Quilboar

Quilboar (also spelled quillboar and sometimes pluralized as quilboars ) are a race of aggressive, primitive boar-like humanoids native to Kalimdor and Kul Tiras. They have razor sharp spines protruding from their muscular, hunched backs. These resilient, fearless creatures inhabit the central Barrens of Kalimdor in the labyrinthine maze of thorns called Razorfen Downs.

History
Ten thousand years ago, during the War of the Ancients, the mighty demigod Agamaggan came forth to battle the Burning Legion. Though the colossal boar fell in combat, his actions helped save Azeroth from ruin. Yet over time, in the areas where his blood fell, massive thorn-ridden vines sprouted from the earth. The quilboar, believed to be the mortal offspring of the mighty god, came to occupy these regions and hold them sacred. The heart of these thorn-colonies was known as the "Razorfen".

After the War of the Ancients and the subsequent Great Sundering of the world, the quilboar surroundings became increasingly hostile.

New arrivals


The quilboar would eventually settle within the Barrens and wage war against the other races living within the region, like the tauren. This way of life would move forward without incident until the beginning of the Third War. Under the guidance of a mysterious prophet, the Horde left Lordaeron for Kalimdor. Soon after landing on Kalimdor the Horde would quickly befriend the tauren and make enemies of the quilboar who attacked them on sight. Generally treating the quilboar as a nuisance, the Horde fought them when provoked but striking against the quilboar was not a top priority. However, circumstances did force Rexxar and his companions to seemingly wipe out a tribe in the Beast Den some time after the Battle of Mount Hyjal.

Modern times
The quilboar tribes make the homes throughout Mulgore, Durotar, and the Barrens and defend their territory, while striking out against the Horde. While most tribes are independent, the Razorfen tribe have seemingly entered into an alliance with the Scourge, who have bolstered their forces with them and allowed Amnennar the Coldbringer to transform Razorfen Downs into a Scourge stronghold.

Cataclysm
In the wake of the Cataclysm a group of quilboar raided Horde water supplies due to their own being cut off. Warchief Hellscream led a Kor'kron strike team against but the quilboar proved to be too numerous for them to handle and the Warchief and his men were timely intervention of Baine Bloodhoof and his forces. With the quilboar on the heels, the Horde was forced to retreat out of the tunnels where upon reaching Hamuul Runetotem caused water to pour from a gash in the earth. While many of the quilboar were swept down, others were merely knocked to the ground. However due to having a now active water source this group of quilboar was seemingly convinced to cease hostilities against the Horde and both sides return to their homes.

Despite reaching peace with one tribe, the other quilboar tribes have used the Cataclysm to their advantage by expanding their territory and launching full out assault against Horde holdings. In response, the Horde has enlisted new recruits to combat the renewed quilboar assaults, with counter-attacks resulting in the deaths of quilboar leaders. Charlga Razorflank manipulated her followers into attacking other races by lying to them that they needed blood to revive Agamaggan. Meanwhile Agamaggan's Spirit has returned to Azeroth and instructs adventurers to put an end to the Razorfen leadership within the Razorfen Kraul for allying with the Scourge.

At some point after the Cataclysm, a Razorfen quilboar named Shagtusk tried to use the dryad Taryndrella to purify the cursed place of Razorfen Downs. Both were captured by Chugara Razorflank and Death Speaker Blackthorn. Aramar Thorne and his group of friends then entered the Downs and with the help of Shagtusk located Chugara and Blackthorn in the Bone Pile. Blackthorn tried to raise Amnennar the Coldbringer and sacrifice Drella to the lich but the effort was ultimately thwarted by Reigol Valdread.

Warlords of Draenor
In Razorfen Kraul, Auld Stonespire and the spirit of Agamaggan directed the adventurers to deal with the quilboar there.

Adventurers and Koristrasza entered the Razorfen Downs again and killed the undead quilboar, including Death Speaker Blackthorn. His death resurrected Amnennar the Coldbringer who was put down.

Exile's Reach
Quilboar are encountered on Exile's Reach serving the Darkmaul ogres.

Battle for Azeroth


The Briarback tribe can be found in Stormsong Valley on Kul Tiras. They are attacking the farmers at the Amber Waves.

The Bristlemane tribe live on the island of Un'gol Ruins.

Appearance
Quilboar are upright porcine humanoids that are fairly short in height, their model in World of Warcraft depicting them roughly around 4 to 5 feet. Their most notable feature is a set of razor sharp spines running alongside their back which sometimes grows at the top of the head to form a "hairstyle". Warcraft III depicts basic quilboar soldiers as able to detach their quills to use them as projectiles, whilst their unarmed animations in World Of Warcraft have them extend their spines to attack. The names of quilboar tribes often reference their spines, such as the Bristleback tribe.

Battle for Azeroth introduced a larger model for quilboar males called the quilboar brute.

Culture
Quilboar are known for their fearlessness and savagery. Believed to be the mortal descendants of the demigod Ancient Agamaggan, they have clashed with other races, such as the centaur and tauren, over land and food. They build their homes among the colossal, thorn-covered vines, believed to have been grown from the blood of Agamaggan, that make up their colonies. The most prominent of these are Razorfen Kraul and Razorfen Downs in Kalimdor, home to Razorfen and Death's Head tribes respectively. As such, the thorns are considered sacred. The quilboar of Stormsong Valley store bramble pods safely and later use thornweaving magic and seemingly human blood to feed and grow them.

Quilboar are fiercely loyal to their tribe, and defend their territory with reckless ferocity. Though warriors are highly prized in quilboar society, a powerful shaman often rules quilboar tribes.

The orcs suspects that the quilboar of the Barrens often intentionally frighten flocks of tallstriders into the path of Horde caravans just prior to an ambush.

Boars are revered within quilboar culture, and particularly large and tenacious ones are seen as a favor from Agamaggan.

The quilboar have their own tongue, which apparently involves squealing, grumbling and grunting in low gutteral tones.

They eat codfish like the rockscale, but some even eat boar jerky.

One respectful greeting gesture of the quilboar is to snort loudly. They are known to decorate their tusks with war paint and intricate patterns.

Although centaur, tauren, and quilboar all hate each other, the three races come together to do trade at Flayers' Point in Desolace. But there is no love lost between them, and brawls erupt like clockwork every five minutes, earning the trading post the nickname "Slayers' Point".

Magic
Quilboar practice geomancy, a crude form of shamanism. Some plagued quilboar practice this form of magic even in undeath. Quilboar society regards the reading of stones and crystals as the highest form of shamanism.

The shaman and geomancers of the quilboar tribes call upon the strength of Agamaggan to help them in battle and in their rituals. It is said that Blood Shards, which used to be found all over the Barrens, were formed from the blood of Agamaggan, and quilboar of the Bristleback tribe dig them up for strength in battle and as totems for their magics. A quilboar tribe's greatest shaman are named prophets of Agamaggan. Calling upon the power of their demigod ancestor, these prophets may summon boar spirits to aid them in battle much as other shaman call upon spirit wolves.

Settlements
In the lands they come from, quilboar live in the shade and protection of huge thorned roots. When they move, their shamans seed and grow new roots for them to live in. These thorns mar the land and choke out other life, turning the earth around them barren. The quilboar tribes flock to the thorny areas throughout the Barrens because they are holy places, but none as holy as Razorfen. Agamaggan's body makes up the entirety of the Razorfen, but the Downs are especially protected because the entrance is made from his great maw.

The great mass of Razorfen Kraul was conquered by the old crone, Charlga Razorflank. Under her rule, the shamanistic quilboar stage attacks on rival tribes as well as Horde villages.

Crafted from the same mighty vines as the Kraul, Razorfen Downs was the traditional capital city of the quilboar race. However, when Charlga Razorflank rose to power, she allied with the Scourge and now the city is inhabited by the Scourge undead and Charlga's Death's Head tribe. The crone rules the bulk of the quilboar race, however, from the Kraul.

The two feuding quilboar tribes encountered in the Barrens are the Razormanes and the Bristlebacks. The quilboar occupying Razorfen Downs under the control of Amnennar the Coldbringer are the Death's Head tribe and Razorfen tribe. Quilboar can be found throughout Mulgore, the Barrens, and Durotar.

Tribes

 * Briarback - located in Stormsong Valley on Kul Tiras.
 * Bristleback tribe — Enemies of the tauren of Mulgore. Led by Chief Squealer Thornmantle.
 * Bristlemane - Encountered during island expeditions.
 * Death's Head tribe — Allies of the Scourge. Led by Death Speaker Blackthorn.
 * Razorfen tribe — The most powerful quilboar tribe. Led by Charlga Razorflank.
 * Razormane tribe — Rivals of the Bristleback and Razorfen tribes. Led by Mangletooth.

In Warcraft III



 * BTNRazorback.pngBTNQuillBoar.png Quillboar
 * BTNRazorback.png Razormane Scout
 * BTNRazorback.pngBTNQuillBoarHunter.png Quillboar Hunter
 * BTNRazorback.pngBTNRazorbackBrute.png Razormane Brute
 * BTNRazormaneChief.pngBTNRazormaneMedicineMan.png Razormane Medicine Man
 * BTNRazormaneChief.pngBTNRazormaneChief-Reforged.png Razormane Chieftain

Introduction
They have long since battled for the rights of their lands against the orcs since their immigration from the Eastern Kingdoms. Many people simply call them "boar men".

Quilboar are primitive, resilient, fearless creatures who inhabit the central Barrens of Kalimdor in the labyrinthine maze of thorns called Razorfen Downs. After the War of the Ancients and the subsequent Sundering of the world, the quilboars' surroundings became increasingly hostile. Forced to fight for food and precious land against both tauren and centaur, they developed into aggressive and efficient warriors. Though well able to handle themselves in a one-on-one battle, they are not above striking from ambush or even sacrificing themselves to destroy even one of their many enemies.

Culture
The quilboar are a scattered people. After centuries of aggression against the tauren, the centaur, and any other species that stood in their way, they no longer have a land to call their own. They are terrorists and thugs living on the fringes of other societies, claiming slivers of bloodstained territory from weaker settlers. In quilboar society, strength is highly valued. Female children and sickly male children are often abandoned, left to fend for themselves or to die at the claws of beasts. Family is important, but only as a source of more warriors to drive against the enemies. Almost from birth, young quilboar are indoctrinated with teachings of hatred for other sapient species. The quilboar hold no distinction between politics and religion. Their ultimate leaders are also their religious leaders. Bands are always led by shaman. Smaller groups are led by the strongest warrior, often referred to as a brute. Only rarely will more than one quilboar warband be found in a single geographic area, unless under the leadership of a particularly charismatic shaman or other strong leader. There is no known quilboar king, though those few tribes large enough to claim distinct names do have shamans of great power and influence who act as tribal leaders. The laws that govern the quilboar are simple.

For the tribe to survive, the quilboar must breed and the females must bear and protect worthy offspring. Each member has his or her role in the tribal structure. As a whole, the quilboar are a male-dominated species. Even though rarely seen by other species, their females must constantly keep their heads, faces, and quills covered. Otherwise, they are allowed no other ornamentation and can be killed on sight for touching a weapon (although this is not always the case). Females feel no resentment over this fact, and, indeed, the males do not see themselves as superior. Quilboar males grow taller, heavier, and stronger than females. A typical quilboar male grows to 5-1/2 feet tall and weighs 225 pounds; a typical female grows to 5 feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. For this reason, only males take up the path of warrior. Female quilboar possess such strong tribal instincts that most do not even desire to follow the males' path. Occasionally, a female decides that her place is in battle, if the woman can prove herself this is fine. In fact, these women are respected. On occasion, a female child displays such unnatural strength that the shaman deems her a man. She then trains as a warrior and lives in all ways like a male, even taking female mates. Tribal legend holds that such unions have occasionally produced an exceptional quilboar warrior (though no scholar has confirmed the tale), so there is little or no stigma attached to such situations. Among shamans there is no gender bias; many women walk the path of shaman. Shamans are so respected that most hold positions of power in the tribe, and many in certain tribes lead.

Women and children must defer to adult males. Adult males must defer to any quilboar they cannot defeat in personal combat. All must defer to a shaman. Punishment for failing to defer properly can be quite severe. The loss of a hand or an eye is common, though death is not unheard of, particularly for females or males who can no longer hold their own in combat. Quilboar punishments are intended purely to cull the weak. Rather than die on a sick bed or as a result of punishment, aging warriors will often hurl themselves against enemies they know they cannot defeat.

A ferocious, suicidally brave race with an alien mentality and a slavish devotion to their tribe, quilboar defend their territory with a zeal bordering on fanaticism. They care only for ensuring the survival of their species, to the point where weaker quilboar gladly sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. Outsiders see quilboar as stupid, vicious, piglike predators. In truth, quilboar possess a rigid social structure and deeply law-abiding personalities. The only laws they value, however, are their own. Quilboar are born with an instinctive drive to preserve their species. Quilboar always want more territory so that they may increase the size of their tribe; for this reason, they act like bullies, constantly threatening and harassing their neighbors.

Due to the rigors of their society, quilboar offspring grow up quickly. A quilboar reaches maturity almost as soon as he can walk and hold a spear, usually about three years after birth. Quilboar mothers take no care to coddle their children, so sickly infants usually die. Quilboar do not form family units; the females compete for the attention of the strongest males, and the entire tribe tends to the infants. To form the best possible tribe, quilboar squash internal jealousies and rivalries harshly. All must cooperate to ensure the tribe's well-being. Weak, crippled, and elderly quilboar who feel they can no longer aid the tribe seek death. Quilboar have no need to execute their infirm — the elderly destroy themselves out of a desire to aid the tribe. Most seek death in battle, but when doing so is not an option, they take their own lives by wandering into the wilderness, hoping to slay at least one beast that may have posed some threat to the tribe. Quilboar do not frown upon this ritual form of suicide; rather, the tribe views it as an act of bravery and devotion.

In fact, quilboar tribes often hold festive ceremonies when a member announces his intention of “taking the walk,” in honor of the coming sacrifice. Females almost always commit ritual suicide once past childbearing age. Quilboar believe that their afterlife holds security and comfort for their race. They enter a realm where all the land belongs to the quilboar and no enemies seek to destroy them. All fight with strength and bravery, battling monsters and prey for amusement. Quilboar revere Agamaggan — an ancient, boar-like Eternal associated with the night elves — believing him to be the progenitor of their race. Where his blood spilled, it is told, patches of enormous briars sprouted to serve as homes to the quilboar. These dens still exist.

Quilboar shaman teach that the law of the wild is the standard by which all tribal members must live — survival of the fittest. When a predator culls the weak from the herd, it is cause for celebration. Those that die do so gladly, knowing that even in death they have contributed to the success of the tribe. Despite their low intelligence, quilboar possess good common sense. At least one quilboar every generation walks the path of the shaman. Quilboar never seek to become shaman, but a few are awarded the right to study with their elders when visited by dreams of former shaman now deceased. Shamans usually rise to positions of power and leadership within their tribes. Most often it is males that receive the dream-vision that sets them on the shaman's path, although female shaman are not uncommon. Quilboar shamans possess the abilities to combat or cause disease, to control nature, and to summon spirit boars. According to quilboar shamans, the existence of sickness is caused by the intrusion of other species on the rightful lands of the quilboar. They teach that until the invaders are driven out and the quilboar have returned to their promised lands, suffering can be alleviated through a heroic death. The afterlife for quilboar martyrs is filled with wonders and pleasures beyond imagining, according to shamanistic teachings.

Though omnivorous, quilboar prefer the taste of meat.

Languages
Quilboar speak Common and Low Common as primary languages. Sometimes quilboar learn the languages of their enemies, such as Goblin, Orcish, Taur-ahe, and Zandali.

Military tactics
Quilboar are ruthless in battle. Their warriors battle with little fear for their personal safety, knowing that, if they die, their death helps the rest of their tribe grow. To others, quilboar may seem suicidal, blindly charging into battle and willingly throwing themselves into the thickest fray to defend their tribes. To the quilboar, death is just another part of life, unwelcome but not entirely feared.

Quilboar fight best in packs. Their quick charges and frenzied battle cries lead enemies to believe the quilboar are reckless and disorganized, but in reality they use solid tactics. Quilboar flank whenever possible and make use of the aid of another action to take down particularly difficult opponents. They never retreat, seeing such an action as a sign of weakness.

Quilboar are ferocious pack fighters. Unlike the swarm tactics of murlocs, quilboar fight in rigid packs, surrounding enemies and expertly coordinating attacks to bring down the toughest foes. The death of a packmate does not weaken the pack's power; in fact, the death bolsters the remaining packmates, urging them into greater displays of skill and cunning. Quilboar believe that even in death, their packmates fight alongside the living. Outsiders witnessing a pack battle find this idea easy to believe.

Quilboar shaman, known as thornweavers, act as commanders in battle, healing and inspiring their packs. Every pack has its own thornweaver, and larger packs often boast more than one. Unlike other races, quilboar healers fly into melee alongside their brethren, reveling in the thrill of battle. Thornweavers also create healing wards to keep their packs going, and bolster their forces with summoned spirits, usually boars. Quilboar thornweavers gain additional power when witnessing the death of an ally; the fallen quilboar's spirit infuses the thornweaver's spells as well as his strength.

Quilboar never willingly retreat, and fight until they vanquish their foes or die. This single-mindedness breeds fear into the pack's enemies. Those who have fought quilboar before know that they don't stop fighting until everything in their path is dead.

Trivia

 * The first concept art of a quilboar called it a razormane, indicating that "Razormane" might have been the original intended name for the race.
 * The now non-canon RPG book Manual of Monsters stated that female quilboar played little importance in society beyond baring and raising children, however in World of Warcraft quilboar society is more egalitarian, as most spellcasters within the game game are female, with very clear and visible breasts as part of their model. In addition, the Razorfen tribe are led by Charlga Razorflank, a female quilboar.
 * Additionally, patch 8.0.1 flipped the gender of several quilboar soldiers and scouts such as Captain Flat Tusk, giving quilboar females more roles than simply spellcasters.
 * In many of the quilboars' territories, there are rocks with pictures of harpies or some other flying humanoid beings painted in red.

Speculation
A possible Swinegart tribe — within the Bristleback tribe — may probably be represented by Swinegart Spearhide, as "spearhide" is also used in Razorfen Spearhide and Withered Spearhide. However, it is likely that it is his actual name.

Hearthstone
The following quilboar from the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan expansion of Hearthstone are members of a "quilboar biker gang", a minor criminal faction that operate in Gadgetzan independent of the larger crime families such as the Grimy Goons. Curiously they appear to be affiliated with the Horde as they have its symbol tattooed on their bodies and motorcycles.

For more quilboar art in Hearthstone see HS Quilboar art.