The Naaru

Overview

The Naaru are a race of benevolent beings seemingly made up of pure holy energy. They are able to travel through various dimensions and use their incredibly advanced magic abilities to further their goal of stopping the Burning Legion.

History

The naaru first appeared in the world of Azeroth with the arrival of the Draenei. They had previously appeared to the Prophet Velen in reply to his prayers for help to stop Sargeras and the burning legion. After blessing his followers with their holy light, Velen and his people adopted the name Draenei, or "exiled ones" and vowed to follow this race of benevolent beings.

The naaru provided Velen and his followers with a ship, called The Exodar, which the Draenei used to flee their home planet of Argus and they flee'd until the ship crash landed on Azeroth. It is around this time that the Naaru also moved their other dimensional ship, Tempest Keep, to Outland for further study. The keep was later sieged and occupied by Prince Kael'thas and his Blood Elves.

Not much of the history of the naaru is truly known at this point prior to their involvement in the fight to stop the Burning Legion but the few scraps of information that we can gleen from what we have seen is that the Naaru are seemingly immortal and may have even been born at the dawn of time.

Technology

Very few examples of Naaru technology exist in the Warcraft universe save for the two ships: The Exodar and Tempest Keep. It is speculated that the automated systems found in each are either an infusion of technology with incredibly old and powerful magic or simply such advanced forms of magic that it gives the illusion of technology. The closest example of magic that we can see is the "wizard" architecture such as the towers of the Kirin Tor, or even perhaps the Necropoles that are built by the Scourge as they too have the ability to float and move around at will.

Biology

From what we can tell, the Naaru are nothing more than shards of pure energy that seem to float around a central piece, or "heart" if you will. According to the lore that we have gained so far, the Naaru also appear to be immortal however it is possible for them to enter a "darkened" or weakened state when their physical form is damaged, as is the case with the Naaru M'uru, D'ore, and K'ure.

Another fact about the naaru that we can merely speculate about is the genders within the race. It can be surmised that they are most likely a genderless race as no real distinction is available. The three Naaru M'uru, D'ore, and K'ure have been referred to in the lore as "he" however it is impossible to know if there are any females as known have currently been encountered to date...or if they have, we do not know it.

According to warcraft lore, the life cycle of a naaru never ends...even after their physical bodies are "killed" they become "voids" which attracts and consumes souls. Over time a naaru will begin to regenerate it's power from the Light.

Dark or Light?...Good or Evil?

"Without the void, the light cannot exist" -- the naaru D'ore.

While the intentions of the naaru have been nothing but altruistic and benevolent in nature, the fact that the underlying theme of good and evil, of one needing the other simply to exist, is so prominent in the warcraft universe it raises the question as to whether or not there are a race, or faction, of naaru that we have yet to encounter that are the polar opposites of those who have done nothing but help.

Another angle that we can address this issue with is the existence of "darkened" naaru within the warcraft universe. It is unclear as to whether or not once a naaru becomes "darkened" if he is inherently evil, or if the darkened state is simply a state of being and a result of their diminished power at the time. One supporting piece of evidence to the former is the fact that even while darkened, D'ore still seems to harbour altruistic intentions; however it is never stated whether or not M'uru is working with Kil'Jaeden and Kael'thas in the Sunwell Plateau, or if he is merely a pawn subjected to furthering his captors' evil goals.

Naaru of Note

A'dal - leader of the Sha'tar naaru of Shattrath City.
O'ros - naaru residing in The Exodar.
M'uru - former defender of Tempest Keep, M'uru is now imprisoned by the Blood Elves who siphon his power for their own gain.
D'ore - darkened naaru that can be found in Outland.