The location of the scattered Gurubashi tribes. Not listed are the Darkspears, who left for Kalimdor.
The Atal'ai tribe[1] (aka Atal'ai),[2][3] an extremist faction of the Hakkari,[4] are worshipers of the Blood God Hakkar and are based within Temple of Atal'Hakkar. They are green or white skinned with green, purple, or white hair. The term "atal'ai" means Devoted Ones in Zandali, the language of the trolls.[4]
The Atal'ai trolls are a tribe of dark casters, known for practicing forbidden magic.[5] The Atal'ai was a once great troll civilization that was destroyed, its buried artifacts can be found beneath the Pool of Tears.[6]
History[]
The long centuries following the Great Sundering were difficult ones for the troll race. The jungle trolls, driven to desperate ends, enlisted the aid of the god Hakkar, also known as the Soulflayer. Hakkar brought the trolls great power, but in return the bloodthirsty god required that souls be sacrificed to him.
His demands quickly escalated, and he grew impatient with his loyal priests, the Hakkari. He told them to find a way to summon him physically into the world, so that he might directly drain the blood of his victims. Most of the Hakkari were horrified at the idea, but the Atal'ai, a small extremist faction of the Hakkari, decided to do as Hakkar wished. Before the Atal'ai could complete the summoning, the other jungle trolls, including the Hakkari, rose up in open revolt against the cruel god. Even the Zandalar tribe was drawn into the conflict, which finally ended with the destruction of Hakkar’s avatar. Driven from the jungles, the Atal'ai were hunted nearly to extinction. Yet a small group of Atal'ai escaped into the Swamp of Sorrows, where they secretly built a great temple to their god: the Temple of Atal'Hakkar.
Jin'do the Hexxer in Zul'Gurub.
They were joined by the Hakkari not much later. The Hakkari, too, were killed or exiled for the evil deeds they had done in Hakkar's name, despite the fact that they had fought the Atal'ai. In great bitterness and despair, the surviving Hakkari tracked the Atal'ai to the Swamp of Sorrows and pledged to help the Atal'ai summon Hakkar into Azeroth. Pleased by the Hakkari's obvious suffering, the Atal'ai welcomed their former brethren into the temple. Even so, Hakkar had not forgotten that the Hakkari had betrayed him in opposing his first entry into Azeroth, and so the hungry god would always regard the faithful Atal'ai with greater favor. Both groups bent all their efforts toward bringing about Hakkar's entry into the physical world.
The green Dragon Aspect, Ysera the Dreamer, soon learned of the evil priests' plans and smashed the temple beneath the marshes. To this day, the temple's ruins are guarded by mighty green dragons. What much of Azeroth does not know, however, is that the dragons are actually guarding the wrong location.
In recent years the exiled Atal'ai have discovered that Hakkar's physical form can only be summoned within the ancient capital of the Gurubashi Empire, Zul'Gurub. Jammal'an the Prophet, leader of the Atal'ai, told his people that if they succeeded in bringing Hakkar physically into Azeroth, then Hakkar would grant the Atal'ai immortality. The Atal'ai and Hakkari lost no time in dispatching a number of their most skilled priests to Zul'Gurub, where their efforts met with success at last. Numerous spies have confirmed the presence of the dreaded Soulflayer in the heart of the ruins...
References[]
