Cairne Bloodhoof

Cairne Bloodhoof is the leader of the Tauren people in the Warcraft universe.

Description
A wise and fearless leader, he rules the Tauren from their capital city of Thunder Bluff. Ancient even by Tauren standards (103 years old, as of the start of World of Warcraft), it is assumed that he is training his son, Baine Bloodhoof, to one day take his place. It is said that Cairne is one of the most dangerous mortals alive: not only is he a powerful warrior, but also a spiritual shaman. Decades of leading his people and fighting the Centaur have left Cairne with great wisdom as well as brilliant strategic prowess. Cairne is physically formidable as well, and it is rumored that he can uproot a great tree with only his bare hands. Strangely in Warcraft 3 he wields an axe while the regular tauren wield ancestral totems.

History
A mighty warrior, he is responsible for uniting the Tauren tribes (including the Bloodhoof, the Grimtotem, and the Runetotem) to fight against the Centaur, their ancestral enemy who had driven them to the brink of extinction. Cairne's trust in Thrall (Warchief of the Horde) led the Tauren to be the second non-orc race to join the Horde since its reformation (The island trolls being the first). Years ago, when the Tauren lived near the shores of the Great Sea in the Barrens, Thrall and Cairne first fought together against these invading centaur; their victory secured Cairne's trust in Thrall. Hearing of the Tauren's plight, Thrall vowed to escort the dying Tauren to the fertile plains of Mulgore. To repay his debt to Thrall, Cairne told the orc warchief of an Oracle that lived high in the Stonetalon Mountains. After they scaled the mountain, they discovered there was no Oracle of Stonetalon but instead they encountered the prophet Medivh who told Thrall, along with Cairne and the humans' leader Jaina Proudmoore, that an alliance between the three was necessary to crush the demonic Burning Legion. Cairne accepted the alliance and, as an ally to the Horde, Cairne led the Tauren in the last struggle against their demonic foes. The Tauren proved to be an outstanding ally and were pivotal in the final stages of the battle. Once the Burning Legion was defeated, Cairne helped Thrall to establish the Orcish capital city of Orgrimmar, located in Durotar, before departing with his people for the plains of Mulgore, the Taurens' new home. Ever since his placement as leader of the united Tauren, Magatha Grimtotem, the "Elder Crone" and Matriarch of the Grimtotem clan, has constantly challenged Cairne's rule, arguing that she is the only one fit to rule the Tauren people.

Game Appearances
Cairne is a playable hero in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and in the orc bonus campaign in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Quotes
* "The Spirits rage around you young one, they feel your anguish, your grief."
* "We tauren have always held great respect for the works of the Earthmother."
* "Take heart young one, the Earthmother is near."
* "I am Cairne, chief of the Bloodhoof tauren."
* "Ish-Nee-Alo Po-Rah, warrior."
* "My old bone aches."
* "Our debt to you orcs can only be repaid with blood."

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See Also

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