Drakkari tribe
- This article is about the tribe itself. For the ice troll nation that it acted as the head of, see Drakkari Empire.
 Drakkari tribe | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Main leader |
 Frost King Malakk † |
| Secondary leaders |
 Various loa prophets Warlord Zol'Maz † |
| Race(s) |
 Ice troll Dire troll Undead ice troll |
| Character classes | Berserker, High priest, Hunter, Priest, Shadow priest, Trapper, Warrior |
| Capital | Zul'Drak (Gundrak) |
| Theater of operations | Northrend |
| Formerly | Kun-Lai Summit, Isle of Thunder |
| Language(s) | Zandali, Common |
| Affiliation | Drakkari Empire |
| Formerly | Empire of Zul, Zandalari Invaders |
| Status | Defunct |
The Drakkari tribe was a tribe of ice trolls that founded the Drakkari Empire in Northrend, with Zul'Drak as their capital. They seemed to be a hardy people, persisting through hostilities from the empire of Azjol-Nerub and the Scourge. The tribe suffered massive losses in the war against the Lich King. The raid on the Throne of Thunder marked the last time the Drakkari were seen fighting as a unified tribe. The remaining Drakkari are now scattered across Azeroth.
History
Early history
The Drakkari were one of the troll tribes that arose to challenge the Zandalari for territory and power.[1]
When a group of trolls awakened Kith'ix, the C'Thrax viewed the troll nations with contempt and thus sought to destroy them with the aqir. At the onset of the Aqir and Troll War in 16,000 BDP, numerous smaller tribes fell before the aqir. The Drakkari were one of the many troll tribes to join the Empire of Zul, in which the Zandalari took on the role of commanding the troll armies. The Empire of Zul forced the aqir to retreat, and Kith'ix would be gravely wounded by the trolls and their loa allies.[1]
Seeking to permanently end the aqir threat, the Zandalari knew that no corner of the continent could be left unguarded, and so the Zandalari convinced the most power-hungry of the troll factions to establish new and permanent strongholds across Kalimdor. At the forefront of these groups were the Gurubashi, Amani, and Drakkari tribes. After they had fully vanquished the aqir in their new regions, they could lay uncontested claim to the untouched fertile lands that they now lived in. The ambitious tribes listened to the Zandalari and readily agreed.
The Drakkari tribe acted first, pushing into the frigid and snow-covered north against a colony of aqir that had retreated in that direction. While they had expected to find numerous aqir, they were shocked and caught off-guard by the presence of corrupted tol'vir guardians. A small group of these titan forged had been captured and enthralled from the nearby fortress of Ulduar. This particular type of tol'vir, known as Obsidian destroyers, caused havoc among the Drakkari ranks. Their size and stone skin allowed them to shrug off many conventional attacks, rendering them highly resistant to the trolls' normal form of warfare. The Drakkari were almost overpowered by these constructs, but they had evolved to become tenacious and brilliant in their thinking through years of combat. Eventually, the cunning fighters developed clever ways to knock over and shatter their foes, without suffering heavy casualties.[2]
Eventually, the Drakkari were exiled from the other troll nations for their extremely violent ways.[3] They would form the Drakkari Empire on the northern reaches of the continent and build a massive temple city on the western side of what is today Northrend, which they would name Zul'Drak.
Wrath of the Lich King
During the war against the Lich King in 27 ADP, Drak'Tharon Keep, which once served the Drakkari as a formidable outpost at the edge of their kingdom,[4] fell thanks to betrayal from within by a troll named Drakuru. Its former leader, Prophet Tharon'ja, was transformed into a massive skeletal wind serpent. With the intact fortress as a base of operations, the Scourge turned on Zul'Drak and began their invasion in earnest, while undead Drakkari made forays into Grizzly Hills to attack the furbolgs.[5] Nonetheless, the Drakkari didn't go quietly when the Scourge invaded as they even shot down a necropolis, Kolramas.[6]
After Drakaru betrayed his own people to the Lich King, he was given control over the necropolis Voltarus. Drakuru had a plan to infuse captured troll chieftains with blight and transform them into misshapen weapons for the Scourge. He was stopped by the Knights of the Ebon Blade, and when he appealed to the Lich King for help, what he got in return was a betrayal that ended in his death.[7]
Desperate to save their kingdom from collapse, the trolls of Zul'Drak turned on their loa. The wild deities were considered a source of untapped power, their potent blood providing the means to repel the Lich King's minions, who had overtaken parts of the troll nation.[8] The high prophet of the snake god Sseratus, Slad'ran, supposedly took no pleasure in killing his god, but he did it all the same, transforming himself into something half-serpent and swearing vengeance on the Scourge for what they'd "made" him do. When the sacrifices began, the polar bear god Rhunok's physical form was kept alive by his twisted followers, and his spirit was tormented; he was eventually released from this imprisonment by adventurers, who ended his suffering.[9]
When Mam'toth, the mammoth god, was killed by his followers, his death caused a massive explosion. Quetz'lun, the winged serpent goddess, used the last of her power to make a private nightmare where she dragged all her supposed followers into, so they would suffer for their betrayal. Har'koa, the snow leopard loa, was the only survivor of the slaughter. She was lucky that her prophet didn't want to kill her; he tried holding her captive instead. With the help of the adventurers, a Zandalari troll named Witch Doctor Khufu tried to save the other loa, but it was too late.[10]
Zandalari trolls had come to the region not to help their cousins but to bear witness to the empire's fall. When Har'koa escaped captivity, she came to their outpost, Zim'Torga. When the Scourge invaded, Warlord Zol'Maz retreated to his stronghold to protect his family. But Zol'Maz also had the key that could free the last surviving loa, so Har'koa sent adventurers after it. To get past the enchanted guards and into the stronghold, they had to kill Zol'Maz's entire family, then him, as he raged over their deaths.[11]
Gundrak, the heart of Zul'Drak, is where the twisted Drakkari prophets held the last of their loa: Akali the rhino god. Before he could be freed, however, his prophet drank his blood and usurped his power. The prophets of Akali, Sseratus, and Mam'toth held Gundrak for a time, but they were eventually killed by the adventurers.[12]
Aftermath
During the meeting of the troll tribes held after the Cataclysm in 28 ADP, Prophet Zul stated that Zul'Drak had fallen to the Scourge. A few ice trolls were seen in attendance.[13]
The remaining Drakkari were a part of the Zandalari Invaders, attacking the northern shores of Pandaria, along with the Gurubashi, Amani, and Farraki tribes. As a mark of their fall against the Scourge, a part of their strength were undead.[14] They took part in the fight during the fight of Horridon and the defense of the Council of Elders. Their leader, Frost King Malakk was slain alongside the rest of the council members by the adventurers.[15] This marked the last time the Drakkari were seen fighting as a unified tribe.
At the time of the Fourth War in 33 ADP, Speaker Malaka'raz could be found in Zuldazar on Zandalar. In the House of the Fallen Tribes, Malaka'raz said that the Drakkari tribe was no more, leaving him as little more than a curiosity for others to gawk at. In the meantime, Zul and the Atal'zul rebels would learn from the Drakkari's example and attempted to drain the Zandalari loa in the same way the Drakkari had their loa.[16]
After the war against the Jailer in 36 ADP, the brothers Bronzebeard reported that the surviving Drakkari were scattered,[17] and that the main focus of the undead Drakkari pouring from Drak'Tharon Keep was the complete destruction of Zul'Drak.[18]
Notable
- Main article: Drakkari NPCs
Loa
| Loa | Role | Prophet(s) | Temple | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Akali
|
Rhino loa | High Prophet Gal'darah Prophet of Akali
|
Ritual Chamber of Akali | Unknown |
 Har'koa
|
Snow leopard loa | Prophet of Har'koa
|
Altar of Har'koa | Alive |
 Mam'toth
|
Mammoth loa | High Prophet Moorabi
|
Altar of Mam'toth Cave of Mam'toth |
Reincarnating |
 Quetz'lun
|
Loa of cunning |  Prophet of Quetz'lun
|
Altar of Quetz'lun | Active |
 Rhunok
|
Polar bear loa | Prophet of Rhunok
|
Altar of Rhunok | Unknown |
 Sseratus
|
Serpent loa |  High Prophet Slad'ran  Prophet of Sseratus
|
Altar of Sseratus Den of Sseratus |
Unknown |
| Tharon'ja
|
Guardian of Drak'Tharon Keep | The Prophet Tharon'ja
|
Drak'Tharon Keep | Reincarnating |
In the RPG
Unlike some other troll tribes, a group of ice trolls still retains a portion of its kingdom: the Drakkari live in Zul'Drak in Northrend. These are larger and stronger than ice trolls elsewhere, and indeed almost all other trolls, averaging 8 feet in height.[21] They speak Zandali.[22]
History
As told to Brann Bronzebeard by Rurson and Gorroc, Grizzlemaw furbolgs:
Drakkari are tribal, and early in their history each tribe established its own territory and fought off any trespassers. Then one tribe conquered another and enslaved its warriors. These slaves were forced to build the victors a new and larger home, and their children became part of the dominant tribe. This tribe continued to conquer its neighbors, each time absorbing them, until finally it was powerful enough to claim all of Zul'Drak as its kingdom. Any tribe that resisted was destroyed. Those tribes that accepted the powerful tribe's dominance were allowed to keep their own territories, provided they accepted any orders from the ruling tribe. Thus, the Drakkari nation truly began. The central tribe's home became Gundrak, the capital city. The tribes still war among themselves, and the Frost King allows this because it keeps his people strong and aggressive. He coordinates border patrols and establishes protocols for calling all the tribes together should an army attack them in force. Many tribe chieftains thought these efforts foolish until they encountered the walking dead. Then the Frost King organized the other Drakkari and drove the dead from their lands.[23]
Culture
Drakkari are unpleasant. They epitomize the nastiness and barbarism of trolls everywhere. They’re large, bigger than any other troll (except trolls of the Zandalar tribe, the first tribe to exist and who are the same size) and crude, and they prefer violence to discussion or negotiation. They are a barbaric people who practice voodoo and worship strange spirit-gods and devour their enemies — and sometimes their friends — raw. The only thing a Drakkari respects is strength, and the only thing they want from others is fear and flesh. They are tribal and live in small tribes throughout Zul'Drak, waging war among themselves. Brann Bronzebeard saw bands of Drakkari slaughtering each other simply because they met along the border between their two tribes. Such conflict helps keep the troll population down, and no one is foolish enough to share the region with them.[24]
The Drakkari are crude and violent, but there is a modicum of organization in the city. Women and whelps handle most of the cleaning, food preparation, and clothing needs. Those unfit for battle do manual labor or simple crafts. Many of the buildings have rough carvings along their walls, and war trophies are interspersed with furs. Chores are handled quickly and efficiently to make time for drinking, eating, and combat. Warriors fight frequently, from mere wrestling matches to armed death duels, and brawls occur at every meal. Rather than stop this, the Frost King uses these conflicts to gauge the strength of his warriors, selecting the victors for favored missions. Of course, the Drakkari do not welcome visitors — at least, not as guests. Sometimes, a warrior who has demonstrated his strength may be invited to dine with the Drakkari, and his safety is then guaranteed until the end of the meal. After that, however, he may find himself a target of the assembled tribes. Trolls are unpredictable, though, so an adventurer attempting this tactic may find himself part of the meal. The best way to enter Gundrak is by slipping in unnoticed. Sometimes the Drakkari are too busy fighting and drinking to look down.[23]
Notes and trivia
- The Frostmane and Winterax tribes originate from the Drakkari tribe.[25]
- According to Muradin Bronzebeard, the Amphitheater of Anguish is a reminder that the Drakkari weren't exactly "kind" before they were being destroyed by the Scourge, as they used it for their to-the-death gladiatorial games, a pit built for death as a sport.[26]
- The Drakkari, despite showing up as prominently as the Amani, Gurubashi, and Darkspear in the Rise of the Zandalari trailer, do not actually show up during the patch. They were, at some point, intended to, as the Zandalari Hierophants were originally depicted as Drakkari, which can be seen in the trailer itself.
- Ice trolls outside of Northrend have also been called Drakkari.[27]
Gallery
- Card games
Drakkari Trickster in Hearthstone.
High Prophet Moorabi in Hearthstone.
Deathseer Zuk'raj, a risen drakkari in the TCG.
References
- ^ a b World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 72
- ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 1, pg. 73
- ^
[20-30] Relics of the Snow Leopard Goddess
- ^ Drak'Tharon Keep#Adventure Guide
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 53
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 52
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 55
- ^ Gundrak#Adventure Guide
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 59
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 60
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 61
- ^ World of Warcraft: Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 63
- ^ a b c d Rise of the Zandalari trailer
- ^ Horridon
- ^ Council of Elders
- ^
[10-60] Mistress of Lies
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 42
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 48
- ^ [20-30] Betrayal
- ^ [20-30] The Key of Warlord Zol'Maz
- ^ Monster Guide, pg. 138
- ^ ''Lands of Mystery, pg. 85
- ^ a b Lands of Mystery, pg. 112
- ^ Lands of Mystery, pg. 111
- ^ World of Warcraft: The Magazine Volume 2 Issue 1
- ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 53
- ^ [20-30] Plundering Their Own
External links
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