Zanchuli Council



The Zanchuli Council advises the rulers of the Zandalari Empire, and ensures their every command is executed upon.

Background
Dictating every aspect of Zandalari society down to the very last detail are the Scholars and the Priesthood. Masters of magic and communing with the spirits, these respected bastions of knowledge stand upon fifteen millennia worth of accumulated knowledge. The highest of these have a seat on the Zanchuli Council, which both advises the King and ensures his every command is executed upon. The council is consulted before every battle or major decision. Empowered by the Zandalari gods themselves to act as his voice, King Rastakhan ruled for over two hundred years.

One of the most respected of these was Zul. Even as a child his dark and terrible visions had come true down to the last horrifying detail. He commanded fear and respect as one of the dark prophets: seers capable of witnessing great tragedies before they come to pass. He advised the council and the king to unite with the other troll tribes and to abandon their doomed homeland. Despite Zul's infamy, the council refused to believe in the scope of the disaster to come. Many felt that Zul was grandstanding to increase his own status and power. They scoffed as he and his followers began assembling a war fleet and reaching out to the lesser troll races. But Zul's vision were visions of the truth. Deathwing's Cataclysm rocked Zandalar to its foundation. The spine of the land broke in two, and soon, the city and all its riches began to slide into the hungry sea. The Zandalari people turned to their King for help, but there was only one Zandalari equipped to help them: The prophet Zul.

Long ago it was decided that the dire trolls should always have a seat on the Zanchuli Council, to ensure that those specials needs of the elite warriors were met by the government, and to provide the wisdom of war to those councilors who may seldom see a battlefront. General Jakra'zet, who had proven himself in Zul's campaign in Pandaria, was the first non-Zandalari troll to be on the council.

Battle for Azeroth
All members but Wardruid Loti and Hexlord Raal betray Rastakhan and side with Zul, seeking to recreate the ancient troll empire with a revived Dazar at its head instead of Rastakhan. Vol'kaal and Yazma are killed at Atal'Dazar, General Jakra'zet dies in Vol'dun while resurrecting Mythrax the Unraveler, and Zul himself is killed by Rastakhan during Mythrax's attack on Dazar'alor, though he is resurrected by his new master, G'huun, and then killed again in the halls of Uldir.

After the Battle of Dazar'alor, Rastakhan was killed by the Alliance and Talanji became queen of the Zandalari. She created a new Zanchuli Council, where Loti and Raal were joined by Jo'nok, Bulwark of Torcali (replacing Vol'kaal), High Prelate Rata, General Rakera (replacing Jakra'zet), and Lashk, the first tortollan to sit on the Council.

After the Fourth War, the Zanchuli Council investigated families who were tied to the traitor Yazma. They found Bezime and his family cleared of any wrongdoing. They later advised Queen Talanji with dealing with the Widow's Bite.

Council

 * Loti — High Priestess of the raptor loa Gonk. She earned her place on the council through the demands of the next generation of warriors and hunters.
 * Raal — Hexlord of the pterrordax loa Pa'ku. He has taken it upon himself to represent many of the people within Zandalar's borders.
 * Jo'nok — Champion of the direhorn loa Torcali. Chosen to replace Vol'kaal as the Council's voice of strength.
 * Rata — High Prelate. Formerly the Will of Rezan, now pledged to Talanji.
 * Rakera — Former exile. Chosen to replace Jakra'zet as General of the Zandalari Empire.
 * Lashk — The first tortollan member of the Zanchuli Council.

Under Rastakhan

 * Zul — Former leader of the council and chief advisor to King Rastakhan. Zul earned his name and title through his many years of foretelling accurate futures, providing the kingdom's military and agriculture with a tremendous advantage. He eventually betrayed Rastakhan and his people allying with G'huun.
 * Yazma — Formerly the High Priestess of the spider loa Shadra, Yazma came from a long line of priestesses who served the King as the keeper of secrets and spies. She sided with Zul in betraying Rastakhan.
 * Vol'kaal — He was chosen for his strength, his power, and a strongly worded recommendation from Yazma. He sided with Yazma and Zul betraying the King.
 * Jakra'zet — A decorated Sandfury soldier. He became the first of the Sandfury tribe to hold the rank of General of the Zandalari army. He plotted against Rastakhan alongside Zul and some of the other members of the council.

Members

 * Zanchuli Acolyte
 * Zanchuli Backstabber
 * Zanchuli Beserker
 * Zanchuli Betrayer
 * Zanchuli Bladeguard
 * Council Deathguard
 * Zanchuli Oathbreaker
 * Zanchuli Sentinel
 * Zanchuli Witch-Doctor

Zul's loyalists

 * Darkweaver Ji'tan
 * Hex Priest Haraka
 * Kao-Tien Pillager
 * Soulrender Gao'tan

Notes and trivia

 * Loti and Raal are the only known trolls to have served in the Zanchuli Council under the rule of two different rulers.
 * NPCs for two more members of the council, Hex Priest Razlaka and Hooded Leader, were added to the files during the alpha but neither character ever appeared in the game.
 * Razlaka used a night elf male model with a demon hunter skin while the Hooded Leader used Sul the Sandcrawler's model.

Speculation

 * Zulathra, who lived over 12,000 years ago and was described as both a high priest and "one of" the Zandalari's leaders, may have been on the Zanchuli Council in his era.
 * General Vilnak'dor, who was indicated to be a close advisor to Rastakhan, may have been a member of the council during the time of the Pandaria campaign. His title likely means that he held the position that was later given to Jakra'zet after the campaign.