Ever since the beginnings of Hearthstone, card fantasy and lore was mainly derived from the all-beloved Warcraft universe. But recently, Team 5 not only decided to create their own Hearthstone-exclusive characters; they even write specific lore-related blog post about them, such as the Tales of the Fox with Kobolds and Catacombs or the Mysterious Missives with The Witchwood.

And if that wasn’t cool enough already, we had the chance to ask the developers additional questions about the most intriguing characters of Hearthstone’s newest expansion “The Witchwood”!

Azalina Soulthief

This lady looks like she means business, and her name only supports that. We learned of this mysterious creature when the expansion got announced in March, but not a lot of information was shared initially.

What exact role does Azalina play in the Witchwood? Is she a lone soulhunter, or does she pursue some sort of grander goal?

“Azalina Soulthief was a night elf hermit who lived in hiding in the Witchwood, watching over the great tree Tal’doren. She befriended the forest spirits, living in almost complete seclusion from the outside world. When Hagatha’s curse began to infest the Witchwood, Azalina in her desperation performed a dangerous ritual to fight it. Unfortunately, things went horribly wrong.. With her form twisted almost beyond recognition and her magic warped, she now roams the woods searching for new spirits to replace those she lost.”

Chameleos

Chameleons are a thing in WoW, we know that as a fact. But how did such an exotic creature found its way into the cursed woods of Gilneas? How does a Beast fit the fantasy of a Priest legendary minion card?

“The witch’s curse had varied effects on the denizens of the Witchwood. Some were warped and broken, but others gained new powers. Chameleos was one of the latter. Originally a simple beast, the curse amplified his shifting abilities 100 fold, allowing him to become a spirit version of just about anything. But his powers are unstable – one moment he becomes a giant minion, another the essence of a spell. As an unbound spirit, it matches the vibe of Priest in this expansion, and mechanically it makes perfect sense.”

Witch’s Cauldron

For many players, Witch’s Cauldron may be the most underrated card of the set. As we have seen during the Innvitiational, it can create great value and hilarious interactions. From a lore perspective this card feels like Hagatha’s mysterious cauldron in the middle of the Witchwood, and every adventurer can try to play around with the magic it provides.

Does this come close to the “fantasy” behind this minion? What was the creation process? Was this part of the initial Hagatha “pitch” by Jomaro Kindred?

“For Witch's Cauldron (and Apprentice), we wanted cards that mirrored Hagatha’s effect. Hagatha generates random Shaman cards for you, so for her cauldron and her apprentice it made sense to do the same thing. And since Hagatha is a witch, it made a lot of sense for her to have a cauldron and a frog apprentice.”

Emeriss

WoW players know all the lore behind this particular card as a guardian of the Emerald Dream, but what is Emeriss’ business in the Witchwood? What is this curse that she and the drakes of the Green Dragonflight are clearly affected by?

“It seems that Hagatha has managed to rip a hole into the Emerald Nightmare, to summon into the Witchwood the spirit of the Nightmare Dragon Emeriss. Clad in new flesh created by Hagatha’s curse, the corrupted green dragon is now a vehicle of the witch’s power, warping all creatures in her vicinity.”

The Ghosts (Lady in White/Witchwood Grizzly/Ghostly Charger/Ghost Light Angler/Lost Spirit)

This additional question does not directly refer to a single card, but the community seems to really care about this: What is it with all these newly introduced ghosts? Where do they come from, who summoned them, what is their plan, and why is Prince Liam one of them?! Could this be the beginning of the fantasy behind a Ghost minion type?

“Hagatha’s curse has many side effects. One of them has been to raise the spirits of the Gilnean dead – Lady in White, Prince Liam, and Phantom Militia are all examples of this. Thankfully, they retain much of their memories from life so several of these ghosts have returned to aid their countrymen and serve the Worgen once more. This is the ghost story set, so we wanted to have some ghosts!”

Witchwood Piper

Witchwood Piper is the secret “lore star” of this set, because she is the first Satyr in Hearthstone AND she looks to be the first documented female Satyr in the whole Warcraft universe!

Was this card intended to secretly break into the scene like that, and was the design team aware of that? Can we assume that more Satyr occupy the Witchwood, or is Witchwood Piper a lone panpipe player?

“The pipers are one of the most dangerous creatures in the woods because they don’t look threatening – by the time you realize you’re in trouble, it’s far, far too late. Satyrs haven’t been intentionally excluded from Hearthstone – they’re awesome demons and they’ll probably be back! She’s not actually the first female Satyr in Warcraft; the Fallen Priestess in Azsuna is a female Satyr from World of Warcraft!”

We couldn’t be more happy to receive brand new information about everybody’s favorite Witchwood cards. Thanks again to Blizzard, Team 5 and its developers that answered hearthstonetopdecks’ questions!