Zandalari Troll

Considered to be one of the most powerful troll tribes in history, the Zandalari trolls were among the first tribes to ascend to power when the troll race initially settled near the Zandalar Mountains. They settled on the highest peaks of the mountain range, interacting with the loa and growing increasingly superstitious as a result. This worship led the trolls to construct a massive temple city called Zuldazar, which has been the tribe's capital since. The current leader of the Zandalari Empire is God King Rastakhan, who has ruled for over two centuries as a result of his empowerment by the loa.

Although thrown into turmoil following an empirical dispute, the Zandalari trolls have aligned with the auspices of the New Horde in the midst of the Blood War.

Physical Characteristics
Oftentimes described as 'noble', the Zandalari are regaled for being the original troll species; their beauty and physical characteristics were inherited by their descendants - the night elves, high elves, nightborne and blood elves - and is cited as the source for these races' renowned pulchritude. Unlike their brethren, they are known to stand upright and possess skin colors that vary from shades of grey, black, green and blue. Their eyes, equipped with a bright luminescence, typically take the hues of either yellow or blue.

A few Zandalari have stone or scale-like patches on various parts of their skin, which can later grow into spikes.

Culture and Society
Little has changed in the government of Zandalari society since its creation; an indomitable hierarchy, their routine functions on a caste system that defines what societal limitations are enforced upon each member. Elders of the tribe determine what the farmers should harvest and plant, as well as enforce their perceived requirements as to how each member should behave. In the Zandalari's culture, to disobey an elder of the tribe is to disobey the gods - an offense that is punishable by execution.

The foundation of the empire is the peasant caste, which is composed of the tribes' farmers, fishermen, and craftsmen. A step above that is the Zandalari warrior caste that serves as the might of the council, while finally, the priests of the Zandalari are scholars that dictate every detail of the Zandalari society. Those highest in this caste rank possess a seat on the Zanchuli Council, an elite group underneath the King that work as both advisors and enforcers of his imperial reign.

There is little room for weakness within the Zandalari tribe. The accolades of their greatest warriors are measured on strength, ferocity, stamina, and power - they are known for their brute force, rather than agility. Adolescents are filed into particular occupations according to their prowess, and those who are not filtered into priesthood or academics are put through a series of tournaments that determine their likely success as a warrior. Years of training and preparation are dedicated to these coming of age tournaments as they're often sent to a place of great danger - such as one of the few primal islands near the capital - to slay or subdue a great beast. Loa heavily influence Zandalari culture. King Rastakhan, the tribe's current emperor, is regarded to be the voice of the gods after being empowered by them over two hundred years ago. Orphan children who were born without a caste are frequently taken in for priest training if they are blessed by the loa and earn all of the honor and benefits that come with the title - something that those not blessed are a stranger to. Instead, these children are offered the opportunity to prove themselves as capable warriors; however, if a child fails even this test, they are subsequently deemed useless to the empire and are cast out, often resorting to thievery and panhandling.

The Zandalari are known to be scholarly and have a high value for knowledge as they are the ones to preserve troll history as well as strive for strengthening the troll race as a whole. As master tacticians, they've led their empire into many battles throughout their existence.

The most notable accomplishment of the Zandalari, however, is the prowess of their naval force. Zandalar's drift into the sea following the Sundering granted the tribe thousands of years to master their capability on the waters; often compared to the seafaring nation of Kul Tiras, the Zandalari's navy rivals - if not surpasses - the power of their counterpart. The loa that oversees the empire's naval efforts is the pterrordax, Pa'ku.

Due to the abundance of wildlife that inhabits the island of Zandalar, the Zandalari are renown for their ability to tame powerful beasts such as devilsaurs, direhorns and skyscreamers.

Trivia

 * The ultimate symbol of power for the Zandalari is the armor they don in battle. Not only does it represent the ranking of its wearer, but it also is worn as a display of accomplishment.
 * Preserved kaldorei heads are favored home decorations in Zuldazar. For many children, they're widely used as toys.
 * Although magic is valued in society, the Zandalari forbid the use of blood magic. It is assumed that this limitation is due to their the proximity and conflict with the nearby blood troll civilization, or because of the empire's historical fight against Hakkar.