Trappers

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This article is about the humans of the Grizzly Hills. For the trapper profession in general, see trapper.
NeutralTrappers
Silverbrook.jpg
Race(s) HumanHuman Human
WorgenWorgen Worgen
Character classes Hunter, Tracker, Trapper
Capital Silverbrook
Solstice Village
Base of operations Various outposts
Theater of operations Grizzly Hills
Language(s) Common[1][2]
Affiliation Independent
Wolfcult (Scourge)
Status Active

The trappers[3][4][5][6][7][8] are a population of humans who inhabit various outposts in the Grizzly Hills in Northrend. They did not arrive with the Alliance Vanguard and have apparently lived in Northrend since long before the war against the Lich King; Alliance forces refer to them as "locals"[3][4][9][10] and as a distinct people.[11] During the war against the Lich King, many of them were were absorbed into the Wolfcult, a Scourge organization which transformed its members into worgen.

History

A typical trapper.

At some point before the war against the Lich King, the deceased Gilnean archmage Arugal was resurrected by the Scourge and sent to Solstice Village,[12] where he created a Wolfcult to convert the trappers into worgen. According to Anatoly, the trappers joined the cult because they believed that everyone would inevitably come to serve the Lich King and that it was better to do so as a worgen than by becoming an undead.[13] The inhabitants of the town of Silverbrook were initially reluctant to embrace the cult, but sympathizers gradually sprung up among the residents. The trapper Mikhail was unsettled by this and sent his daughters Sasha and Anya away from town while he attempted to reason with the other villagers,[2][14] but the cultists responded by killing him.[8] The miners at Hollowstone Mine also refused to join the cult. In response, Arugal made an example out of them by transforming them into undead.[15] Another trapper, Hugh Glass,[16] managed to escape from the worgen to the Redwood Trading Post but seemingly lost his mind in the process.

Wrath of the Lich King

Wrath-Logo-Small.png This section concerns content related to Wrath of the Lich King.

During the campaign in Northrend, Trapper Jethan traveled south to Fort Wildervar in the Howling Fjord to trade meat and fur with the Alliance Vanguard forces there. Jethan also recommended Alliance adventurers to visit his people's outpost in the Grizzly Hills when they headed north.[11]

Shortly after arriving in the hills, the Alliance troops at Amberpine Lodge reached a deadlock with the Horde forces from Conquest Hold.[3] Over several weeks,[5] the Alliance tried to negotiate a pact with the trappers in the hopes that they would provide logistical support[10] and agree to serve as scouts for the king's army.[4] Envoy Ducal was sent to Silverbrook as part of the negotiations.[5] The Horde sent forces to attack the trappers with the intent of killing them before they could join the Alliance,[7][17] including by launching an attack on Silverbrook.[18] The trappers eventually agreed to give the Alliance the combat edge they needed if they returned a relic stolen by the Horde.[3] Adventurers successfully delivered the relic and traveled to Silverbrook,[5] where they helped defend the town from the Horde's marauders.[19] However, thanks to Mikhail's daughter Sasha and a captured Alliance scout, the adventurers discovered Silverbrook's allegiance to the Wolfcult,[9] thereby starting off a conflict between the Alliance and the worgen.[6] Ultimately, the Wolfcult was defeated when adventurers joined forces with Sasha and defeated the Shade of Arugal atop Bloodmoon Isle.[20][21]

Legion

Legion This section concerns content related to Legion.

Years later, Sasha joined the Unseen Path on the Broken Isles during the third invasion of the Burning Legion.

Exploring Azeroth

WoW-novel-logo-16x62.png This section concerns content related to the Warcraft novels, novellas, or short stories.

Following the war against the Jailer, the Bronzebeard brothers visited the Grizzly Hills and reported that Silverbrook is still active and populated by trappers. Muradin Bronzebeard wrote that he did not care if the Horde wiped the village out, harboring disdain for their previous betrayal against the Alliance.[22] When the Bronzebeards stopped by Solstice Village, the village's trappers gave them a "sharply unfriendly greeting", signaling that they retained their old isolationist personality. Muradin speculated that the village may come into conflict with the taunka of Camp Oneqwah at some point, a conflict he'd place money on the taunka winning.[23] Arugal's Wolfcult still lingers in the Grizzly Hills,[21] but it's unknown if the trappers at large still hold loyalty to it.

Culture

A trapper graveyard near Silverbrook. Similar graveyards can be found throughout the zone, like at Aspen Grove Post.

The trappers are a hardy people closely familiar with the lay of the land.[5] Muradin Bronzebeard characterized them as "isolationists and cranks".[23] It is apparently common for trappers to make trophies of their kills, including the offspring of the killed animal.[24] They keep horses[9][25] and according to Katja, they also engage in farming (though no crops are actually seen in-game).[26] Trappers speak a variant of Common.[1][2]

Their culture seems to revolve entirely around hunting, and their settlements use a unique construction style with large amounts of wood and fur. Many trapper buildings are decorated with snowshoes, bear hides, and skulls from yetis and other creatures. Graveyards found throughout Grizzly Hills feature grave markers adorned with bear traps.

According to Sergei, an inhabitant of Silverbrook is not considered a real hunter unless they prove their courage by wearing their prey's skin.[27] However, according to Sasha, this test is actually an initiation rite for the Wolfcult.[28]

After the trappers of Silverbrook were revealed to actually be worgen, Lieutenant Dumont referred to them derisively as "savages".[6]

Members

For a full list of trappers who joined the Wolfcult, see Wolfcult#Members.

Settlements

Solstice Village.
Active
Former
Forest's Edge Post.

Notes

  • The trappers are not the only native human population in Northrend. The first victims of the Plague of Undeath were the inhabitants of a human village in the Dragonblight.[30][31][32][33] During the Third War, Alexandros Mograine mentioned that "Whole cities have gone missing" and that "Northrend is lost".[34] The Carrion Fields in the Dragonblight was formerly a human village whose inhabitants sided with the Alliance Vanguard when they arrived in the Dragonblight, only to be destroyed by Naxxramas.[35][36] It is not known if these belonged to the same society as the trappers or a separate group.
    • The fortune teller Ruuna the Blind is presumably another Grizzly Hills native.
  • Alliance-affiliated hunters, trappers, and woodsmen (represented in-game by Woodsman Drake, Amberpine Woodsmen, and Amberpine Hunters) lived in the Grizzly Hills prior to the war against the Lich King and were notably responsible for building Amberpine Lodge.[22][37] These woodsmen are presumably distinct from the trappers, since the latter were and are independent from the Alliance.
  • Unlike other human cultures, most trappers' names are of Russian origin.
  • Many trappers are noticeably taller than regular humans.
  • The trappers are internally referred to as "race" of choppers by Blizzard's level designers.[38] The term "race" here may have been used in the context of the unique set of art assets used for their buildings.
  • The Wrath of the Lich King flash site and art book describe trappers encroaching upon the hunting grounds of the Grizzly Hills' furbolgs,[39][40] but this conflict is not touched on in-game.
  • Northrend trappers are mentioned in the non-canon RPG books, and were implied to be from Valgarde.[41] This timeframe is still possible in canon, as Valgarde was founded by soldiers who came with Arthas Menethil to Northrend during the Third War and subsequently survived the prince's betrayal.[42]

Speculation

Questionmark-medium.png
This article or section includes speculation, observations or opinions possibly supported by lore or by Blizzard officials. It should not be taken as representing official lore.

The Warcraft III manual, the History of Warcraft entry  [Icecrown and the Frozen Throne], and the online article The Undead Plague all state that the Lich King used the Plague of Undeath to subjugate every human inhabitant of Northrend prior to the Third War. This may mean that the trappers only arrived to the Grizzly Hills after this point. Alternatively, since this detail is only mentioned in sources that predate Wrath of the Lich King, it may have been retconned to have only been most or some Northrend humans.

References

 
  1. ^ a b H [15-30] Mikhail's Journal
  2. ^ a b c H [15-30] Gorgonna
  3. ^ a b c d A [15-30] Local Support
  4. ^ a b c A [15-30] Close the Deal
  5. ^ a b c d e A [15-30] An Exercise in Diplomacy
  6. ^ a b c A [15-30] A Swift Response
  7. ^ a b H [15-30] My Enemy's Friend
  8. ^ a b H [15-30] Tactical Clemency
  9. ^ a b c A [15-30] Escape from Silverbrook
  10. ^ a b A [15-30] A Tentative Pact
  11. ^ a b A [10-30] Preying Upon the Weak
  12. ^ N [15-30] Out of Body Experience
  13. ^ Anatoly#Quotes
  14. ^ A [15-30] Descent into Darkness
  15. ^ A [15-30] A Name from the Past
  16. ^ A [15-30] Softening the Blow
  17. ^ Sergeant Nazgrim quotes
  18. ^ H [15-30] Attack on Silverbrook
  19. ^ A [15-30] Northern Hospitality
  20. ^ N [15-30G3] Hour of the Worg
  21. ^ a b Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 36
  22. ^ a b Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 30
  23. ^ a b Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 34
  24. ^ A [10-30] We Call Him Steelfeather
  25. ^ N [15-30] Anatoly Will Talk
  26. ^ A [15-30] Wolfsbane Root
  27. ^ A [15-30] Test of Mettle
  28. ^ A [15-30] Words of Warning
  29. ^ Petrov#Quotes
  30. ^ Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Game Manual, Undead History, Icecrown and the Frozen Throne
  31. ^  [Icecrown and the Frozen Throne]
  32. ^ The Undead Plague
  33. ^ World of Warcraft: Chronicle Volume 3, pg. 18
  34. ^ Old Hillsbrad Ashbringer event
  35. ^ A [15-30] A Righteous Sermon
  36. ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg 87
  37. ^ Lieutenant Dumont#Quotes
  38. ^ Northrend | Wrath of the Lich King Classic | World of Warcraft. YouTube (2022-06-30). Retrieved on 2022-06-30.
  39. ^ Blizzard Entertainment Blizzard Entertainment. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King: Grizzly Hills. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09.​ “Although the gentle furbolgs have grown accustomed to living in relative peace, recent incursions have forced the ancient tribes to engage in battle. Trappers are encroaching upon furbolg hunting grounds, and the goblin Venture Company has begun large-scale deforesting operations throughout the region.”
  40. ^ The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, pg. 94: “Although plagued by trappers and the deforestation efforts of the goblin Venture Company, the furbolgs' most imminent threat comes from the north [...]”
  41. ^ Lands of Mystery, pg. 102, 105
  42. ^ Exploring Azeroth: Northrend, pg. 18
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