#gurubashi lore

[wowlorecraft]

The Darkspears have long been the black sheep of trolls. That is, until Queen Talanji allied with the Horde. Our actions in Tal'gurub have greatly influenced our forbearer's tribe, certainly so as our deeds are known through ancestors and common loa. Despite this renewed ... peace is not entirely the right word but so be it--with the Gurubashi, the Darkspears, like the Sand Trolls, and alongside other island and diasporic trolls determine that the time is appropriate to truly build an Island Troll capital to call their own.

Their island, at the foot of Durotar, uses the name "Echo Isles" in Common. However, in Zandali, the true name of the region is "E'ko Isles," referring to the life force, the spiritual power, that each creature possesses. These once-Jungle trolls, now inhabiting lands free of murlocs and sea witch nagas, call in the support of their Zandalari allies and construct a beautiful, modest yet perfectly Darkspear capital on the Isles. They call it: Zul'E'ko

Though some say Zul'Echo--and this is the accepted Common standard spelling--the proper and appropriate term is E'ko, Zul'E'ko and E'komari, that last one as an adjective to describe island trolls

E'komari Trolls (also: Ekomari, Echommari) decided their name in a troll council consisting of Islanders, Zandalari, diasporic trolls, and Horde representatives. It was decided that physical and cultural differences between Jungle and Island/diasporic trolls was significant enough and warranted a new identity forged in this time of peace:

As it had been the Horde--and notably the Horde centred at Orgrimmar--that had most ardently supported the Darkspears, the construction of the word is to use "-mar" (declined as "-mari") in recognition of those enduring bonds.

E'komari Trolls seek to stand amongst the Empires of the greats: Tall alongside the Zandalari, strong amongst the Gurubashi, honourable aside the Farraki and Drakkari, and more than capable afront the Amani. Let the E'komari era unfold as one of the great troll eras!

[lendasdeazeroth]

Guerra civil Gurubashi

Origens do Conflito Gurubashi A Guerra Civil Gurubashi, um conflito que devastou a poderosa nação troll no sul de Azeroth, tem suas origens profundamente enraizadas na cultura e história dos trolls Gurubashi. Os Gurubashi, descendentes dos antigos trolls Amani, estabeleceram-se nas densas selvas do que hoje é conhecido como o Vale Stranglethorn. Este reino troll floresceu por séculos, bene...

https://lendasdeazeroth.com.br/a-era-dos-mortais/guerra-civil-gurubashi/

[thefoldedbird]

I love all of your troll headcanons I eat them up like a three course meal. Do you think different kinds of trolls are fuzzier/fluffier than others? Like ice trolls up in Northrend I feel like would have an inch or two thick of fur

Thank you (*≧∀≦*) ahhh you're so nice!

Oh absolutely. For sure 1000% The Drakkari tribe as you mentioned lives in Northrend. Their artwork has them wearing little more than leather straps and a loin wrap in weather like that? They definitely have fur. I would probably compare them to polar bears that have a double layer of fur. There's an insulation layer that can be upwards of six inches long with smaller guard hairs on top of about 1 to 2 inches. Now I don't think Drakkari have quite that thick of fur but I believe two to three inches is reasonable. It could also be a situation similar to the Rito in the Legend of Zelda. The Rito will use any shed feathers to create layers in the clothing and bedding they make since its so well insulated. I imagine the Drakkari do the something quite similar. So yeah, if you were ever to stay at a Drakkari inn that blanket you're using is probably stuffed with somebody's haircut.

Now, Gurubashi and Darkspear trolls do still have hair but it is much thinner. A centimeter or two at most. A bit harder to see but you can feel it if you were to run your hand over one of them. The hair is thin but still soft. It's not uncommon for them to shave it all off entirely however it is such a pain to upkeep that most don't bother. The hair does not grow on most areas on their face and ears however.

Zandalari and Sandfury trolls are the outliers.

Zandalari grow hair but slowly and only in the places you would see on a human. Legs, arms, genitals, head and etc. Instead of hair they grow patches of thick dermal chitin. These patches mainly grow around their hips and shoulders but can grow anywhere. If a Zandalari were to walk around with these patches on their face no one would bat an eye. However these plates cannot grow on the lips, eyelids, armpits or some areas on the legs due to the glands. Ear plates are also largely uncommon but not unheard of.

Sandfury trolls are near hairless. Their skin is incredibly rough and almost scaled in some places. This also causes difficulty in "normal" hair growth as well such as growing a beard. A sandfury troll with an actual beard (and not just unkept peach fuzz) is a rare sight indeed. Sandfury are seeing a small rise in actual scale production similar to the chitin growths of the Zandalari. Trolls are a highly environmentally adaptive species, so this is not all that surprising to them.

So yup! Those are my headcanon from the hair-full to the the hairless. Thank you again for the ask! I love getting them and I'm glad you enjoy my lore-building! (つ≧▽≦)つ

[rhainesmg]

Blizzard's Folklore is Woefully Lacking

And I took that personally.

Folklore and mythology are as key to worldbuilding as art, music, language, and economy. Who does the farmer give thanks to for a bountiful harvest – and how does his village celebrate that bounty? What do people blame or attempt to placate when a child falls ill? All of these things – or a notable lack thereof in strongly secular cultures – are key to making a culture feel more full and developed.

To that end, let’s look at druids in WoW. Kaldorei druids have mountains of lore. They and the Wild Gods that they venerate are important to and deeply ingrained in Kaldorei culture. But then we come to Worgen druids and get… a three-paragraph entry about Harvest Witches restoring the crops of Gilneas during a famine, then eventually learning true druidism from the Kaldorei when Gilneas fell to the combination of the Worgen Curse and the Forsaken invasion.

Lordaeron has... no druids? At all? No Harvest Witches, no Thornspeakers, no... Greenfriends, nothing. Gilneas was never a part of Lordaeron, Kul Tiras was never a part of Lordaeron, but they were NEIGHBORS. The cultural OVERLAP! Arathor? Alterac? You're telling me the HILLFOLK and the MOUNTAIN PEOPLE don't have gods and spirits, or Skalds, Druids, and Seers somewhere in their histry?

I call bullshit.

ALSO, so many of the Amani and Gurubashi Loa have SINGLE PARAGRAPHS of lore surrounding them. HOW? ARE YOU THIS SLOPPY? BLIZZARD? Even the most AMATEUR worldbuilders know that you don't just give a give a god a name and a shape and SLAP IT ON THE BOARD! What are their tenets? How do they interact with their followers? Do they HAVE many followers?

So anyway, I've made it my problem, and I'm working on some fanon lore for the Eastern Kingdoms. It's a massive undertaking, I am QUITE DAUNTED, and I've slowed down just a little bit already, but I am determined to succeed.

[warcraft-lore-archives]

Lore Fact of the Week #64

An old Bloodscalp legend tells of the Gurubashi Empire’s fall some time ago at the hands of Neptulon, the Tidehunter [Item: Bloodscalp Lore Tablet]. It is never stated when the events described in the tale took place, but it is possible that the story was meant to convey the Gurubashi trolls’ interpretation of the Sundering.

This tale, simply called the “Fall of Gurubashi,” loosely goes like so: For reasons unknown, long ago the elemental lord of water, Neptulon, sent his kraken minions to destroy I’lalai, a troll city located somewhere in the lush southern jungles of the Eastern Kingdoms. The city’s leader, infamously known as Min’loth the Serpent, moved to protect the town and its inhabitants by erecting a magical barrier. Aware that the barrier alone would not stop Neptulon’s servants, Min’loth also endeavored to cast a binding spell on the kraken, but they ultimately proved to be far more powerful than him or his magic. And so, enraged at being attacked by a mere mortal, the kraken rushed toward I’lalai and brought the fury of the ocean crashing down upon the city and surrounding jungle, drowning all who lived within it. Once the waters reached the mountains of Zul’Gurub, they stopped and retreated, placated by the destruction they had wrought. Nonetheless, the ocean would remain to engulf I’lalai, drowning the city forever as punishment [Item: The Third Troll Legend, Item: Bloodscalp Lore Tablet].

[murloc-of-the-blog]

Hakkar the loa of blood being worhipped by the gurubashi trolls

[kargathbladefist]

i would honestly read a whole book or book series about wc troll lore or the gurubashi empire or amani or anything

[swampgallows]

don't get me started on overlooked wotlk/bc lore? 🤔 (was going thru dungeons/raids from those xpacs and je suis annihilated over how much lore i never learned bc i didnt see the Little Stuff e.g. quest text and tooltips)

BROOOOO everybody goes to howling fjord “cause the music and it’s pretty” and then grizzly hills “cause the music and it’s pretty” and then sholazar basin “cause the music and it’s pretty” then ollie out because they outlevel the continent... every. single. time. AND IT SUCKS!!! in developing content for salt the roads i quested through borean tundra on several alts just to get the timing and everything right, both alliance and horde, and MAN the overall atmosphere of it can’t be beat, and there is SO MUCH that leads up to later content/xpacs. 

In the Riplash Ruins you help out the naga of all things because the vrykul/kvaldir are trying to use one of their own beasts against them. They’re straight up like “Azshara herself imprisoned this leviathan here centuries ago and now the kvaldir are making sacrifices to try and win it over!” like are you kidding? that shit would be like raid-tier now (in fact the leviathan uses the same model as The Lurker Below in Serpentshrine). 

how about the initial breadcrumbs in Fizzcrank Airstrip leading up to Ulduar? in the Alliance side of questing in Borean Tundra you learn that the reason their oil rigs are jammed are because they’re full of pieces of original mechagnomes. this was definitely foreshadowing for Mimiron and the other constructs that appeared in the Ulduar raid later in the expansion. Now, not only is Mechagon no longer a myth, but mechagnomes are playable!! I think a lot of people think it came out of nowhere, but there is a lot of really interesting dwarf and gnome lore that’s directly tied to the Titans and their constructs. The “curse of the flesh” is also incredibly cool, and I’m really glad they brought it back as a plot device for King Mechagon in BFA.

bro and oh my fucking GOD the people who skip Zul’drak are out of their fucking MINDS. Zul’drak and fucking Drakuru is one of the coolest story arcs with some of the best storytelling ever, and it really has a lot of its elements echoed in other troll areas, including Zandalar. For brevity, the Lich King is being interpreted by the Drakkari (and the vrykul, on another note) as a new Death God, one more powerful than the existing loa. Believing he can and will consume everything in Northrend, many of the Drakkari turn their backs on their loa and ally with this new god of death. This in turn weakens the other loa of Zul’drak to a point where some of them have been defeated or even consumed by Drakkari mortals, gaining their powers or using them for ill. The temples are abandoned and overrun with the Scourge, or their loas are crying out in madness and pain begging for help or revenge. You get to work alongside the snow leopard loa Har’koa to avenge her loa brethren and do your best to restore faith in the loa that still exist. It’s a fucking amazing campaign and was one of the first ones to naturally and neatly flow from one zone (Grizzly Hills) into the next (Zul’Drak) and culminate in the dungeons of the zone (Drak’tharon Keep & Gundrak), giving them actual story purpose for being run rather than “hey look at that spooky place that has loot”. And especially for players who remember the Gurubashi and Amani’s attempts to control/consume their loa, seeing that the Drakkari manage to do it and the impact that it has is downright bonechilling.

like it’s good that WoW has new cinematics and lots of voice acting (or “rp” as people call it) to tell the story and drive certain aspects home because back in the day i used to tell people that WoW was “reading: the game”, but it’s a shame because i feel like some of the stuff doesnt pack the same punch having it told to you like youre a baby at storytime rather than slowly inferring stuff on your own as you complete quests. all the new spectacle stuff is very good but i feel like it kinda spoonfeeds the audience the story sometimes, and it changes the tone a lot from the more subtle stuff in vanilla to wrath.

oh man i didnt hit up BC yet... yall already know to gut nagrand of quests but I feel like netherstorm and shadowmoon valley are vastly underrated too. if youre into the void or wondering about shadow magic, or what kael’thas was up to, a lot of netherstorm answers those questions via the ethereals. they also have like the ghosts of the alliance settlements from when they first came through the portal... man and the oshu’gun part of the main questline in bc nagrand (garrosh’s questline, incidentally, and requires you to go to auchenai crypts) also brings up an interesting question about the origin of naaru with the corruption of k’ure. k’uru was a naaru that turned to void after it was damaged/trapped in the genedar/oshu’gun and started drawing orc spirits toward it and corrupting them, but from the way it’s described it sounds almost like if the naaru can’t reach out to the light or its worshipers they can turn to void, much like the loa being reliant on their believers for their power. so especially with stuff like The Rejection of the Gift with Xe’ra in Legion, it has a lot of people wondering if void is the natural state of things and that the naaru are an augmentation of that, or the naaru possibly have their own agenda not unlike the void, so on and so forth...

I DUNNO MAN there is SO MUCH about current lore that has preexisting threads and connotations which is why i get so frustrated that people are like “OMG they introduced THIS in THIS xpac and then DIDNT ADDRESS IT!!!” like damn it’s the WORLD of warcraft, theyll get there in time! there’s a lot of shit to cover! not only that but you have NO IDEA what might get put back on the table after years of it lying dormant, much like the mechagnomes of Wrath reemerging in BFA or the ethereals’ ability to travel through the void in BC resurfacing again via the Locus Walker and the void elves... AAAAA IT’S SO GOOD

[knicks-knacks]

holy shite can we get vol'jin's grandma lore???????

AJDKJKHKDJS alright but I just woke up so coherency is 50/50. it was basically on a night I got sauced as hell and was sick of all the WoW characters never having named mothers or always having dead mothers that only get a name retrospectively because blizzard finally remembers women and mothers exist and hey maybe we should give them a name (listen I’ll always be angry about WoW’s sexism lmfao)

her name is Eza, she’s a very very old retired shadow hunter and is the mother of Vilja (Vol’jins mom oc who isn’t as fleshed out as Eza is yet haha)

She’s a very wise, caring, and generous woman, but is very abrasive and kinda intimidating. She was a hella powerful shadow hunter, and still is though she’s retired, and in general is very likely to bop you on the head with whatever she’s currently holding when you’re late or you don’t visit often enough. And though she has wisdom and advice aplenty it’s likely to be shouted at you rather than calmly explained because she’s got no patience, though it’s all from the good of her heart lol

She’s become the pseudo grandma of a lot of the trolls in the village, and even a parental figure to the older trolls in the village - she’s about 150 so she’s seen a lot of these trolls age all the way from childhood into having kids of their own. The majority of the village refers to her as Great Grandma.

Also, a quick aside - I have some headcanons regarding troll tusks. I think that they go through three sets of tusks through their life - childhood tusks, teenage tusks, and then their adult ones come in. Yes this does mean teenage trolls, instead of having the awkward acne puberty phase, instead have their tuskless phase - though it is celebrated by the adults as like the ultimate Coming Of Age Sign. And there are traditions surrounding the tusks, and who they go to once they fall out. The childhood/baby tusks get passed off to the grandparents, one to each of them - because the tusks pretty reliably fall off within hours or days of each other - and its customary for the kid themselves to be the ones to hand it off to the grandparents. Then, the teen years tusks go to the parents themselves. Parents very commonly use these tusks as household decorations or jewelry. 

Then, in the case of there being a death in the family, the tusks would be passed on to other living members. I.E. if the grandparent were to pass on, then the baby tusks passed down to the parent, vice versa. Or, if the tusks fell off and you didn’t have a grandparent to begin with... it’d just go to the person who fit that role the best. You see where I’m going with this lol

Eza’s got a FUCK ton of tusks from pretty much the whole village, both baby and teen ones. Her house and jewelry look like a horror show to any outsiders including Zandalari or other trolls types because the tusk heirlooms are a more Stranglethorn Jungle Troll type tradition, and the Darkspear take it a tiny bit farther than those ones even. Gurubashi also pass their tusks on to their family units but they’re usually kept in boxes and safe, not worn hanging from the ear lol. But, to a Darkspear, walking into Eza’s hut and seeing all the tusks from your tribe lovingly decorated and hung is very comforting because it just screams Home. like this is a woman that is loved and respected by so many and can be trusted with anything because how else does she have the whole tribes baby teeth lmfao.

also side side note, Vol’jin doesn’t have too much time to visit in general so he is a frequent victim of the head bonks with a stick. and also sometimes he gets a TINY bit jealous that his grandma is the whole tribes grandma because it’s competition on who she pampers more and who can give G-Ma the best gifts (because again I think trolls show their love and respect primarily through giving gifts) but he does have the SOLE HONOR of HIS baby tusks being the ones she has around her neck at all times because Vol’jins her only blood related grandkid

also, to the few who don’t just call her Zul’muu (what i hc is the troll word for great grandma) people tend to call her Eza’jin because even though she’s not THE leader she’s def a big influence on the whole tribe and ‘jin is the suffix for leader/chieftain SO

also she is trans ✨

anyways. i’ve gotten off track and this is an incoherent mess bc i woke up, had a hit, and then wrote this so djfhk apologies but THERE SHE IS. GRANDMA TEETH

[selanaris]

Totally a self plug!

Anyone playing WoW in the Horde on the servers Aegwynn US, Bonechewer US, Daggerspine US, Gurubashi US, or Hakkar US, and you are looking for a friendly and open guild!

Join corporazione di amici

I am the Co-GM there and love having new players to work with. Dungeons, Raids, PvP, quest, mog runs! From normal to mythic!

I have seen so many different stories of bad guild experiences, I've had one myself and avoided guilds until I found this one. As Co-GM I try my very best to include everyone I can, be welcoming and helpful, especially with raids and dungeons.

We would love to have new members, and I would love to see a bigger community that enjoys the lore of the game.

[xenodile]

The more Blizzard develops the lore of the troll empires the more the rest of the setting falls the fuck apart because they spent like 3 games and like 5 MMO expansions talking up how the night elves are THE ancient precursor race that once had a decadent continent spanning empire that fell to ruin, only to then go “Oh actually the elves are descended from trolls, who are ALSO the ancient precursor race with a continent spanning empire that fell to ruin” except the troll empire IS LITERALLY STILL FUCKING THERE

THE ZANDALARI, GURUBASHI, AMANI, AND DRAKKARI NEVER WENT AWAY.  But they’re putting “ancient elven ruins” within like spitting distance of “ancient troll ruins” and they can’t coexist like this dude!!  You talked big about how the elves were running the world when the Legion came but where the fuck were the trolls if they’ve apparently got ruins and holds in places the night elves also were!!  What was Rastakhan doing when Azshara was declaring herself Bitch Queen of Azeroth??  How are there elf ruins in Northrend, right next door to fucking Zul’drak??  How were the Amani still barely holding things together in northern Lordaeron while elves apparently had the time to go through TWO evolutionary deviations and then settle Quel’thalas???

I love the concept of elves being inbred mutant trolls and trolls being the noble ancient precursor race but Blizzard gave the concept no forethought whatsoever.

[offscreenblogs]

Discussion:

so fairly recently i’ve been watching some of platinum wows video’s on troll lore (fucking great youtuber by the way, you should watch). in these video’s, he talks about how the trolls started out as a booming set of small empires but later devolved into a cluster of multiple tribes fighting for survival (the amani, gurubashi, drakari, darkspear ETC.).

one thing that caught my eye however was actually something about the night elves (or keldorei if you want to get technical) . apparently the the first ever night elves were actually trolls who adapted to the power of the well of eternity overtime, turning them into a completely different race.

on top of that, later on they pretty much severed all ties to they’re previous race. almost no mention of they’re past life is brought up in modern day wow and when it is brought up, they’ would often deny any relation between they’re current race and they’re previous one.

i thought this was quite interesting because given that the trolls were forced to be subservient to elves at one point, combined with the fact that because of the destruction of the well of eternity (a event literally caused by the night-elves), almost all of the troll tribes were pretty much in ruin, it kind of got me thinking,

were the elves just responsible for they’re birth race/empire’s utter destruction and are just in complete denial of it? because keep in mind, the night elves were originally trolls that just mutated/metamorphed into they’re current forms via arcane sources. so by technicality, they are still trolls but they just refuse to acknowledge it.

[wyrmguardsecrets]

" violently crushing the native people of an 'exotic' locale" really reaching there, aren't you? Three out of four of the main antagonists - Venture Co., Kurzen, pirates, and Gurubashi - aren't even natives, they're a bunch of invaders. And the Gurubashi even then are a recognized hostile enemy in Stranglethorn, recognized as such in the lore. And no one said 'exotic' except for you; think you might be projecting your own idea of 'exotic' there, pal.

[warcraft-lore-archives]

Troll Lore Month Closing Post

For the month of February (and a tinsy bit of March) 2020, I gave everyone an in-depth look at everything troll from their history to the individual tribes that make up all of trollkind and more. I delved into troll lore in a series of mostly long posts dedicated to not only highlighting random lore facts but also covering and explaining certain aspects of troll culture, both past and present.

What did I do?

Posts have been archived under the #lore month and #troll lore month tags. You can also find them here or below if you missed any:

A Map of the Current and Former Troll Settlements as of the Second War

A Preface on the History of the Tribes’ Relationships & A History of the Trolls’ Intertribal Relationships

Lore Fact #64: A Gurubashi Retelling of the Sundering

Zandalari Cuisine

Troll Alcoholic Beverages

A List of Known Zandalari Monarchs

You can read the Troll Lore Month introduction post here, which includes all additional lore posts I wrote on trolls prior to Troll Lore Month.

Will there be more in the future?

Troll Lore Month may be officially over for now, but that does not mean I’m done writing about trolls! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to write nearly as many lore posts as I had initially planned, so it’s possible (but not guaranteed) I’ll still be churning out troll content in the near future. Regardless, you are always welcome to ask me more questions about trolls and I will do my best to answer them.

On that note, I’m switching over from doing Lore Months to Lore Weeks again for a short while and cannot say when the next Lore Month will be taking place quite yet. That said, I have no plans to stop doing Lore Months anytime soon (especially on top of our quarantine situation these days), so keep an eye out for the next one!

————————————————————————–

For Nightborne Lore Month (June 2018), see here

For Kul Tiras Lore Month (August 2018), see here

For Sin’dorei Lore Month (September-October 2019), see here

[alittlepieceofwarcraft]

Loa: A Complete Lore Guide

SOURCE

Summary list followed by an individual deep dive.

*Loas are roughly categorised for simplicity and may not 100% fit their section (eg Hakkar the Soulflayer appears serpent-like but may not be one, Jani can be argued to be both dinosaur and reptile).

What is a loa?

A loa is the name trolls give to the beings they worship, such as the Wild Gods. While beings such as the Celestials and Ancient Guardians are Wild Gods, trolls specifically worship what they consider to be loa.

Loa can live on to be reborn if their physical form is destroyed but not their spirit.

Summary list of loa

Aquatic loa

Gral the shark loa (Zandalari).

Krag’wa the frog loa (Darkspear, Zandalari).

Torga the turtle loa (Zandalari, Tortollans).

Bird loa

Akil’zon the eagle loa (Amani, Zandalari).

Jan’alai the dragonhawk loa (Amani, Zandalari).

Bear loa

Nalorakk the bear loa (Amani, Zandalari).

Rhunok the arctic bear loa (Drakkari).

Cat loa 

Bethekk the panther loa (Gurubashi, Zandalari).

Eraka no Kimbul (or “Kimbul”, Farraki, Zandalari, Tortollans). 

Halazzi the lynx loa (Amani, Zandalari).

Har'koa the snow leopard loa (Drakkari, Zandalari).

Shirvallah the loa of tigers (Darkspear, Gurubashi, Zandalari).

Dinosaur loa

Gonk the raptor loa (Darkspear, Zandalari). 

Pa’ku the pterrordax loa (Zandalari).

Rezan the devilsaur loa (Zandalari).

Torcali the direhorn loa (Zandalari). 

Insect loa

Elortha no Shadra (or “Shadra”), the spider loa (Vilebranch, Witherbark, Gurubashi, Farraki, Zandalari).

Kith'ix the C'Thraxxi loa (Zan'do's followers).

Reptile loa

Akunda the thunder lizard loa (Zandalari).

Hakkar the Soulflayer (Gurubashi, Vilebranch).

Hethiss the snake loa (Gurubashi, Zandalari).

Jani the saurid loa (Zandalari).

Quetz'lun the wind serpent loa (Drakkari). 

Sethraliss the snake loa (Zandalari, Sethrak).

Sseratus the loa of serpents and snakes (Drakkari).

Tharon'ja the wind serpent loa (Drakkari).

Troll loa 

Dambala (Darkspear, Zandalari).

Grimath (Zandalari).

Lukou (Darkspear, Zandalari).

Samedi loa of the grave (Darkspear).

Zanza (Zandalari).

Other loa

Akali the rhino loa (Drakkari).

Bwonsamdi the loa of death (Darkspear, Zandalari).

G’huun an Old God of blood (Blood trolls).

Hir’eek the bat loa (Blood trolls, Darkspear, Gurubashi, Zandalari).

Mam’toth the mammoth loa (Drakkari).

Ueetay no Mueh'zala (or “Mueh'zala”), the loa of death (Farraki).

Tip jar

Ko-fi

Paypal

Deep Dive into the loa

Gral

Gral is a shark loa of the sea that is worshipped by the Zandalari tribe. It is said that he knows even the deepest and darkest parts of the ocean and watches over every voyage. He is known to be wise and powerful.

Five years before the war in Zandalar, the naga tore down Gral's temple Atal'Gral and killed every last one of his followers. Gral was weak from the attack and remained missing for many years. When the naga returned, he did too, hoping to defeat the force’s leader Summoner Siavass and he has sworn revenge upon Queen Azshara should she come up from where he knew she currently could not leave.

Krag’wa

Krag’wa is a frog loa honoured by both the Darkspear tribe and the Zandalari. He is known to be powerful, but also impulsive and demanding. 

His followers used to bring him offerings from all around the Frogmarsh in Nazmir. The trolls began listening to the whispering darkness and in response Krag'wa stored some of his power in the totems that surround his lair. He refused to bend to the will of G’huun and so the blood trolls began attacking. Every one of his worshippers were slain and he was made weak, having to restore himself. Once strong again, he enacted revenge upon them.  

He later participated in the final charge against the blood trolls in Year 33, led by Princess Talanji. He opened the way to their leader Grand Ma'da Ateena and also participated in the defence of Zuldazar when Zul sought to destroy the Great Seal. He held off blood trolls coming from the Blood Gate.

Crawgs are former tadpoles of Krag’wa that have been corrupted by the blood trolls' blood magic.

Torga

Torga is known as a wise and benevolent loa with the tortollan people making pilgrimages to him to hear his stories. He is worshipped by both the Zandalari and the Tortollans. 

Torga was killed by the blood trolls in Nazmir. They  consumed his flesh and used his blood to raise undead and to summon Jungo, Herald of the Blood God. The location of his body is known as Torga's Rest. Bwonsamdi later summoned the Spirit of Torga  to the turtle loa. He later was reincarnated as a young turtle and now sits at the head of the tortollan Lashk.

Akil’zon

Akil’zon is the loa of eagles, worshipped by the Amani and Zandalari. 

In Year 26, Hex Lord Malacrass stole his essence, placing it into one of the Amani's most talented shamans. He also appears in Zul'Aman where his spirit is chained by Zul'jin. His is freed when the chieftain troll is killed. In Year 27, Akil'zon appears again in Zul'Aman where his spirit is chained by Daakara. He is freed when Daakara is killed.

Jan’alai

Jan’alai is the dragonhawk loa, honoured by both the Amani and Zandalari. 

Alike Akil’zon, Malacrass stole his essence, imbuing it into one of the Amani's deadliest rogues. His spirit is chained by Zul'jin and similarly is freed when the chieftain troll is killed. He again is also chained in Zul’Aman and freed when Draakara is killed.

Nalorakk

Nalorakk is the bear loa worshipped by the Amani and Zandalari. 

He, alongside Akil’zon and Jan’alai, also has his essence stolen and chained to Zul’jin as well as in Zul’Aman and is freed alike the former two loas.

The Amani decorate their Amani Battle Bears with magic amulets and ceremonial masks to honour him.

Rhunok

Rhunok is known as the Bear of the North, loa of arctic bears and is worshipped by the Drakkari.

In Year 27, his prophet first tried to absorb the loa's power but absorbed too much and subsequently killed himself. Priests of Rhunok quickly resurrected the prophet and he returned to making attemps to steal the loa’s power. To stop his prophet and end his suffering, Rhunok asked an adventurer to revive him and then slay him. It is said he will one day return as his spirit lives forever.

Bethekk 

Bethekk is a panther loa recognised by the Gurubashi and the Zandalari,

She was held in Zul'Gurub against her will when the Hakkari were attempting to resurrect Hakkar in Year 25.

She is represented on Azeroth through a champion of her choosing. High Priestess Kilnara holds this position. Kilnara is the sister of the previous champion, High Priestess Arlokk, who was killed a few years ago, meaning Bethekk was forced to choose another and chose her sister.

Kimbul

Also known as “Eraka no Kimbul”, is a tiger loa worshipped by the Farraki and Zandalari.

Centuries ago, Kimbul's temple in Vol'dun was attacked by a naga army led by Summoner Mepjila. Unfortunately, Kimbul arrived too late to save his followers from death. He hunted the remaining naga down to the last and none escaped, however as he killed the naga leader she cast a spell that cursed the souls of Kimbul's followers into unending torment. Until their souls were freed, Kimbul could not accept new followers. He took a powerful artifact known as the Ring of Tides as his trophy from the battle with Mepjila.

In Year 30, Kimbul was summoned by the Sandfury tribe at Zul'Farrak so they could sacrifice their prisoners - Aramar Thorne, Makasa Flintwill, Taryndrella, Hackle, and Murky - to him. Kimbul showed respect to Makasa and Hackle for they were predators and not prey, and he was the Prey's Doom. Kimbul told them that they had nothing to fear from him and vanished.

In Year 33, Kimbul can be found at the Temple of Kimbul in Vol'dun. The naga attacked Kimbul's territory looking for the Ring of Tides. Seeking his help against the naga threat, the tortollan Tortaka tribe spoke to Kimbul at his temple. Kimbul tasked an adventurer with entering the Shadowlands where his cursed followers continued to fight for eternity and slaying Mepjila's spirit to break her spell. With his followers at peace, Kimbul moved to protect the Tortaka tribe from the naga with the adventurer as his avatar. Afterward he accepted the Tortaka as his followers. Kimbul also participated in the defence of Zuldazar when Zul and his forces sought to destroy the Great Seal. 

Halazzi

Halazzi is a lynx loa honoured by the Amani and Zandalari.

He suffered the same incidences in Zul’Drak. 

Har'koa

Har’koa is a snow leopard loa honoured by the Drakkari and the Zandalari. Her mate is Loque'nahak.

After the Drakkari turned on their gods in Year 27, Har'koa was the last of the gods to be subdued and the trolls used her power in order to curse her children. Witch Doctor Khufu is able to contact other gods, adventurers are sent to aid Har'koa. After freeing her children Har'koa sends adventurers to help other loa: Rhunok, Quetz'lun, and Akali. She is saddened that she couldn't aid other loa such as Mam'toth.

While able to aid the other loa, Akali is ultimately slain by his prophet, which causes Har'koa and Witch Doctor Khufu to work together. Har'koa helps adventurers in fighting against the prophet to ensure his death.She sends adventurers to meet with Tol'mar, who directs them to destroy the Gundrak leadership.

Shirvallah

Shirvallah is a tiger loa worshipped by the Darkspear, Gurubashi and Zandalari.

Their last champion was High Priest Thekal. Thekal had another high priest, who wielded The Warmace of Shirvallah. Long ago, it was lost to the sea with the high priest who wielded it.

Shirvallah was also held in Zul'Gurub against their will alongside the previously mentioned loa.

By the time of the war against the Iron Horde in Year 31, troll druids had created a way for all druids to take on a half-tiger form like those of Shirvallah's champions, called the Claws of Shirvallah.

Gonk

Gonk is the loa of raptors honoured by the Darkspear and Zandalari. Gonk's high priest is Wardruid Loti.  He is the loa of shapes and master of the hunt. The followers of Pa'ku and Gonk do not get along.

Gonk taught the Darkspear tribe how to contact the loa in a different way, allowing them to serve all the nature spirits at the same time instead of only one at a time. The other loa, such as Shirvallah, were against this but Gonk forced their hands in order to defeat Zalazane, who had trapped several loa inside the Emerald Dream. Through this, the Darkspear became druids, although the other loa are not happy about it and want the trolls to continue worshipping them one at a time.

Gonk did not just speak to the Zandalari. For his Raptari, his followers, Gonk is not just a fragment or piece of him, but physically there, a real voice they can listen to in person.

In Year 33, he aided Loti and Hexlord Raal against the Crimson Cultist within of Zanchul, the Speaker of the Horde became imbued with the powers of Gonk and Pa'ku. The Speaker was informed that they had to choose between the loa. Those who chose Gonk went out to find him Garden of the Loa, where in exchange for them raising a shrine for him he accepted them into his pack.

When the Atal'zul began their uprising against Rastakhan, Loti hurried to save Gonk to find Gonk had already slain the attackers who sought to kill him and drain his power. Gonk was among the army that King Rastakhan gathered to kill Zul. He was tasked to lead his followers to the Temple of the Prophet. Following the death of Rezan, Gonk ordered for a full retreat from Atal'Dazar. Noting that only Rezan's power could keep Bwonsamdi from claiming King Rastakhan, who was sorely wounded and ageing fast due to Rezan's death, Gonk revealed that he would offer Rastakhan his own power if not for the fact that it was not Gonk's domain to challenge the loa of death.

Gonk participated in the defense of Zuldazar when Zul and his forces sought to destroy the Great Seal. 

During the assault on Zuldazar Gonk discovered that the void elves sought to corrupt his children with their dark magics. 

Pa’ku

Pa’ku is a pterrordax loa worshipped by the Zandalari. Pa'ku is the master of the Zandalari's navy and her high priest is Raal. The followers of Pa'ku and Gonk do not get along.

In Year 33, Loti and Raal against the Crimson Cultist within Zanchul, the Speaker of the Horde became imbued with the powers of Gonk and Pa'ku. Following the death of Dregada, the Speaker was informed that they had to choose between the two loa. Those who chose Pa'ku were delivered to the loa by Raal by flying on the back of Ata the Winglord. After the Speaker earned Pa'ku's admiration, the loa instructed them to raise a statue to him so that all the trolls of the land knew they had bargained.[5]

When Zul betrayed Rastakhan and stabbed him, Pa'ku took the king away to Zeb'ahari.

Pa'ku participated in the defence of Zuldazar when Zul and his forces sought to destroy the Great Seal. 

Rezan

Rezan is was a devilsaur known as the “Loa of Kings” worshipped by the Zandalari.

Rezan is first encountered in Year 33 when his follower, King Rastakhan, was near death after being betrayed by Zul. Rastakhan was unable to be revived because his soul was in the grip of Bwonsamdi, loa of death. The Zandalari appealed to Rezan to confront Bwonsamdi and claim back Rastakhan's soul. He was successful.

At Rezan's temple, Zul's followers sought to drain Rezan of his power in the same way the Drakkari once did to their loa. Rastakhan and an adventurer killed Vilnak'dor, the troll performing the ritual, and once he was freed Rezan unleashed his fury upon the Atal'zul and their Kao-Tien allies. 

Rezan was among the army that Rastakhan gathered and led the charge into Atal'Dazar atop Mount Mugamba. During the confrontation with Zul, Rezan was slain. Without his power keeping Bwonsamdi at bay, Rastakhan began aging fast. Rezan's essence was used by Zul to revive Dazar, first king of the Zandalari.

Torcali

Torcali is a direhorn loa revered by the Zandalari trolls. She is a loa of the harvest.

Shadra

Also known as “Elortha no Shadra”, Shadra is the spider loa honoured by the Witherbark, Gurubashi, Farrak and Zandalari.

The Witherbark one time collected her most potent venom from her. The Forsaken, wanting her venom, wished to summon her and to do so summon her, it was required to know her true name (Elortha no Shadra). After Shadra was summoned and killed, her venom was sent to the Undercity.

Shadra was also held in Zul'Gurub against her will during the time when the Hakkari were attempting to resurrect Hakkar the Soulflayer in Year 25.

At Jintha'alor after the Cataclysm in Year 28, the Vilebranch tribe drank Shadra's blood and performed mass sacrifices for her. The Wildhammer wanted to kill her in advance before she could be directed to them, while the Forsaken once more wanted Shadra's venom for their apothecaries. At Shadra'Alor, she was once more summoned and killed.

In Year 30, Shadra communicated with Vol'jin through visions. 

Shadra, alike Kimbul, was summoned by the Sandfury tribe at Zul'Farrak so they could sacrifice their prisoners - Aramar Thorne, Makasa Flintwill, Taryndrella, Hackle, and Murky- to her. But Taryndrella, dryad daughter of Cenarius, stopped her from doing so. Shadra backed away,

In Year 33, her own high priestess Yazma trapped Shadra in the Shrine of Shadra in Zuldazar. Yazma thus consumed Shadra's might in the name of Zul, killing Shadra in the process, and transforming herself into a spider-like troll. Yazma told Shadra to "die forever", suggesting that she is deceased for good.

Kith'ix

Kith’ix was a C'Thraxxi generals and worshipped as a loa by Zan’do’s followers.

Trying to find the Discs of Norgannon keeper Loken unearthed the tombs of Kith'ix and his fellow C'Thraxxi general Zakajz and sent them to slay Tyr and reclaim the discs. Kith'ix and Zakazj overtook Tyr and his allies in the lands that would become the Tirisfal Glades. Tyr chose to hold off the C'Thraxxi alone so his companions could escape. In the end, Tyr sacrificed all of his remaining power and life force in a blinding explosion of arcane energy that killed Zakajz and nearly killed Kith'ix. Kith'ix survived and blindly fled southwest. The ancient loa inhabiting the area buried Kith'ix beneath the earth so that no other creature would disturb it.

Eventually the sentient dagger Xal'atath led the troll Zan'do and his followers to the forbidden mound, where they discovered that it was not rock but the hide of some monstrous creature. Believing it to be an undiscovered loa they performed rituals—offering blood sacrifices and plunging Xal'atath into its hide—to awaken him. Kith'ix brutally slaughtered the trolls.

Kith'ix reached out with his mind and found the aqir, having hidden deep underground since the fall of the Black Empire. The C'Thrax rallied the insectoid swarms to reclaim the surface of Azeroth once more. As both Kith'ix and the aqir expanded their power, they constructed a vast subterranean empire known as Azj'Aqir. The Zandalari rallied the tribes against this new foe and summoned the loa to fight by their side, tearing through the aqiri ranks and even wounding Kith'ix. The aqir were forced to retreat and Kith'ix, gravely wounded by the loa, fled to the northeast with a contingent of its closest aqiri followers. 

The Amani tracked the C'Thrax's trail far to the northeastern woodlands. In a final savage battle, the entire tribe flung itself in a suicidal attack against Kith'ix and its remaining insectoid minions. Only a tiny fraction of the troll army survived. Even so, the C'Thrax succumbed to its tireless hunters.

On the site where they had killed Kith'ix, the trolls established a new settlement. It would one day grow into a sprawling temple city known as Zul'Aman. 

Akunda 

Akunda is thunder lizard loa worshipped by the Zandalari. He represents storms and new beginnings.

Akunda was poisoned by his follower Akunda the Exalted, who took his memories from him. Using Akunda's power, Akunda the Exalted wiped the trolls at the temple of all of their memories. After Meijani and an adventurer from the Horde discovered this, they used Akunda's powers of the storm to slay Akunda the Exalted. Akunda restored the memories of his followers. Akunda offered his gift to the adventurer, allowing them to call upon the Boon of Akunda whenever they commune at an Altar of Akunda.

Akunda later participated in the defence of Zuldazar when Zul and his forces sought to destroy the Great Seal. 

Hakkar 

Hakkar, also known by his title “The Soulflayer”, is a blood loa honoured by the Gurucashi and Vilebranch. He is known to be destructive and malevolent.

A troll attempted to summon Hakkar on Zandalar many millennia ago. While he was stopped, it led to the breakout of a plague of corrupted blood which tore through the Zandalari Empire killing thousands of trolls.

Around Year -1,500, the Gurubashi trolls sought aid from ancient, mystical forces to aid them in their terro and famine. Hakkar heard the trolls' call and decided to aid them. Hakkar gave his secrets of blood to the Gurubashi and helped them extend their civilization across most of Stranglethorn Vale. Though he brought them great power, Hakkar wanted more and more for his efforts.[4] He filled his adherents with murderous rage and reveled in their dark emotions and fed off the blood they spilled. The Gurubashi realized what kind of creature they had allied with and turned against him. The strongest tribes rose up against Hakkar and his loyal priests known as the Atal'ai.

As Zul'Gurub continued to expand, the Zandalari's pleased surprise turned to disquiet. When they discovered the nature of Hakkar, they were horrified. The jungle trolls banded together with the Zandalari and rose up in open revolt. The budding empire was shattered by the magic unleashed between the angry god and his rebel children. The trolls succeeded in destroying Hakkar's avatar and banishing him from the world. Even his Atal'ai priests were eventually driven from the capital of Zul'Gurub. After his defeat, the various troll tribes of the jungle began battling each other and the Darkspear tribe left the continent.

The exiled priests fled far to the north, into the Swamp of Sorrows. There they erected the temple to Hakkar. The great dragon Aspect, Ysera, learned of the Atal'ai's plans and smashed the temple beneath the marshes. 

Around Year -18-19, some of the Gurubashi would continue to use Hakkar's blood magic, especially in their war against the humans of Stormwind. Green dragons that had been left by Ysera to guard the Temple of Atal'Hakkar had succumbed to another force, the Emerald Nightmare. The descendants of the Atal'ai returne to find that its guardians were disoriented and vulnerable. Both the Nightmare and the trolls dragged the dragons down into the depths of madness and corruption. The Atal'ai began their gruesome rituals to summon Hakkar into the world. Jammal'an believed the summoning of Hakkar will bring the Atal'ai immortality. A green dragon named Itharius called for help from the Cenarion Circle, who in turn sent an Alliance force to cleanse the temple and put an end to the Atal'ai's efforts.

In Year 25, Yeh'kinya tricked adventurers into taking an Ancient Egg from Jintha'Alor and infusing it with the essence of the defeated Avatar of Hakkar into a Filled Egg of Hakkar. Prospector Ironboot revealed that Yeh'kinya wasn't about to keep the world safe, but to bring the god Hakkar back. However, it was too late as Hakkar had already reborn in Zul'Gurub. The Atal'ai priests discovered that Hakkar's physical form could only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi Empire, Zul'Gurub. In order to quell the blood god, the trolls of the land banded together and sent a contingent of High Priests into the ancient city. Each priest was a powerful champion of the Primal Gods but despite their best efforts, they fell under the sway of Hakkar. The Zandalari knew that they did not have the resources to scour the Atal'ai and their leader, Jin'do the Hexxer, from Zul'Gurub. They sent word through the Darkspear tribe. A large Horde strike force was sent to Zul'Gurub in turn. The Horde charged into the temple city, and though they the killed the priests and Jin'do, they were too late to stop Hakkar's summoning. Manifesting as a force of death and insanity, Hakkar poisoned the blood of the Horde's champions but he was unaware of the poison entering his veins as he fed on them and was consumed by his own magic.

The still burning kernel of Hakkar's power, was brought to Molthor and the heart was banished.

In Year 28, the Atal'ai in the Sanctum of the Fallen God have recovered a significant portion of his skeleton and seek to restore Hakkar back to life. The Atal'ai transported most of the blood they produced to Zul'Gurub. Meanwhile, Vilebranch tribe of the Hinterlands left Hakkar in favour of Shadra. Jin'do recovered the body of two high priests, High Priest Venoxis and High Priestess Jeklik, and then enlisted the aid of Zanzil the Outcast to resurrect them to serve Hakkar. Though adventurers working for the Zandalari trolls Maywiki and Chabal only succeeded in destroying Jeklik's body. Some time later, the Zandalari trolls under Zul united most of the tribes and aided in restoring Zul'Gurub to its former glory for the purpose of rebuilding the old troll empire. They hoped to use Hakkar in order to wage war on the other races of Azeroth. Adventurers in Zul'Gurub saw Jin'do, now going by name "the Godbreaker," holding Hakkar in submission and stripping out his power to infuse into himself. Upon destroying the spiritual chains holding the Soulflayer in place, Hakkar turns on Jin'do, and utterly destroys him, leaving only the corpse of Jin'do the Broken. He then vanishes, promising to return. 

Hethiss 

Hethiss is snake loa worshipped by the Gurubashi and Zandalari. 

Like the other Gurubashi loa, Hethiss was held in Zul'Gurub against his will during the time when the Hakkari were attempting to resurrect Hakkar the Soulflayer in Year 25.

Jani

Jani is the saurid loa worshipped by the Zandalari. He is known as Patron of Scavengers, the Lord of Thieves, the God of Garbage, Master of Minions, the Keeper of Secrets and the loa of discarded things. Jani looks out for people  such as the orphans and the poor and appears to be very protective of his children, as well as being quite the trickster, polymorphing those that hurt his children to humble them.

In Year 33, while killing some thieving saurid harassing a merchant, Jani appears as "The Big One" and attacks an adventurer. When they go to investigate a pile they are captured in the Big One's jaws, who reveals himself to be Jani. Jani is furious that the adventurer would kill his children and to teach them a lesson, he changes them into a saurid and forces them to go bite the one who originally sent them, Nokano. 

Quetz’lun

Quetz'lun is the loa of wind serpents worshipped by the Drakkari. 

In Year 27, she was betrayed by her prophet and slain to drain her power. Right before her physical manifestation was destroyed, Quetz'lun created her own private underworld nightmare in which she dragged all her former worshippers and high priests into. 

Her spirit will assist players in killing her prophet. After a ritual, she is drawn into the material world where she will be able to reclaim her power from the prophet. Once done, she brings him into her underworld domain to kill him over and over again.

Sethraliss 

Sethraliss was a snake loa worshipped by both Zandalari and Sethrak. She had power over lightening.  

During the Aqir and Troll War in Year -16,000 years ago, Mythrax the Unraveler slaughtered troll and sethrak.. Sethraliss sacrificed herself to save them, but though she struck Mythrax down Mythrax was still able to destroy the disc at the heart of Atul'Aman. Sethraliss' devoted followers transported her remains and built a temple around them while they awaited her rebirth. Sulthis, Vorrik, and Korthek worked together to seal Mythrax within the great pyramid.[4]

Years later, Korthek grew power hungry and sought to free Mythrax to conquer Zuldazar. He gathered like-minded sethrak and declared himself emperor. Other sethrak who were still loyal to Sethraliss were forced into hiding. Vorrik returned to his personal sanctum years later, he could still feel the ancient power of Sethraliss there, which he took as a sign that his loa endured.

In Year 33, General Jakra'zet of the Zanchuli Council allied with Korthek, and though Korthek was slain Jakra'zet successfully stole the keys to Atul'Aman and completed the ritual to revive Mythrax by sacrificing himself. The sethrak needed Sethraliss but she was yet to be reborn. The adventurer sent by Vorrik to investigate found a group of Zandalari who wanted to corrupt her into a dark loa that would lay waste to Vol'dun. The trolls were defeated and Sethraliss was rejuvenated.

 Sseratus

Sseratus is the the loa of serpents and snakes revered by the Drakkari.

Slad'ran was the high prophet of Sseratus. He sacrificed her hoping that it might help them save their home. He swore the Scourge would suffer for the sacrifices the Drakkari had been forced to commit.

Tharon’ja

Tharon'ja is the wind serpent loa honoured by the Drakkari. He is trusted guardian of Drak'Tharon Keep and the patron of those who defended the borders of Zul'Drak.

In Year 27, his own followers turned on him because to the threat of the Scourge and lies of the Lich King. His own Prophet killed him in Drak'Tharon Keep and claimed his power, driving the loa into the spirit world.[2]

Zur'chaka the Bonecrafter summoned Tharon'ja's spirit in order to communicate with him at the Za'Tual boneyard in Year 30.

Dambala

Dambala is a troll loa honoured by the Zandalari. 

He is only mentioned in Shadow Hunter Ty'jin's ability Blessing of Dambala.

Grimath

Grimath is an old Zandalari loa spirit honoured by them.

He is known to have been contacted by Zandalari trolls to aid them in tracking a direhorn.

Lukou

Lukou is a troll loa honoured by the Darkspear and Zandalari. 

She is mentioned in Shadow Hunter Ty'jin's ability called Blessing of Lukou.

In the RPG, she’s noted as the loa of healing and respite, and grants the ability to heal allies. Her power has no effect against undead in the area - she grants the capacity to heal, but she has no power over the restless dead.

Samedi

Samedi is the loa of the grave, honoured by the Darkspear.

Shadow Hunter Kajassa asked adventurers in Nagrand to use the Samedi Fetish to help shadow hunter souls move on and send them to Samedi.

In the RPG, it is mentioned that he is the loa of cemeteries and the restful sleep of the dead. In Samedi's eyes, the undead are abominations that should be destroyed.

Zanza

Also known as Zanza the Restless, Zanza is a loa of the Zandalar tribe found near the entrance to the Cache of Madness in Zul'Gurub. He is also honoured by them. 

He reveals that he created the magic used in Elven Librams which were originally his Savage Guard. They since stole Zanza's magic teachings and used them against the trolls.

Akali

Akali was the rhino loa of rhinos worshipped by the Drakkari. 

In Year 27, he was held in chains by his worshippers outside the gates of Gundrak. Adventurers freed Akali who is quick to kill his subduers. However, the Prophet of Akali notices and drinks of the loa's blood, claiming some of his power. Infused by power of the loa, the prophet swiftly kills Akali.

Bwonsamdi

Bwonsamdi is the loa of death worshipped by the Darkspear and the Zandalari.  Bwonsamdi's temple is the Necropolis. The spirits of all trolls on Zandalar go to him upon death and he brings the spirits of any who worship him into his realm, the Other Side. He grows more powerful the more souls are in his care.

Before they were driven away from the Echo Isles by Zalazane and his hexed trolls, the Darkspear tribe once worshipped the spirit. During the liberation of the Echo Isles in Year 27, Vol'jin tried to recruit Bwonsamdi to his side for the battle against Zalazane. After Vol'jin and his fellow Horde warriors proved themselves worthy, Bwonsamdi agreed to help them against Zalazane. With the battle won Bwonsamdi took his leave.

In Year 30, Vol'jin found that his shadow hunter powers were being withheld by the loa. Bwonsamdi contacted Vol'jin and told him that his injuries, self doubt, and conflicting loyalty toward the Horde has made the loa forsake him. Bwonsamdi showed him various visions. The Death Loa wished Vol'jin would use his influence to create as much strife and war as possible, for that would mean more souls would be sent to the other side on his behalf. Vol'jin refused. Vol'jin eventually proved his conviction and reaffirmed his identity, regaining both Bwonsamdi's respect and his powers. Bwonsamdi received the souls Vol'jin sent from the battles between the Shado-Pan and the Thunder King's forces.. At the end of the war, Vol'jin's companion Tyrathan Khort was near death. Vol'jin pleaded with Bwonsamdi to spare Tyrathan. The loa complied, knowing he would have his soul now or later, it did not matter.

In Year 33, King Rastakhan was betrayed by Zul and near death, Bwonsamdi claimed his soul and at first refused to give it back because the loa of kings Rezan had been keeping Rastakhan from him for too long. Rezan threatened Bwonsamdi into complying. When Rezan was slain by Zul, Rastakhan began to age quickly.

In Nazmir, the Zandalari forces sought the aid of the local loa to battle the blood trolls. Bwonsamdi's worshipper Hanzabu brought a Horde adventurer to the Necropolis to meet with him. After tasking the adventurer with cleansing his temple of the spirits who had abandoned Bwonsamdi for G'huun, Bwonsamdi agreed to pledge his powers to the fight against the blood trolls in exchange for one million souls. The ritual to finalize their contract was interrupted by Grand Ma'da Ateena, leader of the blood trolls, but she was successfully fought off.

Talanji and the tortollans called on Bwonsamdi to communicate with Torga's spirit. Bwonsamdi would only comply with a deal, the soul of another loa in exchange for communing with Torga, but Talanji refused. Instead, the souls of the blood trolls that had eaten Torga's flesh were used in exchange for communing with Torga.

Bwonsamdi participated in the final charge against the blood trolls led by Talanji. He prevented the adventurer from dying because they still had a debt to pay him.

Rastakhan made a deal with Bwonsamdi: If Bwonsamdi gave him the power to take back his empire, then Rastakhan would elevate Bwonsamdi above all other loa. Bwonsamdi accepted the deal on one condition: that the king's bloodline would be devoted to Bwonsamdi. Later, as Dazar'alor came under attack from Zul and Mythrax, Bwonsamdi empowered Rastakhan to kill Zul. 

After the Urn of Vol'jin is delivered to Atal'Dazar. Bwonsamdi appears saying to bring the urn to his necropolis instead, as he hasn't seen Vol'jin in quite some time. There Bwonsamdi discovers that Vol'jin spirit isn't in the urn.

Seeking to learn where Vol'jin's spirit had gone missing, Bwonsamdi tasked the adventurer and Talanji with performing a seance with the aid of some of Vol'jin's friends from life, Gadrin and Rokhan. They succeeded in contacting him deep within the Shadowlands, and he tasked them with slaying G'huun as justice for the sons and daughters of the loa and the heart of Zandalar. 

Following the deaths of the Horde's Champion of the Light and Jadefire Masters during the Battle of Dazar'alor, King Rastakhan urged Bwonsamdi to aid his forces. Bwonsamdi created a blood moon and raised the dead to fend off the Alliance. Bwonsamdi also raised Grong into a Revenant and turned him against the Alliance after Horde adventurers slew the giant gorilla. When the Alliance reached King Rastakhan. Rastakhan was still ultimately killed. As Talanji held her dying father, Rastakhan's pact with Bwonsamdi was transferred to her as he took his final breath. Bwonsamdi himself then appeared before Talanji, who demanded to know what he had done to her, unaware of the pact her father made that bound his bloodline to the loa of graves. In response, Bwonsamdi merely revealed that her father never told her about their bargain. 

Vol'jin's spirit, Talanji, and Baine Bloodhoof returned to the Necropolis to reveal that Vol'jin had been calling for him. They confronted Bwonsamdi to ask him if he was the one who had told him to make Sylvanas the Warchief, which Bwonsamdi denied. Bwonsamdi agreed to help them find out who had really told Vol'jin to put Sylvanas in charge.

Bwonsamdi opened a Death Gate to one of his rivals in the ownership of souls: the Lich King. Like Bwonsamdi, the Lich King told Vol'jin that he was not responsible and that Sylvanas was upsetting the balance of life and death.Realizing that Vol'jin's spirit was getting help from some other power, Bwonsamdi also sent them to speak to the Val'kyr Eyir Eyir did not allow Talanji to enter her hall as she was a priestess of the death loa. Eyir informed the group that Vol'jin had been "touched by the hand of valor". Back at the Necropolis, Bwonsamdi mused that while Eyir and the Lich King were not his only rivals they were the ones he thought most likely to be behind it. He urged Vol'jin to search not the living world but the Shadowlands for his answers.

G’huun

G’huun was an Old God inadvertently created by the Pantheon during their experiments on the other imprisoned Old Gods, as the titans tried to find a solution to the problem that they posed. He was worshipped as a loa by the blood trolls and they consider themselves to be his children.

In Year 33, his prison began to weaken and  G'huun's corruption begun spreading across the land. He also started wresting control over the souls of the dead from Bwonsamdi. G'huun corrupted Hir'eek and turned him into his servant. Adventurers worked alongside Jo'chunga and struck Hir'eek down in order to weaken G'huun's forces.

With the seal of Atul'Aman destroyed by Mythrax, and the seal of Nazwatha destroyed by the Cataclysm, Zul and his allies, General Jakra'zet and Yazma, worked to free the Blood God by undoing the last remaining seal, in Zuldazar. The plan was to have G'huun replace the loa as the trolls' new god. The seal was ultimately destroyed by Mythrax during the invasion of Dazar'alor. A group of adventurers entered Uldir and slew G'huun before he could break free.

Hir’eek

Hir’eek was a bat loa honoured by Blood trolls, Darkspear, the Gurubashi and the Zandalari. He is known as the Lord of the Midnight Sky.

Like the other loa of the Gurubashi tribe, Hir'eek was held in Zul'Gurub against his will during the time when the Hakkari were attempting to resurrect Hakkar in Year 25. 

After the Cataclysm in Year 28, adventurers in the Cape of Stranglethorn were guided by the spirit of Hir'eek to spy on Zanzil the Outcast's meeting with the Shade of the Hexxer.

In Year 30, before entering the Ancient Passage just prior to his assassination attempt, Vol'jin noticed a flock of bats flying out of the cave. He thought of Hir'eek and wondered if it was a warning.

In Year 33, was corrupted by G'huun and the blood trolls,[7] and subsequently slain by an adventurer with the aid of Jo'chunga and his poison. His death was mourned by the Zandalari. His spirit presumably returned to the Emerald Dream.

Mam’toth

Mam’toth was the loa of mammoths homoured by the Drakkari. When he learnt of his worshippers' plans to steal his power, he destroyed himself, his temple and all worshippers present, creating in Mam'toth Crater.

Moorabi was the high prophet of Mam'tothdrank of the loa's blood and gained some of his power hoping to defend Zul'Drak.

Mueh'zala

Also known as Ueetay no Mueh'zala, is the loa of death honoured by the Farraki. He is known also as the Father of Sleep, the Son of Time and the Night's Friend.

[terrace-of-the-speakers]

But What About the Blood Trolls?

...Yeah, what about them? Where do they fall in lore? Do they still exist? And what about the other tribe that worships the same entity... The one we don’t really talk about, anymore? We’re gonna talk about it. See, the blood trolls are an interesting breed. They fall undoubtedly within the realm of chaotic evil, serving loa and gods with the intent to corrupt the world and its inhabitants. Under Princess Talanji’s authority, it’s assumed that Nazmir will eventually be purged, or at least their numbers will be culled to such an extent that another march onto the Golden City wouldn’t be possible without some sort of twisted, divine intervention. But even though the blood trolls of Nazmir worshiped G’huun, championing the tainted and now fallen blood god... G’huun isn’t the only one who carries that title. To be honest, he’s pretty small fry compared to the big blood poppa. Hakkar the Soulflayer is responsible for the initial creation of the blood trolls. No one knows the origins of this god (though he has been canonically accepted as a loa), and there are no records of his presence on Azeroth before a troll tried to summon him to Zandalar. This was an ancient event, one that predates the Dark Portal by hundreds if not thousands of years. What followed was the great plague-- An incurable blood sickness that killed an absurd number of trolls. It’s what prompted the golems to be constructed for fear of more becoming infected, and it is also an event that prompted the infamous “Path of Blood”... Hence, the birth of the blood trolls. You’re probably familiar with Hakkar in Gurubashi history. A once great civilization turning to the utmost dire measures to preserve their empire. Most trolls were alive during the Cataclysm, when the world shook to ruins. But the Sundering, when the world split, was a death sentence for the majesty of the troll empires. It was a slow death, riddled with hunger and desperation, and eventually the Gurubashi turned to their last resort. The empire grew, so much so as to prompt a reaction and many, many questions from the Zandalari. However, the price of their prosperity came in the form of blood sacrifices. Each day that passed, more and more were demanded. ...Basically the trolls were killing their people to save their people... You can see the problem here, right? I don’t need to explain why this caused such extreme civil unrest that the tribes once united under Zul’Gurub would eventually split up into independent, xenophobic tribes... Just put two and two together, you got it. What’s interesting, here, is that during his time in Zul’Gurub, Hakkar was behind the creation of another tribe-- Not through blood, but through zealotry. These sacrifices didn’t just happen blindly, or for no reason. They happened under the influence and prominence of the Hakkari. These were the priests of Hakkar, his lieutenants... And even they would turn on the insatiable god. All would, except for the Atal’ai. If that name sounds familiar, but you can’t place it... Remember the Sunken Temple dungeon? The one in the Swamp of Sorrows that got blasted by Ysera? Remember all of those green dragons, and dragonkin? The reason those temples were full of them is because they were used as ritualistic sacrifices. They went through torturous treatment by the Atal’ai for, quite literally, blood for the blood god. Putting them down wasn’t extermination... It was euthanization. That’s how deep the corruption spread. It should be noted here that the Atal’ai are universally despised by the entirety of the troll empire, much like the Nazmani blood trolls. The tribes of Stranglethorn are often described as hating the Darkspear with a burning passion. That hatred exists exponentially higher for the members of the Atal’ai. They are considered to be less than dirt... Because even dirt can produce something worthwhile. So at this point, you’re probably thinking something along the lines of... “This is all a very interesting story and a cool lesson on lore, but what about those blood trolls?” Well, the thing is... Hakkar keeps coming back. No one really knows where he originally comes from, but his presence in Azeroth has made an impression on four separate occasions. Someone, somewhere, for some reason ultimately and inevitably seems drawn to him... And apparently, he’s coming back for Shadowlands and he’s bringing some Atal’ai Devoted with him. Those that would worship the blood god, Atal’ai and Nazmani blood trolls alike, still absolutely have a presence in troll roleplay. Now, their place is wrapped in centuries of disdain and hatred by the other tribes... And for reasonable cause. If you roleplay as a blood troll/Atal’ai and receive these reactions, hopefully this will give you a little bit of an idea of why that is. These tribes are the product of corruption that took countless lives, caused unspeakable tragedies, and brought thriving empires to ruination. (I shouldn’t have to make this part of the essay clear, but I’ll say it anyway. Out of character, and as a person behind the computer, no one has any right to treat you poorly based on what you play. Just as in character actions do not necessarily reflect someone’s out of character opinion of you as a player. The purpose of this article is to provide an opinion about certain aspects of the story, as well as inform role players about the history and potential presence of these trolls... Not to condone the mistreatment of players behind them. Be nice. We’re all nerds looking to have a good time in our own way.) Article: Opinion Piece, Author: Vorzhal , Realm: WyrmrestAccord