Mulgore

About

Mulgore is the land of the Tauren and as such becomes the beginning zone for all Tauren players who have not become Death Knights.  The zone is largely a plains area with few rolling hills and fewer water outlets and mountains.  There exists three settlements which house Taurens in either log buildings or tipis, owing to the former nomadic past of the Tauren while they still adjust to settlement.




Main Storyline(s)

Quillboar have invaded the Tauren at Camp Narache, taking advantage of the upheaval and chaos brought on from the Cataclysm.  Casualities include numerous Tauren youth, as well as a Grandmother Hawkwind, related to Chief Hawkwind.  Led by Chief Squealer Thornmantle, the Quillboar operation appeared to aim at stealing or destroying Tauren youth in three phases:

1. First, they would aquire guns and ammunition provided a more dangerous reach and strength.
2. Second, they would mold the land, corrupting and destroying the plains by planting, tending and growing monstrous thorn seeds.
3. Third, they would raise and enhance battleboars by feeding them a diet consisting of blood and flesh.

The Gnolls to the south and southwest of Bloodhoof Village have refused communication efforts of the Tauren and instead chose to ravage the wildlife in the region.  It appears the hunting of wildlife is not for tribal or noble means, but in an effort to gain quick copper and silver.

The wells and water supplies have become tainted and need to be cleansed.  Appears to have been poisoned by the Gritotem Clan.  Each well appears to have been established by a tribe.  The Grimtotem believe Kalimdor should belong to the Tauren alone and are attempting to poison those Tauren who do not believe their ideology.  Despite their traitorous actions, the Grimtotem were allowed to survive in exile.  Orno Grimtotem wasn't content with that and attempted to raise a Grimtotem army against Baine Bloodhoof.

The Venture Company have continued their operation of exploiting Mulgore.  They are mining in the mountains and transporting minerals and ores for profit.  The Tauren attacked and dismantled a caravan but the Venture Company sent reinforcements to obtain the shipments.  Headed by Supervisor Fizsprocket, they attempt to drive the Tauren out of Mulgore for easier access to the natural goods.

Other

Hunting "Swoop" quills provide a mark of honor to individual Tauren and their clans, due to the elusive nature of the bird.  Although they have found settlement, the hunt is still important to the Tauren and they find the need to wander and hunt.

Harpies, found in the south east of Mulgore, are a natural enemy of the Tauren and are used to test young Tauren's strength.

Dwarves have appeared and settled in the west, performing archeological digs.  This has upset the earth spirits, who have gotten angry and attacked.  The Dwarves appear not to have survived.

There exists a demonic plainstrider named Mazzranache who roams the plans.  He has a venomous bite and has recently bitten Maur Raincaller.  His poison inflicts fever and hallucinations.  Ironically, there is no quest to destroy Mazzranache.  Only cure it's poison.

Brave Tauren warriors are laid to rest at Red Rocks.  However, Quillboar have recently been defiling the graves.

Ghost Howl is a magical being which carries a wound from the Burning Legion, eons ago.

Lore

The lore surrounding Mulgore rests specifically with the Tauren, not surprising considering that this is the starting zone.  There isn't anything specifically shocking or interesting, especially to non-Tauren players.  Some of the customs of the Tauren are shown, which may be of minor interest to players, but isn't necessary.

The storyline with the Grimtotem clan starts out rather abruptly (you're dealing with Quillboar at first) but never really builds up.  You see some of the clan while purifying wells, and then a larger confrontation where Baine shows up and saves the day (whether he was needed or not).  You get a little back story through the quests, but if you don't read the quests you won't know what they're doing or why.

You mainly learn a little about the Earth Mother, the sun and moon, the nomadic lifestyle, the hunting lifestyle and small Tauren customs.  Not much of this is crucial, however, although Tauren players would gain considerable more mileage.  Taurens should take note that they are largely still a nomadic people at heart but less so in practice.  The hunt would be more important now, especially to the older generation of Tauren, and respect given to those who are more skilled or showed more bravery in hunting.

The warriors are noted for their courage and bravery; there wasn't much noted about skill.  These warriors or heroes are buried at Red Rocks, located in North-East Mulgore.  They may be honored and respected, but they were set of in a secluded and rather distant location and there wasn't any ceremonies or special markers besides very basic monuments of rocks and reeds.  Considering the nomadic lifestyle, this may be a rather recent development.

Fun

The zone wasn't particularly enjoyable.  The last quest line, revolving around the Grimtotem and Baine, was the most interesting aspect of the zone.  Followed closely was the vision quests in which your character transforms into a spirit animal.

Much of the rest of the zone seemed like 'busy work;' work that was not necessary but given either as something for players (for experience and mostly white gear) or characters (being youthful aspiring heroes who may be bored) to do.

Some of the stories presented felt rather irrelevant, such as the harpy fighting ("To prove your worth") which had no follow ups, or the earth elementals which was a singular quest that was far enough from the quest origin to be a hassle without mounts.  The northern area of the zone was rather irrelevant, seeming to be only there to connect to the third well.

The well placements were rather weird, as I could not see why these crucial water supplies were so far away from the villages and cities they were providing for.  The connection to the Grimtotem makes sense, but wasn't really executed well.  The story potential could have been grander.  Swoop hunting could have led to a confrontation with the Grimtotems; the animals being poached could have been Grimtotems instead of Gnolls; the desecration of the graveyard could have been Grimtotem.

RP Potentials

There isn't much RP potential but there was a couple notable exceptions.

Mazzranache has a very powerful poison which could be useful for Forsaken characters of Alchemists.  The monster itself is only level 7, so it is best as a mission for a low level character, but a hunter could control it and it could be roleplayed through that mechanism for higher level characters.

Red Rocks could be a useful roleplaying campaign for both Horde or Alliance.  A funeral (or moment to honor fallen friends) could not only be played out, but Alliance members could stage an attack and desecrate the location in an effort to lower morale.