Zul'Aman is the capital of the Amani trolls, and the patch 2.3 raid tells the story of Zul'jin's last war: with the Horde busy in Outland, he bound the power of the loa into his champions to take revenge on Quel'Thalas. The heroes enter the city, bring down the avatars of the animal gods and kill Zul'jin himself.
This post stays in TBC and in the raid. The story of the whole empire, from ancient times to Midnight, is in Amani: the biggest troll empire.
What is Zul'Aman?
Zul'Aman is a fortress and temple city in southeastern Quel'Thalas, in the north of the Eastern Kingdoms. It is the capital of the Amani tribe, the forest trolls. The main temple area is called Atal'Aman.
The city is very old. Around 16,000 years before the Dark Portal, in the war against the aqir, the Zandalari and their allies founded a settlement on the spot where they killed the C'Thrax Kith'ix. That settlement grew into the temple city.
At the time of the Troll Wars, about 2,600 years before the Portal, the Amani empire was the most powerful in the Eastern Kingdoms. The high elves of Quel'Thalas and the humans of Arathor defeated it in a great battle. The Amani never again left the province of Zul'Aman, but they kept their hatred for thousands of years. To make it worse, Silvermoon was built on old sacred troll grounds.
Who is Zul'jin?
Zul'jin is the warlord of the Amani. He united the forest tribes by defeating rival leaders in fights, races and other contests. His raids on Quel'Thalas were so effective that the Farstriders, the elven rangers, saw him as their most hated enemy.
To Zul'jin, the elves were usurpers who stole the Amani's land. He tortured captured elves, among them the ranger Lor'themar Theron, trying to learn how to break the kingdom's magical defenses.
In the Second War, Zul'jin was captured by humans near Durnholde. Orgrim Doomhammer freed him and won his loyalty, and the Amani fought with the Horde against Quel'Thalas. That chapter is in Second War #12: burn it all!.
How did Zul'jin lose his eye and arm?
When Orgrim abandoned the siege of Quel'Thalas to attack Lordaeron, Zul'jin was left exposed. He was cornered near Darrowmere Lake.
Halduron Brightwing captured him and chose to take him to Silvermoon to be judged by Lor'themar, instead of executing him on the spot. Halduron's men tortured Zul'jin for hours and gouged out one of his eyes.
An Amani party tried to rescue him and wounded Halduron. To break free, Zul'jin cut off his own arm with a discarded spear. He never regenerated the eye or the arm. The wiki suggests two explanations: a curse from the loa, or his own choice, to forever remember the cruelty of the elves. In the patch trailer, he sums it all up in one line: "Da elves took my eye."
Why did Zul'jin attack again in TBC?
After the Horde lost the Second War, the Amani withdrew into seclusion. When the Scourge invaded Quel'Thalas, Zul'jin took the chance and attacked the weakened elven villages in Eversong Woods and the Ghostlands. He gained little. The elves, now called blood elves, held out.
He withdrew to Zul'Aman and rebuilt his army with dark power. Then came the news that enraged him: the blood elves had joined the Horde, the same Horde he had helped in the war. Zul'jin declared war on both factions.
His return was only discovered when an Alliance treasure-hunting expedition entered Zul'Aman. Only one person survived, and that witness told the blood elves everything.
Malacrass' plan: binding the loa
Zul'jin's advisor was Hex Lord Malacrass, a witch doctor of the Vilebranch tribe. He studied how the Zandalari high priests connected with the loa, the animal gods of the trolls. His idea was to bind the power of the loa the same way the elves had bound a naaru.
Zul'jin wanted the blessing of the loa. The gods refused. So he ordered Malacrass to bind the loa and put their power inside the strongest Amani warriors. One of those warriors was Man'ye, Zul'jin's son, who received the essence of the eagle Akil'zon.
Zul'jin himself began to draw on the spirits of the four gods and take their forms. The price was high: because of this, the loa abandoned all the Amani tribes. They only returned decades later, when Zul'jin's granddaughter, Zul'jarra, went through the trials and atoned for her grandfather's sins. That part is told in Legacy of the Amani.
If you want to understand what the loa are, read Wild Gods and Loa.
The Zul'Aman raid: who's who
The Horde did not want a war on two fronts, with the Legion in Outland and the trolls at home. So it sent champions to kill the Amani leadership inside Zul'Aman.
The raid arrived in patch 2.3.0, The Gods of Zul'Aman, on November 13, 2007. It is a 10-player, level 70 outdoor instance in the east of the Ghostlands. There are six bosses:
| Boss | Who it is | |---|---| | Nalorakk | The avatar of the bear loa, the loa of war. | | Akil'zon | The avatar of the eagle, the main loa of the Amani, bound into Man'ye. | | Jan'alai | The avatar of the dragonhawk, loa of fire and renewal. | | Halazzi | The avatar of the lynx. | | Hex Lord Malacrass | The witch doctor who bound the loa. | | Zul'jin | The warlord of the Amani. |
The final fight has five forms. Zul'jin starts as a troll and then becomes a bear, an eagle, a lynx and a dragonhawk, one for each bound loa. When he enters the fight, he shouts "Nobody badduh dan me!". When he dies, he leaves a warning: "Mebbe me fall... but da Amani empire... never gonna die..."
Budd, Harrison Jones and the hostages
The raid has a treasure-hunt side.
At the entrance, in the Hatchet Hills, stands Budd Nedreck. He convinces the heroes to steal the trolls' treasures while they kill the bosses. Budd stays outside and wants the glory for himself. When he receives Zul'jin's blood, he throws the vial onto a burning building and brags about the victory. Malevolent spirits throw him into the fire.
Inside, the archaeologist Harrison Jones strikes the gong to open the gates. The trolls ambush Jones as soon as the door opens, but he survives.
Budd's friends are also inside, as prisoners. This is the timed event: you start with 20 minutes, gain 15 more for killing Nalorakk and 10 more for killing Akil'zon. In total, you have 45 minutes to kill the first four bosses. Each hostage you save opens a chest: Tanzar's Trunk, Harkor's Satchel, Kraz's Package and Ashli's Bag. The gnome Ashli is the last one, held near Halazzi.
Where to see it in WotLK
On the server, Zul'Aman is the original 10-player TBC raid. The 5-player version, with the boss Daakara, only arrived in Cataclysm, in patch 4.1.
- Entrance: in the east of the Ghostlands. Budd waits in the Hatchet Hills, outside.
- Budd's quests: Promises, Promises..., X Marks... Your Doom!, Hex Lord? Hah! and Blood of the Warlord.
- Timed event: it still works and gives the hostages' chests. The Amani War Bear, the fourth hostage's mount, was removed in patch 3.0.2. Since then, finishing the event in time gives an epic item.
- Harrison Jones in Northrend: he is held prisoner in the Drakil'jin Ruins, in Grizzly Hills, and you escort him out in the quest Dun-da-Dun-tah!. See the Grizzly Hills story.
- Another troll people, another choice: in Zul'Drak, the Drakkari do not bind the loa, they kill the gods to drink their blood. Compare in Zul'Drak: the trolls who killed their gods.
Read more: Trolls of Azeroth, The Burning Crusade in order and Lor'themar Theron, the regent.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Zul'Aman?
In southeastern Quel'Thalas, in the Eastern Kingdoms. The raid entrance is in the east of the Ghostlands.
Why does Zul'jin hate the elves?
To him, the elves stole the Amani's land and built Silvermoon on sacred troll grounds. In the Second War, the elves also tortured him and gouged out his eye.
Who are the bosses of Zul'Aman?
Nalorakk, Akil'zon, Jan'alai, Halazzi, Hex Lord Malacrass and Zul'jin. The first four are avatars of the bear, eagle, dragonhawk and lynx loa.
Can you get the Amani War Bear in WotLK?
No. The mount left the game in patch 3.0.2. The timed event is still there, but the final prize is an epic item.
Does Zul'jin die in Zul'Aman?
Yes. The Horde's champions kill him in the raid. After that, the Amani chose another leader, but that is already Cataclysm history.
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