Amani Empire

The Amani Empire is a forest troll empire that had incredible power in antiquity. It took its name from the strongest tribe of forest trolls and the founders of the empire in that time, the Amani. Their empire was crushed in the Troll Wars, thought to never be able to rise again. Although a shadow of its former self, the empire still endures.

Early history
The Amani were one the troll tribes that arose to challenge the Zandalari for territory and power.

When a group of trolls awakened Kith'ix the C'Thrax viewed the troll nations with contempt and thus sought to destroy them with the aqir. At the onset of the Aqir and Troll War numerous smaller tribes fell before the aqir. The Amani were one of the many troll tribes to join the Empire of Zul, in which the Zandalari took on the role of commanding the troll armies. The Empire of Zul forced the aqir to retreat and Kith'ix would be gravely wounded by the trolls and their loa allies.

Seeking to permanently end the aqir threat, the Zandalari knew that no corner of the continent could be left unguarded, and so the Zandalari convinced the most power-hungry of the troll factions to establish new and permanent strongholds across Kalimdor. At the forefront of these groups were the Gurubashi, Amani, and Drakkari tribes. After they had fully vanquished the aqir in their new regions, they could lay uncontested claim to the untouched fertile lands that they now lived in. The ambitious tribes listened to the Zandalari and readily agreed.

The Amani tribe had set out to the northeast, their goal to hunt down and destroy the aqir leader, Kith'ix. They tracked the C'Thrax's trail deep into the continent's northeastern woodlands, encountering increasingly fierce resistance the closer they came. After cutting through legions of aqir, the Amani finally reached the insectoid general itself. In a savage and legendary battle, virtually the entire tribe threw itself at Kith'ix and his remaining forces in a suicidal assault. The C'Thrax, though wounded from the war's previous conflicts, personally slaughtered countless trolls. Only a minute fraction of the tribe survived the terrible engagement, yet Kith'ix eventually succumbed to its tireless hunters. Though it had cost the tribe dearly, the reputation of the Amani became legendary among all the troll tribes for their heroic act. Atop the site where they had slain the C'Thrax, the Amani established a new settlement. In time, it would develop into the impressive temple city of Zul'Aman and with it, the Amani Empire was born.

Arrival of the high elves
When the high elves led by Dath'Remar Sunstrider were first exiled and landed in Lordaeron, they met violent clashes with the forest trolls, who viewed them as defiling their homeland. At the time of the founding of Quel'Thalas, the Amani Empire was the most powerful empire in the Eastern Kingdoms; they still held much of northern Lordaeron in their territorial grasp.

As the forces of Zul'Aman fought to keep these unwanted strangers from their lands, the high elves developed a deep loathing for the vicious trolls and killed them on sight whenever they were encountered. In time the high elves founded the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and vowed to create a mighty empire which would dwarf that of their Kaldorei cousins. Unfortunately, they soon learned that Quel'Thalas was founded upon an ancient troll city that the trolls still held to be sacred. Almost immediately, the trolls began to attack the elven settlements en masse.

The stubborn elves, unwilling to give up their new land, utilized the magics which they had gleaned from the Well of Eternity and kept the savage trolls at bay. Under Dath'Remar's leadership, they were able to defeat the Amani warbands that outnumbered them ten to one. Some elves, wary of the Kaldorei's ancient warnings, felt that their use of magic might possibly draw the attention of the banished Burning Legion. Therefore, they decided to mask their lands within a protective barrier which would still allow them to work their enchantments. They constructed a series of monolithic runestones at various points around Quel'Thalas which marked the boundaries of the magic barrier. The Runestones not only masked the elves' magic from extra-dimensional threats but helped to frighten away the superstitious troll warbands as well.

As time wore on, Quel'Thalas flourished into a shining amount of the high elves' efforts and magical prowess and for nearly four thousand years the high elves lived peacefully within the secluded safety of their kingdom. Nevertheless, the vindictive trolls of Zul'Aman were not so easily defeated. They plotted and schemed in the depths of the forests and waited for the numbers of their warbands to grow. Finally, a mighty troll army charged out from the shadowy forests and once again laid siege to the shining spires of Quel'Thalas.

The Troll Wars
As the high elves led by High King Anasterian Sunstrider fought for their lives against the trolls' fierce onslaught, the scattered, nomadic humans of Lordaeron fought to consolidate their own tribal lands. The tribes of early humanity raided each other's settlements with little heed for racial unification or honor. Yet one tribe, known as the Arathi, saw that the trolls were becoming too great a threat to ignore. The Arathi wished to bring all of the tribes under its rule so that they could provide a unified front against the troll warbands.

Even as the Arathi outmaneuvered, outfought rival tribes, and offered peace and equality to those they conquered; thus winning the loyalty of those they had beaten, the Forest Trolls of Zul'Aman were proving to be very successful against the high elves of Quel'Thalas. In desperation weary ambassadors from Quel'Thalas journeyed to Strom, the capital of the Arathi nation of Arathor, in order to speak to King Thoradin.

The elves informed Thoradin that the troll armies were vast and that once the trolls had destroyed Quel'Thalas, they would move on to attack the southlands. The desperate elves, in dire need of military aid, hastily agreed to teach certain select humans to wield magic in exchange for their help against the warbands. Thoradin, distrustful of any magic, agreed to aid the elves out of necessity. Almost immediately, elven sorcerers arrived in Arathor and began to instruct a group of humans in the ways of magic.

The elves found that although humans were innately clumsy in their handling of magic, they possessed a startling natural affinity for it. One hundred men were taught the very basics of the elves' magical secrets: no more than was absolutely necessary to combat the trolls. Convinced that their human students were ready to aid in the struggle, the elves left Strom and traveled north alongside the mighty armies of King Thoradin.

The united elf and human armies clashed against the overwhelming troll warbands at the foot of the Alterac Mountains. The battle lasted for many days, but the unflagging armies of Arathor never tired or gave an inch of ground before the troll onslaught. The elven lords deemed that the time had come to release the powers of their magic upon the enemy. The hundred human magi and a multitude of elven sorcerers called down the fury of the heavens and set the troll armies ablaze. The elemental fires prevented the trolls from regenerating their wounds and burned their tortured forms from the inside out.

Among the trolls, whispers spread of a spellbound blade known as Felo'melorn, empowered by arcane magic not only to slay the most formidable and cunning of its enemies but also to cut through superior numbers and irrigate battlefields with their blood. Troll witch doctors set about casting hexes and curses against the infamous weapon, but history bears out that even the darkest voodoo did little to negate the effectiveness of Felo'melorn during the Troll Wars. It was said that a thousand Amani trolls fell before Felo'melorn's fury, spilling enough Amani blood to brim the walls of Zul'Aman. As such, it became known as a legendary troll-killer and bane of trolls.

As the troll armies broke and attempted to flee, Thoradin's armies ran them down and slaughtered every last one of their soldiers. The trolls would never fully recover from their defeat, and history would never see the trolls rise as one nation again. Assured that Quel'Thalas was saved from destruction, the elves made a pledge of loyalty and friendship to the nation of Arathor and to the bloodline of its king, Thoradin. Humans and elves would nurture peaceful relations for ages to come.



The Great Wars and aftermath
Despite their defeat, the Amani Empire remained active throughout the Great Wars and the fall of Zul'jin.

Tribes
All currently known tribes of forest trolls are descended from the Amani Empire. After the Troll Wars, the empire lost much of its territory. Seemingly some of these tribes became independent while others stayed affiliated with the Amani Empire.

Affiliated tribes

 * Amani tribe
 * Shadowpine tribe
 * Vilebranch tribe

Unknown status with the Amani Empire

 * Mossflayer tribe
 * Shadowglen tribe
 * Witherbark tribe
 * Witherbranch tribe

Former affiliated tribes

 * Firetree tribe
 * Revantusk tribe
 * Smolderthorn tribe

Territories
The Amani Empire controlled the northeastern areas of Ancient Kalimdor. After the Great Sundering, they still held much, if not, all of the region that would later be known as Lordaeron. Even though, the arrival of the high elves and the founding of the human kingdom of Arathor diminish their dominance and after the Troll Wars they lost much of it. The following is a list of ruins that are currently associated with tribes descended from the Amani Empire.


 * Eversong Woods
 * Tor'Watha
 * Zeb'Watha


 * Ghostlands (once part of Eversong Forest)
 * Zul'Aman (capital)
 * Zeb'Nowa
 * Zeb'Sora
 * Zeb'Tela


 * Eastern Plaguelands
 * Zul'Mashar
 * Mazra'Alor


 * Hinterlands
 * Agol'watha
 * Altar of Zul
 * Hiri'watha
 * Jintha'Alor
 * Shadra'Alor
 * Shaol'watha
 * Zun'watha

Trivia

 * Although the Empire is considered to be active as revealed in, no other currently known tribes of trolls are known to be part of the Amani Empire, except for the Amani, Shadowpine, and the Vilebranch tribes.
 * The "The Twin Empires" book gave a different background to the empire during the Aqir and Troll War. A small faction of trolls from the Empire broke off and settled near the Well of Eternity, leading many to believe that they were the humanoids from which the night elves evolved; now, however, it is known that the dark trolls were the ancestors of the night elves.
 * Ironically, Amani is the Swahili word for "peace."