Arathi tribe

This article is about the ancient human tribe. For other uses, see Arathi (disambiguation).

The Arathi realm of Hallowfall.

The Arathi (pronounced "Ah-RATH-ee") are an ancient human tribe. Circa 2,800 BDP, they founded the first human empire of Arathor by uniting the other tribes of the Eastern Kingdoms under their rule. They were a race of conquerors, but recognized the wisdom in extending cooperation and equality to the tribes they defeated—qualities which made humanity strong.

At some point after the founding of Arathor, one population of Arathi splintered from the empire and ultimately settled in the subterranean realm of Hallowfall in Khaz Algar, where they have developed their own culture in isolation from the other human kingdoms. These Light-worshipping Arathi have a martial society, sustained by the light of Hallowfall's crystal sun and built around the use of holy fire, and are engaged in a continuous battle with the nerubians of neighboring Azj-Kahet.

Besides referring to the tribe, the term "Arathi" can also be used to refer to any denizen of the Empire of Arathor in general.

History

Founding of Arathor

Thoradin, warlord of the Arathi and first king of Arathor.

For millennia, the early human tribes flourished in the Eastern Kingdoms, constantly warring with one another for land and power. The Arathi tribe lived on the northeastern borders between human lands and the Amani Empire and had a long history of skirmishes with the forest trolls. They held to the oldest ways of weaponsmithing, which had been taught to humanity by their vrykul ancestors.

In 2,800 BDP, the trolls began launching more aggressive incursions into human territories. The Arathi realized that the trolls were becoming too great a threat to ignore and that humanity would stand little chance in a true war against the Amani if they remained divided. The Arathi's warlord, Thoradin, declared himself king and embarked on a campaign to unite all of the tribes under a single banner so that they could provide a unified front against the trolls. Over the course of six years, Thoradin and the Arathi brought the other tribes to heel through political marriages, promises of wealth and land, or conquest. After each victory, the Arathi offered the conquered people peace and equality in Thoradin's envisioned new human nation, thereby winning the loyalty of their former enemies. This strategy was a new one among humans, a testament to both the youth of their race and their willingness to gain strength through clear-sighted pragmatism.

Thoradin recruited the Alteraci tribe by besting their leader Ignaeus in a duel, and the people of the Tirisfal Glades by appealing to their religious beliefs and promising to spread their ways among the Arathi. He convinced all of the tribal leaders to lend him their weapons and had Arathi blacksmiths add shards from each one to Thoradin's own greatsword, Strom'kar. This secured the loyalty of the tribes, since the human warlords believed that the spirits of their ancestors lived on in their weapons and none would dare rise up against Thoradin and risk striking the sword that contained their own forebears. Eventually the Arathi tribe came to include many disparate tribes. Thoradin named his new, united kingdom Arathor and founded a capital, Strom, in the region now named the Arathi Highlands. Arathor went on to ally with the high elves of Quel'Thalas against the Amani, ultimately defeating them in the Troll Wars. The high elves subsequently made a pledge of loyalty and friendship to Arathor and to Thoradin's bloodline.

At an unknown point in time, said to have been "relatively recently", some members of the Arathi tribe left the Empire of Arathor and created their own kingdom "across the sea". Another group in turn splintered from that kingdom after receiving a vision of a falling star that led them to Hallowfall, a subterranean realm in Khaz Algar, where they became trapped, all through as of yet mysterious circumstances. These Arathi have since developed their own martial, Light-worshipping culture distinct from the human nations of the surface world. From their capital of Mereldar, they have fought a near-constant battle against both the kobyss emerging from Hallowfall's underground sea, and the swarms of nerubians from Azj-Kahet further below.

Last of the Arathi

Anduin Lothar, the "last" of the Arathi bloodline.

On the surface world, Arathor continued to endure for over a millennium but eventually began to split apart into the modern Seven Kingdoms. In 1,200 BDP, Strom's noble families sought to leave the Arathi Highlands in favor of the more fertile northlands in Lordaeron. Thoradin's heirs, the last descendants of the Arathi in Strom, argued that Strom should not be abandoned, but the nobles left regardless. Not long thereafter, the Arathi descendants, led by a member of Thoradin's line named Faldir, also left Arathor and traveled south, where they founded the nation of Stormwind. In stories among the northern kingdoms, the last of the Arathi were remembered as having disappeared into the southern wilderness of Azeroth after Arathor's collapse.

The last of these descendants of the Arathi bloodline was Lord Anduin Lothar, who, like his ancestor Thoradin, was a great warrior and rose to lead the Alliance of Lordaeron in the Second War. Prior to the war, he reminded the high elves of Quel'Thalas of the oath they had sworn his ancestor in order to secure their help against the orcish Horde. With Lothar's death at the Siege of Blackrock Spire, the bloodline came to an end—at least in the Eastern Kingdoms.

The War Within

This section concerns content related to The War Within.

In recent years, the Arathi of Hallowfall have begun to face increasing threats. Beledar, the crystal sun of Hallowfall which sustains life in the cavern, has begun to unpredictably fade to darkness for periods of time. In the absence of the crystal's Light, Hallowfall's sea monsters emerge to rampage, at the same time as the Arathi are struggling to hold back a constant swarm of nerubians from Azj-Kahet. In addition to being vastly outnumbered, the Arathi also face division within their own ranks.

Culture

The modern-day Arathi of Hallowfall are a tough, resilient people, dedicated to serving as a bastion of light and hope against the darkness lurking deeper in Khaz Algar. Every member of society is an able combatant, a necessity in their near-constant battle against the sea monsters of Hallowfall and the nerubians of Azj-Kahet. They are worshippers and wielders of the Light in the form of holy fire, and a few of them are blessed with paladin-like abilities through their devotion to the Light. They ride airships powered by sacred flame, which they use to travel to high plateaus and establish docks, Light beacons, and farms.

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

The Arathi were a tribe of humans which founded the Empire of Arathor. They saw the potential in uniting the individual human tribes, particularly when faced with the increasing danger of the troll warbands.

For thousands of years after the Sundering, the human tribes teetered on the brink of extinction as their numbers were winnowed by an ever-increasing struggle simply to gather what was needed for survival. For millennia they persevered, wandering ever further afield in search of food, wood, and refuge. Finally, the clouds parted. The sun returned and green sprouts pushed through the ash-fertilized earth of the sere plains. The surviving tribes of humans sent out intrepid bands to explore the reborn world and to find their long-lost brethren. Slowly, trade routes were established across the revitalized world. However, the savage trolls had survived their own hardships and emerged to once again attack the human merchants and travelers. Soon the trolls were bold enough to raid settlements, pillaging the towns and taking away slaves and fodder for their heathen rituals. Around -2,800 BDP, the strongest of the human tribes, the Arathi, convinced the scattered threads of humanity to gather under their rule and wove them together into the empire of Arathor. Though some tribes chafed when their destinies were bound together, the Arathi assured them the land would always belong to all peoples and named the land as a whole in homage to their ancient ancestors: Azeroth.

Notes

• The Scarlet Brotherhood falsely claim that Calia Menethil married a nobleman from the Arathi bloodline and gave birth to a son. In reality, Calia married a common Lordaeron footman and gave birth to a daughter.
• The description for Hallowfall on the official site for The War Within initially stated that the Arathi tribe have been battling the nerubians of Azj-Kahet for centuries. On November 17, 2023, the description was slightly changed to remove any mention of how long they've been battling the nerubians, and also no longer refers to them as a "tribe".

References

es:Arathi