Cloudrook
Cloudrooks are elemental beasts related to gryphons,[1][2] native to Skywall in the Elemental Plane,[3] who can also be found on Azeroth, specifically on the Isle of Dorn, where they live in flocks. Like nesting seabirds, cloudrooks appear to favor islands for safety, though they have also been encountered atop mountain peaks. Cloudrooks fashion no nests and lay no eggs, yet they remain vulnerable to predators as they lack the tenacity and fortitude of their stormrook cousins. Cloudrooks follow clear behavioral patterns: every morning at sunrise, and again at dusk, they hunt. During these times, their den (usually a cave) is empty. The presence of cloudrooks can imbue their den with elemental essence.[4]
Unlike normal birds, cloudrooks do not need to eat or drink. As elementals, they draw their energy from an unknown source, likely spirit. Yet they have still been observed hunting electric eels.[4] The eels carry a small electrical charge, similar to the energized mosswool favored by stormrooks, which, when consumed, has a reinvigorating effect on the stormrooks.[5] Cloudrooks seem to enjoy the eels for similar reasons.[6] Unlike some predatory birds that insist on eating only prey they kill themselves, cloudrooks are equally comfortable as scavengers.[4]
When a cloudrook is killed, it dissipates into nothingness, returning to Skywall. When this happens, the flock will circle in the sky, calling out to their departed to bring them back from the elemental plane. When the call is eventually answered, a vortex forms, and the lost cloudrook is reborn.[7][8]
Cloudrooks, like their cousins, are known to be tamed by the earthen of Khaz Algar. They are slower and more docile than stormrooks, serving as transport mounts for messengers, workers, and dignitaries. For this reason, they are often overlooked by the Stormriders. Cloudrooks demonstrate deference to their earthen riders. Compared to stormrooks, they are far more responsive and receptive to the hand of their trained rider and readily comply with instructions.[5]
As a mount
[Alunira] drops from Alunira on the Isle of Dorn, which is shielded and can only be broken using a 
[Storm Vessel].
As a hunter pet
Cloudrooks are tameable by hunters as part of the feathermane family.
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Speculation
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This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.
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Although current evidence suggests that gryphons evolved solely from stormrooks, the close connection between cloudrooks and stormrooks raises the possibility that some gryphons may have also originated from cloudrooks.
Gallery
Cloudrook concept art.
Cloudrook concept art.
Cloudrook mount concept art.
References
- ^ Vokmar's dialogue, Ironforge
- ^
[1-80] The Stormrider's Bond
- ^ [70-73] Birdman of the Three Shields
- ^ a b c Field Journal (Isle of Dorn)
- ^ a b Observational Notes: Stormrooks
- ^ [70-73] Elemental Hors D'Oeuvres
- ^ [70-73] Cloudrook Down
- ^ [70-73] Cloud Fishing
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