Troll Compendium/Jungle Troll Tribes

This article is a copy of "The Troll Compendium," an official article by Blizzard Entertainment. It presented a variety of information about trolls. The original article, formerly located at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/trolls/jungletribes.html, did not survive the overhaul of the World of Warcraft Official Website.

The Atal'ai
Where: Swamp of Sorrows (in the Temple of Atal'Hakkar) and Zul'Gurub

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Jammal'an the Prophet

Background: After the Sundering, the trolls of the Gurubashi empire were driven to desperate ends, and so they enlisted the aid of the god Hakkar, also known as the Soulflayer. Hakkar brought the trolls great power, but in return the bloodthirsty god required that souls be sacrificed to him.

His demands quickly escalated, and he grew impatient with his loyal priests, the Hakkari. He told them to find a way to summon him physically into the world, so that he might directly drain the blood of his victims. Most of the Hakkari were horrified at the idea, but the Atal'ai, a small extremist faction of the Hakkari, decided to do as Hakkar wished.

Before the Atal'ai could complete the summoning, the other jungle trolls, including the Hakkari, rose up in open revolt against the cruel god. Even the Zandalar tribe was drawn into the conflict, which finally ended with the destruction of Hakkar’s avatar. Driven from the jungles, the Atal'ai were hunted nearly to extinction. Only a small group of Atal'ai escaped into the Swamp of Sorrows, where they secretly built a great temple to their god: the Temple of Atal'Hakkar.

The Atal'ai knew that they needed greater numbers to achieve their goal. Fortunately their unwavering loyalty to Hakkar had pleased him greatly, and he taught them further dark magics, including necromancy. With a number of swift and secret missions, the fanatical trolls retrieved the corpses of the Atal'ai who had fallen in battle or been killed during their flight to the swamplands. Using what Hakkar had taught them, the Atal'ai raised their slain brethren into undeath and put them to work.

The Hakkari, too, were killed or exiled for the evil deeds they had done in Hakkar's name, despite the fact that they had fought the Atal'ai. In great bitterness and despair, the surviving Hakkari tracked the Atal'ai to the Swamp of Sorrows and pledged to help the Atal'ai summon Hakkar into Azeroth. Pleased by the Hakkari's obvious suffering, the Atal'ai welcomed their former brethren into the temple. Even so, Hakkar had not forgotten that the Hakkari had betrayed him in opposing his first entry into Azeroth, and so the hungry god would always regard the faithful Atal'ai with greater favor. Both groups bent all their efforts toward bringing about Hakkar's entry into the physical world.

The green Dragon Aspect, Ysera the Dreamer, soon learned of the evil priests' plans and smashed the temple beneath the marshes. To this day, the temple's ruins are guarded by mighty green dragons. What much of Azeroth does not know, however, is that the dragons are actually guarding the wrong location. In recent years the exiled Atal'ai have discovered that Hakkar's physical form can only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi empire, Zul'Gurub.

Jammal'an the Prophet, leader of the Atal'ai, told his people that if they succeeded in bringing Hakkar physically into Azeroth, then Hakkar would grant the Atal'ai immortality. The Atal'ai and Hakkari lost no time in dispatching a number of their most skilled priests to Zul'Gurub, where their efforts met with success at last. Numerous spies have confirmed the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the ruins.

According to several reports, Hakkar has enthralled five high priests of the trolls' primal gods. Unable to oppose his will, the priests are channeling the power of their gods into Hakkar. Only their deaths can sever the connections that are vastly increasing Hakkar's might while draining the other gods of power.

Word of Hakkar's presence reached the Zandalar tribe in the South Seas, and they were horrified to discover the enslavement of their kindred, the Zandalari high priests. King Rastakhan has therefore sent emissaries from the island of Zandalar to the Eastern Kingdoms, where the trolls recruit champions from Azeroth's many races in the hope that Hakkar will once again be defeated.

Bloodscalp Tribe
Where: Stranglethorn Vale (primarily in the northwest)

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Gan'zulah

Background: The Bloodscalps split off from the Gurubashi empire after the defeat of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The various tribes claimed territories in the vast jungles of Stranglethorn Vale but quickly began fighting one another.

The Bloodscalp tribe has since settled in the northwest of Stranglethorn. To this day the Bloodscalps fight off all interlopers, including the nearby Skullsplitter tribe, in order to hold onto the land they have taken. Bloodscalps have nothing but contempt for the Darkspear tribe, which is the only tribe of jungle trolls to have joined the Horde.

Darkspear Tribe
Where: Durotar primarily, but also in many other places throughout the world

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Vol'jin

Background: The Darkspear tribe split off from the Gurubashi empire after the defeat of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The various tribes claimed territories in the vast jungles of Stranglethorn Vale but quickly began fighting one another. At length the Darkspear tribe, which was smaller than most of the other tribes, was driven off the continent altogether and settled on a remote desert island.

Before the Third War broke out, the courageous orc Thrall escaped his enslavement and reassembled his people into a new Horde. Rather than try to make a home in the Eastern Kingdoms, he decided to lead the revitalized Horde over the sea to Kalimdor. Along the way, a violent storm drove the ships to seek shelter in the cove of a nearby island. The elderly leader of the Darkspear trolls, Sen'jin, greeted the orc newcomers.

Soon a group of murlocs captured Sen'jin, Thrall, and several other orcs and trolls. Thrall fought his way out of his prison cell and freed a number of other captives, but despite his best efforts, a murloc sorcerer succeeded in sacrificing Sen'jin to a mysterious sea witch. Mortally wounded, Sen'jin revealed that he had seen a vision in which Thrall would lead the Darkspears from the island.

The sea witch was furious at the slaughter of her minions and the defilement of her sanctuary. She summoned powerful waves to batter the island. Regardless, Thrall and his forces managed to defeat further murloc attackers, repair the damaged fleet, and retrieve a number of troll survivors.

In Sen’jin's honor, Thrall offered the Darkspears a place in the Horde and sanctuary in the kingdom he planned to establish in Kalimdor. Vol’jin, the son of Sen’jin, took control of the Darkspear tribe and accepted Thrall's offer. After the orcs departed, a large group of Darkspears also sailed for Kalimdor. Vol'jin and the rest of the tribe weathered the sea witch's anger, gathered all the supplies they could take with them, and joined their brethren roughly a year later in the new orc nation, Durotar. They made a home for themselves on the Echo Isles, just off the southeastern coast.

The Darkspears were not to know peace for long. After the Third War, Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore led a large fleet of battleships against Thrall's forces on Durotar. Under heavy attack, the trolls were forced to evacuate to the mainland of Durotar, but the Horde managed to defeat the misguided admiral.

Much relieved, the Darkspear trolls began returning to the Echo Isles, only to be betrayed by one of their own. A witch doctor named Zalazane used dark magic to rob several other trolls of their free will, forcing them to obey him. As his influence spread, his army grew while the number of free Darkspears dwindled. Fearing that all of his people would fall to Zalazane's insidious sorcery, Vol'jin ordered the tribe to abandon the Echo Isles.

Thus, the free Darkspear trolls left the islands and created the fishing village of Sen’jin on the Durotar coast, just northwest of the Echo Isles. Today the Darkspears and their allies frequently strike at Zalazane’s holdings on the Echo Isles, determined to win back the trolls' first home on Kalimdor. Meanwhile, Zalazane has not given up in his efforts to enslave his entire tribe, and so he continues to send his trolls to the mainland in order to drag further Darkspears under his sway.

As the only tribe of trolls in the Horde, the Darkspears are considered enemies by all other trolls except the Revantusk. The Darkspears return the sentiment and bear a special hatred for other jungle trolls, for the Darkspears have not forgotten being driven out of Stranglethorn Vale.

Gurubashi Tribe
Where: Stranglethorn (primarily in Zul'Gurub)

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Bloodlord Mandokir

Background: Established long before the Great Sundering, the Gurubashi empire took its name from the strongest tribe of jungle trolls at the time. The jungle trolls ruled the southern jungles of ancient Kalimdor until the Burning Legion's first invasion, which wrought havoc and devastation throughout the continent and culminated in the Great Sundering.

The long centuries following the Sundering were difficult ones for the troll race. The jungle trolls, driven to desperate ends, enlisted the aid of the god Hakkar, also known as the Soulflayer. Hakkar brought the trolls great power, but in return the bloodthirsty god required that souls be sacrificed to him.

His demands quickly escalated, and he grew impatient with his loyal priests, the Hakkari. He told them to find a way to summon him physically into the world, so that he might directly drain the blood of his victims. Most of the Hakkari were horrified at the idea, but the Atal'ai, a small extremist faction of the Hakkari, decided to do as Hakkar wished.

Before the Atal'ai could complete the summoning, the other jungle trolls, including the Hakkari, rose up in open revolt against the cruel god. Even the Zandalar tribe was drawn into the conflict, which finally ended with the destruction of Hakkar’s avatar. Driven from the jungles, the Atal'ai were hunted nearly to extinction. Yet a small group of Atal'ai escaped into the Swamp of Sorrows, where they secretly built a great temple to their god: the Temple of Atal'Hakkar. The Hakkari, too, were killed or exiled for the evil deeds they had done in Hakkar's name, despite the fact that they had fought the Atal'ai. In great bitterness and despair, the surviving Hakkari tracked the Atal'ai to the Swamp of Sorrows and pledged to help the Atal'ai summon Hakkar into Azeroth. Pleased by the Hakkari's obvious suffering, the Atal'ai welcomed their former brethren into the temple.

In recent years the exiled Atal'ai have discovered that Hakkar's physical form can only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi empire, Zul'Gurub. Jammal'an the Prophet, leader of the Atal'ai, told his people that if they succeeded in bringing Hakkar physically into Azeroth, then Hakkar would grant the Atal'ai immortality. The Atal'ai and Hakkari lost no time in dispatching a number of their most skilled priests to Zul'Gurub, where their efforts met with success at last. Numerous spies have confirmed the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the ruins. Word of his reappearance reached the Gurubashi tribe, which had lost much of its power and prestige since Hakkar's avatar on Azeroth was destroyed. The Gurubashi eagerly returned to the capital to prove themselves to Hakkar and perhaps recapture their former glory.

According to several reports, Hakkar has enthralled five high priests of the trolls' primal gods. Unable to oppose his will, the priests are channeling the power of their gods into Hakkar. Only their deaths can sever the connections that are vastly increasing Hakkar's might while draining the other gods of power.

Word of Hakkar's presence reached the Zandalar tribe in the South Seas, and they were horrified to discover the enslavement of their kindred, the Zandalari high priests. King Rastakhan has therefore sent emissaries from the island of Zandalar to the Eastern Kingdoms, where the trolls recruit champions from Azeroth's many races in the hope that Hakkar will once again be defeated.

The Gurubashi tribe is convinced that the Soulflayer will restore the Gurubashi empire in return for the tribe's loyal service. These misguided trolls therefore guard Hakkar and his minions with reckless fervor.

The Hakkari
Where: Swamp of Sorrows (in the Temple of Atal'Hakkar) and Zul'Gurub

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Jin'do the Hexxer

Background: The long centuries following the Great Sundering were difficult ones for the troll race. The jungle trolls, driven to desperate ends, enlisted the aid of the god Hakkar, also known as the Soulflayer. Hakkar brought the trolls great power, but in return the bloodthirsty god required that souls be sacrificed to him.

His demands quickly escalated, and he grew impatient with his loyal priests, the Hakkari. He told them to find a way to summon him physically into the world, so that he might directly drain the blood of his victims. Most of the Hakkari were horrified at the idea, but the Atal'ai, a small extremist faction of the Hakkari, decided to do as Hakkar wished.

Before the Atal'ai could complete the summoning, the other jungle trolls, including the Hakkari, rose up in open revolt against the cruel god. Even the Zandalar tribe was drawn into the conflict, which finally ended with the destruction of Hakkar’s avatar. Driven from the jungles, the Atal'ai were hunted nearly to extinction. Yet a small group of Atal'ai escaped into the Swamp of Sorrows, where they secretly built a great temple to their god: the Temple of Atal'Hakkar.

The Hakkari, too, were killed or exiled for the evil deeds they had done in Hakkar's name, despite the fact that they had fought the Atal'ai. In great bitterness and despair, the surviving Hakkari tracked the Atal'ai to the Swamp of Sorrows and pledged to help the Atal'ai summon Hakkar into Azeroth. Pleased by the Hakkari's obvious suffering, the Atal'ai welcomed their former brethren into the temple. Even so, Hakkar had not forgotten that the Hakkari had betrayed him in opposing his first entry into Azeroth, and so the hungry god would always regard the faithful Atal'ai with greater favor. Both groups bent all their efforts toward bringing about Hakkar's entry into the physical world.

The green Dragon Aspect, Ysera the Dreamer, soon learned of the evil priests' plans and smashed the temple beneath the marshes. To this day, the temple's ruins are guarded by mighty green dragons. What much of Azeroth does not know, however, is that the dragons are actually guarding the wrong location. In recent years the exiled Atal'ai have discovered that Hakkar's physical form can only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi empire, Zul'Gurub.

Jammal'an the Prophet, leader of the Atal'ai, told his people that if they succeeded in bringing Hakkar physically into Azeroth, then Hakkar would grant the Atal'ai immortality. The Atal'ai and Hakkari lost no time in dispatching a number of their most skilled priests to Zul'Gurub, where their efforts met with success at last. Numerous spies have confirmed the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the ruins.

According to several reports, Hakkar has enthralled five high priests of the trolls' primal gods. Unable to oppose his will, the priests are channeling the power of their gods into Hakkar. Only their deaths can sever the connections that are vastly increasing Hakkar's might while draining the other gods of power.

Word of Hakkar's presence reached the Zandalar tribe in the South Seas, who were even more horrified to discover the enslavement of their kindred, the Zandalari high priests. King Rastakhan has therefore sent emissaries from the island of Zandalar to the Eastern Kingdoms, where the trolls recruit champions from Azeroth's many races in the hope that Hakkar will once again be defeated.

Shatterspear Tribe
Where: Darkshore (one village in the northeast)

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Unknown

Background: The Shatterspear tribe split off from the Gurubashi empire after the defeat of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The various tribes claimed territories in the vast jungles of Stranglethorn Vale but quickly began fighting one another.

The Shatterspear tribe has since settled at the northeast edge of Darkshore, a continent away from Stranglethorn. Highly reclusive and apparently uninterested in claiming further territory, the Shatterspear trolls live in a small village that is almost entirely surrounded by jagged hills. Visiting the secluded village is a difficult endeavor, and a number of adventurers have fallen to their deaths in attempting to scale the steep hills around the Shatterspears' home.

The trolls' purpose in living here is unknown at this point in time. Certainly it is a strange location for any troll to choose to live: surrounded by mountains and, beyond that, the trolls' ancient enemies: night elves.

Skullsplitter Tribe
Where: Stranglethorn Vale (primarily in the center)

Category: Jungle trolls

Leader: Ana'thek the Cruel

Background: The Skullsplitter tribe split off from the Gurubashi empire after the defeat of Hakkar the Soulflayer. The various tribes claimed territories in the vast jungles of Stranglethorn Vale but quickly began fighting one another.

The Skullsplitter tribe has since settled in the center of Stranglethorn. To this day the Skullsplitters fight off all interlopers, including the nearby Bloodscalp tribe, in order to hold onto the land they have taken. Skullsplitters have nothing but contempt for the Darkspear tribe, which is the only tribe of jungle trolls to have joined the Horde.