Profile
Description
A bit larger than most of his jungle-dwelling cousins, with deep blue fur and intense red eyes that still carry the spark of youth, most who are familiar with his kind would recognize Garua as an ice troll. His untrimmed mane is purplish at the roots and fades to white, the same hair sprouting in other areas as well. While he bears few marks and wears little jewelry, six small black spots have been inked into the flesh around his right eye.
Personality
Friendly, wild, and persistent. Unlike most Drakkari you've probably encountered, his expression and demeanor is often mirthful. If you happen observe him during combat, you might notice that his fighting style resembles a dance. He's never gotten over his teenage clumsiness, and misplaced strength tends to make his spills that much worse.
Inspirational Songs:
"Danger on the Rocks" by Baby Mammoth
"Nitrogen (Part 2)" by Juno Reactor"
History
Born into a large family from Gundak, Garua once desired to be a battle shaman like his mother. She had perished in battle when he was younger, but not before the young troll learned a thing or two. He would often wear a snow leopard pelt while participating in tribal dances with his older brother, Ry'kon; both siblings would retain their affinity for dancing and each other, even after they drifted apart. Their father, an arrogant but powerful frost mage, had deduced Garua to be a simpleton who could not reliably wield large weapons or hit targets at a distance, and set him to hard manual labor and delivery around Zul'Drak for several years following his mother's death. Garua was secretly thankful to be excluded from the Drakkari military force as he found most of his people to be mindlessly barbaric.
While he still enjoyed sparring and hunting, he spent the majority of his time moving chunks of architecture around at the chieftains' command, while enduring abuse like most of those at the bottom of the trollish totem pole. He eventually fell into a deep depression, watching as his tribe killed their own gods and still lost their homeland to the Scourge. In a moment of clarity he managed to speak with Har'koa before fleeing Northrend with his father and a group of Zandalari. She would offer him a blessing in gratitude for saving some stray cubs, and he would dedicate himself to the preservation and prosperity of the leopard goddess and her kin.
Much of the next year and a half was spent on ships, sailing from Northrend to what remained of Zandalar, to various small islands and finally Pandaria as the desperate Zandalari and the remnants of other great tribes sought to conquer the pandaren's home - starting with Kun-Lai. Garua had previously believed that he had nowhere else to go, and feared being executed for desertion; but a few days after following his father ashore, he realized he wanted no part of his brethren's conquests or dark alliances and disappeared into the mountains.
After being chased off by villagers and travelers in several locations, he eventually came upon a nearsighted old pandaren lady who agreed to teach him the basics of their ancient fighting style in exchange for a few intense physical errands. The training session would be brief, however, as it wouldn't take more than a few days for a traveler from Zouchin Village to pass through and recognize the Drakkari. He fled east, snuck aboard a random Horde ship, and continued his journey across the sea... taking care not to fall under the wrong gaze.
Upon landfall, Garua was essentially strongarmed into joining the Horde by a few persuasive Darkspears as they recognized his value as a warrior. Garua also realized there was little chance for survival as a lone ice troll in Kalimdor, so he attempted to pass himself off as one of their larger cousins until gaining enough favor to allow him to safely reveal his true identity. The Darkspear tribe was also pretty chill compared to the Drakkari - so he decided to stick around.
