World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1 (28 page)

O
ver thousands of years, humanity flourished in the Eastern Kingdoms. This young race had originated from a group of
vrykul who had settled in
Tirisfal Glades. Although
humans were diminished in size and strength from their progenitors, they possessed incredibly strong willpower and survival instincts.

Groups of hunter-gatherer humans proliferated throughout the forests and hillocks of the continent. As their society evolved and advanced, humans gathered in an array of different tribes. Each one practiced animistic beliefs—mainly crude forms of druidism and elemental sh
amanism. Despite the existence of Amani trolls,
high elves, and other potential threats, humanity’s greatest adversary proved to be itself. The early tribes constantly warred with one another for land and, by extension, power.

One tribe, the Arathi, came to realize the error of its ways. Over the span of a few decades, troll incursions into human territories had become more pronounced and ruthless. Something was changing among the brutish Amani to the north. The Arathi knew that if humankind remained divided, it would stand little chance against a true war with its moss-skinned foes. Led by Warlord
Thoradin, the tribe embarked on a campaign to bring its rivals under a single banner, whether by force or diplomacy.

The Arathi lived on the northeastern borders of human lands and had a long history of skirmishes with the trolls. This experience had honed Thoradin into a master tactician and strategist. In the span of just six years, the warlord brought the other tribes to heel. He won a few of his adversaries to his side through political marriages. In other cases, Thoradin pitted his rivals against each other. On rare occasions, the canny warlord was forced to outright conquer some of the more belligerent tribes.

Much to the surprise of those he had defeated, Thoradin did not reign as a tyrant. He offered his former enemies peace and equality in what he claimed would be a glorious new human nation—a united kingdom of limitless potential. The tribal leaders would not fade into obscurity. They would serve as honored generals. With these acts, Thoradin won the loyalty of his adversaries and was crowned king.

King Thoradin named his new kingdom
Arathor. He tasked his most gifted builders with constructing a mighty capital called
Strom southeast of Tirisfal Glades. The semiarid terrain around the city acted as the ideal buffer zone between humanity and the Amani, prohibiting the trolls from launching their much feared forest ambushes. Thoradin also ordered his people to build a great wall near the capital to further shield them from Amani incursions. Word of Strom’s might quickly spread among other disparate human tribes throughout the continent. Many flocked to the fortress for safety.

Just as Thoradin had expected, Amani trolls soon began encroaching on outlying lands controlled by the humans. The king dispatched two of his most prominent generals to gather intelligence on their enemies and waylay any of the brutes who strayed too deep into Arathor’s borders.

One of these generals was named
Ignaeus. He and his people originally dwelled among the rugged slopes around the
Alterac Mountains. Though considered uncouth and savage by many of
the humans from other regions, Ignaeus and his northlanders were unmatched in their bravery and strength. They stalked well beyond Arathor’s borders, slaughtering any trolls whom they found skulking in the woodlands. Ignaeus would garner the name “Trollbane” for the amount of Amani blood he spilled.

L
EGEND OF THE
S
ILVER
H
AND

No one knows what became of Tyr’s fabled silver hand, left behind in ages past at the heart of Tirisfal Glades. The silver hand was a common symbol for the human tribes that inhabited the region. It appeared on clothing and pendants, worn to ward away evil spirits, protect warriors in battle, and cure disease. Many centuries later, it would come to represent a great order of paladins:
Light-wielding warriors who placed self-sacrifice above all else
.

Thoradin’s other favored general was
Lordain, who hailed from the heart of Tirisfal Glades. He and his regimented warriors were considered more refined than Ignaeus and the other mountain folk. Knightly in appearance and mindset, Lordain’s forces thoroughly patrolled the edges of Arathor’s northern borders. On the rare occasion that Amani raiding parties approached the kingdom, Lordain put them to the blade.

Both Lordain and Ignaeus often returned to Strom with tales of a horrific conflict brewing between the Amani and the high elves far to the north. There were also whispers of something else stirring in the darkened forests—tales of strange voodoo rituals and supernatural beings prowling the wilds in the dead of night.

Though the reports unsettled them, Thoradin and his generals agreed that they would not risk their own kind or send any aid to the reclusive high elves. For the time being, they kept the bulk of their forces behind Strom’s massive ramparts, confident they could withstand any foe.

MAP OF AMANI TROLL, HUMAN, AND HIGH ELF TERRITORIES IN THE EASTERN KINGDOMS

M
illennia after being defeated by the
high elves, the Amani
trolls plotted revenge within their temple city of
Zul’Aman. Yet though they were fierce warriors, the trolls lacked a strong leader who could bring them victory. Infighting had also spread throughout the tribe, threatening to destroy it from within. The Amani’s fortunes soon changed when they received aid from the revered Zandalar tribe.

The
Zandalari saw themselves as the protectors and spiritual leaders of all trolls. They were eager to strengthen troll societies across Azeroth, many of which had languished since the time of the Great
Sundering. Even the Zandalari had suffered from that catastrophic event. Their once-glorious mountain home of Zandalar had been swallowed by the sea, leaving nothing more than a small island behind.

In the Amani, the Zandalari saw an opportunity to revitalize one of their race’s most powerful tribes and reassert troll dominance in the Eastern Kingdoms. Overwhelming the high elves would be no easy task, but the Zandalari were confident of victory.
Quel’Thalas was not as powerful as the ancient night elf empire that had decimated the trolls so long ago. In addition, the Zandalari had honed and perfected their own voodoo arts over recent millennia.

A handful of wise Zandalari emissaries made the journey from their island home to Zul’Aman. There, they promised to help the Amani plan for their impending conflict. More importantly, the Zandalari would ensure that the mighty
loa demigods would aid the trolls in battle. To settle matters of leadership, the Zandalari also made one of the Amani’s most fearless warriors,
Jintha, the ruler of his people.

Small Amani warbands began emerging from the forests and attacking Quel’Thalas’s borders, testing the high elves’ strength. Always, the cunning trolls hid their true numbers and capabilities. After a series of successful skirmishes, the Amani decided that the time for all-out war had finally come.

Without warning, tens of thousands of troll fighters exploded from the shadowy forests. Monstrous loa demigods marched alongside the Amani, infusing their troll adherents with supernatural might. The high elves struggled desperately to hold back their foes, but they were forced to give ground. With astonishing speed and ferocity, the Amani laid waste to the outer reaches of Quel’Thalas.

From Zul’Aman, the Zandalari emissaries observed the unfolding war with pleasure. Even the elves and their potent arcane powers could not withstand the might of the Amani
—the might of the troll race
.

The trolls’ ultimate victory was only a matter of time.