Ice Troll

> "...I saw then a monster rise forth from the snows, huger and wickeder than any troll I'd yet seen. Hardly had I raised my rifle that his hands tore Berog's spine from his body, I shot at him in fear, and he laughed, as if I had but tickled him."
>
> - Darrag Stonegirdle, Dwarven Explorer

## The Ice Trolls

### Leader(s)

King Zaramar XIX
Az'nalak
 Skogran the Terrible

### Height range

365cm - 396cm (12 - 13 ft)

The **ice trolls**, known also as the **frost trolls**, are one of the oldest, if not the most ancient inhabitants of the freezing continent of Northrend. They are among the tallest and most physically powerful of the trolls, towering far above their southern brethren. In former times they ruled a vast empire that covered all of Northrend and its surrounding isles, and despite its long and slow collapse, pockets of ice troll settlements remain spread throughout the north.

## History

### Ancient Age

By the reckoning of the Drakkari legends, the very first ice trolls were not born upon the world but rose in the shadow of the night beyond, when Gadesa, seventh son of Zaradan the Sky-Father, fashioned their forms from shards of pure ice and with his mythical sword Verlak tore his chest open so that his blood and flesh granted life to the frozen statues. Thus were the ice trolls born, the first children of Gadesa.

Yet Gadesa did not only father the trolls, and soon more followed in the wake of the firstborn: the dragons, holiest beings, of one kin and one spirit with the ice trolls who held them dearer than any other creature in the Eight Worlds. Upon their backs, the ice trolls flew high, soaring across the stars in search of a home. Gadesa rode as one among his children, but when they came at last in sight of Emnerak, Gadesa went no further and remained watchful in the heavens, while the trolls and the dragons descended below like a great flock that threw open the gates of the skies.

The place of their coming was known as Hor'Astal, set within the northernmost north, and there they built their first dwelling. The ice trolls thus began the counting of their years, marked in the Year -20,000 in the Calendar of the Dark Portal and they named themselves Drakkari, meaning "Dragon's Folk". However, the world that was meant to be their haven, was not so on their arrival. War already raged between the God of Mountains, Nawida and Negenga, brother of Gadesa, who schemed to claim Emnerak for himself.

Gadesa himself was deeply wroth with the betrayal of Negenga, but he would not intervene, nor would he move the trolls to act on his behalf, for he was bound by his bonds of blood to Negenga and to break them was unspeakable. So it was that trolls and dragons hid away from the rage of the battling gods, watching yet never coming between them, until a time came that Nawida faltered and was to be slain by Negenga, that the trolls felt they could stand idle no longer and came in force to repel him.

Many days their battle lasted, as the skies were aflame with dragonfire and the earth thundered with the battle cries of the trolls. Negenga worked his magic to bewilder and disperse them, but it was in vain, and he was driven far to the very edges of the world, where the trolls toppled him to fall forever in darkness. Victory though did not come without a cost, and Dagarak, who was the first dragon to be, mightiest and wisest of his kind, mount of Gadesa, was slain in the peaks of Nawida's domain. The trolls mourned him, and burned his body, and Nawida in gratitude entombed his ashes in a great fortress of stone. This fortress became known as Zul'Drak (meaning 'Great Dragon') in honour of Dagarak and Nawida blessed it forevermore.

### The First King

It came to be that for many years the ice trolls were united in purpose, yet divided in rule; chieftains, warlords and prophets each ventured into Emnerak settling lands to call their own, and they answered to no higher authority, save only the god Gadesa when he would send his summons. But the wise among the priests feared that as time drew on and the ice trolls continued to develop each to their own fashion, they would come to be estranged, no longer recognising one another as brothers. They wished to be united as they had been under Gadesa at the dawn of their kind, and so for this reason they pleaded to Gadesa for guidance and he answered to them:

> *"You asked of me a sovereign, and to you I will give him. All folk and all lands shall thus be his to guard and to rule and to better in my stead. You will obey his word as it were mine, you will revere him and bind your lives to his, and never betray his will with yours. You will know him as King and you shall be glad."*
>
>

The priests were stirred by Gadesa's words, and they spread them amidst their people far and wide. Many among the great warriors and chiefs of the ice trolls believed that one of their own number would be chosen to be uplifted as King, and so in that time strived to prove their worthiness in ever greater feats, but it was in vain, for from the skies, riding astride a golden dragon, came a man who was greater in stature and in might than any of the children of Gadesa. Thus the Dragon's Folk knelt to him, and made blood-oaths at his feet, binding their lives to his. His name was Zaramar, He of the Sky, most glorious King ever to have ruled the trolls, beginning in the Year -17,500 by the reckoning of the ice trolls.

In his time, all borders between tribes were undone, and united into a single Empire. In return for their loyalty, Zaramar elevated the women of many tribes as his wives and the men as his champions. He taught many new crafts to warriors, commoners and priests alike, he fathered many great sons and built grand new cities and wonders, including the magnificent Alor'Zaran, of which walls and spires were wrought in pure sapphires and was from that day on the capital of the trolls.

Zaramar would go on to raise his people to ever higher heights of greatness for many centuries, as in this era the trolls of legend were not yet subject to the shadow of old age or decay. Yet his life would indeed come to an end in tragedy and treachery, and to this day the ice trolls sing songs of mourning to his name, so great is the sorrow of his loss.

### The Coming of Mor'thek

The shadow that would come to threaten the trolls made itself manifest only when the glory of the Drakkari Empire reached its summit: Zaramar had guided the trolls well, and now the whole world was encompassed within the borders of his domain. His people realised the haven they had been promised by fate, and they allowed themselves to rest and bask in the works they had wrought.

But as the trolls laid in serene contentment, Mor'thek, Son of Negenga, who had been hiding and seeking his lost father since the trolls had arrived upon their dragons, entered in secret the cities of the Drakkari, clad as a wandering hermit. At first, in his unawareness, he made it his hope that the good trolls would aid him in his quest, but from them he soon learned the woeful truth that his father was banished forever and the trolls themselves had made it so. This terrible revelation meant that Mor'thek, bound by the bonds of kin to his own father, was burdened by the duty of rightful vengeance against all trollkind, for the shedding of kindred blood could only be repaid in kind.

Dismayed, Mor'thek had little haste to fulfill his duty, for he was afraid of the trolls and their power. Most of all he feared their King Zaramar, mighty and unrivalled upon his jewelled throne, within his Blue Ziggurat, whose guard was made of twelve-hundred great dragon wyrms and just as many Drakkari dragonriders. He foresaw that open war, as it was waged by his father, would only end likewise, thus Mor'thek began to plot to overthrow the trolls by deceit and cunning tricks.

His first act against the trolls was to taint their homes with infestation. Rats, spiders, bugs and vermin of all kinds, began to appear in his trail; pests that the trolls had never before seen, nor that had yet existed upon the world. This vexxed the trolls, and it began to fester the first seeds of distrust within their souls, for the trolls now began to turn their backs on travellers and adventurers of their own kind, fearing they were the loathed hermit in disguise.

However, King Zaramar himself was not idle, each time Mor'thek infested one of his lands, Zaramar made it so they were cleansed, but though he could restore his cities, the distrust sown by Mor'thek he could never wholly mend. So it was that Mor'thek had his first victory, and his ambition grew greater.

## Appearance and traits

### Common Features

An ice troll seems at first glance not too unlike any other troll. They have long, wide, pointed ears, sharp tusks of varying sizes and shapes that protrude from the corners of their mouths, mighty fangs able to shatter bone, a lengthy sharp nose and three fingers for each limb. Their hair colours range from vibrant hues of blue, to red and black, while some are even born with silver or white hair, though this is considered rare. Their tough skin may be blue, sea green or grey. Like some trolls they also naturally grow fur, though an ice troll's fur is far longer and thicker than any other, at times described as resembling the wool of one of their rhinoceros mounts. They possess the boon of regeneration like all trolls: their surface wounds are able to mend in seconds, deeper injuries may take minutes, hours or days, while the full regrowth of limbs or organs may take weeks or months.

### Dimorphism

The men are normally larger than the women. A man's tusks are far bigger, yet there have been rare instances where the opposite is true, with men developing small tusks and a woman developing large ones, though these are both seen as oddities.

### Lifespan

The average lifespan of the ice trolls is also much alike that of the others. The very oldest among them have lived beyond a whole century of age, but these are exceedingly rare, made rarer still by the worsening conditions of Northrend, and none have been known to live longer than those years.

### Height & Build

Where they differ from other races of troll is primarily within their imposing stature, ranging from the twelve to the thirteen feet of staggering height. Even the shortest of ice trolls may seem enormous to others, though their body size is of course heavily influenced by each individual's lifestyle. The southernmost trolls who make their abodes on the shores and the isles of Northrend are noted to be often corpulent as they enjoy a wealth of sea-foods in a continent where life is otherwise difficult to find. In the northern mountains of Zul'Drak ice trolls develop a mighty musculature from climbing the steep slopes across which the city is built and battling with the fierce Nerubians and magnataurs that linger about the peaks. In the west and within the Great Dragonblight, most trolls are leaner and quicker, able to cover large distances at incredible speeds.

### Eyes

An ice troll's eyes are narrower than those of other trolls, speculated to have been caused by their squinting at the sunlight reflected upon the snows. Their irises possess a striking deep, blue coloration; grey, brown, black and green are also common, but the most fearsome and widespread is a bloody red hue unseen anywhere else through trollkind, making an ice troll's crimson stare hard to endure by many but the boldest.

### Cold Endurance & Vulnerabilities

As their very name would suggest, ice trolls are capable of enduring extreme cold. This is in no small part thanks to the thickness of their fur, but also to deposits of brown fat spread throughout their body that ice trolls are born with and never lose, keeping them warm even in the harshest of conditions. These traits, however, also make them perilously vulnerable to warmer climates: an ice troll under the hot sun is prone to frequent sunburns and heat strokes, as well as rapid dehydration, making them ill-suited for travel beyond Northrend and the other northern regions of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.

## Culture

### Overview

Brutal, vicious, bloodthirsty: a creature fierce, cruel and merciless, who knows not the meaning of mercy; a savage brute who murders freely and eats the flesh of his enemies raw, some while they still live. An ice troll is known to be these things and more by those who fear him.

These tales are not lies, yet neither do they encompass the whole truth of what an ice troll is. It is true that they view the world beyond them with diffidence and hostility, for the world is likewise diffident and hostile to them. The harsh nature of Northrend has taught them to be slow in granting their trust to those that are not alike them, to be wary of even their friends and distrust the fugacity of the spoken word. This has made the ice trolls into reticent allies and aloof friends.

### Blood Bonds

Ice trolls commonly ever put true faith into bonds of family and blood, and blood indeed they use in stipulating their deepest relations; after one such kinship is forged in rite, an ice troll is most often turned into the greatest of allies, for the breaking of a blood-bond, or a blood-oath is considered inconceiveable and vile beyond measure, punishable by a gruesome and ignoble death. Ice trolls in a blood-bond owe each other profound loyalty and respect. If one is slain, the other is duty-bound to avenge his death and look after the other's family and belongings. This custom is most often practiced on the eve of battle, when warriors go to meet their deaths, but also in the midst of harduous times, or before a dire challenge.

### Gender Roles

Within the cultures of the ice trolls, however, men and women take on differing roles. While men have a duty to provide food, protection and shelter for their kin, labouring most often as hunters, fishermen and raiders, the women are charged with the weaving of clothes and the crafting of commodities, such as tallow candles, bedsheets, dyes, body paints and ornaments of bone. Women are furthermore tasked with the preparation of meals and the cleanliness of their abodes and may sometimes act as gatherers as well, harvesting berries, mushrooms, or herbs for food or other purposes. The raising of newborns, as well as girls, is a duty given to women, whereas boys are entrusted to the guidance of their fathers as soon as their hand is strong enough to hold a weapon.

Men may also serve as witch doctors, acolytes, prophets and priests, and in the Cult of Quetz'lun and the Cult of Ayu'nama, women can hold the roles of priestesses and prophetesses, where they advise, instruct and lend aid only to other women in all the challenges of womanhood, though the station of High Prophet, which is at the head of the entire clergy, can only be held by men.

Chieftains, kings, warlords, areliks, as are all leading positions within ice troll society are reserved to men alone, who are thought to hold the necessary strength of body and of will to govern others.

### Lodgings

The dwelling places of the ice trolls come in various forms: they may be built as tents from the pelts of great beasts, with poles and pillars of ivory; or they may be hovels dug below the earth or within a cave; or yet they may be igloos, dome-like structures made wholly of ice and snow, called by the trolls "galdava" (In Dreki 'snow home') that possess the remarkable quality of retaining high temperatures of warmth even with body heat alone. Throughout Northrend, and upon Zandalar, one may also encounter high homes of stone that carry the mark of the ice trolls, with squared doors, windows and arches and pointed roofs. These were erected in ancient time, and no structure built by the northern folk has met their match in many thousands of years, they have long since fallen into decay, but some trolls still make their homes within the shadows of their cold husks. It is only in Zandalar, in Tal'Drakkar, that the masonry required to rebuild these great structures remains preserved.

### Hair & Braiding

It is a custom among troll men to braid one's hair in ornate fashion, wrapping it and arraying it in many different ways and styles over the head. Braids may then be adorned by bones tipped in paint or precious metals if they may be afforded (such as gold and silver), these bones are usually gifted by a dead relative (often ribs or fingers, or other such small pieces), or close companion, but other bones may also be used, such as those of a sworn enemy or a great felled beast. In the south near the coast, fishbones and muskox horns are used, while in the wastes at the centre of Northrend, the inner tribes use antlers from elks and stags and caribou. In Zul'Drak, very ancient tokens hailing from a time when trolls and dragons shared the city are made from drakebones or dragon scales, while more modern and common ones are Nerubian claws or fangs.

The unbinding of braids in front of another man is considered a great offence and a dire threat; this is because men undo their braids before battle, letting their hair flow wild as they enter the fray. And to prevent any hair falling over their sight, headbands of rope or leather are commonly worn over the brows of warriors, while circlets of iron, copper, gold and silver are used by the greater chieftains.

Women do not likewise braid their hair, as instead they assist their sons, brothers, fathers and husbands with braiding theirs. Though still they care much for their own appearance of which hair is a prime concern, rarely ever cutting or trimming it, combing it smooth and long over their backs and shoulders where they may also be decorated with coloured beads or small stones.

The lack of hair, primarily on women, is considered a sign of ailing health and misfortune, in which cases hoods and hats of fur are commonly worn to conceal their heads from view.

## Gallery

An ice troll chieftain of the southern tribes.