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A character subpage for the WarCraft universe, including World of Warcraft. For the main character page, see here. For the Horde character page, see here.

"Our people have walked this land for many, many years, and in that time have learned much about the world. Our allies will need to look to us for wisdom and guidance. My father once made a promise to the Horde, to repay a debt we owed them for their service to our race. I, for one, intend to deliver on that promise."

— Baine Bloodhoof, High Chieftain of the Tauren

The Icon of the Earthmother

The plains of Kalimdor have long been a home to these tremendous nomads. The tauren (Or Shu'halo, in their native tongue) are a race of shamans, hunters, and warriors who long ago developed a complex culture and system of living without the aid of stonework, steel or conquest. This is not to say that the tauren are a race of pacifists, for when they are angered they are capable of retaliating with swift and decisive brutality. Tauren are, in a word, stoic, embodying the strong and silent type with their quiet contemplation. This introspective air combined with their immense size can lead a person to understand as to "why" many regard the tauren as a wise and dangerous race.

Tauren rarely speak unless there is a true reason to, preferring to act instead of talk. However, once a tauren has learned to interact with a companion, there seems to be a more open and enthusiastic exchange of words. Since tauren warm slowly to non-members of the Horde, they are usually silent and may sometimes appear brooding. Having become members of the Horde, the introspective race has been involved in more and more conflict, creating a demand for tauren warriors and healers. Some, such as the Ragetotem and Stonespire tribes, gladly throw themselves into the throngs of combat. Others, such as the Runetotems or Skychasers, must spend time putting great thought into the actions they perform on the field of battle. Taking another life, whether it is man or beast, is an act filled with great significance and responsibility to most tauren.

For all of recorded history, the tauren were nomads, constantly wandering the grassy savannahs of the Barrens, before Thrall and the Horde arrived on Kalimdor. Thrall found a tauren and a centaur fighting and opted to help the tauren out with the violent, cannibalistic centaur and earned the notice of Cairne Bloodhoof, chieftain of the Bloodhoof Tribe. After Thrall helped the tauren boot the centaurs our of their ancestral homeland of Mulgore, the tauren abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and set up the city of Thunder Bluff atop three tall mesas in Mulgore.

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General Tropes

Arch-Enemy: The Taurens have a centuries-old feud with the Centaurs that have fought and hunted them down nearly to the brink of extinction before they met Thrall's Horde that helped them to finally repel the centaurs. They have also constantly fought with the Quillboars over lands and resources though unlike with the Centaurs Baine actually managed to resolve peacefully a conflict with them over water after the Shattering.
Badass Native: Giant native American minotaur-like creatures. Hard to get more badass than that.
Beware the Nice Ones: The perception of them as Gentle Giants tends to overshadow the fact that they can be fierce warriors and are very strong. One of the largest tribes isn't called Ragetotem for nothing.
Blood Knight: Comes with being Horde, and applies to a lot of the Tauren tribes and individuals that players interact with. There's a stark line, though; some Tauren love nothing more than using their large size to smash and break their enemies.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Collectivelly, they're this to the Ogres. They both serve as the Horde's physical powerhouse race, but while the Ogres were brutish, bloodthristy, and had no qualms about dabbling in dark magic, the Tauren are In Harmony with Nature Gentle Giants that practice shamanism and druidism.
Cosmetic Award: The Heritage transmogrification armor is unlockable for any tauren character that's been levelled up to 50 through normal grinding (110 prior to the Shadowlands level squish), has gotten exalted with the Thunder Bluff faction and has completed a quest series.
Create Your Own Villain: The Taurens are indirectly responsible for the creation of the Centaurs as 1100 years before the opening of the Dark Portal they came to believe that the Earth Mother dwelled deep in the ground of the region of Mashan'she and tried to awaken her. The Taurens shamans succeeded only to find out to their horror that it was not the Earth Mother but the elemental Princess Theradras that they had awakened. Theradras quickly consumed the energies of Mashan'she, turning it into the wasteland named Desolace, which caused Zaetar the son of Cenarius to come here to come to investigate only to fall in love with her. The two became mates and gave birth to the centaurs who would soon drive the Taurens of their home and hunt them across Kalimdor.
Extreme Doormat: Have grown this reputation among the playerbase for the Trauma Conga Line they went through between Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria, as well as their leader dismissing their deaths.
Fantasy Counterpart Culture: To Native Americans, particularly the Great Plans Native Americans.
Gentle Giant: For the most part, they are all this. Even their warriors have this air about them towards their allies, less so towards their enemies.
Instant Expert: It's somewhat glossed over that druidism among the modern tauren is extremely new, only four years old at most at the release of World of Warcraft. That hasn't stopped them from becoming respected and powerful within the Cenarion Circle, and giving their night elven teachers a run for their money, some of whom have had thousands of years to hone their craft.
Interspecies Friendship: Prior to Mists of Pandaria, the tauren and orcs being True Companions united over their similar cultures and beliefs was a theme.
Magical Native American: Based off of Native Americans, and their Shamans, Druids, and Priests come off this way.
Meaningful Name: Whether intentional or not, "tauren" is an anagram for "nature". Tauren can also be derived from "taurus", Latin for "bull".
Mighty Glacier: Tauren are eight feet tall, and, while they can be pretty fast, they aren't agile compared to the other races. They are, however, well, eight feet tall and with the strength to match. It's generally accepted by fans that a lone tauren warrior can take about three humans in combat. It's this lack of mobility and speed that penalised them against the very fast and mobile Centaurs until the arrival of the Horde.
Natural Weapon: Frequently described to use their horns and hooves in combat, alongside their weapons.
Noble Savage: Initially the tauren were said to be a honorable race of warriors similar to how the Orcs were before their corruption by the Burning Legion, though this was dropped after later expansions flanderized both races.
Our Minotaurs Are Different: They're anthropomorphic bovines and the bulkiest of the Horde races, though pandaren give them a run for their money in that department, and only male trolls are taller (when they bother to stand up straight, anyway). They are related to two races outside Kalimdor: the taunka of Northrend, who look more like bison and join up with the Horde during a quest chain, and the yaungol of Pandaria, which look similar to water buffalo and remain antagonistic toward pretty much everyone.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Tauren, while willing to try peace, are vicious combatants and relish the challenge of battle. This is another way they are similar to the orcs as Cairne Bloodhoof pointed out.
"I am Cairne, chief of the Bloodhoof Tauren. You greenskins fight with both savagery and valor. I am intrigued."
Power of the Sun: Rather than utilize the Holy Light, Tauren priests and paladins worship and draw their power from the sun.
Shockwave Stomp: The Tauren racial ability War Stomp, based on the Tauren Chieftain ability in Warcraft III of the same name.
Tipis and Totem Poles: Tauren settlements look like this.
Trauma Conga Line: The Tauren are one of the most targeted Horde races by the Alliance, having an entire Tribe wiped out by the Dwarves. This is followed by the Alliance leading a campaign across the Tauren controlled Southern Barrens during Cataclysm and laying siege to Mulgore. This is while the Grimtotem have gone to outright war against the rest of the tauren in the north and the quilboar advancing to the south. All of this happens right after their beloved leader, Cairne, died.
Unstoppable Rage: Tauren are known to be slow to anger and quick to forgive, but if something truly angers a tauren, you get out of their way unless you want to be trampled underhoof.

Baine Bloodhoof

High Chieftain

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Jamieson Price (English), Igor Tomilov (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baine_bloodhoof_2_7563.png

Okay Blizzard, is he awesome or is he not? Trust me, we want to love him.

"The world is torn, and our Horde allies have turned down dark paths. We must guide them. Even in the darkest hour, we will bravely hold our heads high, and honor the Earth Mother in all we do."

Cairne's son, and the new Chieftain of the Tauren Tribes, after Cairne's demise. Baine despises Garrosh's leadership, but knows that if he were to leave the Horde or disobey Garrosh's orders that the orcs would attack without mercy, and the tauren would stand no chance against them. So, grudgingly, he has stood by Garrosh and has tried his best to advise him wisely as his father might have.

Things turn downhill for Baine when Garrosh bombs Theramore. Baine swears to Garrosh that, if he were to do something like this again, he would not stand by him any longer. And indeed, as of Garrosh's exploits in Pandaria, he was the second leader (after Thrall) to personally support Vol'jin's rebellion, fueling it with supplies and warriors from Thunder Bluff.

Aborted Arc: A datamined soundfile from World of Warcraft: Cataclysm beta suggests that he'll have a part to play for Horde quest line in Southern Barrens, where he defend the Great Gate to Mulgore, and possibly lead or organize the counter-attack against Alliance forces in retaliation for the village of Taurajo. One might wonder what's the direction of his character will be, if Blizzard hadn't softened him to this state. In the current day in World of Warcraft: Legion beta, Baine made an appearance before Mayla Highmountain, and was given a role in one quest line. While it was scrapped before the official launch, his dialogue refers to Highmountain tauren still exist.
Adaptational Self-Defense: Baine was originally planned to be mad about the Alliance firebombing Taurajo, the dwarves of Bael'dun committing various warcrimes, and the Alliance trying to invade Mulgore. A [[cut event was going to have Baine reinforce the tauren of Vendetta point in their defense of the great gate and state his anger against the Alliance for their actions against the tauren. Either due to a desire to make the Alliance look less cruel or a typo, Tides Of War instead has him declare the Alliance general gave no orders to harm tauren civilians followed by Baine exiling the tauren who chose to seek revenge from Vendetta Point
Alliterative Name: Baine Bloodhoof.
Art Evolution: Most recent artworks of Baine, such as the image above, feature a very different design than the generic player model he's had in-game since his introduction. The Battle for Azeroth expansion finally brings with it a unique model that matches those pieces of art.
Ascended Extra: Started off as an undersized Tauren in Warcraft III, to a small time questgiver in the Tauren starting zone, before Cataclysm thrust him forth into leading the Tauren people by right of succession after his father's death. It helps that he had a few appearances defending Thunder Bluff during Elemental Unrest, and The Shattering helped detail the exact events that made him High Chieftain.
Badass Boast: Baine gave this response to a group of Grimtotem trying to murder him in Mulgore.
Orno Grimtotem: You will die in shame like your pathetic father.
Baine: It took a coward's poison and the fury of Hellscream to bring my father down. WHAT CHANCE HAVE YOU?
Bad Future: The Endtime dungeon reflects the fate of some of Azeroth's heroes should the Hour of Twilight come to pass, and some become echos of time, forced to relive their last moments forever. Baine is one such hero, and you can fight and slay his echo.
Berserk Button: In War Crimes, he is shown to be visibly angry as he grabs Sylvanas’s upper arm when she accuses him of being an “Alliance sympathizer”. While he believes peace is the noblest aspiration, and he woefully pardoned the Alliance for their crimes in the Southern Barrens, it's clear he did not do so without a heavy heart and was perhaps overacting in the presence of Garrosh's warmongery.
Big Damn Heroes: When Garrosh Hellscream was trapped and disarmed in a quilboar tunnel, with all of the elite warriors he brought with him killed, Baine and a squadron of Sunwalkers come in and whisk him to safety.
Big Eater: Shows it in Legion. At the celebration feast of the Legion's downfall, he's the only one who seems to lift everyone's spirits. Subsequently, he immediately turns to throw another feast in Thunder Bluff to welcome the Highmountain Tauren into the Horde. His first reaction to learning that Spiritwalker Ebonhorn is a dragon, is to jokingly comment that he should have set a bigger table.
Body Paint: Baines' newest model in-game has the Horde symbol painted on his shoulders in white.
Boisterous Bruiser: His somewhat flat personality gets a facelift in Legion's epilogue, where he's portrayed as more joyful than most Horde leaders, who, by and large, are the silent, brooding types. His dialogue with Saurfang exemplifies this, as does his eagerness to fight Old God minions when they assault Thunder Bluff.
Baine: No doubt Gallywix wants to push his latest money-grubbing scheme.
Saurfang: *In a deep growl* Rats scurry about their business.
Baine: *In a joking tone* And get eaten! If they're not careful, hehe.
Carry a Big Stick: His main weapon is a very large and very mean looking mace. He also once held Fearbreaker, a dwarven mace lined with jewels, as a gift from Anduin. Eventually, he returned the gift, feeling he wasn't deserving of it.
The Heart: Normally the first one to try and find a 'peaceful alternative' rather than fight. When Garrosh is going to torture a mogu for information, Baine instead proposes that they use a Pandaren elixir to painlessly probe the mogu's thoughts for the information. He also would rather pacify or placate the marauding quilboar with water rather than risk lives to fight them.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Has been the The Dragon of not one, but TWO Horde rebellions. Despite his moral position, he has outright sabotaged the Horde and the Warchief multiple times, and is frequently in contact with Anduin, leader of the Alliance via letter during Battle for Azeroth, while the two factions are actively at war. While Sylvanas was ultimately not acting in the interest of the Horde; she was completely correct to call and treat Baine as traitor.
Crime of Self-Defense: As mentioned in Out-of-Character Moment, Tides of War had Baine exile tauren of Vendetta point from Thunderbluff, the same punishment he gave to some Grimtotem tauren, for seeking vengeance against the Alliance. Whilst the book doesn't mention it, the people in the camp were only fighting against the Alliance military forces assaulting the gates of Mulgore and targeting Horde civilians in the area.
Cruel Mercy: He exiled Magatha for her treachery rather than executing her, but not before breaking her totems to the elements, infuriating them against the shaman so she would have to work her way back up into their good graces.
Crusading Lawyer: During the War Crimes novel, Baine is selected as Garrosh's defender during his trial in Pandaria. Although he was hesitant about accepting the task, Baine decides to show integrity and plays the part fully.
Deathbringer the Adorable: Like his father Cairne, Baine carries the name Bloodhoof, but has a very peaceful demeanor.
Depending on the Writer: Baine is... less than consistent.
- How Pacifistic: Baine was originally written as willing to try peace, but also a Boisterous Bruiser willing to fight similar to his father. A questline in Classic World of Warcraft had dwarves invade Mulgore, poaching the wildlife and tearing apart the land to search for artifacts. Baine initially politely asked the dwarves to leave, then why they refused, Baine decided This Means War! and sent tauren to kill the dwarves, then mailed their broken tools to their homeland to send a message. Whilst Cataclysm initially had cut lines carrying on this portrayal, Starting from Tides of War, Baine started to be written as a complete pacifist who sometimes dipped into Suicidal Pacifism, doing actions like brushing off the Alliance attacking the Gates of Mulgore and exiling all tauren at Vendetta Point, when all info in-game shows they only fought back against Alliance Soldiers still actively threatening the Horde.
- Loyalty to the Horde: Baine was originally written as a staunch Horde patriot and rallied the Horde against their Alliance attackers in unused dialogue. Starting from Tides of War, Baine started being depicted as uninterested in the Horde and having more connection to the Alliance, being somewhat unwilling to fight them even when they were attacking the Horde in their own lands.
- Cairne’s Killer: In the Shattering Prelude to Cataclysm, Baine makes it clear that he views Magatha and not Garrosh as his father’s killer. However after Garrosh turned heel in Mists of Pandaria, Baine suddenly held Garrosh responsible for Cairne's death during the rebellion storyline.
Distressed Dude: Baine has tried this a few times.
- His very introduction into the franchise is when Rexxar, Rokhan, and Chen Stormstout are sent on a mission to save him from a centaur band.
- Baine recently tried being imprisoned by the Horde itself, due to high treason against Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner when he returned Derek Proudmoore to his family. He is ultimately rescued by Thrall, Varok Saurfang, Jaina Proudmoore, Mathias Shaw and an adventurer.
Easily Forgiven:
- Absolutely averted with Garrosh Hellscream. Baine knows that Garrosh didn't deliberately or knowingly poison his father, but he's also very early on to Garrosh's misdeeds as Warchief. Nevertheless, rather than challenge him like his father did^note, Baine decides to work with Garrosh for the sake of the Horde, even if doing ''exactly and only'' what Garrosh ordered him to. He begins to reconsider this when he sees Garrosh's increasingly despicable tactics... but even before that, his opinion of Garrosh was that "Those like Garrosh, their time is fleeting. He will see reason, or hang himself in the end. Those are the only futures awaiting him."
- Played straight somewhat with the Quilboar in Mulgore. Despite the fact that the Tauren have constantly been hounded and attacked by Quilboar across Kalimdor, rather than drive them from the Tauren's homelands, Baine opts to instead find a 'peaceful alternative' which ends up with the Tauren sending ill-fated ambassadors to the Quilboar, and eventually with Hamuul creating a river to try and placate them with the water they've been attacking the Tauren for.
- Also played somewhat with the Alliance, as mentioned in Idiot Ball, where he declares the Alliance general chose not to kill civilians. Whilst he does act tough when ordered to fight Northwatch hold, his inner thoughts reveal he's only doing this out of fear of Garrosh. He does mention in private to Hamuul that fighting the Alliance there has some scent of justice behind it.
Extreme Doormat: Baine has grown this reputation for his muted responses to attacks by the Alliance on the tauren.
Genius Bruiser: For all of his might, Baine is also surprisingly clever. When he and other Horde members were caught in a secret meeting criticizing Garrosh's leadership, he yells at his co-conspirators to surrender at once. Malkorok then reveals that if they had not done so, Garrosh would have the justification he needed to kill them. Much later on, When Sylvanas and Saurfang are enacting their plan to trick the Alliance into leaving Teldrassil undefended, Baine reveals to Saurfang that he had figured out parts of the plan already
Hoist by His Own Petard: In Endtime, you can use the lava mechanic against him by using it to empower your own weapons as well as Baine's. Also, periodically, he'll throw one of the large totems off his back at a player, and the player can catch it and toss it back at him to deal a lot of damage and stun him.
Idiot Ball: There was once a Tribe of Tauren called the Stonespire Tribe. They were wiped out to three men by the Dwarves, who set up Bael Modan on their former home. This is followed in Cataclysm by the Alliance leading a campaign across the Barrens, sacking and razing the civilian village of Taurajo, and laying siege to Mulgore. The locals of Taurajo establish Vendetta Point to defend Taurajo's survivors, prevent Alliance soldiers from killing Horde civilians and try to keep the Alliance out of Mulgore. What does Baine do? He exiles the Tauren of Vendetta Point from Thunder Bluff for inciting violence.
Implied Love Interest: Implied in Battle for Azeroth, where one of Baine's gossip-texts states that Mayla Highmountain, his distaff counterpart of the Highmountain Tauren, has “the most perfect antlers” after which he tries to change the subject like a little schoolboy and even denies thinking about them at all.
It Was a Gift: Fearbreaker. Anduin's personal gift to him. But he doesn't feel worthy of it, so he returns it to Jaina in Tides of War.
Lava Adds Awesome: His fight in Endtime takes place on islands surrounded by lava.
Lava Is Boiling Koolaid: Somewhat in Endtime. Lava does damage you when you run through it, and moving Baine through it empowers his axe with lava. The same happens to the player's weapons.
Manly Tears: Baine openly wept when he saw the Mana Bomb drop on Theramore.
Missing Mom: His mother died a long time ago. Goes into full-on Parental Abandonment in The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm when his father dies, too.
Moral Myopia: Inverted. He will defend and justify Alliance attacks against the Horde while finding similar Horde attacks against the Alliance to be unconscionable. For example, he excuses the Alliance's bombing of Camp Taurajo, which had resulted in many civilian casualties, under the logic that Taurajo was a military target. Garrosh's use of a mana bomb against Theramore, also a military installation and one that had evacuated its civilian population, he considered a horrendous crime. He also admits in secret to Vol'jin, after being asked if he would show the Alliance the same courtesy for not killing civilians in Taurajo, that he does not think Northwatch Hold has any civilians, implying he intended to kill them all.
Odd Friendship: With Anduin. Borders in Forbidden Friendship, considering their position, by no fault of their own, especially when Baine has Perith give Fearbreaker to Jaina so that she will return it to Anduin, believing he's no longer worthy to bear it. And during 5.2, while Anduin was recovering in the Tavern in the Mists, Baine sent Sunwalker Dezco to watch over him and ensure no impulsive Horde soldiers get any ideas.
Parenthetical Swearing: During the Siege of Lordaeron, when Sylvanas offers him a Sadistic Choice to either try to save the most likely dead Saurfang or look after the still living soldiers of the Horde, he growls "For the Horde" in a way that sounds more like "Fuck you".
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Enters one in Dragonflight against the clan Nokhud centaur after discovering that they murdered Bovan Windtotem.
Rousing Speech: During a somewhat awkward celebration feast hosting the Horde leaders in Grommash Hold, Baine offers up words worthy of the event and somewhat lifts the awkwardness away. The only present leaders unmoved by his words are Sylvanas Windrunner, Nathanos Blightcaller, and Gallywix.
"It is with both pain and pride that we gather here today. Pain, for many brave heroes of the Horde fell against a terrible foe. And pride, for against all odds, we have vanquished the Legion. We bled, now we heal. We mourned, now we celebrate! For the Horde!"
Everyone else: "FOR THE HORDE!"
Sadistic Choice: Like Vol'jin, has to choose between going along with Garrosh's plans despite him committing atrocities, some of which he knows about and some of which he does not, or abandoning him and having to deal with the might of the Horde. He faces another in Battle For Azeroth, with Sylvanas. His loyalty to the Horde is tested by her methods, but having been through one revolution, he finds it easier to stick with the Horde this time, knowing that Sylvanas can be dealt with after the war with the Alliance. See the below exchange:
Baine: You just left Saurfang TO DIE out there!
Sylvanas: It was the death he wanted. If that troubles you, you're free to join him.
Baine: *Growls ominously*
Sylvanas: Or you can tend to the living. The choice is yours.
Baine: *huff* For the Horde.^note
Skewed Priorities: Played with. Since Tides of War, Baine has often been depicted as putting the safety of the Alliance above the safety of the tauren. In the novel, Baine says Taurajo was a legitimate military target despite the civilians there, yet his response is to simply put up the Great Gate. However, Baine does mention most Tauren were satisfied with that move however.
Unstoppable Rage: In Endtime.
Baine: My wrath knows NO BOUNDS!
- In Dragonflight when he finds that the Nokhud Centaur have murdered Bovan Windtotem
Baine: It was my turn to save him...and they have ROBBED me of that!!!
What Have I Done: When you defeat him in Endtime.
Baine: What is this place? What have I done...? ... Forgive me, my father...
Writer on Board: A common criticism of Baine is that he is often used by the writers to denounce Horde aggression towards the Alliance while also defending Alliance aggression towards the Horde. In particular, the Tides of War novel has Baine state that the Alliance attack against Camp Taurajo was justified and he exiles the Tauren of Vendetta Point for their attacks against the Alliance in response, ideas that are in no way reflected in the game proper.

Cairne Bloodhoof

(former) High Chieftain

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: William Bassett (English), Alexander Novikov (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cairne_bloodhoof_border_2170.png

Back in his day, they didn't have plural.

"There's no need to coddle me, boy. I may be old, but I'm not helpless."

Leader of the Bloodhoof tauren and ruler of Thunder Bluff. With the help of Thrall and his Horde, Cairne succeeded in driving the centaur from Mulgore, where the tauren city of Thunder Bluff would be established. In return, he accompanied Thrall on his quest to find Grom Hellscream and the Oracle Medivh, and he was also part of the resistance against Archimonde in the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Owing a blood debt to Thrall, he pledged his allegiance to the Horde.

Prior to the events of Cataclysm, Carine died in a duel with Garrosh Hellscream. While the duel was meant to be an honourable battle, Garrosh's weapon was unwittingly poisoned by Magatha Grimtotem. His son Baine has since taken over as chieftain of the Tauren.

A Death in the Limelight: The first time he plays a major role in World of Warcraft, he dies fighting Garrosh as part of Magatha's plan to take control of the Tauren.
The Ace: Lore wise he was one of the strongest fighters in the New Horde, and a rallying figure for his people. His duel with Garrosh was a near landslide victory for him until he took one small injury that allowed the poison on Garrosh's weapon to weaken him. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that in combat, he was even stronger than Thrall.
Adaptational Dye-Job: Warcraft III: Reforged depicts him with primarily brown fur, rather than grey as in the original and most other appearances.
Back from the Dead: Can pull this in Warcraft III with his Ultimate ability, Reincarnation. When killed, he would revive again after a few seconds delay. This led to some pretty tragic jokes after his canon death.
Badass Boast: Cairne challenged Garrosh to Mak'gora, and Garrosh insisted it be a to the death battle. Cairne's response?
Cairne: [laughs loudly] If you ask me to fight under the old rules, son of Hellscream, then know that you have done nothing but unfetter my hands. I sought only to teach you a lesson. I will regret depriving the Horde of such a fine warrior, but you cannot be allowed to destroy everything Thrall has worked for. To undermine the sacrifices the honored dead have made. All in the name of your own personal glory. I will not have it, do you hear me? I repeat my challenge. The mak'gora — the traditional way. To the death!
The Big Guy: Of the "Founding of Durotar" Group, when he joins Rexxar, Rokhan and Chen Stormstout in the Orc bonus campaign of The Frozen Throne.
Cool Old Guy: Old, kind-hearted, and can put a hell of a fight.
Deathbringer the Adorable: His tribe name is Bloodhoof, but he is a very gentle soul.
Demoted to Extra: Played a big role in Warcraft III but doesn't do much in WoW. And when he finally plays a major role, he dies.
Fatal Flaw: A fierce dislike of violence committed for poor reasons such as glory or bloodlust. That doesn't seem like much of a flaw, but it means Cairne immediately assumes the worst of Garrosh for his warmongering ways. This means he doesn't stop to question Garrosh seemingly ordering an attack on a group of neutral druids (he was framed) and when Garrosh raises the stakes of their duel to be to the death, Cairne actually appreciates the chance to kill him. Instead, Cairne is the one who is killed.
Gentle Giant: This guy was huge, and by far one of the nicest characters in the whole franchise.
Heroic BSoD: Cairne has one after his son is kidnapped by centaurs.
I Owe You My Life: To Thrall and the Horde.
Killed Off for Real: Dies after being poisoned by the Grimtotems in Cataclysm.
Old Master: Already visibly aged even for a Tauren when Thrall and his Horde first allied with him when they came to Kalimdor over twenty years prior, he was nonetheless beating the absolute stuffing out of Garrosh during their duel. Until he slipped enough for him to get in a lesser wound, but as mentioned...
Properly Paranoid: Even before the circumstances that would lead to their duel, Cairne never trusted in Garrosh’s ability as a Warchief and feared that his hardheaded behavior and warmongering ways would take The Horde down a dark path. The events of ‘’Mists of Pandaria’’ would posthumously prove his worries correct.
Shockwave Stomp: His "War Stomp" power as a Tauren Chieftain hero unit in Warcraft III.
True Companions: He and Thrall formed a very strong friendship during the events of Warcraft 3. A quest in Cataclysm shows that Thrall is absolutely pissed about Garrosh killing him, even saying Cairne was like a brother to him.
Worf Had the Flu: Falters from being poisoned during his duel with Garrosh, enabling Garrosh to get a fatal blow on his neck after being completely outmatched previously.

Hamuul Runetotem

Archdruid

Class: Druid

Voiced by: David Lodge (English), Oleg Kutsenko (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hamuul_runetotem_6197.png

He, most of all, has the right to Bear arms.

"Nature seeks balance in all things."

The tauren archdruid of the Horde, a student and friend of Malfurion Stormrage, and childhood friend of Cairne Bloodhoof. He represents the Horde within the neutral Cenarion Circle faction.

Bears Are Bad News: Frequently uses Bear form above other forms.
Big Damn Heroes: Saves the player and Malfurion from Leyara
Buried Alive: Worse. He was buried underneath the corpses of the other Tauren and Night Elven Druids he was meeting with, and had to use his bear claws to dig his way out through their bloody, beaten bodies. And he wasn't in good shape either.
Couldn't Find a Pen: After being attacked by Twilight Hammer and losing his ink container, writes a message with his own blood.
Deadpan Snarker: To Garrosh.
Garrosh: Does this look like the green skin of Thrall?
Hamuul: No, Warchief. No one would ever mistake you for Thrall.
Druid: Was the first Tauren to become one, and now leads the Tauren druids as a whole.
Foil: To the racist Jerkass Fandral Staghelm.
Game-Breaking Injury: In the Invasion of the Firelands quest chain, gets badly burned by Leyara
Green Thumb: He's able to kill Leyara with a seed burst spell and uses roots against Ragnaros' heroic-only phase.
Made of Iron: Survives being badly wounded on two separate occasions.
Not Quite Dead: Is twice almost thought dead, but he manages to survive.
Odd Friendship: Has one with Broll Bearmantle in Stormrage. Who would have ever thought the Horde's archdruid would be pals with an ex-gladiator with anger issues?
Sole Survivor: Of the meeting between tauren and night elf druids in The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Among night elves, gold eyes are a sign of druidic potential, and can even be developed by studying druidism. Hamuul is the first non-night elf to develop these gold eyes, and even then they're a bit different than normal, since they're described as also having a ring of green around the edge.
Unwitting Pawn: Of the Twilight's Hammer. A neutral meeting of druids he attended was attacked and slaughtered by orcs claiming to not even know who Garrosh is.^note Hamuul, already having a low opinion of Garrosh, assumes he ordered the attack. This prompts Cairne's fatal duel with Garrosh and divides the Horde's leadership, exactly as the Twilight's Hammer planned.

Magatha Grimtotem

Elder Crone

Class: Shaman

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magatha_grimtotem_border_8750.png

Dark fur, ominous name, no, she's totally not the Token Evil Teammate.

"What brings you to old Magatha?"

The leader of the Grimtotem Clan of Thunder Bluff, a group of incredibly aggressive and supremacist taurens who contrast with their peaceful counterparts. She became matriarch of the clan through an arranged marriage with its previous leader and has taken complete control since his death in a "climbing accident." Her hatred of Cairne is no secret, and it is rumored that she is secretly plotting against him.

As of Cataclysm, Magatha has indeed shown her true colours. She secretly riggs a duel between Garrosh Hellscream and Cairne Bloodhoof, leading to the tauren chieftains death. In the confusion following, her Grimtotem clan take over Thunder Bluff, but she is quickly deposed by Cairne's son Baine, who exiles her and her tribe as punishment. She later shows up to 'aid' the player in stopping the Twilight's Hammer in Thousand Needles, though to what ends is currently unknown...

Affably Evil: In her appearance in the Legends manga, she's good-natured and supportive toward the protagonist, even requesting First-Name Basis, while sending her on a mission that (most likely unbeknownst to her) furthers her plans to overthrow Cairne.
Arranged Marriage: Part of her backstory is that she was arranged to marry the leader of the Grimtotem tribe and many speculate that she arranged it herself for the power it’d give her.
Blatant Lies: Most likely the case with that "tragic climbing accident" her husband died from.
The Bus Came Back: As of patch 7.2, Shamans can recruit her as an Order Hall Champion as part of the Broken Shore campaign.
Enemy Mine: In Thousand Needles, she aids the player in stopping the Twilight's Hammer... but only because she's after an artifact of theirs. After you stop them and give her the artifact, she vanishes and warns the player to never cross her again. In Legion, she joins the Earthen Ring in fighting the Burning Legion.
Even Evil Has Standards: Disowns her nephew Arnak when she finds out about him kidnapping and committing murder, partly because of his lack of discretion.
Evil Chancellor: The vast majority of things she sets in motion in Classic is in order for her to seize control over Thunderbluff and/or kill Cairne.
Evil Old Folks: Magatha have grandchildren, great nephews and her eyes are going bad to signify her age and is the most duplicitous, condescending and vicious Tauren in the game.
Fantastic Racism: The Grimtotem are quite xenophobic.
Humiliation Conga: Gets one from Baine, who, after defeating her, destroys her totems, gives her a "The Reason You Suck" Speech, exiles her and allows a quarter of her followers to stay behind if they swear loyalty to him.
Karma Houdini: Debatable, since she is still alive despite being exiled and abandoned by a considerable portion of her followers.
Obviously Evil: Cairne had had his eye on her for quite a while, and would have taken her down if he could ever prove anything.
The Starscream: She has tried to undermine Cairne's leadership in numerous ways prior to Cataclysm, and makes certain that Cairne dies fighting Garrosh by poisoning the Orcs' axeblade.
Til Murder Do Us Part: Implied, Magatha lost her husband shortly after they were married in an unforeseen climbing accident, meaning that she inherited leadership of the tribe.
Token Evil Teammate: To the tauren, and later to the Earthen Ring in Legion.
Ungrateful Bastard: In Cataclysm, there is a quest to save her from the Twilight's Hammer cult after she has fled from Thunder Bluff. True to her nature, she shows no gratitude and threatens to murder the player if you cross her path again.

Gamon

Class: Warrior

Voiced by: Alan Shearman (English), Igor Tomilov (Russian)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gamon_border_5717.png

Anyone wanna level 1 raid him?

"Many times have I fallen at the hands of an orc, and many times have I risen again. But NEVER again. For every orc that struck me, I will cleave a thousand of their skulls. This. Ends. Here... I, Gamon, will save us!"

Originally a minor NPC created to help Horde Rogues learn their Pickpocket ability, Gamon rose to meme status when players discovered anyone could attack him — it was incredibly common to hear Gamon's death cries the moment he respawned. Come Cataclysm, he became a powerful elite NPC, but still had no role in the storyline.

That all changed with Mists of Pandaria, when Gamon began appearing as a much more serious character. In patch 5.3 he fought against Garrosh's Kor'kron which had begun subjugating the city.

The Alcoholic: He was described as a drunkard in the quest that he was originally intended for. Even in Warlords of Draenor, he still spends his time drinking in the Broken Tusk inn (though at this point, he's more than earned it).
Ascended Extra: Probably one of the biggest examples in Warcraft
Badass Boast: See his quote.
Butt-Monkey/The Chew Toy: In vanilla WoW, players often kill him for amusement whenever they have the chance, and he cannot truly harm them as level 12 non-elite. He was also susceptible to mind-control and had been kited out of the inn, just to be killed in front of a large audience. This all changed by Cataclysm.
Interspecies Romance: Implied, in the Frostwall Tavern developers state that he’s with a Lady friend, specifically grunt Meena, whom is an orc.
It Has Been an Honor: To Nazgrim.
Meaningful Echo: During the last part of the Horde Death Knight quest chain, he can be aggroed and will exclaim "SCOURGE! Stand back! Gamon will save us all!", only to get curbstomped as usual. Two expansions and many levels in badass later, he can truly give weight to that claim.
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!:
"This. Ends. Here."
"TASTE! MY! AXE!"
Mexican Standoff: Does one to the five Kor'kron Overseers despite being surrounded on all sides. It's clear they don't want to fight him.
They Killed Kenny Again: And he is not happy about it.
The Magnificent: As of Warlords of Draenor, he's been given the title "Hero of Orgrimmar".
Third-Person Person: A little bit, most notably his cry of "Gamon will save us!" when new Death Knights enter Orgrimmar and a few of his lines against Nazgrim.
Too Dumb to Live: Pre-Cataclysm, he was actually hostile to new Death Knights who hadn't yet turned in the quest to ally themselves with the Horde. Of course, being Level 12, he only had a snowball's chance in hell of surviving battle against said new Death Knights, who'd be at least Level 57.
Took a Level in Badass: In Cataclysm, he went from a level 12 that hit like a wet noodles, to an elite who can only be slain by multiple people.
Unstoppable Rage: By the point of Warlords of Draenor, he has a quest that requires you to get him a new weapon because it breaks from how often he's been killing orcs. This is a repeatable quest that can be done daily.
You Bastard!: Read the above quote, and understand that all of his anger stems from years of abuse from the player base. It's so bad that he follows Horde players through the Dark Portal "to cleave many orc skulls. Yet my weapon has not kept pace with my rage, and is nicked and dull. Find me a new weapon -- one that is good for removing Hellscream limbs◊."

Sunwalker Dezco

Class: Paladin

He bears the brunt of the Tauren's Butt-Monkey status.

We live, we fight, we die. The tricky part is finding a reason to do each of those.

Sunwalker Dezco is a tauren Sunwalker and the chieftain of the Dawnchaser tribe. He was dispatched by Baine Bloodhoof to the myth-shrouded land of Pandaria to follow the visions his wife Leza had received. Dezco later works alongside Anduin Wrynn to convince the August Celestials to open the gates to the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, where he becomes the de facto leader of the Horde's base within.

Accidental Murder: It's implied in his short story that, in his urgency to protect his sons (One was in his arms, one was about to be killed by a Mogu soldier), he accidentally crushed the son in his arms when he ran into a Mogu while trying to save the other one.
A Day in the Limelight: Bleeding Sun.
Big Damn Heroes: When he and some Dawnchasers show up with Anduin and Chen Stormstout to defend the Valley of the Four Winds against the encroaching Mantid.
Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: "I've been punched, stabbed, thrown off of a cliff, hit in the face by someone's mace, hit in the face by my own mace, and fell off the elevator at Thunder Bluff on more than one occasion."
Butt-Monkey: Above quote aside, things can just never go well for Dezco. His wife, best friend, and one of his newborn sons die on Pandaria, and as if it weren't enough, he doesn't escape a scolding by Taran Zhu for Garrosh's desecration of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms.
Fire-Forged Friends: Dezco served the Horde on several campaigns alongside Kor Bloodtusk, becoming steadfast friends to the point where he named one of his children after Kor to honor his sacrifice during the Pandaria campaign. This is all despite the orc was both overtly aggressive and dismissive towards the Sunwalkers. Not to mention completely unsympathetic about Dezco’s wife going into labor, urging Dezco to press on through Krasarang Wilds and even claiming Dezco’s wife chose a bad time to give birth.
Healing Hands: Used desperately in an attempt to save his wife as she gave birth to his sons. Unfortunately, she didn't make it despite his efforts.
Morton's Fork: He's given one by Chi-Ji, being told that only one of his sons would join the Golden Lotus, and it was Dezco who would be the one that would choose. Then one of them dies, crushed, making the one alive being chosen by default.
Magical Defibrillator: Literally. As his wife dies during childbirth, stay close to see him trying to cast healing spells on her — if you play a Paladin, you'll recognise the animations and sound as "Flash Of Light". It's paced to sound remarkably like somebody using a defibrillator. Eventually though, he gives up and starts crying as he holds his sons (after which, you can always hear him crying when you pass nearby).
The Power of the Sun: Though Sunwalkers certainly believe they wield the power of An'she, the tauren personification of the sun, Dezco frequently seems to refer to the power of the Light. Whether he's referring to the light of the Sun, or the Holy Light worshipped by humans is unknown.
Psychic Dreams for Everyone: Everyone in his tribe were getting Prophetic Dreams, but the one that was experiencing them the strongest was his wife, Leza.
Trauma Conga Line: First his wife dies, then his close friend since the Northrend war, Kor Bloodtusk, dies, then one twin son dies in battle (and Dezco believes it's possible he accidentally crushed his own son's body), then his last son is given away to the Golden Lotus, then his own Warchief corrupts the very land he's sworn to protect, earning him lip service from Taran Zhu. Poor guy just can't catch a break.
What the Hell, Hero?: He vocally disapproves of players even suggesting that they try to take Anduin prisoner while he's negotiating with Xuen in order to let the Alliance and Horde into the vale. There are a few reasons — Anduin is a child, he's in an August Celestial's temple, and he's befriended the Tauren Chieftain.
Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Although in Anduin's case, there are other reasons why he doesn't want to take him prisoner, including the circumstances and the person Anduin is.

Characters / Warcraft The Horde Thunder Bluff