Earthen Ring The Earthen Ring is the most influential shamanistic organization on Azeroth , and is led by a group known as the Elder Council . Its main purpose is to maintain the harmony between the elemental forces that comprise the world . Members of the Earthen Ring commune with the most powerful spirits of the elements , trying to pacify them and to prevent them from causing widespread destruction . Some believe that the organization ' s role in the preservation of the world has become essential . Similar outwardly to the druid ic Cenarion Circle , the Earthen Ring is a gathering of senior and mighty shaman who are devoted to studying and preserving the balance that exists between the elemental furies . They have " forgotten more about crazy old gods , ancient legends and lore than most scholars will ever know " . Although Horde - based , some of the Earthen Ring are diplomatic towards the Alliance and a select few are closely associated with it . History . Contrary to what many have come to believe , the Earthen Ring was not established to counter the actions of the Twilight ’ s Hammer ; that particular conflict arose later . The group was originally founded to maintain the harmony between the elemental spirit s . The spirits of the elements are by nature chaotic and prone to destructive outbursts , but equally are capable of forming symbiotic relationships with all other things . These intricate interrelationships constitute the very fabric of Azeroth , and are what makes life on it possible . The shaman who founded the Earthen Ring acted on a growing premonition that they had to begin to directly prevent the elements from entering states of great imbalance , or all life would soon face a mortal threat . After several meetings and pacts , these elder shaman founded what is now known as the Earthen Ring . While members of the organization have never been overly visible in the past , the events of the Third War weakened dimensional barriers and destructive elemental activity now rapidly increases across Azeroth . Today , the purpose of the Earthen Ring has never been a more vital one , and its necessity stands as a testament to the foresight of its founders . Shaman connected to the Earthen Ring work tirelessly to keep the elementals pacified , attempting to ensure their feuds cannot destabilize the world beyond a critical treshold . Although the tauren have practiced shamanism since the dawn of their history , the Earthen Ring itself is of much more recent origin - - people outside the group only began to take note of its existence about 150 years ago . It consisted exclusively of tauren in its beginnings , but a growing number of orc ish shaman were included after Orgrimmar was established , and other peoples with shamanistic roots followed in their wake . Background . Forsaken and the Horde . When the Forsaken first asked to join the Horde , Thrall would have refused if it were not for the Earthen Ring ' s urgings . According to Thrall , a council of sages , known as the Earthen Ring , asked him to allow the Forsaken into the Horde . They claimed that the Forsaken battle demons that Thrall ’ s own race is still fighting to this day . To turn his back on the Forsaken was to forget the horrors the orc race fought for generations . Members of the Earthen Ring believe that the Forsaken can be cured of the plague of undeath . In Outland . As the Horde reached Outland , their homeworld ( formerly " Draenor " ) , they were able to bolster their ranks within the Earthen Ring in Nagrand in the shadow of Oshu ' gun , the Spirit Mountain where orc s traveled for generations in search of shamanistic wisdom in connection with the Ancestors and the Elements . As draenei are also now embracing shamanism , there are even broken and Draenei shamans within the Earthen Ring . They originally started out as a group of Horde sages , but when some of them moved to Outland they incorporated broken into their ranks . Their main goal is to heal Outland . Cataclysm . The Earthen Ring is responsible for preserving the world after the disaster caused by Deathwing ' s exit from Deepholm . His breakout from the Elemental Plane has shattered the World Pillar that bore the weight of all magnetic and elemental forces there , and all of Deepholm would collapse into Azeroth if left unchecked . Several members of the organization are also involved in the unfolding events in Vashj ' ir . Their task is to protect the Abyssal Maw and aid the servants of Neptulon in their war against the Naga . Legion . After a devastating loss on the Broken Shore by the hands of the Burning Legion , few surviving shamans retreated to the Heart of Azeroth . Faction rewards . These can be purchased from in the Shimmering Expanse . Title . Mob and NPC members of the Earthen Ring usually have the title .