Now I don't know about you, but I was personally a little confused as to why Zul'jin, a guy that's pretty much a god amongst trolls, would all of a sudden turn against the Horde. As it turns out, having to saw your own arm off will do that to a troll.
The reason he is against the horde, that is the reason that Blizzard gives us. Is because they have allied with the Blood Elves who along with the humans orchestrated a genocide again Zul'Jins people and broke up the once great Troll Empire. The real question I want to ask is. Why are the alliance fighting Zul'Jin at all? It seems like the greatest thing to have a building army in your enemies backyard. If anything you'd want to find a way to fund them or wait for the opportune moment to attack.
@1 quoting Gandalf "the victor would emerge stronger, and free from doubt". If the Alliance leave the Horde and Trolls to face off, they would be risking one or the other defeating their rivals, leaving the victor to train all its forces against the Alliance.
It would seem to be a decent strategy to me, fight a major war against one people, and pick on their enemies just enough to get them bloodthirsty in your enemy's back yard. All of a sudden you have choice.
@4: Yea, I was thinking that too. I guess that just shows you how crappy the Regeneration racial ability is. :)
Seriously though, my guess is that, though a troll's wounds can heal pretty quickly, regenerating a whole limb - or something as complex as an eye - may take a lot longer. And I'm guessing that the battle depicted in this trailer took place fairly recently; probably within a year of "current events".
Also, the last time a high elven army fought alongside the Alliance would have been the Third War, yes? So this battle had to be at least ten years ago in game time, if not longer. Sometime between the Second and Third War, perhaps even just at the end of the Second.
Watching this, I kinda want to side with the Amani. I mean, the elves and the Alliance joined together to try to kill me and mine. Then, they capture me, and not only do they cut out my eye, but I have to rip (likely bite through) my own arm off to escape (Saw, anyone?). Now, the very elves that tortured me, are teaming up with the ones we helped during the first war? Nu-uh, fudge you all. Not only that, but you want to come into MY house and kill MY people?
This really has a whole Sparta vs. the Persians feel to me, with the trolls being the Spartans. Their home, their people, and we're coming to pee in their pool.
Isn't Zol'jin supposed to be a bit elderly now? I believe regeneration prowess fades in Troll old age.
And #2/aratan, couldn't we use your logic to say the Alliance should just finish off the Horde instead, and take our chances against one tiny Troll tribe in the far Northeast corner of Lordaeron?
@11 - ues of course, you could use the same argument for each of the three forces. But the question asked by the OP was why were the Alliance fighting the Trolls, so that is how I framed my response.
Horde trolls are darkspear tribe trolls that swore allegiance to thrall after he saved the tribe. They are long exiled from thier own homeland and near extinction.
Darkspear trolls arnt the only tribe. To be exiled means other trolls drove them out and exiled them. If it was other races they wouldnt be 'exiled' they would have been 'forced out' or 'driven out'.
Why are the trolls against the horde? Why not... the trolls that are with the horde are the darkspears and therefore considering they are exiles, why shouldnt they want to wipe out what rampaging murlocs started?
I asked a roll-player about this the other day. In character, of course. The conversation went something like:
"Reverend father, high priest of Sha'tar, I beg of you - explain the Amani plight and their war upon the Horde. What has driven the ancient race to turn upon their old allies?" "They have been betrayed - for their enemy in northern Azeroth for many hundreds of years were the Quel'dorei, the arcane-tainted elves exiled from Kalimdor. They slaughtered many trolls in their establishment of a new homeland. Their recent acceptence into the horde ranks has incensed the Amani to war!" "And father, why now do Men come to Zul'Aman bearing arms against the enemy of the Horde?" "Uh... PHAT LOOT... noob."
Well, that's also the stated reason for the NPC outside of the instance. Budd Nedreck and his 'crew' came to loot and plunder the place. And the Alliance came for the same reason.
The forest trolls, like the Armani, were never part of the new horde except for the one village in the Hinterlands. Zuljin was never part of the New Horde, and was, at best, neutral to it.
So the elves come and offer to be full allies, while the Armani offer nothing? It's a no brainer and not a betrayal in the least. To be betrayed you must have some type of relationship, something which the Armani and the Thrall's Horde lacked.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dustin Nov 14th 2007 2:27PM
The reason he is against the horde, that is the reason that Blizzard gives us. Is because they have allied with the Blood Elves who along with the humans orchestrated a genocide again Zul'Jins people and broke up the once great Troll Empire. The real question I want to ask is. Why are the alliance fighting Zul'Jin at all? It seems like the greatest thing to have a building army in your enemies backyard. If anything you'd want to find a way to fund them or wait for the opportune moment to attack.
aratan Nov 14th 2007 2:40PM
@1 quoting Gandalf "the victor would emerge stronger, and free from doubt". If the Alliance leave the Horde and Trolls to face off, they would be risking one or the other defeating their rivals, leaving the victor to train all its forces against the Alliance.
barrah Nov 14th 2007 2:49PM
It would seem to be a decent strategy to me, fight a major war against one people, and pick on their enemies just enough to get them bloodthirsty in your enemy's back yard. All of a sudden you have choice.
MojoMan Nov 14th 2007 2:49PM
Can't Trolls regen loast parts?
ThorinII Nov 14th 2007 2:58PM
Couldn't they have done a better job on the voice? He sounded a little like Fred Flintstone a couple of times.
Baluki Nov 14th 2007 2:58PM
@4: Yea, I was thinking that too. I guess that just shows you how crappy the Regeneration racial ability is. :)
Seriously though, my guess is that, though a troll's wounds can heal pretty quickly, regenerating a whole limb - or something as complex as an eye - may take a lot longer. And I'm guessing that the battle depicted in this trailer took place fairly recently; probably within a year of "current events".
Matthew Rossi Nov 14th 2007 2:59PM
Dude, Fred Flintstone can make a dinosaur eat dirt just by stepping on its back. He's a badass.
Matthew Rossi Nov 14th 2007 3:04PM
Also, the last time a high elven army fought alongside the Alliance would have been the Third War, yes? So this battle had to be at least ten years ago in game time, if not longer. Sometime between the Second and Third War, perhaps even just at the end of the Second.
Aaron Nov 14th 2007 3:05PM
that trailer was friggin sweet!
Scalin Nov 14th 2007 3:09PM
Watching this, I kinda want to side with the Amani. I mean, the elves and the Alliance joined together to try to kill me and mine. Then, they capture me, and not only do they cut out my eye, but I have to rip (likely bite through) my own arm off to escape (Saw, anyone?). Now, the very elves that tortured me, are teaming up with the ones we helped during the first war? Nu-uh, fudge you all. Not only that, but you want to come into MY house and kill MY people?
This really has a whole Sparta vs. the Persians feel to me, with the trolls being the Spartans. Their home, their people, and we're coming to pee in their pool.
RogueJedi86 Nov 14th 2007 3:09PM
Isn't Zol'jin supposed to be a bit elderly now? I believe regeneration prowess fades in Troll old age.
And #2/aratan, couldn't we use your logic to say the Alliance should just finish off the Horde instead, and take our chances against one tiny Troll tribe in the far Northeast corner of Lordaeron?
YuquaiLon Nov 14th 2007 3:31PM
In wc3:roc campaign(in training part i think) Thrall saw a group of trolls and said "how can we allied with this trolls?"
Gelfran Nov 14th 2007 3:51PM
So... why are we supposed to be fighting them? As Alliance, I could care less if they are the hordes problem...
aratan Nov 14th 2007 3:49PM
@11 - ues of course, you could use the same argument for each of the three forces. But the question asked by the OP was why were the Alliance fighting the Trolls, so that is how I framed my response.
Nekoth Nov 14th 2007 4:18PM
Poor troll...now let's kill him!
Ffion Nov 14th 2007 4:03PM
Its not a case of siding against other trolls.
Horde trolls are darkspear tribe trolls that swore allegiance to thrall after he saved the tribe. They are long exiled from thier own homeland and near extinction.
Darkspear trolls arnt the only tribe. To be exiled means other trolls drove them out and exiled them. If it was other races they wouldnt be 'exiled' they would have been 'forced out' or 'driven out'.
Why are the trolls against the horde? Why not... the trolls that are with the horde are the darkspears and therefore considering they are exiles, why shouldnt they want to wipe out what rampaging murlocs started?
Salty Nov 14th 2007 4:09PM
I asked a roll-player about this the other day. In character, of course. The conversation went something like:
"Reverend father, high priest of Sha'tar, I beg of you - explain the Amani plight and their war upon the Horde. What has driven the ancient race to turn upon their old allies?" "They have been betrayed - for their enemy in northern Azeroth for many hundreds of years were the Quel'dorei, the arcane-tainted elves exiled from Kalimdor. They slaughtered many trolls in their establishment of a new homeland. Their recent acceptence into the horde ranks has incensed the Amani to war!" "And father, why now do Men come to Zul'Aman bearing arms against the enemy of the Horde?" "Uh... PHAT LOOT... noob."
BigFire Nov 14th 2007 4:24PM
Re: Salty
Well, that's also the stated reason for the NPC outside of the instance. Budd Nedreck and his 'crew' came to loot and plunder the place. And the Alliance came for the same reason.
Ortai Nov 14th 2007 5:25PM
The forest trolls, like the Armani, were never part of the new horde except for the one village in the Hinterlands. Zuljin was never part of the New Horde, and was, at best, neutral to it.
So the elves come and offer to be full allies, while the Armani offer nothing? It's a no brainer and not a betrayal in the least. To be betrayed you must have some type of relationship, something which the Armani and the Thrall's Horde lacked.
Zeplar Nov 14th 2007 6:16PM
The whole "stick a sword in my eye" scene freaked me out. /hate torture, so barbaric