"To the Rivermane, Huln passed down the traditions of agriculture, fishing, midwifery, and mending.
To the Skyhorn, Huln passed down the traditions of trailblazing, animal husbandry, and skyriding.
To the Highmountain tribe, Huln passed down the traditions of diplomacy, comraderie, and hospitality.
To the Bloodtotem; Huln passed down the Loathsome Traditions of war, pillage, and savagery.
To each tribe did Huln grant the necessities for Highmountains long and prosperous survival, to give them the skills to coordinate and co-exist with each other in closed prosperity. But to the Bloodtotem he gave the knowledge to pass on to assure Highmountain’s survival.
For when the fields grow fallow and blighted, and rivers run dry;
For when wildlife cease their migrations, and our skies darken with our foes;
For when enemies are at our gates, and treachery blooms from within;
It is our lessons that we pass to the other tribes in desperation, so we may all survive the trials that come.
We are the shields of Highmountain, and it is our entrusted duty to hold onto the unsavory lessons and teachings of society so that the others may live in peace.
When our honored foes once more descend upon Azeroth, we will be there to teach the others to lock shields with us and show our foes the might of the chosen."
So who are the Bloodtotem Exiles?
The Bloodtotem Exiles are in effect the remaining Bloodtotem tribe members who rejected the call of Torok to embrace the Fel Flame and become the reborn Feltotem, as well as rejecting the assimilation into the other tribes after the fall of the Bloodtotem; subtly ‘decreed’ by Mayla Highmountain.
They persevere and maintain the belief that their traditions are a necessary part of the Covenant of Highmountain, and that their subsequent castoff from the leadership in place of the Drogbar was not only unfair; but an act of indignant cruelty inflicted upon the tribe by their former cousins now that they have been rendered to their weakest point.
The Exiles do not lament this decision, simply seeing it as both dealt justice for Torok’s grand cowardice and betrayal of the Covenant, as well as the shortsighted nature of the other tribes who have never been one to appreciate their Loathsome Traditions in the first place (having bared the brunt of them on more than one fair occasion).
The leader of the Exiles wandered the Horde for many years after Legionfall and took to studying their history and culture, soon coming to loathe what she saw as hypocrisy in how swiftly they dispatched themselves against her afflicted people. For a people who had such rich and merciful history with those who had been cursed with the Fel taint; why were they so merciless and brutal to her kinsmen? It was a question that long haunted her, and so she distanced herself from the Horde over many years.
This distancing was not without benefits, as the Exiles had gained a multitude of allies who kept their own distance from the Horde in general. Not the least of which were a section of Grimtotem who occupied the Stonetalon Mountains, as well as the Farraki in Tanaris; two stories that would take up their stack of vellum and sore throats to retell.
After many years of being wandering vagrants; the Exiles soon entered a concord with the Spiritwalkers at Sun Rock Retreat to aid in fortifying their location under the mutual benefit of being allowed to settle; and have thus spent much of their time renovating the nearby mesas and building defensive battlements in accordance to their traditions of war and siegetime necessity.
They continue to actively seek out their lost and wandering, prideful members of their clan who had refused to assimilate; to give them a home as the tribe works to regain their position of trust and necessity within the Covenant of Highmountain once again.
Guild Necessities and Themes
-Highmountain specific roleplaying, particularly of Bloodtotem stock and lineage.
-We’ve been enjoying new Delve content even with Blizzards rubberband approach to scaling, and we’re slowly gearing up for Mythic+ content.
-Our numbers are few at the moment, but we are looking to engage with the greater Tauren/Horde community in the future as well as promote obscure tribal customs to others as well as our own.
-Small, local-scale conflict and interactions with others whilst providing an insular community that fosters individual storytelling, character building, and personal growth.
-Sympathetic allies are always welcome, as well as genuine Highmoo enjoyers.
If any of this interests you, you can apply to us through the Guild Finder, come visit our (newish) discord at “va4wqy3Ej5”, or even come speak to me or my members in person if you see us ambling about.