Grimtotem tribe The Grimtotem tribe ( aka Grimtotem clan , Grimtotem tauren ) is one of the mightiest of the tauren tribe s . They stand as an aggressive extreme in the usually pacifist tauren . They wish to eradicate the " lesser races " from Kalimdor and retake the long lost tauren ancestral holdings . The Grimtotem tribe fights to eliminate enemies of the tauren ; to the Grimtotem , almost all races are enemies of the tauren . They are known for unprovoked attacks , slaughter and mayhem , in great contrast to the peaceful , spiritual natures of the other tauren clans . The Grimtotem tribe seems to have declared war on the world . History . While the Grimtotem name is generations old , the clan as an organization has existed only for a few years . Magatha Grimtotem and her tribe felt that Cairne Bloodhoof ’ s friendship with the orcs was a bad idea ; the tribe felt that Kalimdor belonged to the tauren , and no other race held claim to it . In recent years , the Grimtotems have conducted raid after raid on goblin , centaur , and orc settlements . Some dark tales even hint that the Grimtotems kill tauren who live in non - tauren settlements , considering them traitors . No one seems to know why the Grimtotems feel this way , though most believe the sentiment either originated from Magatha Grimtotem or her father . They are led by the powerful shaman Magatha Grimtotem , who gained leadership after marrying the previous leader , who died shortly after in an " unforeseen climbing accident . " The Grimtotem tribe operates mainly in the Stonetalon Mountains and Thousand Needles , though some also live in Thunder Bluff ( although very few ) . Two main settlements of Grimtotems exist : Grimtotem Village in the Stonetalon Mountains , and Darkcloud Pinnacle in Thousand Needles . Magatha Grimtotem , leader of the clan , makes her home on Elder Rise in Thunder Bluff , Mulgore . Several hundred Grimtotems live in Thunder Bluff as well , to be close to the Elder Crone , but their influence is limited . Magatha ’ s the one with all the power and brains . Recently the Grimtotems were exiled from Thunder Bluff after Magatha poisoned Garrosh ' s weapon when he dueled Cairne Bloodhoof and killed him , this lead his son Baine Bloodhoof to become high chieftain . Baine then cast out the Grimtotems from Thunder Bluff . Membership . Tauren disillusioned with Cairne Bloodhoof ’ s message of peace and harmony seek to join the Grimtotems . It ’ s mostly older tauren who are used to peace and solitude and don ’ t like the new interlopers . Warriors and hunters seem the most likely to join — not many shaman favor the Grimtotem philosophy , though there are a few who subscribe to Magatha ’ s “ the spirits are angry ” philosophy . They ’ re convinced that the land is sick and requires “ purging . ” The Grimtotem tribe does not have an organized structure or a complicated hierarchy . There is just over a thousand of them , split pretty evenly between the major Grimtotem settlements . The chief of each settlement reports directly to Magatha , and she uses her magic to keep in touch with them . Their information might influence her , but the Elder Crone makes all the decisions . Allying with the Grimtotems isn ’ t an easy thing . People can ’ t walk up and ask to join ; the Grimtotems are suspicious of spies . It ’ s traditional to bring an offering . Up in the Stonetalon Mountains , the head of a goblin is customary to prove a new recruit is serious about aiding the Grimtotem cause . Usually the chief sends a tauren who wants to join on a series of increasingly dangerous raids against centaur or goblin encampments . If the recruit survives and does a good job of killing , he ' s in , though the leaders watch him carefully for the first little bit . New members have to keep killing to stay in , too . A Grimtotem who loses his taste for carnage is killed by his tribemates rather than letting him leave . A Grimtotem who balks at killing a “ traitor ” tauren may have his war party turn on him and tear him apart . Grimtotems allow only tauren to join . If a nontauren tried to join they ’ d probably laugh at him before they killed him . The only exception to this rule is the Forsaken . Forsaken allies . Grimtotem have allowed Forsaken into their clan , even then their involvement is rare . Several Forsaken reputedly belong to the Grimtotem organization . These Forsaken are special consultants who aid the Grimtotems in brewing virulent toxins with which to fight the intruders on their land . Forsaken and the Grimtotems may have a lot in common , and both seem to hate everybody . In the quest in Valormok , Jediga says that Magatha " feels the tauren and their ways can help the Forsaken find a path back to being human . " This may be a cover story the Grimtotem uses to explain their work with the Forsaken . Grimtotem relations . The tauren seem almost embarrassed by the Grimtotems ’ actions , and they ’ re upset with their kin . The Grimtotems reject the peaceful spiritual teachings of tauren shaman and cause pain to the Earth Mother . They are worried that it could further strain the relations between the Horde and the Alliance , and all it would take to make all sorts of trouble would be for the Grimtotems to slaughter a pack of humans . The tauren aren ' t able to just walk in and wipe out the Grimtotems , though ; they ’ re not into wholesale slaughter , and not all the stories about the Grimtotems are true . In World of Warcraft . In - game , most are hostile to both the Alliance and the Horde including the non - Grimtotem tauren , and killing the Grimtotem awards Thunder Bluff reputation for the Horde . They attack either faction on sight ( for game mechanic reasons , as quest objectives ) , but according to lore they are members of the Horde ( with hidden agendas ) . Grimtotem tauren can be found in the Stonetalon Mountains , Thousand Needles , Dustwallow Marsh , and Feralas . The largest Grimtotem village is Darkcloud Pinnacle found in Thousand Needles . Ravak Grimtotem , a member of the Grimtotem clan located in the Alterac Valley battleground , was at one point collecting from slain gnome s . However he now seems to have collected enough specimens and moved on . The Grimtotems are not a faction that you can gain or lose reputation with . In " World of Warcraft " , during one of the quests , they have attacked a tauren village in Stonetalon and Freewind Post . It is unclear if this event has occurred within other lore yet , such as the RPG . In Cataclysm . It is made known in by Christie Golden that Cairne Bloodhoof perished in a duel with Garrosh Hellscream . Cairne ' s death was not at the hand of Garrosh Hellscream , but by Magatha Grimtotem who had poisoned Garrosh ' s weapon , Gorehowl , before the mak ' gora or duel between the two of them . After the death of Cairne , Magatha sent word to the Grimtotem in Thunderbluff to begin a coup , and to assassinate those who would oppose her . Many druids and shaman were murdered in the night following Cairne ' s death . Cairne ' s son Baine however , was able to escape with a handful of those loyal to him , thanks to a Grimtotem traitor . Not able to bring himself to trust Garrosh , and having nowhere else in Kalimdor to take refuge , he appealed to Jaina Proudmoore in the Alliance city of Theramore . With her help financially , Baine returned to invade Thunder Bluff with the aid of the goblins of Ratchet and other loyal members of the Horde . After repelling the Grimtotem force , Baine chose to exile the majority of them out of Mulgore . Those who were still loyal to the Horde were permitted to stay , but under a close watch . After being exiled from Thunder Bluff the Grimtotem , their Mulgore presence now led by Orno Grimtotem , seek to ruin the land itself . In the current Beta build , there is a quest where the Alliance provides the Grimtotems with weapons to fight against the Horde . It is at this point that the Grimtotem sect of the clan in Stonetalon agree to aid the Alliance against the Horde . Grimtotem class titles . Ordinary Grimtotem warriors have different titles depending on who you ask . Other Horde members , like the orcs , use the term “ raiders ” or “ bandits . ” They don ’ t necessarily understand the cause the Grimtotems fight for ; to the Horde , the Grimtotems seem to be an undisciplined , bloodthirsty mob , which isn ’ t too far from the truth . Individuals outside the Horde who have dealings with the Grimtotems use the term “ brute ” or “ mercenary ” to identify Grimtotem tauren . Most of these individuals have never heard the name Grimtotem ; they don ’ t use clan names at all . Among themselves , Grimtotems call their fighters “ warriors ” or “ hunters ” without any extra distinction . Some enemy Grimtotem mobs are sorcerer s and bandits ( possessing the ability to stealth like a rogue ) . This shows the different philosophies of the various groups in relation to Grimtotem members . Scourge connection ? Something that has been keeping players of " World of Warcraft " busy speculating is the shady connection between the Grimtotem Tribe and the undead . Some speculate that it is the Scourge . This is because the Scourge is more interested in dismantling the Horde than the Forsaken are . Also , Darkcloud Pinnacle is very close to the Scourge - allied Razorfen Kraul / Downs . However , it is actually the Forsaken which the Grimtotems are conversing with . Below are some documents and conversations that can be found in World of Warcraft related to this subject . Grimtotem spying . In Thousand Needles , Freewind Post leader Cliffwatcher Longhorn gives a quest called " " to Horde players . He says : " " The Grimtotem Clan is up to something secretive . Three agents of unknown origin were seen visiting the Grimtotem over the recent weeks . We discovered that separate chests in Darkcloud Pinnacle hold these guarded messages . " " The following three notes can be found in Darkcloud Pinnacle . Note that each is addressed to " Agasham " , an individual not in any World of Warcraft database . However , this name is an anagram of " Magasha , " which is suspiciously close to " Magatha , " the leader of the Grimtotem . Secret Note # 1 : Agasham , Our plans must be kept secret at all costs ! It will be disastrous if the other Tauren tribes discover our affiliation . Signed , Harbinger Elm Secret Note # 2 : Agasham , Working together , our forces will be more powerful than all of the Tauren tribes put together ! Yet , we require your total obedience . Remember , your people will be rewarded only after our plans come to fruition . Signed , Harbinger Rex Secret Note # 3 : Agasham , Our agents from Lordaeron will meet with your delegates . Soon . We will notify you once we ' ve found an appropriate location for our summit . Signed , Harbinger Grakus Highborne tablet . Another example is a quest that requires the player to deliver a tablet of a Highborne wizard to Magatha Grimtotem . The text says : " " The first tablet goes to a Tauren female . . . one called Magatha . She is among the elders in Thunder Bluff , and is one of the proponents of the alliance between the Tauren and the Forsaken . She , more than anyone among the elders , feels the Tauren and their ways can help the Forsaken find a path back to being human . Bring her the Tablet of Beth ' Amara . The tablet may be the link she needs in finding a way to help the Forsaken . . . or so she claims . . . ? " " Magatha is also involved in a Horde quest chain to stop the encroachment of the Venture Company into Stonetalon Mountains . The player is asked to consult with Magatha the elder crone . She says : " " . . . I fear that to heal the land , we must first remove the disease upon it . Is it not fortunate , then , that the Forsaken are allied with us ? They know much of disease . I believe they can aid us , and by doing so they will strengthen the trust between our people . " " This eventually leads to the evil Forsaken Apothecary Lydon in the Hillsbrad Foothills , who is experimenting with poisons and new forms of the Scourge . His solution is to release a toxic fog that will supposedly " " bleed the violence from the Venture Company , rendering them weak and docile . " " Arikara . Another quest line that involves Magatha is the Arikara quest chain starting in Thousand Needles . The quest line starts with the player investigating an egg protected by the native wind serpents as though it were their own . The egg is in fact that of Arikara , a deadly creature of vengeance holding some place in Tauren lore . The player is sent to consult Magatha as to how to deal with the menace , who warns that Arikara may be stalking Cairne Bloodhoof . After Arikara is defeated , the Tauren of Whitereach Post are surprised to hear this prediction , but accept it , respecting Magatha ' s position as one of the most powerful Tauren shamans . Magatha certainly has a connection to wind serpents ; in the aforementioned Venture Company quest chain , she sends a wind serpent messenger ahead to inform her Forsaken allies of her proposition . That a massive , vengeful wind serpent should emerge and appear to have Cairne as its target seems entirely too coincidental . An alternative interpretation is that Magatha may be using the player to deal with a potential threat to herself before it grows too powerful . In her own words Arikara is " a deadly creature born only to seek vengeance against those who have committed heinous acts " . Magatha may be the intended target .