Anyone who’s followed the Lore Hound crew for some time probably is familiar with my long-standing fascination with all things murloc. My first experience with creating an army of murloc babies while questing in Borean Tundra nearly gave me cute overload. IF that is even possible!

But that was quite a while ago, and since then I’ve had a distinct lack of murloc kind in my Warcraft experience. I knew something was missing while I’ve been questing toward Loremaster — but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it until a jaunt through the Wailing Caverns to finish up some stray questing.

That’s when I came across him. Mutanus the Devourer. Hunched over, blood-red spikey appendages cascading down his back, pointed teeth gleaming, larger-than-normal muscles glistening through that slimy skin — I knew he was hungry for my death. And I for his.

The level 21 elite may have given me trouble as a fledgling warlock, but not as a level-capped rogue. He charged toward me, a throaty Ggrrrllljsggll escaping that giant, gaping mouth before a single weapon FoKed him up.

And, that was that. An anti-climactic death. But it did serve a purpose — it made me realize how much I’ve missed murlocs and their awesomely crazy, gurgling warscreams. Since the release of ICC and before I started this game of questing, I could probably count the number of murlocs I’ve encountered on one hand. And that’s a shame.

I’m not sure what it is about these little monsters that makes us all love/hate them so. Surely they have a story not as grand as the main playable races of the world. And yet, they’re also one of the most beloved (to kill ravenously, perhaps, but still beloved) of all creations upon Azeroth.

Are they not a breed of creatures encroaching on our precious lands from their oceanic realm? And yet, are they not also dangerously cute and innocent when but helpless little tadpoles? One species has never held such a heart-wrenching dichotomy!

Which is why I have one single, simple plea. Please, Cataclysm devs, give me more of the creatures that we all love to hate. Surely, you can find a spot for them to thrive within the world, both old and new. Perhaps a more ancient line of murloc family could lurk beneath the waters of Vashj’ir. What about that deep sea murloc of which I’ve heard rumors? Surely, he is not but a figment of our collective hope for more murlocs?

As for those murlocs who have happened upon the shores of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, they, too, may yet find an uprising. I can recall a certain mighty Gobbler and his Bluegill compatriots who reside within the Wetlands — they may not be too pleased about the changes to their homeland… or perhaps the flooding that will happen nearby their home will serve to make them even stronger. And they presumably won’t be alone — there will be plenty of others also put into unsteady positions.

And we’ll be waiting.

Does that make us a blood-thirsty monsters? Perhaps. But so are they. Don’t turn your back.