Talanji

Talanji
Title	Queen of Zandalar, Formerly: Princess of Zandalar
Gender	Female
Race	Zandalari troll (Humanoid)
Class	Priest
Reaction	Alliance Horde
Affiliation(s)	Zandalari Empire, Talanji's Expedition, Darkspear Trolls, Horde
Occupation	Queen of the Zandalari Empire
Former occupation(s)	Princess of Zandalari Empire
Location	Various
Status	Alive
Relative(s)	Rastakhan (father), Tezlekhan (great-great-grandfather)
Companion(s)	Tze'na (raptor), Kal'dran (servant)

Talanji is the Queen of the Zandalari Empire and daughter of God King Rastakhan. She is a priestess of the loa Rezan. She later forms Talanji's Expedition, a united group of Zandalari and Darkspear Trolls who combat the blood trolls of Nazmir.

Unlike her father, Princess Talanji does not think the old ways are always best and believes that the Zandalari must adapt if they are to survive in a changing world. While her father's advisers were wary of making an alliance with the Horde, Talanji was a staunch supporter of the Zandalari and Horde uniting to face their common enemies.

Following her father's death during the Battle of Dazar'alor, Talanji succeeds him as Queen of Zandalar.

Background

Princess Talanji

Talanji left Zandalar to negotiate with the Horde because the Zanchuli Council was not doing its duty to protect the kingdom, though she told her father that she was simply going to go exploring. She and Zul ended up being captured by the Alliance. The Horde sent a strike team, including Rokhan of the Darkspear, to infiltrate Stormwind Stockade to free Zul and Talanji. When they were cornered in the Harbor, Talanji summoned Rezan to clear a path for them. Afterward she returned to Zuldazar with the Horde and Zul. Talanji explained that her father's advisers all plot against both him and the Horde, and that if the Horde wants the aid of the Golden Fleet, they would need to aid the Zandalari in Zuldazar, Nazmir, and Vol'dun.

Expedition to Nazmir

Against her father's better judgment, Talanji led an expedition into the swamps of Nazmir in order to combat the blood trolls that assaulted Zuldazar. She received the aid of Rokhan, a shadow hunter of the Darkspear tribe, as well as a contingent of his scouts and warriors. Upon arrival at the Heart of Darkness, Talanji and the speaker of the horde see the true power of the blood trolls. They escaped the stampede of the blood trolls and joined up with Rokhan and the darkspear at Zul'jan Ruins. There, she scryed the locations of the Loa within Nazmir - Torga, Krag'wa, Hir'eek, and Bwonsamdi - to seek their aid in battle. Her expedition also recruited numerous tortollans to their cause after saving Torga's corpse from being corrupted by G'hunn's herald, Jungo. Although Hir'eek and Torga fell, the remaining Loa agreed to help her and her forces.

After a Horde adventurer reactivated the dormant Titan Keeper Hezrel, Talanji learned of the Old God contained beneath Nazmir, G'huun, and the threat that it posed if released.

Later on, Talanji personally went with the Speaker of the Horde to do battle with the blood trolls' leader, Grand Ma'da Ateena, their combined efforts leading to the matriarch's demise. She then ordered the Gob Squad to fire upon the reawakened Taloc, causing it to fall deep within the depths of Uldir. Her mission accomplished, she returned to Zuldazar.

• 

  Talanji and Rokhan in Nazmir.

• 

  Talanji delivering a speech to her forces in Nazmir.

• 

  On A.F.M.O.D.

Zandalar Forever

As Zul's treachery was revealed during the Zuldazar storyline, he launched a full invasion on Dazar'alor. Weakened and saddened by the loss of Rezan, the horrors of war began to set in for Talanji. Rastakhan, wanting to protect his family and kingdom, made a bargain with Bwonsamdi for the power to defeat Zul, in exchange for binding the souls of his bloodline to the Death Loa forever. Talanji felt that something was off, but her father assured her that he had taken care of everything.

As Zul's army of blood trolls, traitorous Atal'zul fanatics, Mogu allies, and Faithless Sethrak advanced upon the city, Talanji rallied the civilians to take arms against the invaders in the Zocalo. Although the Great Seal was destroyed, Zul's armies were routed and Zul himself killed with the aid of the remaining Zandalari loa.

A Warchief's Legacy

Talanji and Vol'jin.

Rokhan received word that the mad witch doctor Zalazane had returned from the dead with an army of undead trolls, having somehow escaped Bwonsamdi's grasp. After aiding the Darkspears on the Echo Isles, Master Gadrin requested that Warchief Vol'jin's ashes be placed in Atal'Dazar, the resting place of Zandalari kings and mighty troll leaders. Princess Talanji accepted, and guided Gadrin and the Horde Speaker to the Golden Road of Atal'dazar. There, Gadrin reviewed his old pupil's many achievements and great deeds, Talanji admitting she had previously heard of Vol'jin and admired his deeds for some time.

However, it turned out that the urn did not contain the warchief's soul, nor did Bwonsamdi know anything about where it might be. Thus, on the Death Loa's orders, Talanji, Gadrin, and Rokhan held a séance to discover what they could about Vol'jin's whereabouts. With the presence of his old teacher and friend, Vol'jin appeared, not to reveal what happened to him, but to say that the Shadowlands were in turmoil: G'hunn's influence was spreading without the Grand Seal, and trolls of the past and present alike cried out for justice against the Blood God. The time to end G'hunn was nigh and Vol'jin requested they use his glaive to stab G'hunn's corpse to draw his blood and show all of Zandalar that the old god is dead. Talanji then accompanied a team of Horde adventurers into the Underrot and Uldir to defeat G'huun (The Alliance was instead joined by Brann Bronzebeard.)

After the deed was done, Vol'jin encouraged the Speaker to walk with Talanji as they presented their victory to the Zandalari people. While Talanji was initially hesitant, Vol'jin assured her that none of this would have been possible without her initiative, wisdom, and courage. As the princess gives an impassioned speech about Zandalar's victory over the old god's forces, Vol'jin claims that she is now the true leader of the Zandalari.

Tides of Vengeance

After receiving word that the Alliance had mounted an attack through Nazmir, Talanji conferred with her father about how to deal with this new threat. They determined that while Rastakhan would defend the city, Talanji herself would lead the armies of Zandalari against the Alliance. To that end she enlisted the Speaker of the Horde with rallying the Zandalari. As the Zandalari clashed against the Alliance at the Blood Gate, she gave the order to rescue Rokhan who had been captured by Blademaster Telaamon. With the Alliance defeated at the Blood Gate, Talanji gave the order for the combined Zandalari and Horde armies to push into Nazmir. To her surprise a thick fog penetrated the region which prevented the two armies from finding the Alliance.

After the reunited Gob Squad rebuilt the A.F.M.O.D., Talanji empowered it with the powers of Akunda and fought to retake the Zul'jan Ruins. With Zul'jan secured, Talanji, Rokhan, and the Speaker headed towards Zalamar to do battle against the Alliance. She gave the order for the Alliance forces within the village to be wiped out in order to find the source of the fog and the Alliance fleet. Following the death of Blademaster Telaamon, Talanji led the army to the coast of Nazmir where to her surprise discovered that the Abyssal Scepter last seen in her father's vault. Realizing that the Alliance must have taken it, Talanji sought to disperse the fog and retrieve the scepter. However, she discovered that the Alliance had attuned the fog to the artifact and thus with no other options left to her, Talanji destroyed the scepter. Following the destruction of the Abyssal Scepter, Talanji and her allies learned that Telaamon and his forces were a bait to lure the them away from Dazar'alor in order to weaken the city's defenses

Realizing that the city was in danger, the combined Zandalari and Horde army rushed back to defend the city, with Talanji among them. Amidst the fighting, Talanji discovered her dying father who with his last breaths apologized to his daughter before he siphoned the power of Bwonsamdi into the Princess. Bwonsamdi himself then appeared before Talanji who demanded to know what he had done to her, unaware of the pact her father made that bound his bloodline to the loa of graves. In response, Bwonsamdi merely revealed that her father never told her about their bargain. When asked by her guards about what to do about the fleeing Alliance, she turned towards Bwonsamdi, who with his gesture encouraged Talanji to order the Horde to go after the Alliance.

During her father's funeral, Baine Bloodhoof told Talanji to forgive the Alliance for killing her father and to negotiate with them, Talanji rejected Baine's idea of compensating her father's murderers. She received sympathy from Nathanos Blightcaller who encouraged her vengeance against the Alliance. With Zandalari navy in ruins she wondered if the Horde would abandon the Zandalari Empire but was reassured by Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner that the Horde would not turn their back on their allies. The resurrection of Derek Proudmoore made Talanji uneasy as it reminded her of what Zul did to her beloved Rezan. While convinced that the Alliance must be brought to justice for her father's death, Talanji was determined to not let rage blind her or make her forgot the honor of the Zandalari.

When Baine wished to speak to Vol'jin once more, Talanji performed a seance to call on his spirit. With all that Sylvanas had done to strain the Horde's unity, Baine had to know who the voice that spoke to Vol'jin telling him to make her warchief really was. But Vol'jin's memory had been muddled by death, denied for him by shadows that he knew were coming for his friends. Spirits of the dead attacked the seance, and Vol'jin realized Baine's question was a good one if someone was trying to have him killed for asking it. At Vol'jin's request, they traveled to the Broken Shore and called on his spirit there to shed some light on the mystery. As they searched, more spirits attacked them, and Vol'jin realized that that day on the Shore, something wasn't right with the way the demons' blades slipped past his guard as if the loa had forsaken him. Even now he still could not hear their voices, and no matter how much he called to Bwonsamdi, the loa of death was not answering. He realized that something had been helping the Legion that day to ensure that Vol'jin died.

Vol'jin, Talanji, and Baine traveled to the Necropolis where Bwonsamdi revealed that he had not been ignoring Vol'jin's previous cries for aid; rather, he had not heard them at all. They confronted Bwonsamdi to ask him if he was the one who had told the shadow hunter to make Sylvanas the warchief, which Bwonsamdi denied. Even as much as Bwonsamdi was all for war and death, Sylvanas took things too far, and besides that Sylvanas kept the souls of what she killed as undead instead of releasing them for Bwonsamdi to claim. Troubled by their words, Bwonsamdi agreed to help them find out who had really told Vol'jin to put Sylvanas in charge.

Bwonsamdi opened a Death Gate to one of his rivals in the ownership of souls: the Lich King. Like Bwonsamdi, the Lich King told Vol'jin that he was not responsible and that Sylvanas was upsetting the balance of life and death. Furthermore, the Lich King informed Vol'jin that he had been altered more than he realized and as neither undead nor damned he did not belong in the Frozen Throne. The Lich King sent ghouls after them, forcing them to flee through Bwonsamdi's gate. Realizing that Vol'jin's spirit was getting help from some other power, Bwonsamdi also sent them to speak to the Val'kyr Eyir. Eyir informed the group that Vol'jin had been "touched by the hand of valor" and become something beyond even her power to forge, but whoever it was that had aided him was was not the same person who had told him to make Sylvanas warchief. Back at the Necropolis, Bwonsamdi mused that while Eyir and the Lich King were not his only rivals they were the ones he thought most likely to be behind it. He urged Vol'jin to search not the living world but the Shadowlands for his answers. Vol'jin agreed to return to the Other Side, with the promise that if he found anything he would send word.

When Baine was arrested and Zelling was killed for their parts in freeing Derek Proudmoore from Horde captivity, Talanji felt that Baine should have been given a chance to face his accusers and answer for his supposed crime. She thanked the Horde and Sylvanas for their help, but did not plan to follow the warchief blindly.

Queen of Zandalar

File:Allegiance of the Zandalari.jpg

Talanji pledging her people to Sylvanas and the Horde.

Sometime after the death of her father, Talanji created a new Zanchuli Council consisting of Wardruid Loti, Hexlord Raal, Jo'nok, Bulwark of Torcali (replacing Vol'kaal), High Prelate Rata, General Rakera (replacing Jakra'zet), and Lashk, the first tortollan to sit on the Council. As she prepared to undergo the rite of queens and kings, she called for the Speaker of the Horde to stand by her side. However, before Talanji could begin the sacred ritual, dissidents led by the White Widow rose up in protest of a priest of Bwonsamdi becoming their queen. In response, Talanji and her allies dealt with the protests by making the dissenters see reason and allowed them to bend the knee, however not all chose to accept and instead fought to the death for their opinions.

With the fighting quelled, Talanji preceded with the ritual of queens and kings. As she received the blessings of the Zanchuli Council, she, the speaker, and the Council were attacked Samara, the White Widow herself. Amidst the fighting, Talanji offered Samara the chance to surrender, but she refused and was slain. With blessings of the Zanchuli Council, and the enemy dead, Talanji moved forward to face the judgement of the loa. During the trial, Krag'wa tested how far Talanji would go to sacrifice for her people and her commitment to defend the weak, Gonk addressed the importance of the pack and its allies, specifically mentioning vulpera, tortollan, and even the Horde,, and Pa'ku tested her commitment. All that remained was Bwonsamdi, and the loa of graves offered Talanji a chance to be freed of the pact by giving him the head of Sylvanas Windrunner. Surprised and stunned by this offer, Talanji, moved by her personal sense of honor, rejected betraying the Horde in such a manner and decided to remain beholden to her father's bargain with Bwonsamdi. The death loa merely remarked that it was a shame and gave her his blessing.

Having passed the trials, Talanji was declared the Queen of Zandalari. Recognizing that the Horde sacrificed for the Zandalari and vice versa, Talanji declared that only a pledge of loyalty would honor that commitment. Thus, the Zandalari joined the Horde, as its equals. As part of the Horde, Talanji selected worthy champions to represent the might of the Zandalari Empire. After they proved the might of the Zandalari, Talanji called them to return Dazar'alor where she blessed them with the Heritage of the Zandalari.

After Talanji was informed of Xal'atath and N'Zoth, she remarked that Zandalar was still reeling from G'huun and that the awakening of another Old God was troubling news. Believing that the [Gift of N'Zoth] would consume the Speaker's soul, Talanji directed them to go to the Altar of Akunda in the Terrace of the Chosen in order to for them to be cleansed of N'Zoth's gift. She further instructed the Speaker to gather their allies in order to take back the relics used to free and empower Xal'atath before they could be used against the Horde.

Locations

Notable appearances
Location	Level range	Health range
[10-60] The Stormwind Extraction	??	119,696
Zuldazar	??	345,840
[10-60] Speaker of the Horde	120	43,230
Nazmir	??	71,818 - 3,468,800
[60] Meeting of the Minds	??	3,458,400
Underrot	??	5 1,808,344 5H 1,815,604 5M 2,048,304
Uldir	??	LFR 1,815,604 Normal + 1,675,916 Heroic + 2,141,519 Mythic 2,244,844
Battle of Dazar'alor	??	346,880

Abilities

Zandalari War Priest

•  Judgment of the Loa — The caster unleashes the might of the loa at their target, inflicting Holy damage.
•  Light of the Loa — Heals a target for 20% of their maximum life.

Quests

Please add any available information to this section.

•  [10-60] Welcome to Zuldazar
•  [110-120] To Matters at Hand
•  [110-120] We Need Each Other
•  [10-60] Zuldazar
•  [10-60] Trust of a King
•  [30-60] Vol'dun
•  [30-60] Discreet Discussions
•  [20-60] Nazmir
•  [20-60] Journey to Nazmir
•  [20-60] Nazmir, the Forbidden Swamp
•  [20-60] Into The Darkness
•  [20-60] Leave None Standing
•  [20-60] Improper Burial
•  [20-60] Ending the Blood Trolls
•  [20-60] A Time of Revelation
•  [20-60] The Aid of the Loa
•  [20-60] The Shadow of Death
•  [20-60] Catching Up
•  [20-60] Torga, the Turtle Loa
•  [20-60] Beseeching Bwonsamdi
•  [20-60] Cease all Summoning
•  [20-60] Speaking with the Dead
•  [20-60] Sanctifying Ground
•  [20-60] Jungo, Herald of G'huun
•  [20-60] Krag'wa's Aid
•  [20-60] Ready For Action
•  [20-60] Return to Gloom Hollow
•  [20-60] Down by the Riverside
•  [20-60] Rally the Warriors
•  [20-60] The Battle of Bloodfire Ravine
•  [20-60] Undying Totems
•  [20-60] The Road of Pain
•  [20-60] Boom goes the Bomb
•  [20-60] Target of Opportunity
•  [20-60] Petitioning Krag'wa
•  [20-60] Ateena's Fall
•  [10-60] Bulwark of Torcali
•  [50] Vol'jin, Son of Sen'jin
•  [50D] Atal'Dazar: Ashes of a Warchief
•  [50] The Lost Spirit
•  [50] Spirit Call
•  [50] Wisdom of the Warchief
•  [50] Shades of Disruption
•  [50] The Lies of a Loa
•  [50] The Loa of Death
•   [10] For the Horde
•   [50] Heritage of the Zandalari
•  [50] Twist the Knife
•  [50] His Eye Upon You
•  [50R] Crucible of Storms: Relics of Shadow

The subject of this section did not make it out of the beta stages.

•  [110 - 120] Pressing On

Quotes

Please add any available information to this section.

Main article: The Stormwind Extraction#Notes

Main article: Welcome to Zuldazar#Notes

Main article: Rastakhan (quest)#Notes

Main article: Speaker of the Horde#Notes

Main article: We Need Each Other#Notes

Main article: Journey to Nazmir#Notes

Main article: Nazmir, the Forbidden Swamp#Notes

Main article: Into The Darkness#Notes

Main article: Improper Burial#Notes

Main article: Ending the Blood Trolls#Notes

Main article: A Time of Revelation#Notes

On-click

Greetings

• I will do whatever I must to keep my people safe.
• There is much to do, speak quickly.
• Zandalar forever!
• Times change, and so must the Zandalari.
• I fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Pissed

• Wherever I go, the people chant 'YAAASSS, QUEEN!' A troll could get used to this!
• I am not saying the Zandalari need to rule the world, but come on, you know you'd be better off if we did!
• My chamber walls are adorned with many skulls, but there is always room for one more.
• Careful now, my loa is the jealous type.

Farewells

• Zandalar will endure.
• May your vestments be adorned with the skulls of your enemies!
• Loa watch over you.
• May Bwonsamdi see your enemies before he sees you.
• Vengeance for the fallen!

Gossip

Dazar'alor

My father once ruled with an iron fist, and none would dare break his laws. But he was also just, helping those in need, so his subjects loved him for it.

Now? Now de iron fist is forgotten. Dose he trusts pour poison in his ear as dey plot and scheme.

I do not know what dey are planning, but I know our people cannot afford to wait and see.

The Great Seal

Post- [60] The Return of Derek Proudmoore

 What are your thoughts about Sylvanas bringing back Derek Proudmoore?

My father's final act was to invoke de power of Bwonsamdi. De Zandalari are no strangers to calling upon de dead to serve us.

Yet de raising of Derek Proudmoore makes me uneasy. It reminds me of what Zul did to my beloved Rezan... a foul deed that broke my heart.

De Alliance must be brought to justice for my father's death. But we must not let rage blind us... or make us forget de honor dat makes de Zandalari great.

Post- [60] A Display of Power

Without de Horde beside us, my people would now be at de mercy of de Alliance. We owe much to de warchief... but we will not follow her blindly.

Baine Bloodhoof has shown honor and respect to de Zandalari. He must be given a chance to face his accusers and answer for dis supposed crime.

In Hearthstone

This section contains information exclusive to Hearthstone and is considered non-canon.

In the Hearthstone expansion Rastakhan's Rumble, Talanji serves as the champion of Bwonsamdi's Zombies, an unsettling, death-obsessed team of troll priests, and appears as a legendary priest card. Her flavor text reads: "Everyone wants to be a princess, but nobody ever considers the size of the hat."

Notes and trivia

• Talanji can feel blood magic and create totems to cleanse it.
• Talanji always admired Vol'jin since she was a little girl, hearing of his defiance to Zul's call to unite the troll tribes. As this was only five or so years before Battle for Azeroth, Talanji saying she was a "little girl" then would mean she is still rather young now.
• Several instances of Talanji are tagged with the Darkspear Trolls faction.
• Talanji's generic name in Nazmir is Zandalari War Priest.
• Talanji is voiced by Susan Wokoma.

Gallery

• 

  Talanji on the Zandalar loading screen.

• 

  Talanji at BlizzCon 2017.

• 

Patch changes

• Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): Added.
  

External links

Talanji	Zandalari War Priest
Wowhead WoWDB	Wowhead WoWDB

Preceded by: Rastakhan

Position: Queen of the Zandalari

Succeeded by: Incumbent