WARNING: Patch 12.0.7 Spoilers in this post!
In a new twist, 12.0.7's Lorewalking story is presented not by Lorewalker Cho, but by Li Li! Having had a momentary fill of adventure, she has now become an Apprentice Lorewalker in order to learn how to better share the tales of her exploits.
What Are the Loa?
Li Li first starts with the basics: what is a Loa? According to her, loa is the name that trolls give to Wild Gods, the spirits of nature connected to the Emerald Dream. As their primary worshippers, trolls have come to associate each loa with a specific important aspect of their society, and revere them as deities.
Li Li Stormstout says: What are the loa?
Li Li Stormstout says: Many call them Wild Gods, but to the trolls they're loa. They come from the Emerald Dream, usually in the shapes of Azeroth's wild creatures.
Li Li Stormstout says: The loa often watch over the animals they share their shape with. Some also connect with the mortal races of Azeroth.
Li Li Stormstout says: Trolls were one of the first to bargain with the loa for protection or power.
Li Li Stormstout says: Each tribe's nature is reflected in the loa they bargain with.
Li Li Stormstout says: Each loa represents something important, like fire, hunting, victory, or even war.
This does run slightly contrary to previous understandings of loa, which were a broader term used to describe any deity within troll society, from mighty Wild Gods to ascended trolls to even the smallest wisp. In this new framework, loa is instead simply considered a cultural term for Wild Gods, similar to how night elves refer to them as the Ancients.
In order to showcase the importance of the loa to troll society, Li Li explains the connection between the Zandalari and their Loa of Kings, Rezan. Having previously empowered their king Rastakhan for centuries, the loss of his power following his death in Battle for Azeroth acts as an example of how integral they are to troll culture and power.
Li Li Stormstout says: The Loa of Kings, Rezan, chose the Zandalari king to receive his blessings.
Li Li Stormstout says: With Rezan by his side it seemed King Rastakhan would rule forever.
Li Li Stormstout says: Nobody could challenge the king while Rezan lived, but the traitor Prophet Zul had a plan.
Li Li Stormstout says: Unaware of Zul's plans, King Rastakhan formed a war party to remove the traitor from Zandalar for good.
Li Li Stormstout says: Zul stood atop Atal'Dazar, watching the war party approach. This was all part of his plan.
Li Li Stormstout says: He had no intention of hiding. He wanted to draw King Rastakhan's champions and, most importantly, the Loa of Kings into his trap.
Li Li Stormstout says: Rezan was dead, and King Rastakhan felt the loss within his soul.
Additionally, Li Li also further explains the pantheon of loa worshipped by the Zandalari, and why that connection was exploited by the Prophet Zul.
The Good, the Bad, and the Bloody
Similar to the exploitation of power by Zul, Li Li discusses how the benevolent loa have been abused in the past. Using the Drakkari of Zul'Drak as an example, she explains how their desperation to survive the Scourge caused them to betray their loa and sacrifice them for power.
Li Li Stormstout says: The Drakkari's betrayal of their loa began when the Scourge assaulted Zul'Drak in Northrend. The trolls were desperate.
Li Li Stormstout says: They didn't think the loa were doing enough, and decided to turn on them and absorb their power.
Li Li Stormstout says: Many of the Drakkari loa had already died. The snow leopard loa, Har'koa, was in chains, and called out for aid from the Zandalari troll, Witch Doctor Khufu.
Li Li Stormstout says: Har'koa was determined to save as many of the loa as possible, even if it was too late for Rhunok.
Li Li Stormstout says: Har'koa escaped her chains and came to the village to get help for the rhino loa, Akali.
Li Li Stormstout says: Akali was out of his mind with rage, prepared to fight to the death. But he was overwhelmed, his power stolen.
Li Li Stormstout says: There was hope for revenge back at the village. Khufu knew how to reach out to many loa for advice.
Li Li Stormstout says: Har'koa was the only loa to survive the Drakkari massacre. The other loa were avenged by champions of the Horde and Alliance in Gundrak.
As we play through the questing in Zul'Drak, Li Li shows how some of the loa were able to fight back with the aid of both the players and loa from other regions, while others were entirely consumed by the desperate ice trolls.
Not all loa are benevolent in their power, however, and Li Li uses Hakkar as one such example. Feeding off of the desperation of trolls, the Blood God Hakkar's power has been used to decimate and subjugate the trolls many times over the years, most notably in vanilla WoW. In places like Zul'Gurub and the Sunken Temple, followers of Hakkar tried to summon him in order to restore their old empire.
Li Li Stormstout says: Our story takes us to the Temple of Atal'Hakkar, the sunken temple beneath the lake.
Li Li Stormstout says: Hakkar is... different than other loa. Let's delve a little deeper into his history.
Li Li Stormstout says: Long, long ago, a Zandalari troll tried--and failed--to summon Hakkar.
Li Li Stormstout says: This failed attempt was believed to have caused the blood plague that tore through the ancient empire, slaying thousands of trolls.
Li Li Stormstout says: Centuries later, the Gurubashi Empire desperately turned to ancient loa to save their empire.
Li Li Stormstout says: Hakkar was the loa that answered.
Li Li Stormstout says: He brought glory back to the Gurubashi Empire. But his price was blood. His faithful turned on their own tribes to pay it.
Li Li Stormstout says: The Gurubashi were torn apart not by enemies, but from within.
Li Li Stormstout says: Hakkar was eventually defeated, but his cult remained.
Li Li Stormstout says: That cult--the Atal'ai--plotted to bring him back in the Temple of Atal'Hakkar, using potent dragon blood.
Li Li Stormstout says: The blood came from dragons that were trying to contain the evil in the temple. Lord Itharius stood outside, helpless to stop the sacrifices.
Li Li Stormstout says: Even though they failed at Atal'Hakkar, cultists in Zul'Gurub were able to restore the Soulflayer.
Li Li Stormstout says: Hakkar's cultists in Zul'Gurub gave their own lives to Hakkar.
Li Li Stormstout says: But there have always been heroes to stop him from consuming this world.
Li Li Stormstout says: Unfortunately, Hakkar has never been truly slain. His followers always find a way to bring him back.
The Hash'ey and Bwonsamdi
Beyond the loa themselves, Li Li also explains the importance that their most powerful followers have in troll society. First named quite recently in Midnight, the loa-blessed avatars known as hash'ey have been present throughout troll history, dating as far back as the days when Bwonsamdi was still a mortal troll. According to Li Li, Bwonsamdi himself was once a hash'ey of Mueh'zala, the original loa of death, before being infused with the power of other loa to ascend to godhood.
Li Li uses Mueh'zala as an example to show how hash'ey have been used for good and ill alike as mortal avatars of the loa's power. During the Darkspear Troll heritage questline, Mueh'zala attempted to raise a loa speaker of his own into hash'ey, only to be thwarted by Rokhan and the player with the aid of their newly reconnected loa.
Li Li Stormstout says: Mueh'zala had been imprisoned for crimes against Azeroth by Bwonsamdi. A witch doctor of the Darkspear tribe heard Mueh'zala's whispers of power and tried to become his hash'ey.
Li Li Stormstout says: The Darkspear trolls were in the midst of a sacred ritual to reconnect with a few of their lost loa.
Li Li Stormstout says: Witch Doctor Tzadah had other plans. She channeled power to Mueh'zala instead, believing his strength would aid her tribe.
Li Li Stormstout says: Fortunately, Mueh'zala wasn't able to take over the Darkspear trial, and the tribe was free to reconnect with its favored loa.
Closing out this Lorewalking, Li Li discusses the importance and rarity of the hash'ey, and leaves us with a final book to summarize the story that was told.
Li Li Stormstout says: As close as the Darkspear are to their loa, we've never seen a hash'ey among their tribe.
Li Li Stormstout says: It's a difficult feat to bond so closely to a loa. King Rastakhan and Zul'jarra are rare examples of this bond.
Housing Reward
As reward for listening along, Li Li does not give us a toy like previous Lorewalkings, and instead gifts us with a Tome of Kings housing decor item.
Loa Lorewalking: Why Now?
As with most Lorewalking stories we have gotten so far, this exploration of the loa is not happening by coincidence. Similar to how we explored the backstory of the Ethereals and Xal'atath prior to our time on K'aresh, or the backstory of the elves prior to returning to Quel'thalas, this lorewalking story likely foreshadows some of the topics that will be discussed in 12.1.
WARNING: Potential Patch 12.0.7 Main Story Spoilers in this segment!
As spoiler-free as possible, much of the events that occur within patch 12.0.7's prologue chapter revolve around the potential identity of a mysterious new entity the Amani once fought alongside named Ula'tek, and the importance of its potential role as a loa. Having come from the Rift of Aln in Harandar, this entity has a rather dubious connection to the Emerald Dream, making its status as a Wild God -- and thus as a loa, thanks to this Lorewalking -- up in the air.
Likewise, its status as a benevolent entity or malevolent blight upon Amani society is left as an unanswered question leading into patch 12.1. By exploring the different aspects of benevolent and malevolent loa in this Lorewalking, we will likely have to determine if Ula'tek itself was good for the Amani or not.
Perhaps most relevant, however, is the ways in which they bring up how other loa like Bwonsamdi have ascended to godhood through the infusion of other loa's power. This is potentially an allusion to Vol'jin and his absorption of Rezan's power during the events of Shadowlands. Vol'jin is currently still slumbering within Ardenweald, waiting to awaken, and the implication of this story may be that he will awaken soon as a true loa.
Any answers to these questions are likely to come in patch 12.1, with patch 12.0.7 acting as a prologue chapter. Alongside this Lorewalking segment, the next story arc for Midnight is certain to be centered around the loa and their significance to troll society.
