Thunder Bluff

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For the faction see Thunder Bluff (faction).

Thunder Bluff
Type	Capital
Population	6,000
Races	Tauren (5,280)  Orc (300)  Forsaken (240)  Jungle troll (180)  Blood elf (N/A)
Government	Spiritual hierarchy
Ruler	Cairne Bloodhoof, Chieftain of the United Tauren Tribes
Affiliation	Horde
Location	Northern Mulgore

Thunder Bluff is the tauren capital city located in the northern part of the region of Mulgore on the continent of Kalimdor. The entire city is built on bluffs several hundred feet above the surrounding landscape, and is accessible by elevators on the southwestern and northeastern sides.

History

Overhead view of Thunder Bluff

The centaur were driving the tauren out of their homeland around the time of the Third War. When Thrall and his Horde arrived on the continent, an alliance was forged between the Horde and the tauren. Following the defeat of Archimonde and the end of the war, Thrall helped the tauren rout the centaur and reclaim their land. Shortly thereafter the tauren founded the city of Thunder Bluff and began the process of settling into their old surroundings and repairing the ecological damage the centaur had wrought. Thunder Bluff grows and expands at a tremendous rate.

Thunder Bluff was settled fairly recently by the tauren, who successfully drove out the marauding Centaur from their lands. Thunder Bluff is the first city of its kind; for centuries, the tauren wandered the plains as nomads, unable to claim a permanent home. All Horde visitors are welcome here, and the expertise of the tauren in professions ranging from leatherworking to shamanism, druidism to hunting are all practiced and taught here. Unfortunately, the central location of the Thunder Bluff also makes it easily accessible to members of the Alliance. Thus, it is often one of the easier Horde capitals for Alliance players to raid, with Cairne being killed long before Horde reinforcements even become an issue.

In order to gain access to Thunder Bluff, visitors must either ride wyverns to the top one of the four towering mesas, use the zeppelin from Orgrimmar or be lifted via rope and wood elevators, an invention unique to the tauren.

People and Culture

Although some of the historically nomadic tauren probably miss their itinerant lifestyle, they are intensely proud of their permanent home and spend much of their time trying to make it better. They gladly accept the help of the orcs and trolls that help them, but are somewhat less enthusiastic at the presence of the Forsaken, whom they only grudgingly tolerate because of their membership in the Horde. Tauren place a strong emphasis on the value of life, and the unlife of the Forsaken stands as an affront to their beliefs, not to mention the less than honorable activities the Forsaken carry out.

Geography

Thunder Bluff is composed of four towering mesas, or rises. The only entrances from the plains below are elevators leading to the central platform. The central rise is connected to the others through large wooden bridges.

Thunder Bluff is located in the far north of Mulgore, among the sprawling flatlands of the Golden Plains. The weather is almost always warm and sunny, with intermittent breezes carried in from The Barrens.

Rises

The various rises in Thunder Bluff act a bit like neighborhoods or quarters in a human city , or the valleys and keeps of the orcish city Orgrimmar.

Thunder Bluff has a central mesa divided into three rises, surrounded by three additional mesas with distinct names:

• Central Rise (In-game is split in to the Lower Rise, Middle Rise and High Rise)
  • Lower Rise (southwestern lifts from main north road)
  • Middle Rise (northeastern lifts from plains)
  • High Rise (east from wind rider roost)
• Elder Rise (rope bridges from middle and high rise)
• Hunter Rise (rope bridges from lower and high rise)
• Spirit Rise (rope bridges from lower and middle rise)
  • Pools of Vision (cave entrance from Spirit Rise)

Points of interest

• The Bank is on the southeastern side of the Lower Rise.
• The Wind Rider Master Tal is located on the top of the wind rider roost in the central totempole.
• The inn is on the southern part of the Lower Rise.
• The Auction House is located on the Lower Rise, just west of the entrance to the wind rider roost.
• The mailbox is located just outside the bank.
• The Fishing hole is located on the lower rise smack dab in the middle.
• The zeppelin dock is located on the west of Spirit Rise.

Notable Characters

Main article: Thunder Bluff NPCs

The ancient Chief of the Bloodhoof clan, Cairne Bloodhoof has become the High Chieftain of the tauren race. He watches over Thunder Bluff, and over his people in an ever-darkening world. Many believe that he is training his son Baine Bloodhoof, who can be found in Bloodhoof Village, to take Cairne's place one fateful day. Cairne can be found in the Chieftain's Tent in the eastern Main City, and is accompanied by his Honor Guard.

Magatha Grimtotem is the elder crone of the mighty Grimtotem clan. Blessed with shamanic powers when she was just a young girl, Magatha has sought power and prestige nearly her whole life. The Grimtotems believe that Magatha will lead them in eradicating the lesser races from Kalimdor and retaking the tauren ancestral holdings abroad. Magatha constantly spars with Cairne Bloodhoof over the direction of the tauren's future and feels that only she is fit to rule her people.

Hamuul Runetotem is the elder druid of Thunder Bluff, and a childhood friend of Cairne. It remains to be seen where Hamuul will stand in the possible conflict that may arise between his chieftain and Magatha.

Travel connections

Flight

Thunder Bluff as seen in World of Warcraft: The Comic

Thunder Bluff as seen in World of Warcraft: The Comic

Orgrimmar

Valormok

Sun Rock Retreat

The Crossroads

Camp Taurajo

Shadowprey Village

Brackenwall Village

Camp Mojache

Freewind Post

Gadgetzan

Zeppelin

Orgrimmar

Notes

• Rumstag Proudstrider has the Thunder Bluff repeatable Runecloth quest used by non-tauren Horde players to obtain the right to ride kodos.
• In Thunder Bluff, the Alterac Valley, Warsong Gulch and Arathi Basin battlemasters are located on the Hunter Rise. One of the curious things in Thunder Bluff is the ability to enter a battleground mounted. Since the battlemasters are outside, if you are mounted when you queue for the battleground, and stay mounted until you enter it, you will enter the battleground already mounted and with a significant speed/time advantage.
• It's a bad idea to jump from the top of one of the bluffs, as the fall is generally fatal without some sort of slowing effect. If you want to save time, you can jump on the platform under the main elevators. The fall damage will not kill you, but will reduce your health significantly.
• Thunder Bluff is most likely the optimal place for flying in Kalimdor for the Horde, as it is located in almost the center of the continent.
• A single Balance Druid or Elemental Shaman can easily stop an entire raid on Thunder Bluff. Just stand in front of the elevator, and when the Alliance comes up, use Typhoon or Thunderstorm. Fire mages can also use Blast Wave, although it is not nearly as effective in knockback.
• Thunder Bluff is the only capital city in which player duels are permitted, becoming available when within the Hunter Rise.

Cataclysm

So far, very little has changed in Thunder Bluff, although Mulgore has a few noteable changes.

Patch changes

• Patch 1.4.0 (2005-05-05):
  • The Rainsticks sign in Thunderbluff is no longer floating.
  • Patrolling scouts that can see through stealth and invisibility have been added to Thunder Bluff.
    
• Patch 1.3.0 (07-Mar-2005): You can now design guild tabards in Thunder Bluff.