Talking mounts, who woulda thunk?

[Harmonic]

They are more focused on PVP/PVE/Gear stats than on roleplay/lore/customer service.

Fixed. Blizzard cares about writing about as much as they care about you having custom Starcraft maps. Doesn't mean SHIT if you don't make them money.

[Wuvvums]

That's a bit harsh- how do we know what they care for? Or perhaps they are focusing on the PVP/PVE out of necessity(as, like it or not, sometimes you have to cater to your customers). We really don't know how much they make versus how much they spend versus what their liabilities are so making that dollar might be something that -we- take for granted but -they- find important.

Not to mention any excess money made means that they can afford more resources to make the game run better and more smoothly.

[Xigo]

Allow me to throw my two cents here.

Not all species think like humans do. Not all creatures really care if they're the servants of another creature.

As far as we know, the Wyvern are a race that are a-okay with letting someone ride on their back.

We can't think like an other creature can. A human would complain about something riding his back. Maybe a Wyvern is just okay with it. Maybe they enjoy being servants. Maybe they feel as though they are indebted to the Horde. Who knows?

[Delta]

Expunged.

[Hobokitty]

i'm not fond of the idea of talking animals, i think that if they have to communicate, telepathy might be a little less far fetched.

I would have to agree with this one - especially if you have some kind of Drake as a mount. I'm almost positive that the Drakes would speak via telepathy (especially the young drakes that came from the various flights), they're certainly intelligent enough to know language. That, and Netherdrakes do speak to your chara in-game.

[QuantumLegacy]

They can talk. It's magic.

[Knock]

Can't say much for Wyverns, but as for Hippogryphs, they have a beak and a tongue. That's enough biological equipment for a parrot to mimic human speech.

Also, sorry for the two-week rez :P

[DuskWolf]

I can't say much for the Hippogryphs but I did a lot of research on Wyverns and here are a few quotes from the Wiki that point out who they are.

They are allies to the Horde not pack animals or horses.

wyverns are intelligent creatures — as smart as any humanoid.

The greenskinned orcs proved themselves to wyverns in battle against harpies attempting to kill a Stonetalon Mountains flight.

A wyvern may choose an orc with a willingness to take to the air, and the two establish a formidable aerial scouting and combat team.

I like that last one, the wyvern choose you to ride him not some orc commanding him to take him some where. They would most likely be best friends. To me the lore seems very sound for orcs, they have a history of taking up allies for mutual benefit.

As for the taxi wyverns it is more a game mechanic but could easily be explained that orcs hire them in some way to do the work.

[omnivar]

well as I recall from playing Warcraft 3 Thrall does indeed speak with a Wyvern (not telepathy or anything) and he helps to free a number of there brood making them 'in-debted' to the orcs (and horde by extension)

As for the hippogryphs there is no reason a creature with a beak can't talk in a comprihensible way and there likely to help out the alliance due to the close bond they seem to have with the Night Elves.

[Roxas65]

I looked up the Hippogryphs. Twas' on WoWWikia for everybody to see. Here it is, and I quote.

Contrary to common belief, hippogryphs are not simply domesticated beasts that serve as night elf mounts. They are no less intelligent than most humanoid races

Hippogryphs speak Darnassian, but are capable of learning Common and other languages.

[Knock]

well as I recall from playing Warcraft 3 Thrall does indeed speak with a Wyvern (not telepathy or anything) and he helps to free a number of there brood making them 'in-debted' to the orcs (and horde by extension)

As for the hippogryphs there is no reason a creature with a beak can't talk in a comprihensible way and there likely to help out the alliance due to the close bond they seem to have with the Night Elves.

Quoted for truth.

The Night Elves have lived a secluded life for the past ten thousand years in a small area of northern Kalimdor. They have an extremely intimate bond with nature and all of its creatures. Most semi-intelligent and intelligent creatures of Ashenvale can understand Darnassian, such as the owlkin and treants, even if they cannot speak it. The Night Elves have protected the forests from invasion for millenia, and I think the hippogryphs are more than happy to repay them by serving their allies as taxis, despite being highly intelligent creatures.

I think the same is true for Wyverns. While they're intelligent creatures and by no means pack animals or simple mounts, they have a symbiotic relationship with the Durotar Orcs, and by extension, their allies. While relationships between an Orc and its mount must involve mutual trust and respect, I don't think it would be lore-breaking to consider individual wyverns pledging their service to the Horde out of gratitude for their protection.

[SpiralLateralus]

This is a fantasy game anyway, so even creatures that normally wouldn't be able to talk in real life can in WoW. Blizzard could make a quest given to you by a talking crystal, and there's really no need to question how it can talk. No need at all.....

[Dinowen]

The Horde Player's Guide clearly states that the Wyverns can, and do, learn Orcish, Taurahe, and Common. Along with this, Hippogryphs learn Darnassian and Common.

Police dogs know German, doesn't mean they can speak it, just that they know it to understand the commands given to them.

On the beak point earlier in the thread, parrots. Some parrots are quite adept at entire, clearly understandable sentences. Despite the fact that they have no lips.

Wyverns I believe are in the same boat as dogs and tigers. The have the capacity to learn any language they are exposed to for an extended period of time, but mainly only for the learning of commands. Same with Hippogryphs.

[Krilari]

Dino, please check the post dates to be sure you don't necropost.