I was thinking of how to RP a Zandalari troll once i unlock them, but this caste system bothers me a bit, are all Zandalari bound to it, so in effect your character didnt pick their class, it was decided by what their parents were?
We see kids being tested in the Hall of Castes by a priest who invokes Loa magic and if the magic responds to the child theyâre set aside for one of the various Loa-centric roles. One of the World Quests has Orphans being sorted too.
However Talanji is queen by virtue of her father being King, and I believe some other quests imply some priest lineages are âlinesâ and generational.
I guess itâs a situation where social caste is determined by birth but if wish to join one of the other castes then you have to go to the Hall of Castes and get tested for Loa-competency via magic.
edit: so I guess that means families can âmove upâ in Caste but never down.
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The caste system isnât based on heritage at all. You get sorted based on aptitude. Zandalari only really care about heritage when it comes to the royal family. Everyone else follows a meritocratic system, and even then the royal family canât rule if the loa decide they arenât competent enough.
Basically once you reach a certain age you are brought to the city and given a series of tests. First they use magic to see if you carry the favor of any loa. If you do youâll be sent to become a priest of that loa. It is a sort of âthe wand chooses the wizardâ type scenario. You get sent to study under the loa you carry a blessing for. This blessing can be hereditary but doesnât have to be. It depends on the will of the loa.
If you have no affinity for any of the loa you are given a physical aptitude test. If you pass you will be added to the Zandalari military and trained to become a warrior. Presumably youâll be trained in the weapons and skills you show the greatest natural aptitude for. We arenât really told much beyond that so you could feasibly roleplay that you got to choose what branch of the military you joined.
We donât know a lot about the peasant caste that makes up the working class, but we do know they have a test to pass as well. It involves a show of strength by lifting boulders over your head to show you have a strong back and legs.
If you fail all three tests you become casteless and are basically not seen as a part of the Zandalari Empire. These people become vagabonds and thieves and are the lowest of the low. Not even fit to be servants.
So yah. It isnât about who your parents are. It is about how spiritual or strong you are when you take the test. Presumably your parents will have been training you for this, in which case the skills you know by then will probably lean toward whatever their caste was.
But it is entirely possible for a child of a casteless wretch to be tested and show a great affinity and be trained to become a priest, thus moving up from the lowest caste to the highest.
No word on if you have an opportunity to be re-tested and perhaps change your caste, though.
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A very informative post thank you, I do have a side question though, how do Zandalari shaman fit into their culture and caste system? Are they in the same caste as priests?
Yes, they deffinietly have their spot.
Hex Lord Raal is one of them and he is one of the Zanchuli council. Shamans also assist with enhancing their ships, as we saw with the Zandalari shipwright. Or they can be used in military - as we saw on Isle of Thunder with Stormcallers.
I really like Zandalari caste system because it sorts community with their importance and potential by actually giving everyone a chance to prove themselves and then theyâre dedicated to train them since the very childhood. I think itâs more dignified system than Highborne and Lowborne.
The only thing that bothers me is that there was close to zero lore about the crafters caste. In Zuldazar it was shown that only priests and warriors matter, but in other sources there was even lowest cast (of farmers,miners, fisherman, crafters and so on) which were also very important foundation of the empire.
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Shamans would most likely be of the priest caste in the same way druids are. While the elements arenât directly worshiped like in most shamanistic cultures (as far as I can tell) there are multiple loa with elemental affinities. Akunda for lightning, Paâku for wind, Kragâwa or Gral for water, and perhaps Torcali for earth.
Beyond that shamans kind of⌠Borrowed a lot of skills that used to be associated with witch doctors and shadowhunters, which is why trolls can be a shaman class. It is a stand-in for witch doctors and the like.
Thereâs also the Stormcallers, as Tihoccan mentioned, that may be more military than priest. Dinomancers also seem to be a military vocation since they were a part of the Zandalari Beast Ward, which was a military force. Thereâs some grey area here given there are priestly orders, like the Raptari and Prelates, who also serve a military role within the empire.
Thereâs also such a thing as a âwavesingerâ which might be a type of shaman. They bless sacred materials used in ship construction, mainly storm silver, and ferry people around Zuldazar in small boats.
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As for the crafters and farmers, Iâve always imagined that there are likely lesser Loa who have some domain over such aspects of society. It would make sense that these Loa donât get as much notice as other Loa from the story as a whole or players, but we see in Darkspear Abilities, and through questing around the world that there are several other Loa who are not among the âmajorâ Loa.
For example Zanza is a lesser loa who could certainly be the one to patron those who would be good in enchantment magics.
In addition it could be that while some Zandalari may not have enough affinity for the Priesthood they could be marked even by major Loa for other tasks. Such as a blessing from Paâku or Graal to be a Sailor or Shipwright, a blessing from Torcali to help tend to the Dinosaurs.
Finally, letâs not forget that the Loa of Zandalar can be actively bargained with either by adults on the behalf of their children, or by the Trolls themselves. It could well be possible that those who would be tested make their own personal pleas to the Loa about their own chosen role, and if the Loa judges them worthy they could help them along their chosen path. The entire âaffinity with the Godsâ takes on an entirely new meaning with the Loa in Warcraft, as they can be actively bargained with, or perhaps even convinced.
A Prophet of Jani might be a fun concept. Just a magical hobo with a garbage alter.
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Iâve wanted the orphans to return in the future as some sort of next generation of heroes, and I imagine Azala as a Jani Priestess, though Iâm not sure Jani actually has priests, as her âtempleâ is a restaurant.
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Jani actually does have a high priest. Sheâll occasionally give a sermon like the other loa priests do, but herâs gets interrupted as the guards run in and chase her off.
So Janiâs âpriesthoodâ may be made up of castless and are not considered a proper priesthood with the same respect and authority as a proper one. More like a religious street gang.
Very fitting for the Loa of Trash.
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