The Hakkari of Stranglethorn Vale

Eastern Kingdoms.

Stranglethorn Vale.

No matter the season or when one entered Stranglethorn Vale, outsiders were always greeted by a wave of hot, humid air.

Stranglethorn Vale was a vast expanse of rainforest, perhaps the largest rainforest in all of Azeroth. In some ways, the air here was a little like Feralas, but unlike the latter, it was not sealed beneath a massive canopy that blotted out the sky. The trees were far less tall and dense, so the air circulated much more freely.

Life in the rainforest was exceptionally vigorous, and its species exceptionally diverse. It was also far more brutal.

The jungle law of the strong devouring the weak was most clearly embodied here. Everything that survived in this place possessed remarkable survival skills. Raptors, tigers, panthers, crocodiles, and other carnivores at the top of the food chain would be overlords anywhere else, yet even they had to tread carefully here.

Even herbivores were not easy to provoke. Gorillas possessed extraordinarily powerful limbs, while lizards had tough hides and even petrifying abilities.

Speaking of Stranglethorn Vale, one could not avoid mentioning the Trolls. Trolls were one of Azeroth's most ancient races, even older than the night elves.

One branch of this ancient race, the Gurubashi, once one of the most powerful Troll Empires, had lived and multiplied in Stranglethorn Vale for tens of thousands of years.

From ancient times to the present, the Gurubashi had always been the most internally chaotic branch among the troll tribes. Wars between Jungle Trolls had lasted for thousands of years, and the ruler of Zul'Gurub changed hands nearly every decade. By now, Stranglethorn Vale had become ever more chaotic because of the Jungle Trolls.

The rainy season in the rainforest was exceptionally long. Stranglethorn Vale only had two or three months a