Zuwaji

Player Name: Zuwaji

Character Name: Zuwaji

Character Full Name: Zuwa'zulah

Affiliation(s): The Bloodscalp Tribe of Stranglethorn Vale look to Zuwaji as a leader and guide, and recently, as Bloodscalp Chief.

Class: Priest

Race: Troll

Alignment: Chaotic

Faith: Zuwaji reveres The Voodoo.

Build: Though not quite to the physique of a younger fighter, years of survival in Stranglethorn Vale have given Zuwaji a tough, wiry build.

Age: Zuwaji is 39 years old.

Gender: Male.

Height: Zuwaji's bones have aged, and his frame has settled into a standing height of 7'3".

Weight: 225

Eye Color: It's almost impossible to distinguish between Zuwaji's pupil and iris.

Hair Style & Color: Zuwaji keeps his red hair cropped and cleanly shaven. Were he to grow it out, his hair would be thinning.

Skin/fur Color: Like most Bloodscalp trolls, Zuwaji's hair is red.

Armor/Garment Type: Zuwaji is untrained in the use of physical armor, and instead prefers to weave the shadows of the Voodoo, and to harness the soul's power to protect himself and others.

Usual Attire: In combat, Zuwaji wears his Triumphant Zabra's Regalia, but relaxes in a simple, flowing cloth robe and his favorite Voodoo Mask.

Personality: Zuwaji is fluent in Zandali, but struggles with other languages, as his nomadic tribe never valued diplomacy. This may lead some to the assumption that Zuwaji is not the most intelligent adversary, but to underestimate his martial and strategic prowess would be a deadly mistake. Although he generally dislikes and distrusts other races, Zuwaji generally keeps his own thoughts to himself. It doesn't stop him from referring to most appropriate races as "pinkskin," however. He values his tribe above all else, and is willing to set his own differences with the other races aside to ensure the survival of the Bloodscalp. Though he would never admit it, he has a great fondness for human cuisine.

History:

From a young age, Zuwaji has communed with the spirits and his connection to that realm has given him great power. As a Bloodscalp, nothing was more valued than power and a sharp, killing spirit. Life wasn't easy in the jungle, and the harsh environment raised a tough survivor. Experiences and a deep connection to the Voodoo gave him an edge against most threats, and foresight and a clever nature kept him away from the rest. Alongside his Bloodscalp brethren, Zuwaji has prematurely ended the careers of many a fresh adventurer. After maturing to adulthood, Zuwaji slowly built a reputation of outsmarting his opponents instead of relying on brute force. With time, Gan'zulah, Chief of the Bloodscalp, began to take notice the wisdom of Zuwaji's battle plans. His success on the field and reliability as strategist began a steady trend of advancement through the structure of the tribe's hierarchy, with Gan'zulah eventually coming to rely on Zuwaji as an advisor in both war strategy and the decisions of the tribe in day to day management. A number of more senior ranking witch doctors came to resent the heavy role Zuwaji came to play, especially in the future.

Over the course of the last few years, more traffic through Stranglethorn and an increase of settlers created a distinctive problem for the Bloodscalps. Between dwarven hunters, trading company construction, rebel encampments and increased pirate activity, the tactics that had made them successful were proving to be outmatched with superior firepower and numbers. Zuwaji, during a council held by Gan'zulah, suggested an attempt to ally the other clans of the jungle trolls under the Gurubashi name, believing that perhaps reason could convince the other tribes to unite and drive the invaders out of troll land. The elders loudly protested, claiming such bold attacks would surely invite the Horde or Alliance to crush them, but believing Zuwaji intended to cause a power shift. As Gan'zulah contemplated his options, a faction of Bloodscalp elders, Darkspear spies, schemed a way to ensure the order of things remained in tact.

The plan settled on was called the Hunt for Yenniku. Nezzliok, a Darkspear spy, met with Nimboya at Grom'gol under the cover of night, and the details were laid out. The Horde would contract adventurers to kill Bloodscalp under the pretext that the son of the Darkspear chief, a young troll named Yenniku, was being held by the Bloodscalp. After tearing the Bloodscalp and Skullsplitter tribes down with clever lies and miscommunication, Yenniku would eventually be linked to a rogue troll named Zanzil, Yenniku could be rescued, and the story would end happily ever after.

The spy revealed the locations of multiple Bloodscalp ambush sites, making easy marks of the raiders. Knowing this assault would demand retaliation, Nezzliok and Nimboya decided it would be in the best interest of the Horde to blame Skullsplitter influence, and to kill their current chief in reparation. Nezzliok knew that if he were exposed, it may well unite the Stranglethorn trolls, and so it was decided that Nimboya would demand the head of not just Gan'zulah, but Nezzliok as well. After feeding Gan'zulah false information about the scheming of the Skullsplitter tribe, the plan was hatched to prevent the forming of the Gurubashi tribe. To the end, Nezzliok's whispering would outweigh Zuwaji's reason, and the Bloodscalp chief would call for justice in the death of the Skullsplitter chief, Ana'thek the Cruel. The sudden death of the leadership of both tribes would likely prevent any united efforts. When the scales were balanced, Nezzliok would send the adventurers to Zanzil, and likely, their death.

The only thing more devastating than the lack of knowledge on the enemy was the sheer numbers of the opposition. Though typically travelling in ones or twos, these paid killers were always a force to be reckoned with. And for every one Zuwaji's tribe killed, two more arrived. The Bloodscalps had always adapted, but now, their every move was reacted to as though the opponents held a playbook. Eventually, the hired Horde overtook the deepest of Bloodscalp territory, and Gan'zulah was defeated alongside his mistakenly trusted advisor, Nezzliok. Because of the information fed to him, even in death, Gan'zulah never suspected the treachery. His blind rage played directly into Nezzliok's plan.

Since the fall of Gan'zulah and Nezzliok, Zuwaji has lead the Bloodscalp unopposed, but the situation has only grown more dire. The witch doctors and shaman of the Bloodscalp sense something dark looming over the horizon, and the spirits offer no clear guidance on the matter. Some believe the Lich King is the sourse of this rift in the other realms, and while not all agree on what to do, all agree something must be done. The chief and his elders eventually decide that someone must go and learn of a way to stop the events the spirits fear. Zuwaji, the strongest of the Bloodscalp, would leave his tribe to protect it, and to search for others to aid in the fight against the great northern abomination.