The Glorious Past of the Trolls

Rastakhan's straightforwardness made things much simpler. After Tian Sang met his new mentor, Lal—a Witch Doctor troll with an unexpectedly kind smile—he began his life as an international student in Zandalar.

Lal was a priest dedicated to the Pterosaur Loa, Pa'ku. He was a man of great charisma by troll standards and highly famous among the women of Zandalar, earning him the title of "Man of the Nation." His first curriculum goal was to teach history, and Tian Sang felt his luck was decent; at least he didn't have to start by learning how to read.

Zandalari Trolls were a group deeply focused on knowledge, with historical knowledge held in the highest regard. This was unique among the various troll tribes, and Tian Sang believed it was something the Forest Trolls ought to learn as well.

Tian Sang could glean some general outlines of Azeroth's history from his two sets of memories, but he lacked the specific details, especially since troll history was quite hazy, and Kal'ma had never imparted any knowledge in this regard.

From Lal, Tian Sang formally learned about troll history. Trolls were one of the oldest races on Azeroth, their history tracing back to before the Pantheon created the world. Some legends mentioned the Titans of the Pantheon, who were known as "Travelers," and the trolls recorded their wars against the Old Gods in song.

Trolls were born on the world of Azeroth. In the earliest times, the leaders of small troll tribes were not Witch Doctors or priests, but Shadow Hunters—hunters who led their kin in the fight against the darkness.

Later, the trolls established contact with the wild Loa spirits on Mount Zandalar, and the tribes subsequently built cities upon the mountain. Witch Doctor priests officially became the leaders of these cities, and while the status of Shadow Hunters began to decline, they remained highly respected.

Mount Zandalar was located in the southern part of the Ancient Kalimdor Continent. The first Zandalari God-King, Dazar, reached an agreement there with the strongest Loa of Devilsaurs: Rezan the King's Protector. Dazar provided Him with faith, while He protected Dazar's royal bloodline. Today, the largest pyramid in the Zandalari capital, Dazar'alor, was built to commemorate Dazar.

Dazar and the priests built altars to worship the Loa on the summit of Mount Zandalar, while other trolls built camps to live at the foot of the mountain. As time passed, those altars transformed into pyramids, and the trolls' camps were reconstructed. In this manner, the holy city of the trolls and the capital of Zandalar, Zuldazar, was established.

The earliest Zandalari practiced a strict caste system, but the oppression caused by this system led some low-status trolls to leave Zandalar and strike out on their own. These trolls were the ancestors of the Jungle Trolls, Forest Trolls, Ice Trolls, and Desert Trolls.

The Jungle Trolls established the Gurubashi Empire in the southern tropical jungles, while the Forest Trolls built the Amani Empire in the northern subtropical forests. The Ice Trolls established Zuldrak, though the Ice Troll nation was never as vast or prosperous as the previous two empires. Despite being of the same race, they had erupted into massive conflicts, followed by numerous subsequent schisms. The Sandfury Trolls were a splinter group of the Gurubashi Jungle Trolls, who established Zul'Farrak in Tanaris.

The troll tribes blossomed everywhere, but they were not the only race on the continent. To the south of Mount Zandalar, a creature known as the Mogu also established their own nation. The Zandalari Trolls initially despised the Mogu because they were disorganized and lacked faith.

Although they despised the Mogu, the trolls did not become hostile toward them, because a shift in power occurred within Zandalar, and this shift caused a Witch Doctor named Zandu to leave the holy mountain.

Guided by some mysterious presence, Zandu found a holy mountain containing mysterious energy in the center of the Ancient Kalimdor Continent. There, he awakened a monster that had been buried by the Loa. The Zandalari Trolls who tracked him down found only the shredded remains of Zandu and his followers, while the monster had vanished.

Ever since Zandu's death, a creature appeared on Ancient Kalimdor known as the Aqir, controlled by a being called Krax'is. The Zandalari Trolls discovered from history that Krax'is was a minion of the Old Gods who had fought against the "Travelers" in the past.

The Old Gods had once established a vast Black Empire on the continent. Wherever that Black Empire went, it drained all life from the land. The two deserts they left behind, Nathalis and Vol'dun, remained a terrifying sight to the Zandalari Trolls even thousands of years later.

Filled with apprehension, Zandalar used its influence to force the warring Amani Empire and Gurubashi Empire to cease their disputes, and they kept a watchful eye on the Aqir. As it turned out, their concerns were not unfounded.

Led by Krax'is, the Aqir established the Azj'Aqir Empire and expanded rapidly, seeking to exterminate all non-insectoid races. Zandalar would not allow this to happen.

Under the threat of the Azj'Aqir Empire, the two great empires of Amani and Gurubashi began to submit to Zandalar. All trolls united into the Zandalari Empire and began their assault on the Azj'Aqir Empire, a war that lasted for over two thousand years.

During this great war, Zandalar also underwent further development. They absorbed some of the culture of the Azj'Aqir Empire, improved their Voodoo Magic, and learned to craft Voodoo Masks powered by spells and the burning of flesh or soul fragments. They even absorbed the architectural style of the Azj'Aqir Empire, integrating it into troll construction.

Relying on the fearlessness of their warriors, the support of Voodoo Magic, and the help of the Loa spirits, the trolls launched wave after wave of charges against the Aqir. Finally, the Forest Trolls of Amani killed Krax'is deep in the mountains, and the remaining insectoids scattered and fled in all directions, ending the war.

To commemorate the victory, the Forest Trolls of Amani built a city upon the mountain-like body of Y'thraki and named it Zul'Aman. When Tian Sang read this, he couldn't help but be somewhat surprised; it turned out his ancestors had such a feat to their name.

After the Azj'Aqir Empire was shattered, the Zandalari Empire began to grow unstable, though it struggled to maintain itself. At the same time, the Mogu to the south of Zandalar had somehow ended their disorganization, integrated by a Mogu named Lei Shen into a complete Mogu Empire, and proceeded to enslave the Pandaren, Yaungol, Hozen, and Jinyu alike.

The rise of the Mogu Empire put pressure on the Zandalari Empire. The two became twin empires standing back-to-back, and they even maintained some contact. The Mogu allowed their Pandaren slaves to learn the Zandalari techniques for brewing medicinal wine, while the Zandalar learned some knowledge of druidism and agriculture from the Yaungol.

Beyond some cultural exchanges, the Zandalari Trolls also engaged in some deep but unrecorded interactions with the Mogu, even launching a joint expedition. The target of that expedition was a region in the southwest of the Ancient Kalimdor Continent, but the result was that not a single member of the joint legion returned.

Because of the failure of the expedition and the death of the Mogu Emperor Lei Shen, the first Mogu dynasty collapsed. The two empires fell into a deep freeze, yet they still did not go to war. Zandalar needed the Mogu as a deterrent to keep the Amani and Gurubashi in line, while the Mogu dared not make any major moves because the various slaves within their own empire were beginning to become unruly.

The two empires engaged in polite indifference, hoping to maintain stability within their own borders through a tacit non-aggression pact. However, this balance was broken by another type of nocturnal creature never seen before—these nocturnal creatures were none other than the earliest Night Elves.