Kul'thran's Introduction - Part 1 - The Child Without a Surname

Dark clouds arose from the distant east, gathering in full power like thick volcanic smoke. Sen'jin, the chief of the jungle troll Darkspear Tribe stood upon the cliffs above the eastern shore of the small islands he and his tribe inhabited, observing the darkening sky. He could tell... something ominous was happening that day, or perhaps a few nights ago as he wondered if the events before him were connected to his dream.

Yes, a vision, a dream of a burning village belonging to an innocent, small group of jungle trolls. He could not tell if they were Darkspear or not in the dream--all he could see was bloodshed, flames, and death. The attackers' glowing green eyes haunted him; he could not see what they were, or who they were.

Blinking his eyes, Sen'jin suddenly saw a long dark shadow approaching the island from a distance. Within minutes, he realized it was a small boat carrying a personage of some sort. The strong waves of the waters seem to carry it towards the shore, slowly bringing the boat and its single traveler into the dim light. Finally, the boat touched down on the shore below, and Sen'jin leaped down from the cliff-face onto the shore to see who the boat was carrying.

It was a troll woman with an arrow stuck in her right side. She was still alive by some miraculous power because there was nothing east to the isles--that Sen'jin knew of--besides the distant land of Stranglethorn Vale. She was fair, and blue-skinned with gentle, red eyes and light green hair. Yet, he she was weary, wounded, and her clothes were a little bit burned at the fringes. She turned her head to look at Sen'jin and then moaned in pain.

He knelt down to help her up when the troll chieftain noticed that there was a bundle in her arms. She has a child! he immediately thought, relying on his insight. Sen'jin had to hurry and gather help from the other trolls. He reached to pick her up, but the mother refused, and instead she raised the bundle up to Sen'jin to take.

"Please..." she spoke weakly. He knew she had little time left to live. "Please take care of my son... his name is 'Kul'thran...' 'Kul'thran R...'"

Sen'jin motioned her to silence. "Don't speak, save yer strength, lady." He took the bundle containing the child in his arms and then reached out to pick up the woman and intended to lift her over his shoulders. However, as he touched her skin, it felt cold and then Sen'jin realized she had died. The mother had lived only long enough to tell him her child's name. "Dang it," he cursed himself. "No... there be nothing I could do to save her." Yet, he could fulfill her dying wish.

Unwrapping the bundle a little, Sen'jin found himself looking upon the face of an infant troll. The little troll's wet eyes were gentle and red like his mother's and his skin was light-blue in color. The child looked like he had been crying for a long time, without sleep or comfort.

Kul'thran out a sudden cry of pain, and Sen'jin tried to shush him softly, but he was no natural parent to this child, so he could not qualm the infant's tears. Could the child possibly know or understand that his mother was dead? Yet, after a few moments, the infant troll stopped crying, and closed his eyes, perhaps trying to fall asleep in the dreary darkness.

Sen'jin gathered the others, and buried the child's mother in an appropriate fashion. Soon after, Kul'thran was accepted, unanimously, into the Darkspear Tribe as Sen'jin's foster son.