Leyujin
11-09-2006, 03:33 AM
In a way, this doesn't necessarily belong in the Lore Discussion forum, as the Skymane Tribe is my own creation. However, especially with the troll RP thread, I feel it fits here better than anywhere else. If you want to move it Mortica, go right ahead! At any rate, here goes. Hope you enjoy!
Troll Compendium
Skymane Tribe
Where: Mountain Range between the Arathi Highlands and the Hinterlands
Category: Forest Trolls (?)
Leader: Shangboya Sobo
Background: The Skymane tribe is an eccentricity among Azerothian trolls. Their location suggests their ancestry to be Amani, however their appearance is closer to that of the Gurubashi than the Forest Trolls. Skymane legend holds that their skin’s blue complexion and stark white hair is a blessing from the tribe’s proximity to the domain of the Loa Shango.
“We be carved from sky an’ crowned wit’ clouds,” Momboyu the First.
Residing in the mountains between the Arathi Highlands to the south and the Hinterlands to the north, the Skymane tribe maintained a fierce rivalry with the human nation of Stromgarde. Crusades by the people of Arathor to push the Trolls from their homelands resulted in a deep-seated hatred. From ancient times they had established close ties with the Witherbark tribe and by extension the Vilebranch in alliance against the humans of Arathi. Although the Skymane settlements were largely unreachable to human forces, daring raids occasionally reached up into the mountains to raze troll villages. Skymane reprisals would wreck havoc on the human settlements and farms at the base of the mountains in return. Despite this, the rarity of Skymane/human interaction meant they never obtained the notoriety of the Witherbark. The Skymane tribe also held a tense relationship with the dwarves of Aerie Peak. Unlike the other troll tribes of the area however, geographic barriers (no Skymane settlements were able to form in the highly steep and arid climate of the western Arathi range) largely prevented direct contact between the two groups, and thus a firm hatred for the Wildhammer clan never emerged. Indeed, it is possible that the Dwarves’ love and veneration of the sky as gryphon riders earned some measure of respect from the Skymane trolls. Skymanes still detest gryphons as ugly predators and a rare delicacy.
The advent of the Second War brought the Skymane tribe into contact with the Horde, where a fair number offered their fealty with Zul’jin’s oath. Despite this, they never formed a significant part of the troll contingent and went largely unnoticed. In the aftermath of the Second War, the Skymane tribe like their neighboring Forest troll kin severed their ties with the Horde. In particular, they cursed the ascendancy of Stromgarde and the jailing of their brethren in the internment camps at the base of the Arathi mountains. Several raids were mounted by the Skymane and their Witherbark allies, but proved ineffective.
The drastic turning point in Skymane history occurred during the onset of the Third War. The young orc Thrall and his burgeoning “New Horde” staged assaults on all of the Alliance internment camps and freeing those held captive. In the most dramatic battle, Skymane prisoners witnessed the fall of Orgrim Doomhammer at what would become Hammerfall, and Thrall’s routing of the human forces. Thrall’s subsequent treatment of the prisoners, his honor and kindness, made a significant impact on the Skymane survivors. Although most refused his offer to join the Horde, preferring instead to rejoin their tribe and family, there was not a troll among them who was not deeply affected by what they had witnessed.
Their return to the tribe was highly celebrated, but it would lead to the sundering of the Skymane. During the years of imprisonment and repression by the people of Stromgarde, a large portion of the tribe had strengthened their ties with the Witherbark, and in doing so also adapted their xenophobic outlook and darkening practices. The arrival of the internment camp survivors and their exaltations of Thrall approached the level of gospel, to which many of the tribe flocked. This created a nearly even divide that split the tribe in two. Arguments of ideology and which path to take the tribe eventually descended into physical conflict and civil war. This war, which spanned several years and left the Skymane incapable of capitalizing on the Scourge’s assault on Stromgarde, lead to the virtual destruction of the tribe’s integrity, and many trolls left to either join other tribes, or make their way to Thrall’s Horde. The chaos of this event leads little clues as to the current state of the Skymane tribe.
Ecology and Culture: The Skymane tribe, unlike the Jungle trolls, used the plentiful raptors of the Arathi Highlands as a food source instead of a mount, preferring instead the more difficult to obtain and ferocious Silvermane wolves of the Hinterlands. The trademark white hair of the Skymane trolls is a source of great pride and a certain amount of religious superstition: as the closest part of a troll’s body to the sky, many Skymane regard it as sacred.
The Skymane have complex cultural procedures surrounding the troll honorific Jin, which denotes a chieftain, witch doctor or person of high import in all troll dialects. Due to the teachings of the first Skymane religious leader, Momboyu,
“…Kings one an’ all, until we fall.” Momboyu the First.
the Skymane tribe attaches to the names of all children the suffix Jin. Once they come of seventeen years of age, a ritualistic ceremony is held to divine whether the troll is deserving of the title. Oftentimes this involves viewing the weather on the day of the troll’s birthday. If they are not found worthy, their name is altered so as to aesthetically accommodate the loss of the suffix. Occasionally certain sects, families and occupations, such as priests, will not bear the suffix nor receive a “Fall” ritual. These individuals receive an altogether different ceremony to determine their name.
It is interesting to note that even for the few individuals that retain the Jin suffix, that they are only allowed to have the honorific associated with their name while following their chosen vocation, which is also determined at the time of the ceremony. While the Skymane are encouraged to experience and follow multiple paths in their life, as after all, the sky itself is ever-changing, the honorific signifies that the troll in question is destined to be the foremost in that particular vocation, and thus should only reveal its owner’s power where that statement is true.
Troll Compendium
Skymane Tribe
Where: Mountain Range between the Arathi Highlands and the Hinterlands
Category: Forest Trolls (?)
Leader: Shangboya Sobo
Background: The Skymane tribe is an eccentricity among Azerothian trolls. Their location suggests their ancestry to be Amani, however their appearance is closer to that of the Gurubashi than the Forest Trolls. Skymane legend holds that their skin’s blue complexion and stark white hair is a blessing from the tribe’s proximity to the domain of the Loa Shango.
“We be carved from sky an’ crowned wit’ clouds,” Momboyu the First.
Residing in the mountains between the Arathi Highlands to the south and the Hinterlands to the north, the Skymane tribe maintained a fierce rivalry with the human nation of Stromgarde. Crusades by the people of Arathor to push the Trolls from their homelands resulted in a deep-seated hatred. From ancient times they had established close ties with the Witherbark tribe and by extension the Vilebranch in alliance against the humans of Arathi. Although the Skymane settlements were largely unreachable to human forces, daring raids occasionally reached up into the mountains to raze troll villages. Skymane reprisals would wreck havoc on the human settlements and farms at the base of the mountains in return. Despite this, the rarity of Skymane/human interaction meant they never obtained the notoriety of the Witherbark. The Skymane tribe also held a tense relationship with the dwarves of Aerie Peak. Unlike the other troll tribes of the area however, geographic barriers (no Skymane settlements were able to form in the highly steep and arid climate of the western Arathi range) largely prevented direct contact between the two groups, and thus a firm hatred for the Wildhammer clan never emerged. Indeed, it is possible that the Dwarves’ love and veneration of the sky as gryphon riders earned some measure of respect from the Skymane trolls. Skymanes still detest gryphons as ugly predators and a rare delicacy.
The advent of the Second War brought the Skymane tribe into contact with the Horde, where a fair number offered their fealty with Zul’jin’s oath. Despite this, they never formed a significant part of the troll contingent and went largely unnoticed. In the aftermath of the Second War, the Skymane tribe like their neighboring Forest troll kin severed their ties with the Horde. In particular, they cursed the ascendancy of Stromgarde and the jailing of their brethren in the internment camps at the base of the Arathi mountains. Several raids were mounted by the Skymane and their Witherbark allies, but proved ineffective.
The drastic turning point in Skymane history occurred during the onset of the Third War. The young orc Thrall and his burgeoning “New Horde” staged assaults on all of the Alliance internment camps and freeing those held captive. In the most dramatic battle, Skymane prisoners witnessed the fall of Orgrim Doomhammer at what would become Hammerfall, and Thrall’s routing of the human forces. Thrall’s subsequent treatment of the prisoners, his honor and kindness, made a significant impact on the Skymane survivors. Although most refused his offer to join the Horde, preferring instead to rejoin their tribe and family, there was not a troll among them who was not deeply affected by what they had witnessed.
Their return to the tribe was highly celebrated, but it would lead to the sundering of the Skymane. During the years of imprisonment and repression by the people of Stromgarde, a large portion of the tribe had strengthened their ties with the Witherbark, and in doing so also adapted their xenophobic outlook and darkening practices. The arrival of the internment camp survivors and their exaltations of Thrall approached the level of gospel, to which many of the tribe flocked. This created a nearly even divide that split the tribe in two. Arguments of ideology and which path to take the tribe eventually descended into physical conflict and civil war. This war, which spanned several years and left the Skymane incapable of capitalizing on the Scourge’s assault on Stromgarde, lead to the virtual destruction of the tribe’s integrity, and many trolls left to either join other tribes, or make their way to Thrall’s Horde. The chaos of this event leads little clues as to the current state of the Skymane tribe.
Ecology and Culture: The Skymane tribe, unlike the Jungle trolls, used the plentiful raptors of the Arathi Highlands as a food source instead of a mount, preferring instead the more difficult to obtain and ferocious Silvermane wolves of the Hinterlands. The trademark white hair of the Skymane trolls is a source of great pride and a certain amount of religious superstition: as the closest part of a troll’s body to the sky, many Skymane regard it as sacred.
The Skymane have complex cultural procedures surrounding the troll honorific Jin, which denotes a chieftain, witch doctor or person of high import in all troll dialects. Due to the teachings of the first Skymane religious leader, Momboyu,
“…Kings one an’ all, until we fall.” Momboyu the First.
the Skymane tribe attaches to the names of all children the suffix Jin. Once they come of seventeen years of age, a ritualistic ceremony is held to divine whether the troll is deserving of the title. Oftentimes this involves viewing the weather on the day of the troll’s birthday. If they are not found worthy, their name is altered so as to aesthetically accommodate the loss of the suffix. Occasionally certain sects, families and occupations, such as priests, will not bear the suffix nor receive a “Fall” ritual. These individuals receive an altogether different ceremony to determine their name.
It is interesting to note that even for the few individuals that retain the Jin suffix, that they are only allowed to have the honorific associated with their name while following their chosen vocation, which is also determined at the time of the ceremony. While the Skymane are encouraged to experience and follow multiple paths in their life, as after all, the sky itself is ever-changing, the honorific signifies that the troll in question is destined to be the foremost in that particular vocation, and thus should only reveal its owner’s power where that statement is true.