Introduction
Like other Tauren tribes, the Deadhorn Tribe is one with the land. Deadhorn tribesmen are nomadic in origin, despite the settling of the Tauren people’s in Mulgore. Aside from their propensity to live outside mainstream Tauren society, the Deadhorn Tribe is unique from other Tauren tribes in that they have embraced the undead as their own. While the Deadhorn Tauren remain loyal to nature and the Earth Mother, their primary spirits include a pantheon of demi-gods unusual to other Tauren. The Deadhorn, unlike their Tauren counterparts, do not worship life as the be-all of existence, and instead place great emphasis on the afterlife, as well as on the process of death itself. For this reason, the Deadhorn celebrate both victories and losses, placing great honor on those who have been wounded and killed in battle. Deadhorn burials, for instance, are celebrated as ceremonious revelries.
The Deadhorn Tribe is an interesting mix of Tauren culture and long-sacred death rites, which has bound numerous Forsaken to the Deadhorn way. For purposes of roleplaying, members of the Deadhorn guild represent the “renowned†members of a full-fledged Tauren tribe, who have left the Deadhorn village to establish themselves in Horde society.
History
The history of the Deadhorns dates to ancient days, when the Shu’halo, the ancestors of the Tauren, still resided in their homeland. When the Centaur came from the black lands to raid their first Shu’halo villages, the Shu’halo elders knew that great death was in their people’s future. Some of these elders sought out powerful spirits to aid them, while others probed deep and far in the Emerald Dream to find allies. In the end, the Shu’halo had too few allies to fend off the murderous Centaur, and the great tribes dispersed across the land, beginning the nomadic lifestyle the Tauren would follow for generations.
As the Shu’halo camps began to fall, many Tauren believed the spirits had forsaken them. One such shaman, witnessing the death of his entire tribe during a Centaur massacre, barely survived to bury his own family. As the shaman committed himself to performing the Rites of Passage for the braves of his tribe, he prayed to little-known spirits that his family be watched over in the afterlife. Thus were the first seeds planted of the shaman’s future study. This shaman, having lost all those he loved, committed himself to performing the Death Rites for all his fallen brethren. The shaman traveled from burnt village to village, occasionally traveling with remnants of other tribes to speak the Rites of Passage for their fallen.
When all the dead he came across were buried, when skirmishes with Centaur became infrequent, and as the Tauren settled into their new lifestyle, the shaman stepped away into seclusion.
The shaman, worn with images of death, had by then called upon many new spirits, some long forgotten by the Shu’halo, others discovered by himself in his dreams. While the shaman did not commune directly with the dead, he learned to channel many spirits of death, and from these he learned to speak with those who passed into other worlds. As time passed, the shaman’s communion with uncanny spirits of the dead became a distinguished path of enlightenment for him, as he prayed less to the traditional spirits of nature, and instead placed emphasis on his new pantheon of gods.
As the years passed, the shaman frequently visited Tauren tribes, serving as an elder shaman in their rituals, and making talk with those whom he roamed with during the last days of Centaur aggression. The shaman’s knowledge of the Tauren ways, with his many years of experience communing with spirits, made him a well sought-after elder. Though the shaman hid much of his knowledge of darker spirits to the tribes he met with, his unique approach to the Death Rites earned him the name of his future tribe. When the shaman took a wife, his children became the first of the Deadhorn Tribe.
For many moons, the Deadhorns remained a small tribe, and their chieftain, the shaman who gave them their name, passed his knowledge of death spirits to his children, and they in turn passed it to their children. Over each generation, communion with these spirits became easier, and the Deadhorn shamans soon became truly familiar with their spirit-world contacts, for they had earned many blessings from them. Despite their unique knowledge, and though revered for their abilities as great shamans, the Deadhorn remained near-outcasts as their otherworldy contacts grew; Deadhorn teachings brought great respect from other Tauren tribes, but much fear and caution as well.
It was not until the onset of the Scourge that the Deadhorns began to grow in size, for it was they who advised many Tauren elders during the battles against the undead; as Deadhorn knowledge was useful in defending against the Scourge’s dark plague, Deadhorn liaisons were dispatched to Tauren allies. By the time the banshee Sylvanas led the Forsaken to join the Horde, the Deadhorn’s clan Ashenhoof had already made contact with the Forsaken in Undercity, forging an unlikely union between the Tauren sect and Forsaken pilgrims. It was through this union that inroads were made to bring knowledgeable Forsaken to Thunder Bluff, where the two races could benefit from one another’s learning.
Theme
Life among the Deadhorn constitutes typical Native American flare, albeit with a darker underpinning. Deadhorn heros are seen as useful outcasts by the rest of Tauren society, and have an uncanny, sinister understanding of death and shadow. To the Deadhorn, they themselves are an enlightened peoples, who believe it is their purpose in the land to protect the knowledge of death that they have acquired.
While the Deadhorn as a whole believe in helping the Tauren peoples to regain peace and a viable future, the Deadhorn believe that their death-spirits hold great power, a power necessary to aid them in fending off an inevitable apocalypse. To the Deadhorn, war and death is always on the horizon, and they have embraced this realization with a fierce ambition.
The Deadhorn guild represents the renowned missionaries of the Deadhorn Tribe that have left their home village to influence the Horde’s progression. Such missionaries have many goals, be it seeking to assert the Deadhorn Tribe by preaching to Horde leaders, serving the Horde by giving proper death-rites to fallen heros, or culling the enemies of the Deadhorn by leading their spirits into the afterlife.
While the Deadhorn have a makeup akin to Tauren society, the Forsaken element in the Deadhorn Tribe adds an interesting angle considering the Tauren’s general distaste for their Forsaken allies. When Deadhorn elders first met with Forsaken leaders, their gospel did not fall on deaf ears, and some curious Forsaken, who longed for a purpose in undeath, latched onto the teachings of the Deadhorn. Deadhorn undead are not interested in the politics of Sylvanas, and are self-bound to the Tauren’s preachings of peace and contentment with nature. These “pilgrims” are less concerned with battling the Scourge and asserting themselves as a people, as they are with building a promising life for themselves. Unlike many Forsaken, the Deadhorn undead have learned to be content in their unlife, and it is celebrated among the Deadhorn.
The bond between the Deadhorn Tauren and Undead is a close one – so close, in fact, that it is slightly disturbing to other Tauren and Forsaken alike. Deadhorn undead consider themselves enlightened with their newfound knowledge of nature and shamanism, and consider themselves less Forsaken and more Tauren in loyalty and religion. Meanwhile, Deadhorn Tauren largely embrace the shadow teachings of their undead counterparts, much to the dismay of other Tauren tribes.
Restrictions
The Deadhorn Tribe consists mostly of Tauren, followed by undead. As the Deadhorn are fiercely tribal and shamanistic in nature, undead warlocks and mages are not allowed for guild play (exemplary character backgrounds, however, may receive exceptions). While warlock abilities in shadow magic are envied by Deadhorn elders, warlock summoning and binding of demons is not acceptable by the nature-loving Tauren. In a similar vein, mage’s arcane magic is in opposition to the nature magic favored by the Tauren. For these reasons, unless a character background is able to surmount Tauren distrust of arcane magic and demonology, these classes are expressly forbidden.
While the orcs and trolls have similar beliefs to the Tauren, particularly with the orc’s newfound focus on shamanism, these races are not linked to Deadhorn history, and are obviously not connected by way of family. As such, only rare exceptions will be made for orc or troll characters, and this only for exceptional character backgrounds where some sort of pilgrimage and oath to the Deadhorn sounds feasible. However, an immediate exception to this rule is troll priests, as their voodoo magic relates to the death-spirits favored by the Deadhorn; an exchange of knowledge between Deadhorn and troll witchdoctors is a viable concept for a character, and these characters will be given fair consideration, so long as few troll priests already exist in the guild.
Clans
While the Deadhorn Tribe consists of numerous families (clans), three in particular make up the greater population of Deadhorn Tauren. Each of these families has spent years passing class knowledge down from father to son, creating an almost caste-based system.
The Boneshield clan includes the tribe’s warriors and hunters, who defend the Deadhorn’s hunting grounds from poachers and enemies. When Deadhorn elders are dispatched to other Tauren tribes, or to a foreign Horde city, Boneshield Honour Guards are usually dispatched as escorts. The Boneshield clan is fiercely loyal to the tribe, and is more bound to traditional Tauren ways than the other major Deadhorn clans. Many Deadhorn druids (feral) are among the Boneshield’s numbers.
The Dreadskull clan is mostly made up of shamans and druids (non-feral), and is generally seen as the spiritual guidance behind the Deadhorn Tribe. Since the establishment of Undercity, some number of undead priests have joined the Dreadskull hierarchy.
The Ashenhoof clan consists of a good cross-section of Tauren society, but is unique in that it has taken in more undead members than the other major clans. Undead priests (shadow) have asserted themselves as advisors and even leaders among Ashenhoof politics, while undead warriors and rogues make up much of the Ashenhoof backbone.
While purely a roleplaying element, the history and interaction of Deadhorn clans can add flavor to character roleplaying. To simplify things when creating a character, most all Tauren warriors, hunters, and feral-specced druids are considered in the Boneshield clan. Most all Tauren shamans, balance/resto-specced druids, and troll priests are considered part of the Dreadhorn clan. Finally, most all undead are considered part of the Ashenhoof clan.
In order to balance the clans, when creating a character, if you prefer not to fall into one of the default categories above, name the clan you wish to be part of. Otherwise, the guild leaders will determine your clan when first joining the guild. This will allow the Boneshield clan to receive undead members, the Ashenhoof clan to receive Tauren members, and the Dreadhorn clan to receive undead priests.
Ranks
(1) Inexperienced members of the Tribe were once all referred to as Calves. With the continued proliferation of undead among Deadhorn ranks, however, Youngling has become a term commonly associated with both inexperienced undead and Tauren alike.
(2) Once a Deadhorn has proven themselves a capable member of the Tribe, usually by earning a prerequisite amount of fetishes, they are given a quest by their clan Elders. Upon completing this quest successfully, the member will be awarded the rank of Brave. Braves are the backbone of the Deadhorn hierarchy.
(3) The greatest of the Tribe’s combatants and visionaries are recognized with the responsibility not only of fending off enemies of the Tribe, but proactively seeking out the Tribe’s enemies. While the Orc Warchief Thrall grants titles to all Horde for vanquishing Horde enemies, Deadhorn Champions have successfully slain the greatest of Deadhorn antagonists. Braves who have been awarded a prerequisite amount of fetishes are eligible to receive hunting quests to seek out and slay enemies of the Tribe. Successful completion of this quest earns one the regard of a true Deadhorn Champion.
(4) Those veterans who have learned much in their lifetime experiences, and who actively teach younger Tribesmen, are recognized as Elders. Such Elders have earned a prerequisite amount of fetishes, and have successfully completed a quest given to them by their clan Cacique. It is the duty of tribe Elders to not only watch over their respective clans, but the Tribe as a whole. In addition, clan Elders propose quests necessary for their clan Younglings to progress to Braves.
(5) The reigning elder of a clan is known as the clan Cacique. This is the wisest member of a clan, and implies that there are no less than three Caciques in the Tribe at any given time. The Cacique of a clan coordinates clan events, and works closely with clan Elders to ultimately decide quests needed for clansmen to earn the ranks of Brave, Champion, and Elder. Furthermore, Caciques coordinate with one another and the Tribe Sagamore on all Tribe-wide issues, as well as the rewarding of Tribe fetishes.
While Caciques may pass their title to any clan Elder, they must allow all Elders in the respective clan to challenge for the position of Cacique should the reigning Cacique desire to step down. If such a challenge is proposed, the Cacique must give a quest to all clan Elders. Should only one Elder complete the quest successfully in the allotted time, that Elder becomes the new Cacique. Should more than one Elder complete the quest, the retiring Cacique may choose his successor.
(6) The leader of the Deadhorn Tribe is known as the Sagamore, and serves as chief of the Tribe. It is the Sagamore’s responsibility to represent the Tribe during Horde events, or coordinate a stand-in should he not be available. The Sagamore may veto Cacique retirement quests, and has the final say on the rewarding of Tribe fetishes. Significant changes regarding the Tribe are within the Sagamore’s jurisdiction.
Roleplaying
Most all discussion should ideally be through /say or /yell, both of which are in-character (IC) only. In the rare circumstance where out-of-character (OOC) comments are made, they should be precluded with “OOC:”.
Party chat and guild chat are optionally IC.
Looting
Looting rules are simple: roll on items only if they are an immediate upgrade to something currently worn on the character. If everyone has passed, do a /random to determine who gets the item.
For blue or better items, if someone in the party has already won a blue item, they should not roll on other such items unless they are the only person who can use the item (i.e. blue cloth gloves were found and there is only one cloth-wearer in the group, even though he just won a blue cloth vest).
Recruitment
If interested in joining the Deadhorn Tribe, please provide the following information about your character to wyldkard@mendax.org, with the word “Deadhorn” in the subject line.
First name (in-game name): Family name* (optional): Race (Tauren or undead): Gender: Age: Class: Professions: Physical Description: Personality: Background:
- Choose Boneshield, Dreadhorn, or Ashenhoof, or leave blank if no preference. Please note that to fill all clans, you may not get your first preference).
Please give a background of at least 250 words.
Fetishes
Significant acts made by a character for the betterment of the Tribe will earn them fetishes. While these fetishes may have a physical form, it is their significance that is remembered. These fetishes are crafted by Tribal elders to reward tribesmen for accomplishing particular quests. Collecting such fetishes is necessary to gain certain ranks in the Tribe. Examples include fetishes for collecting materials for crafters, equipping tribesmen with weapons or gear, exemplary aid in combat, et al.
Community Role
The Deadhorn Tribe will make an effort to work with other Horde guilds, firstly with guilds that have a large Tauren population, and second with Orc and Troll guilds, respectively. While the Deadhorn have a number of undead members, their philosophy naturally makes the shamanistic races more ideal suitors for close alliances.
Deadhorn leaders will attempt to make liaison with other guilds, and work closely with major Horde influences on the direction of Horde war strategy.
_Update: _The Deadhorn Tribe, on the Maelstrom server, is no longer active. Should players on Maelstrom be interested in re-establishing the Deadhorn Tribe, contact WyldKard at the e-mail address listed above.