A Preface on the History of the Tribes’ Relationships to One Another
The troll empire was principally composed of four major factions* following the Aqir and Troll War: the Zandalari, the Drakkari, the Amani, and the Gurubashi. With the exception of the Zandalari, the factions were each made up of much smaller tribes who had limited independence and control over their own territory [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume I, pg. 76-77, Troll Compendium: Sand Trolls]. The Amani Empire was among the largest in number, with the Amani, Firetree, Mossflayer, Revantusk, Smolderthorn, Vilebranch, and Witherbark tribes all under its control. The Gurubashi Empire, on the other hand, was composed of the Gurubashi, Bloodscalp, Darkspear, Razorbranch, Shatterspear, and Skullsplitter tribes. The smallest, the Drakkari Empire, merely included three tribes: the Drakkari, Frostmane, and Winterax, although it is likely that the Icetusk tribe were also a part of the northern ice troll empire [Quest: Icetusk Fur Cloak].
Over time, several of the troll factions splintered due to internal conflict, causing many of the tribes under their authority to break off and, in some cases, even relocate [Troll Compendium: Jungle Troll Tribes, Troll Compendium: Forest Troll Tribes]. Although the tribes of a single empire would always remain tenuously connected to one another, they were no longer united by a centralized government and as such were able to become considerably more autonomous. That said, one slight exception did occur during the Second War when each of the independent Amani tribes agreed to unite once more under Zul’jin, although their alliance fell apart after the Horde’s defeat [Troll Compendium: Forest Troll Tribes].
As such, there may be some confusion when it comes to differentiating between the members of an empire, faction, and tribe. For example, the term “Amani troll” can refer to any forest troll in the tribes that make up the Amani Empire, however, not every Amani troll is a part of the Amani tribe (and the same goes for the Gurubashi and Drakkari). The confusion likely stems from the fact that the Amani Empire is named after and ruled by the Amani tribe.
Historically, the distinction between the tribes and their empires may have been less significant given their unification, hence why one can refer to any forest troll as an “Amani” troll, any ice troll as a “Drakkari” troll, and so forth. In fact, when Chronicle first mentions the various troll empires, it refers to them as the “Gurubashi, Amani, and Drakkari (tribes)” despite the clear indication on the following page that each of those so-called tribes were actually made up of smaller groups [World of Warcraft Chronicle Volume I, pg. 72]. That said, it is possible that the Gurubashi, Amani, and Drakkari tribes were the first to arise – which would explain why the empires are named after them –, and, as they grew larger and increasingly distant from one another following the Aqir and Troll War, smaller groups of trolls formed within them, leading to the tribes we see today.
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* There were several smaller independent factions as well, most notable of which were the dark trolls. Â
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