Zulueta Thunderhorn



Zulueta stands at seven feet, two inches tall and weighs 750 pounds. She is a slim figure but strong arm muscles reflect a life of hard work and dedication to the Tauren people. Her mane and hair are kept trimmed and short, for there are many who would take advantage of long hair in battle. Eyes, green as olive branch, are always on the alert for dangers but also soft and understanding. Her countenance reflects that of a fighters life, battle worn but not scared as she pefers the use of a bow in combat and is not seen much on the front lines. Her horns though, reflect a time when an enemy did get too close and one was broken off almost at the base. Zulueta fur is almost always caked with dust as her job involves many hours of rigerous running and ferrying of messages and she has little time for grooming. She perfers to wear light weight leather armor apposed to the heavier armor of warriors, for the purpose of their manuverablity, though make no mistake she will don mail armor if the situation requires it. Being employed by Thunder Bluff, she sports the clothing of a Bluffwatcher and can be frequently sighted wearing the regalia.

"There is a time for war and a time for peace."

~ Zulueta Thunderhorn

This is the motto she holds dearly too and reflects her personality. She does not abhore the practices of war, but she understands their necessity. Zulueta is above all things, patient. This trait was instilled in her as a young calf, where she would go off for hours on end and listen to the sounds of the world around her. It was later reinforced when she was recruited as a Holy Strider, as that occupation requires a world of patience. Her manner is over all friendly and she is quick to strike up conversation with anyone she meets. There is a wary side to her however, she does not trust openly, believing that trust must be earned not given freely. She finds her closest friends to be among the animals that she befriends along her journeys. Creatures are more loyal, she believes, than people, not giving in to the vices that plague the races that inhabit Azeroth. Also animals are easier to understand than people, they have simpler minds and their motives are laid bare upon their faces, where as people are more apt to keep their own council. Zulueta is a capable and experience tracker, often in the company of her lion, Misae. She understands the ways and rythmns of the forests, having traveled them so many times. Her prefered weapon of choice is a bow, often working with Misae to hold off the attacker so she can attack from afar. If she becomes overcome, however, she always carries with her an axe for finishing off anyone who gets too close.

"When one has shared a lifetime with animals and understands their true nature, one cannot, in good conciousness partake in the eating of them."

While she knows the hunting of animals is a necessity to the mantienance of life, she herself does not partake in the eating of meat. This has been a life long habit of hers, starting when she first sought communion with the animals around her. The balance of life and death is a percarious one and though she does not look on those who consume meat with an evil eye, she wishes that they could understand that every life under the Earth Mother is sacred and special.

Zulueta was born at in the time when the Tauren were nomadic people roaming the plains of Barrens. As a child she also spent some time in Feralas. Her mother was a herbalist and a skilled hand at potions and herbal cures which meant her children did not take ill. Her father was a Hunter and skilled Leatherworker who took his daughter under his wing from an early age, showing her all he knew about his craft. He was please that she took such an interest in his craft, for her brothers seems like they were more likely to follow in the ways of the sword and shield. In temperament she is most like her mother, patient, quiet and slow to anger. She is the second youngest child out of four brothers, two older and one younger.

Since her family did not travel with others of their race or tribe she only had her brothers’s for playmates. However, from time to time her family did run into other nomads, which gave the children opportunity to socialize with others their own age. As Zulueta grew she learned the ways of the hunt from her father and to gather the Earthmother’s bounty from her mother. Often she would go off on her own and sit for hours and observe the wildlife around her. This gave her time to reflect on the nature of life and taught her patience.

One year while her family was on the move in the Barrens they ran into newcomers to the plains, the Orcs. At first they seemed like savage brutes but her father invited them to travel with her family for some time. Eventually Zulueta came to respect these green skinned strangers, and later when she heard about that they were willing to help her people reclaim their ancestral lands from the might of the centaurs, she volunteered to help.

For the first time she ventured out on her own and was recruited by Cairne Bloodhoof and Warchief Thrall as a Holy Strider. Zulueta was trained in espionage, message taking, diplomacy, and exploration, though she knew the plains of Kalimdor like the back of her hoof. During this time she relayed messages and spied on the locations of the centaurs in Mulgore.

When the centaurs were driven from her people’s ancestral lands, she immigrated to Mulgore and witnessed the creation of the Tauren’s first city, Thunder Bluff. Throughout her life she has eagerly sought out new challenges. She calls Thunder Bluff her "home", though she rarely stays there because her duties as a Holy Strider require her to be on the move constantly. She seeks to always serve her Chieftain and walk in the ways of the Earth Mother.



Now, barely past her 54th year, Zulueta has been recruited into the services of the Hawktotem Tribe and their leader Hranu Hawktotem. She is still employed from time to time by Cairne Bloodhoof for her skills as a Holy Strider and takes much joy in serving him and the rest of the Tauren race. What lies ahead for Zulueta? No one, not even herself really knows. She is prepared to face every day and every challenge head on, never wavering in her beliefs. A constant optomist, Zulueta believes that the future is bright, and what is on the horizon will come, as surely as a new day will dawn.