Did I go crazy and wrote an essay about the spoilers from Midnight patch 12.0.7 on the PTR and the possible fate of Zul'jan? Yes. So mind the SPOILERS if you read on:
It's probably to no surprise that I have another essay I need to get off my chest regarding Zul'jan and his fate. I wish I could be optimistic, but having studied screenplay/play writing and especially the structure of tragedies, as well as knowing that Blizzard always takes the most predictable approach to stories without subverting something that 99% of the fan base guessed in the first minute Zul'jan and Zul'jarra were revealed on the screen, I strongly believe Zul'jan will die. The story has three major ways it can go into, and two of them are more likely, both involving his death.
The first thing I have to bring up is the Freytag's Pyramid, a very useful tool for screenwriters which can be applied to the majority of modern stories. It's what we know as the five part structure: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action and Resolution. It overlaps with the three act structure you will most often find when discussing audio-visual media (like film, shows and story driven video games). In a three act structure, the Exposition and Rising Action make the 1st Act, the Climax is the 2nd Act, and somewhere midway the Falling Action and Resolution is the 3rd Act. I promise, I am only talking about this so we can have an easier time taking apart Zul'jan's story.
Before I continue, WARNING for patch 12.0.7 PTR SPOILERS !
Now, my belief for Zul'jan's story is that we ended the MSQ of Zul'Aman at what would be the midpoint or the Climax of the story. This point is defined as the moment the protagonist (in our case Zul'jarra) is closest and furthest from their goal. Zul'jarra's goal is to protect her land, kill Mor'duun and reconnect her people with their Loa. A goal she succeeds in. But she is also furthest from her goal and that is mending her relationship with Zul'jan which is broken (hence the name of the quest "Broken Bridges"). While everyone is celebrating, Zul'jan is bitter about the return of the Loa and his sister becoming Hash'ey, yet conflicted because he loves her deeply and he wants to understand. Their love and bond is explored into what is considered in writing the Backstory, which is the short story "Legacy of the Amani". This story, while humanizing Zul'jan, leaves a lot of room for his eventual turn to darkness due to this specific part:
“I know you don’t mind running from a fight, but not all of us are comfortable skulking in the shadows and striking from hidden places. Our people need a leader, not a coward!”
Zul’jan recoiled as if struck, his eyes swimming with hurt. That’s when it hit her that he thought she was talking about him when she meant Kol’anji. She opened her mouth to apologize but paused. If Jan was upset with her, he wouldn’t want to go. He’d turn back. He’d be safe. Then, after she retrieved the axe and returned home, she could explain. While it killed her to hurt him like this, it was for the best.
It’s what a chieftain would do.
No, no, no, look at him! some small part of her screamed. You can’t leave it! Apologize!
Instead, she lifted her chin.
Zul'jarra never apologized for this in the story. She couldn't, their mother died and she blamed herself. Zul'jan still saved her life and uplifted her in the final battle. But it feels like an obvious chip on his shoulder.
So with these two points in mind, I have to bring up the uncle in the room. Kinduru is the guiding force for both Zul'jan and Zul'jarra. He is their bridge. He is the one who can calm both of them and help them see reason. He loves them dearly and he takes Zul'jan on the journey to Harandar in patch 12.0.7.
This is your final SPOILER warning!
At the end of the questline of patch 12.0.7, Kinduru is killed because of Zul'jan's mistake. If we assume that this story began with the MSQ and was at the Climax during the bridge scene, we are now already in the falling action. We are at the start of Act 2. And there is a point right after the peak of the Freytag's Pyramid called "The point of no return". This is the moment where something so terrible happens in the story, that the characters can no longer return to how things were, they will come out of the story changed. (Imagine if they literally cannot go over the peak of the pyramid).
In other media, this is considered to be the moment when "blood is spilled", famously called this because one of the most textbook examples for the Freytag's Pyramid is Hamlet, and this is the moment where Hamlet killed Polonius, and thus causes the deaths of everyone else by the end of the play to domino. Much like Zul'jan, Hamlet also kills Polonius without intending to do so, hamartia as the Greeks called it, or a tragic mistake out of ignorance, with no judgment to the character themselves. So Zul'jan, story wise, has his uncle's blood on his hands, but he is also not to blame for it as he didn't kill him himself. (He has points over Hamlet for this one).
It is revealed that this has been, in part, orchestrated by Malacrass, and Zul'jarra believes that she can still save her brother.
From this point on, all we have is speculation, but given how things unfolded so far, the story can end in one of three ways, with various elements that could vary between the endings. I will be taking into consideration the other speculative story elements that come from the few quest names we could see on the PTR.
While the most hated ending option, this is also one of the possible options for his death. Once blood is spilled in a tragedy, the outcome can only be tragic. It will end in death eventually down the line. Kinduru's blood cannot be forgiven by the narrative. Zul'jan won't be able to back down due to his character flaws, the seeds that the narrative laid out - Zul'jarra never apologizing, becoming Hash'ey and bringing back the Loa he detests, along with befriending a gokinye, and an elf on top of it. Unable to overcome these fatal flaws, he will plunge deeper into the darkness, and Zul'jarra will be forced to put him down like a tragic villain, killing the last of her family. She will have saved her people, brought back the Loa and made peace with the elves, all at the cost of her entire family. She will remain the only one of Zul'jin's bloodline, and in a way, his bloodline and all of the hate and anger he brought with it, will end here. (These are not my words, I am saying what the narrative is saying, and the narrative painted Zul'jin in the worst possible light).
The bridge will remain broken. Zul'jin's bloodline will be culled as if it was some curse upon Zul'jarra that she had to end by herself. Kinduru's death would then symbolize the death of knowledge, protection and unconditional love. For better or worse, Zul'jarra and Zul'jan are on their own, and forced to "grow up".
This ending is realistic and it's possible, but it's also very heavy and bleak. It will not fit the tone of modern day World of Warcraft, and of every single happy ending we received so far. Character with much more deadly flaws have been and are being forgiven, from Vareesa and Sylvanas (and I say this as someone who thinks Sylvanas should've never been made a villain) to the Alliance leaders who raided Dazar'alor and even characters like Marran Trollbane. A courtesy not given to Zul'jan.
This ending will be correct in a writing sense. Were this a standalone story, this ending could've shown the destructive nature of colonization, how it tears apart communities and families from within, for generations. The sins of the grandfather, are the sins of the father, and are the sins of the son. But this is not a good Amani story. While similar to stories WoW did before, such as Arthas's and Lordearon's fall, I feel like this is not the correct story to do this with. The Amani and the trolls have been beaten down for over a decade in this game. We need a hopeful and kind ending.
Now, before we proceed, I have to let people know of one more tiny thing on the Freytag's Pyramid - the "false good ending" which happens very closely before the resolution. This ending has us believe that perhaps the character's luck can turn and they can walk out of the tragedy alive. This is the "Take my hand" ending. The moment the hero (Zul'jarra) offers the villain (Zul'jan) a way out, which the villain fails to take due to his own flaws, and the story ends in tragedy anyway. We have to be careful about this particular "twist" that will only serve to plunge him deeper.
Another possible ending is that Zul'jan will turn at one point of the story, realizing the error of his ways. As he swore to himself to always look out for and protect Zul'jarra, he will do one last heroic act to protect his sister and avenge his uncle. With it, Zul'jan will die a hero, just like he wanted to do even at the beginning of this story (the cinematic at the end of the Eversong campaign). Zul'jarra will lose her family, but she will know that in a way, she saved her brother's soul. He died a hero to the Amani and will be remembered as a hero (unlike Zul'jin). Things will change for Zul'Aman, because she walks out of this story changed, with a new outlook on things thanks to Zul'jan's sacrifice and the lessons all her dead family members taught her over the years.
The ending is bittersweet, which is why I am worried it's the most likely way the story will go down. Even if this wasn't planned from the start, it's probably simple enough to pivot from the first to this ending. This ending is correct by all means of writing, it won't let Zul'jan off the hook, but it will still honor him in some way. It will also somewhat justify Kinduru's death - after all, he didn't die for nothing, he died so that Zul'jan will live and save his sister from his own mistake and the mistake of their predecessors.
Finally, the ending I wish we would get, but is the least likely to come true, is the Zul'jan lives ending. Despite the blood spilled, it was a sacrifice made so that it would motivate Zul'jan to act and push the story forward - but also a sacrifice that removed the one buffer between Zul'jarra and Zul'jan. They are on their own now. Kinduru is not here to mend their relationship. The bridge is broken.
But Zul'jarra is hopeful. Zul'jarra is the one that can take Kinduru's lessons to Zul'jan. Use them to turn this story around. Have a moment where it feels hopeless until Zul'jan surprises everyone, including us, when he stands up to Malacrass and protects his sister, as he always promised to do. No matter how dark or bleak, they only have each other in this world, and not even ghosts from the past will stand between them.
Zul'jarra and Zul'jan overcome their differences and stand together as opposite but harmonious forces. As Light and Shadow. The bridge is mended. Kinduru's dying sacrifice was not in vain as in his final act, he brought them together again. There is hope for a good future for both of them and for the Amani.
This ending is one of the rare moments I believe a happy ending is deserved. It's not likely we will get it, as the other endings make equal and more sense, but it's still a possible ending. With this ending, all the moments of Zul'jan's anger and resentment towards his sister will be soothed and the stories about him and his uncle will not be a tragic humanizing moment, but a declaration of love between the family.
There are the names of the quests into play, and these two quests might be the core moment where we will be able to clearly see the ending for Zul'jan.
"Ghosts of the Past" might introduce us to Zul'jin's spirit as well. We haven't seen him yet, but echoes of him haunt Zul'jarra. She resents him. She blames him. She thinks he would look down on her - both in Jan'alai's trials and in the short story when she is near death. But what if this is not the case? Or perhaps he does hate her, and once he says it, Zul'jan's delusions about his grandfather will shatter. The love for his sister will overcome the idolization of a man he barely knew. Or perhaps will reinforce a growing hatred for her as well, believing his grandfather is not fault. It is possible that after all the villain-batting of Zul'jin across the zone, he we would find evidence that he did not want to hurt the Loa, that he had to, and that it was his biggest regret. Maybe he won't even be present to tell us, but Zul'jarra will see it. And so will Zul'jan. The way he reacts to whatever this quest might contain will hint at how this story will unfold.
The other quest is "Original Sin" where we might learn of Ula'tek's origins, what Malacrass planned and what happened between him and Zul'jin when they decided to betray their Loa. We might learn what happened between the Amani and the elves years ago as well, when they first clashed and fought each other. This revelation might change the history, might justify Zul'jan's fears, or might further vilify him as he presses on in his crusade against the elves of Eversong. This quest can reveal whether Ula'tek is an evil corrupted monster that Malacrass plans to unleash upon the Amani, or if there is a misunderstanding and Ula'tek is a creature of Azeroth with righteous anger like Zul'jan, that got corrupted. Learning of Ula'tek's origin will also reveal how the story will end - and it's the most likely point for "false good ending".
I cannot pretend to know exactly how this story will end, I am not in the writers room and it would be unfair to start judgment on the writing based on speculations. I can only offer these three hypothetical endings based on my knowledge of storytelling. While I believe the 3rd ending and Zul'jan's survival are unlikely in the context of Blizzard's writing, all three of these endings are possible based on the Freytag's Pyramid. The "false good ending" will actually become the "antagonist joins us" ending. I know things look bleak, and I cannot end this essay on a hopeful note, but I am curious to hear the opinions of others, as writing is not a solo sport and neither is analysis. There are probably many things I've missed and we have a lot of time to kill as we all wait to find out what happens.
