Trolls in World of Warcraft

 

Many members of this race are loyal only to their own tribe, with the exception of the tribes of Darkspear, Shatteredspear and Revantusk, who belong to the Horde. Trolls from the Darkspear tribe are currently the only representatives of this race that the player can play in World of Warcraft. They are the weakest and smallest of the troll races, but they are characterized by intelligence and cunning.

 

 

Trolls are usually tall, slender, but muscular. They reach an average height of over two meters, weighing about ninety kilograms. They possess both elven and orcish features, as indicated by their long ears and protruding fangs. Long arms, strong legs, and incredible reflexes make them ideal hunters. They only have two fingers and a thumb on each hand and two toes on each foot. Due to the design of their feet, they do not wear normal footwear and feel much more comfortable walking barefoot, regardless of the terrain.

 

 

 

Their skin color varies greatly from race to race. Trolls have developed several races within their species, adapted to different environmental conditions. The skin of ice trolls is very pale, almost white, and adapted to blend in with the snow, while the bodies of sand trolls are covered with a dry, sunburned yellowish-brown skin, allowing for camouflage in desert conditions. Jungle trolls are covered in a short, soft coat that gives them their distinctive bluish or purple hue. As a result of a minor genetic mutation that occurred thousands of years ago, the bodies of forest trolls are covered with a thin layer of moss, to which they owe their distinctive green coloration. Their hair usually comes in very vibrant colors of red, red, green or navy blue, usually worn as iroquois.

 

Trolls become adults around the age of 17, and middle age begins for them when they reach their 30s. A 50-year-old troll is already old, while one becomes senile around the age of 70. Most trolls are under eighty. However, given their brutal culture, most die much earlier.

 

Although serious physical injuries are deadly to trolls, they are able to regenerate lost limbs and heal severe wounds at a rapid rate, giving them a great advantage in battle. Their regenerative abilities are well known, which is why alchemical concoctions to aid in healing injuries are usually called troll blood, despite not actually containing it. Warrior troll tribes are effective killers with a strong bloodlust. Some may still hark back to traditions of cannibalism and voodoo.

 

There are legends suggesting that the first night elves were trolls who came from the north and settled on the shores of the Well of Eternity. For more information, see the article on the origins of elves and trolls.

 

 

The history of the trolls goes back much further than that of most of the races of Azeroth, and their civilization was the first to be so highly developed. However, in the days of old, even before the Zandalari Empire was established, the leaders of the small tribes were shadow hunters. Over time, as the trolls began to live in the great cities, their influence diminished, but to this day the position of shadowhunter is highly respected.

 

 

About 16,000 years ago (long before the Night Elves summoned the Burning Legion), most of Kalimdor, which was then one giant continent, was overrun by trolls. The first tribe were the Zandalar trolls - from whom all the other tribes arose.

 

Over time, two different empires were formed - the Amani empire in the central forests and the Gurubashi empire in the southeastern jungles. Smaller tribes lived in the far north, which is now known as Northrend. These trolls established a small state known as Zul'Drak, but never reached the size and power of the southern empires.

 

The Gurubashi and Amani empires were not very friendly towards each other, but rarely fought. At the time, their greatest common enemy was a third empire, the Azj'Aqir civilization. The Aqir were intelligent insectoid beings who ruled the lands of the far west. These beings were extremely intelligent, expansive, and extremely hostile. Their goal was to destroy all non-insectoid life in the world.

The trolls fought them for many thousands of years, but were never able to achieve complete victory. Eventually, however, thanks to the perseverance of the trolls, the insectoid empire was shattered and its inhabitants dispersed into smaller colonies in the north and south. Two aqiri city-states were then established - Azjol-Nerub in the wilderness of the north and Ahn'Qiraj in the southern desert. Despite the trolls' suspicions that underground insectoid colonies also existed in other parts of Kalimdor, these were never confirmed.

After the insectoids were banished to the edge of the world, the twin troll kingdoms returned to normal life. Despite their glorious victories, none ever ventured beyond their original borders. Ancient texts, however, mention a small group of trolls who broke away from the Amani Empire and established their own colony in the heart of the dark continent. It was there that these troll settlers discovered the cosmic Well of Eternity, which transformed them into creatures of immense power. Some legends suggest that this is how the night elves were born. This hypothesis was confirmed by Freja, Cenarius, and the Court of Ages when questioned by legendary traveler and explorer Brann Copperbeard.

Fall of Empires

Soon after the discovery of the Well of Eternity, the descendants of the dark trolls developed their own language, named themselves "Kaldorei" and gained a powerful force. They built a strong and very expansive empire, quickly occupying vast swaths of the original Kalimdor. The night elves wielded magic never before seen by superstitious trolls and easily destroyed the twin empires, something not even the insectoid aqir could do.

The night elves systematically destroyed the trolls' defenses and supply chains. The trolls, unable to resist the destructive magic of the elves, eventually succumbed to the onslaught. The actions of the night elves provoked long-lasting hatred and contempt from the trolls, and the Amani and Gurubashi empires were crushed in a few short years.

Eventually, reckless abuse of magic lured the Burning Legion. The demons destroyed the civilization of the night elves. Although no information survives regarding demonic attacks on trolls, it can be assumed that battles took place across the continent.

The finale of this conflict, now known as the War of the Ancients, was the implosion of the Well of Eternity and the Shattering of the World. The center of the continent went under the surface of the ocean, and several smaller continents were formed from the mighty continent. Remnants of the Amani and Gurubashi empires survive today in the lands of Quel'Thalas and Stranglethorn Vale. The Azj'Aqir kingdoms of Azjol-Nerub and Ahn'Qiraj survive in Northrend and Tanaris.

Both troll civilizations regressed with the destruction of the world they knew. However, they later rebuilt their destroyed cities and regained some of their former power.

Soul Tearer

The long centuries after the Shattering of the World were very difficult for the trolls. Starvation and death were the order of the day in the shattered empires. Desperate and driven to extremes, the trolls of Gurubashi turned to ancient, mysterious forces for help.

Hakkar the Soul-Draper, a cruel and bloodthirsty god, heard the trolls' call and decided to help them. He offered them the secrets of his blood, which allowed the trolls of Gurubashi to extend their rule over almost the entire Stranglethorn Valley and some of the islands of the South Seas. Through him, the empire gained immense power, but Hakkar demanded that soul sacrifices be made to him daily. He wanted access to the physical world to terrorize and devour mortal beings. In time, the Zandalari trolls helped the Gurubashi trolls understand what they were really dealing with, and both forces turned against the bloodthirsty god. The strongest tribes rose up against Hakkar and his loyal priests, called Atal'ai.

The story of the horrific civil war that broke out between Hakkar's followers and the rest of the Gurubashi tribes has not been written down and is preserved only in oral history. The mighty empire was torn apart by the magical energy unleashed by the angry god and his rebellious children. The battle seemed lost, but the trolls managed to defeat the avatar of Hakkar and banish his soul from the world.

The Atal'ai were banished from Zul'Gurub and forced to survive in the unexplored swamps of the north. In honor of their fallen god, they built a great temple to Atal'Hakkar among the dense ferns, where they continued to worship him.

The war left the empire in ruins, and the individual Gurubashi tribes scattered. The Skullsplitter, Blood Scale and Dark Spear tribes ventured deep into the vast jungles of Stranglethorn to establish their own states. The shattered empire was left with a fragile peace, but rumors of Hakkar's prophecy of return spread throughout the world.

Troll Wars

The High Elves, exiled from Kalimdor, came to the eastern continent and founded the kingdom of Quel'Thalas. Unfortunately, it turned out that the place they chose lay in the sacred lands of the trolls, beneath which lay the ruins of their former empire. This caused a conflict, but the magic of the elves scared off the superstitious bands of trolls. It took 4000 years before the trolls decided to start a war with the elves.

The trolls had a huge chance to win this war, but humans came to the elves' aid. Hand in hand, the humans and elves used fire magic to keep the trolls from regenerating. The troll armies were smashed. Many tried to escape, but were pursued and killed.

The forest trolls never completely recovered from this defeat, and history never again saw them rise as one nation.

Horde

When the Horde first appeared in the world of Azeroth, the trolls initially ignored the orcs. But when they destroyed Stormwind and marched on Lordaeron, the forest trolls saw the perfect opportunity to retaliate for their defeat in the Troll Wars. Led by the mighty Zul'jin, the forest trolls proved to be a valuable acquisition for the Horde during the Second War, and were able to successfully strike back at the high elves of Quel'Thalas. However, when Horde leader Orgrim Doomhammer decided to launch an assault on the people of Lordaeron instead of continuing the invasion of the elf kingdom, Zul'jin became enraged. Eventually the trolls left the Horde when the orcs were defeated and placed in internment camps, only the Revantusk tribe retained a remnant of loyalty to the Horde. The trolls returned to their old policy of ignoring the Horde until the Third War.

During the Third War the young Horde leader Thrall took the advice of the mysterious Prophet and set out for Kalimdor. Along the way, his ships crashed on the Dark Spear islands and came into contact with the Dark Spear tribe. The orcs helped the trolls repel the Covenant's attacks, but later all parties were captured by the murlocs commanded by the Sea Witch Zar'jira. Thanks to Thrall's efforts, the trolls and orcs managed to escape, but unfortunately the troll leader Sen'jin fell. His last wish was for his tribe to join the Horde, which they did. Under the leadership of the cunning Shadowhunter Vol'jin they settled in Durotar, on the Echo Islands.

Unfortunately, they soon had to flee from the islands to Orgrimmar, as the traitor Zalazane took over power on the islands. The trolls settled in the Horde capital and on the coast, where they established a village named after Sen'jin. The Echo Islands were not liberated until several years later.

After the events of the Third War, Thrall sent emissaries to the Hinterlands to renew an old alliance with the forest trolls. The tribes of Vile Branch and Withered Bark refused outright, while the tribe of Revantusk agreed and became allies of the Horde.

The fall of the troll capitals

In the desert of Tanaris, adventurers hailing from both the Horde and the Covenant constantly attacked the sand troll city, leaving it in complete ruin.

In the jungles of Stranglethorn, followers of the blood god Hakkari and Atal'ai summoned Hakkar the Soul Stripper to Zul'Gurub, and the Gurubashi tribe quickly joined them, hoping to regain their former glory. When news of the bloodthirsty god's return reached the trolls of the Zandalar tribe, they sent a contingent of Gurubashi priests to defeat him. Unfortunately, Hakkar enslaved the priests, and King Rastakhan sent emissaries to the various races of Azeroth for heroes from around the world to come to defeat Hakkar. The combined forces of proud Covenant and Horde representatives defeated the mighty priests and the god himself, and Zul'Gurub became but a shadow of its former power.

Shortly after the Blood Elves joined the Horde, Zul'jin, enraged that his ancient enemies had joined his recent allies, decided to leave Zul'Aman. Before his tribe could begin the war, however, Budd Nedreck and his team arrived on the scene. At his behest, the adventurers entered the empire to obtain the troll treasures. Not only did they get them, but they also took the life of the great chief Zul'jin. The surviving Amani remnants, led by Daakara, keep their heads down from their capital.

In Northrend, Zul'Drak was attacked by a plague of the Undead. The desperate Drakkari trolls were forced to sacrifice their own Loa - animal gods - to repel the plague. The Zandalar tribe stepped in again and saved most of the Loa, but unfortunately Zul'Drak was captured by the Undead.

A new troll empire

The cataclysm caused by the return of the dreaded dragon Deathwing and the chaos it caused, influenced new decisions and a new approach of the trolls. The tribe of Shattered Spear ended its policy of isolation and joined the Horde led by Garrosh Hellscream. The Revantusk tribe stopped being mere allies, actively joined the Horde and started fighting to conquer the Hinterlands.

The mysterious Zul, leader of the Zandalar tribe, organized a meeting of troll tribal leaders to discuss the future of their race. The meeting was attended by Vol'jin of the Dark Spear, Jin'do of Gurubashi, Daakara of Amani, and an unknown leader of the ice trolls. During this meeting, the leaders learned that Zul'Farrak is now a devastated wasteland and Zul'Drak has succumbed to the Plague. Zul stated that the trolls should unite and form a new empire. He tempted Daakara and Jin'do with promises to restore the power of Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman. The leaders decided to unite, only Vol'jin refused. When asked if he wanted to betray his own, he said that he considered the Horde members his own, and vowed that he would stop the trolls if they wanted to start a new war.

Knowing that a new troll empire would be a mortal threat to the world, Vol'jin sent his emissaries to Orgrimmar and Stormwind, as the Horde alone could not handle the trolls. The tribes of Revantusk and Shattered Spear also refused to join the new empire and remained loyal to the Horde.

With the help of the Promise Keepers led by Halduron Brightwing and commandos under the orders of Vereesa Windrunner, Vol'jin and his Dark Spear trolls managed to keep the Amani tribe inside Zul'Aman. Then, with the help of daring adventurers, Vol'jin launched an attack on Zul'Aman, ended Daakara's rule, further weakened the Amani tribe, and thwarted Zandalari's plans to capture this troll capital.

However, encouraged by Zul'Aman's vision of glory, the Gurubashi attacked the Stranglethorn region. The brave adventurers managed to push them back to Zul'Gurub. Meanwhile, the agents of the Dark Spear discovered that the Gurubashi leader, Jin'do, had managed to entangle Hakkar the Soul Stripper with spiritual chains, draining his power for himself. They found daredevils who decided to venture deep into Zul'Gurub to defeat the Gurubashi leader. Hakkar was freed and quickly deprived Jin'do of his life. The Gurubashi were defeated and the Zandalari influence on Zul'Gurub was cut off, but the price for this victory is the freedom of a bloodthirsty god.

The new leader of the Horde

Garrosh Hellscream began to pursue increasingly radical policies, not only towards the Covenant, but also within the Horde. He considered other races, especially trolls, inferior to orcs and began to push them to the margins. Eventually he expelled them from Orgrimmar, fortunately they were able to reclaim the Echo Islands where they could settle.

Eventually the trolls start a rebellion. They are aided by some of the Horde, who disagree with Garrosh's dictatorship, as well as the Covenant, who also want to overthrow his rule. Garrosh is defeated and Thrall appoints Vol'jin as the new leader of the Horde. Thus Vol'jin becomes the first Horde leader in history who is not an orc.