Imagine losing someone important to you far too early, and many years later discovering that this person has been immortalized by the Blizzard developers in World of Warcraft.
Who is it about? On October 11, 2012, Nicholas Wayne Gabaree passed away in a motorcycle accident. In WoW, he was known on the US server Lightbringer as the Alliance Paladin Divide. As a tribute to the WoW fan, the Blizzard developers introduced the NPC Sir Nicholas Gabaree with patch 5.4.1, who can appear in the cemetery of Stormwind when you interact with his gravestone.
The golden-armored blond greets you not only but also asks if you know any good jokes. If you comply with this request, he laughs heartily and hopes for more gags.
Another heartwarming story from the WoW community:
“I’ve been crying for days”
Why does this tribute touch right now? maniacalmustacheride explains in his current post on Reddit that he and Nicholas Gabaree were close childhood friends… almost like brothers or cousins, and that he only just learned about the tribute for his friend: “I’ve been crying for days. […] That broke me.”
maniacalmustacheride remembers shared moments on the trampoline, at a Halloween party, and at the go-kart track (Nicholas had a pronounced passion for racing). He describes his friend with warm words:
He had no ego and a full-bodied sense of humor. We both drove way too young, but the way he carried himself, you would never have guessed it. As fiery as he was on the racetrack, his personality was very calm. That’s not to say he wasn’t a teenager, but most of his vibes were about maintaining peace and telling jokes.
He was always the one who found the most uncomfortable person in a room and just sat down and started talking and telling jokes. And once he got going, once he felt comfortable, he could tell stories or jokes with his whole body.
Lastly, he asks all WoW players, as he is not one himself: “So if you see him in the cemetery of Stormwind, greet him and realize that Sir Nicholas Gabaree was real, loved, kind, and a nerd to be remembered fondly.”
How does the community react? With more than 2,700 upvotes, over 130 comments, and many more kind words.
- crackerjam has a suggestion on Reddit: “If you want to and have a computer, you can play WoW for free. Stormwind, where Nicholas is buried, is very close to the human starting area. You can simply install the game, create a human character, ignore the starting quests, and run straight into the city without any problems.”
- aerinws adds on Reddit: “If you want to do that (and you’re coming from the USA), I’d be happy to meet you in the human starting area and escort you there.”
- ODX_GhostRecon is a Horde player but wants to visit Gabaree in Stormwind: “I only play Horde, so visiting Stormwind, where his grave is, is a dangerous undertaking, so… I guess I’ll make a sneaky trip there today with my rogue or druid to pay my respects.” In another post, he shows a screenshot of his goblin rogue standing in front of the grave (via imgur.com).
- pocketcumin writes on Reddit: “I opened Reddit today to say something silly about South Park. Now I’m telling an NPC in the game jokes and thinking about my own mortality. What a beautiful thing. I will visit as many memorials in the game as I can.”
Another player who has been immortalized in World of Warcraft goes by the name Kyle and was even able to participate creatively. A good friend only revealed the secret surrounding the content after many years: WoW player uncovers secret that Blizzard hid as a tribute to his best friend 12 years ago
