by JR Cook - 11 years ago     show comments

Sure, you can play that winning card and step away from your match the glorious victor. But where is the fun unless you can also drop some lore knowledge on your opponent and add insult to injury? In this column, we don’t worry about card values or strategy – all we care about is that sweet, sweet lore.

Look at him. Just look at him! Those crazed, bloodshot eyes.

That is roughly the expression I have on my face when I see this minion dropped in early rounds. The Sen’jin Shieldmasta is tough, and with an extra mana crystal in your back pocket, he can be played as early as round 3 of any match. That early in the game, most minions are still puny and no match for the Shieldmasta’s 3 attack power. His own 5 health point make him tough to take out as well. Shieldmasta indeed.

But we’re not here to talk card strategy, we’re here to talk about lore. This particular minion is more of a non-descript NPC, but trolls and the Sen’jin tribe have a rich history in World of Warcraft. Trolls are one of the oldest races of Azeroth, and native to almost any part of the world.

Rather than concentrating on all of Troll history, let’s focus our attention just on the Sen’jin tribe, after which the Sen’jin Shieldmasta is named.

Sen’jin was a witch doctor and leader of the Darkspear tribe in Kalimdor. Players leveling an Orc or Troll in World of Warcraft will recognize the Sen’jin Village are the first major quest hub on their way to adventure. The Darkspear tribe lived a peaceful existence until their home can under threat from the humans of Kul Tiras, and the increasingly aggressive Murlocs.

One night, Sen’jin received a vision of a young Orc – Thrall as it turned out – who would come to free the trolls and fight back against the human forces. That day came soon after. Thrall offered his assistance against the forces of Kul Tiras, and his efforts to fight them back proved successful. However, during the chaos of the battle, the Murlocs seized their opportunity to strike. While Thrall was able to beat back their attack as well, Sen’jin the witch doctor was fatally wounded. With his last breath, Sen’jin implored Thrall to save his people.

With the passing of Sen’jin, his son Vol’jin took the helm as leader of the Darkspear tribe.