Stormwind has a lot of statues, right? When you walk around the city they are everywhere! Grand amazing statues of our leaders and past heroes! Magnificent lions! Or... well... maybe that is not quite the case. Follow along.
First up, counting them. Now this may lead to some disagreement, but I did not include gargoyles on buildings, both because I don't think them a real statue, but also because I swear the buggers kept moving when I was not looking, making it impossible to keep track of which I had counted! This was reinforced as I was standing near the Stockades with Darius Agrovane, Serjeant at Arms at the Royal Court - talking about his favourite statues. You see, suddenly one of the statues down in Lion's Rest got up... and walked off.
But to our surprise, then it came back moments later and got back into its position on top of the pedestal. I don't know what sort of magic was involved, but it was highly disturbing. Also, why do we have statues of sleeping bears in Lion's Rest? is it a tribute to druids lost at the Broken Shore?
This shocked me so much I completely forgot which statue Sir Darius Agrovane considers his favourite, so if you see him, make sure to ask him!
Anyway, after my round of Stormwind, I had a few findings. No statues in Old Town, Trade District (not counting the gate area), none in Mage District or Dwarven District. I did not see any around the Embassy or Barracks either.
Lion's Rest had 7, all Lion's heads or Lions. This is hardly a surprise, the Docks had 3 of those as well, plus a statue of what seems like a footman on top of a fountain. I have no idea who this is supposed to be - if one of you dear readers know, then please tell me!
Cathedral district had one, The gates 5. And of course, the cemetery had several lions, but while the ones near the memorial of Queen Tiffin Ellerian Wrynn are quite fierce looking and makes you ponder if they are meant to scare away vandals, or remind us of the fiercely protective queen, then I don't quite consider them real statues, so they didn't make the list.
Statue report of Stormwind:
Old Town:
0
Trade District:
0
Mage District:
0
Stormwind Gates:
5 - all unique statues.
Lion's Rest:
7 - all Lions or Lion's heads.
Cathedral District:
1 - Unique statue
The Docks:
4 - 3 Lion's heads and one unique statue.
The Keep:
1 - Unique statue
Dwarven District:
0
Total statues in Stormwind:
18 - Of these 8 are unique statues, rest are some forms of an Alliance Lion or its head.
I was originally going to rank the top ten statues, based on Artistic Value, and Cultural and Historical Importance. But, with only 8 actual statues to list, then I cut it down to just three.
Hardhy's Top 3 Statues of Stormwind:
These lists always start in reverse order, so does mine.
Number three:
Lord Commander of the Alliance Forces, Regent of Stormwind, High Exarch of the Grand Army of Light, Knight of the Silver Hand - this guy has more titles than I have shoes - I am of course talking about High Exarch Turalyon.
Why he looks like he is crying, I do not know, but this guy is hard to ignore. Not only is he alive - which is rare for someone depicted as a statue (they tend to be made after people die!) but he has played a huge role in most major conflicts over the last many years. A man who was part of the Silver Hand from the very beginning and was buddies with Lord Uther the Lightbringer himself. In fact, the little plague at the foot of the statue has an short text by the Lightbringer himself. He gets a nine on the Cultural and Historical rating, but I cannot say I much like what looks like lines of tears on his face, artistically it gets a five. If you had asked me a year ago, I doubt I would have ranked his statue this high, but with him becoming Regent of Stormwind then his importance has grown. Nine and five lands him on a solid 14 points.
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Number two:
This one might be a bit controversial, and it was a tough choice. Since my number one was a clear winner and my third as well then, I was left with a lot of choices for number two. I ended up picking Archmage Khadgar of the Kirin Tor. While the guy has a tendency to vanish when the world is not in the absolute most dire need (and even then, he seems at times be too busy to lend a hand) then there is no neglecting the major role he has played historically. Of course, same can be said for other heroes who has statues in Stormwind, but at the end of the day the statue of Archmage Khadgar won. Artistically then I just love the choice of the long beard, lending him a look of ancient wisdom which I fully believe is fitting. His large staff... well, who does not like a large powerful staff?
Artistically I give it a 7 out of 10, and the historical and cultural importance gets an 8 for a total of fifteen statue points.
Hardhy's Top Statue of Stormwind!
I don't know if this really came as a surprise to anyone. Perhaps it is a bit unfair, but this is Stormwind, and statues in Stormwind. And I am a human. Sure, some of the statues have historical impact which may surpass this one, but I have not lived 200 years, or even 30. My highest ranked statue of Stormwind is... imagine the drumroll in the background here... Former King of Stormwind, Former High King of the Alliance, The Wolf, The Former Champion of the Crimson Ring, father of King Anduin Wrynn. King Varian Wrynn, the hero we all lost far too early as he sacrificed himself at the Battle of the Broken Shore.
His sacrifice reminds us daily that even as a short-lived human we can make a difference. When the proverbial shit hits the fan then brave men (or women!) can pick the path which leads to their demise, just to save others. One man (or one woman) can make a difference even if it costs them everything. This is the teaching King Varian Wrynn's sacrifice taught us. Sometimes there comes a time where we can make a choice, a costly choice, and making a sacrifice to help others is what heroes are made of. King Varian Wrynn was a hero, a champion and I can think of few others who has had as big an impact on Stormwind and the Kingdom as it is today, than this man had. Even now. The statue gets a 10 for Cultural and Historical importance, and the way it greets you, with sword ready, but resting against the ground, as you enter the keep is another reminder to us all, to be ready, to be vigilant, but also to not strike before it is necessary, the statue gets another 10 for artistic value, and it lands the statue of our former king on a solid 20 points.
I am sure this list can spur debate over the dinner table - there is likely as many opinions of the top three statues as there is statues in Stormwind - some may even consider this fine bronze Lion's Head the most amazing statue in Stormwind.
But they would be wrong.
Stormwind hides many secrets in plain sight, and I will aim to reveal them to you and show them proper appreciation. Who knows what is next? Top 3 bridges? Top 5 romantic spots? Top 7 sewer outlets? Top 9 places to not go if you want to keep your belongings? Only time will tell! If you have an idea - tell me!