Leper gnome
- For the mob, see Leper Gnome (mob).
| Leper gnomes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Faction/Affiliation |
Independent, Forsaken (Horde) Formerly: Coilfang tribe (Illidari) |
| Character classes | Mage, Rogue, Warlock, Engineer, Inventor, Miner, Machinist, Rider, Soldier, Technician, Tinker |
| Racial capital |
 Gnomeregan |
| Racial leader(s) |
  Sicco Thermaplugg † |
| Racial mount |
 Mechanostrider |
| Homeworld | Azeroth |
| Language(s) | Gnomish, Common |
Leper gnomes are a diseased, twisted, violent, and mutated race of gnomes who wander through the irradiated halls of Gnomeregan.[1] Their minds left crazed by the irradiation of their city, the leper gnomes will attack any who dare enter their city, believing them to be trogg invaders. Due to their exposure to the poisons and radiation of Gnomeregan, eventually, they may devolve further until they become mindless but mostly harmless puddles of toxic sludge.[2] Most leper gnomes were slobbering wretches, unable to interact with society and accomplish anything.[3]
Both Razzle Sprysprocket and Ozzie Togglevolt are trying to find a cure for leper gnomes, and if they manage to do so then gnomes will have both their capital back and the recently cured leper gnomes.[4]
History
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This section is a lore stub. |
Fall of Gnomeregan
After the betrayal of Sicco Thermaplugg and the radiation of Gnomeregan during the Third War,[5] 80% of the gnome population was killed while others were mutated into leper gnomes and driven mad, and remained living in Gnomeregan for some time. They were easily recruited by the jealous Sicco, who himself had been twisted into a leper gnome and rendered insane,[6] They seized control of the toxic city, while Sicco installed himself as its new techno-overlord.[7]
Forced to flee to the safety of the dwarven capital of Ironforge, Gelbin Mekkatorque had to deal with the guilt of his actions that day, actions brought on by his chief advisor's lust for power.[8]
World of Warcraft
Years later, Sicco Thermaplugg still ruled over Gnomeregan from the Tinkers' Court, surrounded by leper gnome and trogg minions who were numerous and crazed enough to defend their king against any intrusion from the surface.[9] There is evidence that Sicco may have been working on a cure for the leper gnomes' condition.[10]
The Electrocutioner 6000 was Thermaplugg's first attempt at harnessing electricity as a weapon via a super-charged mechano-tank, and Lieutenant Tom "Sizzlepants" Crankle, the only leper gnome soldier to survive piloting the tank, became something of a hero among the leper gnomes.[11]
After the fall of Gnomeregan, Plugger Spazzring sought a new life among the Dark Iron dwarves in Blackrock Depths, where he became the barkeep and owner of the Grim Guzzler.[12]
At some point, the leper gnome Crispin bent the knee to Sylvanas Windrunner, making him one of the Forsaken. His master Apothecary Jerrod does not discriminate against Crispin despite outward appearances and remarks on Crispin's loyalty.[13] Ganoosh and Jennings are leper gnomes who also later joined the ranks of the Forsaken.
The Burning Crusade
After he escaped Gnomeregan, still retaining his intellect, Mekgineer Steamrigger wandered Azeroth, selling his knowledge to a number of unscrupulous groups such as the Bloodsail Buccaneers. At some point, Lady Vashj of the Coilfang tribe hired Steamrigger to command the engineers who maintain and operate the intricate machinery in the Coilfang Reservoir of Zangarmarsh, on the broken world of Outland.[14]
Operation: Gnomeregan
- Main article: Operation: Gnomeregan
After capturing the entrance of Gnomeregan, Gelbin Mekkatorque's forces encountered the hordes of troggs led by Gasherikk and leper gnome soldiers led by Commander Boltcog sent by Thermaplugg. When Sicco revealed the Irradiator 3000, a device similar to the original radiation bomb that had poisoned Gnomeregan but twenty-six times more powerful, he realized his underlings had left the factory setting on and intervened, reducing the timer from ten minutes to ten seconds and forcing Gelbin's forces to immediately teleport back to the safety of Tinker Town in Ironforge.[15]
Cataclysm
By the time of the Cataclysm, Thermaplugg remained in hiding in Gnomeregan and sent his minion, Razlo Crushcog, and a force of leper gnomes to harass Mekkatorque's forces at New Tinkertown in order to prevent them from rebuilding and finishing their reclamation of the capital.[16][17] The gnomes later killed Crushcog with help from their dwarven allies; with his defeat, Sicco couldn't afford to send any more of his followers to the surface, and Gelbin stated that the mekgineer's defeat was imminent.[18] The G-Team, an elite group hired by the high tinker to retake Gnomeregan, later recruited adventurers to kill Sicco himself,[19] and they finally managed to defeat the mekgineer.[20]
In Uldum, Mekgineer Twizzleflux led a gnomish expedition on the eastern shores of the ancient desert. Refusing to heed the warnings of the Ramkahen tol'vir, they dug too deep into a cursed vault and became afflicted by a terrible curse that robbed them of their sanity and took control of their minds.[21] It is not known if they were truly leper gnomes or if it was just their model being used to represent a cursed form.
Mists of Pandaria
The Leper Gnome Quintet, comprising Fleasy, Greazy, Queasy, Sleazy and Wheezy became gladiators for the Brawler's Guild, an organization that arranges gladiatorial combat in Bizmo's Brawlpub and the Brawl'gar Arena.
Legion
In the Hall of Shadows beneath Dalaran, Master Apothecary Faranell and his alchemists of the Royal Apothecary Society could be seen experimenting on a Seething Leper.
Battle for Azeroth
During the Fourth War, the G.E.A.R. was sent to clear out an army of Ironbound troggs and their leader Krugg the Smart at Fizzcrank Airstrip in the Borean Tundra.[22][23] A communication device carried by Krugg revealed that the troggs were under the command of the leper gnome Telzo Sparkspanner, a former assistant of Sicco Thermaplugg[24] who planned to use his trogg army to decimate all of gnomanity.[25] After they found that the leper gnome had taken control of Ulduar's exterior defenses, and rewired them as intruders, the G.E.A.R. used its newly-installed guns to decimate Sparkspanner's army of troggs and reprogrammed constructs.[26] At the Forge of Wills, the rangers managed to kill Telzo,[27] thereby saving gnomanity and Azeroth from a threat they didn't even know existed. At their return, Herk Winklespring hoped that this would be the last time the gnomes would ever hear from any of Thermaplugg's old minions.[28]
Notable
As a companion pet
- Main article: Rotten Helper Box
[Rotten Helper Box] has a chance to be contained in 
[Stolen Present] during the Feast of Winter Veil.
In the RPG
When Gnomeregan was invaded by a horde of troggs unearthed from the Uldaman excavation, High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque ordered the opening the pressure valves of their giant, grinding machines and released toxic radiation (via an exploded radiation bomb).[29][30] Many more gnomes were killed than troggs when Gnomeregan was flooded with radiation.[31]
Even worse, though, many gnomes still within Gnomeregan's halls became horribly mutated and insane, changing into what are now known as leper gnomes. Leper gnomes vaguely resemble normal gnomes. Emaciated and sickly, their skin is bloated and green with gangrene, while their eyes glow with a color and light similar to that of the radioactive pools in their once beautiful city. Even worse than their physical mutation, though, is the perverse madness caused by the poisoning that twisted their bodies. While individuals among them may seem saner than others, all are irrevocably twisted. Leper gnomes claim Gnomeregan as their own, and, led by Mekgineer Thermaplugg, defend its halls with horrible constructs and their own prowess. They continue their battle against the troggs, who are more dangerous now due to the radioactive goo that clings to their rock-like skin. Perhaps the worst enemies in their minds, are true gnomes, whom they blame for their current existence. They regard High Tinker Mekkatorque as a demon, and his followers not much better. They regard all other creatures as intruders and quickly put them down. Recently, however, some adventurers have seen leper gnomes in company with Dark Iron dwarves. Many theorize that Thermaplugg is attempting an alliance between the two underground races, in an attempt to strengthen his own forces and finally defeat the troggs.[31]
Languages
Leper gnomes speak Gnomish and Common. Leper gnomes learn the languages of the creatures with which they live and compete.[32]
Notes and trivia
- Greydon Thorne described the leper gnomes to his son Aramar as being irradiated, driven insane, as well as locked away, or banished, and potentially contagious.[33]
- Memory loss is pretty common even for healthy Gnomeregan survivors,[34] so leper gnomes being insane isn't surprising.
- The leper gnomes outside Gnomeregan have different voices than the Addled Lepers inside.
- All NPCs that use leper gnome models may not necessarily be leper gnomes. The model may be used to represent other types of sickly or undead gnome forms.
- Leper gnomes are mutations of both male and female versions of the gnomes. However, only male leper gnomes have been seen in the flesh. The only female leper gnomes in the game are inside Gnomeregan, defending toxic passages, wearing protective suits (If one inspects closely, they are actually regular gnomes). Presumably, their appearance is similar to that of the regular female gnomes, along with green skin with slightly altered texture and green eyes like their male brethren. There is an unexplained female gnome texture in the game that is completely black and untextured. This may have once been the base model for the leper gnomes and may be the model the gnomes in Gnomeregan use.
- Players can temporarily turn into a leper gnome by using the
[Vial of Green Goo] toy.
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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Several in-game characters Ganoosh, Apprentice Crispin and Jennings work with the Forsaken, but it's unclear if they are leper gnomes or possibly undead gnomes. They all seem to be part of the Royal Apothecary Society; at least, on an assistant or secretarial level. They have not been seen to hold much authority. Forsaken Apothecary Jerrod says about his assistant Apprentice Crispin: "Sure, he's not been plagued in the same manner as we have, but he is clearly plagued nonetheless". This could imply a leper gnome is like an undead plagued in a different manner.
Gallery
Jennings, a Forsaken-affiliated leper gnome at Agmar's Hammer.
Male version of the leper gnome, old model before Warlords of Draenor.
Ressa the Leper Queen a female leper gnome in the TCG.
Mekgineer Thermaplugg in Hearthstone expansion Goblins vs Gnomes.
Backstreet Leper in Hearthstone expansion Mean Streets of Gadgetzan.
Test Subject in Hearthstone expansion The Boomsday Project.
Ichabod the Cursed in Hearthstone.
Defias Leper in Hearthstone.
Twizzleflux as a member of the League of E.V.I.L. in Hearthstone.
Toxic Reinforcements in Hearthstone expansion Descent of Dragons.
Videos
See also
References
- ^ Ultimate Visual Guide
- ^
[1-30] What's Left Behind
- ^ Traveler: The Spiral Path, pg. 250
- ^ [1-30] Operation Recombobulation
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3, pg. 56
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, pg. 62, 64
- ^ World Dungeons: Gnomeregan
- ^ World of Warcraft: Game Manual, pg. 175
- ^ Mekgineer Thermaplugg (tactics)#Adventure Guide
- ^ [Vial of Green Goo]
- ^ Electrocutioner 6000#Adventure Guide
- ^ Plugger Spazzring#Adventure Guide
- ^ Apothecary Jerrod#Quotes
- ^ Mekgineer Steamrigger#Description
- ^ [75] Operation: Gnomeregan
- ^ [1-30] The Fight Continues
- ^ [1-30] Crushcog's Minions
- ^ [1-30] Down with Crushcog!
- ^
[10-30D] The G-Team
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: The Eastern Kingdoms, pg. 64
- ^ [30-35] The Curse of the Tombs
- ^ [50-70] A Tundra Conundrum
- ^ [50-70] Smarter Than Your Average Trogg
- ^ [50-70] The Gnome Behind the Trogg
- ^ [50-70] A Signal in Storm Peaks
- ^ [50-70] Operation: Troggageddon
- ^ [50-70] For Gnomeregan!
- ^ [50-70] G.E.A.R. Up
- ^ Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 146-147
- ^ Monster Guide, pg. 168
- ^ a b Monster Guide, pg. 84
- ^ Monster Guide, pg. 85
- ^ Traveler: The Spiral Path, pg. 243
- ^ [1-30] Meet the High Tinker
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