Murloc

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Murloc (鱼人)
Species/Race	Murloc
Affiliation	Murloc tribes of the Murloc Shoal and Gold Coast
Status	Neutral character (AI)
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Murlocs are a numerous coastal people in Westfall. Their raids are one of the persistent dangers facing the region’s remaining farms and settlements, alongside gnolls and the Defias Brotherhood 1.

Their population is vast and divided among innumerable tribes, clans, and social strata. Most ordinary murlocs have a Challenge Rating of 1; combat-trained individuals are a minority, generally ranging from Challenge Rating 3 to 5 27.

Shawn’s manipulation of the Kobolds triggers a major Kobold–Murloc conflict at Westfall’s Gold Coast. The initial ambush causes heavy casualties on both sides 11 12. Later, he exploits a similar conflict within the Murloc Shoal dungeon, using a Kobold army and the bloodshed it causes to attract Murloc Killer Crabs—the murlocs’ natural predators 29.

The Gold Coast conflict escalates when Shawn again leads kobolds against the murlocs. Although the kobold raid fails, Gryan Stoutmantle’s militia, Shawn, Princess, and the Harvest Watchers subsequently eliminate the remaining murlocs in the area 43 44.

Society and Classes

Class / Group	Role	Known Challenge Rating
Ordinary Murloc	Most common members of the race	1
Murloc Tidehunter	Rogue-like combatant	3
Murloc Raider	Rogue-like combatant	3
Bluegill Warrior	Warrior-type combatant	3
Murloc Tidecaller	Spellcaster	3
Darkscale Oracle	Spellcaster	3
Coldlight Seer	Spellcaster	4
Coldlight Oracle	High-ranking spellcaster; typically requires several tribes or a large tribe to produce	5
Murloc Warleader	Military commander among murloc forces	Not documented

• A typical tribe contains several dozen murlocs and only a small number of professionals, such as one oracle or seer, two or three raiders/tidehunters, or a Bluegill Warrior 28.
• A Murloc Warleader is a commander-level figure who would require the combined professionals of many tribes to support an army 28.
• The Murloc Shoal’s highest-ranking documented native professional is a Coldlight Oracle 28.

Abilities & Traits

Coastal Combat

Murloc combatants inhabit beaches and shoals in scattered groups. When threatened, nearby murlocs rapidly converge on the attacker 27 28.

• Murloc Raiders, Tidehunters, and Bluegill Warriors engage in direct combat 27 28.
• Murloc spellcasters employ ice magic, including Frostbolt and Frost Nova 29.
• During the Gold Coast battle, murloc casters exchange Frostbolts with kobold shamans and are vulnerable to attacks from behind 43.

Numbers and Tribal Response

Murlocs possess a large population despite their generally low individual strength 27.

• The Murloc Shoal contains dozens or hundreds of professional combatants in addition to ordinary murlocs 28.
• At least 2,000 murlocs participate in the Gold Coast battle, while several thousand are said to inhabit the wider coastline 43.
• Their numerical advantage can be disrupted by ambushes, as shown when kobolds scatter and slaughter tribes before a unified defense can form 29.

Vulnerability to Murloc Killer Crabs

Murloc Killer Crabs are the race’s natural predators 29.

• The crabs attack murlocs on sight regardless of relative size or numbers 29.
• Their shells resist the water and ice magic used by Coldlight Seers and Darkscale Oracles 29.
• A sufficiently bloody battle can attract large numbers of crabs, leading to the near-total destruction of local murloc forces 29.

Notable Groups and Individuals

• Coldlight Oracles — The highest-ranking documented murloc professionals in the Murloc Shoal. One surviving Oracle summons Skoda after the shoal’s murlocs are massacred 28 29.
• Murloc Guard Skoda — A Naga, rather than a true murloc, who serves as the guardian and master of the Murloc Shoal. Skoda was formerly Lady Vashj’s bodyguard before losing her position and suffering a decline in strength 29.
• Gold Coast Murlocs — Westfall’s coastal murloc population. They fight repeated large-scale battles against the Kobolds and are eventually pursued and eliminated by Gryan’s forces with Shawn’s support 11 43 44.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Westfall Raids and the First Kobold–Murloc Battle

Murlocs are established as a recurring threat to Westfall’s coastal settlements. Shawn uses the Kobold War Horn to send kobolds against them, sparking a battle that leaves both races with heavy losses 1 11 12.

Murloc Shoal

The Murloc Shoal is a dungeon filled with murloc tribes and professional combatants. Shawn initially fails to clear it after killing a Murloc Raider draws a large hostile response 27 28.

He returns with hundreds of horn-controlled kobolds. Their assault devastates the shoal’s murlocs, while the resulting bloodshed summons Murloc Killer Crabs that finish off the survivors 29. A Coldlight Oracle summons Skoda, whose defeat allows Shawn to clear the dungeon and harvest murloc-related loot, including scales, staffs, robes, shells, pearls, and treasure chests 29 30.

Gold Coast Campaign

Shawn rallies several hundred kobolds from the Jangolode Mine and nearby camps to raid Gold Coast 42. The murlocs repel the kobolds after a prolonged battle, but Gryan’s militia then advances into the coast to pursue them 43. Shawn joins the final assault with spells, Princess, and three Harvest Watchers; the remaining murlocs are wiped out 44.

Items and Materials

• Murloc scales — Gathered from murlocs and used fraudulently by a blacksmith to make a supposed “Silver-Scaled Breastplate” 25.
• Seashells and pearls — Harvested from the Murloc Shoal; magical pearls are later offered by Shawn in trade to Theocritus 30 36.
• Staves and robes — Murloc spellcasters yield fifteen white-quality staffs, one green-quality staff, and several tattered robes during Shawn’s Murloc Shoal harvest 30.
• Salvaged treasure chests — Murlocs collect chests from shipwrecks in the Murloc Shoal; one contains gold, silver, and copper coins 30.

Trivia

• The “Murloc Guard” title is misleading in Skoda’s case: Skoda is explicitly identified as a Naga, not a murloc 29.
• Murlocs are described as one of Azeroth’s two most populous intelligent races alongside kobolds 43.