicted by the Curse of Flesh becoming mortal, eventually losing their way and valuing power and control above all else. Under the reign of Lei Shen the mogu empire was formed and came to dominate Pandaria. They used the Engine of Nalak'sha to form new creatures. They were even able to reverse the curse of flesh among themselves. After the Pandaren revolution and the downfall of the empire, the mogu clans scattered.

Following the arrival of the Alliance and the Horde, the mogu clans made various attacks to reclaim their former glory from the pandaren in the ensuing chaos. Shan Bu and Zhao-Jin the Bloodletter in particular led their clans against the pandaren-controlled Vale of Eternal Blossoms and Townlong Steppes. After the fall of the newly resurrected Thunder King, the mogu were again defeated.

Origin
The mogu are a titan-forged race manufactured by the Forge of Wills during the ordering of Azeroth. They were created to dig out the myriad waterways and rivers of the world. Highkeeper Ra used the artifact known as the Fist of Ra-den, which could channel the fury of storms, to bestow life upon the mogu. Some say that the mogu race was created in the image of Norushen. They were once a legion of stone, heartless and obedient, and by their masters' command, the mogu fought the terrible servants of the Old Gods, shaped the mountains and carved the rivers of the land. The mogu created a magical cradle of life in a hidden valley now known as the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.

For many ages, the mogu guarded the work of the titans, fighting against the mantid swarms. The mogu served the titanic watcher Ra-den when the titans left Azeroth. Those who answered directly to Ra were known as the Rajani. When the Old Gods used the Curse of Flesh on the mogu, they became terrified as their stone forms transformed them into mortal beings. They soon began to breathe, to bleed and to die. But with the flesh came the other curses of mortality: pride and greed, fear and anger. No longer united in purpose, the mogu fought amongst themselves. Powerful mogu warlords gathered up followers and made war on one another. Their battles scorched the land, terrifying the other mortal races.

Though the curse made the mogu mortal, they later found a way to reverse the process. Despite this, the vast majority of mogu, including Lei Shen, appeared to remain fleshy.

The Thunder King
During the Age of a Hundred Kings, the mogu found necromancy. Powerful mogu necro-lords ruled their tribes from crypts dug deep beneath the surface.

It was during this time that Lei Shen was born. Son of a warlord, when he came of age and commanded his own legions, he announced his intent to awaken the gods. Only his most loyal of followers accompanied him where no mogu had dared tread: into the very heart of the Thundering Mountain, the sacred home of the one the mogu had called their master. History does not record what Lei Shen found when he ascended the mountain and disappeared into its vaults. But when he returned, he wielded the power of a thousand storms and declared the mount to be his seat of power. Atop its summit he built a majestic and forbidden city. Armed with the power of storms, Lei Shen, now known as the Thunder King, gathered together his followers and rose to power "the mogu way", eliminating his rivals one by one. Many mogu saw in Lei Shen the unity of purpose that had been lacking in the generations since their masters had fallen silent. They flocked around the Thunder King's banner and eagerly did his bidding as he enslaved the other races, believing - as Lei Shen did - that the "lesser" races should serve the mogu, just as the mogu had once served their masters.

Possessed of immense size and strength, the mogu built an empire based on might, in which the weak – other races – were subjugated, and the strong – always mogu – ascended to power. Imposing stone monuments and titanic siege engines displayed the power of the mogu to the rest of the land. They turned their strength on the lesser inhabitants of Pandaria, shaping flesh to their whims as they shaped rock. The great Serpent's Spine wall, which separates the Townlong Steppes and the Dread Wastes from the rest of Pandaria, was built by the mogu's slaves during the rule of Lei Shen.

Pandaren revolution
12,000 years ago, mogu emperors ruled Pandaria, keeping the gentle pandaren as their slaves. The lucky ones clowned enough to entertain their mogu masters. Those pandaren lived in stone palaces, and their lives knew relative luxury. But that luxury ended when a joke offended and only the snapping of a spine or the popped removal of a head could inspire more mogu laughter. Throughout many emperors' reigns, the pandaren may have attempted several failed uprisings. Although Emperor Tsao reformed the slave laws, allowing the pandaren more freedom, his successor's actions led to the downfall of the mogu empire. Emperor Lao-Fe was brutal and had very severe and strict rules on slaves. He ruled with a no-weapon policy, but the pandaren, through tenacity, diplomacy, and a unique form of unarmed combat, staged a successful revolution that deposed the mogu and established an empire that would prosper for thousands of years. One hundred years after the downfall of the mogu empire, the Zandalari launched a full-scale invasion of Pandaria to destroy the Pandaren empire and restore the rule of the land to their mogu allies. The mogu clans, no longer led by a central ruler, began to break up and fall. However, the majority of mogu clans assisted the Zandalari in their invasion, launching raids of pandaren towns, villages, and farms. The Zandalari penetrated deep into Pandaria, and besieged Dawn's Blossom. Despite their attempts, the attacking forces eventually lost the battle, turning the tide of the war and causing a Zandalari retreat. After the war, the mogu clans scattered completely, and most of them were not seen again for centuries. Warlords and emperors that were killed, were buried in Tu Shen Burial Ground by pandaren.

Mists of Pandaria
After millennia of prosperous rule by the pandaren, mogu scouts returned to the land. However, it seems the mogu had something much grander planned than just scouting the world. A few mogu clans began attacking regions of Pandaria, gaining control of small towns and farmlands. A few clans had become united by a new king, Xin the Weaponmaster, whose lofty dreams of conquest threatened the region. However, despite his attempts, Xin was killed before any of his plans could come to fruition.

The mogu later stepped up their attacks, launching full-scale assaults on the Vale of Eternal Blossoms and Townlong Steppes, besieging Niuzao Temple. Every defeat they suffered seemed to strengthen them, as new waves of mogu began to appear, now reunited with the Zandalari, who had returned to Pandaria. Having rebuilt their former alliance, the Zandalari began to fulfill an ancient prophecy to resurrect the First Emperor. The mogu launched a full-scale assault in a last attempt to reconquer Pandaria.

The mogu craved the domain they once held, and to regain it were willing to sweep usurpers and invaders alike into the dust. Awakened from his tomb by his old Zandalari allies, Lei Shen returned, promising to reclaim his ancient empire. The Thunder King reemerged on the Throne of Thunder that served as his seat of power, gathering armies from all over Pandaria to his island citadel.

Once more the heroes of the Horde and Alliance were called forth to take on this threat, doing so in the midst of their own dark and bloody war reignited by the decimation of Theramore and the betrayal that split the Kirin Tor. Waging war on two fronts isn’t easy and the Shado-Pan had no interest in anything more than using the power of both factions to put down a more clear and present danger.

Battle for Azeroth
Following Lei Shen's defeat at the Throne of Thunder, the mogu splintered and began warring for dominance. Many new clans arose from the ashes, including the Baruk, Dokani, and Zan-Tien.

Promised a new empire by Zul, the Kao-Tien mogu led by Warlord Kao and Vilnak'dor, attacked the Zandalari at Warport Rastari in Zuldazar. In truth, it was a distraction so that Zul could begin his coup against Rastakhan. At the Temple of the Prophet and the Temple of Rezan, more mogu appeared to aid Zul after his rebellion became public. The Lei-zhi mogu aided some of Zul's followers in leading a mutiny aboard several ships at the Isle of Fangs and Tusk Isle.

The Shado-Pan followed the mogu to Zandalar and spied on them at Warport Rastari.

In addition to aiding Zul in his revolt, several mogu clans have sought the power of the Azerite, claiming that, similar to the tol'vir and black dragonflight, the power of the earth is theirs by right. The powerful mogu necromancers known as the necrolords were disturbed from their rest recently by the world's wound in unknown numbers.

In the years following the Siege of Orgrimmar, the Vale of Eternal Blossoms was restored to its original state and the Rajani clan loyal to Highkeeper Ra was restored. However, with N'Zoth released from his prison, the warring Baruk, Dokani, and Zan-Tien took advantage of the chaos and descended upon the Vale to claim it. In addition, the Zan-Tien sought to capture the Engine of Nalak'sha. Together with adventurers, the Rajani, Shado-Pan, and Golden Lotus defended the vale.

Culture
The Mogu'shan Palace, located in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, contains some of the secrets of their lost empire, including the titan facilities and libraries. Mogu culture is very heavily influenced by their former masters. Over time, the mogu developed aspects of culture on their own, although main titan principles are still practiced by mogu to this day.

Magic


Unlike "lesser races" that need schooling in the arts of magic, the ability was innate in the mogu. From what is known about mogu usage of magic, it is clear that their magic users did not fall into known categories, such as mage or warlock. Special emphasis was placed on flesh-shaping or spirit-capture magic. The mogu are flesh-shapers and can create other creatures. They are known to have created the saurok‎ and grummles.

Death was not final for some mogu, instead being a mere stopover on the path to a new body. Spiritbinders used their foul magic to transfer these spirits from one shell to the next.

Slavery
In many ways, the mogu are based on brutal strength and terrible cunning. Even with powerful magic at their disposal, the mogu often preferred to use slaves to build their massive monuments. Enslaved humanoids were marked with branding irons. Forged of iron and imbued with spells of subjugation and pain, manacles with inward-facing spikes were forced onto the slave races of the mogu. The blood of many mogu slaves were shed with a bone whip fashioned from the spine of some large and ancient creature. An anatomical dummy of a pandaren was used to document torture techniques.

When the mogu had exhausted their options for enslaved mortal warriors, they turned their attention to creating armies of animated constructs to do their fighting for them. These terracotta warriors would sometimes sit dormant for centuries.

In contrast to the unarmed combat and simple weapons of the first pandaren monks, the favored weapons of the mogu were based on fear rather than practicality. They were large, cumbersome, and difficult to wield.

Companions
Favorite pets of the ancient mogu princes, the dog-like quilen make loyal and fearless companions and mounts. Mogu sorcerers, keepers of the secret to bringing stone to life, prefer stolid stone companions over more beastly familiars.

Customs

 * Mogu warriors often wore heavy "jewelry" such as the Iron Amulet as a demonstration of strength.
 * The rituals for desecrating a fallen opponent are a well-established part of mogu culture.
 * Mogu mummify their dead.
 * Across mogu art and literature, one legend is found, repeated and embellished again and again. It is the legend of Shadow, Storm, and Stone.

Government
The mogu empire was a meritocracy as well as an absolute monarchy/dictatorship, where the previous regime and/or dynasty must be overpowered and executed. As a part of mogu culture, when a clan's leader is killed, it is customary for rivals to immediately murder his family and thus exterminate the clan lineage forever.

Valley of Emperors
The mogu view their dead as a collection of parts. Souls could be bound to stone for later use. Flesh and blood could be reforged to extend the lives of those loyal to the emperor. To be buried intact was a symbol of great power and respect. The Valley of Emperors serves as the resting grounds a hundred generations of warlords, kings and emperors who once ruled Pandaria.

Relations with the Zandalari
When the mogu still ruled over Pandaria, they were allied with the Zandalari. However, both the mogu and Zandalari held contempt for one another. The mutual contempt between the two would grow to polite indifference. They trusted the other not to attack because they were confident they would defeat the other. While Zandalari and mogu stood back to back, they did not watch the other and did not see the other falter. The Zandalari assisted them against the embryonic Pandaren empire. Despite being defeated and pushed from the island now called Pandaria, the Zandalari, just like the mogu, remained in Pandaren lore, and slowly turned into Pandaren children's "bogeymen".

With the mists that once shrouded Pandaria now gone, the Zandalari, curious about Pandaria and their ancient mogu allies, have dispatched forces to Pandaria in an attempt to re-connect with the mogu. It seems they want to help them retake the land from the Pandaren and once again bring it under mogu rule. However, the Zandalari seem too desperate to acquire Pandaren territory and appear to have more motives than just helping out their ancient mogu allies.

Appearance
Khal'ak once met a mogu, a head and a half taller than she, ebon skinned, strongly built. [He] possessed a leonine aspect that was uniquely suited to Pandaria. His brows, beard, and hair were as white as his flesh was black. When she'd first seen statuary depicting the mogu, she had thought it highly stylized. Meeting them in the flesh dispelled that notion, and seeing them in action suggested that any round softness of form hid only a sharpness of purpose and courage.

Male mogu stand between a head to a head and a half taller than Zandalari women. In rare cases, they can be taller than a male Zandalari. Some mogu are only about a foot taller than a jungle troll.

A mogu that is a foot taller than a jungle troll would be around 9'4" tall.

Mogu blood is black in color.

Clans
Mogu live in clans, led by powerful warlords. For a time, Xin the Weaponmaster was king of the clans.

As a companion pet

 * Mogu Statue (item) is a rare drop from Will of the Emperor in Mogu'shan Vaults.

Notes and trivia

 * The Twin Consorts were rumored to be the only known female mogu in existence. This was later proven wrong, as exampled by Ja Sara and later still by Solux and General Xing.
 * The description given of the mogu in the Archaeology interface states that they were originally a race of brutes granted enormous size, strength, and intelligence by "the life-giving waters of the valley" (referring to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms). This version of the mogu's origin story has not been referenced anywhere else and seems to conflict with the notion that the mogu were originally titan-forged constructs. Their origins were kept ambiguous during BlizzCon 2011, with multiple possibilities as to their relationship to the titans.
 * Stuffed Lushrooms was once a favored dish of the ancient mogu, and has since become a staple in pandaren cuisine. Mango Ice is also thought to have been a favorite among the ancient mogu.
 * Rastakhan did not think highly of the mogu, referring to them as Zul's "pets."
 * Mogu use the same model skeleton and animations as male eredar/draenei.
 * According to Greg Street, the mogu were added "pretty late" in Mists of Pandaria 's development because the designers thought that Pandaria needed more enemy variety.
 * During the Battle for Azeroth beta, the Corrupted Jade Serpent mount's description stated that the mogu used corrupted cloud serpents to travel to islands covered in Azerite.

Inspirations

 * Mogu are inspired by Chinese, Japanese, and Mongolian cultural elements.
 * Mogu (魔古, mógǔ) is Chinese for, roughly, "occult ancient" or "devil ancient," and Mogu'shan (魔古山, Mógǔshān) is Chinese for "Mogu Mountain". Although Chinese World of Warcraft uses "魔古" as the official translation, mogu can also mean "mushroom"(蘑菇, mógu)
 * The inspiration behind Mogu are likely a combination of Chinese and Japanese.
 * Lei Shen is likely derived of.
 * The conquest by the Mogu in Pandaria resembles the.
 * The endless stone mogu army in Mogu'shan Vaults is based on the.
 * Jiang-shi, a special kind of undead mogu, was slated to appear in Pandaria according to the Mists of Pandaria Bestiary. However, any mention of it was removed and there has been no mention of the creature name in-game. The model has since then been used as spectral creatures for different creatures, even outside Pandaria. Despite this, the jiang-shi have an entry in the bestiary of Mists of Pandaria Signature Series Guide alongside the other Mists of Pandaria races.
 * The name "jiang-shi" is a reference to the (殭屍, jiāngshī), a nocturnal, vampire-like creature from Chinese folklore that is typically depicted as a reanimated corpse that moves by hopping and drains the life energy of living creatures.
 * The mogu, like their quilen pets, bear a striking resemblance to the s (also known as Shishi lions or "Foo Dogs"). Indeed, early concept art for the race is labeled "Foo Dog Warrior."

Gender and reproduction
While initially created by the titans, sources such as the Lei Shen lore object describe mogu as being 'born' to other mogu, and "The Lost Dynasty" and Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde say that mogu can have sons (though not how). This suggests at least some degree of reproduction by mogu themselves, following their being affected by the Curse of Flesh. However, all mogu known to currently exist are male. Mogu females used to exist, with mothers and sisters being used in mogu insults, a famous saga about Lei Shen and Sparkmancer Vu's feud over a woman, and Monara being a slain queen (and the last queen) of the mogu. This raises the issue of the current state of mogu reproduction.

Since mogu females have existed in the past, it can be surmised that they were created by the titans along with the males. Their apparent lack of presence raises a number of possibilities:
 * The females have mostly or entirely died out, perhaps due to a relative physical weakness in an extremely violent culture (although a race dependent on sexual reproduction would be expected to take great care, probably on an instinctive level, to ensure that this did not happen).
 * This is unlikely unless the females were systematically being killed by the males for some reason. It is also impossible to say how natural female mogu would compare to the males -- while human males tend to be the physically stronger of the two, the female is the strongest in some other species (such as hawks). But the disparity in strength alone would not seem to account for wiping out an entire half (presumably) of the population.
 * The females are (perhaps owing to their scarcity) being hidden, or protected far from where they may suffer harm (or where their children would be placed in danger)
 * This possibility is supported by what is known of mogu culture. In several real-life human cultures, especially those more reliant on older values, the women are essentially forced to stay at home, often with a heavy penalty for appearing in public (see purdah for an example).
 * The females are elsewhere, or simply have not yet been discovered.

It should also be noted that no mogu children have been found to exist, although they are mentioned in Sparkmancer Vu's epitaph. This may again suggest that both the females and children are being kept well out of harm's reach, or that neither are any longer to be found in Pandaria. While it seems natural to assume that mogu would reproduce through sexual means, the initial creation of mogu using titan technology should also be remembered, especially considering Lei Shen's possession of much of that technology. Such technology would likely be capable of producing fully-grown mogu.

It is possible that when mogu regained their stone bodies after Lei Shen's conquests, the females were reshaped into asexual male-looking bodies.

While it is possible, if the mogu rely on sexual reproduction to propagate their species, it seems unlikely that they would have allowed all of the females to die out. This suggests that females are likely still in existence, albeit evidently far from any non-mogu eyes. Indeed, if the 'rumors' about the Twin Consorts being the only known mogu females are founded in pandaren experience, this may suggest that no females have been witnessed by any non-mogu race in many hundreds or even thousands of years, if at all. While mogu relics (and the ghost of Monara) prove that females have existed in the past, this serves to illustrate both the common lack of knowledge on the subject and the apparent scarcity of mogu females.

Lei Shen's Twin Consorts are rumored to be the only known female mogu in existence. However, these have been confirmed to have been specifically created by Lei Shen, and are "a direct reflection of his will rather than any broader sense of mogu culture as a whole." This description in itself suggests some notable difference between the Consorts and their real-life counterparts unless it refers only to cultural differences, such as in the roles of men and women within mogu society. For speculation on the creation of the Consorts, see Twin Consorts speculation.

Monara, known as the "last queen of the mogu" apparently represents the last ruling female in mogu society (at least at the level of monarch), slain shortly before the end of the Age of a Hundred Kings.

Around the time of N'Zoth's assault on Azeroth, several female mogu were seen to exist. One, General Xing, is of the Rajani faction, who have remained loyal to their origins as defenders of Azeroth, and thus is not likely to be the result of reshaping or a reflection of a tyrant's will. She resembles the Consorts, implying that they do indeed represent the female mogu form.

Mogu do have the ability to take the spirits from one body, or an already dead mogu, to a newly constructed body. It's possible that many of the mogu that have existed simply move on to a new body when their last one has failed. However, if this was the case many previous leaders would have come back and either retained their place in society or attempted to take it back.
 * Body replacement