Ga'an

Ga'an Character Art

## Stats

Ga'an is a Darkspear Troll Witch Doctor PC played by Cade. His current home is Sen'jin Village, though he was born on the Darkspear Islands and has fond childhood memories of his time living on the The Echo Isles. His mother is an herbalist/alchemist who passed on the trade to him and his father was a hunter. Ga'an was mentored in the Witch Doctor arts by a Troll named Mozo're, later revealed to be the loa Gonk. Ga'an's goal is to grow more powerful so that he can defeat Zalazane, the witch doctor who seized the Echo Isles, abducted his father, and torments his village.

## Background

Ga'an was born on the island of Darkspear Island of Zul'dara to Molla and Cu'ul. His mother Molla was an alchemist and knowledgable in the field of herbalism, two skillsets which she passed down to Ga'an. Ga'an's father Cu'ul was a hunter, and trained Ga'an how to hunt, bestowing on a young Ga'an his first hunting knife made from the tooth of Cu'ul's first kill. Ga'an has one sibling, a younger brother named Volza.

When Ga'an was very young, several major events occurred on the Darkspear Islands in a short time. First, a race of green, brawny humanoids calling themselves Orcs made contact with the Darkspear Trolls. The Orcs were fleeing from the Eastern Kingdoms and arrived in peace, resulting in a friendly exchange between the two races. A week after the arrival of the Orcs, a fleet of Kul'Tiran ships attacked the island. The trolls successfully fended off the human invaders, only for a Sea Witch to arrive the same day and sink the Islands underneath the waves.

Ga'an and his family fled the sinking islands with the rest of the Darkspear Trolls, arriving on the The Echo Isles. Ga'an has fond memories of growing up on these isles, which were a tropical paradise. Ga'an would often spend time staring out at the water on "vision quests". This peaceful time was not long-lived, however, as the Trolls were once again forced out of their home, this time by one of their own. The witch doctor Zalazane seized control of the Isles, causing Ga'an's family to flee once more. They made a new home on the mainland across from the Echo Isles, founding Sen'jin Village.

Ga'an took an interest from a young age in the study of Loa and Witch Doctors. An elderly troll witch doctor calling himself Mozo're wandered into the village one day, and became a mentor figure to Ga'an. Cu'ul was skeptical of this mysterious man, and frowned upon the closeness between the two. He expressed to his son that if he had an interest in learning more about being a witch doctor, it would be best to learn from the town witch doctor, Gadrin. At some point before the start of the campaign, Mozo're left Sen'jin Village.

Zalazane did not leave the inhabitants of Sen'jin in peace. He orchestrated frequent raids in which many trolls were either killed or taken under the influence of his mind control. Zalazane also exhibited the power to raise the dead which he had slain. During one such raid, Molla was gravely injured, resulting in permanent loss of function in her legs. Ga'an was frozen in place from fear, while his younger brother stepped in to fend off the attacker and save the life of Ga'an and Molla. During this raid, Cu'ul was abducted and brought under the influence of Zalazane's mind control.

While many trolls have attempted to defeat Zalazane and liberate the Echo Isles, none have come back alive from their quest. Ga'an set out from Sen'jin Village to obtain the power to defeat Zalazane, no matter the cost.

## Campaign

### Ratchet Arc

After leaving Sen'jin Village, Ga'an found his way to the town of Ratchet in the Barrens. He was almost immediately thrown out of the Broken Keel Tavern for not having any money to pay for his drink. Upon being thrown out, Ga'an overheard a conversation between a group of Bruisers and the High Elf drinking at the bar, Adelaide. They spoke of a reward offered by Gazlowe for hunting down the South Sea Freebooters. Ga'an trailed behind Adelaide as she made her way to Gazlowe's home, and entered after her, agreeing to take on the job.

The two snuck into the South Sea Freebooters' camp alongside Retick Fiztorque, the captain of the Bruisers. The mission seemed to be going smoothly until Ga'an and Adelaide found themselves lead into a trap and surrounded. Retick revealed himself to have been working alongside Baron Longshore and the Freebooters from the start. Ga'an and Adelaide were manacled and thrown into a cell with three other prisoners. There they met Alyrin, Isilee, and the lamest jackass on Azeroth, Gilthares Firebough. The group managed to free themselves from their prison and take down Retick and Baron Longshore. Ga'an kept the baron's hat and cloak as a souvenier.

### Ragefire Arc

During the descent into Ragefire Chasm, Ga'an fell to his death while descending a shear cliff face. The shadows on the ground began to pour into him, reanimating his form. Ga'an awoke again with paler skin, black marks all along his body and the symbol of a skull on his chest. When questioned by the party, Ga'an denied having died at all and was evasive about his change in form. As they all continued further into Ragefire, he began dedicating his channeling to the loa of death, Bwonsamdi. Ga'an was evasive about this development as well, explaining simply that the loa of death is a good loa to worship given the death surrounding the party. Ga'an was struck down a second time in Ragefire Chasm, and once more revived by shadows. Ga'an did not open up until much later to admit that he made two deals with Bwomsamdi in order to return to living. The first deal he made was to defeat the Farraki, a group of trolls worshipping the old god of death, Ueetay no Mueh'zala. Bwomsamdi has first tasked Ga'an with journeying to First Home and undertaking the trials there that every witch doctor must do. No troll has completed this journey since the sinking of First Home alongside the rest of the Darkspear Islands nearly ten years ago. Bwomsamdi has yet to reveal to Ga'an what the second favor he requests of him will be, saying only that it will be revealed in time.

After defeating Neeru Fireblade and the Searing Blade, the GayteKeepërs were invited by Thrall to attend a feast in their honor. Here Ga'an met Vol’jin, the current leader of the trolls. Vol'jin and his closest friend, Zalazane, were the last to undertake the trials of First Home. Vol'jin called Ga'an a fool for wanting to take on Zalazane, and insists that if Ga'an is to have any hope of succeeding, he must first take on the trials at First Home. Vol'jin advised Ga'an that his greatest resource is the people he keeps around him, reminding him that the Darkspear Trolls would not be alive today if not for their friendship with the Orcs and Tauren.

### First Home Arc

The Gaytekeepërs embarked on their journey to Sen'jin Village in hopes of finding navigators who could lead them to the location of First Home. The party arrived at the village to find that it had just the night before come under attack. Ga'an rushed to his family's home, learning that his younger brother Volza had been gravely wounded in the raid and had lost a limb. While Volza was healing and expected to make a full recovery and full regeneration of his limb, his healing seemed to be impeaded by some dark magic or poison on the weapon which wounded him. Ga'an's mother Molla, wheelchair bound since the raid which took Ga'an's father, was delighted to see Ga'an but distressed by his change in appearance. When told of his dealings with Bwomsamdi, she was deeply concerned and insisted he seek out the council of the town witch doctor, Gadrin, as well as the seer Mother Norn'sa.

Gadrin cautioned Ga'an to be wary of Bwomsamdi and any deals he offeres. Mother Norn'sa provided a reading for Ga'an, fortelling of the dangers of First Home and an evil older than Azeroth itself which lies beneath the ocean. In this vision, Norn'sa projected the image of hundreds of burning orange eyes and a deep, booming voice with a simple warning: "WATCHING". Norn'sa warned that failure in Ga'an's quest would mean doom for the entire village. She cautioned that those who enter First Home leave as different trolls than they entered. Zalazane was given a choice there that set him on the path that he is on now. She warned that Ga'an will be given a similar choice.

The party enlisted the help of several sailors from Sen'jin, notably A'thian, Sam'gha, and Mi'zae. WIth their aid, the group charted a ship in Bladefist Bay named *The Jewel of the Horde*, a galleon operated by Captain Stormfang. With the aid of the Sen'jin naviagtors, the ship sailed for the Darkspear Islands. When the ship reached the general area of where the islands had sank, they found that the area was covered in a dense fog. Eminating from Ga'an's chest was a purple light, which guided them the rest of the way. After survivng a brush with an enormous whirlpool, the party made their way underwater to find First Home. Along the way, Ga'an visited his childhood hut on the island of Zul'dara and made offerings at the Temple of the Loa and the Tomb of the Old Ones, where Ga'an received the witch doctor mask of the late priest of Samedi.

The party managed to keep to the shadows after leaving the Tomb of the Old Ones, and finally came upon First Home, finding it to be encased in a mysterious bubble which the Naga could not enter. The Gaytekeepërs were granted passage into the bubble, and found themselves upon a sandy beach, once again breathing air instead of water. Inside First Home the group faced many trials, and Ga'an came to learn that his mentor Mozo're was in truth Gonk, the head of all the loa. Ga'an denied Dambala's offer of the power to defeat Zalazane and restore his mother's legs, asking if he took the offer, would his mother walk towards him, or run away? When the party had completed all the trials of First Home, Ga'an came once more upon his childhoot hut, as it would have been if not sunken under the tides. Inside he spoke to Bwomsamdi, learning that Gonk considered him a "chosen one", though he is neither the first nor the last. Before him the chosen ones were Vol'jin and Zalazane. Bwomsamdi cautioned Ga'an to not make the mistakes of Vol'jin, who allowed friendship to blind him to Zalazane's nature, a mistake that all Darkspear trolls must now pay the price for. Bwomsamdi also revealed that Zalazane's power comes from Ueetay no Mueh'zala, Defeating the Farraki trolls who worship him would greatly deprive Zalazane of his power.