Mulgore The green , verdant plains of Mulgore are home to the noble tauren . Mulgore is nestled in the foothills of the Stonetalon Mountains to the north , and protected by a natural wall of mountains on all sides . The only pass through these mountains leads into the Southern Barrens to the east . A land of windswept mesas and grassy plains , Mulgore is the tauren ' s ancestral homeland . Centaur often send raiding parties into Mulgore , and the tauren , now with the help of their Horde allies , beat them back . Tauren are naturally a nomadic people , and their tent cities are scattered across the landscape and change with the seasons and the weather . Now that they are members of the Horde , the tauren have constructed several permanent settlements , including fortified Dalsh - Beran and their capital of Thunder Bluff . Mulgore provides bounty for the hunt , as a diversity of wild beasts roam the rolling plains and climb the foothills of the surrounding range . In the northern section of Mulgore , the mesas of Thunder Bluff tower above the plains , casting long shadows . Bloodhoof Village is centrally located and surrounded by the clear waters of Stonebull Lake , and further south on the protected cliffs of Red Cloud Mesa , Camp Narache stands as the principal training camp for all young tauren . Despite the serene landscape and the pine - scented breeze , Mulgore is fraught with trouble . Brambleblade Ravine and the sacred Red Rocks are overrun by quilboar s . The goblin - run Venture Company infests the three sacred water wells of Mulgore as well as their Venture Co . Mine in the eastern mountain face . The Windfury harpy tribe lay claim to the extreme northern reaches of Mulgore and the southeast mountain face . A tribe of gnolls known as the Palemane make their home at the cave called Palemane Rock , as well in scattered camps along the southern mountains . Prior to the Cataclysm , the Alliance made its presence known at the Bael ' dun Digsite , where dwarves scoured the mountains for traces of their shrouded ancestry . History . This rich plain was once used by the night elves as prime hunting grounds . When the Great Sundering shattered the world , mountains pierced the earth and the night elves fled north . The mighty tauren made their home upon the low valleys and high plateaus after the night elves left . In time , the ash of upheaval disappeared and the once fertile grasslands returned . The aggressive centaur claim the right to the grasslands and have warred constantly against the tauren for supremacy of the land , but the tauren ' s mesa strongholds have so far proved impregnable . Mulgore is a landlocked region , with Desolace to the west , the Barrens to the east , the Stonetalon Mountains to the north , and the Thousand Needles to the south . Mulgore is the ancient homeland of the tauren , who live on the windswept mesas and roam the grassy valleys . Below the mesa ' s ridgeline are the vast emerald plains , which hold an abundance of life including prairie wolves , young kodo beasts , and tallstriders . The centaur forces mercilessly hound the tauren throughout Mulgore . The tepee - like tents and crude hide huts that comprise tauren towns stand in stark contrast to the turning windmills and pulley structures that keep the tauren gristmills operating . Large , ornately carved totems dot every street and stand above every major structure . Toward the eastern border , quilboar displaced from Durotar have started creating dens with thorned hedgerow barriers . For now , it is a small concern for the tauren , but if the bristly " boar men " encroach too far , there will be a price to pay . At present , the tauren are far more interested in what the centaur are up to . Mulgore is filled with a variety of antelopes , rabbits , and wild boar , making it the ideal place for game hunting . A tauren pastime involves hunting these animals to improve one ' s combat skills . The tauren rarely eat their prey , preferring to graze on wheat and grass that grow wild in the valley . Once nomadic , the tauren met with Thrall and his orc s when they landed on Kalimdor . Looking to the orcs for protection , they saw kindred spirits with honor and power . When Cairne led his people to Mulgore , they came upon what is now called Thunder Bluff . They constructed their capital upon the lofty mesas , and the city is now a center for trade and commerce . Ruling over the tauren in his old age , Cairne looks one day to hand the mantle of leadership down to his son Baine . Every tauren vows to keep safe the golden plains of Mulgore . The quilboar activity has increased within Red Cloud Mesa , and now beginning Tauren hopefuls battle an increasingly powerful foe . The Grimtotem tribe has descended from the heights of Stonetalon Mountain and threaten Thunder Bluff and the surrounding areas . As if this weren ' t enough , the Alliance forces have pushed into the Southern Barrens , destroying Camp Taurajo . In response , the Tauren have constructed the Great Gate between Mulgore and that zone , barring what was once an open border . Another Alliance area , Bael ' dun , has fallen , however , the dwarves within either chased away or killed by Agitated Earth Spirit s . Tragedy struck the great Tauren people with the death of their leader , Cairne Bloodhoof . This was orchestrated by Magatha Grimtotem , who poisoned Garrosh Hellscream ' s blade before the two leaders dueled . Cairne fell from only a shallow wound , and the Grimtotem swept into Thunder Bluff to take over the capital . The son of Cairne , Baine Bloodhoof , would never allow this to stand . Mustering his forces , he forced the Grimtotem from Thunder Bluff and Magatha from his father ' s throne . Magatha fled , and Baine now rules in his father ' s place . Geography . Mulgore is temperate with hills , plains ( grassland ) , and some rugged mountains . Mulgore is a sheltered and pastoral valley surrounded by mountains on all sides , and accessible only through a pass to the southeast . Resembling a huge pasture , the area is covered with verdant green grass and few trees . An oddity of the landscape , the tall cliffs of Thunder Bluff tower over the fields in the center of the zone . It is possible for non - tauren to explore Red Cloud Mesa without actually running all the way up . By hugging the cliff below , the area will appear on the map . Mulgore contains no dungeons of any type and no battlegrounds . The quilboar activity has increased at Red Cloud Mesa , so much that great portions of the normally fertile area has now been transformed into giant mazes of brambles . In addition , the usual pass between the Mesa and the remainder of Mulgore has collapsed . A new entry has been laid directly from Camp Narache north to the rolling grasses near Bloodhoof Village . A path stretches down now from the hills that border Stonetalon Mountains . The Grimtotem are attempting to strike from this camp , but Baine Bloodhoof has other ideas . A new Tauren encampment has also been erected northeast of this embattled path , Camp Sungraze . Despite the loss of their beloved chief , it seems the remainder of Mulgore has escaped the wrath of the Cataclysm . Travel . Getting there . Alliance : From Fort Triumph , travel northwest past the Ruins of Taurajo to Mulgore ; either side of the gate . Horde : From Desolation Hold travel north to the Ruins of Taurajo , then west to Mulgore ; either side of the gate - players will have to sneak past the Alliance forces there . Resources . " Note : Though there are no pools , the waters within Mulgore can be fished successfully with a minimum skill of 25 . " Notable characters . Mulgore is home to several tauren of status . From the base camp in Camp Narache , Chief Hawkwind sends promising young tauren out into the world . In Bloodhoof Village , Mull Thunderhorn leads the effort to cleanse the Mulgore water wells , and from his post on the road east of the village , Morin Cloudstalker seeks to eradicate the foothold the Venture Company has established in the land . Baine Bloodhoof , son of the great Cairne , has been chosen as chief of the village named after his bloodline . Quests . Since it is the starting zone for the tauren , Mulgore quests range from level 1 - 10 in difficulty . Quests here often deal with driving out invasive creatures and protecting the land . Particularly important to young tauren is the Rites of the Earthmother quest chain , in which they learn the ways of the land .